GREEN BEAN AND POTATO SALAD

GREEN BEAN
 AND POTATO  SALAD

Green bean and potato salad is a very good choice for hot summer days. It can be prepared a day ahead. But cucumber and tomato must add just before serve.


INGREDIENTS

250g / 1/2 lb fresh green beans
3 medium potatoes
1/2 cup kalamata olives,
1 tomato
1 cucumber
1 medium onion, sliced (optional)

DRESSING
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili pepper

Trim green beans , cut into 1inch long, steam. Boil potatoes the skin is on , peel and cut into small cubes. Prepare dressing mixing all ingredients, pour over bean and potato mixture while they are still hot. Mix well , cover and leave half an hour. Add kalamata olives, tomato and cucumber.

CHICKEN PASTY ROLLS

CHICKEN PASTY ROLLS

 

 

 

Today's recipe is from the West of Turkey. It is a traditional wedding dish.

 In old times, traditionally a girl after marrying would accept her husband's family as hers. She would occasionally visit her own family. After wedding the first family visit with her husband was important. Special meals were prepared for this special day. Home made baklava ( a dessert) was one of them . The recipe I am giving you now, was done with remaining pastry from baklava.

We use yufka (ready Turkish dough) to make it. But it can be made with filo dough. Actually filo dough is more similar baklava dough then Turkish yufka.

 

INGREDIENTS

 

1/2 whole chicken

1 onion, whole

2 strings fresh thyme

4 strings parsley

1 1/2 tsp salt

 

2 leaves of Turkish yufka or 8 leaves of filo dough

3 tbsp. vegetable oil

 

FOR SAUCE

2 eggs yolks

2 tbsp. flour

2 cups plain yogurt

2 cups chicken stock

 

OR

2eggs

2 tbsp. flour

3 cups chicken stock

 

2 crushed garlic

2 tbsp. red vinegar

 

2 tbsp. butter

1 1/2 tsp chili pepper

 

 

Place chicken in a large pan, add  onion, parsley, thyme and salt. Pour over 6 cups water. Boil and simmer until chicken is tender. Drain , remove skin and bones, cut chicken meat into strips. Keep chicken stock .

Grease an oven tray, lay the first leaf of yufka , pucker, grease with oil. Do the same for second yufka  leaf. If you use filo dough do the same process. Bake 180C/375F about 15 minutes or until gets light brown.When it is still hot pour over 2 cups chicken stock . 

 

 

 

Meanwhile , in a pan , mix eggs, flour, yogurt ,   and chicken stock . Bring to boil and simmer until sauce gets thick. If you do not like taste of yogurt you can use the  second choice of   the sauce . Mix all ingredients and cook until gets thick. 

In the original recipe at this stage must added  2 crushed garlic and 2 tbsp. red vinegar  . It depends on you if you do not like taste of garlic and vinegar just ignore .

Mix chicken pieces with half of the sauce. Spread chicken and  sauce mixture on to the pastry. Gently roll the pastry from long side.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leave 30 minutes and then cut into 4cm/1,5 inch wide. Place them in a well greased oven tray. Pour remaining sauce each of them. If you use the sauce without yogurt , sprinkle greated cheese on top of pasties. Bake 180C/375F about 15 minutes or until well browned.

Heat butter , add chili pepper. Pour over chicken pasties.  Serve hot.

  

 

TURKEY PATTIES

TURKEY  PATTIES

 

Ground turkey is sold just as ground beef, and is known as a healthy alternative to beef. Turkey meat is even leaner than chicken. It is a good choice of poultry for a healthy diet.

 Turkey breast is too dry for to make patties. Ground/minced dark turkey helps to keep patties moist.

You can turn these patties as a delicious turkey burger with the  toppings  you like.

Turkey patties can be serve with many variation of side dishes. My example is with haricot bean salad (piyaz) and baked potato wedges.

Tip: I make bread crumbs at home with left over white bread. Let dry sliced bread . Process  in a food processor. Lay in an oven tray, bake 150C/300F for 20 minutes or until dry. Keep in an air tight jar.

