If someone offered you camel bourguignon or a camel-burger on a gold-leaf bun, would you think they were kidding? We offered you an affordable recipe for camel burgers in this post. Now The Daily Star reports that in the Abu Dhabi Emirates Palace Hotel, the humble camel has been elevated into the new ulra-gourmet meat.
Camel Meat Enters The Gourmet World
Mishka Henner’s Feed Lot Photos Can Put You Off Meat
British photographer Mishka Henner has produced some disturbing aerial images of cattle feedlots in Texas, composed of hundreds of high-resolution satellite images stitched together into large format prints. This could be the final push to put me off meat.
Pedro Reyes’ Disarm Morphs Weapons Into A Mechanized Orchestra
Artist Pedro Reyes is waging a war on weapons, transforming guns into musical instruments and constructing a fully mechanized orchestra. In collaboration with Cocolab, a media studio in Mexico City, and in concert with an electronic music producer and other musicians, he built eight fully functional new “instruments”.
Lebanon’s Toxic Sea-side Sidon Dump Gets Eco Makeover
Not that long ago, the city of Sidon (or Saida) in Lebanon moved its trash to the local Sidon dump, where the toxic landfill and trash site washed into the sea every winter. Sometimes dump trucks didn’t wait for the rains and dumped directly into the sea.
Oceans Spiralling Downward, Threatening Life on Earth
This is not an Orson Welles-esque prank, but real and scary: An international panel of marine scientists is demanding urgent remedies to halt ocean degradation based on findings that the rate, speed and impacts of change in the global ocean are greater, faster and more imminent than previously thought.
#Crazy Arab Men #Posing #Wearing Nail Polish #WTF
Saudi men are sporting pedicures and manicures and posing hairy legs in tweeted photographs pinging across the Middle East. It’s part of a new Twitter hashtag #صور_كنك_بنت which translates to #Take a Picture of Yourself Like a Girl Does.
Breathtaking New Museum on Warsaw Ghetto Site Commemorates Polish Jews
After more than a decade of planning, the Museum of the History of Polish Jews has finally risen where the Warsaw Ghetto in Poland once stood. Designed by Finland’s Lahdelma & Mahlamäki Architects, this beautiful new building aims to educate, commemorate, and display Polish Jewish history from the Middle Ages to the present.
Unusual Underground Sancaklar Mosque Recognized at World Architecture Festival 2013
Later today the winner of the World Architecture Festival 2013 Best Building of the Year will be announced, and the unusual underground Sancaklar Mosque designed by Emre Arolat Architects from Turkey, is one of the contenders.
Eco Blue Flags Fly at 12 More Green Beaches in United Arab Emirates
Nothing says ‘swim to me’ more than Blue Flags. The international symbol is a prestigious sign that a beach is clean, accessible, and eco-friendly. Where the Middle East is known for its extravagance (think gold-plated Mercedes?), there is also a silver lining that the planet loves:
Turkish Winter Soup With Bulgur Gnocchi – A Vegetarian Recipe From Istanbul
Gnocchi or kofteh? I’d always thought of kofteh as meatballs of one kind or another. But in this recipe, I discovered that a dumpling may go by that name too. And how delicious the dumplings – gnocchi – or kofteh are.
Based on bulgur and seasoned with spices and herbs, the little hand-rolled mouthfuls cook in a lentil and chickpea soup. The result is a spicy, stick-to-your-ribs main dish that’s perfect for the chilly evenings coming up as autumn meets winter. Wouldn’t it be amazing if a reader were to cook it in a solar cooker like this one?
We’re very much in favor of grain and pulse-based soups, here on Green Prophet: like the Moroccan Wheat Soup or the Lebanese Lentil Soup. This Turkish soup is only one of the many intriguing dishes found on the fabulous Delicious Istanbul website, authored by Olga Irez.
