MINCE WITH EGGS ( KIYMALI YUMURTA )

This is a very easy and quick dish to make if you are in a hurry. You don't need any oil or butter to cook this dish so it is HEALTHY TOO.

YOU NEED

• 200 g ( about half a pound ) lean minced beef
• 1 onion
• 1 red pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• hand full of  mushrooms
• 1 egg per person
• salt and pepper to taste.

METHOD

Dry fry the mince in a non stick frying pan. Add the onion,chopped peppers and mushrooms. Continue to cook for 10-15 minutes on a medium heat. Add a little water if starts to stick. Crack the eggs and cover the pan for a minute or so for eggs to cook. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve it with slices of fresh bread.AFIYET OLSUN, ENJOY!!!

PASTA SAUCE

This is a lovely sauce which you can use over roasted vegetables or for meat dishes as well as  pasta sauce.

YOU NEED

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small shallot, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic-crushed -
• 20 cherry tomatoes - left whole -
• 10 black olives ( pitted )
• 10 green olives ( pitted )
• 5-6 chestnut mushrooms -sliced -
• 8 fl oz hot water
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley
• 1 tbsp fresh tyme
• some chilli (optional )
• 2 oz feta cheese
• dash of lemon juice
• black pepper
• Parmesan , to serve

METHOD

Fry the onion in olive oil add garlic, tomatoes, olives, mushrooms , tomato paste, chopped herbs,  chilli. Add water. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring. Add feta cheese and lemon juice and cook further 5 minutes  and pepper to taste.Sprinkle parmesan just before serving.

TURKISH KOFTES ( MEATBALLS )

This is  another delicious recipe - a family favourite

YOU NEED

• 400 g lean minced beef
• 1 medium onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 slice bread
• 2 tbls fresh parsley
• salt 
• oil, for frying the meatballs

METHOD

First put bread and onion in a food processor and pulse it 2-3 times. Add the mince and the rest of the ingredents in the processor and mix it well or pulse it. Now take the mixture - about 1 tsp at a time - and roll each into a small circle. You should get about 40 meatballs, using half of the mixture which should be enough for two people. You can either freeze the other half or fry it all and keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Shallow fry the meatballs in a pan on medium heat for about 10 minutes until they are browned.
Serve them with rice and salad or with noodles.
They are also good on little sticks as a party dish or appetizer.

CHOCOLATE

HI EVERYONE

As the Easter is nearly round the corner, lets talk CHOCOLATE !! Yummy....

As we all know eating dark chocolate lifts the mood make as feel better. Good quality chocolate is in fact full of valuable nutrients as well as pleasure. Dark chocolate contains iron, magnesium and traces of B vitamins. ENJOY AND HAPPY EASTER TO ALL.

WALNUTS

WALNUTS are great source of potassium, magnesium, zinc, vitamin B6 and E. As well as being antioxidant they are full of essential fatty acids which is good for your heart and blood pressure.

AUBERGINE

NUTRITION TIP

AUBERGINES are full of folic acid and antioxidants. Soak the diced aubergines in salted water as they soak up too much oil during cooking.

PUF BOREK with minced meat

KIYMALI PUF BOREGI ( Puff pastry filled with minced meat.)

This is a very easy way of making borek by using ready rolled puff pastry. In Turkey filo pastry is very popular which i will give recipes in coming weeks. But this borek is my daughters favorite and lovely for an occasional treat.

YOU NEED

• 1 pack of frozen JUS.ROL ready rolled puff pastry , two sheets in a pack
  
• 1 pound of minced meat
  
• 1 onion
  
• fresh parsley or dried mix herbs
  
• salt, black pepper
• 1 egg yolk
• Little oil
  

METHOD

Defrost the pastry overnight in the fridge or at room temperature while you prepare the filling.

For the FILLING: Dice the onion, fry in little oil. Add the mince, stir fry until the meat is brown. If it sticks to the pan, add one or two tblsp of water during cooking. After 10-12 minutes of stir frying, add the parsley and the seasoning. Put aside and let it cool.

In a small bowl whisk the egg yolk. Cut one sheet of pastry in half (length-wise). Add the filling and fold (like a sausage roll). Make sure the sides stick together. Then cut the pastry in to 2inch sections. Put them face down on a greased baking tray. Do the same with the second sheet of pastry. Then brush the rolls with the egg yolk and cook in preheated oven at 180c for 20-30 minutes. 

