Just for Briana: Sulu Kofte

Because I haven't been blogging lately I received a phone call from my lovely friend Briana, demanding to know if I was dead or not. (Thank you so much for your phone call and for keeping in touch, Briana!)

I'm not.

I just haven't felt like I had anything worthwhile to write about. I haven't been going to any exotic places other than Buckeye, Arizona. I've just pretty much been working a lot, working out when I can, baking and surfing the Internet for travel destinations in an attempt to live vicariously through other people's fabulous experiences. Though yesterday I attended a formal cooking class that turned out to be very blog-able. More on that later though...

Meanwhile, Briana also wanted a recipe from me, so here it is:

Sulu Kofte (Turkish meatballs in tomato sauce)

Kofte ingredients:
1 pound ground beef or ground lamb
1/4 cup short grain rice, washed & drained
1 egg
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)

1/2 cup flour

1 onion, grated
4-5 Tbsp crushed tomatoes
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
2 cups water
salt & pepper (to taste)
chopped parsley (optional)

Place the flour on a large plate. Knead the first 5 ingredients together in a bowl. Break off small pieces and roll them into a small ball shape. Roll them in the flour.

Meanwhile saute the onion with the olive oil and butter for a few minutes in a medium sized pot - until they are soft and tender. Add the crushed tomatoes, water, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.

Gently drop the floured Kofte into the pot and stir slowly. Cook for about 20 minutes on just below medium heat. Sprinkle some chopped parsley on top and then serve.

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Acibadem Kurabiyesi (Turkish Almond Cookies)

1 cup ground almond (available in specialty stores)
1 2/3 cup powdered sugar
3 egg whites, lightly whisked
Garnish: slivered almonds or almond halves

Place all ingredients except the garnish in a medium sized pot. Stir constantly at just under medium heat. Do not let the mixture boil. To ensure that the temperature is right, dip your pinkie in the mixture - it should be warm but shouldn't burn.

Pour the contents of the pot into a heat proof dish. Let it cool down. Oil 8 paper baking cups. Once the mixture has cooled down a bit, spoon it equally into the oiled baking cups. Place the almonds on top and put the cups on an oven tray.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Then turn down the heat to 240 F and put the tray in the oven. Bake for about 45 minutes without opening the oven door. If you open the door, the cookies will droop. Let the cookies cool before serving.