  

 

INGREDIENTS

 

500g / 1 lb dark ground( minced) turkey

1 medium onion, grated

1 clove garlic , crushed

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 tbsp. parsley, finely chopped

1 tbsp. fresh thyme , finely chopped

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. oil extra for frying

 

In a large bowl mix ground turkey, onion, garlic, egg, bread crumbs, cumin, salt, pepper, parsley, thyme and olive oil, shape into 8 patties. Heat oil in a large nonstick frying pan. Cook patties for 5 minutes on each side or until browned. Serve with baked potato wedges, and haricot bean salad (piyaz) .

 

  

 

SMOKED SALMON SALAD

SMOKED SALMON SALAD

 Salad is  known as a perfect side dish. A simple green salad can turn a  main meal, adding grilled steak or chicken, sea food, fish, egg, nuts,  and cheese. 
There are many various of salad dressing. Main ingredients of dressing are extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar , salt and pepper. And than can be added fresh herbs, mustard, mayonnaise  nuts, cheese, garlic, onion, etc... Most dressing can be made a day ahead. But salad dressing  should be added just before serving to keep salad crispy.
Tip for to have delicious green salad is to dry leaves. If the leaves are wet the dressing lose flavor.
Before now tea towels had been used for to dry leaves. Now  there are many useful salad spinner for this job.
Another process to have a tasty salad is , after addition of  dressing  toss very well.


INGREDIENTS
       
250g / mesclun ( mixed small salad leaves),    
125g/  5oz smoked salmon
2tbsp carpers
1/2 cup kamata olives
1 medium red onion, sliced


FOR DRESSING
4 tbsp . extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. white  vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp. fresh basil
2 tbsp. dill
2 tbsp. parsley


Gently rinse salad leaves, drain and dry in a salad spinner. Place salad leaves in a large serving bowl.
Process olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic, basil, dill, parsley in food processor. Pour
over salad leaves and toss gently.
Place smoked salmon on  top of salad, decorate with onion, kalamata olives and carper. Serve with fresh bread and white vine.

GROUND BEEF PARCEL/ GOZLEME

GROUND BEEF PARCEL/
                  GOZLEME
           

Today's recipe is from Traditional Turkish Cuisine. Gozleme is a pastry dish which is  fill with meat or vegetable or cheese.  Gozleme is made from yufka( filo/ phyllo dough). Yufka is fresh , very thin, round sheet of dough that is used for to make pastries (borek) . Turkish Cuisine has endless varieties of delicious pastries/borek.
Yufka is made from wheat  flour mixed with salt and water. After dough is kneaded and rolled into round thin sheet, it is heated on a sac ( large metal lid)  until gets slightly brown.
Yufka can be used in many ways; layered/ folded/ rolled or baked/ fried  filling with many various of fillings; meat, chicken, vegetables, cheese.
In Turkey fresh yufka can find at most supermarkets. Out of Turkey, packaged  yufka can find at Turkish, Greek,  Middle Eastern Markets or from internet markets which sells Turkish ingredients.


INGREDIENTS

300g, 3/4lb ground beef/mince meat
2 medium tomatoes, diced
2 green pepper, diced
3 spring/green onion, chopped
3 tbsp. chopped parsley
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili flake

2 Turkish filo dough/ yufka
2 tbsp. oil for frying

Put all ingredients in a bowl, mix well. Cut each sheets of  filo dough into 6 triangles. Put 2 tbsp. of filling on the wide side of dough  and spread. Cover  both sides with dough, turn and make six parcels.
Heat a frying pan on medium heat, grease with oil, place three parcels. Fry both sides 2-3 minutes or until  get light brown. Grease the pan again and place the other three parcels, and fry. Serve when they are still hot.

