Arugula Salad

(Roka Salatasi)

One bunch of Arugula, washed and drained
1-2 tomatoes, peeled, cut in bite sizes

Dressing:
1-2 garlic cloves, mashed with salt
2 tbsp lemon juice
50 ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp crushed red pepper
Salt
Pepper

Discard the Arugula stems, break off the leaves into smaller pieces with your hand. Place on a serving dish. Whisk all the dressing ingredients. Pour all over the Arugula and toss. Add the tomatoes on top.

This salad goes very well with any kind of fish.

Grape Leaf Rolls in Olive Oil

(Zeytinyağlı Yaprak Sarması - Ottoman Kitchen)

~400 gr grape leaves, washed one by one

Filling:
1 cup rice, washed and drained
4 medium onions, chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
5 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp pine nuts
1 tbsp currant
1 tbsp dry mint
1 + 1 1/2 cups hot water
Salt

Saute the onion with olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add the rice and salt, stir and cover. Cook over very low heat until the rice looks almost see-through. Add the sugar, nuts, currants, mint and 1 cup hot water. Cook until all the water evaporates, stirring occasionally over low heat. Put aside and let it cool down.

Fill a large pot half way with water and boil. Add all the leaves in it and boil for about 2-3 minutes. Drain and cut off the stems (picture). The matte (not shiny) side of the leaf is the inside, that's where the filling will go. Grab a leaf and fold the top where the stem was as shown in this picture. Use a teaspoon to put filling on it (picture). First fold over the top (picture), then the two sides (picture) and roll to close it up (picture). Line up all the rolls in the pot side by side tightly, without any holes in between (picture).

Pour in 1 1/2 cup of water from the side of pot. Cover and cook over low heat until most of the water evaporates. Leave a little bit of water at the bottom, it will go away as it's cooling down.

After it cools down, place on a serving dish and serve with lemon slices on top. Keep in the fridge.

"Dolma" is a Turkish word which means "stuffed" in English. You can make "dolma" with pepper, tomato, zucchini, eggplant, fish, apple, etc.

"Sarma" is also a Turkish word means "rolled up" in English. You can make sarma with grape or mulberry, cherry, cabbage, swiss chard, kale, bean's leaves, etc.

So, sarma shouldn't be called dolma, they are different:)
Meal Ideas:
- Beef with Mushrooms and Creamy Pudding.

Ezo Gelin Pilaf

(Ezo Gelin Pilavi)

1 cup orzo
1 tomato, washed, cut in small pieces
1/2 red bell pepper, cut in small pieces
1 leek, cut in small pieces
1 onion, cut in small pieces
2 tbsp butter
2 cup hot water
1 tsp salt
1 pinch pepper

Saute the onion with butter for 3-4 minutes. Add all the ingredients except water and cook for a few minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Now add hot water, stir, cover the lid and turn down the heat to low. Cook until all the water evaporates. Let it rest for 5 minutes after turning the heat off.

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Lamb And Vegetable Casserole

(Kuzu Etli Guvec)

500 g lamb, cut in cubes
1 tbsp butter or 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes canned or 2 large tomatoes sliced
1 small eggplant, peeled, cut in cubes, soaked in salty water for 15 minutes
1 zucchini, ends cut off, sliced
1 cup hot chicken broth
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 medium yellow potato, peeled, cut in small cubes
1/2 cup chickpeas, in a can, rinsed
1/2 tsp dry mint
Salt
Pepper

Preheat the oven to 180 C (375 F). Place the lamb cubes in the casserole, saute without butter or olive oil and cook until all the water evaporates on low heat. Then add the butter or olive oil and onion. Saute for a few more minutes. Place the garlic, eggplant and zucchini over the lamb. Add the crushed tomatoes, lemon juice, mint, salt and pepper into the hot chicken broth. Then pour all over the vegetables.

Cover the casserole and cook in the oven for about 1 hour.

After taking it out, add the potatoes and chickpeas. Mix them, but be careful not to smash the vegetables.

Put back in the oven, cook for another 30-45 minutes until the potatoes soften.

Serve with Pilaf with Almonds and Salad.

* Almost every oven has different settings. That's why you should check the vegetables before given times. You may need to adjust the time or heat. Vegetables shouldn't be over-cooked!

Strawberry Topping

(Çilek Sos)

500 gr strawberries, washed, cut in 3 or 4
1/4 cup sugar

If the strawberries are tasteless and hard to eat, make this delicious Strawberry Sauce as a topping for ice cream:) I do this all the time.

Place strawberries in a pot and sprinkle the sugar on top. Heat it up for a minute, then turn the heat down to medium-low. Cook for about 20 minutes. Let it cool down a little bit. Pour into a jar with the lid and keep it in the fridge.

You can have it as a topping for the strained yogurt or ice cream.

Turkish Noodles with Mixed Vegetables

(Sebzeli Erişte)

2 servings of medium-size egg noodles
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Vegetables:
1 small eggplant, peeled and cut in small pieces (soak in salt water for 20 min.)
1 small zucchini, peeled and cut in small cubes
7-8 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp crushed tomatoes, canned
1/2 cup hot water
1 tsp red pepper paste
1 tsp salt
Pepper for taste

Boil the noodles with salt water following the instructions on the package, drain. Toss it with extra virgin olive oil, put aside.

Saute the onion with olive oil in a medium pan. Stir garlic until fragrant for 30 seconds. Then, add the remaining ingredients, stir. Cover and cook at medium-low heat for 20-25 minutes.

Serve the noodles with the cooked vegetables on top.

* This is a vegetarian dish.

Creamy Pudding

(Yalanci Tavukgogsu)

4 1/2 cups 3.25% milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp unsalted butter

Place all the ingredients (except butter) in a large pot. Stir constantly over medium heat. Add the butter when you see the bubbles on the surface. Boil one more minute while stirring. Take it off the stove. Pour into the blender. Blend for about 15 minutes over medium speed. Then pour the mixture into 2 a Lt Pyrex dish.

Let it cool for an hour. Cover the top and place in the fridge. If you like you can sprinkle some pistachios, coconut flakes or cinnamon on top before serving. This dessert also goes well with ice cream.

Muhammara

(also known as Acuka)

1 tablespoonful red pepper paste, if you can't find it; use 2 roasted red peppers instead - do NOT use roasted red pepper in a jar
3/4 cup walnuts
4-5 tablespoonful breadcrumbs
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic clove (optional)
1 tbsp red pepper, crushed -or less!
1 teaspoonful cumin
1 lemon juice

Put the walnut, garlic and breadcrumbs in the food processor and pulse 2 or 3 times. Add the lemon juice, red pepper paste (or roasted red peppers), cumin and crushed red pepper. Close the lid of the mixer. While mixing, pour in the olive oil from the small opening at the top. Make sure not to over-mix, the walnuts should still be left in small pieces.

Serve with toasted pide (pita) or toasted bread pieces.

Roasted Red Pepper

Cut off the tops of the red peppers. Discard the seeds. Cut each pepper in half. Set the oven to broil (grill), and heat it up. Place the red peppers on an oven tray (inside facing down) and place in the oven. Roast them for about 15 minutes. Leave them in a paper or plastic bag for about 10 minutes to peel off the skin easily.

* This is a vegetarian dish.