Cooking Classes "Do not dismiss the dish saying that it is just, simply food. The blessed thing is an entire civilization in itself." - Abdulhak Sinasi, Turkish Poet   Turkish cuisine is the legacy of the country's rich history. Around 5000 BCE, in Catalhoyuk, people harvested wheat and baked bread. Hittites were making beer in 1700 BCE while Cappadocians were advancing the production of wine. Turkish cuisine started in Central Asia, where the roots of Turkish people are, and traveled over the centuries, interchanging culinary habits and recipes. Therefore, it is rich in variety, tasty to different palates, and very healthy. All of the civilizations that settled in Asia Minor contributed to modern day Turkish cuisine. At the Topkapi Palace kitchens in Istanbul the cuisine was refined over 700 years to the delight of well-fed Sultans of the Ottoman Empire. Turkish Cooking Classes with Jale Boga Robertson Join Jale in the kitchen as she unveils the rich aromas of Turkish cuisine.  Learn to prepare healthy eastern Mediterranean meals focusing on whole grains and greens.   Jale will share her knowledge of each dish’s history and key ingredients.    Jale was born in Adana, Turkey which is located in Southeast Turkey.  She has travelled extensively throughout Turkey as a professional tour guide in the past 15 years and she will enlighten participants about regional specialties and local cultures.  Jale’s focus is on easy home cooking using simple recipes from Turkey’s rich culinary heritage.  She offers courses for small private groups.    Location:  Classes are provided at either Jale’s home in Corte Madera or at a site of your choice (limited to San Francisco Bay Area). Menu:       From easy mezzes (appetizers) to flavorful soups, hearty stews to bulgur dishes, olive oil based dishes to yogurt dishes, eggplant dishes to salads with pomegranate dressing, there are endless possibilities. Jale will customize the menu for private groups including the possibility of wine pairings prepared by a Turkish wine specialist. What’s included: Instruction & Preparation, Sourcing Ingredients, Sit down meal, Recipes       Each class will end with a conversation about Turkish culture accompanied by  tea served in tulip shaped glass or Turkish coffee.            Cost:   Please contact us for exact quotes and details.  Sample recipes Bulgur and red lentil soup 1 cup red lentils 1 cup coarse bulgur 1 onion, finely chopped 8 cups boiling water (or chicken/vegetable stock) 3 tablespoon butter 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon chili pepper 1 teaspoon dried mint ½  tablespoon salt Serves 4 Wash the bulgur and red lentils, let drain. In a pot, put the 8 cups of boiling water, lentils and bulgur.  Bring to a boil. Skim and reduce the heat, cover and let simmer for 40 minutes, stirring often. Add three tablespoon butter  and onions in a skillet and cook, stirring until the onions are golden brown. Stir salt, cumin, chilli pepper and dried mint. Pour over soup.   Bulgur Pilaf with Lamb and chickpeas 1 lbs lamb (trimmed excess fat, cut into ½ inch cubes) 2 cups coarse bulgur 1 cup chickpeas, boiled ½ cup green peppers, thinly sliced ½ cup onions, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon cumin 1 teaspoon dried mint 1 teaspoon red chilli pepper 2 teaspoon salt 4 tablespoon butter Black pepper to taste   In a deep pot, melt  1 tbs butter, add the lamb, brown it. Then add 5 cups of water and let it boil for 20 minutes. Reserve the stock. In a nonstick deep pot, melt 1 tbs butter, add the lamb, onions, peppers. Cook until the onions are golden brown. Add bulgur, stir. Add 3 ½ cups lamb broth and salt. Boil, add chickpeas, then simmer for 30 minutes. In a small skillet melt 2 tbs butter, add red chilli pepper, cumin, dried mint, black pepper. Pour over the pilaf.   Kisir 1 ½ cups fine bulgur 1 cup chopped parsley ½ cup chopped fresh mint ½ cup thinly sliced  pepper 1 cup thinly sliced scallions 2 tomatoes (finely chopped) 4 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/3 cup olive oil 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses 2 tablespoon red pepper paste or tomato paste Lettuce leaves (to serve)  Place the bulgur in a mixing bowl, dampen it with hot water, cover it with kitchen towel,  let stand for 10 minutes. Combine all the ingredients, except lettuce leaves.  Serve it in lettuce leaves.   Turkish Coffee Makes 2 servings 3/4 cup Water 1 teaspoon Sugar (optional) 1 tablespoon Turkish Coffee (ground) Combine cold water, coffee and sugar in a pan especially made for Turkish coffee, it's called cezve. The key for a good Turkish coffee is low heat. Place the pan (or cezve) on low heat and stir well. When coffee foams up, remove the foam with a teaspoon and put in the cups. You can repeat this a couple of times. When it boils remove from the heat and let the grounds settle. Pour into cups. Serve in small (espresso) cups. Turkish people like to drink it with a glass of water on the side. Don't drink the very bottom of the cup because that's where the coffee grounds live. After you finish your coffee, shake the cup a little bit and turn it over in order to read your fortune. Long dark streaks indicate that you will take an extended vacation in Turkey soon.   Hummus Makes 4 to 6 servings 1 lbs boiled chickpeas 1/2 cup tahini 2-3 garlic cloves 1 tablespoon cumin Juice of 1 lemon 1 tablespoon olive oil Salt Put the garbanzo beans into a food processor, blend for a minute. Mash the garlic, add it to the blended beans with lemon juice, tahini, cumin, and 1 tea spoon salt. Mix them again. Put this mixture on a plate. Add olive oil on top of it. Sprinkle some chili peppers. Garnish with parsley. If you want you can heat the olive oil and chili peppers in a pan and add on top of hummus before serving. Serve with hot pita bread.   Eggplant Salad Makes 4 servings 2 large Eggplants 2 tablespoon lemon juice 1/3 cup Extra virgin olive oil 2 cloves of garlic 1 medium Tomato,diced  1/2 cup finely chopped green onions Salt to taste Heat oven to 375 degrees. Make holes on the eggplant with a fork, so they don't explode in the oven when you open the lid (believe it or not it happened to us). Cook unpeeled eggplant until it is tender on the outside and the flesh is thoroughly soft (approximately 20 minutes). Cool slightly and peel, wipe clean and squeeze all of the water out. Place eggplant in a bowl with the lemon juice and salt. Mash well. Add olive oil, mashed garlic, chopped tomato and onion, then mix well. Serve on a plate garnished with chopped parsley. Add cumin and chili peppers if you like. Here's another version of this salad: Bake and mash the eggplant as described above. Add tahini (sesame seed paste) and mashed garlic. Serve as a dip. In the summer months, we mix baked (and mashed) eggplant with thick yogurt. It's great with hot pita bread. Tahini is available at larger supermarkets and Middle Eastern markets.
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