SÖĞÜRME

 COOKED EGGPLANT SALAD

This dish can be served cold or warm. It could be lunch by itself or a side dish with meat.

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggplants
• 1 large onion ( chopped )
• 1 fresh green pepper ( chopped )
• 4 tomatoes (peeled and diced )
• 1/2 tbsp of tomato paste
• 4 tbsp of olive oil
• salt

Pierce the eggplants with a fork . Grill the eggplants until they are soft. Take them out from the oven and let it cool. Peal the crust of eggplants and take the eggplants in a strainer and wait for 20 minutes to let the liquid out.Chop eggplants finely.
In a large skillet, olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion and chopped pepper into the skillet and cook them together for 10 minutes. Add tomato cubes, tomato paste into the skillet and cook for another 10 minutes. Add chopped eggplant and stir. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off add salt and stir. 

SERİMSEK

FRIED BOREK WITH GROUND BEEF & RICE FILLING

 This is the first borek I have ever eaten and I must admit that it is the most tastiest one for me. They make it for a special occasion in large quantities in my hometown. After one of the close relatives passes away they prepare it and share it with neighbors and relatives. That way, people remember and pray for that person.

The smell of mahalab makes this borek special. Also it is tastier because it is fried:)

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 2 cups of all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup of warm water
• 1 tsp of mahalab
• 1 tsp of yeast
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1/2 tsp of granulated sugar

Filling:

• 1/2 cup of rice
• 3/4 cup of boiling water
• 1/2 lb of ground beef
• 1 large onion ( chopped )
• 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper
• salt
• 1 cup of olive oil to fry

Cook the rice with the boiling water over low heat. 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 the heat off and add black pepper and salt. Stir and mix it with the rice.

Mix all of the dry ingredients for the dough in a large mixing bowl. Add water, knead them all together with your hands until becoming dough. The dough should be soft. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest until the dough rises to double of its size. It takes one to two hours.

Take the bowl and knead the dough again until it is bubble free. Divide the dough into four equal pieces.Take some all purpose flour in a small 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 16 inch diameter.

Apportion 1/2 of the filling as shown in the picture.Dip the second ball into the flour. Dust a large, flat surface with the flour. Place the the second ball onto flat surface and roll the dough as thin as you can with a long roller pin just like the first one.

Cover the first sheet with the second one and cut the dough with a knife or pastry cutter from the edges of the filling. Repeat these steps for the third and the forth balls. Take 1 cup of olive oil in a pot over high heat. Fry the pastries turning occasionally. Place a paper towel on a large serving dish and take boreks onto the paper towel. This way paper towel absorbs excessive oil.

MUZLU KEK

BANANA BREAD

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 cup of finely chopped walnut
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
•  1/2 tsp of baking soda
• 2+1/2 cups of all purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Sift flour, cinnamon, and baking soda together in a bowl.
Whisk eggs, granulated sugar and brown sugar in another large mixing bowl until it gets creamy. Gradually add milk, vegetable oil whisking consistently.
Add sifted flour, cinnamon, and baking soda to the bowl and whisk  thoroughly. In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork or process it in the food processor . Add banana, walnut and raisins to the bowl and stir.
Pour into 9 by 5-inch loaf pan and bake approximately 60 minutes. Check the cake by inserting a toothpick into the center. The toothpick will come out clean when the cake is done.

*The cake is more delicious for the next day and if you like your cake sweet, you could add a half cup of more granulated sugar.