Ultimate Winter Soup with Turkish Bulgur Gnocchi (Topalak Çorbası)
Prep 20 Min
Cook1 Hr 20 Min
Total1 Hr 40 Min
Serving: 6
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup very fine bulgur içli köflelıik, may be replaced with semolina
- 1/4 cup boiling water
- 1/2 tsp tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp red bell pepper paste replace with tomato paste if not available
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground coriander
- 1/3 tsp ground cumin
- 1/3 tsp dry mint
- 1 small egg
- 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour + 1/2 tbsp more for shaping
- 4 tbsp butter (or margarine or olive oil if you are vegan)
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves unpeeled
- 1/2 cup leeks green part only (replace with other vegetable of choice)
- 1/2 cup chard stems finely chopped (replace with other vegetable of choice)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp red pepper paste
- 10 cups water / stock hot
- 1/2 cup green lentil PRE-cooked (simmered in plenty of water for 20 min)
- 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas (soaked overnight and cooked for 2 hours)
- 1 tsp dry mint
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses or lemon juice
Directions
Prepare bulgur gnocchi (köfte) dough: In a large mixing bowl combine very fine bulgur and boiling water. Set aside for the bulgur to puff up as you handle the rest of the preparation (chopping etc). In 15-20 min add the rest of the ingredients to the bulgur and knead well until the dough comes together – it will still be a bit sticky so just dust the dough ball with a bit of flour.
Shape bulgur gnocchi (köfte): Prepare a tray and sieve in additional 1/2 tbsp flour: this is where you will be releasing your perfectly shaped bulgur gnocchi-köfte. Now divide the dough into 4 parts: take one part to a clean flat surface and with your hands roll it into a log – index finger thick. Cut into 0.5 cm (0.2 inch) wide pieces. Dust your hands with flour and one after one roll the pieces into small balls – size of a hazelnut or a large chickpea. Release the ready balls into the and continue making the gnocchi/köfte until the dough finishes. Now toss the tray energetically (back-forth; back-forth): the gnocchi/köfte will be sliding back and forth and getting completely covered in the flour. Set aside. Congratulation – the harder part is over!
Prepare the the soup: Simmer the onions in the butter until translucent (3-5 min), add garlic (I love using unpeeled cloves), leeks and chard stems and cook until the vegetables soften slightly and the moisture evaporates (5 min). Then stir in the tomato an pepper pastes and let them caramelize (about 2-3 min). Now add the hot water / warmed up stock, bring to boil and add the cooked green lentils. Let simmer covered on high heat so the lentils start falling apart (30 min). Add the bulgur kofte, cooked chickpeas and seasonings; reduce heat to medium and let simmer covered until the köfte are soft and cooked inside (30 min, or try and you will know for sure).
Note: If you reduce the servings skip the egg altogether and reduce amount of flour used. Skipping the egg will make the recipe pure vegan and replacing butter with vegetable oil will make the recipe vegan friendly.
You’ll enjoy these additional Turkish recipes:
13 Arab Nations Get Energy Future Mapped in Helpful New Report
There is a new report out underscoring the amount of renewable energy being developed in the Arab world with Morocco, Jordan and Egypt coming out as the big winners in the region. We report on the highlights.
Adorable AirBnB Pop Up Home in L.A. Boasts Sultry Moroccan Decor
Who isn’t in love with Moroccan decor – the amazing colors and designs that enliven any room? Well, Justina Blakeney certainly is. So much so, she decked out an entire AirBnB popup home in Los Angeles with decor from our favorite North African destination.
Vegan Advocate Natalie Portman in Israel For Directorial Debut
Her vegan shoe line may have failed, but Israeli-American Natalie Portman keeps her fans inspired with her brand of animal rights activism, recycled couture and vegan lifestyle. The actress is now in Israel where she is polishing up her directorial skills for a film she is about to direct in Jerusalem.
Gorgeous Recycled Silk Furniture from Turkey’s Meb Rure
Meb Rure’s latest line of furniture is so bright, stylish and unique that it’s hard to believe they are made with almost all recycled materials.