kağıt kebabı — Turkey

Kağıt kebabı is a minced-meat kebab named after the baking paper, kağıt, that wraps it during cooking. Meat, tomatoes, peppers and spices are folded into a paper parcel and baked, so the juices that would normally escape into a pan instead stay sealed around the filling. It is reported from Hatay province in southern Turkey and its capital Antakya, a region known for kebabs built on tomatoes and peppers alongside the meat, distinct from the drier grilled kebabs found further north. Preparation involves working seasoned minced meat with finely chopped onion, tomato and pepper, then laying the mixture on a sheet of baking paper with extra tomato and pepper slices on top. The paper is folded and sealed into a tight parcel and baked in a hot oven until the meat is cooked through and the vegetables have released their juices inside the wrapping. The paper seal is what separates this kebab from an open grilled version: baked this way, the meat steams gently in its own juices and the tomato and pepper soften into a light sauce, rather than the smokier, drier result of direct grilling over coals.