Pasha's Kofta

I'm not sure what could be better on a winter day than lamb, mashed potatoes, and a tomato sauce. I have to admit, my imagination thought this dish would be slightly better than what it was, but it was still delicious and satisfying. The tomato sauce just wasn't quite as rich as I thought it would be, but letting the lamb cook in the tomato sauce definitely adds an extra layer of richness (and to be fair, I used water instead of lamb stock with the tomatoes as I was out of lamb stock!).

Pasha's Kofta (from The Sultan's Kitchen)

Ingredients
4 slices day-old white bread, crust removed
900g lean ground lamb or beef
1/2 small onion, grated (1/4 cup)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 eggs
1/2 tsp Turkish red pepper or ground red pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp ground cumin
salt and pepper
potatoes
1/3 cup milk
2 tbsp heavy cream
450g potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves minced
115g grated kasseri cheese (1/2 cup) (I used mizithra)
tomato sauce
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp tomato paste
4 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped (2 1/2 cups)
2 cups lamb stock or water
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley

1. Heat oven to 350F.
2. To make kofta: soak bread in cold water and squeeze out excess. Combine lamb, bread, onion, garlic, parsley, eggs, pepper, paprika, and cumin in large bowl. Mix for 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. To make potatoes: heat milk and cream in saucepan until warm. Set aside and keep warm. Put potatoes in a large sauce saucepan and cover with lightly salted water. Bring to boil and cook for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain.
4. Place butter and garlic in saucepan and set over low heat, stirring until butter melts. Add potatoes and milk mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Mash potatoes until smooth and creamy.
5. To make tomato sauce: In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat and stir in tomato paste. Add tomatoes and stock, bring to boil, and boil 3 minutes, stirring.
6. To assemble: divide meat mixture into 4 portions, shaping into balls. Flatten and make a well in the center of each one. Arrange in an ovenproof baking dish.
7. Place mashed potatoes in center of each kofta. Sprinkle with cheese.
8. Pour tomato sauce around koftas, not over potatoes.
9. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes or until top is slightly browned.
10. Arrange kofta on plates, spoon sauce around, and sprinkle with parsley.

Bulgur and Walnut Salad

This recipe made me exceedingly happy that I keep frozen chopped up herbs in my freezer. I'm sure it would've been slightly better with completely fresh, but this was so much easier (not to mention it reduces herb waste!). This salad was amazingly flavourful and filling. We were out of walnuts, so I used a mixture of hazelnuts and almonds. I also substituted arugula for romaine lettuce.

One year ago: Tomato, Pesto, Mozzarella Salad
Two years ago: Barley Risotto with Greens and Beans

Bulgur and Walnut Salad (from Sultan's Kitchen)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups bulgur
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup tahini
2 medium tomatoes, finely diced (1 cup)
1/3 cup finely chopped scallions
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
1/3 cup finely chopped mint
2 tbsp finely chopped basil
1/2 tsp Turkish red pepper or ground red pepper
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
romaine lettuce
lemon wedges

1. Place bulgur in large bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups boiling water. Cover bowl and let bulgur stand for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, process walnuts into paste. Mix with tahini.
3. Stir bulgur with a wooden spoon. Add tomatoes, scallions, herbs, red pepper, lemon, and oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add walnut-tahini mixture and stir well. Cover and refrigerate 15 minutes.
4. Serve at room temperature on a bed of lettuce with lemon wedges.

Lamb with Celeriac

Although I love Middle Eastern food, I haven't had much luck with cooking it. For some reason, The New Book of Middle Eastern Food never worked for me even though it came highly recommended. With trepidation, I decided to try a recommended book focused on Turkish food. After trying two recipes for dinner one night, I'm cautiously optimistic. This dish came out surprisingly rich, despite it's lack of cream. The only thing I'd change with this recipe is skipping the flour thickening. I found that I needed water to thin the recipe back out. I've included the original though in case your sauce doesn't thicken as easily as mine! The instructions for this recipe were a bit cumbersome, so I've simplified somewhat to save on dirty dishes.

One year ago: Espresso Black Bean Stew
Two years ago: Cranberry Winter Stew

Lamb with Celeriac (adapted from Sultan's Kitchen)

Ingredients
6 tbsp flour, divided
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 celeriac
1 lemon, cut in half
1/4 cup unsalted butter
900g boneless lamb shoulder or shank, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1.5" cubes
1 large Spanish onion, diced
2 cups lamb stock
1 tbsp finely chopped dill
salt and pepper
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp cornstarch

1. Blend 3 tbsp flour with 3 tbsp lemon juice and 1 quart cold water. Peel celeriac and cut into 1" thick slices. Rub slices with half of cut lemon and place in water. Set aside.
2. Melt butter in heavy saucepan and brown lamb chunks, stirring frequently. Stir in onion and cook for 1 more minute. Add stock, cover pan, and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 50 minutes.
3. Shake off excess water from celeriac and slide under lamb. Add dill and season with salt and pepper. Cover lamb mixture with parchment paper and place lid on top. Simmer over low to medium heat for 20 minutes or until lamb is cooked and celeriac is tender.
4. Ladle out lamb and celeriac to a serving dish and keep warm. Blend remaining 3 tbsp flour with 3 tbsp water and add to saucepan if sauce is very liquidy. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring and lower heat to simmer 1 minute.
5. Blend egg yolks with juice of remaining half lemon and cornstarch. Pour into saucepan, stirring and continue cooking for 2 minutes or until it thickens. Do not boil. Pour over lamb and celeriac and serve.