Pickled Long Green Peppers with Ricotta Cheese

(Eksimikli Biber Tursusu - from the Thrace Region)

Pickled Long Green Peppers, sliced
Onion, sliced
Extra virgin olive oil
Ricotta cheese

Lightly caramelized the onion with olive oil. Add the pickled green pepper slices. Continue to saute 2-3 more minutes. Add a few table spoon ricotta cheese, toss. Turn the heat off. Then place on a service plate. Drizzle a little bit extra virgin olive oil. If you like sprinkle some red pepper flakes all over it.

Serve Pickled Long Green Peppers with Ricotta Cheese while still warm with Turkish pide or bread and Turkish Tea for breakfast or brunch or as an appetizer on weekends:)

Mixed Salad with Brine Dressing

(Tursu Suyu ile Tadlandirilmis Karisik Salata)

Mixed green salad
Tomato wedges
Cucumbers, sliced
Few slice of white onion
Feta cheese, crumbled
Turkish black olive

Dressing made from pickled vegetables and pickle brine:
1/2 cup pickle brine
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp oregano

Whisk the dressing ingredients and keep it in the glass container with lid (always keep it in the refrigerator). Toss the salad with a few tablespoons of dressing, serve immediately.

Pickled Long Green Peppers

(Sivri Biber Tursusu)

500 gr long green peppers, washed
4-5 stems of parsley

For the pickling liquid (pickle brine):
2 cups water
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp liquid oil
1/2 tsp paprika
1-2 garlic cloves, mashed with salt

Arrange the long green peppers into the medium clean glass jar.

Bring to boil water, vinegar, salt, oil paprika and garlic for 2-3 minutes into the pot. Turn the heat off. Let it cool down first. Then pour into the jar, cover the peppers.

Tightly cover the jar, turn up side down. Occasionally turn the jar up side down:) Keep it cool and humid place for about 15 days.

Antep Style Spinach Borani

(Ispanak Borani - Gaziantep-Southeast Anatolia Region)

1 pkg (300 gr) frozen chopped spinach, squeeze it with your hands to get rid of excess water
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp flour, all purpose
3/4 cup milk, warm
Salt
Pepper

Garlic Yogurt Sauce:
4-5 tbsp plain yogurt, at room temperature
1-2 garlic cloves, mashed with salt

Tomato Sauce:
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tbs crushed tomato, canned

In a medium pot, heat up the olive oil in a large pot, then add flour, salt and pepper. Keep stirring with a wooden spoon until blend well. Then slowly pour the warm milk in it while stirring constantly. The milk and flour should blend very well. You can use an egg beater. Now add the spinach, stir well. Let the spinach heat up. Turn the heat off.

Place on a serving dish. Spoon out the garlic yogurt sauce on spinach. Heat up the oil in a small pan. Add the crushed tomato in it, stir and pour all over it. If you like sprinkle a little bit mint the top. Spinach Borani is ready to serve as a side dish or appetizer:)

Pashazade

(Paşazade)

250-300 gr veal, cut in cubes
1 cup hot water
2 tbsp butter
1 medium size eggplant, peel the skin in strips lengthwise, cut in bite size, soak in water with salt for about 20 minutes, then squeeze
1 medium sized onion, sliced
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium sized tomato, diced
1 tbsp crushed tomato, canned
1 cubanalle pepper, sliced
3/4 cup hot water
Salt
Pepper

Sunflower oil for frying Mozzarella cheese, grated

Cook the veal with their own juice. Then add 1 cup hot water and cook over low heat until the veal pieces are tender. Add the onion, saute for about few minutes. Then add the garlic. When smell of garlic comes out add the tomato, crushed tomato, cubanalle pepper, 3/4 cup hot water, salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables are tender at medium-low heat.

Meanwhile fry the eggplants in sunflower oil. After frying, place the eggplants on a plate with paper towel to soak up extra oil. Add the eggplants into the pot, stir. Then turn the heat off after 2 minutes.

