KURU İNCİR REÇELİ

DRIED FIG JAM

Ingredients:

• 12 dried figs
• 3/4 cup of granulated sugar
• 3 cups of water
• 1 tbsp of lemon juice

Wash the figs. Soak them in cold water over night.Take them with the juice   in a large pot and add sugar on top and stir. Turn the heat on to high and bring it to the boil. Turn the heat down to medium. Stirring occasionally, cook it for 25 minutes. Add lemon juice and stir. Boil for another 5 minutes over medium heat. Turn the heat off and let it cool for ten minutes. Keep it in the refrigerator.  

PATATESLİ & ZEYTİNLİ BÖREK

BOREK WITH POTATO & BLACK OLIVE FILLING

Ingredients:

• 4 Turkish pastry sheets
• 1 small size onion (chopped )
  
• 2 tbsp of tomato paste
• 3 large size of potatoes
• 1 cup of pitted black olive
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper
• salt

Sauce:

• 1 egg+1 egg white
• 1 cup of milk
  
• 1/2 cup of vegetable oil

Topping:

• 1 egg yolk
• sesame and baraka seeds

Take washed potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Boil it until soft over medium heat. Peel and mash potatoes. Saute chopped onion with 3 tbsp of vegetable oil over medium heat. Add tomato paste and stir for 5 minutes. Add mashed potatoes, black pepper, and salt and stir. Turn the heat down to low and continue to cook for ten minutes. Turn the heat off and add black olive. Let it cool.

For the sauce; take eggs, milk and vegetable oil in large mixing bowl and whisk.

Brush bottom and sides of a 13 by 17-inch baking tray with vegetable oil. Layer the first sheet, spoon 1/3 of the sauce over entire surface. Layer the second sheet and spoon 1/3 of sauce over and spread the filling all over covering the whole surface. Layer the third sheet on top of the filling and spoon the remaining sauce all over and layer the last sheet.
Whisk egg yolk for the glaze and brush the last sheet with egg yolk. Sprinkle some sesame and baraka seeds.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Bake for about 45 minutes or until nicely brown.
When it completely cools down, cut the borek into squares.

EKŞİLİ YAHNİ

MEAT STEW WITH BULGUR BALLS

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup of uncooked chickpeas
• 1 lb of lamb cubes ( or beef cubes )
• 1/2 cup of uncooked rice
• 1 large onion
• 2 tbsp of tomato paste
• 1 tsp of red pepper paste
• juice of 2 lemons
• 3 cups of water 
• 2 tbsp of dried ground mint
• salt

For the bulgur balls:

• 1 cup of extra fine bulgur
• 3/4 cup of boiling water
• 1/2 lb of ground lamb (or ground beef )
• 1 tbsp of semolina flour
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 tsp of ground chili pepper
• salt

Take bulgur in a large mixing bowl and pour 3/4 cup of boiling water on it and mix. Cover the lid and let it rest for 15 minutes. Take bulgur, semolina flour, ground lamb, chopped onion, chili pepper, and salt in a bowl of food processor and process it for 15 minutes or until it is well combined.
 

Take small parts ( about the size of a hazelnut ) of mixing and give them the shape of small balls. Take a large pot and fill it half way with water and bring it to the boil over high heat. Turn the heat down the medium. Take the bulgur balls in a metal colander and place it on the rim of pot and cover the lid. Let the steam of boiling water cook the bulgur balls for 20 minutes.Take them in a tray and let it cool.

Soak chickpeas with 2 cups of cold water overnight.

Next day, wash lamb cubes. Take it in a pressure cooker and add 3 cups of cold water. Bring it to the boil. You will see some foam on the surface when it starts to boil. Take them all with a spoon and discard. Drain the chickpeas and add them into the pressure cooker. Close the lid of pressure cooker and turn the heat down to low. Cook the meat and the chickpeas for 15 minutes at low heat. Take the pressure cooker and let it cool. Open the lid when it is cool enough and take the lamp cubes and chickpeas out in a plate leaving meat broth in the pressure cooker.Cut the onion into two halves and slice the both halves thinly. Add  onion slices into the broth and turn the heat up to high. Add tomato paste and pepper paste and stir. When the onion is cooked add rice into the pressure cooker and turn the heat down to low. Add cooked lamb cubes and chickpeas in it when rice is done. Stir gently. Add lemon juice and dried mint and stir.Cook it for another 5 minutes over medium heat and turn the heat off.When you are ready to eat first place some bulgur balls in a serving plate then add stew on top.
 Enjoy...

SÜTLAÇ

RICE PUDDING

Serves 6.

Ingredients:

• 2+1/2 cup of milk
• 1/3 cup of uncooked rice
• 1+1/2 cup of boiling water
• 3/4 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp of rice flour
• 1 tsp of corn starch
• 1/2 tsp of vanilla sugar

Take boiling water in a medium pot and add  the rice. Stir and cover the lid. Turn the heat down to low and simmer until the rice is mushy. When the rice is done add milk to the pot and turn the heat up to the medium. Stir occasionally until it is boiling. Add sugar and stir. Take rice flour and corn starch in a bowl and add 1/3 cup of cold water and whisk it until smooth. Add this to the pot slowly while whisking the pudding constantly. Cook it for another 5 minutes and turn the heat off. Add vanilla sugar and stir. Apportion the pudding into bowls and let them sit on the counter top until they are cool enough. Sprinkle ground cinnamon and chopped walnut on top. Chill them in the refrigerator.

TAVUKLU PİLAV

RICE WITH CHICKEN

Ingredients:

• 3 pieces of chicken leg quarter
• 4 cups of water
• 2 cups of jasmine rice
• 1/2 cup of uncooked chickpeas
• 1/3 tsp of ground black pepper
• salt

Soak chickpeas with two cups of water overnight. Next day,wash and drain chicken and chickpeas. Take it in a pressure cooker and add 6 cups of cold water. Bring it to the boil. You will see some foam on the surface when it starts to boil. Take them all with a spoon and discard.Add black pepper. Close the lid of pressure cooker and turn the heat down to low. Cook the chicken for 15 minutes at low heat. Take the pressure cooker and let it cool. Open the lid when it is cool enough and take the chicken and chickpeas out in a plate leaving meat broth in the pressure cooker. Take the bones of chicken and cut them into coarse pieces. 
Take chicken broth in a large pot and bring it to the boil. Add rice, chicken pieces, chickpeas and salt in it and stir. Turn the heat down the low. Cover the lid. Simmer for 30 minutes. Turn the heat off. Let it rest for 30 minute before serve.