Keskek

Keşkek is a special name of a traditional wedding dish. It is mostly made in Central Anatolia and Agean region of Turkey. Weddings in these places last a few days and during this time,  various dishes are served in front of bride’s or groom’s home. The wedding traditions may differ in regions but food serving is a fixed part of the tradition. As the word “tradition” points out, these are mostly forgotten in big cities, but people in towns or villages still live with them. Moreover, some young couples in big cities also want to continue their wedding traditions and they prefer holding wedding ceremonies in their hometowns or their villages.

There are a lot of different and interesting wedding traditions in Turkey, but I’ll write about one of them in this post. However, I should give a piece of background information about wedding traditions.

Before the ceremony, it is typical in Turkish culture that groom’s parents or the elderly members of his family visit  bride’s parents to know each other (of course after making an appointment). The first visitors always must be groom’s parents, not the bride’s. And it is a must to take something sweet with them such as chocolate, Turkish delight or a kind of Turkish dessert. After welcoming them, the girl makes Turkish coffee and serves it to the guests. Parents introduce themselves and then the boy’s parents state “the reason for their visit”. They say that their son wants to marry the daughter of the family and ask if they give permission to this marriage or not. The girl’s family wants some time to think about it and  boy’s family leave. In some regions, this event repeats a few times. No matter girl and boy already have a relationship, this is a permanent tradition before marriage, a Turkish girl should have the permission of her parents.

After everything is arranged and when the wedding day comes, both parents decide on where to organize the ceremony. In such cases, generally thy do what the girl’s family wants. If it is a traditional ceremony, then some cooks are held and they start to prepare some wedding dishes to be served in the wedding area. As I said, the main dish may differ in regions. The picture above was taken at the wedding of my friend’s cousine. You can see the cauldrons on wooden fire here and men and women work together.

In Central Anatolia and Agean region, Keşkek is generally the main dish. Besides it, chickpea stew, rice pilaf, a kind of meat dish, salad and ayran are also served. These dishes are all cooked in large cauldrons over wooden fire, so they are always more delicious than the dishes you make at home.

And in this picture which is from the same wedding, you see the big amount of keşkek and two men are continually stirring it to mash them as a small blender doesn’t work for such a big amount. Generally it’s men’s job to mash them  in this way because it really requires physical strength.  Even one man is never enough for this.

I’m not from Central Anatolia or Agean region, so I hadn’t known how to cook Keşkek until last weekend. Last weekend my husband’s mom suggested to make this unique dish together. She is from Central Anatolia and her mom, when young, was the best cook in their town, everyone would want help from her mom about wedding dishes. So my second mom learnt this dish from her own mom. No need to say that elderly women are always the best cooks!

Ingredients (serving:6)
-2 cups wheat (you see it in the picture above)
-8 cups hot water for wheat
-6 cups water for lamb chops
-6 lamb arm chops
-1 tbsp pepper paste or red pepper flakes
-2 tbp butter
-2 tsp salt
-2 tsp black pepper

Soak the wheat overnight. Wash it by rubbing the following day a few times until the water seems clean.

First boil the lamb chops in 6 cups water for about 40 minutes until tender.

Put it in a pressure cooker and pour  the hot water into it. When it releases its steam, bring the heat to the lowest and cook it for 50 minutes.

When it’s cooked, take the pressure cooker from the heat and when it gets cool enough, open it. Stir it with a big spoon and add 4 cups of meat broth (the water in which you boil the lamb chops) into the boiled wheat. Then add salt and stir it again. Taste it and if you think the salt is not enough, add some more. Lastly, mix it with a blender until it gets chewy.

For its sauce, heat the butter and add ½ cup meat broth (the water in which you boil the lamb chops) and pepper paste or pepper flakes.

For its serving, take some keşkek ( the mashed wheat) in a bowl and pour the sauce on it, sprinkle some black pepper and put one piece of lamb chop on it. You can serve it with ayran.

As it includes energizing ingredients, keşkek is mostly prefered in Winter when it is made at homes. But if it’s a wedding day, season doesn’t matter.

Turkish Wedding

In traditional wedding ceremonies, all relatives are ready to help. Bur the boys of that family have the big responsibility. They serve dishes in a tray you see in the picture. They work like waiters on that day. Also, they are responsible for organizing the place of the ceremony by carrying chairs and tables here and there depending on the number of the guests. And the number of the guests is never less than 100 hundred people.

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Lets Gather (for Kisir)

If a few Turkish women meet at a friend’s house, it’s unavoidable for them to make this delicious pounded wheat (bulgur) dish. It’s called KISIR.

