Turkish drinks and food recipes

[The March Hare]

Yogurt Drink Ayran

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Ok, there is no need to make a sour face now.
Because I know that, once you try this popular, cool, nutritious! drink, you are going to get addicted to it.
Especially when accompanied by your favorite "Kebap" (kabab) dish on a hot summer day.

1 pt. low-fat or non-fat yogurt (if you are in Southern California try using "Trader Joe's non-fat yogurt" found at Trader Joe's speacialty food stores.)
1 cup cold water,
Salt to taste,
1 cup ice cubes.

Mix the yogurt with the water,ice and salt in an electric blender, or beat well together using a wooden sthingy. Serve well chilled

[The March Hare]

Adana Kebap

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Ingredients
1 Pound ground lamb or beef,
1 medium onion,
4 medium tomatoes,
1 bunch of parsley,
1 tsp red pepper flakes (cayenne),
1 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne),
1 tsp cumin,
8 Anaheim Peppers (or you could substitute 3-4 green bell peppers),
Salt to taste,
Turkish type pita bread,
Skewers,
Olive oil.

Chop onions finely. Mix all ingredients (except tomatoes, parsley and green peppers) in a container and let it sit for 10 minutes, preferably overnight.
Get the grill ready before hand. Shape the meat mixture into 8-10 link sausage shaped pieces. Put the meat on the pre-greased skewers lengthwise.
Place the skewers on the grill. Chop tomatoes and green peppers in half and line them up over the grill next to the meat to grill.
Warm the pitas. Serve with parsley in the pita bread with grilled adana kebap.

[The March Hare]

Water Pastry / Su Böreði

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Ingredients
4 glasses flour
1/4 glass water
8 eggs

1 tablesthingy salt

2 glasses melted margarine

1/2 pound grated white cheese

5 glasses milk

1 bunch parsley

16 glasses water

8 tablesthingys salt

Corn starch


Preparation:

Sprinkle flour over a wooden board, make a well in the center and add 4 eggs, 2 glasses milk, 1 glass melted margarine, water and 1 tablesthingy salt together and knead until a dough is formed.

Make it into the shape of a roll and slice into 12 equal pieces; press each piece, cover with a wet cloth and allow to stand for half an hour.

After half an hour roll the pieces in flour, place them on top of one another, press with the hand, sprinkle flour and roll out one by one but not too thinly. Sprinkle a pinch of corn starch over each piece, place again on top of another, and roll them out again by pressing on the edges of the rolling pin.

One by one roll out once more, sprinkle a pinch of corn starch in between them, place on top of one another, and roll them out making one layer of dough larger than the other.

One layer of dough must be rolled out twice the size of the baking tray on which it will be cooked. Blend 3 glasses milk and 1 glass melted margarine in a bowl, add 4 eggs, cheese, chopped parsley and salt, then continue blending.

Grease the baking tray, line the larger layer of dough with it so that it will overlap the size of the tray, then evenly spread over the filling. Put 16 glasses of water into a pan, add 8 tablesthingys of salt and bring to boil. Put each piece of the dough into the pan one by one, hold it for one minute then take it out and put into another bowl filled with cold water and press with your hands so that the water drains out.

Place on a baking tray. First place one layer of pastry, then the filling, repeat this until all the pastry is used and close the edges with the overlapping piece. Bake in a moderately hot oven for an hour. Remove from the oven, cut into slices and serv

[The March Hare]

Beans with Olive Oil /zeytinyagli yesil fasulye

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Zeytinyaðlý Yeþil Fasülye
1.5 pounds flat beans
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tbsp sugar
2 tomatoes, diced
1 tbsp crushed tomato
3 cups water
Salt
First, wash the beans, trim both ends and shave along the sides with a knife. In a large pot place the onion, garlic and olive oil. Cook them together for about 3-4 minutes. Add the beans, salt, sugar, tomatoes and crushed tomato. Pour in 2 cups of water. Leave the lid half open and cook for 35-40 minutes, and add another cup of water midway through. Let cool for half an hour, then place in a service plate. Pour in a little bit of extra virgin olive oil again. Let cool in the fridge. This dish is served cold as a side.

