Steamed Kebab ( Bugu Kebabi )

I received as a gift cookbook called "Bereketli olsun" 30 years ago when I was in the collage. I was interested cooking even before collage years and I was mostly baking. I made so many dishes from this cooking book over the years. One of my best meat recipe was Steamed kebab. If you find right meat it will the best meat dish ever. One of my friend brought me as a gift same book with new version and also English. I was so happy. Here is the pictures of the book from 30 years ago and new version.
















I will write this recipe English and Turkish :)

Ingredients (Malzemeler )
1 kg  of cubed beef sirloin   (1 kg koyun kusbasi et )
2 tablespoon  of oil (2 kasik yag )
3 small onions (3 avuc arpacik sogan )
3-4 cloves of garlic ( 3 dis sarimsak )
1 tomato ( 2 domates)
1 teaspoon of thyme ( 1 cay kasigi kekik )
1-2 bay leaves ( 2 defne yapragi )

Directions ( Yapilisi )
1- In a pressure cooker, stir together oil, chopped onion, garlic,grated tomato, thyme,bay leaves, slat and black pepper.
( duduklu tencereye et, sogan,sarmsak,tuz, karabiber,kekik,defne yapragi, ve rendelenmis domates ile yag karisik konur.
2-Cover and cook for an hour on a low heat. Remove from heat and uncover once it steams.
(Su koy,adan kapak kapatilir. Hafif ateste 1 saat pisirilir )
3-Serve with mash potato or rice
( Pilav ve salata ile servis yapilir

Olive bread

This recipe is from cookbook called Bereketli Olsun. I used this bread recipe almost 25 years ago. I liked it so I decided to bake it again. It was delicious.
Ingredients

4 eggs
3/4 cups olive oil
1/2 cup yogurt
1 cup pitted olive chopped
3 cups flour
1 tsp dry mint
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 lemon juice
salt
Preparation Method
In a large mixing bowl combine all the ingredients with hand mixer and pour in to greased bread pan.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 35-40 minutes.

Zucchini Patties ( Kabak Mucveri )

This dish is from Turkish cookbook called Turkish Table by Gonul Candas.  I prepared this dish for the family dinner party. Everyone loved it:)

Ingredients
3 medium size zucchini finely grated
6 springs of scallions chopped
3 eggs
1/2 bunch of parsley chopped
1/2 a bunch of dill chopped
4-5 tbsp flour
Salt and black pepper
4-6  tbsp olive oil for cooking.

 Preparation Method 
 Mix well all the ingredients except oil. 
Spoon the mixture onto a pan with hot oil and slightly flatten. fry until both sides turn pink.
Remove cooked pieces onto a plate and when cook another batch put little more oil and cook them until both side pink. Serve them hot or cold as a side dish.
 

Spinach with garlic yogurt

This recipe is from my childhood. My mom was making it very often. We called it meze. It is like a dip. Jeremy loved it.

Ingredients
1 lb fresh spinach chopped
1 onion chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves chopped
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
salt
Preparation Method
Saute onion with olive oil and add spinach cook until welted. Add garlic, cooked spinach, yogurt and salt  to the food processor  and process until mix thoroughly.  Serve with pita bread or vegetables.

Turkish carrot salad with garlic yogurt

This simple carrot salad is from my childhood. My mom made it very often. It is very simple and light dish. I use fat free yogurt.

Ingredients
2 cups Greek style yogurt 
4 medium carrot grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tbsp olive oil 
salt
Flat leaf parsley for garnish



Preparation Method
Heat oil in a non stick pan over medium heat. Add carrots cook stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until almost soft. remove from heat;  leave to cool.
Combine yogurt and carrots in a serving bowl. Add garlic ;toss. Add salt to taste.
Cover salad and chill for at least 1 hour. Spoon into serving bowls;garnish with parsley.

Bulgur with green lentils and walnuts

I was searching recipes and I found this website Almost Turkish Recipes. I will try recipes from this website. I like the recipes. Of course, I made some changes as usual.

Ingredients

1 cup hot water
1cup bulgur
1 cup cooked green lentil
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2-3 green onions, finely chopped
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill ( I didn't use it )
1 red pepper or 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp or less red pepper flakes
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil flakes
1 tsp dry mint flakes
3 tbsp olive oil ( recipe didn't have it)
1 tsp or less black pepper
 1 lemon juice
salt
optional a couple of cherry tomatoes
grape leaves (if unavailable, lettuce would do)
I didn't use grape leaves. 

