Turkish Spicy Scrambled Eggs

(Çakallı Menemen - Samsun, Black Sea Region)

1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 chili pepper, chopped or red pepper flakes
1 cubanelle pepper, discard the seeds, chopped
14-15 cherry tomatoes, peeled, cut in half or same amount of plum tomatoes, peeled, diced
1 egg + 4 egg yolks
Salt
Pepper
A small handful of mixture of grated Turkish Kashar cheese or mozzarella cheese + Handful Civil (Tel) Cheese
1 pickled green pepper, chopped

Saute the cubanelle and chili peppers with butter and olive oil for about 2-3 minutes in a large pan at medium heat. Then add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook until the tomatoes are softened at low-medium heat, stirring occasionally. Mash the tomatoes with the back of a fork.

Add the cheese and pickled peppers, stir. Then add the eggs. Keep stirring periodically until the eggs are done. Make sure you don't overcook, otherwise it will be dry. Serve with Turkish bread and Turkish Tea as a breakfast or lunch.

*Civil (Tel) Cheese
It is produced particularly in Eastern Anatolia and the Black Sea Region. It is a type of Turkish Dil cheese made from non-fat cow's or goat's milk. It is kept in brine and consumed after cooking it in butter.

Eggs with Anchovies on Bread Slices

(Ançüezli Yumurtalı Ekmek Dilimleri)

Toasted baton bread slices
Mayonnaise
Hard boiled eggs, cut in to slices
Canned Anchovies
Dill

Spread the mayonnaise on bread slices. Place the slices of eggs on top of the bread. Add the anchovies. Garnish with fresh dill and serve as an appetizer.

Apricot Stew with Mulberries and Sultana Raisins

(Kaymakli Kayısı Yahnisi - Cappadocia - Central Anatolia Region)

1 cup dried apricots, boil 2 min.and drain
1/2 cup molasses
1/3 cup mixture of dried mulberries and Sultana or Golden raisins
2-3 small slices of orange rinds
1 tbsp butter
3/4 cup water
Pinch of salt

Garnish:
Walnuts, crumbled, lightly toasted
Kaymak

Place all the ingredients in a medium pot. First bring to boil. Then simmer until most of the water evaporates.

Place one tablespoon of Thick Turkish Cream (Kaymak) on top of each serving. Sprinkle some walnuts and serve while still warm.

I suggest you to serve this dessert with a spoon. While eating, make sure to get some fruits, Kaymak and syrup with each spoon :)

New Year Eve's Menu:
-Bone Broth and Egg Balls Soup, Chicken Stew with Prune, Cabbage Rolls with Chestnuts in Olive Oil, Hummus with Sujuk, Beetroot Salad with Walnuts, Fried Mashed Potato Balls, Talash Börek, Arugula Salad with Dried Fruits, Fried Chicken Livers with Walnuts, Eggs with Anchovies on Bread Slices and Apricot Stew with Mulberries and Sultana Raisins with Turkish Coffee:)

Fried Chicken Livers with Walnuts

(Cevizli Ciğer Kavurma)

~1 cup chicken liver, cut in medium size
1/2 cup flour, all purpose
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp walnuts, crumbled
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Vinaigrette:
1 tbsp vinegar
1-2 garlic cloves, mashed with salt

Roll the chicken livers on the flour. They should be coated well with flour.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and butter in a medium sized pan. Saute the livers, turn them occasionally. While you're frying the livers, cover it with a paper towel since the oil will spit. Add the walnuts into the pan, stir. Then pour the vinegar and garlic mixture, stir. When the smell of garlic comes out, turn the heat off. Take them out with a perforated spoon and place on a paper towel to soak up extra oil. Season them with cayenne pepper and salt. Serve the Fried Chicken Livers with Walnuts with the Onion Salad by the side.

Onion Salad:
Red or white onion, sliced
1/2 tsp salt
Parsley, washed and drained
Lemon wedges
Some sumac

Sprinkle 1 tbsp salt and rub the onion slices with your hand. Rinse and drain. Toss the parsley and onion, place in plate. Sprinkle some sumac all over them.

