LAVAS ( HERB TORTILLAS )

This is a very good savory flat bread recipe that is very similar to tortillas. it is used to wrap up kebabs, salads and cheese fillings.

YOU NEED

• 1 cup wholemeal flour
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp or 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp natural yogurt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 chopped shallot or spring onion
• 2  tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tbsp warm water.

1) Place everything in a food processor and pulse it several times until you achieve a soft dough.

2) Transfer into a bowl and cover with a cling film. Let it rest 10-15 minutes in the fridge if you have time.

3) Cut the dough into equal pieces about the size of an egg on a floured surface.

4) Heat the griddle pan or non stick frying pan.

5) Shape each dough into a round shape with the rolling pin to fit your pan. Cook both sides  on medium heat.

6) Serve them warm with butter on or roll them with cheese, tomatoes, meat or salad of your chose.

TURKISH PIDE - BREAD

This bread is delicious hot from the oven with butter or with any savoury dish with your meal.

PIDE

• 4 cups of strong bread flour
• 1 tsp salt
• half a cup warm water
• 2 tsp easy blend dried yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp natural yogurt
• 1 egg white
• 1 tbsp nigella seeds

For glazing

• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tbsp milk

Sieve the flour with salt. 

1) Mix the yeast and sugar in a jug with warm water. Set aside for 10 minutes until is is frothy.

2) Make a well in the flour and add the yeast mixture. Add the oil, egg white and the yogurt. Knead by hand for about 10 minutes on a lightly floured surface. Alternatively use an electric mixer with the dough hook for 6-7 minutes. Add little more flour if sticky but make sure the dough is not too hard.

3) Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with cling film and leave in a warm place for 2 hours until it has doubled in size. Knock back the dough and knead for 1-2 minutes.

4) Place the dough on a floured surface and divide dough into 2 pieces.. Flatten each dough with the heal of your hand, use your fingers to stretch it from the middle.

5) First mark the dough with a knife  like a diamond shape on the surface. Then push your fingers into the dough to achieve a dimpled effect.

6) Place the dough on to a baking tray, brush with milk and egg yolk mixture and sprinkle with nigella seeds. Cover and leave the dough to rise again for 30 minutes.

7) Place 2 cups of water in a oven proof dish and place at the bottom of the oven. Bake the pide in preheated oven 220 C, 200 Fan setting for 10 - 15 minutes. Bake the other pide the same way.

8) Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes before serving. Serve warm.

SIMIT (TURKISH SESAME BAGELS )

SIMITS ( Bagels ) are a very popular snack in Turkey which is lovely to eat at any time of the day and especially for breakfast. Street vendors tour round the housing estates to sell  warm simits first thing in the morning,  straight from the local bakers. Simit sellers even keep slices of cheese and boiled egg along with the simits for those who didn't have time for breakfast before leaving home. You are sure to have a good breakfast on the go with fresh simit, cheese and egg.

This is the first time I made simit and very pleased that they turned out nice. My family's comments were: "they taste just like the ones  we buy in Turkey", which is a great compliment. 

Below makes 10 simits.

INGREDIENTS

• 450 g strong bread flour
• 2 level tsp salt
• 7 g easy bake yeast 
• 250 ml warm water
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 tbsp pekmez or molasses
• 1 cup  hot water
• 200 g sesame seeds

METHOD

1) Sift the flour with salt. Add yeast  and mix well. 

2) Mix honey, oil and water in a jug. 

3) Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour the liquid in gradually to make a firm dough. Start kneading and stretching for about 10 minutes. Add more flour if it is too sticky.

4) Shape the dough into a ball and place it into a greased  bowl. Cover with cling film and place it on a warm corner in your kitchen for 2 hours, until the dough doubled in size.

5) After 2 hours, punch down and knead the dough briefly.

6) Divide the dough into 10 equal chunks  then divide each chunk into 2 small balls. Roll each ball into  25-30 cm long log. Then twist two logs together into a plat. Squeeze and seal the ends together with a splash of water. As you make one simit, keep the other chunks of dough covered with a clean tea towel. Repeat with rest of the dough to make 10 simits. Place the simits into the baking tray, cover with tea towel and allow to stand for 1 hour. 

7) When the dough is nearly ready, mix molasses or pekmez with hot water and mix well.

8) Then dip each simit, first in the pekmez and water mixture and then roll the simits all over in the sesame seeds, in a large tray.

9) Place the simits back  in the baking tray lined with grease proof paper. Let the simits rest further 30 minutes before baking.

10) Place 2 cups of water in an oven proof dish and place it at the base of the oven.

11) Cook simits in preheated oven 220 C, 200 Fan setting for 15- 20 minutes.

12) Cool them on wire rack before serving.

CILBIR ( Poached egg in garlic yogurt )

Hi all, this is  a simple yet tasty dish which is great as a starter, side dish, hot meze or snack at any time of the day. In Turkish cooking, natural yogurt used and  served with many dishes including, vegetables, rice dishes, kebab dishes, cacik( cucumber, garlic, dill yogurt mixture), as a desert, and very popular, national cooling  summer drink" Ayran". One other  popular way of serving yogurt is with crushed garlic. Yogurt is the  part of Turkish culture and has been made at home  by our mothers for centuries but  nowadays, different variety of yogurts and ayrans available in the shops, widely all over Turkey.

