Antalya Style Kidney Bean Salad

(Antalya Piyazi)

1 can of kidney beans, 540 ml, do not drain all the juice, leave 2-3 tbsp juice in it
1 medium size tomato, cut in small cubes
1 small onion, sliced
1 tbsp vinegar
4-5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt

Dressing (Tarator):
2-3 garlic cloves, smashed with salt
3 tbsp lemon juice
~1/4 cup tahini
1 slice of inside of 1 or 2 days old Turkish bread, crumbled (if you use fresh bread, use blender to mix all the dressing ingredients)

Garnish:
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1 hard boiled egg, cut in 4
Extra virgin olive oil

Whisk dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Dilute it with a little bit water.

Toss the kidney beans, onion, tomato, olive oil, salt and dressing (tarator) in a bowl. Then place it on a serving dish. Garnish with egg slices and parsley. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil.

*The Antalya Style Kidney Bean Salad" must be served with the olive oil and vinegar carafes on the table, so that people can use it as much as they want....

Meal Ideas:
- Turkish Hamburger and Turkish Rice Pudding

Turkish Easter Bread

(Paskalya Coregi)

1 package dry yeast, active, 7 gr
3 tbsp warm milk
1 tsp sugar

4 cup + 1 tbsp flour, all purpose
1/2 tsp salt
125 gr (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp mastic, roll glass on the mastic to make it powdery (or use mortar)
1 tsp mahlep
5 egg yolks, room temperature
1 cup milk, warm
3/4 cup sugar

On Top:
1 egg yolk
2-3 tbsp almond or hazelnuts, sliced

In a small bowl, mix the yeast, sugar and 3 tbsp warm milk. Stir well so the yeast dissolves. Let it rest for 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, sift the flour and salt. Add the butter, mastic, mahlep and the bubbly yeast mixture in the flour. Whisk the egg yolk, milk and sugar, and pour into the flour. Mix and place the dough on the lightly (1 tbsp) floured counter. Knead well for about 10 minutes until it becomes smooth (no more crumbles). Then spread 1 tsp of olive oil inside a clean bowl. Place the dough in it and spread another tsp of olive oil with your hands all over the dough. Then cover it with a clean, damp towel. Put aside for about 7-8 hours at room temperature until the dough rises to double its size.

Place the dough on the lightly floured counter. Press all over with your hands to get rid of any air bubbles. Give a rectangular prism shape to dough. Cut the dough in four long sticks like a fork, without separating one end (picture). "Braid" the four pieces as seen in the (picture) and connect the other end. Brush egg yolk and sprinkle sliced almonds on top. Leave for about 40 minutes to rise at a warm place.

Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C) and bake for about 50 minutes until the top is golden. You can find Paskalya Çöreği at every Patisserie in Türkiye. You can have this very tasty pastry with your afternoon tea or coffee:)

2 Turkish Easter Bread

Tripe Soup

(Iskembe Corbasi)

250 gr veal tripe, washed with water and soap several times using a brush
4-5 cups water
Salt
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp all purpose flour
1 egg yolk

Sauce:
2 garlic cloves, smashed with salt
4-5 tbsp wine vinegar with raspberry juice, or another type of vinegar

Cook the tripe with water and salt for about 1.5 - 2 hours or until tender. If you like you may use a pressure cooker to cook in a shorter time. Remove the foam from the surface. Take the cooked tripe out of the water (keep the water) and cut in bite sized chunks over a cutting board.

Melt the butter, add the flour, stir and slowly pour about 2 cups of warm boiled water while stirring constantly. They should blend very well. Then add in the tripes. Cook 15-20 minutes over a little bit under medium heat.

Take a few spoons of liquid from the pot and blend well with the egg yolk in a bowl. Then slowly pour the mixture into the pot while stirring very slowly. Cook for 3-4 more minutes over medium heat. If it is too thick add a little bit more boiled water. Pour the soup into the bowls.

Mix the garlic and vinegar in a small bowl and pour one tablespoon into the soup. Serve this traditional Turkish Tripe Soup while still hot.

2 servings.

Meal Ideas:
- Kidney Beans with Lamb, Turkish Rice Pilaf, Celery Root with Olive Oil and Dried Figs with Walnuts.