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Turkish pasta made Google's list of the top trending recipes of the year in its Year in Search, and it is still a much-searched comfort dish as the evenings turn cold. On a chilly November evening Akane makes it in her small kitchen in about 30 minutes: cool garlicky yogurt spread in the bowl, warm pasta, ground beef cooked with onion, tomato paste and spices until no pink remains, and a sizzling drizzle of red pepper butter with dried mint on top. Captions walk the reader through every amount, heat setting and doneness check so it can be made at home, ending with Akane at her little table doing some very reasonable math about the second serving.
Page 1
A wide view of a warm home kitchen at evening: potted herbs on the sill under a dark blue window, a gas hob with utensils hanging on a rail, a white fridge on the right and a small wooden table with two chairs under a glowing rattan lamp. Akane stands at the counter with her back to us, tying her apron. Caption: "Recipe 7: Turkish Pasta" Akane smiles, holding a bowl of thick white yogurt in one hand and a small dish of red pepper flakes in the other. Caption: "Turkish pasta made Google's list of the year's top trending recipes, and it is the comfort food a cold night calls for." On the counter: a glass bowl of spiral pasta, a plate of ground beef, an onion and a garlic bulb, with the black cast-iron skillet and the teal pot on the hob. Caption: "Time: about 30 minutes. Serves 2." Close-up: Akane pushes up the sleeves of her cream knit top with a calm smile. Caption: "Let's begin."
Page 2
Overhead: a glass bowl of dry spiral pasta, a plate of raw ground beef, one onion and three garlic cloves. Caption: "INGREDIENTS: 200 g short pasta. 250 g ground beef. 1 small onion (100 g), chopped. 2 garlic cloves, minced." A row of small white dishes: tomato paste, olive oil, red paprika, cumin, salt and black pepper. Caption: "1 tbsp (16 g) tomato paste. 1 tbsp olive oil. 1 tsp paprika. 1/2 tsp cumin. 1/2 tsp salt. 1/4 tsp black pepper." A glass bowl of thick yogurt, a block of butter, a dish of red pepper flakes, a dish of dried mint and a bunch of parsley. Caption: "SAUCE: 250 g thick plain yogurt, 1 garlic clove, 1/4 tsp salt. BUTTER: 30 g (2 tbsp) butter, 1 tsp Aleppo pepper, 1/2 tsp dried mint. Parsley." The tools in a row: a teal lidded pot, a black cast-iron skillet and a small brushed silver saucepan. Caption: "TOOLS: a large pot, a skillet, a small saucepan." Akane smiles, holding a dish of paprika in one hand and a dish of red pepper flakes in the other. Caption: "Tip: no Aleppo pepper? Use 1/2 tsp paprika plus 1/4 tsp chili flakes."
Page 3
Close-up: Akane's hands grate a single garlic clove on a fine grater over a glass bowl of yogurt. Caption: "STEP 1. Grate 1 garlic clove into the 250 g yogurt. Add 1/4 tsp salt." Akane stirs the yogurt with a spoon at the counter, eyes softly closed, shelves and hanging utensils behind her. Caption: "Stir until smooth, then leave it on the counter while you cook." Akane smiles knowingly beside the bowl of garlic yogurt, potted herbs by the dark window. Caption: "Why: room-temperature yogurt will not chill the hot pasta."
