Manti Recipes

Steps:

• Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the eggs and water, mixing well with your hands. Add more water, if needed, to form a soft dough. Cover and set aside for at least 30 minutes.
• Shred the onions and place them in a colander or sieve set over a bowl; drain the juice and discard. Combine the onion, ground beef, salt, and pepper; mix the meat well with a spoon until mashed.
• Divide the dough into two portions and lightly flour a work surface. Keep one piece of dough covered while you roll out the second portion into a rectangle, rolling the dough as thin as you can. Cut the rectangle into 2-inch squares with a knife or pastry wheel.
• Place about 2 teaspoons of the meat filling in the center of each square. Seal the dumplings by gathering the edges of the dough and pinching them together at the top to form a bundle. Transfer the finished manti to a floured plate, and sprinkle more flour over the manti to prevent sticking. Repeat with the second piece of dough.
• Heat the oil and red pepper flakes in a small skillet over low heat just until the pepper flakes have started to color the oil; don't let them burn. Remove from the heat and keep warm. Stir the minced garlic into the yogurt and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook the manti until the filling is no longer pink, and the dough is tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain well. Divide the manti among four plates. Spoon the yogurt sauce over the manti and drizzle each serving with the hot pepper oil.

Steps:

• Make the dough: Sift together flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in center, and add egg. Using your hands, gently draw flour mixture into egg. Gradually add the cold water, and continue to work dough with your hands or a spoon until it forms a smooth mass.
• Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until dough is smooth and springs back when pressed, 5 to 8 minutes. Divide dough into 2 balls, cover with a damp kitchen towel, and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Make the filling: Gently combine lamb, onion, parsley, salt, and pepper. (Filling can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days.)
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll out 1 portion of dough into a 16-by-10-inch oblong about 1/16 inch thick. Using a ruler, cut dough into 1 1/4-inch squares with a pizza wheel or a paring knife. Keep remaining dough covered with a damp kitchen towel while you work.
• Spoon 1/4 teaspoon filling in center of 1 dough square. Gently pull 2 opposite corners outward to stretch dough slightly, then pull up to meet in center, and pinch to seal. Repeat with remaining 2 corners, making sure all air has been pressed out. Pinch together all 4 corners to form a point, then pinch along all 4 seams to seal. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and cover with a damp kitchen towel. Repeat. Remove towel, and cover with a piece of parchment. (Dumplings can be refrigerated on baking sheets, wrapped in plastic, for up to 1 day. Alternatively, freeze on baking sheets, uncovered, for 2 hours, then transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month.)
• For cooking and serving: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon butter. Arrange manti in a single snug layer in dish. Bake until fragrant and tops and corners are golden brown, about 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring stock, cinnamon, bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil in a saucepan. Remove baking dish from oven, and add enough stock mixture to dish so that all but the tops of manti are submerged. Cover tightly with parchment and then foil, and bake until soft, about 25 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, stir together yogurt or labneh and garlic paste in a medium bowl. When manti have finished cooking, tilt baking dish, collect about 1/4 cup liquid with a ladle, and stir into yogurt sauce (sauce should be spoonable).
• Melt remaining 7 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and cook until amber, about 7 minutes.
• Divide manti among shallow serving bowls. Spoon yogurt sauce over top, drizzle with browned butter, and sprinkle with mint and red pepper.

Steps:

• To make the filling: Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Stir in the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lamb and the parsley, and cook, stirring and breaking up any lumps, until the lamb changes color. Remove from heat and generously season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• To make the pasta: Sift the 2 cups of flour and salt together into a bowl. Make a well in the center and place the egg and 1/2 cup water in the well. Work the dough with your hands or a wooden spoon into a smooth dough. (You might find that you will need more water if you are rolling the pasta by hand and less if you are using a hand-turned pasta machine.) Knead the dough for at least 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover the dough with a towel and let rest for 1 hour. Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Roll out each piece to 1/16-inch thick with a rolling pin or a pasta machine, and cut into 3-inch squares, discarding the uneven edges. Place 1 to 2 teaspoons filling into the center of each square. Moisten the entire outer edge with water, bring the 4 corners together in the center and pinch tightly to seal, then pinch together the 4 straight edges to seal completely (take care with this step, sealing the dumplings thoroughly will ensure that they will not become unsealed in the water and lose the filling). Repeat with remaining pasta and filling. Place the manti on a lightly floured baking sheet in a single layer.
• To make the yogurt sauce: Drain the yogurt at room temperature through a very fine mesh strainer over a bowl for 30 minutes and discard the whey. Stir together the yogurt and garlic in a bowl and let stand at warm room temperature until ready to use.
• To make the butter sauce: In a small skillet over moderate heat cook the butter until it is a very light brown, remove the skillet from the heat, and stir in the paprika, coarse salt to taste, and the hot red pepper sauce.
• In a large kettle of boiling salted water cook the manti, in batches, stirring to keep them from sticking together, about 7 minutes, or until the pressed together edges are al dente (they will the the longest to cook). Remove them when done with a long-handled sieve or a large slotted spoon and keep warm with a little of the warm cooking liquid. Serve the manti very hot in individual bowls, spoon some of the yogurt sauce, then drizzle some butter sauce and garnish with mint leaves. Pass the remaining yogurt sauce at the table.
• Drink: Cankaya Kavaklidere.