RECIPE / RALPH SCHELLING

Turkish manti

This week our Swiss chef turns his hand to a Turkish speciality. These filled parcels resemble pasta but the addition of sauces (one yoghurt-based; the other with brown butter and tomato) add fresh notes, a hint of acidity and plenty of depth of flavour. Serves 4

• Ingredients for the dough:
• 250g plain white flour
• 5 tbsps water
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 egg

• Ingredients for the filling:
• ½ bunch parsley
• 200g minced beef or lamb
• 1 small onion
• ½ teaspoon aleppo pepper
• Pinch of ground cumin
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of ground black pepper

• Ingredients for the topping::
• 50g butter
• 500g Turkish yoghurt (10 per cent fat)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• ½ tsp paprika powder
• 2 cloves garlic, diced

• Method:
• 1. Mix the dough ingredients and knead. When combined, wrap in clingfilm and let it rest for half an hour.
• 2. For the filling, dice the onion and parsley very finely and mix with the minced meat. Season with salt, pepper, cumin and aleppo pepper.
• 3. Roll out dough thinly on a lightly floured surface and cut out squares about 2.5cm in diameter. Place a small amount of filling in the centre of each, fold the four corners towards the centre and press together in a star shape with your fingers until you’ve assembled all the parcels.
• 4. Bring salted water to a boil and cook the manti in it for about 4 minutes then drain.
• 5. To make the first sauce, mix the yoghurt with crushed garlic and salt.
• 6. To make the second sauce, melt the butter and brown it slightly in a medium pan until it bubbles up and smells nutty, and brown bits appear. Then mix it with the tomato paste and paprika powder.
• 7. Arrange the finished manti on four plates, then spread the yoghurt on top before adding the buttery tomato sauce on top and serving. Enjoy.