Chef Flowers Turkish Cypriot Taro Casserole Kibrisli Kolokas Food

CHEF FLOWER'S TURKISH CYPRIOT TARO CASSEROLE - KIBRISLI KOLOKAS

Steps:

• Add 1/3 of the olive oil in a sallow pot, heat, add chicken and brown, remove chicken in a medium size heat resistant bowl and set aside.
• Add 1/3 of the olive oil in the same pot, heat, add taro and slightly brown, remove taro in a different medium size heat resistant bowl and set aside.
• Add 1/3 of the olive oil in the same pot, heat, and add onion until lightly brown, then return the chicken to the pot and mix.
• Add tomato paste, diced tomatoes & chicken stock. Reduce heat and to boil.
• Add lemon and taro, mix gently.
• Add salt and pepper.
• Simmer for 30 minutes but stir occasionally.
• NOTE: You may need to top up the casserole with chicken stock during the 30 minutes, the sauce will become dry if you don't and potentially burn the recipe. Sauce needs to be thick and lots of it.
• You can either add coriander/cilantro into the recipe or use it as garnish.
• Serve with crusty bread & garden salad or a plain Turkish pilaf.

TURKISH EGGS (CILBIR)

Steps:

• Spoon yogurt into a medium bowl. Grate in garlic and mix to combine. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Add dill and mix thoroughly. Set aside at room temperature.
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat; heat until bubbles begin to burst. Add cumin, paprika, and chili flakes. Stir until color is uniform, then turn off heat and let spices infuse.
• Grind parsley and jalapeno together in a mortar. Season with salt, drizzle in olive oil, and stir to combine.
• Fill a large saucepan with 2 to 3 inches of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, pour in vinegar, and keep the water at a gentle simmer. Crack an egg into a small bowl then gently slip egg into the simmering water, holding the bowl just above the surface of water. Repeat with the remaining eggs. Cook eggs until the whites are firm and the yolks have thickened but are not hard, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Remove the eggs from the water with a slotted spoon, dab on a kitchen towel to remove excess water, and place onto a warm plate.
• Dollop yogurt mixture onto serving plates. Use the back of a spoon to spread yogurt out into a bed for the eggs, carving ridges into the top to catch the oil. Drizzle on some jalapeno oil. Top with eggs and a spoonful or two of the Aleppo butter. Sprinkle sea salt on top.

TURKISH OKRA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• If using fresh okra, trim away any tough stems.
• If frozen okra is used, defrost and drain.
• Trim off the ends of the eggplant and cut unpeeled eggplant into one-inch cubes.
• Trim the ends of the zucchini and cut into unpeeled zucchini into one-inch cubes.
• Using a vegetable peeler, peel away the skin of the bell peppers; halve them and remove cores, veins and seeds.
• Cut bell peppers into one-inch pieces.
• Peel and dice onion into one-inch pieces.
• Peel, core and seed and dice tomatoes into one-inch pieces.
• Pre-heat oven to 375°F.
• Heat the oil in a large, heavy casserole (stove top/oven ware) and add the onion and eggplant cubes.
• Cook, stirring often, about five minutes.
• Add zucchini, tomatoes and green pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, about two minutes.
• Stir in the garlic, pepper flakes, parsley, bay leaf and thyme.
• Add the drained okra and salt to taste.
• Place in the oven, uncovered, and bake for about one hour.
• Remove bay leaf and serve.

TURKEY CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook celery at a boil until tender, 5 to 10 minutes; drain.
• Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion and bell pepper in the melted butter until softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Whisk flour into onion mixture until the butter and flour form a paste. Add mushroom soup, milk, and mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is smooth, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Mix turkey, celery, pimento peppers, almonds, and salt into mushroom soup mixture; cook and stir until heated through, about 5 minutes. Pour mixture into a 2-quart casserole dish; top with bread crumbs and Cheddar cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until casserole is bubbling and cheese is melted, 30 to 40 minutes.