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Kazan Kebabı
Whole eggplants with minced lamb tucked into deep slits, cooked gently with tomato and peppers.
Cut crosswise slits ¾–1 ¼ inches apart almost through each eggplant, leaving the base attached. Salt lightly, leave 15 minutes, rinse and dry.
Knead lamb with onion, garlic, a little salt and spices. Tuck small portions firmly into the slits, without breaking the base.
Arrange eggplants snugly in a wide deep pan. Add tomatoes and peppers around them. Mix tomato paste with hot water and pour down the side; add oil.
Cover and bring to a gentle simmer, then cook over low heat for 50–65 minutes. Check periodically and add a little hot water if dry. Uncover briefly to reduce excess liquid.
Eggplants are meltingly soft and the center of the thickest meat filling reaches 160°F.
Rest 10 minutes and lift out carefully with a broad spatula. 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.
Leave a strip of eggplant uncut along the bottom so each one stays together. A snug, deep pan keeps the filled slits supported during the slow cook.
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.
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.
Hand-chopped lamb and tail fat grilled on flat skewers, with warm flatbread, charred vegetables and sumac onions.
Lamb cooked with sheep tail fat, seasoned with kekik and pepper, served in flatbread with onion and parsley.
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.
Individual meatballs wrapped in crossed eggplant strips and baked with tomato and pepper caps.
Mild beef-and-lamb meatballs, chilled before shaping into small fingers and grilling.
Lamb and chickpeas in turmeric broth, finished with tomato and green pepper in an earthenware casserole. This home adaptation follows the Kars lamb-and-chickpea preparation. It is distinct from other regional dishes also called piti. Use oven-safe cookware and protect the table from the hot casserole.
