When George and I were canoeing on Sunday, I noticed a few large white shells on the beach along our route. I told George that I'd like to take some of them home. Sunshine was just about ready to break through the clouds, and it was a gorgeous morning. We strolled along the water's edge, picking up empty clam shells. We picked up about 20 pairs, with most of the pieces perfectly attached, to form an entire empty shell. I had been reading a Turkish Cookbook earlier in the week, looking for ways to use shellfish and pilaf. Many of the recipes featured mussels and clams - which we have in abundance here in Puget Sound. (Once we went on a camping trip with our daughter Laurel and her husband Mehran, and we dug clams and a few oysters in the evening, rinsed and soaked them throughout the night, and cooked them for breakfast the following morning. They were fantastic.) I wanted the same kind of regional taste-thrill for an upcoming camping trip that we are planning for May.
We plan to camp in the dry, desert scablands of Washington state, so digging for shellfish is not part of the plan...but, I thought I might improvise. I could use canned (smoked)oysters and clams! All I would need to do is collect large butter clam shells, and fill them with pilaf. Then, make assorted kebabs, Turkish flatbread, and some stuffed peppers as main-dishes. All of this could be prepared ahead of time, put under the broiler or baked at home, and packed for an instant meal once the campfire had been set up. All that would be necessary would be to warm the food over the fire.
I made the kebabs from ground buffalo, adding crumbled flaxseed bread crumbs, egg and seasonings to the meat mixture, then rolled the meatballs in wheat bran. This provides a crunchy exterior. I prefer a tender meat for a kebab and also prefer the vegetables and fruit just barely cooked, so that there is a bit of crispness and a lot of color.
I pushed chunks of red, orange and yellow pepper onto the skewer, then a chunk of fresh pineapple and 'barely ripe' pear (firm, not too sweet). Mushrooms were sauteed with some onion, and these were put onto the skewers holding the meatballs.
I drizzled a Thai peanut marinade sauce and some Teriyaki Sauce over everything, then sprinkled a bit of slivered almonds as an embellishment. A touch of minced garlic dotted here and there, a bit of sprinkled pepper, and the kebabs were ready for broiling in my oven. These took only 15 minutes for the peppers and fruit, and for the peanut sauce to glaze-over the meat.
Then I made the stuffed peppers. In went some left-over brown rice and black beans, tomato sauce, chopped carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and leeks. I mixed in generous portions of shredded mozzarella, cheddar, and Swiss cheese. 
The stuffed peppers were baked for about 20 minutes, just long enough to gently soften them. When my daughter Ruhiyyih called, as she usually does on her lunchbreak, I told her I was just sitting down to my lunch - this experiment with shells, kebabs, pilaf and stuffed peppers. It was a total success, easy to prepare, and I told her it will be our first meal on the camping trip in May. While everyone is setting up tents, laying out sleeping bags, and building up the fire, I'll pull out my Turkish fare, replete with canned oysters on the half-shell, buffalo kebabs with fresh-fruit, and stuffed peppers. Within 30 minutes, I'll have a meal ready for hungry campers!
I also experimented with Turkish Flatbread, called Yufka, which can be served with hummus or a spicy salsa. Flatbread is simply a tortilla, rolled very thin, then fried in olive oil. I used a combination of spelt flour and whole wheat flour, and used corn meal to prevent them from sticking together when I was rolling them out. 
The spelt flour gives these a real nutty taste, like walnuts. They are chewy and filling, like pita bread. In traditional households in Turkey, bread is treated with great respect. It is broken into pieces by the hand, as the act of cutting it with a knife or chewing a piece off would be like raising a sword or showing disrespect against God's blessing.
When George and I were canoeing on Sunday, I noticed a few large white shells on the beach along our route. I told George that I'd like to take some of them home. 
I pushed chunks of red, orange and yellow pepper onto the skewer, then a chunk of fresh pineapple and 'barely ripe' pear (firm, not too sweet). Mushrooms were sauteed with some onion, and these were put onto the skewers holding the meatballs. 
The stuffed peppers were baked for about 20 minutes, just long enough to gently soften them. 
The spelt flour gives these a real nutty taste, like walnuts. They are chewy and filling, like pita bread. In traditional households in Turkey, bread is treated with great respect. It is broken into pieces by the hand, as the act of cutting it with a knife or chewing a piece off would be like raising a sword or showing disrespect against God's blessing. 
