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 it was a tradition of wealthy families to give a feast for the poor and the wealthy alike during the month of Ramadan. The family would give a small gift to everyone who attended the fast breaking dinner (iftar) for kind-of renting their teeth to their hosts for the night. Apparently Mahmut Paşa offered the gift in the food in stead of handing it out.

Nowadays in Turkey you can eat this rich and tasty pilaf, usually along with pieces of chicken, at small sloppy restaurants during the day and on the street late at night, post-bar hours, and with no "tooth money."

1 cups rice
1/2 cup garbanzo beans (soaked over night and boiled the next day until cooked or use can garbanzo beans)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2-3 tbsp butter (traditionally sheep's tail fat is used for this recipe, but we settle down for butter now)
2 cups of water
salt and pepper


























-Heat butter in a non-stick pot.
-Add onion and stir until soft.
-Add rice and garbanzo beans. Stir for a couple of minutes.
-Add water, salt, and pepper.
-Let it boil first and then turn it to low heat. Cover and cook until the water is absorbed. Do not stir the rice while cooking.
-Turn it off and cover the top of the pot with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel. Place lid on tightly. Let sit for ~10 minutes.
-Fluff and serve it as a main dish or as a side with meat.

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 in Turkey as traditional Turkish.



























makes 8 medium size bowls or glasses
4 cups of milk
7/8 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup butter
3/4 cup dark chocolate or chocolate chips
left over cake or lady fingers or tea, cocoa, etc. biscuits or cookies


























-Mix cold milk, sugar, flour, and cocoa powder, and start cooking stirring constantly.
-Once it starts boiling, take it off the stove.
-Add butter and chocolate. Stir well.
-Cover the bottom of bowls or glasses with which you will serve the pudding with a layer of cake, cookie, or biscuit, and wet them with a splash of milk.
-Pour the pudding into the bowls.
-Decorate the tops with ground pistachio, shredded coconut, ground walnuts or almonds.
-Serve cold.

The popular way to have a "sup" in Turkey is with a scoop of ice cream on top.

note: See the cracks on the surface of the pudding in the pictures? That's because I forgot what a patisserie chef told me once and pour the pudding into the bowls when it was still hot. However, if you let the pudding cool down in the pot, stirring it frequently, and then pour it into the bowls, there would not be any cracks on the surface.

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 rounds
1 big onion, finely chopped in half-moons
2 green peppers or 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
3 tomatoes, grated or 1 can of petite diced tomato
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 bunch Italian parsley, chopped
1 tsp or tbsp black pepper
salt

optional
1/4 cup (or 1/3) TVP



























-Place a greased aluminum foil on a cookie sheet and put potato rounds on it. Bake them at 415-420F for 15-20 minutes, until soft/cooked.
[If you want to use TVP, put TVP in a bowl and add hot water. Let soak for 10 minutes. Squeeze excessive water, and set TVP aside]
-Heat olive oil in a frying pan or a pot and saute onion and green pepper until soft.
-Add tomato paste [and TVP if you are using any] and cook for 2 minutes.
-Add grated or diced tomato, salt, and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes. Add 1 cup water and cook for another 5 minutes. Turn it off and add parsley.
-Grease a casserole pan. Put one layer of potato rounds. Add half of the tomato mix and distribute evenly. Make the second layer of potatoes and add the rest of the tomato mix.
-Bake in a preheated oven at 380F for 20-25 minutes.
-If you are a cheese lover, cover the top with grated cheese (mozzarella, swiss, cheddar, etc) and broil until golden brown after it's done baking.