KIYMALI & BEZELYELİ GÜL BÖREĞİ

SWIRLED BOREK WITH GROUND BEEF & PEAS

This borek is the second one I tried with peas. I couldn't take the picture of first one but I was very pleased with the additional flavor of peas. The swirled shape is another presentation of Turkish borek.

Makes 24 boreks.

Ingredients:

• 3 round Turkish pastry sheets
  
• 1/2 cup of plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup of milk

Filling:

• 1/2 lb of ground beef
• 1/2 cup of frozen peas
• 1 large onion (chopped )
  
• 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper
• salt
  

Topping:

• 1 egg yolk
• sesame seeds

In a medium skillet, cook ground beef with 2 tbs of vegetable oil on a medium heat. When the beef is done add chopped onion into the skillet and cook them together for 5 minutes. Turn of the heat off and add peas, black pepper and salt. Stir and set a side.

Mix yogurt and vegetable oil in a bowl.

Divide each sheet into 8 equal triangles.Take one of the triangular, brush with 1-2 tbsp of yogurt-vegetable oil mixture over the surface of triangle. Place two tbsp of filling on one of the wide side of each triangle and roll it up.Swirl this roll around itself. Place all the rolls in a baking dish side by side ( no place between them ). Pour 1/2 cup of milk on top and let it rest in the refrigerator until rolls absorb the milk completly.
Place parchment paper on a baking sheet. Take the rolls out and place them on the baking sheet. Brush with egg yolk and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Bake for about 45 minutes or until nicely brown.

ELMALI REVANİ

REVANI (SEMOLINA CAKE WITH SYRUP) WITH APPLE

This recipe is from Yesilkivi. I visit Secil's blog very often lately. Her pictures are so tempting and recipes are wonderful. Thanks again.

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 cup of semolina flour
• 1 cup of all purpose flour
• 1 cup of finely chopped walnut
• 2 apples ( grated )
  
• 1/2 stick salted butter
• 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• 1 tsp of vanilla sugar

Syrup:

• 3 cups of granulated sugar
• 3 cups of water
• juice and zest of 1/4 lemon

For the syrup; take 3 cups of sugar, and 3 cups of water in a medium pot. Bring it to the boil over medium heat. Boil for 7-8 minutes. Add juice and zest of 1/4 lemon into the pot and boil for another 5 minutes. Turn the heat off. Set a side.
Preheat the oven 350 F.
Sift flour, semolina flour, vanilla sugar, and baking soda together in a bowl.
Whisk eggs and sugar in another large mixing bowl until it gets creamy. Gradually add butter, sifted flour, semolina flour, vanilla sugar, and baking soda to the bowl, whisking consistently.
Add grated apple, walnut and cinnamon to the bowl and and mix thoroughly.
Pour into 13 17-inch rectangular pyrex and bake until it is golden brown, approximately 50 minutes.
Take the cake from the oven. Let it cool for 15 minutes and spoon syrup over the cake.
Serve it when it is cool. It is more delicious for the next day.

ETLİ NOHUT

CHICK PEAS WITH BEEF CUBES

Serves 6.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb dried chick peas ( soaked over night )
• 1 lb beef cubes
• 1 large onion (chopped)
• 20 baby chilli peppers
• 2 tbs of vegetable oil
• 2 tbs of tomato paste
• 1/2 tbs of red pepper paste
• 2 cups of boiling water
• 1 tsp of black pepper
• salt

In a large pot, take vegetable oil and beef cubes and cover the lid. Cook them over medium heat until it absorbs its own juice. Add chopped onion and stir.Wash and cut the tops of baby chili peppers. Add them to the pot and cook them for five minutes. Add tomato and red pepper paste. Stirring occasionally, cook for another five minutes. Add boiling water ,stir.Drain chick peas and add them to the pot. Add black pepper, and salt. Give them a quick stir.Turn the heat down to low and cook for one hour or until chick peas are soft. 
Serve it warm with rice and salad.

ZEYTİNLİ & KEKİKLİ & BİBERLİ POĞAÇA

THYME & PEPPER POGACAS WITH BLACK OLIVE FILLING

Makes 20 pogacas.

Ingredients:

• 1+1/2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 egg white
• 2 tbsp of butter (softened )
• 1/4 cup of vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup of plain yogurt
• 1 tsp of red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp of thyme
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of vinegar
• 1/2 tsp of baking soda

 Filling:

• 20 pitted black olives
  

Glaze:

• 1 egg yolk 

In a big mixing bowl, take egg white and whisk. Add vegetable oil,butter, yogurt, baking soda, thyme, pepper flakes, vinegar,salt, and mix. Add flour slowly and knead. Continue adding flour until the dough reaches soft consistency.
Take a small piece of dough ( about the half size of an egg ) and make it flat with your palms. Place 1 black olive in the middle of the dough and close it up. Place a parchment paper on a baking tray an put the pogacas on the tray. Brush all of the pogacas with egg yolk.
Preheat the oven 350F and bake until pogacas are light brown.

