APRICOT CAKE

 

 

 

 

 

This is my basic cake recipe. I give you guarantee to you never fail with this recipe. You can make many different cake just changing some ingredients. For example  you can use any other fresh fruit instead of apricot. If you add cacao powder and grated chocolate you can have  delicious chocolate cake.

 

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS

 

3eggs

1 1/2 cup caster sugar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

3 cups plain flour

1/2 cup ground almond,

1 cup milk

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

500g-1 lb fresh apricot

2 tbsp. extra sugar

 

Beat eggs and sugar until  thick and creamy. Add vegetable oil , continue to mix. Stir in flour and  almond, vanilla extract, baking powder and then milk, mix well. Spread cake mixture into the well greased and lined with baking sheet 22cm-9inch cake tin. Top with apricot. Sprinkle with extra sugar. Bake to 180C-350F for 40 minutes

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LEMON AND ROSEMARY

 

 

CHICKEN

 

 

 

 

 Chicken is much cheaper and healthier  then red meat. Problem is find a tasty and high quality chicken. They say organic free range chickens are permitted to roam freely , eat natural diets and free of antibiotics.  I hope all are true .

INGREDIENTS
1,5kg-3lb organic  free range chicken
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 lemons
2 cloves garlic, crashed
1 tbsp. fresh rosemary
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 stalks  of fresh thyme

Cut straight down the back of the chicken, open it out flat. Blend 1/2  lemon,  lemon juice, olive oil,garlic cloves, salt& pepper and fresh rosemary.
Spread this mixture all over the chicken. Place the chicken in a roasting pan . Put  halved 1/2 of lemon and  fresh thyme on top of the chicken. Bake to 200C-400F , for  1 1/4-1 1/2 hour until well browned and tender. Serve with plane rice pilaf and green salad.

 

 

 

SAUSAGE ROLLS

 

 

 

 

 

Picnic is a traditional event in Britain. Eating out of doors is hit & miss activity. Picnic food  must be portable-like sausage rolls, Cornish pastry, sandwich, pate', pie. Sounds great to me  the idea of having picnic at Hyde Park  (  or any other beautiful park) in London eating good picnic food and drinking cold champagne ....  IF  the weather is dry and little bit sunny.
Sausage roll is also eaten during Christmas and afternoon teas. They are very simple to make  and can be freeze.

INGREDIENTS

225g-8oz  puff pastry
450g-1lb sausage meat
1 onion finely chopped
1 tsp sage
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 Tbsp milk
salt & pepper



Mix sausage meat, onion and sage. Season with salt & pepper. On a floured surface roll out the pastry to form an oblong. Cut this oblong into three, divide sausage meat mixture into three. Make three long rolls the same length as the pastry. Place each rolls onto strip of pastry. Brush the egg & milk mixture along one edge. Fold the pastry over and seal. Turn it and cut into 2 inches (5cm) long.
Place into the tray which covered with baking -sheet. Brush with egg mixture. Bake 220C-425F for 20-25 minutes.

SWISSCHARD WITH CRACKED WEATH

 

 

 

SWISSCHARD

WITH

CRACKED WHEAT

 

 

 

 

 



Green vegetables are good for our health. Swiss chard is one of them. This dish is combination of vegetable and protein. Also it  is suitable for vegetarians.
 Another good thing about this is  you can prepare it ahead. Just add eggs on top of it and bake last moment.

INGREDIENTS

500G-1lb Swiss chard,stalks removed and chopped

1/2 cup cracked wheat, bulgur

1 mediım onion, chopped

3 medium eggs, beaten

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt
 

ON TOP

250g-8oz yogurt

1 clove garlic, crushed(optional)
 

CHILI SAUCE

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon chili powder

PREPARATION

Boil , chopped Swiss card in 2 cups salted water. Add cracked wheat. Turn off the heat. Cover and stand 10 minutes or until all juice absorbed, drain. Heat oil in nonstick frying pan. Add chopped onion. Stir 3 minutes. Add well drained Swiss card and cracked wheat mixture, stir and smooth the surface. Just before serving pour over beaten eggs on top. Grill/broil  until eggs cook and colour is  light brown. Serve with yogurt and chili sauce.

For chili sauce: heat olive oil, turn off the heat, add chili powder

FISH PILAKI

 

 

              FISH  PILAKI

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pilaki is one of cooking style in Turkish cuisine. Pilaki is made of sliced onion, garlic, tomato, olive oil, , green pepper . There are some different variation of pilaki, like butter bean pilaki, fish pilaki...

 

INGREDIENTS

1lb (500g) sea bass or grey mullet or cod

2 medium onion, sliced

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 green pepper, chopped

1/2 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 Table spoon parsley, chopped

2 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 lemon, sliced

 

Heat olive oil in a saucepan, add onion and  garlic. Stir 3 minutes. Add green pepper . Stir  ,add tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes more. Place half of the sauce into a ovenproof dish or casserole. Lay fish down and pour over rest of sauce. Pour  lemon juice. Sprinkle chopped parsley. Place the lemon slice top  , cover with cooking paper or foil. Bake in oven at 375F-180C for 20 minutes.

GREEN BEANS WITH OLIVE OIL

        GREEN BEANS
               WITH
         OLIVE OIL

 

 

This recipe is good for hot summer days. You can serve as a starter or salad. There are many cold-cooked with olive oil dish in Turkish cuisine. This is one of them. You can make it with any type of green beans.   

 

 

INGREDIENTS

 

1lb green beans

2 big tomatoes or a can diced tomato

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 cup hot water

 

 Cut top and tail of  the beans. Cut into 1inch (2,5cm) lengths. Place in a pan .Add onion ,tomatoes, olive oil,sugar, salt and water. Cover, bring to boil, reduce heat. Simmer 30 minutes or until  tender.Sever as a cold dish.        



GROUND (MINCED) MEAT PATTİES WITH CUMIN

 

 

 GROUND/MINCED MEAT

WITH CUMIN

 

 



 

 

 

 

 



This dish was a favorite dish for my sons when they were kid. I can say it was the same for me. When I was a kid whenever my grandma made it for me I ate it with great pleasure as a low appetite child. This dish always remains me my grandma . She grew up into a wealthy  family. Her father was an Ottoman general. She didn't know where is the kitchen in the house until she was 20 years old. And time changed, her life changed. She learned how to cook and be came a very good cook. Unfortunately we lost her when I was 13 years old. I didn't have chance to learn much from her. I have a very good memory about her kitchen. It was big , full of with charming food, jars of jam, pickles...This recipe is for her memory.

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

1lb (500g) ground (minced) beef

1 medium onion, grated

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt   

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1 cup hot water

oil for frying

 

Combine onion ,breadcrumbs ,garlic ,cumin  ,salt and pepper and 2 tablespoons water in a food processor. Add ground beef mix well. Shape into patties. Heat oil in a frying pan. Fry both sides until brown Place them in a pan add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1cup hot water, bring to boil, reduce the heat and cook covered 15 minutes until half of the juice is gone.