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FEASTS FROM THE SULTANS PALACE By Sheilah Kaufman
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As someone who writes about Turkish cusine (A Taste of Turkish Cuisine by Nur Ilkin and Sheilah Kaufman and the upcoming The Turkish Cookbook Regional Recipes and Stories by Nur Ilkin and Sheilah Kaufman), teaches Turkish cuisine, and lectures on Turkey and Turkish cuisine, I could not wait to get Celebration at the Sarayi ($24.99 on line) by Channon Mondoux to read, try, and add to my collection of Turkish cookbooks. www.rencuisine.com

It is a CD/recipe book of timeless Turkish cuisine that has an eclectic world style. For the past six years, Channon forged through documents that verify the recipes and culinary practices of the time and the Sultan’s palace.

Along the way I was fortunate enough to meet and become friends with Channon, and I would definitely recommend this unique, comprehensive, and easily doable collection of fabulous ancient recipes (which have lain hidden for centuries) to any beginner or gourmet cook that is interested in learning about this intriguing cuisine.

Channon is a personal chef, food writer and historian, and author. Her writing earned her a silver medal in the "Living Now" book awards for innovation and creativity in helping people improve the quality of their lives. Channon began her work as a personal chef in 2001 after her career as a public educator (she also has a Bachelors of Education and a Degree in Psychology) and has been cooking since she was old enough to hold a spoon. She has brought to life ancient cuisines and artisan foods in restaurants, banquet halls, festivals and private events ever since. A Food Network Finalist, one of her historical recipes was chosen among thousands to be featured on "The Ultimate Recipe Showdown" in 2008. She is also the Chef for Fair Food Matters "Future Chef" program, where she instills her love of local food and food craft with young people ages 13-18. She can be found on the web at www.rencuisine.com contact her at channon@rencuisine.com or 269-547-0339

Pirinç Çorba Soup

Channon believes that this simple, clean-tasting food should be eaten immediately after its preparation.

• 6 cups beef or chicken broth
• 1/2 cup medium-grained rice
• Freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 to a whole lemon (I like it very lemony and used the whole lemon)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley

Bring stock to a boil in a 3 quart pot.

Add rice and reduce to a simmer for about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add fresh lemon juice and parsley and let simmer another 5 to 8 minutes until rice is soft.

Serves 6.

Stuffed Grapeleaves - Etli Yaprak Dolmasi

This is what Channon told me (educated me) about this dish. “This recipe is primarily based on a reference made by Hans Derschwam in his travelogue to Turkey in the 16th Century. The young German visitor describes a dish of grape leaves filled with meat and plums:  Item mutton.  Chopped small, a spoonful is put on a wine leaf and put together like a krapfen.  In it, one also puts cut sour plums, and boils the whole thing simply in water.  Serve hot.
This recipe is quite special for its uniqueness. The word “krapfen” meant “stuffed fritter” in 16th C German and conveys Han’s observation that the leaves were folded over to enclose the filling. Although many stuffed pastries and vegetables appear in a variety of early world cuisines, to date, I have found no other mention of the practice of using grape leaves in food There does exist a recipe for pickled grape tendrils in the 15th C Italian manuscript by Platina “On Right Pleasure and Good Health”. This hardly constitutes a “dolmas” or stuffed type food.  Athenaeus’ he Deipnosophistae (Scholars at the Dinner Table) in the late 2, early 3rd century in Greece  is reported to mention grape leaf appetizers but I have yet to locate this reference (many ref to stuffed fig leaves though) in I have, however, found recipes that describe similar ingredient combinations used in vegetable recipes in medieval Arabic sources.  A plum, meat, parsley and gourd  recipe called "Khaukhiyya" can be found in the Kitab al Tibakha, the 15th C contemporary Mameluke cookbook to the first Ottoman cookbook.
Khaukhiyya- Boil meat and plums. Fry vegetables- Swiss chard, eggplant, carrots, gourds and so on (onions and garlic are frequently mentioned in other recipes). Macerate the plums in the meat broth and strain it and put it with the vegetables. Then sweeten it and garnish it with walnuts and parsley.
When I created this stuffed grape leaf recipe I experimented using very tart black plums. They imparted a citrus like flavor and a sweetness that developed with cooking.  A nice touch would be to use slightly blanched fresh grape leaves.  I’m sure this would affect the overall taste of the recipe but as it is, the results are delicious. Since fresh leaves weren’t available, I used a jar of brined grape leaves (Ziyad and Roland brand are my favorites) and a simple blend of garlic, parsley, onion, lemon, salt and pepper to compliment the meat and plums.
I prepared this recipe one spring for a large group and to my surprise, found out that plum season was over. After frantically calling several suppliers I realized that there were no plums to be found in the entire area- to get any would require a special order and a huge expense.  Faced with this ongoing seasonal problem I decided to do what anyone in 16th Century Turkey would do- substitute the next closest thing: prunes. The result was a wonderful taste and texture, the prunes blended well with the other ingredients and benefited from the long cooking time.  Whichever you choose to do, plums or prunes, fresh or brined leaves, I’m sure you’ll love the results.”

