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Kissir
Turkish Burghul Salad
Kissir is the Turkish version of tabb眉leh, but with burghul as the main ingredient, whereas in tabb眉leh, it is parsley that is the basis of the salad. I am sure that kissir is at the root of how tabb眉leh came to be a burghul or couscous salad in the west. My suspicion is that a food writer must have initially confused the two recipes and gave a kissir recipe as tabb眉leh; and that mistake has stuck until very recently when finally cookbook authors, chefs and ready-meal producers are finally coming to grips with the fact that tabb眉leh is a herb salad, and not a grain one as with kissir. This is not to say that kissir is any less good than tabb眉leh. It is just as scrumptious and healthy, with an intriguing sweet and sour taste imparted by the pomegranate syrup dressing. You can vary on the syrup dressing by using lemon juice which will give the salad a more straightforward tart flavour.
Serves听 6
Ingredients
200 g finely ground burghul
200 ml boiling water
2 small Spanish onions, very finely chopped
5 medium firm ripe tomatoes (about 500 g), deseeded, diced in 1 cm square cubes
1/2 small green pepper, deseeded and diced small
100 g flat-leaf parsley, most of the stalk discarded, finely chopped
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
1 1/2 tablespoon pomegranate syrup (or 3 tablespoons lemon juice)
salt to taste
Method
Put the burghul in a large mixing bowl and stir in the water a few spoonfuls at a time. Cover with a kitchen towel and let sit for 15 minutes.
When the time is up, add the onion to the burghul and mix well. Add the other ingredients together with the seasonings. Mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve immediately.
Yoghurt and Cucumber Dip
This dip is found, with slight variations, in Turkey, Greece, Lebanon and Syria. In Greece it can be flavoured with dill or mint and spooned over souvlaki, or served as part of mezedes (Greek for mezze) while in Lebanon and Syria, it is always flavoured with mint and served with kibb茅 or, again, as part of a mezze. I like the following Turkish version, which is flavoured with dill. Because I use the tiny Middle Eastern cucumbers, I slice them but if you were to use the regular large cucumbers, I suggest you grate them. First, take the seeds out then lightly salt the grated cucumber. Let it sit for a while before squeezing it dry to get rid of any excess moisture. For the Lebanese/Syrian version, replace the dill with 1-2 tablespoons powdered dried mint.
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 mini cucumbers, peeled and sliced in thin half circles
sea salt
450 g Greek style yogurt
1 garlic clove, crushed
2-3 tablespoons chopped dill
for the garnish
extra virgin olive oil
paprika
Method
Put the cucumbers in a mixing bowl. Add the yogurt, garlic and dill. Mix well. Taste and adjust the salt if necessary.
Transfer to a serving dish. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle a little paprika all over. Serve immediately.
Aubergine and Yoghurt Dip
Borani-e B芒denj芒n
Ingredients
2 large aubergines, about 300 g each
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
125 g strained yoghurt
few sprigs fresh mint leaves only, finely chopped
pinch saffron threads, soaked in 1 tablespoon water
50 g walnuts, coarsely chopped
Method
Prick the aubergines in several places and place them under a hot grill. Grill them for about 30-45 minutes turning them halfway through until the skin is charred and the flesh very soft. Cut the grilled aubergines in half, scoop the flesh out and place in a colander to cool and drain the excess liquid. Mash the aubergines.
In the meantime, put the olive oil and onion in a frying pan and place over a medium-high heat. Fry, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden then add the garlic and fry for another minute or so. Add the mashed aubergines. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool before mixing in the strained yoghurt and mint. Transfer to a serving dish, drizzle the saffron water all over and garnish with the chopped walnuts. Serve with Persian bread.
Adapted from a recipe in Margaret Shaida鈥檚 The Legendary Cuisine of Persia.
漏 Anissa Helou
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Presenting The Food Programme听has been Sheila's perfect job.