Thursday, October 15, 2009

Turkish Egg Noodle / Erişte

Making Turkish egg noodles, erişte--originally a Persian term meaning strips--is usually or was a good reason for gathering for the neighborhood women. A group of women would come together at someone's house. Some would make the dough, some would knead it, and some would roll it into rounds, while others would cut the noodles, lay them on tables, or mix them. And other would make tea and serve the working group with food or just keep company. Noodles...

Monday, October 12, 2009

Red Lentil Kofte / Mercimek Köftesi

This vegetarian kofte is one of the most popular appetizers of Turkish cuisine.1 cup red lentil1/2 cup fine bulgur1/2 cup olive oil2 cups of water1 medium onion, very finely chopped1 tsp cumin1 tbsp tomato paste + 1 tbsp red pepper paste (if you cannot find red pepper paste you can use 2 tbsp tomato paste)~1 tsp saltjuice of half or 1 lemon (depends on how you like it: sour or not so sour)1/3 bunch parsley, finely chopped1/2 bunch green onion, finely...