With a little help from my... mixer

Cooking and baking can be quite difficult without the appropriate equipment, without some useful gadgets and, admittedly, without ample space. Well, I have no space. My kitchen is tiny and filled to the brim. If I as much as consider adding a single spoon to one of the kitchen drawers or placing one more bowl in a cabinet, there's going to be a domino effect of huge proportions. My whole kitchen will fall apart, my entire organizing system will need reexamination and I don't have time for that, believe me.





It's amazing how much stuff I have accumulated since I moved to Holland. What I brought from Greece were the bare kitchen essentials but since then it's like I'm on a mission to fully stock my kitchen. Even after three years, I still think I'm far from completing my task. In the process, I have been driving S. crazy.





I always seem to need one extra soup bowl or a cherry pitter- I had to convince S. that a cherry and an olive pitter are two different things-, chocolate molds, a new grater or an egg beater. The truth is I don't need most of that stuff but they surely make my life in the kitchen easier, not to mention how much quicker I can whip up a cherry pie by having a cherry pitter.





What I never had though during all these years that I've been cooking and baking, is a stand mixer. That workhorse of kitchen equipment, that huge time and energy saver, that magnificent work of technical ability; I never had one. I always used a simple hand whisk or a hand held mixer.





My experience with hand held mixers has been long and painful; both for me and the mixers. The first one I ever used was the one my mother bought one day after she grew tired of whisking everything by hand. I was little and I loved my mom's new gadget. After trying to use it in various ways that the manual specifically stated it should not be used, like mixing mud with stones or trying to make a hole in the wall with it, I broke it. I cried for a week.





The second one my mom bought, which lasted surprisingly long, was slightly better in quality than the previous one and it still proudly remains in my mom's kitchen cabinet. When I moved out of my parents' house, my mom bought one for me as an apartment warming gift. The mixer and I were happy together for quite some time. It was handy, it did all the work for me without me breaking a serious sweat but then it all started going downhill. One day, as I was preparing my favorite marble cake, I felt it heating up, my hand started having a burning sensation and at the same time a noise started coming out of it, something that resembled a death rattle for mixers and after a while, it was gone. I will always remember it fondly.





When I moved to Holland I got a new one. It served me well during these past three years and I'm sure it will continue to do so for a long time. But for about a month now, my trusted hand held mixer has been replaced by my new acquisition. Yes, after years of anticipation and longing, I finally have my very own stand mixer. My brand new, pink, KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer. I had to get rid of my bread box and hang my two extra spice racks on the wall to make room for it, but it was all worth it.





Ever since I got it, I have been using it like crazy. I've made bundt cakes (perhaps my favorite kind of cake), bread, meringues and since I bought the ice cream attachment as well, I've made lots of ice cream, mainly strawberry. I have no idea how I managed all these years without one and it looks so damn cute too. A machine able to whip, blend, mix, combine, stir, knead; it's like a dream come true.





Since it's been so hot these past couple of weeks, I didn't want to bake anything but I was in dire need of something sweet. Ice cream of course was an option but I already had too much of that. And then it came to me. A couple of years ago I had discovered a recipe of white chocolate cups filled with a chocolate and mascarpone cream that was spectacular. That's what I wanted to make. So I did.





White and dark chocolate, mascarpone cheese and sugar, cream and orange zest. That's all you need. The white chocolate cups are adorable and deliciously sweet. The filling is a mousse-like combination of mascarpone, orange zest, dark chocolate and whipped cream. The discrete orange flavor cuts through the sweetness of the white and the intensity of the dark chocolate, creating a balanced and incredibly flavorsome dessert.





These impressive-looking filled chocolate cups are a chocoholic's fantasy. They're as rich as chocolate can get but they don't make you reach for a glass of water after the first bite. The light, fluffy, luscious mousse is contrasted by the texture of the firm white chocolate, making every mouthful an exciting event. They are served cool which makes them perfect for hot summer days but don't go thinking that these are only heat wave-appropriate. Serve them any time of the year, every time you want to savor an exquisite chocolate dessert.











White Chocolate Cups filled with a Mascarpone and Chocolate Cream
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Needless to say that the quality of the chocolate makes all the difference in how these small desserts will taste. Go for high quality white and dark chocolate.

