Civan Er’s recipes for a Turkish summer time unfold | Meals

Chilled grilled aubergine soup

Prep 10 min
Prepare dinner 35 min
Chill 2 hr+
Serves 2

4 massive aubergines (about 1kg)
3 crimson romano peppers
4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
Juice of three lemons
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus 4 tbsp additional to complete
100g shelled walnuts, crushed
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
1 tsp Turkish chilli, equivalent to pul biber
Salt and black pepper
1 tsp dried mint, to complete

Activate the grill to its highest potential setting (or fireplace up the barbecue). Put the aubergines and peppers on an oven tray and grill, turning usually (or barbecue instantly over the coals), till charred throughout and delicate on the within – the peppers will want 5 to 10 minutes and the aubergines 15 to twenty minutes. Take away and put aside to chill.

As soon as the greens are cool sufficient to deal with, peel off the blackened skins, and take away the stalks, seeds and pith from the peppers. Put the aubergine flesh on a tray for 5 to 10 minutes, throughout which period any bitter juices inside will seep out.

Give the pepper and aubergine flesh a fast chop, then put all of it in a meals processor with the minced garlic and pulse for simply 4 or 5 seconds – you’re after a chunky, not clean consistency right here.

Tip right into a bowl, add the remaining elements and 500ml chilly water, then whisk to mix, nonetheless conserving that chunky texture. Examine the seasoning, chill for at the very least a few hours, and serve with a sprinkling of dried mint and a superb drizzle of olive oil on high.

Grilled sardines wrapped in vine leaves

Prep 10 min
Prepare dinner 15 min
Serves 2

For the fish
Salt and black pepper
6 decent-sized sardines, scaled and gutted
6 recent vine leaves – if you happen to can’t get any, use the pickled ones in jars from Turkish and Center Jap meals shops
Sunflower oil, for brushing

For the salad
200g cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp capers, drained (or rinsed if packed in salt)
1 medium crimson onion, peeled and roughly chopped
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
1 tbsp red-wine vinegar

Season the fish generously inside and outside, then wrap each in a vine leaf, leaving the pinnacle and tail uncovered.

Put all of the salad elements in a bowl and depart to steep.

Warmth a griddle pan on the range (or fireplace up a barbecue). Brush the wrapped fish throughout with sunflower oil, then lay within the sizzling pan and cook dinner for 3 to 4 minutes on either side – you need some caramelisation on the vine leaves. Switch the fish to a platter and serve with the salad and, ideally, a glass of rakı.

Spicy bulgur salad with tomato, urfa chilli and bitter cherries

Prep 15 min
Soak 1 hr
Serves 2

1 massive beef tomato, roughly chopped
250g bitter cherries (recent or frozen), pitted – if you happen to can’t discover bitter cherries, use an additional beef tomato as an alternative
125g wonderful bulgur wheat
1 spring onion, trimmed and chopped
1 English cucumber, diced
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
30g recent mint leaves, roughly chopped
30g flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
1 tsp sumac
Juice of two lemons
1 tbsp isot (AKA urfa) chilli
1 tbsp pul biber
50ml extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp floor cumin
Salt and black pepper

Put the tomato and cherries in a blender, and blitz to a clean puree. Tip right into a bowl, add the bulgur and 100ml chilly water, and depart to soak for about an hour, till the bulgur softens and turns into chewable. Switch the combination to a serving bowl, stir in all of the remaining elements, season to style – it ought to be refreshing and a bit tangy – and function a facet dish.