Sultans Delight Recipes

HüNKAR BEğENDI, A CLASSIC TURKISH RECIPE

Steps:

• Place the aubergines over an open flame on a metal trivet and roast for about 15 - 20 minutes, turning from time to time, until the skin looks burnt and the aubergines are soft to the touch. You could also just place a sheet of foil over the gas flame, instead of a trivet. Leave to cool.
• Coat the lamb pieces with the flour, the chilli powder, the salt and a little freshly ground black pepper.
• Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan over high heat, add the lamb and sugar and brown the lamb pieces for 5 minutes, turning the lamb frequently.
• Lower the heat down to medium and tip in the onion slices and fry for 2 minutes, again, stirring frequently.
• Add the garlic and capsicum (green pepper) and cook for a minute, stirring.
• Now add the tomatoes, tomato paste and oregano and stir for 30 seconds to mix everything thoroughly.
• Add the stock and bring to boil.
• Lower the heat right down, cover and leave to simmer for 1 - 1 and a half hours, until the lamb is cooked right through and beautifully tender.
• The aubergines should be fairly cool now, scrape out the soft pulp and place in a chopper. Throw away the skins.
• Chop or blend to a smooth purée and set aside.
• Now, let's make some Bechamel Sauce. Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat.
• Add the flour and whisk with a small whisk or wooden spoon for 2 minutes until the roux has thickened, is bubbling and gives off a lovely cooked aroma.
• Slowly, add the milk, whisking continuously. Be careful, the first drip will splutter.
• Cook the bechamel sauce for 4 - 5 minutes until it thickens to the consistency of custard.
• Take it off the heat and stir in both cheeses until they melt. Shouldn't take more than a minute.
• Now, stir in the aubergine purée, a pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper until it's all completely mixed in and you have a beautiful aubergine cheese sauce. Check the salt and add more if necessary.
• Stir in half the chopped parsley.
• You have 2 choices: serve the whole lot in a large platter or divide everything into individual plates. Whatever you go with, pour the smoky aubergine sauce onto a plate and top with the lamb stew.
• Scatter with the other half of the parsley and serve with plenty of bread.

HUNKAR BEGENDI - SULTAN'S DELIGHT (TURKISH LAMB STEW)

Steps:

• Season the pieces of lamb with salt and pepper. Dice the onion relatively finely and dice the pepper. Finely chop the garlic.
• Warm the oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over a medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for around 5 minutes until softened and translucent. Add the lamb chunks and brown on all sides. Then add the green pepper and garlic. Stir and cook for a couple more minutes.
• Add the tomatoes, thyme, oregano and tomato paste to the pot. Stir to mix through and cook a minute. Then add the stock/water. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover with a lid, then reduce the heat so that the sauce is gently simmering. Leave to cook for around 1 hour, so that the lamb is tender. (You may want to have the lid only half-on for part of this time to help the liquid reduce a little.)
• Meanwhile, cook the eggplant. If possible, cook the eggplant on a grill/BBQ or over a gas burner. (You may want to cover around the burner with foil to catch any drips.) Alternatively, preheat the oven to 430F, prick the eggplant all over with a knife, and place it on a baking sheet or in a baking dish. Roast for around 40 minutes. In all cases, you are looking for the inside of the eggplant to become very soft, and if over grill/flame, the skin should be well-charred. Once cooked, leave the eggplant to cool so it is safe to handle and open.
• Once cooled, cut open the eggplant skin and scoop out the flesh. Either roughly chop and mash the flesh for a coarser texture, or blend it up for a smoother paste. In both cases, once chopped, try to drain off as much liquid as you can from the flesh as this can make it sour. If you want a really smooth puree, you can press the mixture through a fine strainer to remove the seeds.
• Make the bechamel: Melt the butter in a medium-small saucepan over a medium heat. Once melted, add the flour. Stir as it cooks for a couple minutes and becomes gently nutty smelling.
• Gradually add the milk and stir or whisk after each addition to make a smooth paste. Cook a minute or two more, as needed, to thicken slightly.
• Remove the sauce from the heat, then add the cheese and stir through so that the cheese mixes in and melts. Add the eggplant puree and stir to mix evenly through. Season with a little salt and pepper to taste.
• To serve, either spread some of the eggplant sauce over the bottom of individual plates or all of it on the bottom of a serving platter. In both cases, spread it out so it creates a bit of a bowl in the middle to hold the stew. Add the lamb stew in the middle of the eggplant sauce and serve with bread on the side.