SUMMER VEGETABLES STEW

SUMMER
VEGETABLES STEW-TURKISH STYLE

 

 

 





 Stew is a very common cooking style in the world of cooking. It is a combination of vegetables and meat that have been cooked in liquid. Stews are cooked at a low temperature allowing to flavor to mix.
Turkish stew -turlu /guvec- is not very different from the other examples in the world. Ingredients change depending on the seasons. Lamb are used rather than beef in Turkish stew. As I sad before I am not a lamb eater, because of that I prefer beef. Traditional way to cooking  this dish is  used   a earth ware pot/ guvec  or earth ware jug/testi( Testi kebab) which is generally found in Central Anatolia.
I have a childhood story about Testi kebab. My fathers family is originally from Central Anatolia. When he was a kid he saw how they prepared Testi Kebab . Ingredients are similar vegetable stew prepared in a earth ware jug and cook in a hole filled with charcoal fire and cover with earth.  My farther was an adventurous and highly skilled person and he thought he can make it easily. He organized a picnic for his family friends and promised to cook Testi kebab. Everything was fine until the earth ware jug   cracked. And then rescue operation began. I will never forget the panic , no one did not want to lose this delicious dish and they succeeded. It was yummy.
I used casserole pot and cooked on stove very low heat, can be cooked in a earth casserole in the oven .



 

 

 

 

500kg/ 1lb beef or lamb chunks

2 medium onion, roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic

3 medium rape tomatoes, chopped

3 tbsp. olive oil

2 medium eggplant  /aubergine, roughly diced

2 medium zucchini/courgette, roughly diced

250g/1/2lb okra

250g 1/2 lb green beans

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 red bell pepper,diced

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 1/2 cup hot water

 

 

Peel the skin of eggplant/aubergine lengthwise, make stripes, soak into water, added 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp flour  for 15 minutes. Cut top and tail of green beans and cut into 1inc /2,5cm length. Diced peppers.

Heat oil in pan add meat, stir and fry until turn brown and no juice left. Add chopped onion and garlic  stir 2-3 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes, green and red peppers and water. Season with salt, pepper and cumin . Cover, boil and simmer 30-40 minutes until meat is  soft . Add  green beans. Cook further 20 minutes. Add chopped eggplant/aubergine and zucchini/courgette  and okra. Cook 20 minutes more or all ingredients tender. If needs add more hot water. Serve with rice pilaf and green salad. 

 

  

 

 

SLOW COOKED TURKEY

SLOW COOKED
              TURKEY

Seven -hour  lamb is a well known French dish which is slow-cooking leg of lamb in wine with garlic and herbs.. I like the way of cooking, but I am not fan of lamb. I decided to try the recipe with turkey. I can say the result was so good.
I use casserole pan for slow-cooking. The casserole pan is a large , deep saucepan which can be used in the oven or on top of the stove. Casserole pan is made from thick enameled metal and glazed earthen or stoneware.
This dish can be eaten as  hot with gravy or cold . Very tasty sandwiches can be made from leftover cold meat.


INGREDIENTS
1kg 2lb turkey leg and thighs, bone in, skin removed
2 medium onions, sliced
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic
2 cups red wine
2 bay leaves
3  thyme springs, leaves picked
2  rosemary  springs, leaves only
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
4 black peppercorn

Heat olive oil in a casserole pan add sliced onion and garlic cloves and fry until softened and lightly brown. Add turkey fry all over on a high heat, turning until it is well browned. Pour wine over, add thyme and rosemary leaves and bay leaves, salt and pepper corns. Cover tightly. Bring to boil and simmer on very low heat for 2 hours, until it is tender. Take of the meat and drain the liquid. Serve with mashed potato . Serving suggestion is: Put mashed potato in a plate , put meat on top and pour the juice over.

 

 

 

For sandwich: 

leftover cold turkey meat, sliced

bread-wheat, wholegrain, rye- , sliced

mayonnaise

mustard

red onion, sliced thin

tomato, ripe, cut into thick slices

rocket leaves

 

 Combine mayonnaise and mustard, spread on two sliced bread. Lay  cold turkey meat on    sliced bread. Add  tomato, red onion and rocket leaves (or any green salad leaves). Press top the second bread slice.