Tarator

1/2 cup walnuts, crumbled
1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste / milled sesame seeds)
1 or 2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 pinch of Cheyenne pepper
1/2 lemon juice
1/4 cup parsley, chopped

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and place on a serving dish. Serve with toasted bread. If you like, you can have this as a light lunch with salad on the side. Or, serve with the toasted pide or bread slices.

* This is a vegetarian dish.

Tomato Salad

(Domates Salatasi)

1 cup ripe vine tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/3 cup sliced red onions
1/2 cup feta cheese, cut in cubes
1 tbsp parsley, chopped
1/2 lemon juice
4-5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
Pepper for taste

Mix all the ingredients and serve with any kind of main dish.

Revani

(Revani - Ottoman Kitchen)

Dry ingredients:
1/2 cup semolina
2/3 cup flour, all purpose
1 tbsp baking powder

Wet ingredients:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs

Syrup:
1 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
500 ml water
4-5 drops of lemon juice

8x8x2in oven Pyrex dish or regular cake tray

Boil the syrup ingredients for a few minutes, put aside and let warm.

Use a mixer to blend the wet ingredients for a few minutes until the sugar melts. Then mix together the dry ingredients with a spoon in another bowl. Combine the two thoroughly, again using the mixer.

Grease the bottom and sides of the Pyrex dish and place in the mixture. Preheat the oven to 175 C (375 F) and bake for 25 minutes. Cut Revani into nine equal square pieces. Then pour the warm syrup on top while the cake is still warm. Use a tablespoon to do this and make sure to do it slowly so the cake absorbs the syrup equally.

Let cool and serve Revani with Thick Turkish Cream (Kaymak) and pistachios. Keep this dessert in the fridge.

Bulgur Pilaf

(Bulgur Pilavi)

1 cup Turkish bulgur, large grain, washed and drained
2 cups hot chicken broth
(or 2 cups water and 1 chicken bouillon)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium tomato, diced
1 cubanelle or green pepper, chunk
2 green onions, chopped
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp salt (if you use a bouillon then 1/2 tsp salt)

Saute the onion with the butter in a medium-sized pot. Add the tomato, green pepper, green onion, salt and warm chicken broth. When the water stars bubbling, pour in the bulgur and stir. Cook on low heat with the lid half covered. Stir occasionally until the water evaporates.

Serve Bulgur Pilaf with Ayran or Cacık. It's a tasteful, light and healthy dish you can have for lunch on its own. It also goes very well as a side dish with any kind of chicken meal.

* This is a vegetarian dish (use two cups of water instead of chicken broth or bouillon).

Cold Tomato Soup

(Soguk Domates Corbasi)

1 large tomato
1 pinch oregano
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 tsp salt
Pepper for taste

This is an easy one..! Grate the tomato and add in the rest of the ingredients. Mix well with a spoon. This dish is very refreshing.

* This is a vegetarian dish.

Green Pepper & Potato Dish

(Biber Asi)

1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, in chunks (don't discard the seeds, cut in chunks)
2 medium tomatoes, peeled, diced
3 medium-sized potatoes, peeled, cut in chunks
3 tbsp rice, washed and drained
50 ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp butter
2 cups warm water
1 tsp salt
Pepper for taste

Saute the onions with the butter and olive oil in a large pot at medium heat. Add the green peppers with the seeds along with the tomatoes, potatoes, salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add the water and rice. Cover the lid halfway and cook for about 20-25 minutes (or the potatoes are tender) on medium heat.

This is a light dish, great for lunch.

* This is a vegetarian dish.