HüNKAR BEğENDI RECIPE - SULTAN'S DELIGHT

Steps:

• Melt your butter over a medium heat in large saucepan.
• Now add your lamb and stir it round until it starts to brown.
• Once your lamb is browned all over, add your onion and garlic and stir.
• Cook for 5 minutes or so, until your onion starts to sweat.
• Now add your chopped tomatoes, tomato paste (salça) and one cup of hot water.
• Stir everything together.
• Add your thyme/oregano (kekik), salt & pepper and stir.
• Once your stew is simmering, put a lid on the pan and turn the heat to low.
• Simmer your stew for around 1 hour, until the lamb has softened and your sauce has thickened.
• Remove from the heat and make your 'beğendi' puree...
• Preheat your oven to 240 degrees.
• Prick your aubergines with a sharp knife and place on a baking tray in the centre of the oven.
• Bake the aubergines until they are soft to touch (around 15-20 minutes).
• Remove from the oven and leave them to cool.
• Once cooled, make a slit along the length of each aubergine.
• Scrape out the pulp with a teaspoon.
• Discard the skins and as many of the seeds as possible.
• Chop up the pulp.
• Now melt your butter in a saucepan over a medium heat.
• Once melted, gradually add your flour, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon.
• After you've added all your flour, your mixture will be relatively solid and now you can start to add your milk.
• Add your milk a little at a time, again, stirring continuously so that the mixture remains smooth.
• Keep going until you have used up all of your milk and you have a smooth, milky mixture.
• Keep stirring and after a couple of minutes, you will notice the sauce start to thicken.
• Once the sauce has started to thicken, add your aubergine. Keep stirring, gently.
• Now add your grated cheese and keep stirring until your 'beğendi' sauce has thickened enough to make a suitable nest for your lamb.
• To serve, share the beğendi sauce between your plates, making a little nest in the centre of each.
• Now spoon the lamb stew into the nest and allow the sauces to run over the aubergine puree.
• Sprinkle the parsley over the lamb and serve up your Sultan's Delight.

SULTAN'S DELIGHT

Steps:

• Mix everything together and pour into a glass pie dish.
• Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
• Serve warm or cold.

BRAISED LAMB OVER SILKY EGGPLANT PURéE ( SULTAN'S DELIGHT)

Steps:

• Braise lamb:
• Pat one third of lamb dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1/2 tablespoon butter in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then brown seasoned lamb, turning occasionally, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate and brown remaining lamb in same manner in 2 batches, adding more butter if necessary.
• When third batch of lamb is browned, return rest of lamb with any juices to pot and add tomato, water, and salt. Cook at a bare simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until meat is very tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Season with salt and pepper.
• Make eggplant purée while lamb
• Prepare grill for cooking.
• Fill a large bowl with cold water and add lemon juice.
• Prick eggplant in several places with a skewer or toothpick (to prevent bursting). Grill eggplant, turning occasionally, until charred all over and tender inside, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly (eggplant will collapse), then peel with a sharp small knife while still warm, leaving stem intact. (This makes the eggplant easier to handle-it may fall apart otherwise.)
• Soak eggplant in lemon water 15 minutes, then transfer to a colander. Discard stem and drain eggplant flesh 45 minutes.
• Melt butter in a 9- to 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, then whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly, until roux just begins to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add milk in a stream, whisking, and bring to a boil, whisking. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, until thick, about 3 minutes.
• Add drained eggplant and stir, mashing with a fork, until incorporated. Stir in cheese and salt and season with pepper.
• Serve eggplant topped with braised lamb.