Nov
15

Izmir Meatballs

admin on November 15th, 2009

Classic Turkish style meat balls recipe but this time oven cooked in tomato sauce.

Ingredients (for 4):

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 onion
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs
  • 2 potatoes
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 4-5 cubanelle peppers
  • pinch of salt
  • pinch of black pepper
  • extra light olive oil for frying

Recipe:

  1. Peel and grate the onion. Combine the ground beef, bread crumbs, onion, egg, salt, and black pepper. Mix well. Take walnut size piece from the meatball mixture and round it in your hand and roll the meatball to a thumb-like shape.
  2. Peel the potatoes. Wash and pat dry them with a paper towel. Cut the potatoes into wedges. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Fry the potatoes wedges and arrange the fried potatoes along the edges of an oven safe dish.
  3. Use the same oil to fry the meatballs. Arrange the fried meatballs in the middle of the potato wedges.
  4. Fry the cubanelle peppers briefly and place them over the meatballs and potatoes.
  5. Grate the tomatoes and pour the pulpy juice over the dish.
  6. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cook for 20-25 minutes and serve warm.
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Nov
3

Tarhana Soup with Garlic and Ground Beef

admin on November 3rd, 2009

We love soup! It runs in our family. Sometimes we don’t ask for anything else but a warm soup for dinner. Smell of the tarhana soup with garlic and ground beef always reminds us our beloved aunt. Don’t know if it’s the smell of the sauteed ground beef with garlic followed by mouth watering smell of mint and tarhana or its heart warming taste in cold winter evening, but one thing is for sure: it’s always going to be a favor in our dinner tables.

tarhana-corbasi

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 tablespoons ground beef
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 teaspoon tomato paste
  • 3 tablespoons tarhana
  • 1 tablespoon dried mint
  • pinch of salt
  • 5 cups water
  • paprika

Recipe:

  1. Melt the butter and the ground beef. When gound beef is cooked add the garlic and cook until it’s fragrant for about a minute.
  2. Add tomato paste, tarhana, mint, and salt and stir couple times. Pour the water to the pan. Adjust the amount of the water depending on the texture you like in your soup. Bring it to boil while stirring constantly. Let it simmer for 10 minutes.
  3. Serve warm with paprika.
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Oct
29

Beet Salad with Goat Cheese, Caramelized Pears, and Candied Walnuts

admin on October 29th, 2009

This is a delicious and easy salad which takes little time and is a great meatless main course. It uses beets, goat cheese, candied walnuts and caramelized pears.

cevizli-pancar-salatasi

Ingredients:

  • 2 beets (one red and one golden)
  • 1 pear (peeled, cored, and quartered)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon butter
  • 2 tablespoons goat cheese
  • walnuts (as much as you want)
  • olive oil
  • balsamic vinegar

Tarif: Recipe:

  1. Place beets into a saucepan, and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then cook for 20 to 30 minutes, until tender. Drain and cool, then peel and cut in to cubes.
  2. While cooking the beets, in a skillet, heat the butter until it is bubbling. Add the pear slices to the skillet and continue to cook over medium high heat for approximately 5 minutes or until tender crisp and beginning to brown. Turn several times to brown evenly. Add the sugar and continue to cook until sugar has melted and started to caramelize. Pear slices should be tender.
  3. Take the caramelized pears to a plate and place the walnuts in the same skillet and toast them over medium-low heat.
  4. Toss the beets with as much olive oil and vinegar desired. Place the beets to a salad bowl and top with goat cheese crumbs, caramelized pears and walnuts.
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Oct
29

Hasan Pasha Meatballs

admin on October 29th, 2009

There hasn’t been any dish with meatballs and potatoes that I haven’t fallen in love with. Here is another delicious meatballs recipe from Turkish cuisine.

firinda-izgara-kofte

Meatball ingredients:

  • 1 lb ground beef (80/20 lean)
  • 3 tablespoons bread crumbs
  • 1 onion (grated)
  • 2 eggs
  • pinch salt
  • pinch black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

In addition:

  • 3 potatoes
  • 3 tablespoon milk
  • pinch salt

Instructions:

  1. Except olive oil, mix all the meatball ingredients. Brush the oven pan with olive oil. Shape into egg-size meatballs. Flatten them a bit and make a dent in the center with your thumb. Place them in the oven pan and brush them with the remainin olive oil. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Bake the meatballs for 20-25 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes. Drain, peel, and mash with milk and salt.
  3. Take the meatballs out of the oven. Fill each dent in the meatballs with a little bit of mashed potato, using a teaspoon. Bake for another 4-5 minutes.
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Oct
29

Revani: Turkish Semalino Cake

admin on October 29th, 2009

Revani, Turkish semalino cake with syrup, is surprisingly light and easy to make.

revani

Ingredients:

  • 6 eggs
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup semolina
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

For syrup:

  • 4 cups sugar
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions:

  1. Mix together eggs, half a cup sugar, and lemon zest to get a thick mixture. Add the lemon juice and mix couple more times.
  2. Add flour, semolina, and baking powder and combine all. Pour the mixture to pre-greased pan. Cook for 25-35 minutes in oven preheated to 350°F.
  3. Meanwhile boil the sugar and water to prepare the syrup. Add the lemon juice to the syrup.
  4. Transfer the revani to a bigger pan and pour the hot syrup over the revani. Let it sit in the oven until it absorbs the syrup and enlarges 1.5 times. Don’t forget basting the top of the revani.
  5. Soğuğunca üzerine hindistan cevizi rendesi serpip servis yapın. Let it cool and serve with coconut flakes.
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Oct
25

Secrets of Cooking The Perfect Pilaf

admin on October 25th, 2009

sehriye-orzo While cooking pilaf, add a thin slice of lemon or a couple drops of lemon juice for a snow white and flaky pilaf.

Once the pilaf is off the heat, place a paper towel under the lid and let it sit covered for 10-15 minutes. Paper towel will absorb all the extra moisture and prevent the pilaf getting sticky.

Heating the leftover pilaf is always tricky; sticks to the pan, pilaf at bottom of the pan gets warmer before the rest. Try the double boiler technique; place a cup of pilaf in a larger saucepan partially filled with water brought to a simmer or boil.

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Oct
25

Pickled Cabbage

admin on October 25th, 2009

Getting ready for winter: Pickled cabbage is widely enjoyed with warm winter dishes. Korean kimchi has a similar flavor as this Turkish style pickle.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb cabbage
  • 1 whole garlic head
  • 1/4 bunch parsley
  • 2 cups apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon paprika paste
  • 1 lemon (peeled; sliced round)

Instructions:

  1. Slice the cabbage (finger width thick) and rub with paprika paste, garlic, and salt mixture.
  2. Fill the pickle jar with the cabbage mixture; place lemon rings flat against the glass all around the jar.
  3. Fill the pickle jar with the vinegar and top with the parsley.

Tips:

  • For a fresher taste, open the pickle jar every day and stir the pickle. Pickle will be ready to serve in 2 weeks.
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Oct
24

Dried Apricot Dessert

admin on October 24th, 2009

Doğal yollarla kurutulmuş dünyanın en güzel ve lezzetli kayısısıyla zahmetsiz bir tatlı tarifi. A simple dessert recipe with organically dried apricots from Malatya.

cevizli-gunkurusu-tatlisi

Malzemeler: Ingredients:

  • 150 gr gün kurusu kayısı 0.3 lb dried apricot
  • 1/2 yemek kaşığı tereyağ 1/2 tablespoon butter
  • 3 karanfil 3 cloves
  • 1/2 su bardağı su 1/2 cup water
  • 2 yemek kaşığı dövülmüş ceviz içi 2 tablespoons walnuts
  • tarçın (arzuya göre) cinnamon (optional)

Hazırlanması: Instructions:

  1. Kayısıları dörde bölüp tereyağında orta hararetli ateşte kavurun. Quarter the dried apricots and sautee in butter on medium heat.
  2. Suyu ve karanfili ilave edip kayısılar suyu çekene kadat pişirin. Add the water and cloves and cook until apricots absorb all the water.
  3. Ateşten alıp servis tabağına koyun ve içinden karanfilleri çıkarın. Üzerine dövülmüş ceviz ve arzuya göre tarçın serpip servis yapın. Remove from the heat and transfer to a plate and remove all the cloves. Top with walnuts and cinnamon (optinal) before serving.

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