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İslim Kebabı
Individual meatballs wrapped in crossed eggplant strips and baked with tomato and pepper caps.
Cut eggplants lengthwise into sixteen ribbons 3/16 inch thick, using extra eggplant if needed for intact ribbons. Salt lightly for 15 minutes and pat dry. Brush with two-thirds of the oil and roast at 410°F for 15–20 minutes until flexible.
Knead beef with onion, crumbs, egg and seasoning. Shape into eight meatballs. Brown all over in the remaining oil in a frying pan for 8 minutes; they will finish cooking in the oven.
Cross two soft eggplant strips, place a meatball in the center and fold the ends over. Put seam-side down in a baking dish. Add tomato and pepper on top and secure with a toothpick. Repeat.
Mix paste with hot water and pour around parcels. Bake at 375°F for 25–30 minutes until the sauce bubbles and eggplant is tender.
The center of the meat reaches at least 160°F; browning alone is not a doneness test.
Remove all toothpicks carefully and serve hot with the sauce. Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F. Keep at 40°F or below, use within 3–4 days and reheat cooked leftovers to 165°F.
Choose long, wide eggplants that yield sixteen usable ribbons. The strips must be soft enough to fold without tearing. Remove every toothpick before serving.
Dried eggplant shells filled with beef, rice and currants, gently cooked in a tomato-and-pepper sauce. Currant-filled dried eggplant is associated with Denizli. This home version uses onion, herbs and mixed tomato and pepper pastes; local variations exist.
Roasted eggplant layered with minced beef and tomato, with an optional chickpea variation. The optional chickpeas reflect a documented Afyonkarahisar variation. This oven adaptation roasts the eggplant instead of frying it and has no béchamel topping.
Soft eggplants filled with beef, onion, peppers and tomato, baked in a light tomato sauce.
Thin layers of seasoned beef and mince, chilled into a roll, sliced and quickly browned in a skillet. This is a skillet adaptation of layered döner. A restaurant spit uses a different cooking process. Slice only when the roll is firm but safely cuttable; never force a knife through a solid frozen block.
Alternating eggplant rounds and lamb patties roasted with tomatoes and green peppers. This oven adaptation follows the alternating meat-and-eggplant arrangement documented in Kilis. Use a shallow dish and avoid packing so tightly that the vegetables steam without softening.
Lightly flour-coated calf liver with crisp potato cubes and a sharp sumac-onion salad.
Mild beef-and-lamb meatballs, chilled before shaping into small fingers and grilling.
Thin, open flatbread topped with finely minced beef, tomato, green pepper, onion and parsley, adapted for a home oven.
Tender lamb, whole pearl onions and vegetables simmer together before cooked erişte is folded through the juices. A hearty Antalya-style stew.
Tender lamb in tomato sauce over a smoky eggplant purée enriched with milk and kaşar.
Hot lamb and pepper butter over smoky eggplant folded into garlic yogurt. This diced-lamb adaptation is related to Gaziantep’s alinazik, which is also made with coarsely minced meat. Let the eggplant cool to warm before folding it into the yogurt so the base stays creamy.
Whole eggplants with minced lamb tucked into deep slits, cooked gently with tomato and peppers.
