İZMİR KÖFTE

IZMIR MEATBALLS

Izmir is one of the largest cities in Turkey. They name this meatballs after the name of the city. It is a very easy and delicious dish.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1/3 cup of bread crumbs
• 1 large onion ( finely chopped )
• 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper
• 1/3 tsp of baking soda
• salt
• 5 medium size potatoes
• 2 tbsp of vegetable oil

Sauce:

• 3 tbsp of vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp of tomato paste
• 1 cup boiling water

Take ground lamb, chopped onion, black pepper, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl and knead it until well combined. Cover with stretch film and let it rest for 4-5 hours in the refrigerator. At the end of resting time, take the mixture out and knead it one more time. Take small parts (about 2 tbsp )  make small meatballs. Turn the broiler on high and lightly broil the meatballs.
Wash and peel potatoes. Cut them into large slices ( like apple slices ) . Take potatoes in a big mixing bowl. Add salt and vegetable oil mix. Preheat broiler to medium heat. Take potatoes in a baking tray. Broil potatoes for 10 minutes. 
Take vegetable oil and tomato paste in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir and saute it for 5 minutes. Add boiling water and stir. Cover the lid and simmer for 15 minutes over low heat. Add meatballs and potatoes into the skillet and gently stir. Cover lid and simmer for 15 minutes. 
Serve with rice. 

LOR TATLISI

RICOTTA  CHEESE DESSERT

Makes 26 cookies.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup semolina flour
• 1 cup of all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp of vanilla sugar
• 1/3 tsp of baking powder

Syrup:

• 3 cup of sugar
• 2+1/2 cup of water
• 1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice

Take the ricotta cheese in a strainer and cover it with plastic wrap over night. Place a deep cup under the strainer to let the liquid out and let it sit in the refrigerator.

Next day, mix all of the syrup ingredients in a medium pot and boil them for 15 minutes on a medium heat. Let the syrup cool completely.

Take ricotta cheese from the refrigerator and place it in a large bowl. Add the eggs, semolina flour, powdered sugar, flour, baking soda and vanilla sugar in the same bowl and knead until well combined.

Take small parts ( about the size of walnut ) from the dough and give them the shape of small balls. Place them on a greased baking tray. Decorate with whole hazelnut. Preheat the oven 350 F. Bake the cookies for 20 to 25 minutes.

Take the tray out of the oven and pour the syrup slowly on top of cookies and let the cookies absorb the syrup for 6-7 hours.
 

ZEYTİNLİ MİLFÖY BÖREK

PUFFED PASTRY BOREK WITH BLACK OLIVE FILLING

Ingredients:

• 2 sheets of puffed pastry 
• 1 cup of pitted black olive

Topping:

• 1 egg yolk
• nigella ans sesame seeds 

Preheat the oven 400F. 
Cut each pastry sheet into 9 squares. Put 1 tsp of pitted black olive on the center of the square and close it up. Press gently to seal.Repeat this step for all the squares. Take them on a cookie sheet. Brush with egg yolk and sprinkle some nigella and sesame seeds on top. Bake it for 15 minutes or the egg yolk turns golden brown in color.

İRMİKLİ MUHALLEBİ

 

SEMOLINA PUDDING

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of milk
• 1 cup of sugar
• 30 square of chocolate crackers
• 3/4 cup of semolina flour
• 1/3 cup finely shredded coconut
• 2 tbsp of salted butter
• 1/2 tsp of vanilla sugar
• finely chopped walnut to decorate

Take milk in a large pot and bring it to the boil over high heat. Add sugar and stir. Turn the heat down to medium. Then add semolina and stir constantly until it gets thicker, for about 8-10 minutes. Turn the heat off. Add butter,  coconut and vanilla sugar. Stir until the butter melts completely.

In a rectangular pyrex, layer 15 chocolate crackers side by side covering the bottom all over. Spoon the first half of pudding over. Repeat these for the other half of crackers and the pudding.Sprinkle walnut all over. Let it cool on the counter top then take it into the refrigerator.

YOĞURTLU KÖFTE

MEAT & YOGURT STEW WITH BULGUR BALLS

This dish is a feast itself that you don't need anything else to go with it.
It has many healthy ingredients and it is very tasty too which will make you ask for the second serving:)

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup of chickpeas
• 1 lb of lamb cubes ( or beef cubes )
• 2 cups of thick plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup of uncooked rice
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp of all purpose flour
• 3 cups of water
• 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 

Sause:

• 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp of dried ground mint

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.

Wash and drain rice. Take it into the broth. Bring it to the boil over medium heat. Cook the rice until it is soft. Turn the heat off and set a side until it is completely cool. Then add yogurt, egg, and flour. Stir well. Turn the heat on high and stir consistently until it starts to boil. Add cooked lamb cubes and chickpeas in it. Turn the heat down to low and continue to stir for 5 minutes then turn the heat off. Add salt.
Take vegetable oil in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Add dried mint to the pan. Stir until mint gives its color to the oil ( around 30 seconds). Add the sauce to the stew.
Enjoy.