Çiğ köfte (Bulgar wheat and ground walnut kofte)

In addition to bean cuisine, Turkey is a land of the kofte or meatball. Obviously for a vegetarian, meatballs are possibly not something that one shows much interest in, however çiğ köfte (or raw meatballs) are something quite special. Yes, you did read that correctly, 'raw meatballs' and vegetarian in the same sentence. Traditionally, çiğ köfte were made with raw meat (either lamb or beef) finely pounded with soaked bulgar wheat and ground chillies, however due to food and hygiene laws in Turkey (or at least in Istanbul) it has not been possible to serve raw meat in restaurants for the last ten years or so. Hmm... what can a creative person do? Well, a vegetarian/vegan version came into being, and amazingly delicious it is too. The 'meatiness' comes from the soaked bulgar wheat and ground walnuts. It reminds me a little of some of the Georgian walnut-based pastes such as pkhali. The recipe itself is so simple, yet utterly delicious and rewarding. The only time consuming bit is the kneading of the mixture, but slip a box set in the DVD player, take your kofte mixture into the living room and knead away  :)

Ingredients

1 cup fine bulgar

1 cup ground walnuts

Boiling water (to soak the bulgar)

1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses

1 onion (grated)

2 cloves of garlic (crushed)

1 tsp dried mint

1 tsp cumin

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 large ancho chillies (soaked in water for 30 minutes, deseeded and pureed)

Fresh coriander and parsley

1. Pour the boiling water over the bulgar wheat and soak for around 30 minutes

2. Pour into a muslin square (or clean dish towel) and squeeze out the excess water

3. Mix in the ground walnuts

4. To this, add the grated onion, tomato paste, herbs, spices and chillie puree and mix well. If it’s too crumbly then add a little olive oil. Texture wise you want a doughy like consistency. As an aside, if you can’t find the fine bulgar wheat needed to make this recipe, using a stick blender to ‘mush’ up the standard bulgar wheat works just as well. Don’t overdo it though as you want a little bit of texture in the mix

5. Knead this mixture for at least 10 minutes (ideally 30 minutes)

6. Pinch off golf ball sized pieces and roll into sausages, squeeze hard to create indentations

7. To eat serve in lettuce leaves with a squeeze of lemon. Delicious!

Kuru fasulye (Turkish white bean stew)

I've been a bit lax in putting up recipes recently, in my defence I was in the middle of moving house and for most of the time internet-less or in the midst of craziness. I've now settled in my new home, made myself familiar with the kitchen and as I have not long returned from a holiday in Turkey, I think a Turkish recipe is appropriate! Turkey is a bean lovers paradise and there are a multitude of delicious bean-based recipes to choose from. This is perhaps my favourite, kuru fasulye or white bean stew. I have eaten it on numerous occasions, but it was one of those dishes that I had never actually cooked at home. A food related discussion with a Turkish friend led to some recipe swapping, and this is his recipe – give or take a few tweaks. It's the sort of recipe I love, one that gives no amounts or specific directions but assumes you know the basics and can figure out the rest. More a list of ingredients and suggestions than a regimented mehod. Really, all you need for this are the beans (cannelini ideally, though I only had butter beans which I have to say I probably prefer as they have such a smooth and creamy flavour), dried tomatoes, tomato paste and a green pepper. As with a lot of Turkish food, the flavour comes from the fresh ingredients and the cooking process. This is a classic dish and you really don't need to mess with it.

Ingredients

250g dried white beans (butter beans or cannellini)
Water
2 garlic cloves
50g Margarine or butter
Olive oil
A few sun dried tomatoes (chopped)
1 tablespoon dried mixed herbs
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tsp Aleppo pepper (ideally, or chilli flakes if you don't have)
1 large onion thinly sliced
2 green peppers (cut into rough chunks)

1. Soak the beans overnight
2. Drain the beans and add to a pan of fresh water and boil for 20 minutes
3. While the beans are boiling, fry the onions and garlic in the olive oil/margarine (or butter) mixture until softened
4. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for a couple of minutes
5. Drain the beans, reserving the boiling water and add to the pan with the onions
6. Add around 500ml of the boiling liquid, I’ve left the amount vague. The finished consistency of the cooked beans can vary, some people like their kuru fasulye to be almost soupy, others with very little cooking liquid. I’ve gone for the happy medium
7. To the pan add the spices, chopped dried tomato and peppers, bring back up to the boil and then simmer covered for around 2 hours
8. Halfway through cooking check on the liquid, if you feel it needs more top up. If you want your beans to be more ‘stew-y’ leave the lid off slightly to allow the water to evaporate
9. After around an hour and a half check one of the beans to ensure that they're cooked. For a bit of extra luxuriousness, once the beans were cooked and the sauce the desired consistency stir in a knob of butter or margarine
10. Serve with crusty bread, or delicious with a rice and vermicelli pilaf