With Honey, Walnuts and Goat Cheese...

(Ballı, Cevizli, Keçi Peynirli...)

Toasted bread sliced
Goat cheese
Fresh walnuts, crumbled
Organic Honey

Spread some goat cheese on toasted bread slices. Sprinkle with some walnuts and drizzle with organic honey...Afiyet olsun!

Spinach Salad with Bulgur

(Bulgurlu Ispanak Salatası - Kastamonu - Black Sea Region)

Ingredients:
250g baby spinach, washed, drained
2 green onions (scallions), chopped
1⁄4 cup parsley, chopped
2 tbsp bulgur, small grain, soaked in hot water for about 30 minutes,then drained
1⁄2 cup Parmesan (or Tulum cheese -sharp and salty cheese wrapped in goatskin), crumbled
1⁄4 cup canned kernel corn

Dressing:
1 tbsp pomegranate paste or Grenadine syrup
1 tbsp lemon juice
50ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Directions:
Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Place the spinach on a serving platter.

Sprinkle the green onions, parsley, bulgur, corn and cheese over the spinach. Drizzle with the dressing and serve.

* Don't throw away the roots of the spinach, instead make Spinach Root Salad or Spinach Root with Yogurt:)

Chickpeas Fritter

(Nohut Köftesi / Nohut Mücveri)

Ingredients:
Chickpeas (540 ml), canned, rinsed
1 egg
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
A handful parsley, chopped
3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1⁄2 tsp cumin
1⁄2 tsp paprika
1⁄2 tsp mint
1⁄2 tsp coriander, ground
Salt
Pepper

For frying:
5-6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Blend all the ingredients in a food processor until very smooth. Heat the olive oil in a large Teflon pan.Make balls of walnut-sized pieces, then flatten a little bit. Fry both sides at medium heat.

Serve with Radish-Yogurt Dip and Tomato Salad with Onion on the side.

Radish-Yogurt Dip

(Turp Cacığı)

Ingredients
3⁄4 cup radish, washed, grated
1 cup plain yogurt
1 garlic clove, mashed with salt
Salt
~
Extra virgin olive oil

Directions
Mix radish, yogurt, garlic and salt in a bowl. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve.

Turkish Noodles with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

(Kurutulmus Domatesli Eriste)

Ingredients:
1⁄2 cup Egg noodles (Eriste)
2 cups vegetable broth or water
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4-5 sun-dried tomatoes (in oil), sliced
1 garlic clove, minced

Topping:
Feta cheese, crumbled
2-3 Turkish black olives, pitted, chopped

Directions:
Saute the tomatoes and garlic with the olive oil at medium heat. When the smell of garlic comes out, pour in the vegetable broth. Bring to boil, then add the egg noodles, stir. Turn the heat down to low- medium. Cook until the noodles absorb all the water. Stir occasionally.

Serve the noodles topped with feta cheese and black olives.

Makes one serving.

Beetroot Soup

(Kirmizi Pancar Corbasi)

Ingredients:
1 medium-sized (~250 g) beetroot, peeled, cut in bite size
1⁄2 red bell pepper, chopped
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 tbsp flour
~2 1⁄2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1⁄4 tsp nutmeg
Salt
Pepper

Garlic Vinaigrette:
1 garlic clove, mashed with salt
2 tbsp wine vinegar

Garnish:
Feta Cheese, crumbled
Red pepper flakes (crushed red pepper)

Directions:
Sauté the onion, beetroot, red bell pepper and flour with olive oil in a medium-sized pot for 3-4 minutes at medium-low heat. Add the vegetable or chicken broth, stir. Then season with nutmeg, salt and pepper, stir. Cover and cook at medium-low heat until the vegetables are softened. Turn the heat off.

Pour it into the blender and blend until smooth. Meanwhile, whisk the mashed garlic with vinegar and add to the soup, stir. Sprinkle with some feta cheese and red pepper and serve.

Makes 2 servings.

Pilaf with Lamb and Mushrooms

(Mengen Pilavı - Bolu - Black Sea Region)

Ingredients
250g (1/2 lb) diced lamb
1 cup + 1 cup warm water
3⁄4 cup rice, rinsed
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp butter
1 medium tomato, peeled, diced
1⁄2 cup sliced mushrooms
1⁄2 tsp sugar
Salt
Pepper

Garnish:
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp oregano
1⁄4 cup crushed walnuts
2-3 tbsp dill, finely chopped

Directions
Cook the lamb cubes in their own juice in a medium-sized pot. Then add 1 cup of hot water and the onion. Cook at medium-low heat until the lamb pieces are tender. Add the tomato and mushrooms, stir.

Cook until the diced tomatoes are softened. Then add the remaining ingredients, stir. Cover, turn the heat to low and cook until the rice absorbs all the water.

Heat up the butter in a small pan. When it starts to spit, pour it over the pilaf. Sprinkle the walnuts, dill and oregano on top. Toss with a wooden or regular fork and serve.

Makes 2 servings.

Katmer, Gaziantep

(Southeast Anatolia Region)

Ingredients:
1 sheet of Phyllo Pastry
Sunflower oil
Turkish clotted cream (Kaymak) (or Devonshire or Cornish cream)
Granulated sugar
Antep* pistachios, ground

Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 450° F (230° C).

To prepare the Katmer, place the rectangular sheet of phyllo pastry on a flat working surface and place it so the short sides are top and bottom. Fold one side of the short edge inside to make it square ( picture).

Brush it with a little bit of the oil. Join the opposite corners at the middle ( picture). Brush the whole surface again with some oil. Sprinkle all over with dabs of kaymak, sugar and pistachios . Again, join the opposite corners at the middle ( picture). Brush the surface again with oil.

Place it on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Then bake until the top takes on a light golden colour. Cut in 4 pieces, sprinkle Antep pistachios on top and serve while still hot.

*In 2013, Gaziantep baklava became the first Turkish product with a European protected designation of origin and geographical indication. Antep is also famous for its slender type of pistachios.

Türkiye produces two types of pistachios: Antep, which are the small, slim ones in brown shells from the area around Gaziantep in western Türkiye, and round, fatter nuts with pale beige shells from Siirt, in eastern Türkiye. The Antep pistachios are consumed both as a snack and as a major component in baklava and other sweets. The Siirt pistachios, on the other hand, are closer to Iranian pistachios in looks and flavor and sold mainly as a snack.