Afghan Squash and Beef Dish / Afgan Etli Kabak

Writer's Note:  I've moved to DC!  In the process of moving and settling in the blog has fallen to the wayside, but I have decided to resuscitate it with a tasty Afghan dish adopted for Turkish palates. There is an amazing Afghan restaurant called The Helmand in Boston (it has a twin in San Francisco).  The food is amazing, and I have been hooked ever since.  A version of this dish is served there.  It is completely addictive and keeps for days in the fridge.  I promise you won't regret the effort. 

Ingredients:

Squash:

2 lbs butternut squash or acorn squash, cut into 1 inch cubes (don't need to peel the acorn squash)
1/3 cup brown sugar

2-3 tbsp. Garam Masala

1-2 tsp. Aleppo Pepper
3-4 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
fresh pepper to taste

Beef:
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 lb. ground beef
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp minced fresh ginger (or garlic)
1 cup diced canned tomatoes
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 cup hot water
1 tsp. salt

Yogurt:
2 cups plan full-fat Greek yogurt
1-2 tsp. dried mint
1/2 tsp. salt
2-3 garlic cloves, mashed in mortar and pestle (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  In large baking dish, toss the squash with the other squash ingredients and bake for 40 minutes until bubbly and a little browned, stirring once after 25 minutes.

While the squash are baking, saute the onions in olive oil until soft, then add the cumin, coriander, salt and ginger/garlic and saute until fragrant (3 minutes).  Add the beef and saute until brown.  Add the green pepper and saute 2-3 more minutes.  Add tomatoes and cook for 7 minutes or until tomato juice is absorbed.  Finally, add the tomato paste and the water and simmer over medium heat until the water evaporates and the flavors have blended.  Taste and adjust seasonings for your taste.

Combine yogurt ingredients except for the mint.  Serve beef mixture over the squash with yogurt on top.  Sprinkle dried mint on top of each bowl. 

Turkish Meatballs on the Grill / Izgara Köfte

Writer's Note: In Turkey the relationship with your butcher is as important as the one with your doctor.  Turks develop relationships with their butchers over years, even generations.  When I told my aunt that I wanted to include a recipe for meatballs on this blog, she told me that the only factor that mattered was the quality of the ground beef.  "Can Americans go to their butchers and request specific cuts?  Because the recipe is simple, it's all in the beef."  For Turkish meatballs you want to ask your butcher for ground beef from the rib area of the back of the cow (kaburga), as close to the bone as possible.  After that, the recipe is easy.  You can also use a combination of 25% ground lamb with the beef.  Lean beef will dry on the grill and leave you with dry, tasteless meatballs.  This is not a recipe for health fanatics.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef, from the rib area
2 medium sized onion, diced finely
2-3 slices crustless bread, dried thoroughly
3 tbsp cumin
2-3 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. ground black pepper
2 tbsp. Aleppo pepper and/or 1 tsp. dried thyme, 2 tbsp. olive oil (optional)


Directions:

Heat your barbecue.  Pulse the dry bread and onions in a food processor just until ground.  Be careful not to turn them into a paste.  Knead all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl for at least 10-15 minutes until incorporated (this tenderizes the meat).  If the mixture feels dry, you can add a few tablespoons of olive oil.  Fashion the mixture into patties 1 inch thick and 3 inches wide (they will shrink as they cook).  Grill until cooked through and serve with a tomato salad.  You can also grill cut onions or green peppers and serve them along with the meatballs.