Place the cooked dish in an ovenproof dish. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the top. Preheat the oven to 4000 F (200 C). Cook until the cheese meltes. Immediately serve this delicious dish which belongs to Ottoman cuisine.

2 servings.

*Ottoman Kitchen

Mushrooms with Fried Eggs

(Mantarli Yumurta)

1 cup mushrooms, cleaned, cut in 2 or 4
1 small onion, sliced
2-3 strips of red Bell pepper
1 tbsp butter or 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 eggs 1 tsp butter

Saute the onion with butter for about 2-3 minutes at medium heat. Add the mushrooms and red peppers, continue to saute at a little bit over medium heat. Do not over cook!

Meanwhile fried the eggs with butter in a pan. Serve Mushrooms with Fried Eggs with freshly baked Turkish bread and Turkish Tea for breakfast or lunch or brunch on weekends:)

Green Lentil with Zucchini and Garlic-Mint Sauce

(Mercimekli Kabak aka Eksili Kabak - İçel - Mediterranean Region)

3/4 cup lentils, soak in water overnight, rinsed
4-5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp crushed tomatoes, canned
1 tsp red pepper paste
2 cups warm chicken stock or beef stock or just water
Salt
Pepper
2 medium sized zucchinis, diced

Garlic-Mint Sauce:
1-2 garlic cloves, mashed with salt
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp dry mint

Saute the onion with olive oil in a medium size pot. Then add the rest of the ingredients except zucchini. Cook for about 20-25 minutes at medium-low heat until the lentils are soften, stir occasionally. Add the zucchinis and cook for about 7-8 more minutes, until they are softened, try to retain a slight crunch:)

Meanwhile mix mashed garlic with lemon juice and mint. Add into the pot, stir and cover. Let stand for about 2-3 minutes and serve.

Makes 2 servings.

Rice Pilaf with Artichokes

(Enginarli Pilav)

1/2 cup long-grain rice, washed, drained
1 cup hot water
2 small size artichokes, frozen thawed, cut in bite size
1/3 cup fresh fava beans, shelled*
1 small carrot, peeled, grated
White parts of 2 green onions, chopped
4-5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp sugar
Salt
Pepper

Garnish:
Dill, chopped

Place all the ingredients except rice in a medium size pot. Saute for about 4-5 minutes over low heat. Add the rice, stir. Add the hot water in it. Turn the heat to low. Cover and cook until the rice absorbs all the water.

Take the cooking pot away from the heat. Open the lid, place a clean kitchen towel across the top of the pot on the rim and cover. Let the Pilaf stand for about 5 minutes. We call this brewing time. Sprinkle the dill, toss it with a wooden or regular fork, then serve.

2 servings.

*Peel the beans out of the big pods. Then peel the outer shells using a small knife.

Flat Bread with Cheese

(Peynirli Pide, from the Adana Region)

Bread or Pizza Dough
Plain Yogurt
Turkish Kashar or Asiago cheese, grated

Break the dough in egg size pieces. Flatten the dough pieces using a roller. Apply the yogurt and rub in with your finger tips on the dough. Spread the Turkish Kashar or Asiago cheese, press down using your finger tips all over the dough. Place the parchment paper on an oven tray and arrange on it.

Preheat the oven to 500 F (250 C). Place the tray on the middle rack. When the top is light golden colour, take it from the oven. It takes app. 10-13 minutes.

Serve Cheese Pide with tomato, peppers, parsley, Ayran by the side.

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

Okra with Chickpeas in Olive Oil

(Nohutlu Bamya)

375 g (drained weight) okra*, in a can, washed and drained
1/2 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed
1 tomato, peeled, diced
1 tbsp crushed tomato
50 ml extra virgin olive oil (half for cooking, half for after cooking)
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp lemon juice
Salt
Pepper

Garnish:
1 tsp dry mint

Place all the ingredients in a medium sized pot. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes at medium-low heat. Then turn the heat off. Pour the rest of the olive oil, sprinkle some mint.

Serve while still warm or at room temperature or chilled.

