Tahini Spinach Salad

(Tahinli Ispanak Salatasi)

~250-300 gr spinach, washed, drained, cut in bite size
1 avocado, cut in cube
8-10 sliced red onion
1-2 tbsp almond, sliced

Dressing:
1-2 tbsp tahini
1/3 cup yogurt
1-2 garlic clove, mashed with salt
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 lime juice
1 pinch ginger, grated
1/2 tsp lemon zest
Salt
Pepper

Place the spinach in a service plate. Whisk all the dressing ingredients and pour all over them. Sprinkle the avocado, red onion and almond over the top. Serve immediately.

Almond Soup

(Badem Çorbası)

3/4 cup almond, blanched, grounded
2 tbsp butter
1/3 cup flour, all purpose
1 cup whole milk, warm
2 1/2 or 3 cups beef broth
1 pinch nutmeg
Salt
Pepper

Garnish:
1 tsp butter
1/4 cup beef broth
1 handful pomegranate

Melt the butter in medium sized pot. Add the flour, stir and slowly pour the warm milk in it while stirring constantly. The milk and flour should blend very well. You can use an egg beater. Then add the almond, beef broth, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook for about 20-25 minutes on low heat. Do not cover the pot with the lid!

Melt the butter in a small pan and add 1/4 cup beef broth in it. When it starts bubbling, add the parsley and pour all over the soup.

Place the soup into the bowls, sprinkle some pomegranate on the tops. Serve immediately while still warm.

4 servings.

Oregano Chicken Saute

(Kekikli Tavuk Sote)

350 gr chicken breast, boneless, cut in medium sized cubes.

Marinade:
3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp organo
Salt
Pepper

Marinate the chicken for an hour in the fridge in a container with a lid.

In a medium sized pan, saute the chicken until the colour turns golden while stirring constantly on medium-low heat. Don't let the chicken dry up!

It is one of the easiest chicken recipes. Enjoy it!

Menu Ideas:
-Pilaf with Tomato , Arugula Salad with Walnuts and Chocolate Pudding .

Pan Fried Potato Salad

(Tavada Patates Salatasi)

2 medium size yellow potato, boiled, peeled, cut in bite size
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 medium size onion, sliced
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt
Pepper

1 tbsp lemon juice
1-2 tbsp parsley, chopped

In a medium sized pan, saute the onion with butter and olive oil for about 2-3 minutes. Add the potato, salt and pepper. Fry the potatoes until the colour changes on medium-low heat. Stir occasionally. Add the garlic and when the smell of the garlic comes out, turn the heat off and sprinkle some parsley and pour lemon juice all over. Serve with any kind of beef or chicken dish while still warm.

2 servings.

Saçaklı Mantı

1 leaf of Turkish yufka*, first roll it, than cut it into strips about
1 cm wide
1 large chicken breast, skin and bone in
2 cup chicken broth
1 cup chickpeas, in can, rinsed and drained
1 onion, cut in small pieces
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp crushed tomato, in can
Salt
Pepper

Garlic Yogurt Sauce:
1/2 cup plain yogurt, in room temperature
2 garlic cloves, mashed with salt

Garnish:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Red pepper
Cayenne pepper

Place the chicken breast in water to cover, add salt and pepper. First bring to boil, then turn the heat down. Simmer the chicken breast for about 20 minutes. Take the chicken out of the stock. Discard the skin and the bones and let it cool down. Tear it apart in medium sized chunks with your fingers.

Saute the onion with olive oil for few minutes. Add the chickpeas,crushed tomato and chicken broth. Cook for about 7-8 minutes over low heat. Now, add the chicken pieces in it, stir.

Meanwhile spread yufka strips all over the oven tray. Preheat the oven 375 F (180 C) and bake until the colour turns to light beige. Place yufka in the service plate. Pour the cooked chickpeas, chicken with the broth all over them. Yufka should soak the stock.

Mix all the sauce ingredients, spread all over them.. Heat up the olive oil with the peppers, pour all over the dish. If you like sprinkle some dry mint also.

2 servings.

