VEGETARIAN BULGAR WHEAT KOFTE ( etsiz cig kofte )

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups fine bulgur ( bulgar ) wheat
• 1 onion
• 4- 6 cloves of garlic
• 5-6 sun dried tomatoes, diced finely
• 2 cooked potatoes, mashed
• 2-4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp pepper paste ( optional )
• bunch of parsley, chopped
• cumin, chilli pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

METHOD

1) Wash the bulgur in cold water and drain. Set aside.

2) Place onion, garlic, sun dried tomatoes in a food processor and pulse it a few times. (or grate onion, garlic and tomatoes by hand and mix everything well to make this dish.)

3) Add the oil, mashed potatoes, bulgur wheat into the food processor. Mix in the tomato paste, pepper paste, parsley, cumin, chilli, salt and pepper. Pulse it several times until it all bind together. Add sprinkle of cold water if needed to form a stiff mixture.

4) Shape them into little sausages by hand and serve them on bed of lettuce leaves.

CHICKEN MARINATED IN YOGURT SAUCE

This is my quick and tasty recipe for chicken legs. You can use chicken thighs or chicken breast if you prefer it. Today I served the chicken with roasted winter vegetables and baked potatoes but very good served with rice, pasta or with just a simple salad.

YOU NEED

• 8 chicken drum sticks
• 5 tbsp natural yogurt
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2-4 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar or normal vinegar
• 2 tsp mixed dried herbs
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp chili pepper
• Salt and pepper to taste.

1) First wash chicken pieces and drain.

2) mix the marinade: Mix yogurt and tomato puree. Add the crushed garlic, oil and vinegar.

3) Add the herbs, spices , salt and pepper. Mix well.

4) Pour the marinade over the chicken, cover with cling film and keep it in the fridge preferably overnight. ( if you don't have time, minimum 2-4 hour will be fine )

5) Cook the chicken pieces in preheated oven ,190 C for 45 minutes to one hour.

CHICKEN PARCELS WRAPPED IN AUBERGINE

INGREDIENTS

• 2 aubergines
• 1 onion
• olive oil
• sprinkle of salt
• goats cheese 
• 6 chicken thighs
• bunch of fresh herbs
• juice of 1 lemon
•  mixture of salt,  ground black pepper and dried herbs.

METHOD

1) Slice the aubergines lengthwise thinly as shown above. Slice the onion like rings and brush them with olive oil on both sides. Sprinkle some salt and  cook them on the griddle pan until both sides are lightly browned. Do the same with rest of the aubergine skin slices and onion rings. Set aside.

2) Wash and drain chicken tights. Cut of the excess fat and take the bone out from each thigh. Place 1 slice of cooked onion ring and the herb of your chose inside  the chicken thigh and tuck it under.

3) Lay one aubergine slice on a plate and place the chicken thigh over the aubergine. Place 1 slice of goats cheese on top of the chicken.  Now roll and wrap the chicken  with the aubergine slice and secure it with a tooth pick. Do the same with rest of the chicken pieces and brush them with olive oil.

4) Place the chicken parcels in an oven proof dish. Pour the lemon juice over the parcels and season with salt,pepper, herb mixture.

5) Cover with foil and cook on preheated oven 180C, 160 fan setting for 1 hour. Take the foil off and cook for further 10 minutes at 200C to get it nicely browned. Remove the tooth picks. Serve  the parcels with rice and side salad.

MIDYE DOLMASI ( Stuffed mussels with aromatic rice )

This is a  very popular Turkish traditional meze dish. it is sold by street vendors in cities and sea side resorts all over Turkey. It is a common site to see people stopping to buy the mussels, squeezing with lemon  and enjoying them  as a snack. Normally It is made with fresh mussels strength from the sea, cleaned and cooked, but I had some greenshell New Zealand mussels ( my favorite ) in the freezer to use and result was very good and it worked very well with this dish.  Serves 2.

