Manti (Turkish Ravioli)

Manti (Turkish Tortellini)
Originally uploaded by Tulipa Turcica.

Manti is a traditional dish in Turkey. Sometimes it is called “Turkish Ravioli”, “Turkish Dumplings”or “Turkish Tortellini”. Homemade manti is very delicious and superb meal. It takes time to prepare, but it's worth it.

In Turkey, the most famous manti is Kayseri style manti, their size is very tiny. People from Kayseri say “40 pieces of manti have to fit in one tablespoon”. The size of the manti is the choice of the cook and does not affect the taste. Some people like to make manti in different sizes.

Ingredients

Dough
2,5 cups flour
1 egg
100 gr. milk
½ dessert spoon salt

Filling
250 gr. finely ground meat (rib roast of heifer )
1 onion (finely chopped)
½ bunch fresh parsley (minced)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt

Boiling
6 cups hot beef stock or water
1,5 dessert spoons salt

Sauce
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive or corn oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon paprika powder
2/3 cup hot beef stock or water

Yogurt & Garlic Dressing
3 cups yogurt
3 cloves garlic

Directions

Put flour into a large bowl. Sprinkle salt over flour. Make a pool in the centre.Crack the egg and gradually pour the milk into the pool. Mix the ingredients to form a dough.

Place the dough on a working surface. Knead well until making a smooth dough (knead aproximately 10 minutes).

When the dough is smooth and elastic, return it to the bowl, cover it with a damp cloth or wrap the dough with a plastic wrap, let it rest at room temperature for one hour.

Meanwhile, combine ground meat, finely chopped onion, minced parsley, freshly ground black pepper and salt into a mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon. Cover with cling film and set it aside.

Divide the dough into 2 balls. Work on a lightly floured surface and put some flour on each ball. Using a rolling-pin, roll out each ball of dough into a round layer (as thin as possible). Cut the round piece into 3 x 3 cm squares.

Take each square seperately, put 1/2 teaspoon of ground beef, onion and parsley mixture into the center of each square. Seal crosswise edges firmly over filling by pressing with your fingers.

Carefully transfer the dumplings onto a greased baking tray. Bake the dumplings in a preheated oven for ten minutes until crisp. Set them aside to cool.

Pour 6 cups of hot stock /water into a medium sized saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add 1,5 dessert spoons salt. Add dumplings into the boiling stock and cook for ten minutes until tender.

Meanwhile, heat a small sized nonstick frying pan over medium-low heat. Combine olive oil, butter, tomato paste, hot beef stock or water, red pepper flakes and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Transfer the sauce into the saucepan and stir with a wooden spoon. 1 minute later, remove the saucepan from the heat.

Using a slotted spoon, gently remove dumplings from the saucepan, place them on a warmed serving platter.

Spoon sauce into the bottom of the warmed plates. Spoon yogurt & garlic dressing over each plate of dumplings.

To prepare yogurt and garlic dressing, pour 3 cups yogurt into a small bowl, add 3 cloves of crushed garlic and whisk together.

Have a good appetite!

Penne With Tomatoes, Parsley and Mint

Penne Arrabiata da Piazza delle Erbe
Originally uploaded by KAGoldberg.

Ingredients

250 gr. penne
2,5 liters of water
25 gr. salt (1+1/4 tablespoons)
5 medium sized tomatoes
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic (smashed)
4 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped)
2 tablespoons fresh mint (chopped)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon sugar if necessary
1/4 cup Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese (grated)

Directions

Bring a pot of water to a boil. When the water is boiling, add salt(1+1/4 tablespoons). Then add the penne and cook according to package instructions. Usually 8-10 minutes, I cooked for 10 minutes in order to achieve the right texture. Stir for 2 or 3 times in order to avoid the penne sticking together. Drain the pasta and reserve ½ cup of pasta water.

The tomato sauce should be prepared while you are boiling the penne.

Peel the tomatoes. If you want to peel them easily, put the tomatoes into boiling water and count to ten. Then put them quickly into cold water, don’t leave the tomatoes in the cold water more than one minute, quickly peel off their skin with your fingers or with a knife. Chopped the tomatoes and put them into a strainer and press down with a spoon and remove the seeds. Use a food mill to puree the tomatoes.

Heat a medium sized sauteing pan over medium-low heat. Heat the extra virgin olive in the sauteing pan.

When the oil is hot, add the garlic, and saute over medium heat until the garlic becomes slightly golden.

Add the strained tomatoes. Stir occasionally, continue cooking until most of the liquid has been absorbed. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little of the pasta water to thin out the sauce (I usually don't need). Add a pinch of salt, freshly ground black pepper, red-pepper flakes to taste. Taste the tomato sauce, if you think that the sauce is a bit acidic, you should add a pinch of sugar.

In the last 30 seconds of cooking, add chopped mint and parsley.

Add the penne to the tomato sauce. Stir to coat all the pasta with the tomato sauce. Remove the skillet from the heat and serve immediately.

Preheat the plates. Just before serving, add some freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese on pasta (not too much).

Have a good appetite!

Pesto Linguine

"The photo taken by CY Phang”.

The name of pesto comes from "to pound"(pestare) ingredients with a wooden pestle and marble mortar. I've made pesto both with mortar and pestle and with a food processor. The food processor method is definitely easier but the mortar method gives more flavor. Pesto made with a mortar and pestle is definitely better. The taste of pesto depends on size and flavor of basil leaves, cheese and olive oil you are using. With pestle and mortar you can taste and decide the right amount of ingredients during the process.

Ingredients

500 gr. Linguine (or trenette similar to linguine)
5 liters hot water
2,5 tablespoons salt
1/3 cup Riviera Ligure Extra Virgin Olive Oil
30 Genovese Basil leaves
1/3 cup freshly grated Italy’s Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
¼ cup freshly grated Italy’s Pecorino sardo cheese
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt (or kosher salt)
1/3 cup pine nuts
1 clove of garlic (roughly chopped)

Directions

Clean the basil leaves with a moist towel instead of washing them, this method protects their valuable aroma and flavor. Put the leaves on a paper towel and let them dry naturally.

Add half of the basil leaves and the salt into the mortar. Pound with a pestle in a steady rhythm when rotating the marble mortar. Don’t squash the leaves it destroys fibres. Thanks to the rotating movement the basil give up all its flavor. Continue to add more leaves.

Add the garlic into the mortar. Pound the garlic with the pestle.

Add ½ of the pine nuts into the mortar and mash them. Add the other half of the pine nuts. When all of the pine nuts are pounded, add freshly grated Pecorino Sardo and Parmigiano-Reggiano and continue to pound with the pestle.

Slowly add olive oil drop by drop and stir.Bring a pot of water to a boil. When the water is boiling, add salt (2,5 tablespoons). Then add the linguine and cook according to package instructions. Usually 8-10 minutes, I cooked for 10 minutes in order to achieve the right texture. Stir for 2 or 3 times in order to avoid the linguine sticking together. Drain the pasta and reserve 1 tablespoon of pasta water.Put the pesto into a large bowl, add 1 spoonful of hot pasta water and whisk. Add the linguine to the pesto sauce. Stir to coat all the pasta with the pesto sauce.

Preheat the plates.

Have a good appetite!