INGILIZ KURABIYESi (SCONE)

Bugun sizlere Ingilizlerin cok meshur ve yapini cok kolay olan kurabiye yaptim. Ingilterede hangi kahve, pastane ve restoranta giderseniz SCONE muhakkak menude bulunur ve genelikle recel ve crema ile servis yapilir. Sade olarak diyet kurabiyesi olarak oldukca populer bir alternatifdir. Tatli ve tuzlu iki cesit yapilir. Tuzlu scone rendelenmis peynir ilavesi ile yapilir. Bugun ben hurma ve ceviz kullandim fakat kuru cinsten uzum, zerdali ve incirlede yapabilirsiniz. Dikkat edilecek en onemli nokta: unu yuksekten elemek ve hamuru cok az karistirip elle hafif hafif toparlamak. Hamur fazla karistirilirsa scone sert olur ve ozelligini kaybeder. Asagidaki olculerden 8-10 kurabiye cikiyor.

MALZEMELER

• 2 buyuk su bardagi tepeleme un ( 375 g )
• 3 tatli kasigi kabartma tozu
• bir fiske tuz
• 80 gram tereyagi
• 70 gram seker
• 50 gram ceviz
• 50 gram hurma veya uzum
• 1 limon veya portakal kabugu rendesi
• 1 yumurta
• 3 yemek kasigi yogurt
• 4-5 yemek kasigi sut

Firini 200 derecede onceden isitin. Buyuk firin tepsinizi hafif yaglayin.

• Once unu eleyin, karbonat tuz ve seker ilave edip karistirin.
• Tereyagini kucuk karelere kesip, una ilave ederek, ekmek ufagi gibi oluncaya kadar parmak uclariyla ufalayin.
• Ceviz, hurma ve limon rendesini ilave edin. Kasikla karistirin.
• Onceden cirpilmis yumurtayi, yogurt ve sutu unlu karisima ilave edip elle hafif karistirip hamuru bir araya getirin.
• Unlanmis bir zemine aktarin ve hamuru 3 cm kalinliginda acin. 6 cm kuki kalibi ile kesip yaglanmis tepsiye yerlestirin. Sconlarin uzerine firca ile sut surup firina verin.
• 200 C de 10-12 dakika pisirdikten sonra firindan alip ilidiktan sonra servis yapin. Yada ortadan kesip once tereyagi sonra recel, yada once recel sonrada cirpilmis krema surup servis yapin. Afiyet olsun.

QUINCE JAM - AYVA RECELI

In my opinion, quince jam is one of the nicest jams of all. Today I used 3 large quinces, diced into small pieces, sugar,lemon juice and cloves for that extra special taste.. I included the seeds of the quinces to get a lovely dark pinkish colour as seen above.

First wash and peel the quinces then cut them in to small pieces. Place them into a deep pan with 4 cups of water and juice of a lemon. Prepare a muslin bag with 6-7 cloves and the pips from the quinces, tie and drop it into the pan. Bring it to boil. Boil the quinces for 5 minutes then add 1 cup of sugar. Boil it for 10 minutes and then add the second cup of sugar, boil for 10 minutes. Then add the last cup of sugar ( 3 cups of sugar in total ) and boil until it just starts to thicken. After about 30 minutes in total your jam will be ready . Cool it for 5 minutes before transferring the jam into sterilized jar.

SARDINES WRAPPED IN VINE LEAVES

The vine leaves I am using today is from our  vineyard in Turkey. We only pick  the fresh and young leaves and then preserve them with salt. We sprinkle salt on each leaf and stack them up on top of each other, in piles until we use all the leaves. Then store them for winter in air tight containers. It will keep moist and in perfect condition for months. When I bring them to England, I keep them in the freezer and use them as I need them. 

INGREDIENTS

• 8 fresh sardines, gutted and washed
• 8 vine leaves, fresh or preserved
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• salt and black pepper
• extra oil for brushing

1) Mix 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice, salt and pepper in a bowl.

2) Pat dry the sardines and brush them with  above mixture of oil and lemon juice.

3) Spread the vine leaves out and wrap the sardines on each leaf.

4) Brush each leaf with oil and place seam side down to prevent from unravelling.

5) Cook the sardines on the barbecue or griddle pan for 3-4 minutes each side until the vine leaves are charred.

6) Serve with grilled vegetables and lemon wedges.

HONEY AND AVOCADO FACE MASK( Bal ve avocado cilt maski)

It has been a beautiful day  today and that inspired me to make some home made beauty lotions, using natural ingredients. Our skin has been exposed to wind and cold weather all winter and this is the time to nourish and prepare it for the summer months ahead.

This nourishing face mask with avocado and honey  will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. If you think the avocado is going black, add a little bit more lemon juice.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ripe avocado
• 3 tbsp orange juice
• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp maple syrup or pekmez
• 2 tsp runny honey
• 2 tsp almond oil
• 10 drops of chamomile essential oil.