Preparation Method

-Put bulgur in a bowl and add hot water. Stir once, cover with a thick towel and wait until bulgur soaks all the water.
-If you have fresh grape leaves, boil some water and cook grape leaves for 2-3 minutes. Set aside and let cool.
-Add tomato paste to bulgur and mix it well with the back of a spoon or your hands until paste is homogeneously distributed.
-Add lentils.
-Add green onion, parsley, dill, tomatoes, green pepper, basil, mint, red pepper flakes, black pepper, walnut, olive oil and salt.
-Serve bulgur with lentils with grape leaves or lettuce. Put some in the middle of a leave, make a roll or a bundle and enjoy.

Hunkar beyendi

Hungar begendi is lamb stew served on a bed of creamy roasted eggplant puree. I found this recipe from website http://almostturkish.blogspot.com/2008/11/sultans-delight-hnkar-beendi.html. I made some changes. I wrote my changes below next to ingredients.

for the stew

1 lb stew lamb (preferably from leg)
1 onion, finely chopped
2 green chilies or bell pepper, finely chopped
I used jalapeno pepper instead of chili or bell pepper
2 tomatoes, petite diced

2 tbsp tomato paste
2-3 tbsp butter-I used vegetable oil
salt and pepper
fresh parsley-I didn't use it. 
1-1 1/2 cup hot water

for the eggplant puree
2 lb eggplant
2 tbsp  white flour
1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup grated Turkish hard mature cheese OR kashkaval cheese OR parmesan 
1 cup milk
juice of 1/2 lemon-I didn't use it.
salt and pepper
Preparation Method
-Heat butter in a pot and sautee the onions for a couple of minutes. Then add the meat. When browned on all sides, add green pepper or jalapeno pepper. Stir for a couple of minutes.
-Add tomato paste and stir for another couple of minutes.
-Add tomaoes and cook for 5 minutes.
-At this point add the hot water and let simmer until meat is tender, approximately an hour. Add more water if need be.
-Meanwhile, wash and prick the eggplants with a fork on at least two sides.
-Place eggplants oon gas burner or under broiler turning them frequently until eggplant is collapsed and skin is charred. You can also bake them until flesh is soft, but charred tastes better.
-Let cool and then peel eggplants and discard stems.
-Mash eggplant with the back of a fork in a bowl and mix with lemon juice.
-Heat butther in a pot. Add flour and stir constantly to make a roux on low heat.
-Warm the milk and add slowly. Whisk to make the mixture smooth. simmer for 4-5 minutes.
-Add eggplant puree and mix well.
-Add salt and black pepper, and cheese. Mix well. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
-Make a bed on a plate with eggplant puree and place meat on top of eggplant puree. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Saute Mashrooms with tomatoes

I love saute mushrooms and I don't have to look recipe. This one is my creation:)

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive olive
1 onion chopped
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 green bell pepper chopped
2 big tomatoes chopped
2 jalapeno peppers chopped (optional )
1/4 cup chopped parsley


  Preparation method

Saute onions and peppers  in olive oil for 5 minute. Add mushrooms and tomatoes cover and cook 15 or 20 minutes. Garnish with parsley.

Bulgur with green lentils

This recipe from my mom. She was cooking this dish very often. I decided to make it today.

Ingredients 
 2 tbsp olive oil 
1 onion chopped  
1 cup bulgur
1 cup green lentil
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup chopped parsley


 Preparation Method
Place lentils and 2 cups water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil 5 minutes, then reduce to a simmer and cook until lentils are tender and liquids is dissolved about 30 minutes. Drain any remaining liquid.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan and add onion cook 3-5 minutes and then add cooked lentils and bulgur.
Stir well and then add chicken stock. Simmer until liquid dissolved. Stir in parsley.

Lady's thighs kofte ( kadin budu kofte)

This is very famous Turkish dish. It is dip fry meatballs. My mom was making them and I enjoyed making them until I decided to eat light food. I can still make them and cook it with little oil but my friend coming to learn how to cook them. I will show her how we cooked old days. She doesn't mind eating heavy food ones in a while.
I used recipe from my old cookbook bereketli olsun.   I used ground turkey instead of ground meat.

Ingredients

1.5 lb ground turkey
2 onion chopped very small
1 eggs
1/2 cup boiled rice
1 cup chopped fresh parsley 
 For frying
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs lightly beaten
oil for frying
Preparation Method
First cook half of the ground turkey with onion. Place in a large and add in the remaining row turkey,egg rice parsley, salt and pepper.Knead with your hands.Leave in the fridge for 30 minutes. Then give them the oval shape with your hands. 
Pour the oil in a large frying pan and heat it up. Place the bread crumbs on a plate and beat eggs in a bowl. First dip each kofte in the bread crumbs and then dip in the egg mixture. fry the kofte evenly.