I don’t know why or what makes this dish so popular, so precious, but I haven’t met a Turkish woman who refuses kisir. Even the idea of making kisir is enough to excite them. Of course, it’s not a woman’s dish (if there is such a classification…), there are a lot of men who are big fans of it, as well. But still, it has a different role in women’s life in Turkey. It’s the reason for meeting, a tasty way of saying “welcome” to new neighbors, and so on. Each may create their own reason. The main ingredient of kisir is bulgur (pounded wheat) and the amount of it depends on the number of people there. If there are 3 people, 3 cups bulgur is enough. However, women always add one more cup as they think that an unexpected guest may come just when they start to eat.

In fact, it’s one of those easy to prepare dishes. It is ready to eat in just 15 or 20 minutes. Kisir is not a main dish, but not a side dish either. It can be considered as a kind of appetizer which can be eaten at any time. So here are the ingredients.

Ingredients (serving: 2)
•    2 cups bulgur ( take your unexpected guests in consideration)
•    1 onion
•    3 cloves garlic
•    Half bunch of parsley
•    Half bunch of scallion
•    1 tomato
•    1 cucumber
•    ½ cup lemon juice
•    1 tbsp pepper (or tomato) paste
•    Olive oil
•    Salt
•    Cumin
•    Dried mint
•    Red pepper flakes
•    Hot water
•    ½ cup olive oil
•    2 tbsp sour pomegranate souce

Put bulgur in a large bowl. Put salt, cumin, dried mint and pepper flakes (1 tsp of each) on it. Then pour hot water in the bowl until the surface of bulgur. Cover it with a piece of cloth or with a lid and let it to be brewed until bulgur is softened. About 10 minutes will be ok.

Meanwhile, you can prepare the other ingredients. Chop garlic, parsley, scallion, tomato, cucumber In a large bowl and add lemon juice in it. Put it aside.

Dice the onion and saute it in olive oil until golden, add tomato/pepper paste in it and stir just one minute.

Now you will combine everything. First, check your soaked bulgur if it’s softened enough. If it’s ok, add sauted onion in it and mix them together with a spoon. Add sour pomegranate sauce in it and mix it (if you don’t have this souce, increase the amount of lemon juice). Then add all chopped vegeables with lemon juice. Mix it for the last time and that’s it! You can serve it with some leaves of lettuce and pepper pickles.

Enjoy it with your friends. Never alone!

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Drinking House Pilaf Recipe(Meyhane Pilavı Tarifi)

This pilaf is mainly served in Turkish drinking houses with raki, which is the traditional Turkish alcoholic drink. That’s why its name is drinking house pilaf (meyhane pilavı). However, it is also a very common pilaf cooked in any Turkish home. This pilaf is eaten as a side dish, generally with kidney peas or chickpeas.

Ingredients
•    1 cup pounded wheat (bulgur)
•    1 big onion, chopped
•    2 garlic cloves, sliced
•    1 red pepper, 1 green pepper, chopped
•    2 tomatoes, chopped
•    3 tbsp olive oil
•    ½ tbsp tomato or pepper paste
•    1 1/2 cup water
•    Pepper flakes
•    Salt

Saute chopped onion in olive oil until it gets brown.
Add tomato/pepper paste in it. Then put chopped peppers, tomatoes, salt and pepper flakes in it. Stir it for 5 minutes until they get soft.
Then it’s time to add bulgur (pounded wheat). Saute it for 5 minutes. When you start to feel the smell of bulgur, pour water and stir just once. Put the pot’s lid on. And reduce the heat to the lowest.
It will be ready after about 20 minutes.
Now you can pour raki and water in a glass and enjoy your meal.

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Green Lentil Soup Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 small cup green lentil (put them in water and wait 10 hours. You can do this part at night.)
• 1 small cup pounded wheat (bulgur)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 green pepper
• 2 tomatoes, grated
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 onion
• ½ small cup pea
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• ½ cup of lemon juice
• 4 glass hot water
• Salt
• Dried mint

Saute the onion with olive oil in a pot. After it gets brown, add tomato paste and grated tomato. Sprinkle some dried mint on it and stir for 3 minutes.

Then pour the hot water in it. Keep stirring.

Just after it, put lentil (sieving them from water), wheat(bulgur), pea and salt. Cook them until the lentil, wheat and pea become soft (at least half an hour, over medium heat). Stir occasionally.

Finally add smashed garlic and lemon juice.

Enjoy it!

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