Etli Güveç (Layered One-Pot Slow-Cooked Beef & Vegetables)
I have such fond memories (including all 9 of us squeezing into his Mercedes 🙈 and walking up 7 flights of stairs in the dark during a power cut) of the trip, especially visiting the beautiful mountainous landscape of Kemer. We swam in one of the stunning waterfall holes and then had lunch by the side of a mountain; a huge big tray of etli tava (small pieces of lamb and vegetables cooked and served in a large metal tray, so similar to what I cooked tonight (and for which I have a recipe on here for from yonks ago).
Although I have gone for the güveç “slow-cook clay pot” style of cooking here today, these flavours and meals always remind me of that holiday, and tonight I reminisced with every mouthful (I used beef tonight but lamb is my favourite). As Cypriots, we often slow-cook meals like this with joints of meat on the bone, but traditionally Turkish Tava and Güveç are made with small pieces of meat. For this recipe I use braising beef, but you could also use the more traditional lamb, or chicken.
The concept of Tava is very similar to Güveç, the only difference being that the latter is layered into a deep clay pot, weighted down, with the meat at the bottom, rather than spread out into a large round metal baking tray. It’s the perfect dish for long, lazy weekends due to the slow-cooking methods, but it makes a good, hearty midweek meal too. Please make it.
RECIPE
Serves 4-6
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 tbsp Turkish sweet red pepper paste (tatlı biber salçası) + 100ml boiling water
400ml chicken / beef stock
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
900g beef braising steak (chuck, silverside, any cut that likes a slow cook), cut into 2-3cm pieces
2 large red onions, thinly sliced
8 garlic cloves, peeled and bashed
2 bay leaves
1 tsp sea salt flakes
¾ tsp coarse black pepper
2 kapya biber / tomato / small red bell peppers
2 large long green mild (carliston) pepper / 2 small green bell peppers, cored, deseeded and cut into 2-3cm pieces
750 g Cyprus or large waxy potatoes (such as alouette), peeled, cut into 3cm chunks
3 slices of fresh lemon
½ tsp dried mint
1 tsp dried oregano
4 tomatoes, halved and sliced
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4.
Dissolve the tomato purée, sweet red pepper paste in 100ml boiling water then stir in the stock.
Drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil in the bottom of a large heavy-based pan or deep, lidded ovenproof dish, then evenly layer the meat at the bottom, seasoning with some of the salt and pepper, followed the onion slices, four cloves of garlic and the bay leaves leaves and season again, add the peppers, season again, followed by the potatoes, remaining garlic cloves, the lemon slices, and sprinkle over half of the dried mint and oregano. Lay the tomato slices on top, season with the remaining salt and pepper, dried mint and oregano, finishing off with a good drizzle of the remaining three tablespoons of olive oil.
Pour the stock into the pan, cover with a sheet of greaseproof paper, followed by a plate that fits inside (to weigh it down a little), and finally the lid. Place the dish on a large baking tray lined with foil / baking paper (to catch any spillages) and place on the bottom shelf of the oven for 2 hours. After 2 hours, remove from the oven, carefully take off the lid, plate and greaseproof paper. Baste the tomatoes with some of the juices, whilst keeping the other layers intact. Return to the bottom shelf of the oven, uncovered, for another 30–35 minutes, then increase the oven temperature to 220°C/200°C fan/425°F/gas mark 7 for a final 15–20 minutes, so that the top caramelises.
Remove the pan or dish from the oven, put the lid back on and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes before serving.
