Mosaic Cake

(Mozaik Pasta)

60 ml unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
4-5 heaping tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 cup hazelnuts, crumbled, lightly roasted (optional)
300 gr social tea biscuits, use thin ones or Turkish Ulker or Eti Petite Beurre

Mix all the ingredients, except the biscuits, in a large plastic bowl with a spoon. Break the biscuits into small pieces. Put them in the mixture and mix together.

Place the mixture in the center of a 50 cm long piece of aluminum foil. Give it a long log-like shape with the spoon. Then with the aluminum foil, first fold over the long sides tightly, then fold the rims. Give it a log shape with your hands.

Put it in freezer. Leave it there for at least 2 hours. When you want to have some, open the aluminum foil, slice 1 inch thick slices and serve while still cold. You can keep the rest in the freezer covered with the aluminum foil.


Mosaic Cake with Orange Jam


1/2 cup Orange Jam, cut in small pieces

Prepare the Mosaic Cake in the same way. Add Orange Jam pieces and toss. Keep in the freezer then slice and serve.

Chicken Saute with Tomato

(Domatesli Tavuk Sote)

1 chicken breast, cut in cubes
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 cubanelle pepper, cut in small pieces
2 green onions, chopped
2 tomato, cut in cubes
2 tbsp crushed tomato, in can
1 tbsp red pepper paste
1 pinch crushed red pepper (optional)
1/2 tsp oregano
Salt
Pepper

In a medium sized pan, saute the chicken and garlic with olive oil until the garlic cloves lose their smell. Add all the remaining ingredients. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes with the lid covered. If necessary, add a little bit hot water.

Meal Ideas:
- Pilaf with Orzo, Celery Root with Olive Oil and Chocolate Pudding.

Tiger Shrimp Salad with Flat Green Beans

(Yesil Fasulyeli Karides Salatasi - Istanbul)

250 gr tiger shrimp, cooked, deveined and peeled
4 tomatoes, peeled and diced
1/4 red onion, sliced
2 green onions, chopped
250 gr flat green beans, boiled in salty water and cut in bite sizes
2 tbsp parsley, chopped

Sauce:
1/4 cup mayo
2 tbs cream
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp crushed pepper (optional)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Whisk the sauce ingredients. Then mix all the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Pour the sauce all over and toss. Place on a serving dish. You can serve this dish at room temperature or after chilling it in the fridge.

This recipe is from the Trakya region.

Meal Ideas:
- Cigarette Borek and Almond Pudding.

Cigarette Borek

(Sigara Boregi)

3 sheets of Phyllo Pastry

Filling:
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
Pinch of oregano (optional)

1/2 cup sunflower oil

Mix the filling ingredients in a bowl. Grab a small dish and place some water in it - you'll use this to stick the edges of the borek.

Place the three sheets on top of each other on the counter and place them vertically. Cut them in half from top to bottom (picture). Then cut from one of the top corners to a bottom corner diagonally (picture). Now you should have 12 smaller pieces of phyllo pastry. Put one teaspoonful of filling on the long side of each sheet (picture). First fold the ends from the outside to the inside (picture), then roll it up. Soak the open end in the water and close it up.

After you've rolled up all the sheets, heat up the sunflower oil on the stove in a skillet. Fry each borek equally over medium heat until they take a light golden color. Don't leave the stove as they fry quickly:) Place ones that are done on a paper towel to soak up extra oil.

Serve Cigarette Borek while they are still warm as an appetizer or with tea as a snack.

*Phyllo Pastry may dry up, so roll them up quickly or cover them with a clean towel while you're not using them.

Simit Kebab

(Simit Kebabi)

Kofte Ingredients:
250 gr medium ground beef
1/3 cup Turkish bulgur, small grain
1 onion, grated
2 garlic cloves, mashed with salt
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp cumin
2 tbsp pine nuts
1 cup parsley, chopped
1 tsp salt
Pepper for taste

2-3 cubanelle pepper
2-3 tomatoes, halved

Garnish:
Mozzarella (Kashar cheese), grated
Pistachio, ground

Soak the bulgur in hot water for 10 minutes to get it softened. Drain and wash. Add the rest of the kofte ingredients and knead well. Leave it in the fridge for an hour. Make walnut sized balls. Arrange the meatballs on the skewers.

Preheat the barbecue or oven (grill). Place the skewers along with the peppers and tomato halves (inside up) on the grill tray. Place the tray on the second rack from the top of the oven. Make sure to turn the skewers so that all sides of the meatballs are cooked equally. Leave it in for about 20 minutes.

Place the pide (pita) on the service plates. Cut them in bite size. Arrange the Kebabs on the pides. Sprinkle grated Mozzarella (Kashar cheese) and pistachio over the tops of the Kebabs. Serve with roasted Cubanelle peppers and tomato halves.

Meal Ideas:
- Gavurdagi Salad, Ayran and Berries with White Chocolate Sauce.

Gavurdagi Salad

(Gavurdagi Salatasi - South East Anatolia)

2 medium tomatoes, discard the seeds, chopped
1/4 red or white onion, finely chopped
2/3 cup parsley, finely chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp pomegranate paste or Grenadine syrup
2-3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp Cayenne pepper, crushed
1 tsp sumac
Salt

Garnish:
1/4 cup walnut, crushed

Rub the onion with salt and sumac. Toss all the ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Place in a service plate and sprinkle the walnuts all over. I find that Gavurdagi Salad is more delicious if you put it aside for a few hours before you serve it :)

Serve with any kind of Kebab or Barbecued meat.