[The March Hare]

Onion Kebap

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Onion Kebap

Ingredients:

1 lb ground Lamb (shoulder)
½ Shallot
10 pcs Garlic gloves
½ Raisens
1 lbl sthingy Butter
4 oz Cherry Tomatoes
2 oz Pomagranet sauce and Pomagranet seed as for garnish
4 oz finely chopped Red bel pepper
8 oz Chicken stock
4 oz White wine
1 tbl sthingy Sugar
Salt and pepper, optional
2 oz crushed red pepper
Mix ground lamb, chopped red pepper, salt and pepper and put it in the refrigerator. Caramelize the shallot butter garlic in wide based pan. Caramelize all vegetables, and then, add chicken stock and white wine. Also add pomegranete sauce and raisens. Sugar keep reduce the all juice. Meanwhile, mold mixture around four skewers. Place them on grill and cook until done. Cook all sides until medium well. Finally, get a pan of the same thickness pan and add cherry tomatoes. Divide the lamb into four plates. Put the vegetables aside with the sauce
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[The March Hare]

Carrots in Olive Oil

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1 1/2 lb. Carrots
1/2 Onion
5 table sthingy Olive Oil
2 table sthingy Rice
Chopped Parsley and Salt

Slice the onion very thin. Fry onions in olive oil until it gets soft. Peal and slice carrots thin and add to onions. Keep fry together and add 1/2 cup water. Cover it and cook on very low heat about 30-35 minutes, and than add rice in it. Cook with the rice afew minutes more. When it is cooked leave it cool. You can add and mix the parsley or put on the top of the dish. This dish goes yogurt with garlic.

[The March Hare]

Turkish Peasant Soup *Ezo Gelin
6 table sthingy Red Lentils
2 table sthingy Cracked Wheat
2 table sthingy Rice
1 1/4 table sthingy Dry Mint
Salt, if desired Red Pepper
3 3/5 lb. Chopped Onions
3/5 lb. Tomato
3 table sthingy Butter (you can also use olive oil)

Wash red lentils under the water. Put them in the pan and add cracked wheat and rice in it. Cover with water. Boiled it with medium hot heat until red lentils melt about a few hours. Time to time add hot water, because lentil would take the water. On the other hand melt butter and add onion. When onion gets soft, add tomato. Leave the soup cook for 25-30 minutes and later add that onion and tomato mixture. Add salt and red pepper. Dry mint will give a taste your soup.

[The March Hare]

Barbunya Pilaki

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Ingredients
Cranberry or Pinto Beans: 2 Cup
Water: 6 Cup
Onion: 2 Medium Sizes
Garlic: 6 Cloves
Carrot: 2 Large Sizes
Potato: 1 Large Size
Tomato Paste: 1 Tablesthingy
Parsley: 3-4 Sprigs
Salt: 2 Teasthingy
Olive Oil: 8 Tablesthingy
Sugar: 1 Teasthingy
Lemon: 1 Medium Size

Soak beans overnight with 2 cups of water. Cook with 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker for 25 minutes; drain. Sauté chopped onion in oil for 2-3 minutes in a large saucepan stirring occasionally. Add tomato paste; mix well. Season with salt and sugar. Stir in beans, pared and cubed carrots and potato, garlic cut in 2-3 pieces crosswise; mix thoroughly. Add 1 cup of hot water. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat; cool. Place in a serving plate. Garnish with parsley. Serve cold with lemon wedges.

[The March Hare]

Yogurt soup

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Ingredients
Rice: 1/3 cup
Water: 4 cups
Salt: 2 teasthingys
Flour: 3 tablesthingys
Yogurt: 1 2/3 cups
Egg: 1 ea.
Butter: 4 tablesthingys
Mint: 1 ½ tablesthingys
Wash the rice and place in a saucepan together with water and salt and cook for about 30 minutes, until tender. Blend the flour into yogurt in a separate dish, break in the egg, mix and warm the mixture by adding a couple of sthingyfuls of the hot soup. Gradually add the yogurt mix to the saucepan, stirring continuously and keep stirring until it comes to boil and then cook for 10 minutes. Melt butter or margarine in a pan, add mint, stir a couple of times and remove from heat and slowly sprinkle over the soup

[The March Hare]

Peasant's Salad

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Coban Salatasi

4 tomatoes,quartered,
1 small onion, sliced very fine,
1 green bell pepper,seeded and cut into thin rings
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced,
10 black or green olives,
small cube of feta cheese some parsley, chopped,
2 hard boiled eggs, quartered,
1/2 lemon juice,
olive oil,
Salt.

