Istanbul and Beyond: Exploring the Diverse Cuisines of Turkey by Robyn Eckhardt

Author:Robyn Eckhardt [Eckhardt, Robyn]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: Cooking
ISBN: 9780544444348
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Published: 2017-10-10T04:00:00+00:00

Meatballs with Pumpkin & Spice Butter

Doleme

For this warming dish from Hakkâri, delicate lamb or beef meatballs studded with ground rice are laid atop a bed of pumpkin chunks and then steam-simmered in a light tomato sauce. Before serving, the dish is drizzled with sizzling tomato butter seasoned with purple basil and red pepper flakes, which play off the richness of the meat and the sweetness of the pumpkin. I ate this dish at the home of Şehmur and Baran Kurt, in Hakkâri.

A good meatball is light and tender, attributes achieved in Turkey by hand-chopping the meat, something even I am unwilling to undertake on a regular basis. But you can achieve a similar texture by spreading ground meat on a cutting board, sprinkling the seasonings over it, and cutting everything together with a knife. (This keeps the meat from turning into a paste, as it would if you mixed the ingredients in a food processor or by squeezing and kneading with your hands.) The process takes only about 5 minutes. Combine this technique with very light handling when you form the meatballs, and they’ll end up tender.

You must soak the rice for 1½ hours before proceeding with the rest of the recipe, during which time you can peel, seed, and slice the pumpkin and complete other prep work. The meatball mixture can be prepared ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator. Serve the dish with a simple cooked vegetable like spinach and plain Strained Yogurt (start at least 24 hours ahead). For a dinner party, give your guests an appetite-rousing preview by placing the pot in the middle of the table before pouring over the sizzling spice butter.

Preparation time: 1¼ hours plus 1½ hours for the rice to soak

Serves 4

For the meatballs

½ cup medium- or short-grain rice, such as Baldo or CalRose

1 pound ground lamb or beef

3 tablespoons minced onion

1¾ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon ground dried chiles, or substitute cayenne pepper or hot paprika

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon dried purple basil (or substitute 1 tablespoon dried basil plus 1 teaspoon ground anise or star anise)

2 pounds (seeded) sweet pumpkin or orange winter squash, such as acorn, kabocha, or butternut, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 6 cups)

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon tomato paste

1½ cups boiling water

For the spice butter

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 heaping teaspoon Turkish or other crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

2 teaspoons dried purple basil (or substitute 1¾ teaspoons dried basil plus ½ teaspoon ground anise or star anise)

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