Onion Kebab

(Sogan Kebabi - Gaziantep)

500 g shallots, peeled
1 tbsp pomegranate paste + 1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup water

Kofte (meatball) Ingredients:
500 g medium or regular ground beef
1/2 tsp crushed (flakes) red pepper
Salt
Pepper

Mix all meatball ingredients and knead them. Make a medium-sized balls press down with your finger a little bit. Arrange the meatballs between the onions in a oven proof dish. I used 21 cm (81/2 inch) round Teflon oven proof dish.

Preheat the oven to 450 F (230 C). Place the dish on the middle rack and cook for 40-45 minutes. Take it out of the oven. Mix the pomegranate paste with 1/4 cup warm water. Pour all over the dish. Put the dish on stove. Cover, first bring to boil. Then turn the heat to down. Simmer for 10-12 minutes. Turn the heat off. Season with red pepper flakes.

Serve the Onion Kebab with Gavurdagi Salad or Turkish Style Tomato Dip and Ayran by the side:)

2 servings.

Manti Soup with Chickpeas

(Nohutlu Manti Corbasi)

1 cup manti, ready to cook
1/4 cup chickpeas, canned, rinsed
1 tbsp butter
4 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp crushed tomato, canned
1 tsp red pepper paste
~3 cup hot water

Garnish:
Mint
Plain yogurt, at room temperature

Saute the crushed tomato and red pepper paste with butter and olive oil for about 2-3 minutes in a medium sized pot. Add the chickpeas and hot water in it. When the water starts to boil add the manti into the pot, stir. Turn the heat after 5 minutes.

Immediately pour the soup into the soup bowls. Serve it while still hot with a big dollop of Turkish yogurt over the top. Sprinkle some mint all over the soup.

2 servings.

Pasta with Ground Beef and Tomato

(Kiymali-Domatesli Makarna)

2 servings of mini bow tie pasta
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

~300 gr medium ground beef
1 onion, sliced
1 large tomato,peeled, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Garlic-Yogurt Sauce:
1/2 cup yogurt, room temperature
2 garlic cloves, smashed with salt

Red Pepper Sauce:
1 tbsp butter
Red pepper
Cayenne pepper

Boil the pasta with salty water following the instructions on the package, drain. Toss the pasta, olive oil and salt in a pot.

Meanwhile saute the onion with olive oil for about 2-3 minutes over medium heat. Add the ground beef, salt and pepper and cook on medium-low heat until all the water evaporates while stirring. Then add the tomato, cook over medium-low heat until the tomatoes are done while stirring.

Place pasta on a serving dish. Pour the cooked ground beef&tomato mixture all over it. Mix all the Yogurt Sauce ingredients and pour all over the ground beef. Melt the butter in a small pan and add in the peppers. When it starts bubbling, pour over the dish.

Makes 2 servings.

Yogurt Soup II

(Yogurt Corbasi)

3 cups water
1 cube beef bouillon*
1/3 cup long grain rice, washed and drained
1 cup yogurt
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp tomato paste
Salt

Red Pepper-Mint Sauce:
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp dry mint
1 tsp red pepper

Bring to boil the water in a medium sized pot. Put the rice, salt and bouillon in it. Cook on medium heat, until the rice is done. Then turn the heat to low.

Meanwhile in a bowl, mix yogurt, egg yolk, flour, cumin, tomato paste and salt. After the rice is cooked, take a few spoons of liquid from the pot and mix into the bowl. Then slowly pour the mixture into the pot while stirring very slowly. Cook for 10 more minutes on low heat.

Place the butter in a small pan. When it begins spitting, stir in the mint and paprika, stir and pour all over the soup. Serve immediately.

Makes 2-3 servings.

*If you don't want to use beef bouillon, you can use 1 cup beef stock + 2 cups of water.

Yogurt Soup with Meatballs


Meatball ingredients:
150 gr lean ground beef
1/2 tsp cumin
Salt
Pepper

Soup ingredients:
3 cups water
1 cube beef bouillon*
1/3 cup rice, washed and drained
1 cup yogurt
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp tomato paste
Salt

Red Pepper-Mint Sauce:
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp dry mint
1 tsp red pepper

Knead all the meatball ingredients, make hazelnut size balls. Put aside.

