Chicken-Artichoke Hearts Salad

(Tavuklu Enginar Kalbi Salatasi)

Artichoke hearts, 340 ml canned, in quarers, rinsed, drained
1 cup chicken pieces, cooked
1 cubanalle pepper, sliced
7-8 mushrooms, sliced, boiled in lemon water
1/4 cup Turkish kashar or asiago cheese, cut in cubes
1/4 cup fresh walnuts or lightly toasted walnuts, crumbled

Dressing:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp oregano
Salt
Pepper

Mix the main ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk all the salad dressing ingredients, pour all over and toss. Place in a salad bowl and serve.

You can make this salad using the the leftover turkey or chicken from New Year's Eve...

Baked Pear Dessert

(Firinda Armut Tatlisi)

2 ripe Bartlett pears, cut in half, discard the seeds, cut off a thin slice of the bottom of each one, so that they can stand straight.
4 tsp golden or brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
8 walnuts, toasted

Spread 1 teaspoon brown sugar and cinnamon on each pear. Place them on an oven tray side by side.

Preheat the oven 400 F (200 C). Bake for about 30-35 minutes. Place them in a service plate. Then serve this dessert with a dollop of ice cream and sprinkle some roasted walnuts over the top.

I suggest you to serve this dessert with a spoon. While eating, make sure to get some pear, walnuts, ice cream and syrup with each spoon:)

4 servings.

New Year Eve's Menu:
-Chestnut Soup, Chicken Casserole with Roasted Eggplant, Appetizers, Salads, Pastries...

Chicken Casserole with Roasted Eggplant

(Firinda Kozlenmis Patlicanli Tavuk)

2 large eggplants
Salt
Pepper

Chicken Filling:
~250 gr chicken breast, cut in cubes
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 stick cinnamon, break in 2 or 3
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 cup mushroom, brushed, sliced
1/4 cup cream 35%
1/4 cup milk, 3.25%
Salt
Pepper

1/2 cup Kashar cheese (or Mozzarella), shredded

Before putting the eggplants in the oven, make holes on them with a fork so that they will soften and roast better. Then place them on an oven tray and roast for about 25 minutes on broil. Alternatively, you can barbecue them until softened. Then peel them, remove any hard seeds if any and place them in a strainer to drain. Cut in small pieces. Place the roasted eggplant an oiled medium sized oven dish. Season with salt and pepper.

In a medium sized pan, saute the chicken and cinnamon with olive oil until the colour of chicken turns to white. Add the garlic, when smell of garlic comes out add mushroom. Cook for about 4-5 minutes until all the water evaporates over medium heat. Add the cream, milk, salt and pepper, stir. Turn the heat off, discard the cinnamon stick. Arrange the filling evenly all over the roasted eggplant. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top.

Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C) and bake until the top is golden.

4 servings.

*Ottoman Kitchen

Chestnut Soup

(Kestane Corbasi)

300 g chestnuts, boiled, peeld
1 tsp butter
2 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp corn starch + 3-4 tbsp water
Salt
Pepper

Garnish:
2 tbsp yogurt, plain
Handful pomegranate seeds
Cinnamon

Use the immersion blender to mix the boiled chestnuts and 1 cup chicken broth. Pour into the medium-size pot with 1 1/2 cup chicken broth. Heat it up at medium heat. Then add the corn starch mixed with water, butter, salt and pepper. Stir constantly for 7-8 minutes to get it thick.

Pour the soup into individual bowls. Sprinkle some pomegranate seeds, pinch of cinnamon and dollop of plain Turkish yogurt over the tops, then serve.

2 servings.

*Ottoman Cuisine

Roasted Red Pepper Dip with Walnuts

(Kozlenmis Kirmizi Biber Ezmesi)

4 red Bell peppers, roasted, peeled
3-4 garlic cloves, sliced
4 tbsp walnuts, crumbled
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt
Pepper

Mix all the ingredients using a food processor until it is smooth. Arrange on a service bowl. Serve the Roasted Red Pepper Dip with toasted Turkish Pide slices as an appetizer.

Roasted Red Pepper:
Cut off the tops of the red peppers. Discard the seeds. Cut each pepper in half. Set the oven to broil (grill), and heat it up. Place the red peppers on an oven tray (inside facing down) and place in the oven. Roast them for about 15 minutes. Leave them in a paper or plastic bag for about 10 minutes to peel off the skin easily.

*Alternatively, you can barbecue it until softened. Just place the red peppers out side facing down on the barbecue.

Gaziantep Style Black-Eyed Peas Salad

(Loğlaz Piyazı)

1/2 cup black-eyed peas, boil in 2 cups of water until softened (about 20 minutes), then rinse and drain
2 green onions, chopped
2-3 branch parsley, chopped
2 tbsp pomegranate paste
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp red pepper paste or 1 tsp red pepper, powdered
1/4 cup walnuts, crumbled
Salt

Mix all the ingredients. Put it aside for about half an hour before you serve it :)

Cabbage Rolls in Olive Oil

(Zeytinyagli Lahana Sarmasi)

1 medium white Cabbage
1 1/2 cups hot 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
2 tbsp pine nuts
1 tbsp currant
1 tbsp dry mint
1 tsp allspice
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup hot water
Salt

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

Saute the onion with olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add the rice, sugar, nuts, currant, mint, allspice, tomato paste and salt, stir. Saute over very low heat until the rice looks almost see-through. Add the 1 cup hot water. Cook until all the water evaporates, stirring occasionally over 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 teaspoon to put filling on each leaf. First fold over the top, then the two sides and roll to close it up.