 

Cigarette borek ( Sigara boregi)

I will have cooking class with my coworkers this Thursday. They want me to teach them how to make cigarette borek.It is very famous Turkish appetizer.
Ingredients 
Oil for dip fry

1 package Turkish filo dough ( triangle shape)
( Turkish groceries sells )
http://www.amitymeat.com/index.html
Filling
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 potato boiled and mashed
salt and pepper

Preparation method
Mix the filling ingredients in a bowl. Put water into small dish for stick the edges of the borek.
Put one tsp of filling on the long side of each sheet. First fold the end from the outside to the inside then roll it up.
Soak open end in the water and close it up. After you rolled up the sheets, heat up the oil fry them until light golden color. Serve them while they are still warm.

Pilaf with pine nuts and currants ( ic pilav )

I got this recipe from the website, http://english.turkishcookbook.com/2007/12/pilaf-with-chicken-liver.html
This is very famous Turkish dish.  I made some changes. I didn't use chicken liver. I used parsley instead of dill.

Ingredients 
2 cups rice

2 tbsp olive oil or butter
1 onion chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup currants
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
salt and pepper
3 cups chicken broth
fresh chopped parsley or dill

Preparation Method
Melt the butter in a cooking pot. Saute onion 2-3 minutes while stirring. Add pine nuts, current and saute another 3 minutes. Then add rice, cinnamon, allspice, salt and pepper,stir. Pour hot chicken stock and cover the lid. Turn heat to low cook until rice absorbs all the water. Let pilaf stand 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley or dill and serve. It will be very good side dish with chicken.

Quick pickled jalapeno peppers

This recipe is from my Turkish cookbook called Turkish Table. The recipe used cucumbers and peppers but I tried with jalapeno peppers. I used this recipe and made pickled jalapeno peppers so many times but I never post it. Here it is,

Ingredients
1.50 lb jalapeno peppers
6-7 cloves of garlic
couple of leaf of fresh parsley
2 cups vinegar
5 cups water
3 tbsp salt


Preparation method
Wash and pierce peppers
Add  salt into water and boil 
Dip peppers into the boiling water and take out immedietly.
Put into jar with garlic and  parsley
Add vinegar into salty water. Pour over the peppers until they are completely covered. 
The peppers are pickled  and ready to eat when they turn yellow.

Cauliflower Salad

I made up this recipe. It was easy.

Ingredients

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into bite-size florets
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• olive oil
• 2 lime juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• ground black pepper to taste
• red pepper flakes for garnish

Directions

1. Place cauliflower in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until just fork tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and cool slightly.
2. In a large bowl whisk together the mustard, olive oil salt, and pepper. Add the cauliflower,  dressing and stir until well coated. Garnish with red pepper flakes and parsley. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours. The longer the cauliflower salad chills, the better the flavor.

Turkish style rice ( pilav )

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup orzo
1 cup rice
2 cups water or chicken stock

Preparation method
Heat the oil in a pan and saute orzo until colored. and than add the rice. Mixed well and than add the water. Cook it with low heat until the water is absorbed.
I served with zucchini dish and garlic yogurt.

Zucchini with ground turkey ( Hindi kiymali kabak yemegi )

This dish is from Turkey. Whenever I want to cook something fast I cook Turkish dish because I don't have to look up recipe most of the time.  I know this dish from my childhood. My mom was cooking it all the time. I made some changes over the years  and this one is my own recipe.

Ingredients 
2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium size zucchini
1 pound ground turkey
1 big onion chopped
2 jalapeno pepper chopped
3 garlic cloves chopped
1 big tomato chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 cup fresh dill chopped
salt and pepper

Preparation Method
In a preheated pan , heat2 tbsp olive oil. Saute onion, garlic and jalapeno peppers. for about 5 minutes.
And then add ground turkey cook throughly. Add tomato paste. Mix well.
And then add zucchini and tomato close the lid and cook about 10 minutes and than add the chicken stock.
Cook for about 15 more minutes and add dill an season with salt and pepper.
 Serve with Turkish style rice and garlic yogurt.

Stuffed Cabbage ( Lahana Dolmasi )

 My mom was cooking stuffed cabbage but I never cook it before because I always think that it is hard to roll them. I tried it this time  and it wasn't hard at all. It takes time but it wasn't difficult to make them. 


