Oct
15

Eggplant Wrapped Meatballs

admin on October 15th, 2009

Speciality of Chez Semoş. Turkish meatballs wrapped in eggplant and cooked in tomato sauce.

patlicanli-kofte

Ingredients:

  • 4 eggplants (sliced lengthwise to 1/8 inch)
  • 7-8 cubanelle peppers (sliced into 2 inch strips)
  • 3 tomatoes (sliced)
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil

Meatball ingredients:

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 onion (grated)
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup bread crumbs
  • pinch of salt
  • black pepper
  • cumin

Instructions:

  1. Soak the eggplants into salty cold water for 30 minutes. Rinse the salt from the eggplant and pat dry.
  2. Meanwhile mix all the meatball ingredients, make walnut size meatballs. Cover and let sit in the fridge while you prepare the eggplant.
  3. Heat the olive oil and deep fry the eggplants.
  4. Place one slice of eggplant across another and place a meatball to the middle. Wrap both sides of the lower eggplant up and over followed by the sides of the outer slice of eggplant. Flip the wrapped meatball and top with a slice of tomato and a piece of pepper and secure with a toothpick.
  5. Place the eggplant wrapped meatballs into a wide pan on a single layer. Top with the tomato paste dissolved in 2 cups of hot water. Once boiled, turn down the heat to medium and cook until the meatballs are done.
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Oct
14

Red Potatoes with Dill

admin on October 14th, 2009

baked-potatoes-firinda-patetes

Dice the potatoes to medium size cubes. Pick a skillet large enough to cook the potatoes in a single layer. Heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil in the skillet (use just enough to cover the bottom of the skillet). Add the potatoes. Once you hear the sizzling sound and the potatoes start to brown, turn the heat down to medium. Cover the skillet and cook until the inside of the potatoes are softened. Meanwhile chopped some dill and green onions. Add the greens, salt, and black pepper. Cook until its fragrant and serve.

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Oct
13

Honey & Papaya Lightening Mask

admin on October 13th, 2009

For hyperpigmentation, sun spots and uneven pigment:

papaya

  1. Blend together two tablespoons of honey and half a cup of mashed ripe papaya.
  2. Apply on the face evenly for 15-20 minutes.
  3. Rinse with lukewarm water and then moisturize.
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Oct
11

Poached Pumpkin

admin on October 11th, 2009

Welcoming October with poached pumpkin dessert with walnuts.

kabak-tatlisi

Ingredients:

  • Kent or Japanese pumpkin
  • sugar
  • walnuts

Instructions:

  1. Slice pumpkin wedges and seed and peel the wedges. Cut the pumpkin wedges into 1-1 1/2 inch cubes. Place pumpkin cubes into a pan. Sprinkle the sugar over the pumpkin generously. Sugar pumpkin weight ratio should be about one to two but adjust based on the sweetness of the pumpkin. Cover the pan and allow to sit for 3-4 hours or over night. The sugar will draw out an amazing amount of liquid from the pumpkin.
  2. . Cook over low heat for 30 minutes.
  3. Bake for 20 minutes at 300°F oven.
  4. Once cool down, serve with crushed walnuts over the top.
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Oct
10

Red Lentils Patties

admin on October 10th, 2009

Ideal treat for guests and tea times.

mercimekli-kofte

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups red lentils
  • 4 cups water
  • 1.5 cups fine bulgur wheat
  • 2 onion
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 teaspooon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1.5 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 bunch dill
  • 1/2 bunch parsley
  • 6-7 green onions
  • lettuce

Instructions:

  1. Wash and rinse the lentils, put in a pan with 4 cups of water and cook over a medium heat until lentils were mashed but still some of the water not absorbed.
  2. Place the bulgur in a wide deep dish. Pour the watery lentils over the bulgur. Cover the dish and let it sit for 10-25 minutes to absorb the excess water from the lentils.
  3. Meanwhile, chop the onions finely and cook in olive oil until softened and translucent. Add the tomato paste. Add the spices and salt and mix the onion sauce.
  4. Add the onion sauce to the lentils and bulgur mixture. Mix all the ingredients and cover the dish again.
  5. Cut the ends of green onions and wash them. Wash the parsley leaves and dill. Finely chop the greens.
  6. Knead the lentil-bulgur mixture for 10 minutes. Add the greens to this mixture and knead for another 2-3 minutes. Take walnut size pieces from the mixture and shape them like alongated meatballs.
  7. Cover the serving plate with lettuce and place the red lentils patties over the lettuce.
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Oct
9

Turkish Yogurt and Cucumber Dip

admin on October 9th, 2009

Amazingly pure and refreshing!

Ingredients:

  • 2 small cucumber
  • 1 cup yogurt
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • a pinch of salt
  • olive oil
  • dill or mint

Recipe:

  1. Peel the cucumbers. Cut into two lengthwise and take out the seeds with a help of a teaspoon. Sprinkle some salt over the cucumbers and let them sit to get ride of the excess water.
  2. Meanwhile mince the garlic.
  3. Mix the yogurt, garlic, and salt.
  4. Pat dry the cucumbers and dice them. Mix with the yogurt.
  5. Drizzle a little olive oil over the dip and top with mint or dill before serving.
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Oct
9

Edamame

admin on October 9th, 2009

Rich in proteins and vitamins A, B, and C.

soy-beans-soya-fasulye

Ingredients:

Edamame, water, and pinch of salt.

Instructions:

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add edamame and continue boiling until beans are crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. To prevent overcooking, start checking for doneness approximately 7 minutes after cooking.
  2. When done, run cold water over, or put in ice water, to stop cooking. Drain well; pat excess moisture off, and sprinkle with salt to taste. (Start with 1/2 teaspoon.)
  3. To eat, hold pod by stem end, and slide the individual beans out with your teeth. Discard pod.
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Oct
7

Meatball Soup with Potatoes and Carrots

admin on October 7th, 2009

With itty-bitty meatballs in carrot-potato soup, this is the perfect soup to warm you up in cold winter nights. Don’t forget to drizzle it with fresh lemon juice and freshly grounded blackpepper.

sulu-kofte

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 lb ground beef
  • 2 onions
  • 2 tablespoons rice
  • 1 egg
  • pinch salt
  • pinch black pepper
  • 2-3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 carrot
  • 2 potatoes
  • 6 cups water

Recipe:

  1. Knead the ground beef with one grated onion, egg white, rice, salt, and black pepper. Make walnut size meatball and roll them onto the tray of flour. Shack the tray gentle to cover the meatballs with flour uniformly.
  2. Sautee finely chopped one onion with olive oil. Add tomato paste and sautee for couple more seconds. Dice peeled carrot and potatoes to same size as the meatballs. Add carrots and potatoes to the pan and add 6 cups of water and then bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and add the meatballs one by one so that they won’t stick to each other. Add salt to taste. Cook on low heat until the meatballs and vegetables are done.
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