Arugula Salad with Dried Fruits

(Kuru Meyveli Roka Salatasi - Istanbul)

2 servings of Arugula, washed and drained
3 dried apricots, sliced
2 Turkish dried figs, sliced
4-5 ripe vine tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, cut in half (or small plum tomato, diced)
Handful pistachios

Dressing:
2-3 tbsp pomegranate paste (syrup)
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt

Discard the Arugula stems, break off the leaves into smaller pieces with your hand. Season with salt. Place on a serving dish. Arrange the rest of the ingredients over the top. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil and pomegranate paste all over the salad. Serve immediately.

Bone Broth and Egg Balls Soup

(Kemik Suyu ve Yumurta Koftesi)

Bone Broth:
2 shinbones, I used lamb, beef or veal knuckle bones, rib bones or marrow bones, chopped in chunks
~6 cups water
2 small onions, peeled
1 large carrot, peeled, cut in chunks
1 leak, cut in chunks, washed
1 turnip, peeled, cut in chunks
2-3 parsley stems, washed
1 Bay leaf
1-2 clove

Cover the bones with cold and start cooking at medium-low heat. Do not boil. If a stock is boiled, it will be cloudy. Skim the scum from the surface with metal spoon (more easy than using wooden spoon). Then add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for about 4 to 5 hours. The longer it cooks, the better!

Strain the stock through a fine mesh metal strainer and throw away what you skim off. But the bones are full of marrow. Scoop it out and put in soup. It is delicious:)

Place the cooled stock into glass jars for storage. You can keep them for about 4-5 days in the fridge. Or pour into freezer-safe containers for later use.

Add the salt and black pepper afterwards as it may become too salty due to the evaporation of water.

The meals at Ottoman Cuisine used to start with the soup. Beside the soups enriched with Chicken Stock / Chicken Broth , beef (bone) broth or fish broth; only the chicken or beef broth could also be served.

Egg Balls (Yumurta Köftesi)


2 eggs, hard boiled
1/2 tsp salt
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tsp parsley, finely chopped
1 egg yolk
2 1/2 tbsp flour, all purpose

Place a strainer on a bowl. Remove the yolks and press them through the strainer using the back side of a tablespoon. Finely chopped the egg whites. Mix all the kofte ingredients with teaspoon in a small bowl.

Bring to water to boil at medium heat. Slowly leave the egg balls into the water. Turn the heat down to medium Cook for about 2 minutes. Take the egg balls out of water with a perforated spoon.

Serve the Bone Broth while still warm, with the mini Egg Balls.

~24 Egg Kofte.

Chicken Stew with Prunes

(Tavuklu Kuru Erik Yahnisi)

Half of chicken, boneless, skinless, diced
1 small onion, sliced
2 tbsp butter
2/3 cup warm water
10 prunes, pitted
1 tsp corn starch + 3-4 tbsp water
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Salt
Pepper

Garnish:
1/4 cup walnuts, crumbled, lightly toasted
2-3 tbsp pomegranate seeds

Saute the chicken with butter until the colour changes. Add the onion, continue to saute for 2-3 more minutes. Add the water, prune, diluted corn starch, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes at medium-low heat.

Garnish with the walnuts and pomegranate seeds. Serve the dish while still hot with Turkish Pilaf on the side.

2 servings.

Gaziantep Style Green Olive Salad

(Zeytin Piyazi - Gaziantep - Southeast Anatolia Region)

1/2 cup pitted green olive, sliced
2 green onion, chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, minced (I used fresh garlic stalks)
5-6 branch parsley, chopped
1/4 cup walnuts, lightly toasted, crumble
2 tsp pomegranate paste
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp red pepper, powdered
Salt
Pepper

Garnish:
Handful pomegranate seeds

Toss all the ingredients. Place in a service plate. Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds all over the top and serve.

Fried Mashed Potato Balls

(Patates Toplari)

2 medium white potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed
1 or 2 slices insides of Turkish bread, crumbled
1 egg white
1/2 tsp salt
1 pinch black pepper

Coating:
1/2 cup flour
1 egg yolk + 1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs

For frying:
1/2 cup sunflower oil

Place mashed potatoes, bread, egg white, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Mix them with your hand. Cover and leave in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Pour the oil into a frying pan and heat it up. Meanwhile, take a small piece of the potato mixture and give it a ball shape, as seen in the picture. First roll it in the flour, then soak in the egg then roll it in the bread crumbs. Repeat for the remaining potato mixture and fry all them until golden brown. Place them on the paper towel to soak up the extra oil.

