VEGETABLE SCRAMBEL EGG -MENEMEN

                                          SCRAMBEL EGG
                              AND

                                          VEGETABLE -MENEMEN

Tomato has an interesting history. The wild tomatoes cultivation countries are Bolivia and Peru. After discovery of America tomato had been introduce to Europe .Tomatoes are grown for the first time in United States in 1893. It  classifyed as a vegetable. But in reality it is a fruit.

 Turkey met tomatoes 1900s.  Now Turkey is the  third major tomato grower country in the world .Tomato is one of the  important ingredients in all Turkish recipes.
This recipe is one of them. The name of  Menemen comes from  a small town near Izmir- Aegean Region of Turkey. This region is the second tomato grower in Turkey. Also  you can find  many  vegetable and herb dishes  in this region's cuisine.
This recipe is good for breakfast, light lunch and quick dinner.

INGREDIENTS

1 Tablespoon  olive oil

1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 red pepper, seeded and diced

3 medium tomatoes, diced

125g ,4oz feta cheese , diced

6 medium size eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1

PREPARATION

Heat butter or oil in a frying pan (non-stick would be ideal) add green and red pepper. Stir 3 min, add tomatoes. Simmer until absorbs the juice. Add feta cheese. Cook until the cheese begins to melt. Add beaten eggs and seasoning. Stir like making scramble egg. Cook until there is not any liquid egg left.

VEAL STEAK WITH CURRY POWDER

                   VEAL STEAK WITH
              CURRY POWDER

      

I believe you will find this recipe very easy and delicious. You can prepare this dish in 30-40 min including cooking time. If you like  spicy you can add more curry. It is good with sesame potatoes ( label-side dish)  and plain rice.

INGREDIENTS:

500g -1 lb beef sirloin tip sandwich steak

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, sliced

3 tablespoons parsley, well chopped

1  teaspoon  curry powder, mild or hot

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil

1/2 cup hot water 

PREPARATION:

Cut each steak in two,  heat oil in a  pan,  place steaks, cook 3 minutes each sides or until turns brown. Add onion, garlic, parsley, curry powder, salt and pepper and hot water. Bring to boil, reduce the heat, cover with lid. Simmer 20 minutes or until steak is tender. If needs add more hot water. Serve with sesame potatoes.              





SESAME POTATOES

 

 

 

SESAME POTATO

 

 

 

 

 

Potatoes is one of the most popular vegetables all over the world. Potato takes an important  place in all of the world's cuisine.

Origin of potatoes is Southern Peru, where they were domesticated 7.000-10.000 years ago. Spanish conquests introduced the potato to Europe in 16th century. And then potato have become an integral part of the world's cuisine.

Potato is full of vitamins and minerals. The nutritional value of potato and each cooked staple depends on the pre-processing and the way of cooking, boiling, frying, roasting , baking....

Different varieties of potatoes grow all around the world.  Main difference is waxy and floury potatoes. Waxy potatoes are translucent and feel moist and pasty. They are good at staying firm and keeping their shape . They are good to make potato salad.

Floury potatoes are brighter and more granular in appearance a drier feel. They are better for dishes where you want fluffy potatoes for mash.



INGREDIENTS:

1kg-2 lb potatoes (waxy ones)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

3 Tablespoons sesame seeds

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon paprika or chili powder

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

PREPARATION

Boil potatoes in their skins. Drain and let it cool. Peel potatoes and dice them 2cm cubes.

Heat oil in a pan ( non-stick would be ideal) over a medium hit. Add sesame seeds, as soon as seeds turn brown add diced potatoes. Stir 5 min. Add salt, chili and lemon juice. Stir and fry another 3-4 min or until potatoes turn light brown.

SAUCEPAN KEBAB

SAUCEPAN KEBAB

                           FROM      THE HAVUZLU RESTAURANT

    

I was at Grand Bazaar/Covered Bazaar yesterday. I have been living in Istanbul since I was born. I can't remember how many times I have been there. Still I find it exciting. I can easily spend a day in there. Grand Bazaar is the oldest and   largest covered market in Turkey, some people say 'in  the world'. It is  today's malls, with 60 streets and 5.000 shops.

Grand Bazaar  opened  in 1461 Regine of Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror. The Bazaar was enlarged in 16. century Regine of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent. TheBazaar had been hit by fires and earthquakes many times. For this reason it was restored many times.

Many of the stalls are grouped by the type of goods, leather, gold jewelry, pottery, carpet and the like.

Also there are several restaurants and cafes. I had lunch with my friends at one of them The Havuzlu Restaurant yesterday . Havuz means pond in Turkish. There is an ornamental  pond in the restaurant, it name comes from it. The Havuzlu restaurant is well known with authentic Ottoman- Turkish food. As you see the picture above they  display foods and they inform customers before order.We ended our lunch at Sark Kahvesi- Sark Coffee house for to drink Turkish Coffee. You can have traditional delicious Turkish coffee at Sark Kahvesi in The Bazaar.

