Name: Creamy Eggplant Puree (Hünkar Beğendi)
Yield: Serves 4 as a main dish, or 8 to 10 as an appetizer
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: freshly ground pepper, preferably white; Salt; 4 large eggplants (about 2½ pounds/1.2 kg total); 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; ⅔ cup (160 ml) whole milk, or more as needed; 2 cups (240 g) grated Gruyère or cheddar, or a combination of 1 cup (120 g) crumbled feta and 1 cup (120 g) grated smoky provolone or cheddar; ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil; 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Preparation info

Serves
4
as a main dish

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Mediterranean Vegetarian Feasts

By Aglaia Kremezi

Published 2014

About

An Ottoman Sultan, a French Princess . . . and Hünkar Beğendi—all the necessary ingredients for romance, intrigue, and culinary invention. According to legend, this rich and creamy eggplant puree was created in the eighteenth century by one of the Sultan’s cooks. The occasion was a dinner given in honor of a French princess visiting the palace of the Ottoman ruler in Istanbul. The French were known for their love of vegetable purees, so the cook paid homage to the princess by present

Ingredients

Asia
Turkey
Main course
Starter
Vegetarian
Mediterranean

Method

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