Serve while still warm as an appetizer.

Cabbage Rolls with Chestnuts in Olive Oil

(Zeytinyagli Kestaneli Lahana Sarmasi - Bursa)

1 medium size white cabbage
1 1/2 cup water
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Filling:
1 cup rice, washed and drained
4 medium onions, chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
5 tbsp sugar
250 gr chestnuts, grilled, peeled, chopped
2 tbsp pine nuts
1 tbsp currant
1 tbsp dry mint
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup hot water
Salt

Fill a large pot halfway with water with salt and boil. Cut off the leaves and cook for about 4-5 minutes and drain.

Saute the onion with olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add the rice, sugar, pine nuts, chestnuts, currant, mint, allspice, cinnamon and salt. Saute at low heat until the rice looks almost see-through. Then add the hot water, stir. Cover and cook until all the water evaporates, stirring occasionally at low heat. Put aside and let it cool down.

Cut off the hard part in the center of the leaves (core). Cut the leaves in medium sizes to fill them. Use a tablespoon to put filling on each leaf ( picture). First fold over the top, then the two sides and roll to close it up.

Pour in 1 1/2 cup of water and 1/4 cup olive oil from the side of pot. Cover and cook at 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 the "Cabbage Rolls with Chestnuts in Olive Oil" cool down, place them on a serving dish. Serve chilled or at room temperature with lemon wedges.

*Ottoman Kitchen

"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:)

Hummus with Sujuk

(Sucuklu Humus)

1 canned chickpeas (540 ml), rinsed, peeled*
3 garlic cloves, mashed with salt
Juice of ~1 lemon
3/4 cup tahini (sesame paste)
2 tsp cumin
~100 ml water
Salt for taste

Sujuk:
Sujuk (Turkish Salami), skin removed, sliced
1 tbsp butter

Paprika Sauce:
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Mix all the humus ingredients using a food processor until it is smooth. Place the hummus on a plate.

Heat the butter in a small skillet, add the sujuk slices. Fry the both sides and turn the heat off. Arrange them all over the hummus.

In the same skillet, melt the butter to prepare the red pepper sauce. Add in the peppers. When it starts bubbling, pour over the hummus. Serve immediately.

Serve the Hummus with Sujuki as an appetizer with small, toasted pide slices.

*To peel the chickpeas; Soak them in hot water for about 5-10 minutes. Then gently rub them with the palm of your hands while they are still in the water.

Beetroot Salad with Walnuts

(Cevizli Pancar Salatasi)

3-4 small-size beetroots, peeled
Feta or goat cheese, crumbled
White onion slices, sprinkle pinch of salt, rub the onion slices with your hand

Dressing:
2 tbsp wine vinegar
5-6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Couple of green olives
5-6 walnuts, crumbled
Dill, chopped
Salt

Boil the beetroots. Let it cool down, then slice them up. Place on a serving dish. Whisk a few tablespoons of beetroot juice with vinegar, olive oil and salt in a bowl. Pour all over the beetroots. Keep it in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours.

Sprinkle some cheese, onion, walnuts and dill all over them. Arrange few olives at the top of salad before serving.

Mevlana Pide

(Mevlana Pidesi - Konya)

Bread or Pizza Dough

Filling:
250 gr lean ground beef
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 medium tomato, cut in small pieces
1 cubanelle pepper, discard the seeds, cut in small pieces
Handful parsley, chopped
Salt
Pepper

Topping:
Feta cheese, crumbled
Turkish Kashar cheese or Mozzarella cheese, grated

Glaze: 1 tbsp yogurt mixed with 2 tbsp water

Break the dough in a little bit larger than egg size pieces. Use your hands to flatten and then use a roller give a long oval shape each one. Place the mixed filling ingredients all over the tops equally. Then sprinkle some feta and mozzarella cheese over the tops. Fold the long sides towards the inside, then twist the ends to give a boat shape.

Place the parchment paper on an oven tray, then arrange the dough on top. Brush some yogurt mixture along the edges.

Preheat the oven to 500 F (250 C). Place the tray on the middle rack and bake for about 15 minutes. Immediately brush butter or olive oil on the edges.

Serve with parsley, red or white onion slices, red pepper flakes, sumac or lemon wedges.

If you like to make this pide from the scratch, here:)

Makes 4 Mevlana Pide.