Summer is at its peak in Turkey right now!
Every pazaris overflowing with stall after stall of beautiful fresh produce. I�m tempted to buy everything even though there�s just the two of us at home.
Well, we do end up buying more than we need every Saturday when we visit our local pazar in Besiktas. On Mondays, I usually look through everything we bought and start prepping it for use.
Since Istanbulhas been fairly hot, I try to spend only one day in the kitchen and make a big dish of something that will last most of the week. That way I only have to reheat the leftovers and make a fresh salad for dinner.
This one-pot recipe is one that evolved from the red and green peppers, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes and fresh garlic and cilantro begging to be used up in the kitchen. You could also adapt the recipe to whatever vegetables you have on hand.
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| All the veggies and spices organized on the table for my Summer Curried Beans recipe. |
For spices, I used a blend of curry-like flavors so the beans taste very Indian-like. My husband could smell the beans cooking as soon as he walked in the door. (All spices are available in Istanbul at my favorite spice shop, Ucuzcular Baharat, Misir �arsisi, No. 51, in Emin�n�)
I also added ground beef to my Turkish barbunya(similar to pinto beans) because my husband must have meat at practically every meal. However, the beef could easily be omitted to create a spicy vegetarian dish.
It will take you about two hours to cut all the veggies and cook the beans, but it will save you time throughout the week. Trust me!
What kind of recipes are you making with the summer produce right now?
Afiyet olsun!
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| Summer Curried Beans in a bowl served with my Indian fabric I bought on our Singapore trip. |
Summer Curried Beans/Barbunya K�rili
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients:
2 T. vegetable oil
3 med. onions, sliced
3 med. tomatoes, large diced
1 head fresh garlic, chopped small
4 ea. carrots, chopped in small chunks
2 med. potatoes, large diced
500 g. kontrafile yagsiz kiyma (lean ground beef) from Atlas Kasabi.
3 ea. red peppers, 1-inch julienned
4 ea. green peppers, 1-inch julienned
3 c. Turkish barbunya beans (dried pinto beans), soaked overnight in water, strained
1.5 L. water
1 ea. beef bouillon cube (et suyu)
1 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. pul biber (chili powder)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander powder
2 tsp. garam masala powder
� tsp. tumeric
Garnish: fresh cilantro leaves
In a large stockpot, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until the onions start to brown and caramelize, about 15 minutes.
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| Caramelize the onions in a large pot. |
Add the tomatoes and garlic. Cook and stir for a few minutes.
Then add the carrots and potatoes. Next, add the ground beef, cooking until the beef is browned, about 10 minutes.
Then, add the peppers, beans, water, bouillon cube and spices. Cover the pot with a lid. Cook over medium heat until beans are cooked through, about 1 hour, stirring the beans every now and then.
Serve the curried beans in a bowl. Garnish with fresh cilantro if you are lucky enough to find it here in Turkey!
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| If you can't find cilantro, fresh parsley would work as well. |