1)Cut avocado in half and scoop the flesh in a bowl. Mix all the ingredients with the avocado in a blender until smooth and creamy.

2) Spread over face and neck. Leave for 30-45 minutes. ( sit back and enjoy a cup of herbal or green tea. )

3) Then rinse with tepid water and dry.

LEMON CHICKEN WITH MIX HEBS (Limon ve baharatli tavuk)

I have cooked this chicken today for dinner and enjoyed it so much that I thought I share it with you all. While the chicken was roasting, the smell of the lemon and herbs was lovely through the house. I served the chicken with roasted vegetables and gravy.

YOU NEED

• 1 whole chicken
• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 lemons
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp mixed dried herbs
• salt and ground black pepper

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180 C, 160 C fan setting.

1) Wash the chicken inside out. Place the whole onion, carrot and garlic cloves inside the chicken. Tie the legs with a string and  sit the chicken in roasting tin.

2) Mix olive oil, juice of  2 lemons, dried herbs, salt and pepper.

3) Rub the oil, lemon, herb mixture all over the chicken, pressing lightly with herbs.

4) Cover the chicken loosely with foil and cook for 1 1/2 hours basting it 2-3 times while it is roasting. Take the foil off and roast the chicken for further 20-30 minutes until it is golden and crispy.

5) Serve with roast vegetables and gravy or serve it cold with salad.

HONEY CHICKEN WITH ALMONDS AND APRICOTS ( bal ve bademli tavuk )

This is another wonderful  chicken dish from palace kitchen with aromatic flavours.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 shallot, chopped finely
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 350-400 g diced chicken
• 1 or 2 good pinch of ground cinnamon
• 10 small button mushrooms ( optional )
• 1 heaped tbsp of almonds
• 8 apricots, chopped
• 1 cup water
• 2 tsp honey
• 2 tsp tomato puree
• 2-4 tsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste.

Brown the chicken with the onion in a non stick pan with the oil. Add the cinnamon and stir. Mix the honey, tomato paste and lemon juice with the little of the water. Pour it in the pan. Add the mushrooms, almonds, apricots and the rest of the water. Coat the chicken well with the honey  mixture and cinnamon. Bring the chicken to boil, then simmer gently with the lid on for 20-25 minutes until it is soft and tender. Season with salt and pepper just before taking off the heat. Garnish with lemon slices. Serve it with plain boiled rice and salad.

Serves 2.

LEMON ROAST CHICKEN( Firinda limonlu tavuk )

Hi all. this is one of my Sunday roasts i enjoy doing. I love the sharp lemon taste and lovely fragrance while it is cooking.

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 - 1.8  kg chicken
  
• 1 lemon ( cut into quarters )
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 shallot
• 100 g butter ( softened )
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• salt and ground black pepper.

First pre-heat the oven to 200C, 180Fan.  Wash the chicken and dry with paper towel. Place lemon pieces, garlic and shallot inside the bird. Mix butter, lemon juice, tomato paste, parsley, salt and pepper in a bowl. Then spread this mixture evenly  all over the chicken. Place the chicken in a roasting tin and cover the breast with foil. Roast 1 1/2 hours basting it often with buttery juices. Remove the foil and cook for further 30-45  minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Leave to rest 10 minutes before serving. Serves 4.

MUSSELS IN GARLIC&LEMON (Limon ve sarimsakli Midye)

This dish is very good as a starter but I served it with spicy rice as it is a tradition in Turkey to serve mussels with rice. Serves 2

YOU NEED

• 10 or 15 cooked mussels
• Some home made or ready made garlic butter
• 1 tbsp parsley, chopped finely
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 slice of stale bread crumbs
• salt and black pepper to taste

METHOD

Mix garlic butter with parsley, lemon juice, bread crumbs, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Divide the mixture and top each mussel pressing firmly. Preheat the grill. Grill the mussels on medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until all the mussels nice and crispy. Serve it immediately.

CHICKEN WITH THYME AND LEMON ( Limonlu, kekikli tavuk)

This light and quick recipe with sharp lemon sauce ideal for summer evenings and parties. Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 4 chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 150 g leeks, chopped
• 150 g red or green peppers
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 6-7 mushrooms, sliced
• 200 g tomatoes, chopped
• 250 ml vegetable stock or hot water
• juice and rind of 1 lemon
• Good handful of thyme and parsley, chopped
• Salt and black pepper
• More thyme to serve

METHOD

Wash chicken pieces under cold water, dry and cut in to strips. Heat the oil in the pan, stir fry the chicken with the leeks for 5 minutes. Add peppers, mushrooms and fry until it starts to brown. Then add garlic, tomatoes, water, lemon rind and juice, herbs and bring it to boil. Turn the heat to medium and simmer with the lid on for 20-25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked. Season with salt and pepper and add more chopped thyme just before serving. Serve with rice or crusty bread.