Umak Soup

(Umak Corbasi)

4 cups water with 1 tsp salt
1/2 cup flour + 1 tbsp flour
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 tbsp dry mint
2 tbsp butter

Sauce:
1-2 garlic clove, smashed with salt
3-4 tablespoonful yogurt

Place the flour on a flat and large plate and break the egg in it (picture). Make little dough pieces with your fingers (picture). Sprinkle 1 tbsp flour all over the dough pieces.

Meanwhile, bring the water with salt to boil in a medium sized cooking pot. Then slowly add in the little dough pieces and stir. Cook for about 10 minutes over medium-low heat. Add in the milk and butter, then turn the heat down and cook for another 10 minutes. Turn the heat off.

Mix smashed garlic with yogurt with a spoon in a small bowl. Take a few spoons of soup and add in the sauce, and whisk. Pour this mixture slowly back into the soup. Sprinkle dry mint all over and stir. Serve while still warm.

4 servings.

Meal Ideas:
- Potato Moussaka, Turkish Cabbage Salad and Cherry-Milk Pudding.

Sole with Butter

(Tereyagli Dil Baligi)

2 Sole Fillets
1 tbsp + 1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup flour, mixed with 1 tsp salt + 1/2 tsp pepper + 1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp + 1 tbsp butter
3-4 lemon slices

Sprinkle 1 tbsp lemon juice over the fillets and wait 5 minutes. Then dry them with a paper towel. Dip them in flour first, then melt the 2 tbsp butter in the frying pan. Fry each side for about 4-5 minutes.

Place the fish on a service plate. Clean the the frying pan with a paper towel. Melt 1 tbsp butter, but don't burn! Add 1 tbsp lemon juice in it. Spoon the sauce all over the fish. Serve with lemon slices and boiled potatoes.

2 servings.

Meal Ideas:
- Vegetable Soup with Vermicelli, Arugula Salad, Black Olive Paste on Bread, Amulet Borek and Tahini & Grape Molasses.

Orange Biscuits

(Portakalli Biskuvi)

Dough:
125g (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 orange zest
1 cup + 2 tbsp flour

Orange Butter Cream:
2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 tsp orange zest
1 tbsp orange juice

Blend well the butter and sugar with a mixer. Add the egg yolk and orange zest. Slowly add flour, kneading with your hand. Don't knead too much. When the dough comes together, cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest for 15 minutes in the fridge.

Make a 0.5 cm thick dough with the roller on the counter. Cut the dough with 5 cm wide cookie cutters (picture). Make 24 pieces. Put parchment paper on the oven tray and place them on it.

Preheat the oven to 375 F (180 C). Place the oven tray on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for about 15 minutes. Arrange them on the wire rack so they cool down.

Meanwhile, to make the cream, whisk the butter while slowly adding the icing sugar. Add the orange zest and orange juice, stir. Turn half of the biscuits (12) upside down and spread the filling on them. Then stack the remaining half on top. Sprinkle some icing sugar on top.

* Spread the rest of the Orange Butter Cream on fresh Turkish Bread and have it with Orange Jam for breakfast:)
** If you like you don't have to use the Orange Butter Cream.

Breakfast Suggestion:
- Turkish Tea, Sujuk with Eggs, Turkish-style Breakfast Buns and Grape Jam.

Sujuk with Eggs

(Sucuklu Yumurta)

Sujuk, the skin removed, sliced
Eggs

Place the sujuk slices on the skillet. Cook for about 2-3 minutes over low heat, don't dry them! Then turn each slice over quickly with a fork. Make room for the eggs in the middle. Break the eggs and cover with the lid. When the egg white is cooked, take it from the heat. Do not over cook the egg yolk.

Serve Sujuk with freshly baked bread and Turkish Tea for breakfast or lunch. I love to make Sujuk with Eggs for my family for brunch on weekends:)

* You can store Sujuk in the freezer if you like: Remove the skin, slice them up and place them in Ziploc bags. Keep in the freezer. You don't need to defrost when you want to cook them.


Sujuk

Sujuk is a preserved meat product similar to pepperoni. It consists of ground beef or lamb with various spices including cumin, sumac, garlic, salt and red pepper. It can be more or less spicy. You can buy Sucuk from Tulumba.com.