Toss all the ingredients gently in a bowl. Add eggs at the end on top of the other ingredients.
Serve fresh French baguette type white bread with it, to dip the juices.
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[The March Hare]

Food & drink

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Visitors who are not familiar with Turkish cuisine have a delightful surprise in store for them: stemming partly from the spectacular variety of ingredients and partly from the influence of the numerous civilizations which have inhabited Anatolia throughout history, Turkish cuisine is simply delicious.Regional Regional </B>Specialities
As you visit different areas of Turkey, there are local specialities which must be eaten in their home region to be fully appreciated. Thus Kanlica in Istanbul is famous for its yoghurt, Bursa for its Iskendar Kebab, Gaziantep for its pistachio nuts, the Black Sea for hamsi (fried anchovies) and corn bread and the Syrian borderlands (Urfa and Adana) for spicy shish kebabs. Starters
A meal out will usually start with a selection of mezes -- appetizers -- from an enormous and very colourful platter brought to your table by the waiter. Cold mezes include stuffed mussels (midye dolma), humus, pureed aubergine salad (patlican salatasi), stuffed vine leaves (yaprak dolma) and Circassian chicken (cevizli tavuk). Among the selection of hot mezes are usually borek, (thin layers of flaky pastry stuffed with cheese, meat or spinach), sautéed lamb's liver with onions and kalamari.
Salad lovers will find a variety of unusual, spicy herbs appearing along with the standard tomato and cucumber, especially in the south. Roka is a bitter herb which translates as rocket in English, and you may also find spiky dereotu (bitter cress), nane (fresh mint) or even kuzu kulla (sorrel). A spinachy-textured vegetable frequently served in garlic-yogurt is called semizotu, known to us as purslane.Main courses
Main courses are generally fish or meat kebabs, though this word is used in a much wider sense than generally understood in the West. The spices and herbs used to delicately flavor the meat varies from region to region. Guvec dishes are delicious casseroles cooked in earthenware pots. Et sote, a kind of goulash, is very good, as is coban kavurma. The eating of fish has an elevated if not cult status in Turkey. It is best eaten in an open-air restaurant by the sea, preferably Anadolu Kavagi, Rumeli Kavagi or Kumkapi, always accompanied by raki, and enjoyed in the company of good friends. The choice depends on the catch of the day, and may include swordfish (kilic), bluefish (lufer), turbot (kalkan) or lobster (istakoz).
The staple of lunch time cafeterias is ev yemek, which translates literally as home food, signifying tasty vegetable and meat-based stews. An interesting aspect of Turkish drinking culture is the all-night iskembe parlor, which serves tripe soup. It is considered medicinal after a night on the town, with crushed garlic from a bowl, red pepper, oregano and vinegar added to taste. Desserts
In restaurants, dessert is often a beautifully presented selection of seasonal fruits. In spring this may be green almonds and plums, generally an acquired taste for foreigners. There are strawberries in May, cherries in June, melons in July and August and apples, pears and pomegranates in autumn. Winter is the time for Turkish-grown citrus fruits and bananas.
For a wider selection of sweets try the pastane, or pudding shop, where you'll find all the traditional Turkish sweets such as lokum, or Turkish delight, baklava, kadayif, halva and asure (traditionally held to contain the forty different ingredients left in the Ark's kitchen when Noah sighted Ararat). Sutlac, or rice pudding, is also popular, as are profiteroles, best tried at Inci Pastanesi on Istanbul's Istiklal Caddesi. Breakfast
Turkish breakfasts are dominated by freshly baked bread, eaten with salty white cheese, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, butter, honey, jam, and often a boiled egg. Deliciously creamy yoghurt is an optional extra. Other breakfast alternatives include pastry shops which serve a variety of flaky pastries with cheese or meat fillings.Drinks
Turkey produces some excellent dry wines, both red and white, which go well with a variety of foods. Names to look out for include Villa Doluca, Kavakladere Cankaya, Yakut and Dikmen. Efes and Tuborg beers are almost always the only beers available, and both are good. A must is the local aniseed-based drink, raki, drunk with water added and called "lion's milk" by Turks. But heed this tried and tested warning well: “you must drink the raki and not let it drink you!” A meal is often followed by an espresso sized cup of Turkish coffee, though Italian coffees are becoming increasingly popular.
For day-time and non-alcoholic alternatives, try ayran, a yogurt, salt and water mix. Freshly-squeezed juices are also widely available and cheap, but best in winter when the citrus season is in full force in the South. There is also carrot juice, banana milk and sour apple juice. Strong black tea in tulip shaped glasses will be served any time you are asked to sit and wait, or go visiting, but there is also a strong tradition of herbal teas, some of which (like sage) are unusual to the western palate but very good.
Boza and sahlep are popular drinks in winter. The former is made from mildly fermented millet and tastes rather like eggnog. Sahlep, on the other hand, is served hot on ferry boats and other public places and is made from the pulverized tubers of the wild orchid. It is very sweet and comes sprinkled with cinnamon, and is the perfect companion on a cold winter’s day.