Bring to boil the water in a medium sized pot. Put the meatballs, rice, salt and bouillon in it. Cook on medium heat, until the rice is done. Then turn the heat to low.

Meanwhile in a bowl, mix yogurt, egg yolk, flour, cumin, tomato paste and salt. After the rice is cooked, take a few spoons of liquid from the pot and mix into the bowl. Then slowly pour the mixture into the pot while stirring very slowly. Cook for 10 more minutes on low heat.

Place the butter in a small pan. When it begins spitting, stir in the mint and pour all over the soup. Serve immediately.

Makes 2-3 servings.

*If you don't want to use beef bouillon, you can use 1 cup beef stock + 2 cups of water.

Breakfast and Molasses...

(Kahvalti ve Pekmez...)

In the cold winter mornings, start your day with molasses as part of the breakfast:)

Molasses Ricotta Cheese with Hot Pepper
Molasses (grape molasses, Mulberry Molasses..) and Ricotta cheese, sprinkle some flake (crushed) red pepper.

Thick Turkish Cream with Molasses


Molasses serve with a dollop of Thick Turkish Cream over the top....dunk the freshly baked Turkish bread into the mixture:)

Molasses Ricotta Cheese with Walnuts


Molasses (grape molasses, mulberry molasses..) , ricotta cheese and walnuts...

Molasses Yogurt


Cut the Turkish bread slices in bite size (the bread should be one or two days old). Pour the Turkish plain yogurt all over them. Drizzle the molasses and sprinkle some walnuts over the top.

Turkish Pastrami-Sujuk-Cheese Pide

(Pastirmali Sucuklu Kasarli Pide)

Tandoor Baked Naan

Filling:
Turkish Kashar or Mozzarella, grated
Sujuk
Pastirma
Butter

Place generously the grated cheese all over the naan. Leave some space around. Arrange Pastrami and sujuk slices all over the cheese. Brush some butter along the edges. Place the pide on an oven tray.

Set the oven to broil (grill), and heat it up for about 2-3 minutes. Cook for about 10 minutes on the middle rack. Turn the sujuk slices over half way through.

Serve the pide with tomato and red or white onion slices.

This is the easiest and yummy pide recipe that you can do at home:) But, if you like to make this pide from the scratch here:) .

1 Turkish Pastrami Sujuk Cheese Pide

Bulgur Pilaf with Lamb

(Etli Bulgur Pilavi)

3/4 cup Turkish bulgur, large grain, washed and drained
200 gr lamb, cut in cubes
1 + 1 cup warm water
2 tbsp butter
1 tomato, diced
2 tbsp crushed tomato, in can

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 cubanalle pepper, sliced
Salt
Pepper

Cook the the lamb cubes with their own juice. Then add 1 cup hot water and cook on low-heat until the lamb pieces are tender. Add the butter, tomato, crushed tomato, 1 cup warm water, salt and pepper into the pot. Bring to boil, add the bulgur in it, stir and turn the heat down to medium-low heat. Cook until all the water evaporates with the lid. Let the Bulgur Pilaf stand for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile lightly caramelize the sliced onion and cubanalle pepper with olive oil at low heat. Toss them with Bulgur pilaf. Serve Bulgur Pilaf with Lamb with Ayran by the side.

2 servings.

Dried Vegetables Dish

(Charpana -Birecik - Southeast Anatolia Region)

5 dried eggplants
5 dried tomatoes
5 dried peppers
1 medium onion, sliced
5-6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp red pepper paste
Salt
Pepper
1/4 cup warm water

Garlic Yogurt Sauce:
1/2 cup yogurt, plain
1-2 garlic clove, mashed with salt

Garnish:
Green onion, chopped
Parsley, chopped

First, soak the dried vegetables in boiling water for half an hour and drain.

Meanwhile saute the onion with olive oil for about 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato and red pepper pastes, salt and pepper. Continue to saute for about 1-2 more minutes. Then add the dried vegetables and warm water. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes over medium-low heat.

Garnish with green onion and parsley. Serve the dish with Garlic Yogurt Sauce.

2 servings.

Grapefruit Jam

(Greyfurt Receli)

1 kg star ruby grapefruit,
5 cups granulated sugar
Juice of 1 lemon

Grate the skins of grapefruits with thin side of the grater and discard (picture). Place the grapefruits in a large pot. Cover with water. Cook at medium heat until they are softened for about 20 minutes. Drain the grapefruits and put them aside. Cut them into slices on a cutting board. Cut the seeds part of each slice and discard. Then, cut the slices in chunks (picture).

