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. 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 PARCELED

 EGGPLANT/AUBERGINE 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Eggplant is native to India. Turkish people met it in 1700s.Since then eggplant has been a very important place in Turkish cuisine . It has been calling king of the vegetable since Ottoman time. There were more than 200 different way to cook at the old days. Nowadays  it is possible to  find  70 recipes, hot (with meat or chicken), cold  (with olive oil) , pickled and jam ( with baby eggplant). Parceled eggplant -Islim kebabı- is one of the old recipes. Turkish cuisine has many meat and vegetable combination. This recipe is a good example. You can prepare it a day ahead. Just bake it before eat. 

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

750g -1 1/2 pound  beef, chopped into small cubes

1 large onion, chopped

2 tablespoon vegetable oil

1   can tomatoes or 2 big chopped tomatoes

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 cups hot water

1 teaspoon salt

 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

4 eggplants

vegetable oil , for frying

For decorating:

1 green pepper

1 tomatoes

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

tooth sticks

1/2 teaspoon extra salt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 Peel eggplant skin lengthwise, make stripes. Soak into 1teaspoon flour, 1 teaspoon salt added water.

 

Brown meat lightly  into the oil. When it absorbed all the juice add onion, fry more. Add tomatoes , tomato paste and hot water. Season with salt and peeper. Simmer for 45 minutes or until meat is tender.

 Wash eggplants and dry with a kitchen towel, cut  lengthwise into 1 cm. Heat  vegetable oil in frying pan. Fry both sides of eggplant until  soft. Transfer onto kitchen paper.

When meat is ready cross two eggplant slice, put two tablespoon of meat at the middle. Make a parcel with eggplant. Put  a sliced tomato and green pepper top of parcel.. Secure with tooth stick. Place each parcels into a ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with extra salt. Pour juice of meat each parcel. Bake at 180C-375F for 15 minutes . Serve with plain rice pilaf.

 

 

 

 



HERBY SALMON SLICES

 

 

 

 

 

 

HERBY  SALMON

SLICES

 

 

 

 

 

 

History of salmon is not too old in Turkey. I guess we met salmon 1990s. Now there are some salmon farm in Turkish seas. But I am not fan of farm fish. I buy the fresh salmon which is imported from Norway. Salmons like cold oceans.

Salmon has an interesting life, they are born in fresh water, migrate to ocean , then return to fresh water to reproduce.  Which is an incredible that the fish return to the exact spot where they where born.

Salmon is not only a delicious fish also very healthful too, with high protein, high omega and vitamin D.

 

INGREDIENTS

500g/ 1 lb fresh salmon fillets, skinned

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons  fresh parsley, chopped

2 tablespoon fresh  dill, chopped

2 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

1 tablespoon chives, chopped

1 Tablespoon fresh mint, chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

 

 

 

 

 

 

PREPARATION

Cut salmon fillets into thin long slices, put in a dish. Process all other ingredients in a food processor, pour over salmon slices and be sure sauce is  coated both sides. Cover and  leave in refrigerator for  a night.

Heat heavy frying pan , do not add any oil. Add salmon slices, cook 2-3 minutes each sides until lightly brown. Do not cook over, it gets dry . If you wish it can be grill/broil . Serve with  potato salad and sorrel sauce.



ORANGE MUFFINS

                   ORANGE MUFFIN

 

I learned this recipe from one of my mother's travel companions.They were going to holiday at least once a year. Once I joined them with my sons. we had wonderful time. She was an easy going and helpful lady. also she was a very good cook. I have some other recipes from her. Unfortunately she past away some years ago. I always remember her when ever ı make these muffins.

If you like orange I bet you will like orange muffin, because it has strong orange taste.

INGREDIENTS

1 big orange

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup margarine or butter, melted

2 cups plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

PREPARATION

Process orange and sugar in a food processor. Transfer mixture into a big bowl. Let it stand one hour. Add melted butter , mix well. Stir into flour and baking powder. Stir gently with a fork until all ingredients are mixed.

Spoon mixture into each well greased muffin tin, filling two-thirds full. Bake at 200C-400F for 15-20 minutes until golden. Makes 8 big, 12 small muffins.

                  

PURSLANE SALAD

             

 

 

 

 

          PURSLANE SALAD

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spring began to show itself at the end. Spring is my favorite season for many reasons; temperature is perfect , every where is green and full of with colourful flowers . In terms of  food  there are many  fresh vegetables and herbs. What else could I want more then this.... 

Purslane has some other names like verdolaga, pig weed, little hog weed, pusley. It has sour and salty taste, the stem and leaves are edible.

Purslane is a very good vegetable for health. It contains omega3, vitamins and minerals.

Purslane  can be eaten  fresh as a  salad  or  hot  (cook with mince meat and rice and tomatoes) or  cold (with rice and tomatoes and olive oil ) in Turkish cuisine. 

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch purslane, stem removed

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 medium cucumber, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon salt

PREPARATION

Place  purslane leaves, tomatoes and cucumber  into a salad dish. Combine olive oil , lemon juice, garlic and salt in a screw-top jar, shake well , pour over the salad and mix.