[The March Hare]

Rosewater Flavored Rice Pudding

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in Turkish "Muhallebi"

Ingredients
5 cups milk,
1/2 cup rice,
1 Tbs cornstarch,
6 Tbs sugar,
1 Tbs rosewater.

Boil the rice in a pot until it has cooked very well and started to separate.
With a little milk, mix the cornstarch to a smooth paste.
Drain the excess water of rice, add the sugar, milk and the starch paste stirring continuously with a wooden sthingy.
Simmer the mixture until just below boiling point and take care not to let it burn on the bottom.
The mixture should thicken in about 15 minutes. Add the rose water continue stirring in one direction over low heat.
Simmer for 5 minutes longer, then remove the pan from the heat and cool slightly before pouring it into individual glass dishes.
Garnish with almonds or pistachio nuts, and sprinkle with nutmeg. Leave to chill for 3 to 4 hours before serving.
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[The March Hare]

White Bean Salad

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Piyaz

2 cans of "Great Northern Beans" (in the canned beans aisle most likely next to black beans.)
1/4 cup parsley chopped (cilantro is better eventhough it's not used in traditional Turkish cooking),
3 medium tomatoes, cubed
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
3 tablesthingys olive oil
1/2 teasthingy salt
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 hard boiled eggs, quatered
seeded black olives (as many as desired)
pinch of salt

Drain beans well.
Toss all remaining ingredients in a bowl with beans.
Garnish with parsley.
Note:for low-fat or fat-free salad, reduce or omit olive oil and the eggs.

[The March Hare]

Fried Carrots (Meze)

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Havuc Kizartmasi

5 carrots,
Olive oil,
1 cup plain yogurt,
garlic cloves
salt,

Wash the carrots, peel them with vegetable peeler.
Then cut the carrots vertically quarter of an inch thick circles.
Ground three or four cloves of garlic.
Mix the garlic and salt with one cup of plain yogurt. Heat olive oil in the frying pan for few minutes. Fry the carrots in the hot olive oil for ten minutes or until brown.Lay the fried carrots on paper towels to drain excess oil. Place the carrots on a plate and dress them with the yogurt, garlic, and salt mixture. This meze could be enjoyed warm or cold

[The March Hare]

YOGURTLU KEBAP Easy Kebab with Yogurt

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Ingredients
1 pound ground beef,
2 cups of yogurt,
6 pieces of Turkish or Middle Eastern pita bread (preferably Afghani),
3 tbsp butter,
3 cloves of garlic,
1/3 cup of parsley,
blackpepper,
salt.

Melt the butter in the pan and brown the ground beef.
Add the crushed garlic and the seasoning.
Cube the pita bread and place it in a large plate.
Cover bread with yogurt, and add the browned beef over the yogurt.

[The March Hare]

Tandir Style Turkish Bread

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STARTER
1/4 tsp Active dry yeast
1 Cup plus 2 tbsp Bread flour or Unbleached all purpose flour, plus additional for dusting

DOUGH
1 tsp Active dry yeast
1/2 tsp Sugar
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp Salt
1/3 cup Whole wheat flour 1/8 tsp Sugar
1 tbsp Sesame or Nigella seeds
1/4 cup cornmeal

TO MAKE STARTER
In a medium sized bowl, dissolve yeast in 3 tbsp warm water.
Let stand 10 minutse. Stir in 5 more tbsp warm water.
Gradually stir in flour. Once the mixture comes together, dust your hands with flour and knead it in the bowl to form a soft, smooth ball, adding more flour if necessary.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until light and bubbly about 8 hours.
(Starter may be kept in the fridgetor up to 1 week, return to room temperature before using.)

TO MAKE DOUGH AND BAKE BREAD
Stir together yeast, sugar and 1/4 cup warm water in a large mixing bowl.
Let stand for 10 minutes until foamy.
Stir in olive oil, salt, the starter and 1 cup warm water until well blended. Gradually stir in the whole wheat flour and 2 1/2 cups of the bread or all purpose flour, add more flour if necessary to form a dough.
Turn out onto a floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes or until the dough is soft and elastic.
Clean bowl and lightly coat with olive oil. Put the dough in the bowl and turn to coat it on all sides.
Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until more than doubled, about 2 hours.
Punch down the dough and turn it out onto the work surface, kneading briefly.
Divide dough in half and shape into 2 smooth mounds, flattening slightly. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled about 2 hours.

