Chicken Saute with Eggs

(Yumurtalı Tavuk Sote)

2/3 cup cooked medium size chicken or turkey pieces
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, sliced
1/4 bell pepper, julienne cut

2 eggs
1 tbsp milk
Pinch of muscat
Salt
Pepper

Garnish:
Crushed red pepper

Saute the bell pepper and onion with olive oil for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken pieces, stir.

Meanwhile, give the eggs, milk, muscat, salt and pepper a brief whisk in the bowl. Pour it into the pan; stir occasionally with a wooden spatula. Don't overcook the eggs! Serve it garnished with red pepper flakes.

Serve the Chicken Saute with Eggs as a light lunch:)

Bulgur Pilaf with Chickpeas

(Nohutlu Bulgur Pilavi - South East Anatolia Region)

3/4 cup Turkish bulgur, large grain, washed and drained
3/4 cup canned chickpeas*, drained, rinsed
4-5 tbsp olive oil
1 medium-size onion, sliced
1 tbsp red pepper paste
1 tsp red pepper paste, hot
1 cup warm water
Salt
Pepper

Butter-Garlic-Mint Sauce:
1 tbsp butter
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp mint

Saute the onion and chickpeas with olive oil for about 2 minutes in a medium-size pot. Then add the pepper pastes, bulgur, water, salt and pepper. Turn the heat down to low. Cover and cook until all the water evaporates.

Heat up the butter in a small pan, add the minced garlic and mint, then turn the heat off. Drizzle all over the pilaf, lightly stir with a wooden fork. Let the Pilaf stand for 5 minutes.

Serve the Bulgur Pilaf with Chickpeas with Ayran or yogurt on the side.

2 servings.

*If you can find it use fresh chickpeas instead of dried ones:)

Erzincan Soup

(Erzincan Çorbası - East Anatolia Region)

Meatball ingredients:
150 g extra lean ground veal
1 tsp water
Salt
Pepper
1/3 cup flour

Soup ingredients:
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 cube, beef bouillon*
3 cups warm water
1/4 cup Turkish noodles

Garlic Yogurt Sauce:
1-2 garlic cloves, mashed with salt
3/4 cup yogurt, plain

Mint Sauce:
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp mint

Knead all the meatball ingredients except flour, make chickpea-size balls. Then, flour them and put aside.

Saute the onion with olive oil until the onion is softened in a medium-size pot at medium heat. Add the tomato paste and beef bouillon, stir. Then add the water and bring to boil. Throw the meatballs and Turkish noodles into the pot, stir.

Meanwhile, prepare the Garlic Yogurt Sauce in a bowl. After the koftes and noodles are cooked, turn the heat down to low. Take a few spoons of liquid from the pot and add into the bowl, stir. Then slowly pour the mixture into the pot while stirring very slowly. Simmer for 4-5 more minutes at low heat.

Heat up the butter in a small pan, stir in the mint and pour all over the soup. Serve immediately.

Makes 2 servings.

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

Sujuk with Eggs & Cheese

(Sucuklu Kaşarlı Yumurta)

Sujuk, the skin removed, sliced
Eggs
Turkish Kashar or Mozzarella cheese, grated

Place the sujuk slices in the skillet. Cook for 2-3 minutes at low heat, don't dry them! Then turn each slice over quickly with a fork. Make room and crack the eggs. Sprinkle handful cheese all over them. When the egg white is cooked, remove it from the heat. Do not overcook the egg yolk!

Serve Sujuk with freshly baked bread and Turkish Tea for breakfast, brunch or lunch.

*If you like, you can store the Sujuk in the freezer: 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.

Spinach Root with Yogurt

(Ispanak Kökü Boranisi - Antakya - Mediterranean Region)

1 bunch spinach roots and stems
3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, mashed with salt
1/4 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed
2-3 tbsp water, warm
Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup creamy yogurt
Mint

Cut off the roots and stems of the spinach in medium size and soak into salted water to get rid of all the dirt between the roots. Continue to wash until you see no more sand at the bottom of the bowl.

