An Cooking

This Black Sea Region recipe is a recipe from my dads side of the family. My aunt invites the rest of the family over dinner (in addition to all the special occasions) when she cooks three special dishes. Number one is mantı, number two is dolma, and number three is pakla soup, which by the way draws more attendees than dolmas. This simple soup is so popular among the family members that there had been times when we fought over the second serving. The popularity derives from the limited number of times we get to have this soup in a year, and this scarcity is a direct result of a-hard-to-find ingredient: corn bulgur.


Corn bulgur although widely used especially in the Black Sea Region is rarely found elsewhere in Turkey or here in the States. Corn bulgur is parboiled crushed kernel corn made by a similar process that is used for common wheat bulgur.

When I got the recipe from my aunt years ago I asked her what to do if I cannot find corn bulgur here in the States, she suggested fresh corn kernels--it turned out fıne, but wasnt the same soup. However, back then I didnt know about grits. After moving to South, I was introduced to grits, cheesy grits in particular--I absolutely love it. Through explorations I came across coarse grits, which creates a very similar taste to that of corn bulgur in pakla soup, which literally means bean soup.


1 cup uncooked coarse grits (1/3 or 1/4 of a kernel coarse)
~ 1 cup dry cannellini beans or ~2 cups cooked cannellini beans or 1 can of cannellini beans
1 small onion, grated
2 tbsp tomato paste
3-4 tbsp butter
salt

1 cups rice
1/2 cup garbanzo beans (soaked over night and boiled the next day until cooked or use can garbanzo beans)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2-3 tbsp butter (traditionally sheeps tail fat is used for this recipe, but we settle down for butter now)
2 cups of water
salt and pepper


























-Heat butter in a non-stick pot.
-Add onion and stir until soft.
-Add rice and garbanzo beans. Stir for a couple of minutes.
-Add water, salt, and pepper.
-Let it boil first and then turn it to low heat. Cover and cook until the water is absorbed. Do not stir the rice while cooking.
-Turn it off and cover the top of the pot with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel. Place lid on tightly. Let sit for ~10 minutes.
-Fluff and serve it as a main dish or as a side with meat.

THREE BEAN CHILI
1 tsp. vegetable oil 1 can black beans (drained)
1 lb. ground beef 1/4 tsp. cajun pepper
1/2 med. onion, chopped 1 can whole tomatoes (undrained)
1 clove garlic, chopped 1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 can kidney beans (drained) 3 Tbs. cajun style bbq sauce
1 can garbanzo beans (drained) grated parmesan
sour cream
In a skillet add vegetable oil and sauté onion and beef. Add garlic and sauté for 3 minutes. In a 3 to 4 quart sauce
combine drained beans, beef, whole tomatoes, oregano, bbq sauce, & cajun pepper. Bring to boil, reduce heat. Cover
and cook gently for 2 hours. Serve with Parmesan and a dab of sour cream. (You can cook it in a crock-pot all day).

Posted by:

christen Sundberg

Yum!!! Thats all I can say about this dip. I love it so much. Every year for Christmas Eve, my family gets together with another family that my parents met back when they lived in Pittsburg, CA and the past few years, they have brought this dip. It is sooo tasty. I asked for the recipe and found out it comes from the daughters sister-in-law (make sense?), so Im crediting this to Suzy Varga Patey, whoever and wherever you are! :) Anyway, this makes a GREAT party food and its super easy. You only have to chop a few things and everything else you just dump in from a can. But dont be fooled....it is DELICIOUS.


Bean Salsa
3 cans Rotel tomatoes, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can yellow corn, drained
1 can white corn, drained
2 avocados, cut into small pieces/chunks
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
1 pkt. Italian dressing mix
opt: apple, cut into small pieces

Mix all ingredients together. Eat with chips. (see notes below)

Okay, so it says the apple is optional, but I say necessary. It is so tasty. It gives that little crunch and sweetness that makes this dip special. Also, I would use mild Rotel tomatoes. I used 2 original and 1 mild and it was pretty spicy. Or maybe use 1 original and 2 mild. I dont know. Whatever you want...