Turkish Tea -- Cay

It seems incredible to me that I've posted here for a year and a half, almost 70 entries, without once posting Turkish tea! Maybe because it's so common place to me now, we drink it every single morning, that I've started to take Turkish tea for granted.

Growing up in the South, as a child I never imagined that anyone would drink tea other than the way I always had, ice-cold and heavily sweetened. Then my family took a trip to Canada and at a restaurant ordered our normal tea. We all looked at each other surprised when we were served hot tea. The beginning of cultural awareness for me. :-)

In Turkey, tea is the life-blood of the nation, and most certainly of the economy. People outside of Turkey hear a lot about Turkish coffee, but that is usually drunk mostly in the evenings, after dinner, as a dessert drink, and usually on special occasions, not an every-day beverage. Tea, however, is consumed all day long, continuously, several glasses per person.

When visiting Turkey, you'll be invited to drink tea in every home you visit and every shop or place of business you enter if you're spending much time there (especially if you're buying a carpet). You'll see tea sellers (caydanliks) carrying their swinging tea trays going from shop to shop, business to business, selling their freshly prepared tea. The economy would come to a halt if the tea supply was wiped out.

I heard a funny joke once about a lion who escaped from the Ankara zoo and hid in the bottom floor of the parliament building in downtown Ankara. He caught and ate the Turkish Prime Minister first, and no one noticed. Then he gobbled down a couple of other party leaders and important bureaucrats. Still, no one was interested. He munched on some newspaper editors and business CEO's. No one cared. But when he made a snack out of the cayci (the tea seller) the city got up in arms, searching and scouring each building until they found and captured the missing lion.

No one messes with a Turk's tea and lives to tell the tale. :-)

Turkish tea is always served freshly made, very hot, in small tulip-shaped glasses, which permit the drinker to absorb the warmth of the tea into their palm while admiring the amber-colored liquid. It is also prepared in a Turkish teapot (caydanlik), which is a double-boiler teapot with a smaller kettle which sits on top of a larger one. I've often seen both Turkish teapots and tea glasses in Middle Eastern groceries and markets here in the US. Or simply use your double boiler.

Ingredients:

water
tea (in Turkey, everyone uses loose-leaf black tea, but bagged tea will work)


Directions:

Fill the bottom kettle with cold water. To the top kettle, add one well-rounded teaspoon of tea (or one teabag) per serving desired. Place top kettle on top and heat on stove until the water boils in the bottom. Lower the heat in the bottom kettle and continue boiling for about 5 minutes. This heats the tealeaves in the upper kettle before adding water.

Then add water from the bottom kettle to the top, about 3-5 ounces per serving, leaving at least half the water in the bottom kettle. Return both pots to position and continue brewing on low heat for at least another 10 minutes.

When you serve, pour the tea from the top pot into each tea glass until about half full, then top it off with the hot water from the bottom tea pot. In this manner, individual preferences as to how strong or light someone wishes their tea can be fulfilled. For those who prefer a lighter tea, simply pour more water and less tea.

Sweeten with stevia, if desired, and enjoy while hot!

Notes:

If using loose-leaf tea, you can use a strainer to ensure that no leaves get into your tea glass. However, once a pot of tea has been properly prepared, most of the leaves will have settled to the bottom and not much will enter the glass. If you still have leaves floating on the top of your brewing tea, then it probably hasn't brewed enough.

Preparing tea in this manner gently heats the tea, releasing its full flavor, without harshly boiling or scalding the tea leaves.


Other Options:

Recently we've been adding a few cloves and about an inch of cinnamon bark to our tea as it steeps. I really love the tea like this, and one of my daughter's friends guzzles it by the gallon when she visits she likes it so much. Others like to add lemon to their tea.

Experiment with different spices and enjoy!

Acili Bulgur Pilavi -- Bulgur Pilaf with Peppers and Tomatoes

I remember having bulgur served in this manner in Turkey several times, and always thought it was fabulous. But when I tried to fix it on my own, I never quite got it right. This recipe, however, from a new cookbook I recently bought (Sultan's Kitchen by Ozcan Ozan) is just perfect. I fixed this dish last night for my family, and my kids just devoured it. I'd increased the recipe to have some leftovers for lunches -- but there were none!

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons unsalted clarified butter (I used olive oil)
1 large Spanish onion, diced (1 cup)
1 small Italian green pepper, finely chopped (1/4 cup)
1 1/2 cups coarse-grain bulgur, washed and drained
3 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped (2 cups)
2 1/2 teaspoons Turkish red pepper or ground pepper paste **see note below
2 1/2 cups chicken stock or hot water
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley


Directions:

In a heavy, medium-size saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat and cook the onion gently for 2 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon, until it's softened but not brown. Stir in the green pepper, bulgur, tomatoes, Turkish red pepper, and stock. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat, cover the saucepan, and cook gently for about 15 minutes, or until the bulgur has absorbed all the liquid. Let the mixture stand, covered, for about 5 minutes; then stir in the parsley, and serve.

Note:

The Turkish red pepper or ground red pepper he's talking about is usually not a very hot pepper, but extremely flavorful. The pepper paste, which is very popular in Turkey and good in this dish, is called biber salci, and can be found in many Middle Eastern grocery stores, or online at the link below:

Baked Ricotta Cakes with Red Sauce

There are so few really good dessert recipes that don't use white flour and sugar, but here's one. These cakes are delicious, but if you're trying to loose weight, you might want to use less honey and add stevia.

These honey-flavoured desserts take only minutes to make from a few ingredients. The fragrant fruity sauce provides a contrast of both colour and flavour. The red berry sauce can be made a day in advance and chilled until ready to use.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

250 g/9 oz/generous 1 cup ricotta cheese
2 egg whites, beaten
60 ml/4 tbsp scented honey, plus extra to taste
450 g/1 lb/4 cups mixed fresh or frozen fruit, such as strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and cherries

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 180 c/350 f/gas 4. Place the ricotta cheese in a bowl and break up with a wooden spoon. Add the beaten egg whites and honey, and mix thoroughly until smooth and well combined.

2) Lightly grease four ramekins. Spoon the ricotta mixture into the prepared ramekins and level the tops. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the ricotta cakes are risen and golden.

3) Meanwhile, make the fruit sauce. Reserve about one-quarter of the fruit for decoration. Place the rest of the fruit in a pan, with a little water if the fruit is fresh, and heat gently until softened. Leave to cool slightly and remove any stone (pits) if using cherries.

4) Press the fruit through a sieve (strainer) (or puree in a processor), then taste and sweeten with honey if it is too tart. Serve the sauce, warm or cold, with the ricotta cakes and decorate each serving with the reserved whole mixed fruit.

Cook's Tip:
If using frozen fruit, you will not need to add extra water, as the fruit usually yields its juice easily on thawing.

This recipe is from Italy's 500 Best-Ever Recipes, edited by Jeni Wright.