Today's recipe is traditional Turkish dish, Hunkar Begendi- Sultan's Delight .... Original recipe is with lamb and eggplant-aubergine puree.  If you don't like eggplant-aubergine you can make it with potato puree and beef instead of lamb.

INGREDİENTS:

SAUCEPAN KEBAB
 1 kg-2 lb chunk steak- chopped lamp

 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

 2 medium tomatoes, chopped or a can diced tomato

 1 medium onion, chopped
  1 teaspoon salt
  1/2 teaspoon black pepper

  1 1/2 cups hot water                 
            

   FOR PUREE

  1 1/2 kg- 3 lb eggplant- aubergine

  1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  2 tablespoon  vegetable oil or butter

  3 tablespoons plain flour
 2 1/2 cup luke warm milk
 1 teaspoon salt
 4 Tablespoon cheese , grated

OR

  1 kg-2 lb potato
 2 tablespoon butter or vegetable
 1 1/2 cups milk
 1 teaspoon salt
 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  3 Tablespoons cheese grate

PREPARATION
Heat oil in a pan add chuck steak, stir until turns brown. Add onion stir 3 min more.
Add salt and pepper, tomatoes and hot water. Bring to boil, reduce the heat. Cook covered 20-30 min or until steak is tender. If needs add more hot water.

FOR EGGPLANT-AUBERGINE PUREE

Wash eggplants, place in a baking tray leaving skins on. Make some holes with fork.

Broil eggplants until are soft . Or bake the eggplants 40min at 350F-180C. This process gives smoky flavor .

When cool enough  to handle, peel the skins.Ttransfer them in a colander. Pour lemon juice. Leave  to all bitter  juices gone for10 min . Process eggplant pulp in a food processor until smooth.

Heat oil or butter in a pan. Add flour and  stir 2 min , remove from the heat, pour milk, whisk well.Return to heat,  continue to string until sauce thick.

Stir in eggplant puree, reduce the heat low, simmer 5 min , constantly stirring, add cheese, and beat well add salt&pepper. Serve hot.

                     FOR POTATO PUREE

Place sliced potatoes in a pan cover with water. Boil until tender. Drain and mash. Add  milk, oil,salt&pepper.Simmer 5 min, add cheese, beat well ,serve hot.

SERVING

Place eggplant puree or potatoes puree in a plate put the meat middle of it.



RED LENTİL SOUP

 

 

 

RED LENTIL

SOUP

 

 

 

Lentil soup is one of the classic Turkish dish. This delicious , spicy soup is full of iron . It is low fat and ideal for vegetarians.

People have this soup for breakfast at villages in Turkey. When you are traveling by coach city to city ,  drivers stop off at the small restaurants for eat something and  visit restrooms  in Turkey. All restaurants have lentil soup on their menu.

  Lentil soup is lovely as a winter warmer . I am going to cook it today. Weather is cold and snowing  again. It has been snowing time to time   since January in Istanbul.  It seems it is going to be a long winter. I am not complain . I am  a cold weather person.

INGREDIENTS:

1cup red lentil, washed and drained

1 onion, chopped

5 cups hot water

1 can chicken broth (101/2 oz-300g)

2 tablespoons tomato puree

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon dry mint

PREPARATION:

Place lentil in a large saucepan. Add hot water , chopped onion and tomato puree. Bring to boil, reduce heat. Cook 15min or until lentil is soft. Blend or  process  lentil until  smooth. Add chicken broth if it needs add more hot water. Bring to the boil 4-5 min.

Melt butter add chili and dry mint. Pour over the soup. Serve with croutons .

COOK'S TIP

1 medium potato, cubed

1 medium root celery (celeriac), cubed

1 medium carrot, cubed

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Add potato and root celery and carrot when you are cooking lentil. They will give more taste to your soup.

TURN OVER MEAT AND RİCE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TURN OVER

MEAT AND RICE

Everyone who know me at least ones ate  this dish at my home. I learned it from my mother  and she learned it from her mother in law, my grandmother.  One my sons learned it too .I haven't eaten yet but his brother says it was as delicious as mine... It seems our traditional dish will go on. My grandmom said she was cooking it on charcoal at the old times, it means very slow cooking .

When you look at Indian, Pakistani, Iranian and Middle East cuisine you can find many combination of meat and rice recipes. At these rice  recipes    cooking method is absorption , not boil and drain. When rice absorb all spicy juice of stock it gets more tasty.

Cooking rice  can seem difficult. But if you measure rice and water correctly believe me you should not go wrong.

Also there are some tricks to cook well rice -

- you need a heavy pot with tight lid (non -stick ones are ideal)

- soak rice into hot salty water 30 minutes before cooking 

- rice should be wash well and drain

- before eat let it rest 10 minutes

You can make this recipe with chopped chicken or turkey meat. Serve with plain yogurt.

