Hünkar Beğendi: Sultan's Pleasure

Hello from Istanbul!

Yes, over the past week of silence I ımanaged to slip away and to make my way to Turkey for a vacation.  My boyfriend is from Turkey so we are currently traveling in Istanbul, followed by several spots along the Mediterranean, and then a visit to his home town.

In the spirit of the trip I have prepared an authentic Turkish dish. The dish that I made is called Sultan's Pleasure (in Turkish it literally translates as the Sultan liked it).  It is a traditional Turkish dish that combines pureed eggplant with ground beef, two main ingredients that are easy and inexpensive to cook with. I have been using eggplant often these past few months so this recipe stood out as something that would be fun to make.

Although I wasn't sure how an eggplant puree would taste, I really liked the final result.  Neither the meat or the eggplant is overpowering, instead they compliment each other in taste and texture.

Ingredients
makes 2-3 portions

1 large eggplant, peeled and chopped into cubes
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
olive oil

1/2 pound of ground beef
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 teaspoons water
1/2 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil


For the eggplant:

1. In a large pan heat olive oil on medium heat.  Fry the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes, until soft.

2.  Add the eggplant, milk, salt and pepper to the pan.  Cover and cook on medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, until the eggplant is soft.

3.  Once the eggplant is soft, pour the mixture into food processor and mix for 30 seconds to get a puree.

4.  Return the eggplant to the pan and mix in the cheese.  Warm the mixture until the cheese melts.


For the meat:

5.  In a frying pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat.  Add the onions and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes until soft.

6.  Add the beef, tomato paste, water, paprika, salt and pepper until the meat is fully cooked, about 7-10 minutes.

Serve by pouring the eggplant mixture on a plate and topping it with the meat mixture in the center.

Enjoy!

~R