Roasted Bell Peppers in Lemon Garlic Sauce - Tarator Soslu Közlenmiş Patlıcan

Tarator is a garlic-olive oil based sauce that is commonly used in summer salads in Western Turkey. Cooked long string beans (börülce), zucchini, peppers of all kinds are transformed into zesty salads simply by adding the tarator sauce to them. If you were to make it the old fashioned way, here's what you do: First garlic and salt are made into a paste with a mortar and pestle. Then in a bowl, as you continuously twirl this garlic paste in the same direction, you ever so slowly add small amounts of olive oil. This mixture slowly starts to thicken and starts looking like a creamy mayonnaise. When it is "just the right consistency", you add lemon juice and water to the sauce. Knowing when to stop adding olive oil is the tricky part. Because if you add more than you should, then the oil and garlic will separate and it will no longer look creamy. Back in the day, in our neck of the woods, this used to be a measure of how good a cook a woman is. Nowadays, one no longer has to master this craft thanks to blenders and food processors,

The sauce can be prepared in advance and can be stored in the refrigerator like any salad dressing.

If you like, you can roast fresh peppers and make it more authentic, however, roasted peppers that come in a jar work well since the sauce add plenty of flavor. Enjoy!

Roasted Bell Peppers in Lemon Garlic Sauce - Taratorlu Kozlenmis Patlican

Ingredients:

• 1 19oz jar or roasted bell peppers

Dressing:

• 6-7 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• juice of 1-2 lemons
• ½ cup water
• Salt to taste

Garnish:

• ¼ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Directions:

Rinse and drain the roasted bell peppers, pat dry with a paper towel, cut into bite-size pieces, arrange them in a serving dish.

To prepare the dressing, mince garlic with a garlic press. Place garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and salt into a food processor or a blender. Blend until it is smooth. It will thicken as it emulsifies. Taste to see if you need to add more lemon juice or salt. Add water and mix again.

Pour dressing over the roasted bell peppers. Garnish with chopped walnuts. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Afiyet Olsun! Bon Appetit!

Ingredients

Roasted bell peppers cut into pieces

Roasted Bell Peppers in Lemon-Garlic Sauce

Savory Dill and Cheese Pastry

Savory Dill and Cheese pastry

Savory treats are my favorites for tea time. My friend Nur served these to us with coffee and they were an istant hit with everyone. They are very easy to make and freeze very well. If you freeze, when ready to serve, take them out of the freezer, put them in a preheated oven for 5 minutes. They will taste like they just came fresh out of the oven. You can use olive oil, as well as any other healthy oil like walnut or avocado oil.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup yogurt
• ½ cup oil
• 2 eggs (one yolk separated for glazing)
• 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
• 3 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• Black caraway seeds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Separate one egg yolk, save it for glazing the top of the pastry later. In a large bowl, mix yogurt, oil, and eggs with a whisk. Add crumbled feta cheese and dill, mix with a spoon. Add flour and baking powder. Mix well with a spoon. Cover the dough and let it chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.

Grease a cookie sheet. Take a walnut size piece of the dough, roll it between your palms into a ball and place on the cookie sheet. Repeat until all dough is used. Dough will yield about 40 pieces. Add a table spoon of water into the egg yolk, mix well. Brush the egg yolk over the pastry balls. Sprinkle black caraway seeds over the pastry. Bake in the oven until golden brown (about 30-45 minutes). Serve hot or at room temperature. 

Bon Appetit! Afiyet Olsun!

Yogurt, oil, feta cheese and fresh dill

Dough is ready to go in the refrigerator

Chilled dough

Pasty balls ready for glazing

Pastry balls glazed, ready for baking

Savory dill and cheese pastry fresh out of the oven

Savory dill and cheese pastry

Savory dill and cheese pastry

Savory Kataifi Balls with Cheese

Savory Kataifi Balls with Cheese - Peynirli Çıtır Kadayıf

Couple of years ago we were in the small Greek Island of Leros. We enjoyed many delicacies at Mylos restaurant by the windmill. Most of the appetizers were familiar tastes of the Aegean, however, this one was a pleasant surprise. Typically kataifi (shredded dough) is used for desserts in the Turkish cuisine, very few savory versions exist. This one was quick fried, very light, savory with a drizzle of honey on top. My award winning friend Oya (www.oyascuisine.com) has successfully deciphered the recipe when the owner refused to share his secret with her. She has the recipe on her blog. I've tried it at home in California with fresh mozzarella cheese and we loved it. Then, I tried a baked version. Although it was delicious, by the time the dough was baked to golden brown, some of the cheese oozed out of the dough and hardened on the tray. I decided to try it in a different format and came up with this recipe where I rolled the dough into a ball not allowing the cheese to melt and ooze out. It turned out great. Enjoy!

Variation: If you like kunefe, a kataifi dessert with cheese in the middle, you can place the cooked balls in a deep dish and pour over hot sugar syrup (1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, boiled for 5 minutes) over the balls and this will be a dessert very similar to kunefe.

Ingredients:

• 24 small balls of fresh mozzarella, drained
• 8 oz kataifi dough (shredded fillo), about half a box. You can buy this at Middle Eastern Markets where you can find regular fillo dough.
• 2 Table spoons butter, melted
• 1-2 table spoons honey to drizzle on top (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Melt butter. Using a brush, grease a mini muffin tray with melted butter.