KURU ÜZÜMLÜ & CEVİZLİ KURABİYE

RAISINS & WALNUT COOKIES  

My son and I made these cookies together. He loves chocolate chip cookies.
That day I was out of chocolate chips and we decided to make our cookies with raisins and walnut instead. He loved it this way too...

Makes 26 cookies.

Ingredients:

• 1+ 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup of light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of raisins
• 1/2 cup of finely diced walnuts
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup of plain yogurt
  
• 1 stick butter ( softened )
• 1/3 tsp of baking soda
• 1/3 tsp of vanilla sugar
  
• a pinch of salt
  

Sift flour, baking soda, vanilla sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. In another bowl, whisk egg, melted butter, yogurt, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Add sifted mixing and mix it with a spatula. Add raisins and walnut to the bowl and mix. Take one tablespoon of cookie dough and place it on a greased baking tray. Leave some room between the cookies. Preheat the oven 400 F. Bake for 5 minute at this tempature then turn it down to 350F. Bake the cookies for 10 more minutes or until light brown. 

İMAMBAYILDI

  






























 BABY EGGPLANTS WITH OLIVE OIL
I remembered this summer dish as soon as I saw these teeny-tiny eggplants in our local Indian store. I usually follow the seasons for buying vegetables and fruit but I just couldn't resist.

Tomatoes which were used in this recipe are from summer. When they are so fresh and much more cheaper in the summer time I buy some more for coming winter. I just chop and place them in small freezer bags and store in the freezer.


Serves for 4-6

Ingredients

• 20 of baby eggplants
• 1 large size of onions
• 20 baby chilli peppers 
• 10 cloves of garlic ( chopped)
  
• 3 medium size of tomatoes
• 1 tbsp of tomato paste
  
• 1/3 cup of olive oil
• a pinch black pepper
  
• salt

Wash and trim eggplants. Cut them "+" shape that go almost halfway from the bottom. Take 1/3 cup of olive oil in large pot and heat over medium-high heat. Take all 20 eggplants in the pot at the same time and cover the lid. Do not open the lid just shake the pot gently every two minutes until they are nicely brown. Turn the heat off and take eggplants to a dish. Chop the onion and take them to the same pot. Saute with the remaining olive oil. Wash and trim chilli peppers and add them with garlic to the pot and stir .Peel and grate tomatoes. Add them to the pot with tomato paste and stir. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat.Add salt and black pepper to the pot and stir.Place  eggplants to the pot and cover the lid. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 30 minutes.

BROKOLİ MUSAKKA

BROCCOLI MOUSSAKA

Serves 6.

There is no traditional broccoli dish in Turkish cuisine, as far as I know. This is my idea to make moussaka with it and it turned out very well.


Ingredients:

• 1/3 lb of ground beef
• 2 lb of fresh broccoli
  
• 1 large onion (chopped )
  
• 10 cloves of garlic (chopped )
  
• 1 fresh green pepper ( chopped )
  
• 2 large size of tomatoes
• 1 tbsp of tomato paste
• 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
  

• 1/3 tsp of black pepper
• salt

Take ground beef and vegetable oil in a large pot and cook it until the beef absorbs all of its juice, stirring occasionally . Add chopped onion, chopped pepper, and garlic into the pot. Saute them on medium heat for 10 minutes then add tomato paste and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cut broccoli florets, wash, and  drain.  Take them into the pot. Add black pepper and salt. Stir them all together. Peel the tomatoes and cut them into cubes. Place tomatoes on top of other vegetables and turn the heat down to low. Put the lid on and cook for 30 minutes.

ÇEDAR PEYNİRLİ MİLFÖY BÖREK

PUFF PASTRY BOREK WITH CHEDDAR CHEESE

I found this easy borek recipe on one of my favorite Turkish Food Blogs, "Hayat Binbircesni".Thank you Saliha, this is a brilliant idea.

It is a well know fact that the best borek is made from scratch but it takes too much time just like this one.

However this puff pastry borek is an exception. It almost tastes like somebody just made it from scratch.

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 1 sheet of puff pastry
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 bunch of chopped parsley

Topping:

• 1 egg yolk
• nigella and sesame seeds

Take the puff pastry sheet out of the freezer and let it thaw. Cut the pastry three equal parts. Dust a large, flat surface with  flour (dusting will keep the dough from sticking). Place one of the pastry part onto flat surface and sprinkle some more flour on top of it. Roll the pastry as thin as you can with a long roller pin. Keep dusting the dough with flour while you are rolling.
Take cheddar cheese and chopped parsley in a large bowl and mix it. Place 1/3  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 a round tray. Repeat this step for the other two. Brush with egg yolk and sprinkle sesame and nigella seeds