2 servings.

*You can use fresh or frozen okra to cook any okra dishes. Just cooking time takes a little bit longer, like 5 more minutes. You should choose the small ones to cook any okra dishes:)

Stuffed Mackerel

(Uskumru Dolması)

2 Mackerel, (you can find it in the frozen section at the super markets)
4-5 tbsp flour, all purpose
1/2 cup sunflower oil

Stuffing:
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 tsp pine nuts
Fish meat (inside of the Mackerels)
2 tsp currants
3 stalk of parsley, washed, chopped
2 stalk of dill, washed, chopped
Pinch of cinnamon
Salt
Pepper

First, cut the mackerel's head & tail and discard. Slightly rub the fish with palm of your hand, so that the meat and the bone should separate from the skin. Also, break off the bone from the tail side. Unplug the bone from the top. Push the meat and bone outward from the tail. Discard the guts. Separate and discard the bones from the fish meat. Finely chop the meat portion (picture).

To prepare the stuffing; saute the onion and pine nuts with olive oil for about 2-3 minutes. Add the rest of the filling into the pot. Turn the heat of when the fish meat is cooked. It takes only for about 2-3 minutes. Let it cool down.

Stuff the skin of mackerel with the filling by using a teaspoon. The skin may burst during frying. To prevent this, tie the mackerel at three points with the string.

Dust the fishes with the flour. Heat up the sun flower oil in medium frying pan. Fry each side, turn them gently. Place on a paper towel to soak up any extra oil. Cut off the strings. Serve the stuffed mackerel with lemon wedges.

2 Stuffed Mackerel

*Dolma is a Turkish word means stuffed in English:).

Meal Ideas:
- Arugula Salad, Fava, Bread with Black Olives, Turkish Tahini Cake and Turkish Coffee.

Turkish Tahini Cake

(Tahinli Kagit Helva Pastasi)

3 Turkish Wafer Helva, Koska brand name

Tahini Filling:
250 gr tahini (sesame paste)
125 gr butter, unsalted, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp cocoa powder

Garnish:
1 tbsp sesame seeds, lightly toasted

Place all the filling ingredients in a medium size pot. Melt the butter and sugar, stir constantly. Turn the heat off. Do not over heat! Let it cool down.

Spread the tahini filling between the wafers. Cover the top and the sides with the remaining filling. Let the cake cool down and then sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top, and serve.

Great cake after Seafood meal:)

Fried Carrots with Chilli Peppers

(Acılı Havuç Kızartması, from the Thrace Region)

Carrot, peeled, sliced
1/4 cup sunflower oil

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

Garnish:
Red pepper flakes

Fry the carrots in sunflower oil. Place them on a paper towel to soak up extra oil. Let them cool down first.

Then place them on a serving platter. Garnish with red pepper flakes. Serve chilled or at room temperature with Garlic Yogurt Sauce.

Shiveydiz

(Şiveydiz - Gaziantep-Southeast Anatolia Region)

250 gr. lamb, cut in cubes
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 + 1 cup warm water
1/2 cup chickpeas, canned, rinsed
4 fresh onions, only white part, cut in chunks
4 fresh garlic stalks, cut in chunks
Salt
Pepper

Yogurt Sauce:
2 tbsp creamy yogurt
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp flour

Butter Mint Sauce:
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp dry mint

Saute the lamb cubes with olive oil until their colors turn to light brown. Add the 1/2 cup warm water and cook until the lambs are tender. Then add the chickpeas, 1 cup warm water, fresh onion, fresh garlic stalks, salt and pepper. Cover and cook until all the vegetables are tender at low heat. If it necessary add a little bit more hot water. Take out couple of spoon juice from the dish. Mix with the yogurt sauce. Then pour it back into the pot. Simmer for about 5-6 more minutes without the lid.

Place the butter in a small frying pan. When it begins spitting, stir in the mint and pour into the dish. Serve the Shiveydiz with Turkish Rice Pilaf.

2 servings.

Another Summer dish...before the season ends:)