An Alternative to Turkey for New Year's Eve from Chef Nesimi Yalçın!

Bonfilet, a brand with over a century of experience connecting consumers with healthy and reliable food, is turning New Year's Eve into a feast with its turkey alternative recipe. Chef Yalçın shares his tips for cooking lamb kapama with stuffed pilaf, creating an unforgettable flavor, and emphasizes that the most important factor in cooking a delicious lamb dish is selecting the right cut of meat.

Chef Yalçın notes that cooking times may vary, explaining that 600 g (about 1.3 lb) of bone-in lamb kapama can be cooked in an oven at 180°C (350°F) for approximately 25 minutes, with cooking time increasing as the size of the meat grows.

Lamb Kapama with Stuffed Pilaf

Ingredients:

600 g (about 1.3 lb) bone-in lamb kapama
350 g (about 12 oz) pearl onions
1/2 celeriac
300 g (about 10.5 oz) carrots
3 cloves garlic
70 g (about 5 tablespoons) butter
10 g (about 2 teaspoons) Aleppo pepper flakes
12 g (about 2 teaspoons) salt
2 g (about 1/3 teaspoon) black pepper
1 water glass (about 200 ml / 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp) beef broth
2 or 3 tablespoons salça (Turkish tomato/pepper paste)

Instructions:

Marinate the lamb 2 to 3 hours in advance with olive oil, garlic, and a small amount of vinegar. Roughly chop the pearl onions, celeriac, and carrots. Sauté them in heated olive oil. Place the lamb in a pot, arrange the sautéed vegetables on the bottom underneath the meat, then add the spices and the salça diluted with a little water in a separate bowl. Cook for 20–25 minutes.

Stuffed Pilaf

Ingredients:

2 water glasses (about 400 ml / 1 3/4 cups) rice
350 g (about 12 oz) lamb liver
50 g (about 3 tablespoons) pine nuts
2 g (about 1/3 teaspoon) cumin
2 g (about 1/3 teaspoon) allspice
50 g (about 3 tablespoons) currants
2 medium onions
3 g (about 1/2 teaspoon) cinnamon
70 g (about 5 tablespoons) sunflower oil
1/3 bunch dill

Instructions:

Soak the rice in warm water for 20–25 minutes. Remove the membrane from the lamb liver and cut it into cubes. Drain the blood from the liver and sauté in a pan. Prepare 2 or 3 water glasses (about 400–600 ml / 1 3/4–2 1/2 cups) of boiling water for the pilaf. Heat the oil in a pot, add the onions, and cook until golden. Add the pine nuts, then stir in the rice. Sauté over low heat for 10–15 minutes and add the remaining spices. Once the rice has absorbed the water, cook for another 10–12 minutes over low heat, then leave to steam and rest. Add the sautéed liver and finely chopped dill and stir to combine. Serve alongside the lamb. Enjoy your meal!