Dried Eggplant Dolma (Kuru Patlıcan Dolması)

I have been receiving complaints from readers, friends, and friends of friends about lack of new recipes on the blog. I know; it's been a while. I've been busy and lazy at the same time. But here we go.

Dried eggplant dolma is a popular winter dish mainly in the southeastern part of Turkey. Reasonable size eggplant are cut in half, carved, put on strings, and dried out in the sun to cherish eggplant deliciousness in the winter. You can find strings of dried eggplants easily at Turkish or Middle Eastern markets. The number of dried eggplants on a string vary between 30-40. Why am I cooking dried eggplants when we can find tasty fresh ones? We're moving across the country and I am cooking our pantry one item at a time!

1 string of dried eggplants (~30)

for the stuffing
1 lb ground beef
2 medium onions, finely chopped
6 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp spicy pepper paste (it's ok not to use it if you cannot find it)
1 medium tomato, grated or 1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 cup white rice
1/2 cup bulgur (if not, substitute with rice)
juice of one lemon (In the southeast, in stead of lemon they use a thick sour sauce made from plums, similar to pomegranate sauce) 
1 tbsp dry sumac (obviously sourness is a must with this dish)
1 tsp black pepper (or more--I usually go up to 1 tbsp)
1 tbsp dry mint flakes
1 tsp cumin

1/4 cup water
2 tbsp olive oil
salt

for the sauce
3-4 tbsp butter
3 tomatoes, grated or 1 can of petite diced tomato
hot water

-Boil a big pot of water and add dried eggplants. Cook for ~ 20 minutes or until they soften enough that a fork can go through easily. Rinse in cold water and set aside.
-Mix all the stuffing ingredients well.
-With the help of your hands or a small spoon, stuff eggplants. Do not stuff all the way; leave room on top to fold the top. This way you will secure overflowing. (Look at the first picture; do not stuff your dolmas like the one on the left. The one on the right is the good model!)
-Place dolmas side by side in a wide pot.
-Pour grated tomatoes and sprinkle butter pieces. Add hot water to cover dolmas. On top of the pot, place a flat-ish plate upside down. It will hold dolmas down when you're cooking them.
-Bring to a boil and turn down to low for 30-35 minutes or until rice is cooked.
-Let it sit in the pot for 5 minutes and serve with crusty bread.

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Sultan's Delight (Hünkar Beğendi)

I have heard two different stories surrounding the name of this dish, Hünkar Beğendi, which literately translates as "the Sultan liked it." The first one is that the dish was created for Sultan Murad IV (1612-1640) and obviously he liked it. Where the dish was created--in the palace kitchens or in the kitchen of a moderate house that Murad IV spent a night on his way back from a hunting trip--is not clear. The second rumor is that the same dish was served for Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III, in Sultan Abdülaziz's Beylerbeyi Palace in 1869, and she liked it so much that Abdülaziz promised her to ask his chef to give Eugenie's cook the recipe. And the rumor goes that Abdülaziz's chef was reluctant to share his recipe. I salute whoever shared the recipe later on.

Hünkar Beğendi is lamb stew served on a bed of creamy roasted eggplant puree. However, "begendi," in time, started to be used for eggplant puree. Now you can also find 'chicken beğendi' or 'meatball beğendi.'




























for 4 people

for the stew
1 lb stew lamb (preferably from leg)
1 onion, finely chopped
2 green chilies or bell pepper, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, petite diced
2 tbsp tomato paste
2-3 tbsp butter
salt and pepper
1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
1-1 1/2 cup hot water

for the eggplant puree
2 lb eggplant
1/4 cup white flour
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup grated Turkish hard mature cheese OR kashkaval cheese OR parmesan
1-1 1/2 cup milk
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper

-Heat butter in a pot and sautee the onions for a coupe of minutes. Then add the meat. When browned on all sides, add green pepper. Stir for a couple of minutes.
-Add tomato paste and stir for another couple of minutes.
-Add tomaoes and cook for 5 minutes.
-At this point add the hot water and let simmer until meat is tender, approximately an hour. Add more water if need be.
-Meanwhile, wash and prick the eggplants with a fork on at least two sides.
-Place eggplants oon gas burner or under broiler turning them frequently until eggplant is collapsed and skin is charred. You can also bake them until flesh is soft, but charred tastes better.
-Let cool and then peel eggplants and discard stems.
-Mash eggplant with the back of a fork in a bowl and mix with lemon juice.
-Heat butther in a pot. Add flour and stir constantly to make a roux on low heat.
-Warm the milk and add slowly. Whisk to make the mixture smooth. simmer for 4-5 minutes.
-Add eggplant puree and mix well.
-Add salt and black pepper, and cheese. Mix well. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
-Make a bed on a plate with eggplant puree and place meat on top of eggplant puree. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

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