• 1 pint jar brined grape leaves- drained
• 1.5 cups sour plums or 1.5 cups pitted prunes- chopped small
• 1 teaspoon sea salt- divided
• 2 medium onions, minced
• 2 cloves garlic,  minced
• 1/ 2 cup packed fresh flat leaf parsley- washed, dried and minced
• 1/ 4 to1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper- fine
• 1 pound ground lamb (or ground beef or combination of both)
• 1/ 2 freshly squeezed lemon (about 1/8 cup) juice
• 1/ 2 cup chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  

Using jarred leaves;

Carefully remove the leaves from the jar. They are tightly rolled and squeezed into the jar (I’ve often wondered how they do it!) and can rip when you are pulling them out. Unroll the leaves and gently peel the leaves apart. Set aside any badly ripped, discolored or extremely large grape leaves, you’ll use these to line the pan and lay on top of the dolmas in the pot.

The best leaves to use are those about the size of your palm plus some, about 6 inches in diameter. If they are too large they will take too long to cook, if too small they will over cook or won’t hold enough filling.

Cut or trim the stems of the grape leaves off using a sharp paring knife or a pair of scissors. If using brined leaves, place them in a large bowl, cover with boiling water and soak for 30 minutes and rinse with cold water very well. Depending on how tough the leaves are you may wish to steam or parboil them. Try parboiling about 2 minutes at a time and check for softness as you go.  As well, if they are very salty you may wish to soak them again. I have had great success with Ziyad brand grape leaves. They are thin and delicate, but full of flavor.
In a skillet, over medium heat, heat the olive oil, season the onions with 1 teaspoon salt, and sauté the onions until they begin to caramelize. Add garlic, herbs, chopped plums or prunes. Remove from heat add the raw ground lamb, mixing everything together very well. Add the second teaspoon of salt. Don’t cook this mixture but simply blend well. Use clean hands to blend if necessary.
Place a grape leave on a work surface, shiny side down, place about 1 1/ 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture near the stem end, then fold in the end and sides and roll up neatly. Repeat this process until all the leaves are stuffed.
Line the bottom of a large, heavy based pot (3 to 4 quarts) with several grape leaves (used ripped and discolored ones), then arrange the filled rolls in snug layers, seam side down. Make one layer of dolmas and then place the next layer perpendicular to the first. You do not want them to be able to move around. If they are too loosely packed they will unroll and result in grape leaf soup. I like to use my dutch oven for large batches or my 1 quart enameled cast iron pot for smaller batches.   Pour in the stock, squeeze lemon or pour juice over the dolmas.
When you are finished with the layering, if you have any extra leaves, place them on top of the rolls. Place a heat proof dish (I’ve used salad plates with success) on the top to keep the rolls pressed down.
Cover with a lid and simmer slowly for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the leaves are tender and the meat is cooked. Take one of the dolmas out of the pot, test it for doneness (you want the leaves tender and the filling soft). You may need to add more liquid, if so, add 1/ 2 cup water and continue to simmer another 15 minutes. Check again.   Let cool. Serve at room temp. If you store them in the refrigerator, bring them to room temperature before serving.
 
Makes approximately 60-90  dolmas depending on the size of the leaves. You can make these up to 3 days in advance, then remove from fridge about 1-2 hours before serving. You can also reheat them gently in a microwave at 70% power for 45 seconds, or until warm.

Qatlama Boregi- Savory Layered Bread

This type of “flatbread” is still eaten and made in countries like Uzbekistan and the Ukraine, and by Turkish groups such as the Kazakhs and Tatars. The origin of this medieval recipe is a mention found in period dictionaries, summarized by Charles Perry in his piece “ Grain Foods of the Early Turks.” Recorded as early as the 11th C and still found today, it is described as a rolled flat dough, filled with various ingredients, sliced and flattened, then fried in butter or oil. With some interpretation we can recapture the essence of this delicious treat. This dish can be eaten sweet or savory. I like to use this version as an appetizer, be ready, they’ll go fast.

• 1 cup white all purpose flour
  
• 1/4  cup whole milk yogurt
  
• 1/2  cup water
  
• pinch salt
  
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
  
• 1/2  cup minced walnuts
  
• 1 cup feta cheese, drained and crumbled
  
• 1 cup canola oil or vegetable oil, for frying
  
• Coriander and cumin freshly ground (1 tablespoon each)
  

Make dough by combining salt and flour in a bowl. Mix in yogurt, water and work with hands until a ball forms. Set aside to rest for at least 1 hour while preparing filling.

In a bowl combine the walnuts and feta cheese.  Set aside.

Cut dough into 4 balls. .On a floured surface, roll out dough ball until very thin. Cover and set aside until all 4 are rolled.

Brush the pastry with melted butter, sprinkle with 1/2 the cheese and walnut mixture. Roll up like a carpet along the length of the dough and slice into 1/ 2-inch pieces, flatten each one slightly by pressing with the palm of your hand and brush with melted butter. Repeat with remaining discs. The stuffing proportion given will fill about 40 pastries, each 2-inches across and about 1/4-inch tall.

Heat oil in a large pan. Place pastries flat side down and cook until browned. Turn and finish cooking. Remove from pan and serve warm.

Serves 20.