Make it Turkish

There is no secret.  I am not much of a cook.  In fact, I know of a few recipes and among them pasta is something I thoroughly enjoy making and eating.  However, I came across one recipe which is very similar to pasta, but with a Turkish twist to it.  


This past week my dear friend Bettina has been teaching me new recipes to add to my very thin cook book. One night, I was intrigued and delighted when she suggested that we create a Turkish dish and I was more than happy to give it a try.


The recipe is ridiculously simple and extremely tasty, but there is one ingredient which is absolutely necessary to complete the dish: Turkish Yogurt.


I learned that yogurt is a very essential part of the Turkish cuisine and it is used with meats, fish, rice and of course vegetables.  The very thought of using yogurt with pasta made me think a little deeper as my mind and taste buds tried to imagine the over-all taste.  Then I was told to imagine garlic, mixed in with butter and chili flakes. Wow.

The mantl is very reminiscent of ravioli.  They are tiny folded triangles made from dough which contain minced meat in the center. 


Here are the ingredients to make Mantl.


Yogurt  1 Cup "Ganzi Yogurdu"
Garlic 2 cloves
Chili flakes "Kirmizi Pulbiber"
Mantl (pasta)






Directions:


Into a frying pan, add a half cup of butter, sprinkle some Chili flakes then add a pinch of salt. Keep the frying pan at a low heat until the butter turns a little brown. 


Boil some water and add the Mantl and wait until soft.
Using a separate bowl, add a cup of yogurt mixed in with 2 cloves of crushed garlic and stir.


Next.


With a sieve, drain the water out of the Mantl and place it onto your plate.  Now, take the yogurt and put a large helping on top of the mantl.




Take the chili butter and pour the contents on top of the yogurt.  




Ready to serve.




This meal was one of the best I have had in a long time.  There is a distinct zing you get when consuming the yogurt and the combination of garlic and chili flakes, really provides a delicious punch to the taste buds.

To add a little bonus, Bettina had some Turkish Beer chilling in the fridge to help wash down the delicious food.   We sat down and enjoyed our meals while listening to Turkish music which really made my Turkish experience authentic.