Narın

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 kg flour
Water to make a stiff pasta dough

2 kg horse meat
4 medium onions
2 large carrots
3-4 medium tomatoes
Salt to taste
500 gr sunflower oil
1 t black pepper

1. Divide the meat into large pieces. Place in a pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil and skim off the foam.
2. Mince the onion and add to the meat.
3. Peel the carrots, cut into circular slices, and add.
4. Cook at a low simmer for 3-4  hours. When the meat is done, remove from the broth, place on a plate, add salt and allow to cool. The meat should be tender enough to cut easily.
5. Combine the flour, water and salt to make a stiff dough. Roll out with an oklava, or thin rolling pin, and cut into sqares 20 x 20 cm.
6. In a separate pot, bring salted water to a boil and cook the pasta.
7. Strain the past and rinse with cold water. Spread out on a table and allow to dry a bit, turning occasionally.
8. After the pasta has dried, spread one side with heated sunflower oil. Place another on top and continue with the rest of the dough in the same way.
9. Cut the oiled and stacked pieces of dough first into 2 cm strips, then stack these strips and cut crosswise into thin noodles.
10. Chop the meat finely.
11. Mix the chopped meat and noodles. Add finely chopped onion and black pepper and serve. It may also be served with the broth.

Samsa

Ingredients:

800 gr lamb
250 gr lamb or beef caul fat
4-5 onions
4 eggs
400 gr butter or margarine
700 gr flour
1 t black pepper
1 t cumin
Salt to taste

1. Break the eggs into a bowl, reserving two yolks for later. Add a bit of water and salt and knead into a soft dough. Let rest for 15-20 minutes.
2. Roll the dough out into a large yufka (very thin). Spread generously with melted butter or margarine, then roll into a narrow roll. Cut every 1.5 or 2 cm. Take these pieces, flatten in the palms, and roll these out again into rounds.
3. Prepare the filling: Cut the meat and fat into small cubes, add finely chopped onion, the cumin, pepper and salt, and mix well.
4. Place some of the filling in each of the rounds, bring the edges to the center and crimp to close.
5. Place upside down in a greased baking pan, brush with egg yolk, and cook in the oven.

Note:
In place of meat, you may use spinach.

Ayvalı Pilav (Quince Pilaf)

Ingredients:

750 gr lamb or beef
900 gr rice
4-5 large onions cut into rings
300 gr oil
2-3 medium quinces
900 gr carrots cut into matchsticks
1 t cumin
Salt to taste

1. Heat the oil in a pan, add the meat and brown. Add the onions, then the carrots. Add water to cover and salt to taste.
2. Wash and peel the quinces. Cut in half and remove the cores, and place in a pot with water to cover.
3. Bring to a boil, and let simmer for 20 minutes, remove. Add washed rice and water to two finger widths over the surface of the rice. Place the quinces on top of the rice, let cook for 30 minutes.
4. Put the pilaf onto a large serving platter, top with the quinces and the meat. Serve accompanied by various salads.

Çalap Salatası

Ingredients:

2 medium cucumbers
1 bunch red radishes
6 scallions
½ bunch dill
½ bunch fresh red basil
1 t black pepper
Salt to taste
1 kg yogurt

1. Wash and peel the cucumber and dice finely. Dice the radishes and scallions, and mix together with salt.
2. Beat the yogurt lightly, mix with the cucumbers, radishes and scallions.
3. Add the minced dill and basil, along with the pepper.
4. This may be served iced.

Note:
Dry basil may be used as well.

Sümelek (Sprouted Wheat Pudding)

Ingredients:

1 kg wheat
150 gr vegetable oil
3 kg flour

1. Place wheat into a large deep bowl and cover well with water. Let stand one day. The wheat will swell.
2. Spread the wheat on a board, and let stand for 2 days. Sprinkle with water three times each day, in the morning, afternoon and evening.
3. After 2 days, mix the wheat berries on the board to turn them, then spread again in an even layer. Poke holes in the layer to allow more air circulation, and continue to moisten the wheat several times a day.
4. At the end of a week, the wheat will have sprouted and begun to grow. At this point, run the wheat through a meat grinder or a food processor.
5. Add a goodly amount of water to the ground wheat in a large bowl, then put into a cloth and squeeze into a pot. Put the lees into the bowl and add water again, and with the cloth, squeeze again, into another pot. Repeat this process once more, into a third pot.
6. Into each pot, put enough flour to make a batter.
7. Put the oil into a large pot, and add the batter from the 3 pots.
8. Bring to a boil, and cook at high heat, stirring vigorously, until it takes on the color of chocolate. Then reduce heat to very low, and cook for 24-26 hours.
9. To prevent it sticking to the bottom of the pot, either walnuts or several round stones are added to the pot. Because of the long boiling, the walnut oil enters the mixture as well.
10. After it is cooked, let stand for 2-3 hours.

Note: Sümelek is the most important dish served to guests during Nevruz (Vernal equinox) festivities.

Nar Şerbeti (Pomegranate Drink)

Ingredients:

1 lt pomegranate juice
1 ½ c sugar
2 c water
Vanilla to taste

1. Combine sugar and water in a pot and bring to a boil. Add the pomegranate juice.
2. Add the desired amount of vanilla.
3. Serve chilled.

Sources: Kâmil Toygar-Nimet Berkok Toygar, Kardeş Mutfaklar: Türk Dünyası Yemeklerinden Örnekler, Azeri-Kazak-Kırgız-Özbek- Türkmen (Sister Cuisines: Examples of Dishes of the Turkic World; Azeri, Kazakh, Kirghiz, Uzbek, Turkmen), p. 222.  Takav Press, Ankara, 1997.