Meanwhile, saute the onion with olive oil for about 5 minutes. Stir garlic until fragrant for about 30 seconds. Then add the chickpeas, spinach roots and stems, water, salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the spinach roots are tender at medium heat. Do not overcook!

Place the creamy yogurt in a bowl. Take 2-3 spoons of juice of the dish and whisk with yogurt. Slowly pour this mixture over the spinach, stir. Simmer for about 5 minutes without the lid. Garnish with the mint and serve.

*You can use the spinach leaves to make Spinach Cake or Bulgur Pilaf with Spinach or Toyga Soup or Spinach Salad with Yogurt Sauce:)

Onion Stew

(Soğan Yahnisi - Gaziantep)

150g diced lamb
1 cup hot water

1/3 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed
1 tbsp butter
10 pearl onions, peeled
1 medium-sized tomato, peeled, diced
1 cubanelle pepper, cut in bite size
1 tbsp canned crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup hot water
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp pomegranate molasses
Salt
Pepper

Cok the lamb cubes in their own juice in a medium-sized pot. Then add 1 cup of hot water. Cook at medium-low heat until the lamb pieces are tender.

Add the onion, tomato, cubanelle pepper, crushed tomatoes, butter, hot water, salt and pepper. Cover and cook for about 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are softened at medium heat.

Add the lemon juice and pomegranate paste, stir. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Turn the heat off. You can serve it with any kind of Turkish Pilaf.

Makes 2 servings.

Kohlrabi-Yogurt Dip

(Yoğurtlu Alabaş Salatası)

2 small kohlrabies, trimmed, peeled, cut in julienne
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
4 tablespoonful yogurt, plain

Garnish:
Paprika
Extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tbsp lightly roasted walnuts

Mix all the ingredients and place in a serving platter. Garnish with some paprika and walnuts, drizzle the olive oil.

This is a very delicious salad which goes with any kind of meat or chicken meal as a side dish. You can also serve it with toasted bread slices as an appetizer.

Milk-Bulgur Soup

(Sütlü Çorba - Çanakkale - Marmara Region)

1/4 cup Bulgur, small grain, rinsed (I always use Turkish Bulgur which tastes better:)
1 cup milk, (I use 3%)
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp mint
Salt

Butter-Paprika Sauce:
1 tsp butter
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Cook the bulgur, milk and water in a medium-size pot at low heat until bulgur is softened. Stir occasionally. Season with mint and salt.

Heat up the butter in a small pan, add the pepper and then turn the heat off. Don't burn the pepper! Drizzle all over the soup. Serve while still warm.

2 servings.

Milk-Bulgur Soup is also preferred for breakfast, it only contains;
carbohydrates and proteins which make it great for breakfast:)

Proteins - essential to growth and repair of muscle and other body tissues
Carbohydrates - our main source of energy

Fish with Spinach

(Ispanakli Balik)

2 sets of any kind of fish fillets, gutted, washed with cold water
2-3 tbsp olive oil

500 g spinach, roots cut off*, washed several times, drained
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 large tomato, peeled, diced
Salt
Pepper

Lemon Butter Sauce:
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Fry the fish with olive oil (each side for 4-5 minutes) in a pan or grill.

Meanwhile, saute the onion in a medium-size pot with olive oil until the colour of the onions turns to light brown. Add the spinach, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes at medium-low heat. Turn the heat off. Arrange on a serving platter.

Place the cooked fish over the top. Heat up the butter in a small pan, add in the lemon juice and red pepper flakes and then turn the heat off. Don't burn the pepper! Drizzle all over the fish. Serve while still warm.

2 servings.

*You can make Spinach Root Salad with the roots.

