Tasting Turkish Culture

Ingredients  For meatball 1 ½ lb ground beef 2 medium size onion (finely chopped or graded) 1 egg 1 cup of bread crumbs salt, black pepper, cumin to taste For filling 4-5 medium size potatoes 2 tbsp butter 1 egg ½ cup milk salt For sauce 1 tbsp tomato paste 1 cup of water

Ingredients 2 cup wheat 1 cup rice 1 canned chickpeas 1 canned northern beans 1 cup black raisin 5-6 small diced dry apricots 5-6 small diced dry figs 1/4 cup orange zest 5 cups sugar 1 cup milk For Decorate Hazelnut Chopped Walnut Pistachios Pomegranate Seeds Ground Cinnamon  Preparation 1-In a big mixture bowl,( if you use dry chickpeas and beans) wash and soak the legumes in water overnight. 2-Soak chickpeas and beans in one bowl, and wheat and rise in the other one.If you use canned, you just need to soak wheat and rise in water. 3-Place the wheat and rise with 8 cups of water in pressure cooker. Cook them until wheat dissolve and starch comes out. 4-Add canned chickpeas and beans in it. Pour some water. After that comes to boil, stir in diced apricots, figs, and milk. 5-Let it boil for another 5-10 min. 6- Add 5 cups sugar and stir to combine. Add orange zest. 7- It must be consistent like a pudding. If it is not, mix the 2 tbsp starch an...

One of my friend who visited Turkey asked me cook lahmacun-Turkish pizza- for her. I have searched the best recipe online. Then I remembered the where I can find the best recipe; my brother.I called my brother and he explained it to me in detail. Last Sunday, she came to my house and we tried to make lahmacun. I wasn't as pleasant as I expected like the ones in Turkey however still it was a good start when consider you can't find it around easily. Ingredients  For dough  ½ T         Yeast ½ T         Salt 1 tsp      Sugar 3 C          Warm water 5 ½ C      All-purpose flour (more as needed)

Ingredients 500 g. ground beef 2 onions, finely chopped or grated 2 c. bread crumbs 1 egg salt, black pepper, cumin, red pepper to taste 2 c. oil for frying Direction 1-In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except oil and knead them until the mixture thoroughly combines and becomes like dough.  2-Make meatballs from pieces about the size of a walnut, slightly flattened. 3- Fry them in oil.  Serve warm. Afiyet olsun

  Ingredients: 1 large eggplant 2 tomatoes (peeled and sliced in the shape of half moon) 1 pepper (for decoration, any kind or color) Oil (for frying eggplants) Some toothpicks For meatballs: ½ lb ground beef 1 medium-size onion (finely chopped or grated) ¾ cups of bread crumbs 1 egg Salt, black pepper, cumin, red pepper to taste For sauce: 1 tbsp tomato or red pepper paste 1 cup of water

Istiklal ( Independence) Street is the most famous pedestrian street in Istanbul. On the street, you can see different types of stores, hawkers, schools, mosques, churches and so on. It is also common to see musicians here.The street is almost four miles long.It is home to the second- oldest subway in the world, stretching all the way from Taksim Square to the Tunnel. My husband and I walked all the way down the street, and bought roasted corn and chestnuts.Here are some pictures I've taken for you.   .

Ingredients 1 package of phyllo dough, or Turkish phyllo  dough 1 cup feta cheese 1/3 cup parsley 1 cup olive oil for frying Direction   1-In a mixing bowl, mix feta, and parsley together. This is best done with a fork, mashing the feta.

Ingredients  4-5 medium apple ( peeled) 1 cup of sugar 1 tbsp cinnamon 1 packet puffy sheets 1/2 chopped walnut Direction  1-Cook grated apples with sugar until water is gone. Take off heat, add walnuts and cinnamon and all other ingredients

Ingredients 1/4 cup rice 1 egg 2 cup plain yogurt 1 tbsp salt 2 tbsp flour 6 cups water For Sauce 1/2 pound ground beef 1 tbsp tomato paste 1 tsp mint 1 tsp red pepper or paprika 1tsp black pepper 1/2 cup boiled water Direction 1- Boil the rice in 6 cups water with salt until rice gets very soft.( it does not absorb all water) 2- In a bowl, beat the egg and flour really well and then mix the yogurt. 3-Then add the mixture into the rice while adding yogurt keep stirring. 4-Until it boils mix the soup after starting boil make a heat low and wait 5 minutes. 5- In a small pot, cook ground beef and then add other ingredients for sauce.Mix well. Then pour slowly into the soup. Serve it warm or hot with fresh bread. Afiyet Olsun.

Ingredients 1 lb. stew beef or lamb 3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed 2 large carrots, peeled and diced 3 T. tomato paste 2 T. flour 1 t. red pepper 1 t. black pepper 1 t. salt 3 T. oil 4 c. water Directions 1-Cook the meat at least one hour over medium heat.  2-While the meat is cooking, peel and cut the potatoes into medium cubes, and peel and dice the carrots into thin circles, and sauté them in a different pot.  3-In a pot, mix oil, tomato paste, flour, spices, and salt and sauté for 1-2 minutes.  4-Add one cup of water and stir until it makes a thick sauce.  5-Add cooked meat, along with remaining 3 cups of water, and stir.  6-When the mixture boils, add sautéed potatoes and carrots.  Serve hot or warm, with rice. Afiyet olsun!

