September 2006 - Posts

• Piyaz

  Piyaz - White Bean Salad 2 cans of "Great Northern Beans" (in the canned beans aisle most likely next to black beans.) 1/4 cup parsley chopped (cilantro is better eventhough it's not used in traditional Turkish cooking), 3 medium tomatoes, cubed 1 medium red onion, finely chopped 3 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 2 hard boiled eggs, quatered seeded black olives (as many as desired) pinch of salt Drain beans well. Toss all remaining ingredients in a bowl with beans. Garnish with parsley. Note:for low-fat or fat-free salad, reduce or omit olive oil and the eggs. Posted Sep 13 2006, 12:11 PM by TurkishFood with no comments

• Sirkeli Biber Salatasi - GREEN PEPPER SALAD IN VINEGAR

  Sirkeli Biber Salatasi - GREEN PEPPER SALAD IN VINEGAR 4 Servings 1 clove crushed garlic 1 sprig of parsley 100 grams olive oil 2 soup spoons vinegar 500 grams small green peppers a few olives   Cook the green peppers, holding them by the stem and turning them over an open flame. Then hold them under running water to remove the skin, cut in half to remove the seeds, cut into strips 1 centimeter wide and place on a plate. In another dish mix the crushed garlic, oil and vinegar. Pour this sauce over the peppers. Decorate with chopped parsley and some olives. Posted Sep 06 2006, 01:06 AM by TurkishFood with no comments

• Taratorlu Kereviz - CELERY SAUCE TARATOR

  Taratorlu Kereviz - CELERY SAUCE TARATOR 4 Servings 1 sprig of parsley 100 grams hazelnuts 100 grams olive oil 100 grams yoghurt 3 soup spoons vinegar 5 medium sized celery roots a few olives a slice of bread 3 centimeters thick (without the crust) some salt and red pepper   Peel the celery root and cut them into pieces the size and shape of a match stick. Boil until soft, then drain and place in a dish. Finely crush or blend the nuts. Soak the white bread in water, then squeeze in the palms of the hands to expel all the water, and add it to the crushed nuts. Then add the salt, crushed garlic, olive oil and vinegar. Mix. Finally add the yoghurt. Mix well again. Pour this sauce over the celery. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, salt and red pepper. Decorate with a few olives. Posted Sep 06 2006, 01:05 AM by TurkishFood with no comments

• Havuc Salatasi - Carrot Salad

  Havuc Salatasi - Carrot Salad 4 Servings 1 soup spoon olive oil 1/2 glass yoghurt 2 cloves of crushed garlic 500 grams carrots a few black olives some salt   Cook, but don't overcook the peeled carrots in boiling water. Drain and grate them. Add to this carrot puree the yoghurt, garlic, salt and oil. Mix. Decorate with black olives. Posted Sep 06 2006, 01:04 AM by TurkishFood with no comments

• Beyin Salatasi - Brain Salad

  Beyin Salatasi - Brain Salad   8 Servings 1 sprig of parsley 2 tomatoes 4 lambs' brains 4 soup spoons olive oil a few olives the juice of one lemon   Soak the brains in cold, salted water for 20 minutes, then remove the membranes that cover them. Place the brains in cold water to which vinegar and a little salt have been added. Boil for six minutes, counting from the time that small bubbles begin to appear. Let cool in the cooking water. Place the brains on a serving platter. Sprinkle with olive oil and lemon juice. Decorate with parsley and olives.   Posted Sep 06 2006, 12:59 AM by TurkishFood with no comments

• Kabak Salatasi Zucchini Squash Salad

  Kabak Salatasi Zucchini Squash Salad 5 Servings 1 kilo squash 1 soup spoon olive oil 1/2 glass yoghurt 2 cloves crushed garlic a little salt the juice of half a lemon   Peel and cut the squash into small pieces. Boil until they are well cooked, then drain with a strainer and squeeze lightly to remove all the water. Pour into a soup plate and mash with a fork. Add the oil, garlic, salt, water, and lemon juice. Mix. Decorate with black olives, egg slices, or tomato slices. Posted Sep 06 2006, 12:58 AM by TurkishFood with no comments

• Beyaz Peynir Dolmasi - Green Peppers Stuffed with White Cheese

  Beyaz Peynir Dolmasi - Green Peppers Stuffed with White Cheese 6 Servings 1/2 coffee spoon red pepper 2 soup spoons butter 2 tomatoes of medium size, peeled, seeded and cut into small pieces 8 small green peppers   Soak the white cheese in water for 1/2 hour to remove the salt. (To be done only if authentic Turkish white cheese is being used). Then mash thoroughly with a fork. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the cheese and the red pepper. Mix well. Add the tomato. Mix well with a spoon for about 1 minute, then remove from heat. Cut around the stem of the green pepper and remove the stem. Remove the seeds and skin from the interior. Fill with cheese-tomato mixture. Place the filled peppers in the refrigerator for 2 hours. At last cut the peppers into not-too-thin slices (use a very sharp knife) and arrange artistically on a plate, decorate with tomato slices. Posted Sep 06 2006, 12:56 AM by TurkishFood with no comments

• Terbiyeli Zeytinyagli Pirasa - Leeks in Egg Sauce

  Terbiyeli Zeytinyagli Pirasa - Leeks in Egg Sauce 6 Servings 1 kilo of leeks 1 whole egg, beaten 1/2 soup spoon sugar 1/2 squeezed lemon 2 coffee cups olive oil water, salt   Peel the leeks and remove the ends that are very dark green in color. Cut them into lengths of 8-10 centimeters. Place the oil, leeks, and water into a saucepan. Add salt and sugar. Cook slowly. When cooked, allow to cool. Pour a well beaten egg over the leeks. Mix well. When it has cooled off, blend in the juice of half a lemon. This dish is served cold. Posted Sep 06 2006, 12:55 AM by TurkishFood with no comments

