Anchovy Pilaf (Hamsili Pilav)

1 kg anchovies * 4 medium sized onions * 25 ml olive oil * 25 g pine nuts * 25 g dried currants * 2 cups rice * 4 cups water * 100 g fresh dill * salt * allspice * minced fresh mint

Sauté the chopped onion and the pine nuts in olive oil. Add the rice, the minced dill, the dried currants, the salt, the allspice and the mint and mix very well. Finally add the water. When the rice is cooked, let it wait for some minutes. Place the anchovies, opened and without spines, into a quiche pan greased with olive oil. Then, place the rice in the center and cover it with the anchovies, opened and without spines. Bake on a 180º preheated oven for 40-45 minutes. Serve hot.

Sesame Halva (Tuzlu Helva)

Makes 4 servings

200 g butter * 2 1/2 cups flour * 1 cup water * 1 tbsp sesame seeds

Place the margarine in a pan and mix it with the flour over low heat. Add slowly the water and cook for 5 minutes more. Place the mixture in a greased oven tray and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake on a 200º preheated oven for 20 minutes. Cut into squares and serve.

Veal Stew with Couscous (Kuskuslu Sebzeli Et Yahnisi)

Makes 1 serving

2 tbsp olive oil * 150 g veal * 1 carrot * 1/2 onion * 1 tsp red pepper * 1 garlic clove * 1 tsp cumin * 1 tsp cinnamon * 1 tsp powder saffron * 50 g boiled chickpeas * salt * black pepper

For the sauce:

50 ml olive oil * 1 garlic clove * 3 red chili peppers * 50 g nuts

For the couscous:

1 cup couscous * 2 cups water * salt

Pour the olive oil on a pan. Add the chopped onion, the minced garlic and the meat cut into small cubes. Sauté for some minutes on low heat. Add the carrot cut into small cubes, the salt and all the spices. Continue sautéing for 2 minutes more. Then, add 2 cups of water and cook on low fire until the meat is soft. Add the boiled chickpeas, mix well and turn the fire off. Prepare the sauce. Place all the ingredients in the mixer. Cook the couscous with water and salt until all the water evaporates. Serve the couscous covered with the meat and the sauce.

Nut Halva (Şeker Helvası)

Makes 10 servings

250 g butter * 2 cups flour * 1 cup milk * 2 cups sugar * 1 cup water * 1 cup crumbled nuts * 4-5 nuts to garnish

Melt the butter. Add the flour and cook on medium heat stirring continuously with a wood spoon. Add the crumbled nuts and go on stirring continuously. Add the sugar and the milk. Stir continuously for more 5 minutes and turn the heat off. Place the helva on a serving plate and let it cool down. When it is cold cut into squares and decorate each square with a nut.

Rose Jam (Gül Reçeli)

350 g red rose petals * 6 cups sugar * 2 1/2 cups water * 2 tbsp lemon juice

Wash the petals and place them in a pan with the sugar and lemon juice. Let it rest like this for 30 minutes. Add the water and cook for about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Pour into jars and store in the refrigerator.

Note: To check if the consistency of the jam is at the ideal point, try placing a spoonful of jam in a glass of water. If the jam does not dissolve in the water, it is ready. If, on the contrary, it dissolves, it needs to cook a little longer.

Ricotta Pudding (Hoşmerim)

1 l milk * 1 1/2 tbsp flour * 1 egg * 4 cups sugar * 250 g wheat semolina * 1/2 kg lor cheese (or ricotta) without salt * 150 g almonds * 1 tbsp oil

Put the milk on fire and add the flour, the beaten egg, the sugar, the semolina and the crumbled cheese and stir continuously with a wood spoon until the mixture gets thick. Let it boil for 1-2 minutes, take from the fire and place on a serving plate. Place the almonds in hot water for 30 minutes and peel them. Sauté the peeled almonds in the oil until they become brown. Place them on a paper towel to loose the excess of oil. Garnish thesweet with the almonds and put in the fridge for 1 hour. Serve cold.

In Turkey, this sweet is made with lor cheese which is very similar to ricotta.

Zucchini Cake (Kabaklı Börek)

2 eggs * 2 zucchinis * 1 cup yogurt * 1/2 cup olive oil * 1/2 cup flour * 50 g parsley * 50 g fresh dill * 1 cup crumbled feta cheese * 1 tbsp baking powder * 2 tsp black cumin seeds (Nigella Sativa).

Cut the zucchinis in small pieces. Mince the dill and the parsley. Place the flour in a bowl and open an hole in the center. Pour inside the zucchinis, the dill, the parsley, the baking powder, the yogurt and the olive oil and mix all the ingredients very well. Place the mixture on a greased oven tray with 25 centimeters length. Pour on the black cumin seeds (Nigella sativa). Bake on a 180º preheated oven for 20 minutes. Cut in small squares and serve.

Turkish Meat and Rice Balls (Kadınbudu Köfte)

The direct translation of this dish is Lady’s Thighs.

500 g ground meat * 2 onions * 3 eggs * 75 g rice * 50 g parsley * tsp black pepper * 1 tsp dry thyme * 1 tsp cumin * oil to fry * 1 cup flour * 1 cup bread crumb * salt

Cook the rice with salt and water. Put the ground meat in a bowl. Add the chopped onions, 1 egg, the rice, the chopped parsley, the salt, the black pepper, the thyme and the cumin and knead very well. Take small amounts of the mixture with the size of a tangerine and give an oval shape to each one. Beat 2 eggs. Place the flour on a plate and place the bread crumb on another plate. First dip each köfte in the flour, then dip in the eggs and then in the crumb bread. Fry the köfte and put them on a paper towel for the excess of oil to be absorbed. Serve hot or warm.