Ottoman Spice Mix

I ran across Turkish Ravioli (Manti) during a trip to Istanbul. They are tiny dumplings typically filled a mixture of spiced beef or lamb. Despite their small size, the dumplings, typical of Turkish cuisine, have a lot of flavor. They are often served with a yogurt sauce, but for this recipe I opted to go …

We ordered this dish as part of a mezze (appetizer) platter in Turkey, and I’ll have to admit I wasn’t expecting it to wow me. My experience with eggplant was of having a few poorly made, deep fried eggplant parmesan dishes. Mushy and tasteless. I’m glad I ordered this warm eggplant salad because it officially changed my …