YOU NEED

• 1 egg 
• 1 cup water
• 2 tsp vinegar

YOGURT DRESSING

• 4-5 tbsp natural yogurt
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• salt and pepper

TO SERVE

• 2 tsp butter or oil
• 1 dried red peeper or pinch of paprika.

1) Place the vinegar with the water in a pan and bring it to boil. Crack the egg in the water, turn the heat to low and poach the egg for 3-4 minutes with the lid on. 

2) Mix crushed garlic with the yogurt. Add salt and pepper to taste.Spoon  the yogurt into the serving dish. Lift the egg out of the water with slotted spoon and place it on the yogurt.

3) Heat butter or oil in a frying pan add the chopped dried peppers or paprika quickly and spoon over the egg. Serve immediately. Serves 1.

NOT:  Frying  the egg rather than poaching, is another nice way of serving cilbir.

AYRAN

• 2 cups of natural yogurt
• pinch of salt
• cold water

Whisk the yogurt, cold water  and salt together in a blender until it is smooth and frothy. Add more salt if needed and serve cold. 

CHERRY AND FIG SCONES

These scones were colorful and tasty using figs and candied cherries. It was great tea time treat with home made jam and clotted cream.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup self raising flour ( 110 g )
• 1 cup wholemeal self raising flour
• pinch of salt
• 1 heaped tbsp light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup butter ( 75 g )
• 5  dried figs, chopped ( 50 g )
• 30 g candied ( glace ) cherries, chopped
• 1 egg, beaten
• 4 tbsp milk
• extra milk for glazing the scones.

Pre heat the oven and lightly grease a baking tray.

1) Mix flour , sugar and salt. Sieve all three in mixing bowl. Cut the butter into small cubes and rub with your fingertips until you achieve fine bread crumbs. 

2) Stir in the chopped figs and cherries. Mix the egg in. Add milk and mix together to form a soft dough. 

3) Roll the dough on a floured surface, about 2 cm thick. Cut into 8- 10 scones using a 6 cm cutter. Place the scones on the baking tray and brush them with milk.

5) Cook the scones on preheated oven at 220 C, 200 Fan setting for 10 -12 minutes until they are golden brown.

6) Cool them on wire rack. Split and serve them with jam and clotted cream.

MEATBALLS FILLED WITH MINCE AND WALNUTS ( ICLI KOFTE )

These meatballs are specialty of Eastern Anatolia  region and quite different from ordinary meatballs. it takes some practice to master to shape them but delicious once prepared and worth all the effort. Ingredients below make 25 icli kofte.

FOR THE FILLING

• 3 tbsp row, lean mince meat ( about 100 g )
• 1 onion, diced finely
• 1-2 tbsp oil
• pinch of salt and chili flakes to taste
• 2 tbsp chopped walnuts

FOR THE SHELL

• 3 tbsp row mince meat
• 1 small onion
• 1 tsp salt
•  pinch of chili flakes ( optional )
• 6  heaped tbsp fine bulgur wheat ( fine bulgar cracked wheat )
• 1 small egg
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 3 heaped tbsp plain flour

Fist saute the onion in oil then add the mince, salt, chili powder and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and add the walnuts. Set aside to cool.

 MAKE THE SHELL

Place onion and the mince in a food processor and pulse it several times. Add the bulgur, egg, salt, chili powder and tomato puree and mix in the processor it until it is smooth. Transfer the mixture into a dip bowl and add the flour, a spoonful at a time until you achieve fairly firm dough.

METHOD

1 ) Divide them  into 25 pieces and shape them the size of a walnut. With wet hands make a hole in the middle of each pieces  and shape them either round or oval shape, turning the index finger rapidly inside the balls to make  holes in them. Make the shells as thin as possible.

2) Fill the holes with sauteed mince mixture ( about 1 tsp ), squeeze and cover the holes, shaping with wet hands. If it breaks, just patch it up with little water and close the holes. Make the shells  smooth outside, with wet fingers.

3) Bring a pan of salted water to boil, about 6-7 cups. Add the balls carefully into the boiling pan of water. ( about 6-8 at a time so they wont over lap ). Once boiled turn the heat to medium and boil the koftes  for 15  minutes. 

4) Take them out with perforated spoon and let them cool before deep frying the cooked meatballs until golden brown. 

Repeat this until you boil and fry, the reminder of meat balls.

NOT : Koftes are good served just boiled  but they are extra special if they are deep fried or shallow fried after they are boiled.

Picture at the top, showing 4 deep fried and 3 boiled icli koftes for serving.

TORTILLA WRAP with mince,egg and cheese( kiyma,yumurta ve peynir DURUM )

Hi all, there are so many variations for tortilla wraps. Today I used cooked beef mince, egg and cheese mixture and the result was very nice. 

