I started cooking, everybody! I've finally started cooking on the regular and I love it.
I've been asking my mom for her recipes for years and she always says it's difficult for her to tell me over the phone because she doesn't use measurements (we've lived in different cities since I was 18 years old... I know, it's devastating).
But now that I've been playing my own version of catch-up by looking up recipes, getting creative in the kitchen (and making plenty of mistakes), I have a better idea of ratios when I'm preparing a dish. (Ratios are key, friends). This, in turn, has helped me comfortably take direction from mom sans specific measurements.
That said, I did exactly this and my mom's Persian-inspired turkey kabobs turned out perfect! Here is the direction I was given, including my own personal tweaks:
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 2 medium-sized white onions, finely chopped
- Tumeric
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1/2 cup of dried parsley
- 3 garlic cloves
- Worcester sauce
- Olive oil
- One Egg
- Two tomatoes
- Lemon pepper
- Rice
- Plain yogurt
- Raw onions
- Cilantro
- Sumac (pronounced Somagh: http://www.kalamala.com/products/sumac-ground-4-oz)
Step 1:
Set oven on Bake, 500 degrees
Step 2:
Mix the first ten ingredients in a big bowl (wear gloves and massage well with your hands)
Add as much olive oil necessary to keep the mixture moist
Step 3:
Put foil on a cooking tray and spray with non-stick oil
Step 4:
Make little patties (whatever shape and size you prefer) and lay them on the tray
Step 5:
Place in oven once heated to 500 degrees
Step 6:
Let bake for about 6-8 minutes (check on it and you will know when it's cooked)
Step 7:
Flip the patties, and add two whole tomatoes on the side of the cooking tray. Shake some lemon pepper and some olive oil on the tomatoes. Let cook again for 6-8 minutes.
Serve with:
- Rice. I make the rice with a Persian-style rice cooker (very easy).
- Plain yogurt
- Raw onions
- Cilantro
- And, of course, the warm tomatoes you just made with the kabob
- Sprinkle sumac on the rice, kabob, and tomatoes.
That's it! And it's pretty darn healthy too. Good luck!
Sincerely,
Sahra
