Having been in Turkey for just one day (read more about it here!), I obviously can’t say that I’ve experienced even a fraction of the breadth and variety of Turkish cuisine.
Having stayed mostly in the Old City when I was in Istanbul, i.e. Tourist Central, I didn’t see much beyond a lot of doner kebab restaurants, which certainly have their place in greasy, meaty heaven, but only really scratch the surface.
These recipes are sort of an amalgamation of the few things that I did see in Istanbul–from the use of sweet apricots as an ingredient in savory dishes, the yogurt, the rice pilafs and the pistachios, to the very interesting spice mixes I was able to try at the market.
I can’t wait to go back to try everything else the city has to offer, but in the meantime, this Turkish lamb will just have to do!
Turkish Spiced Roasted Rack of Lamb w/ Apricots: Recipe Instructions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a roasting pan, add the red onion and apricots. Season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in the oven for about 10 minutes, remove from the oven, and set aside.
Clean the lamb and pat dry. Season thoroughly with salt and pepper. Heat a large heavy skillet over medium high heat until hot. Add a drizzle of olive oil to the pan and sear the racks on both sides. Combine all the spices and herbs in a small bowl and rub the mixture onto the seared lamb.
Transfer to a roasting pan and roast in the oven uncovered for about 12 minutes for medium rare. Remove from the oven, cover with foil, and allow the meat to rest for another 10 minutes before serving.
Rice with Chickpeas, Raisins, and Crispy Onions
Adapted from Jerusalem, by Yottam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 can chickpeas
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon flour
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups cooked basmati rice
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- ½ cup raisins
- ½ cup roasted chopped pistachios (optional)
- salt and pepper
In a small saucepan over medium high heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the cumin and curry powder and fry for about 5 seconds.
Then add the chickpeas along with a bit of salt. Stir everything around to warm and crisp up the chickpeas, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
Toss the sliced onion with the flour until it’s all lightly coated. Heat the vegetable oil in a small saucepan. Test the oil temperature by tossing in a piece of onion. If it sizzles vigorously, it’s ready. Fry the onions in batches until crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with salt. In a big bowl, toss together the cooked rice, parsley, cilantro, raisins, pistachios, chickpeas, crispy onions, and salt and pepper to taste.
Cucumber Yogurt Sauce
- 1 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1 small cucumber, diced
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- salt and pepper
Stir together all the ingredients in a bowl.
Serve!
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Recipe
Roasted Rack of Lamb w/ Turkish Spices, Yogurt Sauce, and Rice
Ingredients
Turkish Spiced Rack of Lamb:
- 1 large red onion (cut into wedges)
- 5 apricots (quartered)
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
- 2 racks lamb
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon sumac (if you can find it)
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
Rice with Chickpeas, Raisins, and Crispy Onions:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 can chickpeas
- 1 medium onion (thinly sliced)
- 1 tablespoon flour
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups cooked basmati rice
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- ½ cup raisins
- ½ cup roasted chopped pistachios (optional)
- salt and pepper
Cucumber Yogurt Sauce:
- 1 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1 small cucumber (diced)
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- salt and pepper
Instructions
To make the lamb:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a roasting pan, add the red onion and apricots. Season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in the oven for about 10 minutes just to get them going and set aside.
- Clean the lamb and pat dry. Season thoroughly with salt and pepper. Heat a large heavy skillet over medium high heat until hot. Add a drizzle of olive oil to the pan and sear the rack of lamb on both sides. Combine all the spices and herbs in a small bowl and rub the mixture onto the seared lamb.
- Transfer to a roasting pan and roast in the oven uncovered for about 12 minutes for medium rare. Remove from the oven, cover with foil, and allow the meat to rest for another 10 minutes before serving.
To make the rice:
- In a small saucepan over medium high heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the cumin and curry powder and fry for about 5 seconds. Then add the chickpeas along with a bit of salt. Stir everything around to warm and crisp up the chickpeas, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
- Toss the sliced onion with the flour until it’s all lightly coated. Heat the vegetable oil in a small saucepan. Test the oil temperature by tossing in a piece of onion. If it sizzles vigorously, it’s ready. Fry the onions in batches until crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with salt. In a big bowl, toss together the cooked rice, parsley, cilantro, raisins, pistachios, chickpeas, crispy onions, and salt and pepper to taste.
To make the Cucumber Yogurt Sauce:
- Stir together all the ingredients in a bowl.