 Ingredients
Filling

1 lb ground meat or turkey or ground chicken
2 big onion, chopped finely
1 cup chopped parsley
1 cup chopped dill
1/2 cup chopped basil ( optional )
1 tablespoon dry mint
1/2 cup rice, washed and drained
2 tomato, diced/1 cup crashed
1 tsp tomato paste
1 tbsp salt to taste
½ tsp black pepper
1-2 tbsp olive oil

1 head cabbage
1-2 tbsp butter, diced or olive oil
½ lemon’s juice

Preparation Method

Mix all the filling ingredients  in a bowl with a tablespoon.
Take out the outer leaves of cabbage. In a large pot place the cabbage and cover it with lightly salted water. Bring it to boil and turn the heat down to medium high. Boil it till the outer leaves start to loosen and get softer (2-3 minutes). Remove the soft leaves from the core and place them on a big plate or tray. Return the cabbage to the pot and repeat the first step until all leaves get soft and removed. Let the leaves cool for 8-10 minutes.Remove the center stalks from the leaves with a knife. Then cut the large leaves into three triangular parts and the smaller leaves into two equal parts.
Line up all the rolls in a pot. Cut the butter or olive oil  in a small pieces and place on top. Pour enough hot water mix with the 1 tablespoon tomato paste. Cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes. After the rolls are cooked squeeze lemon juice all over.

Vegetable saute with ground turkey

We are visiting my in laws in Florida. I love them very much. They both appreciate good homemade food.  I cooked a very easy Turkish style dish for them. I didn't have to look up the recipe. It is my own recipe. I used my mother-in-law's pan   Staub 6-Quart Coq Au Vin Cocotte That pan made a big difference.  I didn't put any water (if you use other type of pan you should put at least half cup of water).  It cooked perfectly and it was very delicious. I will buy one as soon as I go back to home.
Ingredients

1 lb ground  turkey
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 big onion small chopped
2 cloves garlic small chopped
2 zucchini sliced
1 head broccoli cut small pieces
2 red bell pepper diced
portabello mushroom sliced
3 tomatoes chopped 
fresh parsley chopped
salt and pepper


Preparation Method
Put olive oil in the pan and add onion and garlic and saute 3-4 minutes. And then add ground turkey and cook through.  Add zucchini,  broccoli, red bell pepper, mushroom.Add tomatoes and parsley on top of the vegetables.  Add salt and pepper. Cook until vegetables are tender. Serve with rice.






 

Ispanakli borek (Spinach borek )

This is very common Turkish dish. I made my own recipe. My friend always want me to bring this dish if I visit them. Everyone loves it.

Ingredients
1 package Athens regular filo dough
 Liquid mixture
3 eggs
1 cup milk
3/4 cup vegetable oil

Spinach filing
2 package frozen chopped spinach
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 big onion chopped
1 lb crumbled feta cheese
 salt and pepper

Preparation Method
For the spinach filing put the olive oil and onion in a pan. Cook 2-3 minutes and then add spinach, salt and pepper. Cook 5 more minutes. Add the feta cheese and put aside.
Meanwhile, prepare liquid mixture to brush pastry sheet. Beat eggs, oil, and milk together.

Oil baking dish, spread one of the pastry sheets. Pour 2-3 tbsp liquid mixture and brush that evenly. Spread another pastry sheet and brush with liquid mixture again. Repeat the process until you complete 10 pastry sheets for bottom.

Spread spinach filling evenly to the surface. Place one of the pastry sheets on top of spinach filling. Brush it with liquid mixture. Do the same thing for remaining pastry sheets and liquid mixture.

When you are done, cut Turkish Borek into medium squares. Brush rest of the liquid  mixture and then bake it in pre-heated 350 F for about 45 minutes or golden brown. 

patlicanli tavuklu bulgur ( Eggplant and chicken with bulgur )

Okay, I came home late today so I didn't have time to look recipes. I had to cook so I made up this recipe. It is Turkish style cooking. I saw my mom was cooking similar food. I never saw my mom looking cook books when I was growing up.

Ingredients

2 eggplant chopped small cubes
1 onion chopped small cubes
2 jalapeno pepper chopped 
3 tablespoon olive oil
1 pieces chicken breast chopped very small
2 tomatoes chopped small cubes 
1 teaspoon tomatoes paste 
1 teaspoon red pepper paste ( optional )
1/2 cup fresh  parsley
1/2 cup fresh dil
1 cup bulgur
1 1/2 cup water



Preparation MethodSaute onion and jalapeno pepper with olive oil.  
Add chicken, saute until chicken is almost opaque throughout about 3 minutes.
Add eggplant, saute until eggplants are tender. And than add tomatoes, tomatoes paste, red pepper paste, dill parsley cook about 2 minutes. 
Add  bulgur and water, cook with low heat. If bulgur is not cooked enough put little more water.