4 delicious meals for 4 days

Trainer Chef Tolgahan Kamiloğlu, from Department of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts, Izmir University of Economics (IUE), prepared special Feast of Sacrifice holiday meals. Chef Kamiloğlu chose traditional dishes such as “Kuzu kapama (lamb stewed with lettuce and fennel)”, “Elbasan tava (lamb casserole with yoghurt)”, “Kuzu/dana güveç (lamb/veal en cocotte)”, and “Çoban Kavurma (roasted meat)” that can be prepared easily at home and paired with vegetables for easy digestion. He also shared the recipes that can be prepared both with lamb and veal, in details and how to prepare and cook them.

Asst. Prof. Betül Öztürk, Director of IUE School of Applied Management Sciences, stated that cooking meat with vegetables would ease the digestion issues, and that Trainer Chef Tolgahan Kamiloğlu paid special attention to that. Asst. Prof. Öztürk said, “Since the holiday is during summer days, we need to opt for recipes that include meat cooked with vegetables for digestion purposes. We considered that when we prepared the recipes. The recipes call for meat being cooked for a long time, which helps soften the meat. Considering all that, we prepared healthy recipes for people to enjoy. I would like to wish everyone a happy holiday and say Bon Appetit.” 

RECIPES BY CHEF KAMİLOĞLU

KUZU KAPAMA

Ingredients: 10 pieces of lamb leg (chopped in 6-7 cm, with bones), 7 bunches of fresh onions, 4 bunches of dill weed, 15 leaves of lettuce, 100 grams of butter (in cubes), salt and pepper.

Directions: Sear the meats in butter, wrap each piece of meat in a lettuce leaf and place them in a medium size pot. Add water until they are covered, and add salt and pepper. When it comes to boiling, turn the heat down and let it simmer. Dice the onions and add them to the pot when the meats are cooked halfway. When the meats are tender, top them with chopped dill weed and turn the heat off.  

ELBASAN TAVA

Ingredients: 4 pieces of lamb neck, 1 kg of skimmed yoghurt , 50 grams of flour, 300 ml beef broth, 50 grams of butter, 4 cloves of garlic, 5 eggs, salt and pepper

Directions: Boil the meats until they are tender and separate broth. Pour the broth in a pot and add butter. When the butter melts, pour the beef broth over the meats. In a separate bowl, mix yoghurt, salt, pepper, eggs, flour, and crushed garlic and pour over the meats. Sear it in an oven pre-heated at 200 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes, and cook it for 1 hour at 180 degrees Celsius.

KUZU / DANA GÜVEÇ

Ingredients: 2 kg of lamb/veal (preferably from arm in small pieces), 4 tomatoes, 8 green peppers, 20 shallots, 7 cloves of garlic, 1 bunch of fresh onions, 1 onion, 100 grams of butter, salt and black peppercorn.  

Directions: Place the butter in the casserole and put half of the meats over the butter. Place chopped tomatoes, peppers, shallots, fresh onions, salt and pepper over the meat, and place the rest of the meat over the vegetables. Top them with onion cut in circles and cover the casserole with a lid or tin foil, and cook in the oven for 2 hours.

ÇOBAN KAVURMA

Ingredients: 1 kg of lamb, 15 shallots, 5 green peppers, 2 tomatoes, 2 cloves of garlic, 80 ml of beef broth, 40 grams of butter, 20 ml oil, salt, pepper, and oregano.

Directions: Chop the meat in 3 cm cubes. Heat the butter and oil in a pan; add the meat cubes and sauté on high heat until they change color. Add the shallots and continue to sauté for another 5 minutes. Add respectively the finely chopped garlic, pepper chopped in big chunks, and tomatoes chopped in cubes, and cook for 10 more minutes. Add the beef broth, salt, and pepper, turn the heat down and cook for 20 minutes. Add the oregano, and remove from heat.