BAKLA

FRESH FAVA WITH OLIVE OIL

Ingredients:

• 2 lb of fresh fava
• 1 medium onion ( chopped )
  
• 6 cloves of garlic ( chopped )
  
• 1 tbsp of tomato paste
• 1/2 tbsp of red pepper paste
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 1+ 1/2 cups of boiling water
  
• salt

Garlic yogurt:

• 1 cup of plain yogurt
• 2 garlic ( minced )
• salt
  

Wash favas and cut the ends off. Cut them into 1-inch bite sizes. Take olive oil, chopped onion, and chopped garlic in a large pot. Saute onion over medium heat until tender. Add boiling water, tomato paste, red pepper paste , and favas into the pot and stir. Bring it to the boil and turn the heat down to low. Stir occasionally and add more boiling water if it is necessary. Simmer 30 minutes or until favas are tender. Turn the heat off and add salt.
For the garlic yogurt, take yogurt in a small mixing bowl and add minced garlic and salt in it and stir.
Serve it with garlic yogurt on top at room temparature.

1 YIL

1 YEAR

It has been one year since I posted my first recipe.

I cannot believe how fast time goes...

ISPANAK

SPINACH WITH RICE

Ingredients:

• 2 lb of fresh spinach
• 1/2 lb of ground beef
• 1/3 cup of uncooked rice
• 1 medium size of onion ( chopped )
  
• 1 tbsp of tomato paste
• 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup of boiling water
  
• a pinch of black pepper
• salt

Soak spinach in cold water and add 2 tbsp of vinegar. Leave spinach in the water for 20 minutes. Then drain it. Wash and drain it one more time.
In a large pot, take vegetable it and beef. Stir and cook until it absorbs its own juice over medium heat. Add chopped onion. Stir and cook until onion is tender. Add tomato paste, stir for 2-3 minutes.
Chop spinach and add it to the pot. Stir until it loses its volume. Add 3/4 cup of boiling water, rice and black pepper to the pot and stir. Turn the heat down to low. Cover the lid. Simmer until the rice is cooked. Add salt.
Serve it warm with plain yogurt.

SÜTLÜ&PEKMEZLİ EKMEK

MILK&GRAPE MOLASSES BREAD

What I like about this bread is that it is very soft even though it has 2 cups of whole wheat flour in it. This bread is much better than white bread.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of all purpose flour
• 2 cups of whole wheat flour
• 1 tbsp of salt
• 2 tbsp of grape molasses
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup of warm milk
• 1/2 tbsp of dried yeast

First take liquid ingredients and salt to the pan of bread machine. Add whole wheat flour and then all purpose flour. Place the yeast on top. I use the basic cycle of my bread machine to bake the bread.

KADAYIF DOLMASI

STUFFED KATAIFI

Ingredients:

• 1 lb kataifi ( shredded phyllo dough )
  
• 1+ 1/2 stick butter ( melted )
  
• 1 cup of finely diced walnuts

Syrup:

• 2 cups of granulated sugar
• 2 cups of water
• juice of a half lemon

Take sugar and water in a medium pot and bring it to the boil. Boil it for ten minutes over medium-high heat. Then add the lemon juice and boil it for another 5 minutes. Turn the heat off and set aside.
Take kataifi from the freezer and break into small pieces in a mixing bowl immediately. Let it thaw for ten minutes. Then add melted butter in it and mix it evenly. Take 1+ 1/2 tbsp of kataifi in a Turkish coffee cup (or a muffin cup) and make an indentation. Fill the indentation with 1 tbsp of diced walnut and close it up with 1/2 tbsp of kataifi and press. Turn the cup into baking dish and gently take the cup off. Repeat these steps until kataifi is finished.


Preheat the oven 350 F. Bake it until it is golden brown. Take it from oven and spoon the cold syrup over it. Let it cool.

PAZI

RED SWISS CHARD WITH OLIVE OIL

As far as I know, there is not red Swiss Chard In Turkey. I just know the green one but the taste is almost the same. I really like the red color of it.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb swish chard
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 5 cloves of garlic ( chopped )
• 1 tsp of cumin
• 1 tbsp of red pepper paste

Wash Swiss Chard. Cut into small pieces. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add chopped garlic and stir for 3 minutes. Add pepper paste and cook for 5 minutes. Add chopped chard and cumin into the pot. Turn the heat down to low and cover the lid. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add salt. Turn the heat off. Serve warm with plain yogurt.

MUHAMMARA

This is another my hometown's local specialty. It is usually served for breakfast in my hometown, Kilis. You can spread it on any kind of bread, bagel or cracker. It is good for parties too.
You can chance the amount of the ingredients, it is up to you...

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp of hot red pepper paste
• 2 tbsp of tomato paste
• 2 tbsp of bread crumbs
  
• 1 tsp of cumin
• 1/2 cup of finely diced walnuts
  
• 4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic ( minced )
  
• salt

Mix all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Prepare it over night and keep it in refrigerator.

EZOGELİN ÇORBASI

 BRIDE EZO'S SOUP
Ingredients:

• 1 medium size of onion ( chopped)
• 3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped )
• 1 tbsp of dried mint
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 1/4 cup of extra fine bulgur
• 1/3 cup of rice
• 3/4 cup of red lentil 
• 6 cups of boiling water
• 1 tbsp of tomato paste
• 1 tsp of ground red pepper

Sauce:

• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 tsp of dried mint
• 1tsp of ground red pepper

Take 2 tbsp of olive oil, chopped onion and garlic in a medium pot over medium heat. Saute it until onion is tender. Add tomato paste to the pot and stir for 5 minutes. Add boiling water, red lentils, rice, ground red pepper, and dried mint to the pot and stir. Bring it to the boil and turn the heat down to low. Add bulgur when lentils are cooked. Cook for another 15 minutes.Turn the heat off, add salt and stir.
In a small skillet, take olive oil, dried mintand ground red pepper for sauce. Stir for 1-2 minutes over medium heat and turn the heat off. Add sauce to the soup.

JUST AN IDEA

I sometimes like to make changes with classic recipes. This zebra-striped cake is originally Yogurt Dessert.
Just divide the cake mixing into two equal parts and mix one of the halves with 1 tbsp of cacao powder . First put 2 tbsp of white cake mixing into the center of the circle cake pan and then put 2 tbsp of chocolate cake mixing in the center of the white cake mixing. Repeat these steps until all the cake mixing is finished.
Other steps are just the same.