INGREDIENTS

• 10  large frozen mussels, defrosted
• 1 small onion, chopped finely
• 2 tsp of olive oil
• 2 tsp pine nuts
• 2 tsp currants
• 1 level tsp cinnamon,
• 1 tsp mix dried herbs
• pinch of mix spice
• 1/2 cup rice ( about 60 g )
  
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 1 cup hot water
• fresh chopped herbs ( parsley, dill )
• Salt and ground black pepper.

1) Clean the shells with a brush, pull out the though beards. Wash the mussels, drain and set aside. 

2) Make the  rice filling. Brown the chopped onion in a pan with oil. Add pine nuts, currants, spices and dried herbs, stir.

3) Add rice and mix until well coated. Add tomato paste, hot water, salt and bring  the rice to boil. Once boiled, turn the heat to low and cook the rice with the lid on for 10- 12 minutes.

4) Transfer the rice on a plate and let it cool. Add the fresh herbs and mix.

5) Stuff each shell of the mussels with a  tsp of the rice filling then close the shells and place them into a steamer. Place the lid tightly and bring the water to boil. Then steam the filled mussels for  15 minutes on low heat.

6) Leave the mussels in the pan for a few minutes then transfer them onto a serving plate. Serve with lemon wedges.

AROMATIC SULTAN'S RICE ( SULTAN RESAT PILAVI )

This is a great rice dish, again from the ottoman period. The Sultan liked this dish so much that it was  named after him ( Sultan Resat Pilavi )

YOU NEED

• 1 aubergine, cut into small cubes
• 1 red onion, chopped finely
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
• 2 tbsp pine nuts
• 1 tsp mix spice  powder
• 1  level tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp currants
• 1 cup rice, washed and drained
• 1 cup cooked chick peas
• 10 very small button mushrooms
• half a red pepper, diced
• juice of half a lemon
• good bunch of fresh dill, chopped
• 2 cups hot water
• salt to taste.

METHOD

Chop the aubergine into cubes and place into a bowl.  Cover with salted cold water, keep them submerged and leave to soak for  15 minutes.

Meanwhile heat the oil in a large heavy pan add the onions to soften. Then add the pine nuts and cook until golden. Add garlic, cinnamon, black pepper. Stir in the currants, rice, chick peas, mushrooms, diced red pepper, dill and lemon juice.  Drain the aubergines and squeeze them dry and add to the pan. Mix everything until the rice coated well with herbs and spices. Pour the hot water  into the pan and bring rice to boil. Boil for 5 minutes then turn the heat to low and place the pan lid on. Cook rice for about 10 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed.. Turn the heat off. Cover the rice with 2-3 sheets of kitchen paper and press the lid tightly to cover it. Let the rice rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve it with extra chopped dill.

NOT: You can pan fry the aubergines in olive oil before adding into the rice ,if you wish.

TROUT WITH HOME MADE HERB SAUCE(Meze soslu balik)

This is a sauce freshly made with fresh mixed herbs combined with olive oil, garlic and yogurt and is lovely with added tangyness from the lime juice.

YOU NEED

• 2 trout

FOR HERB SAUCE

• 50 g mixed fresh herbs of dill, parsley,mint and thyme,chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, diced
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp roasted sunflower seeds
• 3 tbsp natural yogurt
• pinch of salt and chilli powder
• Extra 1 tbsp of sunflower seeds for sprinkling.

Grill or barbecue the fish until the skin turns crisply brown for about 3-5 minutes each side. Transfer on to a serving plate.

Make the sauce either in a blender or in a large pestle and mortar, until it is nice and smooth. Pour the sauce over the fish and sprinkle some sunflower seeds just before serving. Serves 2

NOTE: If you are using the pestle and mortar, first pound the herbs, garlic, sunflower seeds to a paste. Slowly add the oil, salt, chilli powder and lime juice. Mix in the yogurt just before serving with the sprinkle of extra sunflower seeds.