I used a dark 55% chocolate for the filling but if you don't like your desserts too sweet then you can use a 70% chocolate.





Yield: 10 white chocolate cups

Ingredients
230 g good quality white chocolate, chopped, at room temperature plus extra for shavings
130 g good quality dark 55% chocolate, chopped, at room temperature
250 ml cream, full-fat
3 Tbsp plus 1/2 tsp sugar
250 g mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 tsp orange zest, freshly grated

Special equipment: one 12-cup muffin pan, 10 paper liners, hand held or stand mixer


Preparation
Put chopped white chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and place bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Don't let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. Melt the chocolate, stirring it around with a rubber spatula and once completely melted, remove bowl from the top of the pan.


Creating the white chocolate cups requires two coatings of chocolate.
Take one paper liner and put 1 Tbsp of melted white chocolate inside. Place it in the palm of your hand and using a pastry brush, coat the sides and the bottom of the paper liner evenly. Place it in the muffin pan and repeat process with the rest of the paper liners. Place muffin pan inside your freezer so that the chocolate becomes firm, for 40 minutes.

Remelt the remaining white chocolate in the bowl according to the aforementioned process in case it has become hard.
Take out of the freezer one paper liner at a time (this ensures that the first chocolate coating will not melt, especially if it's summer and your kitchen is hot) and put 1 Tbsp of melted white chocolate inside. Using the pastry brush again, coat the sides and the bottom of the paper liner evenly, creating a second layer of coating. Place each paper liner in the freezer as soon as you're done. Leave muffin pan in the freezer for a further 1 - 1 1/2 hour so that the chocolate sets completely.

Put chopped dark chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and place bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Don't let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. Melt the chocolate, stirring it around with a rubber spatula and once completely melted, remove bowl from the top of the pan. Let chocolate cool completely.

Make some white chocolate shavings. Take a chilled bar of white chocolate and place it on a cutting board, wide and smooth side up. Using a cheese slicer, scrape the top of the chocolate bar thus creating shavings or even small curls of chocolate.
Alternatively you can use a vegetable peeler. Hold the chocolate bar in you hand and run the vegetable peeler over the thinnest, narrowest side of the bar. Set shavings aside.

Place whipping cream and sugar in a large bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer) and beat with a hand held mixer (or using the whisk attachment of your stand mixer) until soft peaks form. Set aside.


Place mascarpone cheese, cooled melted dark chocolate, vanilla extract and orange zest inside another large-sized bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer) and beat with a hand held mixer (or using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer) on medium speed until smooth, for 30-40 seconds. Do not overmix because it will become stiff.

Fold in the whipped cream in three batches, using a rubber spatula. Transfer mousse to a pastry bag fitted with a closed or open star tip or a standard pastry tip.

Take the muffin pan out of the freezer. Take each filled paper liner and carefully remove the paper from the chocolate, exposing the white chocolate cups. Be very careful not to break the cups. Line a large serving platter with baking paper and place the white chocolate cups on the paper. Fill each cup with the mousse. Don't fill the cups all the way up. Garnish the tops of the mousse with the white chocolate shavings, place cups on individual plates and serve.

You can store the filled chocolate cups in the refrigerator, on a platter lined with baking paper so that they don't stick to the platter, covered, for 3-4 days.

Let them stand at room temperature for a minute or so before serving, unless the temperatures are too hot. In that case, serve straight from the fridge.

And now for something completely different

The Greek football team traveled all the way to South Africa and tried their hardest to go through to the next round of the World Cup. Unfortunately, they didn't make it. It all came to a sad end a couple of weeks ago when we lost to Argentina. The Netherlands on the other hand are in the final. Hup Holland Hup! (Go Holland Go!).




Ever since I moved to Holland I don't only support my own country's football team but my adoptive one's as well. I'm becoming quite the fan. I love how these boys play ball. No, I'm not an expert, S. is. When the World Cup started, I had to be reminded all over again what an 'offside' is, who the men wearing those all-black uniforms and using a whistle are and why there is a big dot painted in front of the goal line.





My boyfriend was getting pretty angry with me each time I asked any irrelevant, to him, question during the matches but I did a good job at figuring things out in the end. So, after the first couple of weeks, I was the one looking forward to the next game.






