Turkish Simit

These ubiquitous Turkish snacks (often called "Turkish bagels" despite the fact that, other than their shape, they are not even remotely related) can be found on every street corner in Turkey for a lira, sold by friendly Turkish gentlemen blowing cigarette smoke all about them. In America, however, they are significantly harder to find (not to mention significantly more expensive!). What to do? Make your own! They were surprisingly easy and forgiving, despite what maybe looks like a complicated recipe. I made the dough Saturday night and cooked a couple for a test run. They were nice. Not thrilling, but nice. The rest of the dough we shaped and seeded and stuck in the fridge overnight. When we cooked them in the morning, WOW, were they spectacular! So if you're in a hurry, feel free to cook right away, but do yourself a solid and leave them in the fridge overnight (it also makes sense from a timing point of view if you think about eating them for breakfast.)

For the dough (makes about 6):

2 1/4 cups flour (plus more for kneading)
1 tsp. salt
1 cup warm water
2 tsp. dry yeast
2 T. olive oil

For the outside:

1 T. molasses
2 T. water (or thereabouts; you want to thin out the molasses)
sesame seeds

1. In a small bowl, combine the warm water and yeast to allow it to bloom. In another bowl, mix together flour and salt.

2. Add yeast mixture and olive oil to dough and knead on a floured surface until smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes).

3. Place in a large bowl, cover with a wet cloth, and allow to rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour).

4. After an hour, remove dough and shape into a log; cut into 12 (relatively) equal-sized pieces.

5. Roll each piece into a rope approx. 12 inches. Twist 2 of the ropes around each other and form into a ring; pinch closed so you have something that does, admittedly, look like a twisted bagel.

6. Dip in molasses mixture to wet, then dip in sesame seeds to coat.

7. Place finished simits on a piece of parchment paper; cover lightly with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight.

8. In the morning, preheat oven to 410 with a cookie sheet inside.

9. Spray or sprinkle simit with a little bit of water, then place in the oven for 15-17 minutes.


Serve with tea, olives, cucumbers, tomatoes and feta for a traditional Turkish breakfast.

Uzbek Pilav

This probably isn't close to authentic, but it was really yummy and surprisingly simple (and fairly idiot-proof!) Pretty much every ingredient is optional; just use what you have on hand! I had lamb stock and lamb chunks because we had lamb the night before and were using the leftovers, but honestly it would probably be fine without it. This is loosely based on the recipe found in Saveur.

Ingredients:

2 cups basmati rice
1-3 cups lamb/beef/chicken stock (or whatever you have on hand; optional)
1 cup carrots, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 cup raisins and/or barberries (raisins are sweeter, barberries are more sour; I used both)
1/4 cup slivered or sliced almonds
1/2 cup lamb chunks, roasted and chopped
2 tsp. coriander powder
1 tsp. cumin powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
salt and pepper
2 tsp. butter
oil for cooking

Directions

1. Add water to rice and let sit at least 20 minutes (while you get everything else together)

2. In a small bowl, mix together coriander, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, and pepper black pepper to taste. Set aside.

3. Add a little bit of oil to a pot and cook carrots with some salt on medium-high heat until slightly soft (10 minutes or so). Add onions and cook until translucent. Add raisins/barberries for the last 2 minutes or so to allow them to plump. Take off heat and set aside carrot/onion/raisin mix.

4. Drain the rice of the soaking water and place in a large cooking pot. Add butter, half the spice mixture, and 3 cups of liquid(water or stock or any combination thereof; I used 2 cups water and 1 cup lamb stock but it could have done with more stock) and bring to a boil. Lower heat, then cover and let simmer until water is fully absorbed (about 5-8 minutes).

5. Add carrot mixture, almonds, lamb, and the rest of the spices and stir to distribute evenly. Cover again and let simmer for another 10-20 minutes. Salt to taste before serving.