You can vary the ingredients and use cooked chicken, ham, spicy sausage, tuna and so on.. 

For a vegetarian alternative use pre cooked vegetables. 

This serves 1

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large tortilla wrap
• 2 tsp of olive oil
• 2 tbsp pre cooked mince and onion
• 2 tbsp grated cheese
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley or pinch of dried parsley
• 2 small eggs
• Salt and black pepper to taste.

Heat  the oil in a large non stick frying pan. Add mince, cheese and the eggs. Place the tortilla wrap over the mince and egg mixture in the pan. Press lightly and cook on medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Turn in over with a spatula and heat the other side. Flip the tortilla over again and cook until the cheese is golden.

Transfer over a serving plate, roll and cut into slices.

Serve with a side salad.

VARIATIONS

1) Cheese and onion

2) Sun dried tomato, mushroom and cheese

3) Spicy sausage and cheese

4) Bacon and egg

5) Egg and cheese

6) Roast vegetables and cheese

7) Cheese and tomato.

ZUCCHINI ( COURGETTE ) FRITTERS WITH CHEESE ( PEYNIRLI MUCVER )

INGREDIENTS

• 2 medium zucchinis (courgettes ) about 250 g
• half a tsp of salt
• 2 heaped tbsp plain flour
• 1 small onion or half a red onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp grated Edam cheese or any medium fat cheese(50g)
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
• pinch of chili pepper ( optional )
• 1 egg
• Oil for frying.

1) Wash and grate the zucchinis coarsely. Mix with salt and let it stand for 12-15 minutes. Then squeeze out excess liquid. ( I used colander to get rid of all the liquid )

2) Add flour to the zucchini and mix. Add red onion, grated cheese dill, chili powder and egg to the zucchini mixture and mix well until all combined.

3) heat the oil in a non stick frying pan and drop tablespoons of zucchini mixture and flatten slightly. Cook on medium heat until browned lightly on both sides and cooked through.

Makes 10-12 fritters.

Serve with garlic, mint yogurt.

BRANDY SAUCE

This sauce s so good with Christmas pudding and mince pies.

• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 250 ml milk
• 3 tbsp brandy

Mix cornflour with egg yolks and sugar  in a bowl until smooth. Add the milk gradually and transfer this mixture into a non stick sauce pan. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly. Then add the brandy. Take it off the heat and stir it well. Serve it  straight away or warm with Xmas pudding and  sweet mince pies.

KIYMALI PIDE ( PIDE WITH GROUND MINCE )

INGREDIENTS

FILLING

• 250-300 g lean lamb or beef mince
• 1 onion, diced
• 2-3 tomatoes
• handful of fresh parsley
• salt and black pepper
• chili pepper ( optional )

FOR THE DOUGH

• 400 g plain flour
• 2 tsp dried yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp natural yogurt
• 50 ml olive oil
• 2 eggs, whisked
• 50 ml warm milk
• 1 egg yolk for glazing

METHOD

Mix yeast and salt with  sifted flour. Add sugar olive oil,  whisked eggs and warm milk  in a dip bowl and mix it to bind. Transfer the dough on to a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. Form a ball, cover with cling film and let it rise for an hour until it doubled in size. Knock the air out and knead for 1-2 minutes. Cover and let it rest another 45 minutes.

In the mean time, prepare the FILLING

Put the onion in a food processor and pulse it 2-3 times. Add chopped tomatoes, mince, parsley, chili, salt and peeper and pulse it until mixed well and you achieved a ball of the mixture. Transfer into a calender and let the excess water drain.

Transfer the dough on the floured surface. Break the dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each dough 25-30 cm long and 10 cm wide. Put 1 heaped tbsp of the mince mixture in the middle of the dough and shape it with your finger tips. Fold  the edges of the pide inwards  like a boat ( see picture above ) Place pides on greased baking tin and glaze them using the brush, with egg yolk. Cook  the pides in preheated oven, in the middle shelf at 220 C,  200 fan  setting, for 15- 20 minutes. 

NOTE : I cooked 4 pides at a time but  if you are cooking one or two at a time you may need less time to cook.

KABAK CORBASI ( COURGETTE SOUP )

This an unusual but very good soup that I discovered recently. I wasn't a big fan of courgettes but I have changed my mind now. Hope you enjoy it too.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 courgettes
• 3 cups of water
• pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp yogurt
• 1 tbsp flour
• 2 tsp dried mint
• 1 tbsp olive oil or butter
• 1 tsp paprika or chili pepper

First wash and peel the courgettes and grate them. Place the grated courgettes into a pan with the water and the salt. Bring it to boil then simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes until courgettes are cooked. While still simmering, mix egg, yogurt and flour in a bowl and mix it well. Transfer  this mixture into the pan of courgettes and stir. Cook it all together for  further 5- 7 minutes. Add more water if needed. Sprinkle the dried mint and take the soup of the heat. Melt the butter in a small frying pan, add paprika or hot pepper flakes and drizzle over the soup. Serve with crusty bread.