Ingredients 1/2 bunch lettuce 1/2 bunch parsley 2 medium tomatoes 1 can tuna fish, drained 1/2 c. corn 1/2 t. salt 1 T. lemon juice 1 T. olive oil Direction 1-Cut the lettuce, parsley and tomato into very small pieces and toss in a bowl.  2-Stir in drained tuna fish, salt, oil and lemon juice. Mix gently.  3-Pour onto a different plate before serving, and garnish with corn. Afiyet olsun !

Ingredients 1/4 lb. cubed meat (optional) 1 medium onion, chopped 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1 c. frozen okra (if too large, cut into smaller pieces) 1 T. tomato paste 1 T. pepper paste 1 T. flour 3 T. olive oil or corn oil 1 t. lemon juice 1 t. red pepper 1 t. black pepper 1 T. salt 3 c. water (for a juicier dish, use 4-5 cups) Direction 1-Cut the meat into the small pieces, and cook thoroughly over medium heat. 2- In a different pot, stir together oil, tomato paste, pepper paste, and flour for 2-3 min. 3- Add 1 cup of water to make a purée.  4-Gently stir in meat, okra, chickpeas, spices, salt, and lemon juice.  5-Cook for another 10 minutes. 6- Remove from heat.  Serve warm with rice. Afiyet olsun!

Ingredients; 1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup warm water 1 cup warm milk 1 tbsp yeast 3 tbsp sugar 1 tbsp 1 egg white (yolk to be used for top) Flour as needed For filling: 3 medium potatoes 1 medium onion 4 tbs vegetable oil half bunch parsley 1 tsp red pepper 1 tsp black pepper salt (to taste) Garnish with: 1 egg yolk black seeds and/or sesame seeds Preparation 1-Mix water with the yeast and sugar / let sit for 10 minutes.  2-Add other dough ingredients, knead, cover and let sit for an hour. Finely chop onions and saute in vegetable oil. 3- Add boiled and shredded potatoes, red and black pepper, parsley, salt, and cook for 2-3 minutes. 4-Take an egg- size piece from the dough, and spread with hand as large as your palm. Put some filling and close the dough like a purse. 5- Spread egg yolk and sprinkle black seeds and sesame on top. 6- Place on greased tray, let sit for 15 minutes, cook in pre-heated oven at 350 F for 20- ...

Henna Night  Henna night is the special day  gathering for the bride and her family and friends.It is thrown a night before the wedding day usually for ladies. The groom mother's mixed the henna the night before the kina gecesi,covered it with an embroidered henna gloves,a henna covering and left it for the dye develop.Women put candles in the pan of the henna paste.They turned out the lamps int he house,lit the henna candles and brought it in,singing,as a birthday cake is presented. Henna gloves... . Henna covering.... The henna is places on the palms of the bride's hand and covered with a gloves.The henna stains her hands,it is a sign of joy for everyone to see.The grooms mother presents the bride to be with gold for prosperity and wealth.

Ingredients  4-5 boiled potatoes 2 c. plain yogurt 2 T. olive oil 1/2 T. red pepper 1/2 t. black pepper 1/2 t. dried mint 1 T. salt 1 clove crushed garlic fresh mint( optional) Direction 1-Dice the potatoes into small cubes.  2-Pour yogurt over them. 3- Add other ingredients and mix gently.  Serve with a main dish. Afiyet Olsun!

Pumpkin Dessert ( Kabak Tatlisi ) Pumpkin desserts are very popular in Turkey in the autumn. Made out of pumpkin and lots of sugar, it is a favorite dessert for many people, including my husband. Because it is hard to carve pumpkins, I couldn't make it for a long time. But a couple of days ago I bought sweet potatoes for the first time, to make as a side dish. One of my friends makes pumpkin dessert using sweet potatoes. Though it may sound strange, it tastes very similar. Ingredients   5 large sweet potatoes 3 c. sugar Direction  1-Peel the potatoes and cut into large squares.  2-Lay in a large pot. Add sugar, then cover and wait for 24 hours. 3- The next day, there will be juice. Boil until potatoes get soft, then allow to cool.  5-Garnish with shredded coconut or crushed walnut. Afiyet Olsun!

Mineral Water Pastry  ( Su Böreği ) INGREDIENTS 6 sheets Turkish fillo dough (2 packets No. 10 fillo dough) 2 c. feta cheese, crumbled 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, diced 1 bottle mineral water  3 eggs 2 c. milk 1 c. butter, melted Garnish: sesame seeds or black cumin seeds ( optinal) DIRECTIONS 1-In a medium bowl, mix eggs, milk, and butter thoroughly. 2- In a small bowl, combine feta cheese and parsley with a fork.  3-Grease a baking dish with spray oil.  4-Carefully lay one sheet of fillo dough. Brush the egg-milk-butter mixture generously on the fillo. Repeat for half the sheets of fillo. 5 -Then crumble the feta cheese-parsley mixture across the fillo sheet. Carefully lay another sheet of fillo, and brush with egg-milk-butter mixture. Repeat for the remaining sheets of fillo. 6- Cut the fillo into squares.  7-Pour mineral water over the top, and let stand for about 15 minutes. 8- Cook at 350º F unti...

