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Lamb kebabs with pistachios in cherry & tomato sauce – Fistikli, visne soslu kebap
The pistachio lamb kebabs I posted earlier has been a big hit and I have been experimenting a little more with these delicious treats. They are easy to recreate in your home, delicious and look impressive. Children love them as well as the adults, so they are great for entertaining. Having pistachio nuts in kebabs is a Southern Turkish specialty; I love the rich nutty flavor the pistachios add to the kebabs. They kebabs are wonderful when chargrilled in summer time, but equally delicious grilled or baked in the oven. With flat breads as the base and roasted vegetables by the side, this succulent kebab is a real crowd pleaser, and can make any day special.
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The cherries in the tomato sauce add a lovely refreshing flavor to the pistachio kebabs.
This time, during my recent Turkish cookery class, I prepared the kebabs in cherry and tomato based sauce. Cooking meatballs in (especially) sour cherry sauce is a Gaziantep specialty. This way of incorporating meat & fruit dates back to the Ottoman, Persian and medieval Arab cookery. The sweet & sour combination of meat and visne (sour cherries) is just marvelous. You can get frozen cherries in most supermarkets when they are not in season. If you’d like a stronger cherry flavor, also try dried cherries, like dear Claire did after our cookery class. Apparently it was a delicious hit. I greatly look forward to trying out this recipe again when sour cherries are in season, in June-July time.
Serves 4
Preparation time: 35 minutes Cooking time: 60 minutes
For the kebabs:
500 gr/1 ¼ lb. / 2 ¼ cups ground lamb (or half and half with ground beef)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
60ml/4 tbsp pistachios, shelled
1 bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
5ml/1 tsp red pepper or paprika flakes;
5ml/ 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste
A bowl of water with a drizzle of olive oil to help shape the kebabs
For the cherry & tomato sauce:
1 onion, finely chopped
400gr/14oz can of chopped Italian tomatoes
½ tbsp. red pepper paste
400gr/14oz frozen cherries, stones removed
15ml/1 tbsp olive oil
For the roasted vegetables: 3 colorful bell peppers, deseeded and cut in thick slices lengthways and a few chilli peppers deseeded, OR 10-12 sweet and chilli small, colorful peppers, cut in half lengthways and deseeded
4 medium tomatoes, halved and cut in chunky slices
1 medium onion, halved and cut in chunky slices
45ml/ 3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 large flat bread; pide, or 4 pitta bread, sliced lengthways
Preheat the oven to 200 C/ 400 F
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Roasted vegetables ready to complement the kebabs – make sure to save the juices to drizzle over the flat bread.
First roast your vegetables. Place the onion, peppers and tomatoes in a baking tray. Drizzle the olive oil over, season with salt and pepper. Give them all a good mix to make sure all the vegetables are coated with the olive oil and the seasoning. Bake in the oven for 35 – 40 minutes, giving them a mix half way. I like to roast the vegetables rather than grilling, to save and enjoy all the wonderful juices of them over the flat bread.
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Pistachios add a rich, nutty taste to the lamb kebabs.
While the vegetables are roasting, prepare the kebabs. First have a bowl of water, drizzled with olive oil ready aside, to knead and help shape the kebabs. Pulse the shelled pistachios in a food processor a few times, until it is grainy. Place the ground lamb in a bowl, stir in the pistachios, chopped onions, garlic and parsley. Season with salt and ground pepper, add the red pepper flakes. Wet your hands in the water & olive oil mixture and knead well to a smooth paste. Cover and rest for about 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are roasted in the oven.
Once the vegetables chargrilled, take the tray out of the oven, cover and set aside (you may need to warm the vegetables before serving).
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Wetting your hands with the water & olive oil mixture helps shaping the meat and keep the meat moist and intact.
Now start shaping the kebabs. With the bowl of water & olive oil mixture by your side, take a handful of the meat mixture, and make it into a shape of a flat sausage. Good tip; wet your hands with the water & olive oil mixture; this will help shaping the meat and keep the meat moist and intact.
As soon as the kebabs are shaped, you can cook them under the grill/broiler for about 6 -8 minutes, turning over half way until they are golden and cooked through that side (this method especially great for summer.) Alternatively, you can lay the kebabs side by side in a greased tray and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until they are cooked and chargrilled.
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Cherries in the tomato sauce bring a refreshing flavor and goes well with the pistachio kebabs.
While the kebabs are cooking, prepare the cherry & tomato sauce. In a heavy pan, sauté the onions in olive oil for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the pepper paste, chopped tomatoes and cherries to the pan and combine well. Season with salt and ground pepper and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the sauce thickened.
While the sauce is simmering, place the sliced flat bread on a tray and put in the preheated oven (180 C/350 F) to warm up. Also at this stage place the roasted vegetables and kebabs back to the oven to keep warm.
- Time to enjoy the feast; lamb kebabs with pistachios in cherry & tomato sauce – Fistikli, visne soslu kebap
How about serving the kebabs with this sautéed carrot & garlic yoghurt dip? This refreshing and mild dip complements the rich flavors of the pistachio kebabs beautifully.
Image may be NSFW.
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Sauteed carrots in olive oil with garlic yoghurt; a lovely, refreshing dip and goes well with pistachio lamb kebabs
I hope these recipes inspire you all; Afiyet Olsun,
Ozlem
Turkish Cookery Classes Coming Up!
I am excited to share with you that I have two special Turkish cookery classes coming up on 18th May in England and on 2nd August in Austin – Texas, US.
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Green beans with onions, garlic and tomato, cooked in olive oil – Zeytinyagli Taze Fasulye
It gives me a great pleasure to partner up again with dear Leonie Wright from Eat Wright; we would like to show you that you can create easy, delicious meals –that are also healthy and good for you, on Saturday, 18th May from 10am to 12.30pm in Weybridge, Surrey. Participants will be enjoying a very valuable, informative talk on Healthy Eating Tips by Leonie followed by my Turkish cookery demonstration. We have delicious menu including Gozleme – Anatolian flat breads with cheese and spinach; Green beans cooked in olive oil with onions and tomatoes – Zeytinyagli Taze Fasulye; Stuffed peppers and tomatoes with ground meat, onion and aromatic wholegrain basmati rice filling; Baked Tahini Halva with sautéed pine nuts and Turkish coffee. Participation is limited, please check out the Cookery Classes page for more information. Hope to have a chance to enjoy the delicious Turkish cuisine together!
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We will also learn how to make the Anatolian flatbreads with cheese & spinach filling – Gozleme at 18th May Turkish cookery class.
Friday, August 2nd ; Delighted to be back to the Central Market Cooking School, Austin – Texas !
I am so very excited to be going back to the wonderful Central Market Cooking School, the place where I started teaching Turkish Cookery. My Turkish cooking class in Austin, CM will be on Friday, August 2nd ; please save the date! : ) If you are in the area, I would be delighted to have your company at this special class. More details about this class will be at my Cookery Class page soon.
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Turkish coffee – Turk kahvesi
My best wishes for healthy and delicious eating to you all,
Ozlem