Turkey - vegetable 'cake'

I wished to cook something that will be easy to carry in my lunch box. Something with meat and vegetables together to have the balance of both protein and carbohydrates. I had some minced turkey in the fridge. From the fresh market, I had bought some random vegetables without much of a plan in mind. Everything is so fresh and tempting that I feel like buying everything and usually end up buying more than planned. Anyway, back on thinking what to cook for my lunch box. Should I make turkey koftas with vegetables? In the end, I just decided to put everything together in a baking try and put it in the oven. I wished to keep it very simple, and hence only added the basic cumin, coriander. The provolone piccante cheese was diced instead of grated. I very much enjoyed the bite into those spicy cheesy bits that dotted the baked cake. And the red chili powder gave the perfect heat. It was a play of textures. Each vegetable had its own texture and it was a surprise of textures and flavors with each bite. I named it ‘cake’ simply because it looks like one. It tasted very good with clean flavors. And satisfied my hunger perfectly during the busy day at work.

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 4)

2 large carrots

2 turnip cabbage

200g broccoli

250g spinach

500g minced turkey

100 provolone piccante cheese

3tbsp sour cream

3 dry red chilies

1tbsp cumin powder

1tbsp coriander powder

1sp ground black pepper

Salt, olive oil

METHOD:

1.      Dice the carrots and turnip cabbages. Break the broccoli into florets. Wash all the vegetables and spinach.

2.      Roast the dry red chilies and crush them. Dice the cheese into small cubes.

3.      Heat the oil in a wok. Add the vegetables and spinach. Add the cumin, coriander powder and season. Cook over medium heat until the vegetables are half-cooked and the moisture left by the vegetables dry. Remove from heat and let it cool a bit.

4.      In a large bowl, add the ground turkey and the vegetables. Add sour cream, cheese, seasoning, crushed chilies, and black pepper. With a gentle hand, mix everything uniformly.

5.      Grease a 20 cm round springform pan. Add the turkey-vegetables and press into a uniform layer.

6.      Bake at 200°C for 30 minutes until it gets a golden brown color on top.