*You should use Turkish Yufka to make Sacakli Manti. Do not use Phillo Pastry:)

Shrimp Saute with Tomato

(Domatesli Karides Sote)

250 gr frozen, peeled and de-veined, thawed Tiger Shrimp
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, mashed with salt
4 tomatoes. peeled, diced
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp basil, chopped
1 tbsp parsley, chopped
1 Bay leaf
1 tsp peppercorn
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Saute the onion with butter for abot 5 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato, sugar, basil, parsley, Bay leaf and peppercorn. Cover the lid, turn the heat to low. Cook for about 20-25 minutes until the sauce gets thicker.

Add the shrimp, salt and pepper. Continue to cook for 5 more minutes. Remove the Bay leaf and discard it. Serve Shrimp Saute with Tomato on Turkish Rice Pilaf .

2 servings.

Tomato Soup With Rice

(Domatesli Pirinç Çorbası)

2 large tomatoes, grated (cut a piece of skin at the bottom of the tomato and start to grate from there)
3 tbsp crushed tomato, in can
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup rice, short grain, rinsed
2 cup hot water or beef broth
Salt, adjust if use beef broth
Pepper

Garnish:
Parsley, chopped
1 tsp lemon zest
Lemon wedges

Saute the grated tomato, crushed tomato with butter on low-medium heat for about 4-5 minutes in a medium sized pot. Add the rest of the ingredients, put the lid on. Cook until the rice in tender on low-medium heat.

Immediately pour into individual bowls. Before serving sprinkle parsley and lemon zest on top. Serve it with lemon wedges.

*Before serve always check the taste, soup may need salt and pepper:)

2 servings.

Meal Ideas:
-Potato Moussaka , Carrot Salad and Sultan's Jello .

Mina

Main layer:
4 1/2 slice of toast bread, cut the crusts off

Filling:
250 gr. lean ground beef
1 tbsp butter
1 small onion, sliced
2 fresh onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, sliced
1 small cubanelle pepper, chopped
1 large tomato, diced
1 tsp dry oregano
Salt
Pepper

Potato Puree:
2-3 yellow potatoes, peeled, cut in cub
1 tsp butter
1/4 cup hot milk
Salt
1 pinch black pepper
1 pinch red pepper

Topping:
100 gr Kashar or mozzarella cheese, grated

2 Lt casserole dish (11-7-1.5 inch)

Butter the inside of the Pyrex first. Cover of the bottom with the slices of bread.

Saute the onion with butter for about 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Then, add the rest of the filling ingredients. Cook for about 4-5 minutes. Make sure you don't overcook, otherwise it will be dry. Leave some juice in it. Spread the filling all over the breads equally.

Meanwhile, boil the potatoes until they are softened. Drain and add the rest of the puree ingredients, mash. Cover the filling with the puree using a spatula. Sprinkle Kashar or mozzarella cheese all over the top.

Preheat the oven 400 F (200C). Put the Pyrex dish on the middle rack. Bake until the top reaches golden colour.

2-3 servings.

Eggs with Ground Beef

(Sahanda Kiymali Yumurta)

150 gr medium ground beef
1 small onion, sliced
1 tsp butter
1 egg
Salt
Pepper

Saute the onion with butter for 2-3 minutes over medium heat in small skillet. Add the ground beef, salt and pepper, cook on medium-low heat until all the water evaporates while stirring.

Make room for the egg in the middle. Break the egg and cover with the lid. When the egg white is cooked, take it from the heat. Do not over cook the egg yolk.

Season the egg with salt and pepper. Serve immediately as breakfast or a light meal with freshly baked Turkish bread.

Cauliflower Salad

(Karnabahar Salatasi)

2 serving cauliflower florets
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
Crushed pepper, as you like

Dressing:
1 1/2 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
4-5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, mashed with salt
1 pinch sugar
Salt
Pepper

Boil the florets for about 8-10 minutes in the water with salt in a medium sized pot. Drain and place them in a salad bowl. Whisk all the dressing ingredients. Immediately pour all over them. Sprinkle the parsley and crushed pepper, toss. Wait until it cools down.

2 servings.

Carrot Cake

(Havuclu Kek)

3 eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 cups carrot, bring them to very small sizes by using food processor
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger, ground
1 tsp ground cloves
2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup walnuts, crumbled
2/3 cup Sultana or Golden raisins

You can use any kind of Cake mold, I used one with a hole in the center.

Beat the eggs with sugar until creamy using a mixer for about 3-4 minutes. Add the carrot, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves, continue to mix. Toss the flour and baking powder in an another bowl and add into the mixture. Mix until the batter is creamy. Slowly add walnuts and raisin, stir using a spoon.