I was cursing at the tv whenever a footballer was being selfish and didn't pass the ball, I shouted at the tv whenever the referee (yes, the one with the all-black uniform and the whistle) gave a yellow card to the wrong guy and I was celebrating by doing the winner's dance (um, you don't want to know what that is) whenever we won. I was also entertaining S., who was constantly laughing while witnessing my complete transformation to a proper football fan.
Well, there is another reason I like watching football. C' mon, what woman wouldn't enjoy watching cute guys running around all sweaty for an hour and a half. Isn't that why women watch sports anyway?






So, Sunday evening. The big match. The Netherlands against Spain. What a match that will be. If Holland wins it's going to be huge, naturally. The Dutch are immensely proud of their football team. All of Holland will be painted orange (the national color), vuvuzelas will be heard all the way to Australia and I will be celebrating along with the Dutch. Wish Holland good luck!





Watching a game of football can be quite a thrill. Especially when it's the final of the World Cup. That is as suspenseful as can get. So, instead of biting your nails or fidgeting in your chair nibble on some of these treats. I know I will.





Spiced mixed nuts with brown sugar and paprika and spicy, sweet popcorn cayenne, cinnamon and hazelnuts. You are going to love these. I assure you. The crunchy almonds, pecans, cashews and hazelnuts are covered in a blanket of spice and heat. This is a deliciously luscious, sticky, crisp, salty, fiery, fragrant snack.





Then comes the popcorn. Though this is no ordinary popcorn; this is popcorn revamped into a flavorsome, piquant, sweet and tangy gift for your taste buds. Dark brown caramel, hazelnuts and freshly popped corn all tossed together creating a crisp combination that tingles your mouth and makes you want more.





Give some to the demanding male population, otherwise known as your boyfriend's/husband's friends who will be flocking to your house to watch the game and these treats will surely keep them satisfied. Add a couple of cold beers to the mix and they'll all be set.





I love munching on these snacks while watching movies and they are perfect served at a party. You can't fill the small serving bowls quickly enough. Wrap them in some nice glossy paper or a cute box and give them as a hostess gift or take them to office. Just make sure you keep them hidden in your desk drawer otherwise everyone will want some.










Spiced Nuts
Adapted from epicurious

I used a mix of four kinds of nuts but you can definitely use only one kind.
In case you don't want pecans you can substitute with walnuts.

(Read this on how to store nuts properly)

Yield: 4 1/2 cups

Ingredients
2 large egg whites
1 1/2 tsp salt
100 g light brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp sweet paprika (preferably Hungarian)
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper powder
60 g unsalted butter
150 g unsalted blanched whole almonds
210 g unsalted blanched whole hazelnuts
120 g unsalted pecan halves
140 g unsalted cashews

Special equipment: hand held mixer


Preparation
In a small saucepan, add the butter and heat over medium heat until it melts. Remove from heat and let it cool completely.

Preheat your oven to 160 degrees Celsius.

In a large bowl, add the egg whites and salt and beat them with a hand held mixer on medium speed until soft and foamy. With the mixer still running, add the sugar in three batches and then add the Worcestershire sauce, the paprika and the cayenne pepper. You don't want the mixture to become too thick. It should have the consistency of lightly beaten cream.

Add the nuts and the melted butter to the mixture and stir well with a rubber spatula, making sure that all the nuts are coated well.

Empty the nuts inside the baking tray (which you don't need to grease or cover with baking paper) and spread them evenly around the tray.


Bake nuts on the middle rack of the oven for 30-40 minutes. Every 10 minutes or so, take tray out of the oven and, using a metal spatula, toss, stir and separate the nuts. Spread them evenly again and place tray back in the oven. Bake nuts until they take on a golden brown color. Be careful not to burn them.

Once ready, toss and stir the nuts and move them to a wire rack lined with baking paper. Spread them evenly and let them cool completely. The nuts will become crisp as they cool. Break up any nut clusters and serve.

You can store the spiced nuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 to 1 1/2 weeks.









Caramel Spiced Popcorn
Adapted from Rocco DiSpirito

You can use hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans or even peanuts for this recipe.

