Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Pepper Paste - The Secret Ingredient

via Turkey-in-photos.com
I found some really nice eggplant today at the store, so I'm going to make some dolmas for my dh, since it's his birthday. It got me to thinking (the dolmas - not the birthday) about the secret ingredient. Well, actually there are a couple secret ingredients, but one I can't omit is the Turkish pepper paste. Yummy stuff, I tell you.

In the villages around Mersin, women dry their peppers on a string in the sun. Then they add salt and put them though a mill, whole. Sometimes they're dried on a sheet in the fields. I buy a commercial variety in a jar which isn't quite the same, but works better than not having any at all. I get it where I get all my other Turkish stuff, on Tulumba.com.

So I'm off to stuff some eggplants... check these sites out for more ideas.

Turkish Hot Pepper Paste - Biber Salcasi

Turkish pepper paste: Magic in a bottle

10 comments:

Sarah said...

I love things like pepper paste, and I guess a lot of countries/cultures have a special kind of their own. I'm the only one in my household who loves spicy food, so I can't use it unless I'm willing to a lot of whining!

Jessica Bell said...

Anything with spice is on my list of top ten ingredients! I'd like to get me some of that. Never seen any such thing here though. The Greeks don't tend to like 'hot stuff'. LOL

Old Kitty said...

The peppers strung up to dry look so colourful and pretty!!! I could just imagine how yummy they make anything taste!! Yay!!

Happy birthday to your dh!!! Take care
x

Matthew MacNish said...

That sounds delicious.

Jacqueline Howett said...

How cool it that? Sounds yummy!

Hart Johnson said...

Oooh! Sounds fabulous! What kind of peppers are they? My husband made a pepper pesto one year that was AMAZING--we grew the peppers and I think they were Anaheim, so only a medium heat--I just adored it though... I'm a huge pepper fan of all sorts. (my family though, doesn't really do the hot ones.)

Ayak said...

I just love biber salca and always have a jar in my fridge. I use it in lots of dishes. Ihave strung up peppers to dry here but have never made paste...I just crumble them and use dry.

Jules said...

Hey remember me?! Love peppers! Just so you... I had a real job for a month, did not forget you.
Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow

Carolyn V said...

Mmmm, I love anything with spice. But I can't do the hot ones anymore. Hope your hubby has a great b-day! =)

LTM said...

this sounds amazing... mmm... Richard had me buy an eggplant the other day. You'll have to send me a yummy recipe to share w/him~ :o) <3

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