CHEESE PASTIES -POGCA

                                              CHEESE PASTIES
                             POGCA

Pogca is a traditional Turkish pasty which you can buy from bakery or make at home. Every Turkish mother and grandmother know how to make it . There are some different recipes. Some ingredients have dry yeast instead of yogurt. Most of bakery ones make with yeast, home made ones with yogurt. Pogaca has eaten at breakfast or afternoon tea in Turkey.
Nigella seeds is used in flavoring pasties. It has a pungent bitter taste and smell.  Native of nigella  is south and southwest Asia. It has delicate flowers, colored pale blue and white. Fruit of nigella is a large and inflated capsule which contains seeds.
The seed is used as a spice.
Native of sesame seeds is Africa. Sesame seed is  considered to be the oldest oilseed crop known to man. It has rich nutty flavor. It is a common ingredients in whole world cuisines.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup yogurt

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup melted margarine

1 teaspoon salt

2  cups plain flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
FOR TOP

1 egg yolk

2 teaspoon nigela or sesame seeds

FILLING

150 g  white (feta) cheese

1 egg , white

Nigella seeds

sesame seeds

PREPARATION

Mix yogurt, olive oil, margarine and salt in a large bowl. Add flour and baking powder, knead lightly. Turn dough onto a floured surface. Roll 5mm -1/4 in. Cut  7cm-3in round . Place a tablespoon of filling center of each round, press edges together with thumb and finger to seal. Place pastries on a well greased oven tray. Brush with beaten egg yolk.Sprinkle nigela seeds or sesame seeds. Bake at 180C-375F for 25 minutes or until  golden brown.



TURKISH BREAKFAST

                                            TURKISH BREAKFAST



 

This picture shows you a traditional Turkish breakfast. Breakfast is the first meal of a new day. All nutritionist say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I was curious  about other countries breakfast habits.  After my search I have seen that breakfast food changes place to place in the world. But  Turkish breakfast habit is quite unique. The standard Turkish breakfast includes  bread, black and green olives,white cheese (similar to feta), old cheese (kasar), butter, jam, honey, sliced tomato and cucumber, boiled egg, omelet or menemen, sausage (sucuk), pastry (borek  & pogca) tea and coffee but mostly tea. Turkish coffee is well known in the world but surprisingly we drink tea more then coffee. We have special small glass for Turkish tea.  We usually drink Turkish coffee after meal.

My recipe of today is  a simple but delicious breakfast food.

INGREDIENTS

6 slices of sourdough  or any white bread

100g-3 1/2 oz white cheese or feta

3 medium eggs

1 Tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped

PREPARATION

Spread butter to sliced bread, mix eggs, cheese and parsley. Spread the mixture. Place on to oven rack, grill ( broil) until light brown .

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.