Tel Kadayif

1/2 Package Shredded Dough ~225 gr (1 package = 454 gr)
1 stick unsalted butter (125 gr = 8 tbsp = 1/2 cup), melted
2 tbsp milk
3/4 cup pistachios, ground

Syrup:
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice

3L Pyrex casserole dish - you can also use a smaller ovenproof dish to make thicker Tel Kadayif

To prepare the syrup; place the water and sugar in a medium sized pot. Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 5 minutes. Then simmer for 15 minutes and turn the heat off. Add lemon juice and put aside.

Put half the package of Shredded Dough in the food processor and pulse a few times (picture). This is the way my family and I love Tel Kadayif:) The size of shredded dough can be changed to your liking, however.

Brush the inside of the Pyrex dish with the butter. Then mix the rest of the melted butter with milk in a small bowl. Then place half of the shredded dough evenly and press on them with your palm (picture). Drizzle half of the butter&milk mixture with the brush. Spread the pistacchios on top evenly. Then spread the second half of the shredded dough, and again press on them with your palm. Drizzle the rest of the butter all over the top with the brush.

Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C). Place the Pyrex dish on the middle rack. Bake until the top takes a light golden colour. Take the dish out. Immediately pour the lukewarm syrup all over evenly. Cover the oven dish with an oven tray for about 20 minutes.

Then serve this traditional Tel Kadayif dessert warm or cold with a dollop of Turkish Kaymak (or English Devon cream) and sprinkle ground pistachios all over the top.

Tel Kadayif is a beloved Traditional Ottoman recipe. I am sure you will enjoy it as much as we do:)

Meal Ideas:
- Mushroom Soup, Lamb with Eggplant Casserole, Turkish Cabbage Salad and Chicken Salad with Mayo.

Lamb with Eggplant Casserole

(Firinda Patlicanli Kuzu)

1 large eggplant, peel alternating strips of skin lengthwise, cut in round shape
1 tbsp salt
1/2 cup sunflower oil

250 g lamb, cut in cubes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 tsp flour
3 tbsp canned crushed tomatoes
2-3 garlic cloves, sliced
6-7 mushrooms, brushed, sliced
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp crushed pepper (red pepper flakes)
1 cup hot water
Salt
Pepper

On top:
1 or 2 tomatoes, sliced
3-4 tbsp breadcrumbs
1/2 cup kashar cheese or Mozzarella, grated

Sprinkle salt on top of the sliced eggplants and put aside for about 20 minutes. Squeeze, wash and dry them with a paper towel. Heat the oil in a skillet at medium-high heat and fry each side until nicely colored. Then arrange them in a 2 Lt casserole dish.

Meanwhile cook the lamb cubes with their own juice. After all the water evaporates, add 1 cup of hot water, and cook at medium-low heat until all the water evaporates and the lamb pieces soften. Add the onion and olive oil and saute for 6-7 minutes. Then add rest of the ingredients. Cover the lid halfway and cook for 10 minutes at medium heat. Spread them over the eggplant slices in the casserole dish.

Arrange tomato slices on top. Sprinkle some breadcrumbs and grated cheese all over.

Preheat the oven to 400 F (190 C) and cook for 20-25 minutes until the top takes a golden colour.

4 servings.

Meal Ideas:
- Tomato Soup with Cream, Pilaf with Orzo, Red Cabbage Salad, Turkish-style Zucchini Gratin and Sekerpare.

Chicken Salad with Mayo

(Mayonezli Tavuk Salatasi)

2 pieces of chicken breast, cooked, cut in medium size pieces
1 small-sized yellow potato, boiled, peeled, cut in small cubes
1/2 bunch dill, washed, drained, cut in small pieces
1/4 red onion, sliced
3 green onions, cut in small pieces
1/2 cup small pickled cucumbers (cornichons), cut in small cubes
1/4 cup walnuts, crumbled
1 cup mayonnaise

Mix all the ingredients in a medium sized cup, then transfer onto the serving plate. You may garnish with black olives. Serve any kind of meal as a salad on the side. Or it's perfect for a sandwich using the corner of Turkish Bread.

Turkish Cabbage Salad

(Beyaz Lahana Salatasi)

1/4 head of white cabbage
2 small carrots, peeled, grated

Sauce:
50 ml extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon juice
1 tbsp, and 1 tsp salt
Pepper

Remove and throw away the white center of the cabbage. Cut the cabbage in thin slices (julienne cut) on a wooden board. Place into a large sieve. Sprinkle 1 tbsp salt all over and squeeze the cabbage pieces with your hands.

Wash, drain and place on a service plate with the carrots. Pour the sauce all over and toss.

Meal Ideas:
- Mushroom Soup, Sultan's Pleasure, Swiss Chard Log Borek and Sekerpare.