ŞEKERPARE

Makes 38 cookies

During Ramadan, we would like to have dessert after iftar. These desserts are usually very sweet like this one...
The recipe belongs to Portakal Agaci.

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks of butter ( melted )
  

• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 4 tbsp of semolina
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp of shredded coconut
• 1 tsp of baking soda

• 3 cups of flour
  

Syrup:

• 2+1/2 cups of sugar
• 3 cups of water
• 1tbsp of lemon juice

First mix all of the syrup ingredients in a medium pot and boil them for 10 minutes on a medium heat. Let the syrup cool completely.



Preheat the oven to 350F. Mix melted butter, powdered sugar, semolina,eggs, coconut, baking soda in a large mixing bowl. Add flour slowly to make the dough soft.  Take a small part of dough like a size of walnut and give it a cookie shape. Place a hazelnut ( or a piece of walnut or pistachio or almond whichever you have in your hands ) on top of cookies. Place them on the baking tray. Bakef or 30 minutes or the cookies change their color to brown.Take the tray out of the oven and pour the syrup slowly on top of cookies and let the cookies absorb the syrup for 6-7 hours.

PİDE

TURKISH FLAT BREAD

Pide is the special Turkish bread for Ramadan. During the holy month of Ramadan, you could see long lines in front of bakeries. Those people wait to have one of these breads to break their fast with it. The smell of pide 'force' you to get one even you don't think about buying it.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of all purpose flour
• 1+3/4 cups of warm water
• 1/2 stick butter ( melted )
  
• 1/2 tbsp of dry yeast
• 1 tbsp of sugar
• 1/2 tbsp of salt

Topping:

• sesame seeds and baraca seeds

In a large mixing bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients. Add melted butter and warm water into this mixture and knead. The dough should be sticky. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and keep it in a warm place for rising. Let the dough rises to double its size. Take the bowl and knead the dough again until it is bubble free. Place a parchment paper on a 13" 10.5" baking tray. Take the dough to the tray and make it flat with your hands until it cover all of the surface of the tray. Dampen your hands with water if the dough stick to your hands on this step. Then take a knife and give the dough square shapes going deep down. Sprinkle some sesame and baraca seeds on top. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Let rise the dough for half an hour. Bake it for 30 minutes or the color of pide turns light brown. Take the pide out of the oven let it cool for 20 minutes and fold it with a clean kitchen towel to keep it soft.

HAVUÇLU KEK

CARROT CAKE

This cake is one of my favorites. My oldest sister, Dilek , used to bake it for me when I was single. I am married now and baking this cake to my son and my husband. They like it as much as I do :)


Ingredients:


For cake:

• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 3/4 cup of flour
• 2 cups of grated carrot
• 1/2 cup of crushed walnut
• 1/2 cup of raisins
• 1tbsp of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp of baking soda
  

For frosting:

• 2 cups of milk
• 3 tbsp of flour
• 4 tbsp of sugar

Preheat the oven to 350F.
In a large mixing bowl, take the eggs and sugar and mix it for 5 minutes with a mixer. Add flour, cinnamon, and baking soda to this mixture and mix them for another 5 minutes. Add carrot, walnut, and raisins to the bowl and stir them with a spoon until they are well combined. Pour this mixture to a 8" non-stick round cake pan and bake for 1 hour.Remove the pan from oven and allow the cake cool completely.
Meanwhile, in a medium pot, take milk, flour, and sugar for frosting. Mix them with a whisk and turn the heat to the high. Keep mixing until it starts bubbling and starts to be smooth.Turn the heat off allow it cool completly.
Pour the frosting on top of the cool cake and frost it.

ZEYTİNYAĞLI BAMYA

OKRA WITH OLIVE OIL

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs of fresh okra
• 1 medium size onion( chopped)
• 10 garlic cloves ( peeled)
• 2 tomatoes ( peeled and chopped)
• 2 cups of boiling water
• 1 tbsp of tomato paste
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 2 lemon's juice
• salt, pepper

Cut off the okra's ends , wash and drain them. Meanwhile, in a large pot, take olive oil and chopped onion. Stir and cook for 5 minutes on a medium heat. Add tomato paste. Stirring occasionally , cook for 2-3 minutes. Add boiling water, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir and add okra, tomatoes, and garlic cloves. Bring it to the boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes until okra is tender.