 TURLU PILAV This dish  TURLU (mixed veg) PILAV is the Turkish version of vegetable paella which is very popular in Isparta and surrounding villages especially the summer time when all the locally grown  organic vegetables are available. Turlu Pilav to be enjoyed with family and friends as it is a large party dish.

For this YOU NEED

• 4 tbsp olive oil ( about 2 fl oz )
  
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  
• 1 red onion, chopped
  
• 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper, 1 green pepper
• 1 chilli pepper(optional)
  
• 1 aubergine
  
• 1 cup cooked chickpeas (drained )
  
• 3 or 4 fresh tomatoes, cut in half
  
• 1 courgette
  
• 4 oz mushrooms
• 1 tsp paprika
  
• 1 cup of paella rice or long grain rice (8 oz)
  
• 3 cups of hot water or vegetable stock
  
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• Salt, pepper to taste
• Fresh parsley
  

METHOD

Prepare and chop all the vegetables . Heat the oil in the wok or large pan, fry the onion 2-3 minutes until soft. Add garlic, peppers, chilli, tomatoes, aubergine,  courgette,  mushrooms and fry further  2 minutes. Stir in the washed rice, chickpeas, paprika and cinnamon. Mix well and stir in  all the ingredients and season well with salt and black pepper. Add hot water or stock. Bring it to boil and simmer for 15 minutes stirring occasionally until the rice is tender. Add more hot water if needed. Sprinkle chopped parsley before serving. Afiyet olsun. (ENJOY) 

 

Here are some pictures of my home town of Cariksaraylar, Lake Egridir and Isparta.

 Just a couple of pictures of my home town of Cariksaraylar. My family and I visit Cariksaraylar every year, mostly in the summer as the winters can get a little too cold. Its always a nostalgic time for me...the place never seems to change, the old wooden houses, the gardens & vinyards, and especially the people. There has always been a great closeness in the community that I deeply admire. Here is a couple of my own pictures:

ISPARTA

This is a picture of Isparta, Turkey. Its very famous for producing rose oil, used worldwide for making perfumes

Kusadasi

Here's a picture of Kusadasi, where I spend most of the summer with my family!

KISIR

This is a lovely summer salad called KISIR,  a Turkish cold salad for those hot summer days. Kisir is made with fine bulgur (cracked wheat) mainly for ease, as no actual cooking is involved. In Turkey, the majority of housewives prefer to visit eachother at home for afternoon tea, rather than meeting out. All the ladies get together to exchange ideas about all sorts of things including household tips, patterns for crochet, knitting and all sorts of hand crafts. This dish is the perfect accompaniment for those get togethers!

Kisir 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of fine bulgur
• 2 cups of boiling water
• 1 tbls olive oil
• 1 tbls tomato paste
• 1 red onion or spring onion
• Rocket
• Parsley
• Crest
• 2 tomatoes
• Lettuce leaves
• Juice of 1 whole lemon
• 1tbls Pomegranate concentrate (if available)
• Dash of salt and pepper
• 1 chili pepper (optional).

Put bulgur in a bowl, add hot water, cover and let stand for 15-20 minutes. Once the bulgur is cool, add all the ingredients and mix thoroughly (add more green ingredients to taste). It is traditional to eat the Kisir rolled in lettuce leaves to enjoy.

GULDANE'S PASA MEZE

This recipe was created by my sister, Guldane. It is an appetizer called Pasa meze and a great favorite with all her friends, as well as a good standby for those unexpected guests  popping over for a cup of tea. It's very tasty on ciabatta bread or spread on savory crackers. It also keeps in a jar in the fridge for 3-4 weeks.

GULDANE'S PASA MEZE

Ingredients

• 5 tbls tomato puree
• 2 tbls olive oil
• 2 tbls grated strong cheese
• Hand full of chopped walnuts
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 small pickled cucumber (chopped)
• Some fresh chopped parsley
• As many black or green pitted olives as you like
• Salt, pepper and cumin powder to taste.

Chop all the ingredients, then mix in to a smooth paste and store in a sterilized jar. Keep in the fridge

afiyet olsun(enjoy)