Oil the mold first, then sprinkle 1 tbsp flour in it. Pour the batter into the mold equally using a tablespoon.

Preheat the oven to 375 F (180 C). Place the mold on the middle rack. Bake for about 40 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Wait for 15 minutes, then place the cake on the wire rack to cool it down.

Morello Cherry Bread Dessert

(Visneli Ekmek Tatlisi)

2 thick slice of day-old Turkish Bread
1 tbsp butter, unsalted, at room temperature

Syrup:
Use red sour pitted cherries in light syrup:
1 1/3 cup cherry juice
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cherries
1 tsp lemon juice

Garnish:
Thick Turkish Cream
Blanched, sliced almonds

To prepare the syrup; place the cherry juice and sugar in a medium sized pot. First bring to boil, after for about 7-8 minutes, add the cherries and lemon juice. Cook for one more minute and turn the heat off.

Cut the bread slices in two to make 4 pieces. Spread the butter all over them. Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C). Toast the pieces of bread until light golden colour.

Place them on a service plate and slowly pour the hot syrup and cherries over them. Put aside and let them cool down. Serve with a dollop of thick Turkish Cream and sliced almonds.

4 servings.

Bairam Menu:
-Pistachio Soup , Fried Eggplant&Potato in Sauce, Mixed Green Salad with Yogurt Dressing, Saffron Pilaf and Lamb Saute with Pepper .

Lamb Saute with Pepper

(Biberli Kuzu Kavurma)

150 gr lamb, cut in cubes
1 cup hot water

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, sliced
1/4 cup hot water
1 large tomato, diced
1 tbsp crushed tomato, in can
1/2 red bell pepper, cut in medium size
1 cubanelle pepper, cut in medium size
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 pepper corn
Salt

Cook the the lamb cubes with their own juice. Then add 1 cup hot water and cook on low-heat until the lamb pieces are tender. Add the onion, olive oil and butter, saute for about 2-3 minutes.Then add the rest of the ingredients. Cover the lid and cook for about 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are softened on medium heat.

You can serve this dish with Saffron Pilaf.

2 servings.

Saffron Pilaf

(Safranli Pilav)

3/4 cup long-grain rice
1 pinch saffron, soaked in 3 tbsp warm water
1 cup hot chicken stock
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp butter
Salt
Pepper

Wash the rice several times with warm water and drain. Then cover the rice with hot water and leave out for 15 minutes, drain. Melt 2 tbsp of butter in a cooking pot. Saute the onion for about 3-4 minutes. Then add rice and saute for about for 2-3 minutes while stirring. Pour 1 cup of hot chicken stock and soaked saffron with water in it. Season it with salt and pepper. Turn the heat to low and put the lid on. Cook until the rice absorbs all the water.

Take the cooking pot away from the heat. Remove the lid, place a clean kitchen towel on the rim of the pot covering the top and put the lid back on. Let the Saffron Pilaf stand for about 5 minutes (we call this the brewing time) before serving. Sprinkle some chopped fresh (spring) onion all over it. Serve Saffron Pilaf as a side dish with any kind of chicken or beef.

Makes 2 servings.

Fried Eggplant&Potato in Sauce

(Soslu Patlican Patates Kizartmasi)

1 large eggplant
2 medium size potato, peeled and slice

2 cup water + 1 tbsp salt
1/2 sun flower oil

Tomato Sauce:
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup tomato, diced, in can
2 heaping tbsp of crushed tomato, in can
Salt

Yogurt Sauce:
1/2 cup yogurt
1-2 garlic cloves, mashed with salt

Peel the eggplant in lengthwise strips. Cut into large chunks. Soak in 2 cups of water with salt for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine all the tomato sauce ingredients in a small pot. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes. Make sure it doesn't dry out.

Place the sunflower oil in a medium sized skillet. When the oil heats up, fry the potatoes on both sides until golden brown. Place on a paper towel to soak up any extra oil. Squeeze the eggplants with your hand and dry them with paper towel. Fry the eggplants on both sides until golden brown. Afterwards, place on a paper towel to soak up any extra oil.

Place the potatoes on a service plate. Pour half of the tomato sauce over it. Arrange fried eggplants on the. Pour the rest of the tomato sauce. Place the Yogurt Sauce at middle of the plate. Serve the dish at room temperature or chilled as an appetizer.