Take out the kataifi dough. On a clean, flat surface, loosen the strand of dough. You may need to cut the strands in half. If the dough is very dry, you may need to sprinkle some water on it to soften it. This will make it easy to work with. Take a few strands, place 2 small balls of fresh mozzarella on one end of the dough. Start wrapping the dough around the cheese by rolling it. Form it into a ball in your palm. Wet your fingers to make sure the ends of the dough will stick to the ball. Place the ball in a mini muffin hole. Repeat making balls until you full the mini muffin tray.

Bake until golden brown. About 20 minutes. Remove from the muffin tray, place on a serving dish. Drizzle some honey on the balls (optional). Serve hot or warm. 

Bon Appetit! Afiyet Olsun!

Kataifi dough out of the box

Loosen up the dough on a flat surface

Place cheese on the dough

Start rolling into a ball

Kataifi ball

Place balls into a mini muffin tray greased with butter

Ready to be baked

Baked until golden brown

Serve them hot or warm

Honey drizzled over the savory balls

Roasted Eggplant Salad with Almonds and Mint - Nazuktan

Roasted Eggplant Salad with Almonds and Mint - Nazuktan

Roasted Eggplant Salad with Almonds and Mint - Nazuktan

Nazuktan is a Central Anatolian recipe. I have first tasted it in my friend Nesli's house and loved it. There's a similar meze with roasted eggplants and yogurt, however, what makes this one a special delicacy is the toasted almonds and a little drizzle of molasses on top. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggplants or a 23 oz jar of fire roasted eggplants
• 1 cup thick, Greek style yogurt
• juice of 1 lemon, about 1 1/2 tablespoons
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, mashed
• 3 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds
• 3 tablespoons of fresh mint, roughly chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish: 

• A few sprigs of fresh mint
•  1 tablespoon of toasted sliced almonds
• 1 teaspoon grape molasses

Directions:

If you are using fire roasted eggplants from a jar, skip this paragraph. If you are using fresh eggplants, first wash the eggplants. Poke into the eggplants with a skewer or a small knife at 3-4 places for even cooking. Roast them on the barbecue, approximately 15 minutes on each side. Turn to make sure all sides are evenly cooked. The skin will look dark, almost charred, but when you press on it with a fork, the inside will feel soft. Remove from heat, set aside to cool. Peel the outer skin, place on a board and gently chop to small pieces.

If you are using eggplants from a jar, drain the juices by placing the contents in a strainer for about 15 minutes. In a bowl, combine eggplants, yogurt, lemon juice and mashed garlic. Mix well with a spoon. Add almonds, fresh mint, salt and pepper to taste and gently mix with a spoon. Place on a serving dish. Garnish with a few sprigs of fresh mint leaves and toasted sliced almonds. Drizzle molasses over the plate and serve.

Afiyet Olsun! Bon Appetit!

Fire Roasted Eggplant in a Jar

Eggplant in Strainer

Nazuktan Ingredients

Salad Mixture

Roasted Eggplant Salad with Grape Molasses Drizzled

Roasted Eggplant Salad with Almonds and Mint - Nazuktan

Garbanzo Balls – Nohut Köftesi

Garbanzo Balls

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked garbanzo beans (dry or canned)
  If you are going to use dry garbanzo beans, you need to soak them overnight! (see pictures below)
• 2 table spoons tahini (sesame paste)
• 1/4 cup water
• 4 table spoons all purpose flour
• 1 medium/large onion, grated
• 1 medium/large carrot, grated
• 4 table spoons sunflower seeds
• ½ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 table spoon dried oregano leaves
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• Salt to taste
• Vegetable oil to fry

Yogurt sauce:

• 1 cup yogurt
• 2 cloves garlic, mashed
• 1-2 table spoons water
• Salt to taste

Directions:

If you are using dry garbanzo beans, you need to prepare ahead. Soak them overnight. In a large pan, boil 5-6 cups of water, add soaked, drained garbanzo beans. Simmer until beans are tender. Drain and set aside. Cooked garbanzo beans freeze well, so you can cook them in large batches to save for later use.

If you are using canned beans, rinse and drain first, set aside.
Prepare yogurt sauce first since it needs to be chilled. In a small bowl, mix yogurt and crushed garlic, add water to obtain desired consistency. Add salt to taste. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. 

Place cooked garbanzo beans and tahini in a food processor. Pulse a few times. Add water and pulse until smooth. It does not need to be creamy smooth. Place the mixture in a bowl. Add flour and mix well with a spoon. Add grated onion, carrots, sunflower seeds, herbs and spices to the mixture. Knead the mixture well for a few minutes, set aside.

Place vegetable oil into a frying pan and heat it over medium/high heat. Take a spoonful of the mixture, slide the mixture into the hot oil. Repeat this until you have a pan full of paddies, making sure they don't touch each oher. Fry until golden brown. Flip and fry the other side. Place fried garbanzo balls on a paper towel to drain the extra oil. Transfer to a serving dish. Serve with yogurt sauce drizzled over the garbanzo balls.

Afiyet Olsun! Bon Appetit!

Dry garbanzo beans soaked in water

Garbanzo beans soaked overnight ready to be cooked

Grated carrots

Onions, sunflower seeds, herbs and spices

Garbanzo beans - tahini mixture

Flour added to the mixture

All ingredients are mixed together

Spoonful of the mixture before dropped into hot oil

Garbanzo balls frying in oil

Garbanzo balls

Garbanzo Balls with Yogurt