Prehat oven to 450 degrees F.
Place baking stones or heavy baking sheets in the oven to preheat. Punch down a mound of dough and flatten it with your palms into a 1 inch thick oval.
Drape a mound of dough over the backs of your hands and stretch it to a larger oval by gradually working hands apart and pulling from the center outwards.
(if the dough becomes difficult to work with, let it rest for 5 minutes, covered with plastic wrap.)
Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface.
Wet palms and press the dough in to an 8 by 14 inch oval.
In a small bowl, stir together the 3 tbsp flour , sugarand 2 tbsp water to make glaze.
Dipping your fingertips in the glaze, dimple the dough at 1 inch intervals.
Spronkle the top with sesame or nigella seeds, if desired.
Sprinkle a baker peel or an upside down baking sheet with cornmeal and use it to slide the ovals onto the heated baking surface.
Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, or until loaves are golden but not brown.
Serve warm.

[The March Hare]

Flaky and Buttery Turnovers

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in Turkish "POGACA"

Pogaca is a meltingly tender and flaky turnover. It is a favorite snack to be enjoyed with tea and a staple item in the offerings of bakeries.
Bu tarif benim en begendigim. Deneyin, parmaklarinizi yiyeceginize bahse girerim.

INGREDIENTS
Sponge
1 teasthingy active dry yeast
Pinch of sugar
1/2 cup of warm water
1/2 cup of unbleached all-purpose flour

Dough
3 cups + 2 tablesthingy unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teasthingy salt
2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature,pliable but still firm.
2 eggs

Cheese and Herb Filling
1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese
1 lightly beaten egg
1/3 cup chopped fresh or dried parsley

Glaze
1 egg yolk
1 tablesthingy cream or milk

Dissolve yeast and the sugar in the warm water and let stand for 10 minutes covered untill frothy.
Stir in the 1/4 cup of flour in and let stand 1 hour.
(go and get a cup of tea now : )
In a large plastic bowl or on a clean surface mix all the ingredients untillthe dough becomes together and form a ball.
The dough will be very soft but it will not stick to your hands.
Let it stand for for 20 minutes covered with plastic wrap.
Mix all ingredient for the filling.
On a lightly floured surface divide the dough into 14 equal pieces , shape each into a ball by kneading and let it rest for 15 minutes under a towel.
Press each ball into a 3 1/2 -inch circle and put a small amount of filling on one half of the circle and fold it over to cover.
Place them on a greased baking pan.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix egg yolk with cream or milk and brush on the pastries.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes.

They are good freshly out of the oven or cold.
Don't forget to drink some freshly brewed tea with it

[The March Hare]

Turkish Poached Eggs With Yogurt And Spicy Sage Butter

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Ingredients
1 cup plain yogurt ,
2 large garlic cloves, pressed,
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter,
12 fresh sage leaves,
1/2 teasthingy paprika,
1/4 teasthingy dried crushed red pepper,
1 tablesthingy distilled white vinegar,
8 eggs,
pita bread.

Stir yogurt and garlic in small bowl to blend. Season to taste with salt.
Divide mixture equally among 4 plates, spreading to coat center.
Melt butter in heavy small saucepan over medium heat.
Add sage, paprika and red pepper and stir just until butter sizzles.
Remove from heat. Season with salt.
Add vinegar to large skillet of simmering water and return mixture to simmer.
Crack eggs into water. Simmer until eggs are softly cooked, about 3 minutes. Using slotted sthingy, remove eggs from water, drain briefly and place 2 eggs
atop yogurt on each plate.
Rewarm butter mixture if necessary; sthingy over eggs and serve immediately with pita bread.

Bon Apetite

[The March Hare]

Meatballs with Mozzarella Cheese

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Ingredients
1 pound ground beef or turkey,
1.5 cups shreded mozzarella cheese,
1.5 cups chopped onoins,
1/2 bunch chopped parsley,
1-2 cups flour,
1 egg,
Salt and blackpepper,
Frying oil.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.(except the flour)
Shape the mixture into equal sizes of oval meatballs. Press them down in the middle to flatten them out.
Dip the meatballs in flour until covered well.
In a frying pan cook them until well done or nicely browned.
Bon Appetit.
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[The March Hare]

Lady's Thigh Meatball

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Ingredients
1 pound ground beef or turkey,
1 cup cooked white rice,
1.5 cups grated or very finely chopped onoins,
1/2 bunch chopped parsley,
1-2 cups flour,
1 egg,
Salt and blackpepper,
Frying oil.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.(except the flour)
Shape the mixture into equal sizes of oval meatballs. Press them down in the middle to flatten them out.
Dip the meatballs in flour until covered well.
In a frying pan cook them until well done or nicely browned.
Bon Appetit.