Kuru Fasulye

Sunday April 21st

Cecile sent an email earlier in the week inviting campus residents to a cookout today, on the menu was kuru fasulye, literally dry beans.  I walked up the hill just before noon with uncooked rice and a pot for assembly at Alex and Lisa's house.  While Lisa got the fire started outside, I cooked the rice and some English toffee inside.  When they were ready, I went out and helped Cengis cut up the onions, tomatoes, red and skinny green peppers. Meanwhile the beans were cooking in a little bit of water in a giant copper pot on the fire.  

Cutting up the vegetables for the beans.

Alex fanning the flames under the beans while they cooked in a giant copper pot. 

 When the beans were soft, they were removed and the water was dumped out.  We heated some sunflower oil and butter until it was brown and foamy.  The foam was removed and the onions were added and cooked until transparent.  Then the peppers and tomato paste with water, followed by the tomatoes.  There was a lot of stirring and cooking, then black pepper and cumin were mixed in before the beans were added back.

Alex and Fernando stir in preparation to add the green, skinny (hot) peppers.

Lisa adds the beans back in

Charlie was added after the beans came to a good boil.  He adds flavor and is a solution to the campus cat problems.

Macbeth was quoted several times.
Especially relevant was the "nose of Turk" line.

The Witches' Spell

Act IV, Scene 1 from Macbeth (1606)

by William Shakespeare

All: Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
WITCH 3: Scale of dragon; tooth of wolf;
Witches' mummy, maw and gulf
of the ravin'd salt-sea shark;
Root of hemlock digg'd in the dark;
Liver of blaspheming Jew;
Gall of goat and slips of yew
Sliver'd in the moon's eclipse; 
Nose of Turk and Tartar's lips;

It is spring and the trees are blooming children.  They are so ripe they fall from the branches.

Children add sugar and spice, but adding them also provides a solution to the campus children problem.

This recipe called for just two children, but the recipe is easily scaled up. 

The beans stewed for an hour or so and served over rice they were magnificent! 

The weather even turned out nice enough to eat outside.

Cengis masterminded this event but his children were too young for stewing, maybe next year.

Thanks Sue for making the fire place!

This sort of event is one of the best things about living here and on campus.  It was a glimpse at Turkish culture, a fun community event and a very tasty meal.