KANDİL SİMİDİ

 SESAME & MOLASSES  RINGS

Ingredients:

• 1 stick butter ( melted )
  
• 1/4 cup of vegetable oil
• 1 tsp of vinegar
• 2 tbsp of plain yogurt
  
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/3 tsp of baking soda
• 1 tsp of ground mahaleb
• all purpose flour
  

Topping:

• 1 cup of sesame seeds
• 5 tbsp of molasses
• 1 tbsp of water

Take melted butter, yogurt, vegetable oil, and vinegar in a large mixing bowl and whisk it well. Add mahaleb, baking soda, salt. Add flour slowly (to make very soft dough ) and start to knead.
Stop adding flour when you reach soft consistency.
Preheat the oven 350F. Place a parchment paper on a baking sheet.
Take small parts ( about the size of walnut ) from the dough and give them the shape of ring (about 2 inch diameter).
Take the molasses and and 1tbsp of water in a large bowl and whisk it. Take the sesame seeds another large bowl.
Dip the rings first into molasses and then dip them into sesame seeds.
Place the rings on the baking sheet.
Bake them until the rings are just golden brown.

ZEYTINYAĞLI KEREVİZ

CELERY ROOTS WITH OLIVE OIL

Ingredients:

• 2 celery roots with leaves
• 2 small size of potatoes
• 2 carrots
• 1 small size of onion
  
• 1 tbsp of tomato paste
• 1 tsp of red pepper paste
• 3 tbs of olive oil
• 1/2 cup of boiling water
• salt
  

Scrub celery roots well. Cut of the top and bottom of the bulb. Remove skin. Keep them in the water with 1 tbsp of lemon juice to prevent darkening. Wash and drain the leaves and cut them two to three pieces. Wash potatoes and carrots. Peel potatoes and cut them into cubes. Peel the carrots and slice. Cut the onion into halves and slice both thinly. Take olive oil and onion into small pot. Turn the heat on medium. Saute onion. Add tomato and pepper paste into the pot and saute them for three-four minutes. Take the celery roots from the water and cut them into cubes. Add celery,celery leaves, potato, carrot, and boiling water. Stir and bring it to the boil.Add salt. Turn the heat down to low and simmer until celery cubes are soft. Serve it warm.

LOR PEYNİRLİ BÖREK

BOREK WITH RICOTTA CHEESE
Ingredients:
Dough:

• 4 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp of salt
  
• 1+1/2 cups of water

Filling:

• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 bunch of parsley ( Chopped )
• 1 bunch of green onion ( Chopped )
• 1 medium size of onion ( Chopped )
• 1 tbsp of dried mint
• 3 tbsp of olive oil
  
• 1 tsp of ground red pepper
• salt

Topping:

• 1 egg yolk
  
• sesame seeds

In a large mixing bowl, mix 4 cups of flour and salt and add water slowly and knead it until to reach soft consistency. Divide the dough into seven equal parts. Cover them with a damp kitchen cloth. Place a large skillet on the stove top. Take olive oil and chopped onion into the skillet. Turn the heat on medium and cover the lid. Saute it for 5 minutes. Add green onion to the skillet and stir it. Turn the heat off after 5 minutes. Add ricotta cheese, parsley, ground red pepper, and salt and stir it until well combined. Set a side.
Take some all purpose flour in a bowl and dip one of the dough balls into the flour. Dust a large, flat surface with the flour (dusting will keep the dough from sticking). Place the dough onto flat surface and roll the dough as thin as you can with a long roller pin. Keep dusting the dough with flour while you are rolling. Continue rolling it until the dough is about 22 inch diameter.
Brush the dough sheet with vegetable oil and place 2 tbsp of filling along on the widest part of the pastry sheet and roll it up tightly to make a long cigar. Swirl this long cigar in the middle of 14 inch round tray. Repeat this step for the other dough balls and continue to swirl them tightly. When you are finished, brush borek with egg yolk and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.
Preheat oven 350F and bake it for 45 minutes or borek is just golden brown.

Note: You can use ready to use Turkish pastry sheets if you don't want to do your own dough, although the taste is not the same..

YUMURTALI ISPANAK

SPINACH WITH EGGS

Ingredients:

• 1 lb spinach
• 3 eggs
• 1 medium size of onion
  
• 2 tbs of olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp of tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp of ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp of ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp of ground red pepper
• salt

Wash and drain spinach. Chop onion finely. Place a large skillet on the stove top. Take olive oil and chopped onion into the skillet. Turn the heat on medium and cover the lid. Meanwhile, chop spinach. Stir onion once in a while until it chances its color golden brown. Add tomato paste into the skillet and cook it with onion for five minutes. Then, add chopped spinach, black pepper, red pepper, cumin, and salt into the skillet and give it a quick stir. Cover the lid and cook it until spinach absorbs all of its juice, stirring occasionally. Wash eggs just before using them. Make three indentations in spinach and crack one egg into each indentation. Turn the heat down to low and cover the lid. Cook it until egg whites are just opaque.
Enjoy...