Place the sugar in a pot and melt it with a little bit of water at medium heat. Throw the grapefruits over the melted sugar. Cook for another 25-30 minutes on medium heat. Afterwards, squeeze the lemon juice on top, stir.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and cool for a few seconds. Pour carefully into the canning jars and seal. Store in a dark and cool place.

Serve the Grapefruit Jam with the butter and blanched almonds on a freshly baked Turkish bread.

Sweet Butternut Squash with Yogurt

(Balkabagi Boranisi)

~250 gr butternut squash, peeled, cut in a little bit larger than bite-size
100-150 gr lean ground beef
1 small onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup chickpeas, canned, rinsed
1/3 cup water, hot
1/2 tsp red pepper, powder
Salt
Pepper
2 tbsp creamy yogurt

Garnish:
Mint, dry

Saute the ground beef with onion, salt and pepper. Add the garlic, olive oil, chickpeas, squash and water. Cover and cook until the squash is tender over low heat.

Place the creamy yogurt in a bowl. Take 2 spoons of juice of the dish and pour into the bowl. Whisk them well. Slowly pour this mixture over the dish, stir. Turn the heat off. Sprinkle some mint and serve.

2 servings.

Chicken Stock / Chicken Broth

(Tavuk Suyu)

A whole chicken bones from a roast chicken to make a Chicken Stock*. OR, a whole chicken to make a Chicken Broth**
1 potato, peeled, cut in chunks
1 carrot, peeled, sliced
1 onion, peeled, cut in bite size, stick 2 cloves in it
1 small size of celery root, peeled or 2-3 slice of celery (do not use too mush)
1/4 sized lemon rind
3-4 parsley stems
1 Bay leaf
Pinch of oregano
Salt
Pepper
4-5 cups water

Boiled egg, cut in 4

Place all the ingredients in a pot. First bring to boil. Skim the scum from the surface with metal spoon (more easy than using wooden spoon). Then turn the heat to down. Cover the lid halfway and simmer for about 1,5-2 hours. Place a strainer with a paper towel on top over a bowl, strain.

Serve the Chicken Stock or Chicken Broth while still warm, with sliced eggs and lemon wedges. Bon appetit!

The meals at Ottoman Cuisine used to start with the soup. Beside the soups enriched with chicken broth, beef broth or fish broth; only the chicken or beef broth could also be served.

*Chicken Stock has lots of body, not a lot of meaty flavor.
**Chicken Broth has lots of meaty flavor, not a lot of body.

Some say "Only the chicken broth or beef broth is a finished product that can be served as is." "A stock is supplementary to a dish so it can't be served on its own."

For me, they both are the same because the chicken stock and chicken broth are made by chicken! I make the rice pilaf, bulgur pilaf, couscous, soup, etc., with both of them:)

There is an easy recipe to cook Turkish Rice Pilaf like your Turkish mother-in-law cooks; Cook the whole or half or quarter chicken with whole peeled onion and salt, strain. Add some pepper and cook the Turkish Pilaf:)

*You can keep chicken stock 5 to 6 days as long as the stock is in a tightly-covered container in the fridge. Or, freeze it in small portions and keep it for up to 6 months.

Linden Tea

(Ihlamur)

1 tsp dried linden flowers and leaves
1 cup water boiling water

Few drops of lemon
Pinch of cinnamon, optional
Honey, optional

Place the linden and cinnamon in a small tea pot-brewer (demlik). Pour the boiling water over the leaves into the brewer. Cover and let it brew for 7-8 minutes. Then pour the brewed Linden Tea into tea glass using a small tea strainer.

Serve the Linden Tea with just a few drops of lemon juice. Linden Tea has a sweet-smelling taste and doesn’t need to be sweetened:)

*Linden Tea primarily increases the strength of the defense of the organism. It is useful to drink it especially during the cold season. It relieves cold-related coughs.

*Linden Tea is also good for calming nerves, soothing upset stomachs.

*As with all natural herbal teas, Linden Tea, certainly not to be boiled. If there is a left over tea do not re-heat and use again! Because they can do more harm than good to you.