Kalkan Turkey Forum - EnjoyKalkan.com
Totally Turkey => Cooking => Topic started by: hel66 on September 09, 2008, 11:22:30 PM
-
Following on from the ''what''s in your kalkan fridge'' topic. I thought it might be intersting for forum members to let on about their favourite ways of cooking an aubergine. this versatile vegatable is called a ''patlacan'' in Turkish and in kalkan there is a very popular restaurant named after it. it''s in the harbour near to ''Salt and pepper''s except it''s down the steps and along a bit. by Trios
My OH loves aubergines and I am always having to think up exciting new ways of cooking them to keep him happy, he even eats them with his bacon and eggs in the morning.
So any tips on livening up an aubergine dish would be greatly appreciated as I''m running out of ideas
-
when you buy your aubergine ..throw it away and eat the bag ..it will taste nicer! ;D ;D
-
See an earlier cooking post for a link to a recipe for Imam Bayildi (and try the real thing at Kaya!)
The French dish Ratatouille also has aubergine as one of its main ingredients.
-
I''m with Blue Lizard on this one....unless it''s smothered in lots of other things to give it flavour, I''m not a fan :P. When you roast it with other veg, it goes horribly rubber-like and is always left on our plates...yuk!
-
Dear Hel66
This starter was given to me at a dinner party and was so delicious and looked so good with the striped slices of aubergine that I asked for the recipe which is as follows:
1 or 2 large aubergines, cut vertically in long, thin strips.
Brush strips with olive oil on both sides.
Cook in batches on a ridged skillet, turning them regularly until browned in stripes. As each batch is cooked leave it to cool on kitchen paper.
To serve, place on a large flat dish and sprinkle with lots of crumbled feta cheese and chopped parsley, add salt & pepper.
I must confess, I haven''t tried to do it yet as I need to get a mandolin to slice the aubergines next time I''m in the UK. I hope you''ve got a steadier hand than mine!
-
Thanks very much for that butterfly, I will certainly try that.
I was told of a lovely recipe the other day with an aubergine.
cook an aubergine in an open flame until soft,peel it, mix into a bechamel sauce and cook with cheese. It should end up like a puree
I think I''ve found the mystery of the popularity of the aubergine and the need for Turk women to be constantly lighting and cooking on real fires.
It''s absolutely delicious. My OH has had it three times already this week!!
-
Lucky man ;D
-
Lilly :o
-
The best recipie for aubergines is the Italian Melanzane. Peel the aubergines, salt and drain in a colander for 30 mins. Toss in flour, fry in olive oil till slightly brown.
Prepare as a lasagne with a tomato sauce with lots of garlic [no meat], morrazella & parmesan cheeses. Finish the dish with sauce & then parmesan cheese. bake for 30 mins in a medium oven & finish under the grill to brown if necessary.
-
Here are 2 recipes from the Lazio (Rome) region:
Baked eggplant with parseley & garlic paste --
Cut the eggplant in half. Fork it and salt it, place it cut side down on a plate for 1/2 hour to drain off some of the "bitter" moisture in the eggplant. Meanwhile prepare the topping: chop up a lot of parseley and garlic to taste. Mash this together with olive oil and some salt until you get a rough paste. Use a mortar and pestle or a blender. Spread paste thickly on cut sides of eggplant, place in oven dish brushed with a touch of olive oil, cook in medium oven until eggplant is soft (fork enters easily).
Pasta a la Norma -- sometimes called pasta al forno
Ingredients: canned or ripe peeled tomatoes, salt, pepper, tomato paste, fresh basil, olive oil, fresh mozzarella, grated parmesan.
Crush or cube the peeled tomatoes. Prepare a thick but simple tomato sauce with the tomatoes, a soup spoon of tomato paste, a lot of fresh basil, salt, pepper and olive oil. (no onions, no garlic).
Slice the eggplant(s) about 1/4" thick, fork, salt and drain them. Then fry them in a bit of olive oil (the more you drain them, the less oil they absorb). Drain the fried eggplant slices on Scott towels or equivalent.
Slice the mozzarella fairly thinly (buffalo mozzarella if possible. Should be very light, not dense or hard).
In a casserole dish brushed with a bit of olive oil place a layer of fried eggplant, then cover that layer with several slices of mozzarella, then add a layer of tomato sauce. Make at least two layers, ending with any remaining mozzarella. Top all with parmesan. Bake in oven for about 20 minutes.
Simple, filling, nutritious, delicious.
-
Dear Del and Cosetta
The recipes you''ve given sound delicious BUT what could be used as a substitute for mozarella that''s sold here?
On a similar vein, I should really appreciate if someone could tell me:
the proportions and ingredients to make up self-raising flour;
what could be used instead of creme fraiche in a recipe;
or would know of places where you can buy gelatine, cinnamon sticks, vanilla pods and sea salt crystals;
or has any other tips on replacements for vegetables that appear in European recipes that you can''t buy in Kalkan such as celery and asparagus.
Butterfly
-
A pretty awful hard local Turkish mozzarella used to be sold here but I haven''''t seen it this summer except at Migros in Fethiye. What else you could use ... not sure, maybe fresh kasar sliced. Because of mozzarella not being available here, I wait until I go somewhere that I can buy it to make any recipe calling for mozzarella.
Creme fraiche ... the only substitute I know is cream mixed with whole yoghurt.
Gelatin you can buy in Yali. Comes in a small flat package. Should be in the baking section. Cinnamon sticks are sold in the market. Rock sea salt, never saw it here. Vanilla pods, there is only vanilla sugar. Best is to bring them from the UK next time you come.
Asparagus exists but later in the season. I bought celery stalks 2 weeks ago in Fethiye Migros. The first time I''ve ever seen them. They do sell celeriac in the market but that''s not the same thing.
-
Hi Butterfly, you can add baking powder to plain flour, usually 1teaspoon to 225 grams of flour to create self raising flour. If you can''t find baking powder you can add cornflour to bicarbonate of soda which will work fine. Add more if you are baking sponge cakes etc but if making a dough, pastry or batter 1tsp is
sufficient.
Can''t really suggest an alternative to mozzarella, very thinly sliced halloumi may work but I''ve never tried it.
If whatever you''re cooking requires celery personally I would omit it, add a liitle extra onion & possibly some fresh parsley.
Hope this helps.
-
Dear Cosetta and Del
Thank you so much for your helpful replies. My mouth is watering thinking about the lovely new aubergine recipes I''m going to try.
Butterfly
-
baking powder = kabartma tozu
corn flour = mısır unu
bicarbonate = karbonat
-
Butterfly,
Try this link
www.cookitsimply.com/category-0020-0196t.html
Joan