For a kid-friendly version just omit the cayenne pepper.






Yield: a big bowl of caramel popcorn

Ingredients
200 g unsalted blanched hazelnuts
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon, ground
2 Tbsp corn oil
220 g popcorn kernels
420 g sugar
Salt

Special equipment: small food processor


Preparation
Put hazelnuts, cayenne pepper and cinnamon in a food processor and chop them finely.

Make the popcorn
In a large, high-sided pot, add the oil and one popcorn kernel and heat over medium heat with the lid closed. When the kernel pops, remove it from the pot and add the rest of the kernels. Put the lid on and shake the pot every minute or so while cooking. When there is no popping sound for a 5-second period then your popcorn is ready. Remove pot from heat and empty popcorn into a large bowl. Sprinkle generously with salt and toss the popcorn.

Line a large baking tray with baking paper.


Make the caramel
Heat a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat for about 3 minutes. Add the sugar and keep stirring continuously with a heatproof rubber spatula until the sugar melts and turns a light brown caramel color. Be very careful not to burn the caramel. Also be extremely careful because the caramel will be very, very hot. Don't try to touch the caramel with your bare hands at any point. Don't try to taste it!

Turn heat off and immediately add the finely chopped hazelnuts to the caramel. Quickly stir to combine. Don't stir too much, just enough to coat the hazelnuts.
Working quickly because you don't want the caramel to cool and harden, yet carefully because the caramel might burn you, add all the popcorn to the caramel. Stir well to completely coat the popcorn, pulling caramel and popcorn up from the bottom of the pan. Be careful not to break the popcorn.

Pour caramel corn onto the lined baking tray, spreading it evenly. Let it cool and sprinkle with a little salt. Break popcorn into bite-sized pieces and serve.

You can store the popcorn in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.

Family ties

My mom says that I got the knack for cooking from my grandfather and that always brings a huge smile to my face. I loved my grandfather tremendously. He was a very important figure in my life and a very talented person. He was a painter, a sculptor and a home cook and whenever he was cooking or working on his art, he was always whistling. Sometimes I can still hear his whistle if I close my eyes and concentrate hard enough...






My grandfather loved to cook. He would stay in the kitchen for hours, preparing marmalades and jams, pies and breads, all kinds of savory dishes and desserts. He liked to experiment with different ingredients and he used to watch French cooking shows on satellite tv, trying to pick up new ideas for dishes and constantly coming up with new recipes. What he also did, was make sure to take the credit for whatever he had cooked, letting everyone know that he was the one responsible for the delicious food on the table and not my grandmother. He was funny that way.






He had a summer house by the sea where my brother and I spent every summer with him and my grandmother. He used to dive and catch mussels, clams and octopi for us all the time. There is a specific image of him etched in my mind. He, sitting at the veranda with a big plate of raw, freshly caught clams on his lap, prying them open one by one with the help of a huge knife, squeezing a couple of drops of lemon over them and then quickly sucking them down with a loud, slurping sound.






To him, eating was a ritual. He sat at the head of the table, enjoyed every single bite and he demanded that the bread basket and the bottle of ouzo were always situated next to him. He couldn't live without his crusty bread and his shot of ouzo. The practice of sitting at the dinner table and savoring the meal for more than an hour or sometimes hours if having company, nibbling on various mezedes (plural for mezes) and sipping ouzo, is characteristic of all the Greeks from Constantinople (Istanbul). My grandfather was born and raised in Constantinople or 'Poli' as we Greeks call it for short. He lived there until his mid-30s and then moved to Piraeus, Greece with my grandmother- who was originally a Greek from Poli and the city of Smyrna- and their two children; my mom and my uncle.






What they brought with them, as every other Greek from Poli did, was a food culture very much distinguished from the traditional Greek one. A food culture and a type of cooking influenced and shaped by the intermingling of the traditional Greek culinary customs and those of Anatolia (Asia Minor). The extensive use of spices, the utter importance of food in everyday life, the celebratory way of viewing food in general, are elements that are deeply rooted in my family's culinary consciousness. The type of cooking of the Greeks from Poli is called 'Politiki Cuisine'.
You can catch a glimpse of what it means to be a Greek from Constantinople and the importance of food, in the wonderful Greek movie 'A touch of spice' ('Politiki Kouzina').