Pour in 1 1/2 cup of water from the side of pot. Drizzle the 1/4 cup olive oil over the top. Cover and cook over 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 it cools down, place on a serving dish and serve with lemon slices. Keep in the fridge.

Hummus with Turkish Pastrami

(Pastirmali Humus - Antakya - Mediterranean Region)

Hummus Ingredients:
1 can of chickpeas (540 ml), washed, 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
~
2 tbsp pine nuts

Garnish:
3-4 slices pastirma (Turkish Pastrami), cut in medium size pieces
1 tbsp butter

Mix all the ingredients using a food processor until it is smooth. Add the pine nuts in it, stir.

Melt the butter in a pan. Lightly fry the pastirma pieces. Place the hummus on a serving platter and top with the pastırma. Serve hot as an appetizer with 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.

Turkish Ricotta Patties

(Lor Köftesi)

Kofte Ingredients:
~300 gr fresh Ricotta Cheese, wrap into two layers of paper towel to soak up any extra water
1 small size egg
4 tbsp all purpose flour
4 tbsp bread crumbs
1 small tomato, peeled, discard seeds, cut in small dice
2 tbsp walnuts, chopped
1/2 crushed pepper
4-5 peppercorn,crushed
2 tbsp parsley,chopped
2 tbsp dill,chopped
Salt

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 egg, whisked

For frying; Sunflower oil.

Mix all the Kofte ingredients in small bowl. Then give them the shape with your hands, shown in the picture. Keep it in the fridge for about half an hour.

Pour the sunflower oil in a frying pan and heat it up. Place the flour on a plate and beat the eggs in a bowl. First dip each kofte in the flour, then dip in the egg mixture. Fry the kofte evenly.

Afterwards, place on a paper towel to soak up any extra oil. Let the Ricotta Patties stand for about 1,5 - 2 hours. Serve with Turkish black olives, tomato and parsley as an appetizer or breakfast!

13-14 Ricotta Patties.

Beetroot Salad

(Pancar Salatasi)

3-4 small size beetroots, peeled
2 garlic cloves, mashed with salt
3-4 tbsp wine vinegar

Boil the beetroots, let it cool down, slice them up. Place in a service plate. Whisk a ladle of beetroot juice with garlic and vinegar in bowl. Pour all over the beetroots. I find that Beetroot Salad is more delicious if you put it aside for a few hours before you serve it:)

Fish Borek

(Balik Boregi)

4 sheets Phyllo Pastry

Filling:
250 gr Bluefish, Bonito, Sole or Code Fish..., cut in bite sized
1 large tomato, discard the seeds, finely chopped
1 tsp oregano
1/2 crushed pepper
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice
Salt
Pepper
2 tbsp dill, chopped

1/2 cup sunflower oil

Cook the tomato, oregano, crushed pepper, salt and pepper for about 4-5 minutes at medium heat. Add the fish, lemon zest and lemon juice, cook until the fish is cooked. If it has so much tomato juice in it, cook until almost all the juice is evaporated. If you like you may add a little bit tomato paste to give some colour.

Fold the each sheet, then cut in half at the middle. Now you should have 8 smaller pieces of phyllo pastry (picture). Put one spoonful of filling on one side of each sheet. First fold the ends from the outside to the inside, then roll it up (picture). Soak the open end in the water and close it up.

After you've rolled up all the sheets, heat up the sunflower oil on the stove in a frying pan. Fry each borek equally at medium heat until they take a light golden color. Don't leave the stove as they fry quickly:) Place ones that are done on a paper towel to soak up extra oil.

Serve the Fish Borek as a hot appetizer with red onion slices and lemon wedges.

8 Fish Borek.

Tahini-Garlic Dip

(Hibeş - Antalya)

1/2 cup tahini (sesame paste)
1-2 garlic cloves, mashed with salt
1/2 tsp red pepper, powdered
1/2 tsp cumin
The juice of one lemon
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt

Mix tahini, garlic, red pepper and cumin in a bowl with tablespoon. Slowly add the lemon juice and olive oil, continue to mix. Taste if necessary add salt.

Place in a service plate. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil over the top. Serve the Tahini-Garlic Dip as an appetizer with vegetable pickles and pickled olives.

Barley/Wheat Salad

(Buğday/Arpa Salatası)

1/3 cup pearl barley or wheat, cook until tender, drain
1/4 cup green lentil, cook until tender, drain
1 or 1/2 of red Bell pepper (depends on its size), chopped
2 green onions, sliced
1 or 1/2 of green Bell pepper (depends on its size), chopped
2 fresh mint leaves, break up in 3 or 4
1 tsp basil
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp pomegranate paste
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of crushed pepper
Salt
Pepper

Toss all the ingredients in a bowl, cover. Keep it in the refrigerator for about an hour, then serve.