INGREDIENTS

1kg -2 lb lean beef, cubed

1 medium onion, chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil or butter

1 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

11/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

3 1/2 cups hot water

2 1/2 cups medium grain rice or long grain rice

1 medium carrot, grated

1/2 cup peas

PREPARATION:

Soak rice into hot water, 30 minutes. Wash and drain well.

Heat oil in a saucepan. Add cubed beef. Stir until colour of meat turns brown and all juice is gone. Add chopped onion stir until golden.

Than add allspice,salt and pepper, cinnamon and hot water.  Cover with lid. Cook on a low heat about 30minutes or beef is tender . Drain and reserve stock.

Place grated carrot around the base of  saucepan and cover middle with peas. Add cooked beef and spread  rice. Measure stock if it is less then 3 1/2 cups add more hot water. Pour stock very gently, bring to boil and reduce heat very low. Cook covered 20minutes. Check rice if it doesn't cook you can  add more hot water, all rice needs different amount  of water. Let it rest 10 minutes before turn over.

            

GROUND-MINCED MEAT BASKET STUFFED WITH SPINACH OR POTATO

                     GROUND /MINCED
                        MEAT BASKET  
                        STUFFED WITH
                   SPINACH OR POTATO






Today recipe is a main dish which easy to make but very presentable. When ever I serve this dish to my guests I always get complements.
 Also you can prepare it a day ahead. Cook mince meat  baskets and prepare filling , baked it again just before serving.
 This is from Ottoman  cuisine. Original  name of  is  Hasan Pasa Kofte (General Hasan's Kofte) which is made with potato puree.  I changed the recipe. I prefer spinach one. I am going to give you both recipes. You can cook which one is more tasty for you. Serve with  rice and green salad.



INGREDIENTS:
500g-1 lb minced-ground meat
1 medium onion
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry thyme

FILLING:
WITH SPINACH                                        
500g,1 lb, spinach, stalks removed and chopped
1 medium onion
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil                              
2 cloves garlic, crash
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon plain flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, grated

 FILLING WITH POTATO
500g potatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese

SAUCE
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1 cup hot water

PREPARATION
Process mince meat, onion, bread crumbs, parsley, thyme, cumin, salt AND pepper in a food processor. Leave this mixture in frig half an hour. Take two heaped tablespoon of mixture, form into thin patty. Turn down a tea cup or glass, wet with water. Cover with mixture. Shape into basket with wet hands. Place in a greased ovenproof dish. Continue to make baskets with remaining mixture. Cook in preheat oven  180C-350F 15 minutes.
SPINACH FILLING:
Meanwhile put 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a pan. Add chopped onion and garlic stir 3 min. Add spinach. Let it cook until all water is evaporated. Heat 2 tablespoons  vegetable oil in another pan add 1 tablespoon flour, stir 2 minutes. remove from heat, stir in milk, continue to stir until smooth. Return to heat, stir until mixture boils and thickens.
Add spinach and cheese (keep 1 tablespoon cheese to decorate top) and seasoning.
POTATO FILLING:
Cut potatoes in slices. Put potatoes in a deep pan cover with water and boil  until tender and all water evaporated. Mash potatoes, add cheese( keep 1 tablespoon cheese) and seasoning.
Fill  meat baskets with spinach or potatoes mixture. Mix tomato puree with hot water. Pour mixture around the baskets. But do not cover top. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 180C-375F , for 20-30 minutes .

CARROT FRITTER

                                           CARROT FRITTER   

Recipe of today is carrot fritters. The carrot is an ancient vegetable which is  originate from Afghanistan. The carrot is the second most popular vegetable in the world after the potato. Carrot is a type of root which grows downward into the soil. It comes many sizes , shapes and colour, like white, purple, black, red, yellow, orange. The carrots gets its bright orange colour from beta-carotene which is metabolised into vitamin A in humans. The carrot is also rich in dietary fibre, antioxidant and minerals.
The carrot can be eaten row or cooked, as salad , in soup or stew, in cake or desert. 
I have eaten delicious carrot confectionery (CEZERYE)  in Antalya.
Antalya is a city on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey which is the  biggest international sea resort of Turkey, Turkish Riviera. Antalya is well known with beautiful nature and historical riches.   Cezerye is made from carrot, sugar, nuts, or pistachios and sprinkled with dessicated coconut. It is really tasty.
Carrot fritters is good as a starter and for party food.



INGREDIENTS

6 medium carrots
1 tablespoon plain flour
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
2 tablespoon dill (chopped)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup oil ( for shallow fry)


Sauce
2 cups yogurt
1 clove garlic, crushed , (optional)


PREPARATION:
 Scrap and cut carrots  into pieces and steam or microwave until tender and mash. Let it cool  .
 When it is cool add beaten egg. Heat vegetable oil stir flour in  , stir constantly for a few minutes until it is slightly thickened. Add sauce, seasoning  and  dill into carrot mixture.  Shape mixture into patties. Toss in flour.
Heat oil in a large frying pan, Fry patties. Cook for about 1 min on each side or until golden brown. Serve  hot  with yogurt sauce.