I was brought up with that kind of cooking. My earliest memories of food include lots of spices and heavy sauces, an array of dishes, the names of which I couldn't even pronounce because of their Turkish origin, and a reverence toward the ritual of eating, especially when we had guests. The abundance of food served at a gathering was, and still is at such occasions, monumental. If just the main meal and a salad are on the table, it is considered shameful by my grandmother and my mom. They need to have at least five or six dishes of mezedes around to call it a proper meal.






Pastourmas (seasoned air-cured beef), soutzouki (a dry and very spicy sausage), dolmadakia (grape vines stuffed with rice and mint), soutzoukakia (beef patties in a tomato sauce), piazi beans (white bean salad with onions, parsley, olive oil and vinegar), Politiki salad (grated carrot and white cabbage tossed with vinegar and olive oil), eggplant imam baildi (stuffed eggplants with onions and tomato), tas kebab (beef or lamb in a spicy red sauce), hunkiar beyiendi (an eggplant purée with diced meat) are a sample of Politiki Cuisine along with the famous desserts like baklava, ekmek kataifi and a delicious and refreshing drink called airani (yoghurt mixed with water and salt).






I could go on and on with a never-ending list of dishes. I want to dedicate a post to each and every one of them and I will at some point, but as an introduction to Politiki Cuisine I chose one of my favorite dishes in the world; Manti. (Manti is the name of the dish but manti is also the name of each small pouch of filled pasta. The plural is also manti). I am so excited to be sharing this recipe with all of you. Manti are the Greek-Turkish original ravioli or tortellini. I'm sorry to any Italians out there but the Turks came up with this dish first.
Manti is actually a dumpling with a pasta-type dough, filled with ground meat, usually lamb or beef, mixed with spices and it is either boiled, steamed or baked in the oven. It is served with a yoghurt sauce and red pepper and there are versions of it that call for an additional tomato sauce though I find that to be too much.






Making your own dough for the manti is crucial. There are those who use wonton or other ready-made wraps but I prefer the old fashioned way of making my own. It is a fairly easy process of combining flour with water, though you may find that in most Turkish versions of this recipe they tend to add eggs. The Greek version is a bit lighter.
For the filling, I prefer using a mixture of ground beef and pork, bulgur wheat and spices. The pork doubtlessly adds some extra flavor to the manti and the bulgur, which is widely used in Politiki Cuisine, gives a nutty flavor to the overall dish. The filled manti are baked in the oven and once they are almost cooked, they are drenched in beef stock and put again in the oven to soak up all the juices. The dish is served with a sauce of Greek strained yoghurt and mashed garlic and it is topped with ground red hot pepper and sumac.






It is an immensely tasty and aromatic dish and its authenticity and rustic quality makes it unique. The cooked dough is crunchy and browned on top and deliciously moist at the bottom, overflowing with all the scrumptious juices from the meat and melted butter. The nutty flavor of the bulgur is a perfect match for the pungent spices. It has a superb spicy flavor and I have to admit, it is rather heavy. The yoghurt-garlic sauce on top, as well as the red pepper and sumac, add a complexity to the overall dish, giving it a hint of heat, sharpness and acidity, while the yoghurt succeeds in making it a bit lighter.

Delicious, healthy bulgur

Manti is a main dish that will surely fill you up and give you an incomparable tasting experience. It is ideally served with a simple salad of shredded carrot and cabbage dressed with olive oil and red wine vinegar. A carafe of ouzo or a tall glass of beer would be a fitting accompaniment to the dish.






Whenever I make this kind of dishes I feel a sense of accomplishment and a connection to my family's roots. I'm sure that if my grandfather was alive he would be very proud of me.
Do you ever feel the same way? Do you have a specific kind of cuisine that links you to your ancestors? Are there dishes that remind you of loved ones?










Politiko Manti (Greek pasta-type dough filled with minced meat and spices with a yoghurt-garlic sauce)

Manti is the name of the dish but manti is also the name of each small pouch of filled pasta. The plural is also manti.

This dish is truly exceptional but it does take a lot of time to prepare.

The recipe calls for beef stock. You can make your own, you can use canned beef stock or cubes.

