Culinary Travel: Turkey

A mesmerizing mix of the exotic and the familiar, Turkey is much more than its clichéd image of a “bridge between East and West”. Invaded and settled from every direction since the start of recorded history, it combines influences from the Middle East and the Mediterranean, the Balkans and Central Asia. Mosques coexist with churches, Roman theatres and temples crumble near ancient Hittite cities, and dervish ceremonies and gypsy festivals are as much a part of the social landscape as classical music concerts or football matches.

The friendliness of the Turkish people makes visiting a pleasure; indeed you risk causing offence by declining invitations, and find yourself making friends through the simplest of transactions. At the big resorts and tourist spots, of course, this can merely be an excuse to sell you something, but elsewhere, despite a history in which outsiders have so often brought trouble, the warmth and generosity are genuine.

This delicious recipe captures the great flavor of oven-roasted Lamb with Kashar Cheese in baking paper. Baking paper keeps the moisture in, while allowing the meat and vegetables to further cook, while Kashar Cheese provides a smoked- meat like taste.

Kagit Kebabi

Ingredients
1½ pounds of boneless lamb, cut into 1 inch cubes
3 tbs butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 medium carrots
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 cup chopped dill or parsley
2 medium tomatoes, diced
3 tbs red wine
1 cup hot water
3 tbs margarine
2 medium potatoes, sliced
4 sweet long green pepper
½ tsp thyme
¼ pound kashar cheese

Directions
Sauté Lamb cubes in butter until light brown.

Add onion, carrots, dill, salt (use very little salt because kashar cheese has it plenty!) and pepper. Continue to sauté 10 minutes stirring occasionally.

In a separate saucepan sauté garlic in 1 tbs butter and add tomatoes and wine, continue stirring 5 more minutes.

Add 1 cup of hot water to all of the above. Cook it over medium heat until meat is tender.

Remove meat and carrots, leaving the juice in saucepan.

In a separate saucepan, melt the margarine and sauté sliced potatoes and sweet green peppers.

ix thyme, meat and carrots, potatoes and sweet green peppers.

Divide the meat and vegetables into 4 portions. Grate kashar cheese over each portion. Cut baking paper into 4 pieces of 14 inch squares. Put each portion in the middle of the paper, making sure each gets the remaining juice equally. Wrap-up each portion by going over the top once and secure the two edges by folding in twice. You should have 4 square packages.

Wet the bottom of a baking pan large enough to fit the packages, with a couple of spoons of water.

Place packages in pan, loose ends securely tucked under. Wet package tops with a little water.

Bake packages for 20 minutes. Remove packages right before serving.

If you have a taste for culinary travel, let Rawhide Travel and Tours help you plan your next vacation and all of your other reservation needs. Call us at (602) 843-5100 or visit our website: rawhidetravel.com.

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