tradisionele kos – My Whisk and I

Perde Pilavi

July 13, 2023May 25, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Perde Pilavi is a traditional Turkish dish made of chicken and rice flavoured with nuts, fruit and spices and wrapped up in a delicious pastry, specked with flaked almonds.

1 chicken (1-1,5kg)
1 litre chicken stock
40g butter
40g flaked almonds
330g short grain rice (like Arborio)
30g raisins
5ml salt
5ml paprika
10ml mint, chopped
660ml chicken stock

Pastry:
2 eggs
60ml yoghurt
60g butter
50ml vegetable oil
5ml salt
350g flour
5ml baking powder
50g flaked almonds

Place the chicken in a large saucepan and pour in the stock.
Cook on medium heat for an hour, until done.
Remove the chicken from the stock and set aside to cool slightly.
Reserve the stock.
Place a large frying pan on medium-high heat, add the butter and wait for it to melt.
Add the almonds and stir-fry until golden.
Add the rice and cook for a minute or so, stirring all the while to coat in the butter.
Now add the raisins, salt, a few grindings of black pepper, paprika and mint.
Pour in 660ml of the reserved stock (add boiling water if you dont have enough), stir the mixture and cover with a lid.
Turn the heat to a gentle simmer and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is almost cooked.
Remove from the heat and set aside.
Shred the chicken into strips and discard the bones and skin.
Add the chicken to the rice mixture and stir through.

For the pastry:
Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Add the eggs, yoghurt, butter and vegetable oil to a bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
Add the salt, flour and baking powder to a bowl and whisk through.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet.
Lightly knead the pastry to bring it together.
Flour a work surface and roll the pastry to a 45cm diameter circle. It should be large enough to line the dish and have enough hanging over the sides to close around the filling.
Spray a 18cm diameter x 8cm deep ceramic dish with cooking spray.
Scatter the almonds on the bottom of the dish.
Line the bottom and sides of the dish with the pastry, leaving the overhang.
Spoon the cooled rice mixture into the pastry.
Fold the overhang-pastry over the filling to enclose it completely – trim off any excess.
Bake for 40 minutes, until golden.
Take the dish from the oven and rest it for 15 minutes.
Place a serving plate over the baking dish and invert it.
Serve the pilavi with a crispy salad.

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Beef Pide

July 11, 2023May 17, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Dough:
330ml warm/tepid water
5ml salt
5ml sugar
10ml instant yeast
750ml bread flour

Filling:
about 350g cooked, ground beef
250ml grated mozzarella cheese
a handful of basil leaves

For the dough:
Add the water, salt, sugar and yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
Stir the mixture together until the sugar has dissolved and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
Add the bread flour and mix on low speed to form a dough.
Turn the speed up to medium and mix/knead for 5 minutes. You will be left with a soft but slightly sticky dough.
Place the dough in a clean, oiled bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise for 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.
Preheat your oven to 240℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Dust a work surface with flour and divide the dough into 6 portions.
Roll out each piece of dough to form an oval.
Place the dough ovals on the baking sheet and brush with olive oil.
Top the dough with mozzarella and a few spoons of beef, but keep a 1cm border on the edges.
Fold the edges of the dough over the filling and pinch the ends together to form a boat shape.
Bake for 13 minutes.
Scatter over the basil leaves.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Meatballs stuffed with feta / Köfte

July 8, 2023May 17, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

500g lamb mince
4 slices white bread, crusts removed
60ml milk
1 small onion, finely chopped
10ml chopped parsley
10ml chopped mint
2 cloves of garlic, minced
5ml salt
5ml ground cumin
5ml ground coriander
100g feta cheese, cubed (1,5cm x 1,5cm)

Sauce:
1 x 400g tin chopped tomato
5ml salt
10ml sugar
60ml cream

For the meatballs:
Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Place the minced meat in a large mixing bowl and break it up with your hands.
Break up the bread, add it to the bowl and pour over the milk. Mix well.
Now add the onion, parsley, mint, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt and a few good grindings of black pepper. Mix again.
Scoop 30ml of the meat into your hands, form a ball and press it flat in your palm.
Place a feta cube on the mince and bring the sides up and around it. Roll the mince ball between your hands to seal.
Place the balls on an oven tray and keep going until you have no meat left.
Drizzle a few drops of olive oil over the meatballs and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

For the sauce:
Add the tomato, salt and sugar to a liquidiser and blitz until smooth.
Pour the sauce into a saucepan set over medium-high heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add the cream, stir through and add the meatballs.
Simmer for a further 20 minutes.
Serve the meatballs with rice or bulgar wheat.

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Traditional Sweet Dumplings/Souskluitjies

June 17, 2022June 13, 2022by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

250ml flour
5ml baking powder
1,2ml salt
45ml butter, cubed
2 eggs
15ml sugar
2,5ml salt
2,5ml ground cinnamon
125ml butter, melted
ground cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle over

Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a mixing bowl.
Add the butter and rub it into the dry ingredients with your fingertips.
Add the eggs and 15ml sugar to another bowl and whisk together.
Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and mix together.
Fill a large saucepan at least 7-8cm deep with hot, simmering water.
Add 2,5ml salt and 2,5ml cinnamon to the water.
Spoon a teaspoonful of batter into the water. Add another 4 dumplings – do not crowd the saucepan- and gently simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a heatproof dish.
Drizzle with the melted butter and some cinnamon-sugar.
Keep the dumplings warm while you cook the rest.
Serve warm with extra cinnamon-sugar.