In case you don't like pork, you can use just ground beef or a mix of ground beef and veal or lamb.

The yoghurt-garlic sauce contains 4 garlic cloves which might sound a lot, but that is the point. This is the way the dish is supposed to be. You can of course use less garlic or even more, depending on how much you enjoy it.

If you can't find the spice sumac, you can substitute with a little freshly grated lemon mixed with a pinch of salt.







Yield: about 65 manti / 6-8 servings

Ingredients

for the dough
500 g all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
280-290 ml tap water

for the filling
300 g ground beef
100 g ground pork
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, grated or finely chopped in the food processor
1/3 cup (65 g) bulgur wheat
2 heaped tsp tomato paste
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

for the yoghurt-garlic sauce
500 g Greek strained yoghurt (preferably full fat)
4 medium-sized garlic cloves

750 ml hot beef stock
30 g unsalted butter at room temperature for greasing the baking dish
45 g plus 30 g melted unsalted butter for brushing the manti
Cayenne pepper, ground (or other red hot pepper such as the Greek boukovo or the Turkish pul biber or aleppo)
Sumac, ground (optional)

Special equipment: small food processor or large grater, large baking dish (the one I used was a 40 x 30 cm ceramic baking dish), garlic press or mortar and pestle, rolling pin


Preparation

Make the dough
In a large bowl, add the flour and salt and mix them with a fork. Make a well in the middle with your hand and add 100 ml of the water. Mix everything with your hands and continue adding water little by little. You might need a little less or a little more water so adding it to the flour a little at a time ensures that you don't end up with a watery and sticky dough.
Continue mixing the water and the flour with your hands until a dough forms. Turn the dough over to a lightly floured surface and knead it for about 8 minutes until you have a tight and firm dough. Place it inside a lightly floured bowl and cover it with a tea towel. Let it rest for 1 - 1 1/2 hours in a cool place (not in the refrigerator).




Make the filling
In a large bowl, add all the ingredients for the filling and mix everything together with your hands for about 5 minutes, until all the ingredients are well blended. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for half an hour so that the flavors of the filling have a little time to blend.

Make the manti
Lightly dust your work surface, your hands and your rolling pin with flour.
Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces.
Take one piece of dough, roll it in between your hands to make a ball and then roll it out, using the rolling pin, into a large square with a thickness of a little less than 0.5 cm. Then, using a knife, cut the large square into smaller squares (6 x 6 cm). (Make sure the squares are floured enough so that the small manti won't stick together when you place them in the baking dish).

Put a heaped 1/2 tsp of filling at the center of each small square of dough, fold over the dough, creating a rectangle and press all around the edges so that you seal the filling inside the dough. Then take the top two corners of the rectangle and fold them onto one another thus creating a pouch (see the photographs above to get a clear idea of how to make the pouch and what they should look like).

Continue rolling out the rest of the dough pieces, cutting them into 6 x 6 cm squares, filling them and making the small manti.




Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Grease (with 30 g of butter) the bottom and the sides of the baking dish and place each manti (small pouch) inside, arranging the manti one next to the other, and not one on top of the other, until you have filled your baking dish. Also, you must place them in a way that each manti is standing upright, with the filled part of the dough touching the bottom of the baking dish.
When you have filled your baking dish with the manti, brush the tops with 45 g of melted butter and place dish on the lower rack of the oven. Bake the manti for 1 hour until browned.

Note: Once they are ready you must also have ready the hot beef stock.

Take the baking dish out of the oven and turn the heat up to 220 degrees Celsius.
Pour the hot beef stock over the manti, brush the tops again with 30 g of melted butter and place the baking dish back in the oven, on the middle rack. Bake for further 15-20 minutes until the manti have soaked up the beef stock.

Make the yoghurt-garlic sauce
Mash the garlic cloves with a mortar and pestle or using a garlic press. In a medium-sized bowl, add the yoghurt and the mashed garlic and mix with a spoon. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Once manti is ready, take the baking dish out of the oven, and place manti on individual plates. Top with 3 - 4 Tbsp of the yoghurt-garlic sauce and sprinkle with cayenne pepper or other hot red pepper as well as with sumac, if using.

Serve immediately.