Borek Filled with Peppers and Ricotta Cheese

(Biberli-Lorlu Börek - Mediterranean and Southeast Anatolia Regions)

Pizza dough
Sun flower oil to fry

Filling:
1 small onion, sliced
1 sweet long green pepper or Cubanelle pepper, discard the seeds, cut in julienne
1 small sweet red pepper, discard the seeds, cut in julienne
4-5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup ricotta cheese (Making Ricotta Cheese from Yogurt)
1/2 tsp oregano
Salt
Pepper

First prepare the filling; soften the onion and peppers with olive oil for 2-3 minutes, do not overcook! Turn the heat off, add the ricotta cheese, oregano, salt and pepper, stir. Let it cool down.

Cut the dough into egg size pieces. Flat in 1 cm thick with the roller or by your hand. Then place 1 or 2 tablespoons of the filling inside (picture). Close it up.

Heat up the oil in a medium size pan. Fry the doughs on both sides until light golden brown. Afterwards, place on a paper towel to soak up any extra oil.

Serve as an appetizer or breakfast or as a supper treat with Turkish Tea or Ayran.

Celery Root Cooked in Orange Juice

(Portakallı Kereviz)

1 large celery root, peeled, sliced
Enough water with half of lemon juice to cover the vegetables

4-5 green onions, cut in 4 or 5 pieces
~20 ml extra virgin olive oil (half for cooking, half for after cooking)
Juice from one orange
4-5 slices of orange
2-3 tbsp water with a few drops of lemon (taken from the lemon water to soak the vegetables)
Salt

Soak the celery slices into a cup of water with a few drops of lemon juice to prevent them from getting dark for about 5 minutes.

Remove and place in a shallow pot. Arrange the orange slices and green onions over the tops. Add the orange juice, water with lemon juice and salt. Cover and cook until the celery is tender at low heat.

Let it cool down in the pot. Then, place on a serving dish. Pour the rest of the olive oil. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Bulgur Pilaf with Lamb and Chestnuts

(Kuzu Etli Kestaneli Bulgur Pilavı / Sebzeli Bulgur)

150 g lamb, cut in cubes
1 cup hot water
2 tbsp butter
1 small onion, sliced

3/4 cup Turkish bulgur, large grain, washed and drained
6-8 roasted chestnuts, peeled
1 small turnip, peeled, grated, sprinkle 1 tbsp salt all over, squeeze the turnip with your hand, rinse (this way the turnip won't be bitter)
A few slices of orange peel
2 tbsp canned crushed tomatoes
1 tbsp red pepper paste
1 1/2 cups warm water
Salt
Pepper

Cook the lamb cubes in their own juice in a medium-size pot. Add 1 cup of hot water and cook at low-heat until the lamb pieces are tender.

Then, add the remaining ingredients, stir. Turn the heat down to low. Cover and cook until all the water evaporates. Let the Pilaf stand for 5 minutes. Serve it with Compote on the side.

2 servings.

Stuffed Apples in Olive Oil

(Zeytinyağlı Elma Dolması - Erzincan - East Anatolia Region)

4 Granny Smith apples
1/4 cup water
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Filling:
1/3 cup rice, washed and drained
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp sugar
8 fresh walnuts, chopped
1 tsp currants
1/2 tsp mint
1/2 tsp cinnamon 2/3 cup warm water
Salt

Saute the onions with the olive oil for about 10 minutes in a medium-size pot. Then, add the rice, sugar and salt, stir. Cover and cook on very low heat until the rice looks see-through. Add the nuts, currants, cinnamon, mint and 2/3 cup of water. Stir occasionally at low heat. Cook until all the water evaporates and put aside.

Cut off the tops of the apples using a small knife, but don't throw them away as you will put them back on after you stuff the apples. Core the apples and make a room for a filling (picture).

Stuff the apples with the filling by using a teaspoon. Cover the tops of the apples with their tops. Place in a medium-size pot along with 1/4 cup of water. Drizzle the olive oil over the apples. Cover and cook at low heat for 10-12 minutes.