As I mentioned in my post on "Finding the Familiar (Produce-wise) in Turkey," one of the interesting trends I found on my trip to Istanbul earlier this year was the return of Ottoman cuisine. And one of the restaurants serving this cuisine is even located in a renovated Ottoman Imperial Palace: Tugra, the signature restaurant at the Ciragan Palace Kempinski hotel (pictured, right). Interestingly, for us gardens-to-tables types, one of the things that distinguishes Ottoman cuisine is a return to slower ways of cooking involving local seasonal ingredients -- which means, of course, that now we can all say, "if it's good enough for the Sultans, it's good enough for me."

For those who want to attempt Ottoman cooking at home, Tugra Chef Ahmet Kara was kind enough to share one of his signature recipes with us: the Triple "Gozleme" (stuffed pastry). Even better, the recipe includes a number of things probably found in our gardens (or farmers market) -- spinach, radishes, baby carrots, etc. Now, it may be hard to find pastirma here in the states but I am sure you can substitute the cured meat of your choice -- or leave it out for a vegetarian version of the dish. Enjoy!

Triple "Gozleme"

Pastirma, spinach and cheese, and potato Gozleme, with pomegranate and "haydari" sauce and fresh vegetable salad.

Ingredients
1000 gr Puff pastry
400 gr Butter
400 gr White cheese
400 gr Whole pastirma
2 pc Pomegranate
100 gr Yogurt
200 gr Asparagus
200 gr Baby carrot
100 gr Radish
100 gr Beet
20 cl Olive oil
200 gr Potato
200 gr Onion
2 pc Garlic

First of all prepare the stufffing for the Gozleme:
Wash the spinach and drain them on the absorbent paper, sautee them with butter and chopped garlic reserved in the fridge. Chop the onions and stew them slowly in the casserole with butter and peel the potatoes. Put the potatoes in a casserole with cold water and start to cook. After the potatoes are cooked, mix them with the stewed onions and reserve in the fridge. Cut a slice of pastirma very fine, we don't need to pre-cook the pastirma like the potatoes or the spinach, just reserve the slice in the fridge.

Now for the sauce:
Put the butter in a casserole and cook the butter until it turns brown. Remove from the fire and after it has cooled mix with the yogurt. Peel the pomegranate and mix with the Haydari in the Thermo mix.
Take the puff pastry and prepare 2 triangle Gozleme of spinach, 2 of potatoes and 2 of pastirma.

To finish the dish, cook the Gozleme in a stove and dress it with the chopped vegetables like the photo (above).