Black Olive Paste Spread with Garlic

(Zeytin Ezmeli Kanepeler - Istanbul)

French baton bread, cut in 14-15 slices

Black Olive Paste:
~100 g black olive paste or pitted black olives pureed in food processor
3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, mashed with salt
1 tsp oregano
Red pepper flakes

Mix all the ingredients, spread on bread slices and serve. A very easy-to-make and delicious appetizer!

* This is a vegetarian dish.

Root Celery Salad

(Kereviz Salatasi)

1 small celery root, or half large celery root
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
4 spoonful mayonnaise (or use yogurt of the same amount)
1/4 cup red onion, sliced

2 cups water
1/2 lemon juice

Peel the celery root and cut in thin slices (like matchsticks). Put them in a pot with a couple cups of water with lemon juice (so that they keep their white colour). Boil them for about 3-4 minutes and drain.

Add the rest of the ingredients in a medium-sized boll and mix with a spoon. Add in the drained celery and mix again. Place in a serving dish. This is a very delicious salad which goes with any kind of meat or chicken meal as a side dish. You can also serve it on bread slices as an appetizer.

Stuffed Dry Eggplants with Seafood

(Deniz Mahsulleri Dolmasi)

9-10 dried eggplants, or small, fresh eggplants

Filling:
50 gr calamari, cut in bite size
50 gr baby shrimp
50 gr scallops, cut in bite size
1/2 cup rice, washed and drained
60 gr extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp currant
1 tbsp pine nuts
1 tbsp dry mint
Salt

For the top:
5 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

First, soak the dry eggplants in hot water for half an hour and drain.

Meanwhile saute the onion with olive oil for 3-4 minutes. Add the rice and sugar, and continue sauteing for 4-5 minutes.

Throw in the currant, pine nuts, mint and 3/4 cups water. Stir and cook on low heat until all the water evaporates. Turn the heat off, then add the scallops, shrimp and calamari. Stir and put aside for it to cool down.

Stuff the eggplants with the filling using a teaspoon. Place tomato halves over the tops as seen in the picture above. Put in a medium-sized pot along with 3/4 cup of water. Cover and cook until the water evaporates on medium-low heat.

Serve Stuffed Dry Eggplants with Seafood warm or cold with fresh lemon juice, after your main dish.

You can find dry eggplants, green pepper or okra at Turkish Grocery Stores.

Shrimp Balls

(Karides Toplari)

100 g raw shrimp, cut in 2 or 3 pieces
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour, all purpose
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 egg, lightly beaten, with 1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup bread crumbs

For frying:
1/2 cup sunflower oil

Melt the butter in a pot and add in the flour and stir. Pour in the milk slowly and stir constantly. The milk and flour should be blended very well. You can use an egg beater if necessary. Finally add in the cheese, shrimp, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and cook for a few minutes.

Put the mixture in a bowl and let it cool in the fridge. Sprinkle some flour on the counter. Put the mixture on it, and separate it into ball shapes. For each piece, first egg wash, then roll in the breadcrumbs.

Heat up the sunflower oil and fry the pieces until they're a light golden colour. Soak the extra oil with a paper towel. Decorate with green salad and serve while still hot.

Christmas!

This month I'll be posting appetizer recipes that you can make for your Christmas and New Year's dinners. Also make sure to check out the International Recipes section for other ideas, such as: Spinach & Salmon Roll and Artichoke Hearts with Cheese.

Potatoes with Caviar

(Havyarli Patates)

1 jar Lump black caviar (50 g 1.7 oz)
2 medium-sized potatoes, boiled, peeled and cut in little square pieces
or 10 small potatoes, boiled and cut in half (peeled or unpeeled)
Strained Turkish Yogurt or Sour cream

Prepare and leave the ingredients in the fridge for a few hours. Arrange the potatoes on a serving dish. If you like you may remove a chunk from the middle of the potatoes to make room for the sour cream. Put the sour cream on top of each piece. Use two small spoons to put caviar over the sour cream. Serve cold as an appetizer.

Usually I boil a couple medium-sized potatoes and cut them in squares to make this. But the last time I found small rounded potatoes that were peeled at the grocery store, which look better (as in the picture).

Stuffed Mushrooms

(Mantar Dolması)

> 6-8 large mushrooms

Filling:
5-6 cherry tomatoes, cut in small pieces
2 tbsp chopped green peppers
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
Pepper for taste

Topping:
1 1/2 tbsp breadcrumbs
4-5 tbsp mozzarella, grated
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Pre-heat the oven to 350 F (175 C).

Clean the mushrooms with a soft brush or wipe with a piece of cloth. Don't wash them as they will retain water. Discard the stalks.

Mix all filling ingredients and fill in the mushrooms equally with a teaspoon. Then mix all the topping ingredients and cover the mushrooms with it. Place them in a greased dish suitable for the oven.

Bake until the top is golden brown. Don't over bake.

You can serve Stuffed Mushrooms while still hot as an appetizer or with any kind of beef or chicken dish.

* This is a vegetarian dish.

Lady's Thighs Kofte

(Kadınbudu Köfte)

500 g medium ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 large egg
1/4 cup boiled rice
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

For frying:
4 spoonfuls of flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 cup sunflower oil

First cook 2/3 of the ground beef with the onion. Place in a large bowl and add in the remaining (1/3) raw ground beef, egg, rice, parsley, salt and pepper. Knead with your hands. Leave in the fridge for 30 minutes. Then give them the shape shown above with your hands. This makes approximately 12 kofte.

Pour the sunflower oil in a frying pan and heat it up. Place the flour on a plate and beat the eggs in a bowl. First dip each kofte in the flour, then dip in the egg mixture. Fry the kofte evenly. Serve with Egg Noodles with Tomato and Spinach Salad with Yogurt Sauce.

Spinach Salad with Yogurt Sauce

(Yogurt Soslu Ispanak Salatasi)

1/2 bunch of spinach, washed and drained

Yogurt Dressing:
1/3 cup plain Turkish yogurt
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon juice
1 or 2 garlic cloves, mashed with salt
Salt
Pepper

Garnish:
3 medium-size mushrooms, cleaned, sliced
1/4 small red onion, sliced

Mix all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Place the spinach in a salad plate. Pour the sauce on top and garnish with mushrooms and the red onion. This salad goes well with any kind of meat dish.

Egg Noodles with Tomato

(Domatesli Eriste)

2 servings of medium egg noodles

2 tbsp butter
3-4 tbsp crushed tomato, canned
Salt
Pepper

Parsley, chopped

Boil the egg noodles and drain.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a pot. Add the crushed tomato, salt and pepper. Cook for few minutes on low heat. Toss drained noodles over it. Sprinkle some chopped fresh parsley over the noodles and serve while still hot as a side dish with any kind Kofte, beef or chicken.

* This is a vegetarian dish.