Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Garbanzo Bean Pilaf (Nohutlu Pilav)

Now a highly common and popular street food, garbanzo bean pilaf (nohutlu pilav), was a special dish served during the reign of Mehmet the Conqueror by Grand Vizier Mahmut Paşa to his guests. Mahmut Paşa's pilaf had both real, edible garbanzo beans and garbanzo beans made out of gold! Mahmut Paşa called the golden ones his "diş kirası," which literary translates as "tooth money." But don't think it was a compensation for broken teeth! In the past...

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Turkish Zuppa Inglese (Supangle)

The chocolate pudding that we call in Turkey "supangle," or "sup" in short, comes from French soupe Anglaise, which comes from Italian zuppa Inglese, which probably is derived from British trifle. Despite the inherited name, the dessert itself bears no resemblance to either zuppa Inglese or trifle, other than the first layer of cake. Therefore, I will label this rich, absolutely delicious chocolate pudding that you can find in every single patisserie...

Monday, March 9, 2009

Vegetarian Potato Casserole (Etsiz Patates Oturtma)

This is a vegetarian version of a highly traditional dish, potato casserole. I had made another vegetarian version before with green lentils, inspired by auntie Lentil. This time I decided to try it with TVP; however, if you don't like TVP you can just skip it. I gave instructions for with and without TVP. It turned out great with TVP and optional melted cheese on top.4-5 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced in 1/2 inch rounds1 big onion, finely chopped...