Ingredients Pastry: 1 box No. 4 fillo dough 3 sticks unsalted butter, melted 1 c. crushed walnuts or pistachios Syrup: 1 1/2 c. sugar 1 c. water 1 T. lemon juice Direction 1-Bring sugar and water to a boil in a small pot, then add lemon juice and boil for 2-3 minutes longer. Set aside.  2-Brush a baking dish with butter. Carefully layer half the sheets of fillo dough, always brushing each sheet generously with butter. When halfway through, spread crushed nuts on one sheet. 3- Then repeat the process of buttering and layering the remaining fillo sheets. 4-Carefully cut the pastry into squares or diamonds.  5-Cook at 350º F until golden brown. Let cool. 6-Pour warm syrup over cold baklava .  For the best baklava, use more butter and less syrup.  Serve with tea or coffee.

October 1 is my husband's birthday. Last year, I made a big birthday cake for him and I invited his students to our house. There were balloons and many different types of Turkish food. Unfortunately, this year I can't make anything special for my husband because that day we are moving to another apartment. So I just bought a birthday cake from Publix. :) White Cream Cake with Fruit Topping INGREDIENTS Cake: 1 package white cake mix 1 c. water 1/2 c. vegetable oil 3 eggs Cream filling: 4 c. milk 2 T. starch 2 T. flour 1 c. sugar Garnish: Whipped cream Strawberries, bananas, and kiwi, sliced DIRECTIONS

Rice with Vermicelli ( Sehriyeli Pilav ) Ingredients   1 cup of rice 1-1/2 cup water 2 tbsp olive oil 1/4 cup vermicelli 1 tbsp sal t  Direction 1-In a pot, put oil and add vermicelli when the oil gets warm. 2-Then saute the vermicelli until it gets light brown and add washed rice and salt.  3-Keep stirring for approximately 2-3 min. 4-Then add water and close the lid.Cook in a medium heat until rice absorb the water. Serve it warm . Afiyet Olsun!...

Ingredients 5-6 slices bread 3 eggs 1/2 t. red pepper 1/2 t. black pepper 1/2 c. oil Direction, 1-Beat eggs and spices in a bowl.  2-Heat oil in a frying pan.  3-Soak each slice of bread in the egg mixture.  4-Fry the bread on both sides until golden brown.  5-Place fried toast on a paper towel to soak up excess oil.  Serve warm or hot. Afiyet olsun!

Carrot-Cinnamon Cake ( Havuclu-Tarcinli Kek) This is one of my favorite cakes because there is a story behind it. Years ago, when I was middle school,I had tried to cook this cake. I prepared everything with utmost care. Yet  I got upset when I saw it didn't swell. Guess what!? I forgot to add baking powder in it. Still my relatives tasted it and it was very delicious. Now,I know this was a lie but at that day it saved my cooking life. Ever since that time it had been one of my favorite cakes... Ingredients  3 eggs 1 c. sugar 1 c. plain yogurt 1/2 c. oil 1 T. baking powder 1 T. vanilla 2 c. flour 1 c. shredded carrot 2 T. ground  cinnamon 1/2 c. walnut Direction   1-Whisk sugar with egg for 2-3 minutes. 2- Add yogurt and oil, and mix well.  3-Then add baking powder, vanilla, and flour and blend the mixture completely. 4- Combine with carrot, cinnamon, and nuts.  5-Grease a tray or cake mold, and pour...

I ngredients 4-5 large chicken thighs 2 large tomatoes, diced 1 large onion, chopped 1 T. tomato paste 1 T. pepper paste 1 t. paprika 1 t. black pepper 2 t. dried mint 2 t.flake parsley  1 t. cumin 2 T. salt 2 T. corn oil Directions 1-Cut the chicken into large chunks. 2- Place in a bowl, and add all the other ingredients and mix well by hand.  3-Lay in a tray or oven-safe dish. The tray does not need to be oiled. 4- Cook 25 minutes at 400ºF.  Serve warm with rice, pasta, or salad. Afiyet olsun!

Ingredients  1 c. semolina flour 1 stick butter 1/4 c. walnuts or pinenuts, crushed 1 c. sugar 1 c. water Cinnamon to taste, forgarnish Direction 1-In a pot over mediumheat, melt the butter and stir in semolina, sugar, and nuts. 2- Continue to cookover medium heat until the mixture turns golden brown. Stir constantly. 3- Overlow heat, stir in water continue stirring until liquid is absorbed. 4-Removefrom heat. 5- Form the helva into a shape.  Serve cold with tea or coffee. Afiyet olsun!