• Patates Koftesi - Potato Balls

  Palates Koftesi - Potato Balls 4 Servings 1 coffee spoon salt, pepper 1 glass dried bread crumbs 2 egg yolks and 3 beaten eggs 3 soup spoons flour 6 medium potatoes   Cook the peeled potatoes in boiling water. Puree the potatoes in a vegetable mill, and then add salt, pepper and the 2 egg yolks to the mixture. With the puree, make balls the size of walnuts, and roll them in flour. Dip the balls into the beaten eggs and into the flour again. Brown them in oil until they become golden brown. Posted Sep 06 2006, 12:53 AM by TurkishFood with no comments Filed under: Turkish Starters, Turkish Meze

• Midye Tava - Fried Mussels

  Midye Tava - FRIED MUSSELS 4 Servings 1 1/2 cups salad oil 1 cup beer 1 cup trator sauce 1 egg lightly beaten 1/2 cup flour 16 mussels Salt   Open the 16 mussels by inserting a knife along the flat side and running it along to the other side, remove them from their shell. Wash and dry mussels, flour each one separately. Dip them first into beer, then into the beaten egg. Fry in hot oil until golden brown on all sides. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately with a bowl of trator sauce. Posted Sep 06 2006, 12:44 AM by TurkishFood with no comments

• Fasulya Piyazi - White Bean Piyaz

  WHITE BEAN PIYAZ - Fasulya Piyazi 6 Servings 1 dozen black olives 1 glass vinegar 1 green pepper 1 onion cut into very fine slices 1 small coffee cup olive oil 1/2 coffee cup vinegar 2 level coffee spoons salt 250 grams dry beans 3 hard-boiled eggs 3 tomatoes chopped parsley   Soak the beans in water overnight, then boil them for 2 and 1/2 to 3 hours in a large quantity of water, until they are cooked. Drain, and put the beans back into the saucepan. Pour a glass of vinegar over the beans and wait 2 hours. Cut the green pepper into thin slices. In a soup plate, cut the onion into very thin slices, and sprinkle with salt. Knead the onion and salt with your hands until the juice is expelled from the onion. Wash then squeeze the onion to remove the water. Cut the peeled tomato into small pieces. Slice the hard-boiled eggs. Drain the beans. Pour them into a plate. Add the chopped parsley, green pepper, onion. Sprinkle with salted oil and vinegar. Mix well, then decorate the plate with the tomato pieces, egg slices and olives. Serve when cool. Posted Sep 06 2006, 12:41 AM by TurkishFood with no comments

• Fried Zucchini - Kabak Tava

  Fried Zucchini Kabak Tava 4 Servings 1 and 1/2 coffee cups milk 1/2 soup spoon salt 2 medium sized zucchini squash 250 grams oil (olive oil if possible) 6 soup spoons flour   Scrape the squash with a knife, cut off the ends. Cut it in 3 millimeter slices either lengthwise or diagonally. Salt and add the milk. Stir and wait 1/2 hour. Then without squeezing them, dip them into the flour and fry them in oil. Posted Sep 05 2006, 11:58 PM by TurkishFood with no comments

• Fried Eggplant - Patlican tava

  FRIED EGGPLANT  -  Patlican tava 4 Servings 1 soup spoon salt 2 medium sized eggplant 250 grams olive oil For the Sauce: 1 crushed clove of garlic or crushed garlic to taste 200 grams of yoghurt 3 tomatoes chopped parsley salt   Peel the eggplant and cut them lengthwise into slices, 1/2 cm thick. Place the pieces on a plate and salt them. Wait 30 minutes. Now wash and squeeze them to remove the bitter juice. Fry the slices in oil. Serve cold topped with the tomato sauce, parsley and garlic, or by a sauce made with beaten yoghurt and crushed garlic. NOTE: If the eggplant is not cleansed in the salt it will absorb a large quantity of oil and will turn black while cooking. Posted Sep 05 2006, 11:56 PM by TurkishFood with no comments

• CACIK

  CACIK 4 Servings 1 clove of crushed garlic 1/3 coffee cup olive oil 2 small cucumbers 750 grams yoghurt a few sprigs of dill   Put the yoghurt in a salad bowl and beat vigorously with a whisk. Peel the cucumbers and cut them into very small, thin pieces and put them into the yoghurt. Add half the oil, the crushed garlic and salt. Mix well. Apportion the yoghurt into 4 bowls, garnish with a few sprigs of dill and finally pour the remaining oil over the cacik in a fine thread so that it rests on the top.   Posted Sep 05 2006, 11:53 PM by TurkishFood with no comments

• Midye Pilakisi - MUSSEL PILAKI

  Midye Pilakisi - MUSSEL PILAKI 8 Servings 1 and 1/2 coffee spoons of salt 1 finely chopped onion 1 tomato 2 and 1/2 coffee cups olive oil 2 carrots and 2 medium potatoes 2 pinches of sugar 3 cloves of garlic cut in fine pieces 5 glasses of water 60 shelled and cleaned mussels chopped parsley and one bay leaf   Place the mussels in a saucepan and cover with water. Boil at a high heat for 2 minutes, then drain. Peel and dice the carrots and tomatoes. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan. Add the onions and brown for 2 minutes. Now add the garlic and carrot and brown for 2 minutes. Add the water, salt, sugar, bay leaf and boil for 30 minutes on a low heat. Then add the mussels and the potatoes and simmer very slowly for another 30 minutes. When cool serve garnished with the chopped parsley. Posted Sep 05 2006, 11:45 PM by TurkishFood with no comments