Bulgur Croquettes with Yogurt Sauce (Şark köftesi)

2 cups thin bulgur * 1 1/2 cup hot water * 2 tbsp dried mint * 1 onion * 2-3 tbsp flour * 1 egg white * salt

For the sauce:

1 cup yogurt * 2-3 garlic cloves * 30 g margarine * 2 tsp red pepper

Soak the bulgur in hot water until it gets soft and until all the water evaporates. Add to the bulgur the minced onion, the mint, the flour, the egg white and the salt. Knead well until you get a consistent dough and, if necessary, add some water. Separate portions on the amount of a walnut and give an oval shape to each one. Bring to boil water with salt. Put the croquettes in the boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Place the croquettes in a serving plate. Prepare the sauce. Mix the yogurt with the minced garlic. Bring to low heat the margarine with the red pepper. Cover the croquettes with the yogurt and then with the margarine. Serve hot.

Cheese and Sesame Rings (Susamli Çörek)

For 32 sesame rings

250 g margarine * 250 g lor cheese (or ricotta) without salt * 2 egg yolks * 4 1/2 cups flour * 1 tbsp baking powder

To garnish:

3 tbsp sesame seeds * 2 egg whites

Mix the margarine, the egg yolks, the crumbled cheese and the baking powder. Add the flour slowly and knead well. Separate the dough in four portions, cover with a cloth and let the dough rest for 20 minutes. Then open the dough, using a rolling pin, until you get the size of a normal meal plate. After opening, divide each portion into two. Open again each one but now divide each portion of dough in four. Roll each portion with your hands and connect the extremities giving the shape of rings. Brush each ring with egg whites and then sprinkle with sesame. Bake on a 175º preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until they become light brown.

Turkish Crusty Crepes with Ground Meat (Kapalı Lahmacun)

For the dough:

500 g flour * 1 tbsp dry yeast + 1 cup warm water * enough water * salt

For the filling:

500 g ground meat * 2 onions * 1 tbsp olive oil * 2 tomatoes * 1/2 tbsp pepper paste * 3 chili peppers * salt * black pepper * 100 g parsley

Prepare the dough. Dissolve the yeast in a cup of warm water and let it wait until the volume increases. Add the flour and the salt and mix well adding the necessary amount of water until the dough doesn't stick to the bowl walls or to your hands. Cover with a wet cloth and let the dough rest at room temperature until the volume increases. Prepare the filling. Cut the onions and fry them with olive oil. Add the pepper paste and mix. Add the ground meat and cook for a while. Then, add the tomatoes and the chili peppers cut into small pieces, the black pepper, and the salt and mix well. When all the ingredients are very well connected take from the fire and add the minced parsley. Open the dough with the rolling pin and separate portions of dough with the size of a meal plate. Cover each one with the filling and close. Brush with egg yolk and bake on a 180º preheated oven until they become crusty.

You can learn more about lahmacun here

Spinach with Ground Meat Stew (Kıymalı Ispanak)

100 g ground meat * 250 g spinach * 1/4 medium sized onion * 1 garlic clove * 2 tsp olive oil * 2 tsp tomato paste * salt * black pepper * cumin

Mince the onion very thin and sauté with the olive oil and the ground meat. Add the tomato paste and then the spinach cut into medium pieces. Go on sautéing for 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic, the salt, the black pepper, the cumin and enough water. Cook for 15 minutes on low heat.

Börek with Ground Meat (Domates Sulu Kıymalı Börek)

50 ml olive oil * 200 g ground meat * 1 onion * 100 g parsley * 2 cups tomato juice * 50 ml water * 3 sheets philo pastry * salt * black pepper

Sauté the minced onion with the ground meat. Add the minced parsley, the salt and the black pepper and mix. Let it cool down and put aside. Mix the tomato juice with the water and the olive oil. Place one of the philo pastries in a greased oven tray. As the philo pastry is bigger than the oven tray, the sides will be out of the oven tray. Cover it with the tomato mixture. Cut the second philo pastry in two pieces with the same size and use one of the pieces to cover the first philo pastry. Place the ground meat on it and then cover with the other half. Again, make it wet with the tomato mixture. Cover with the third philo pastry. You must make it fit totally inside the oven tray by making small hills. Close the börek with the sides of the first philo pastry. Put the rest of the tomato sauce on the top and bake on a 180º preheated oven until it becomes a little crusty.

Nut Sweet (Cevizli Tatlı)

For the dough:

6 cups flour * 1 cup oil * 1 cup melted margarine * 3 tbsp yogurt * 1 tsp baking powder * 1 tbsp vanilla extract

For the filling:

1 cup crumbled nuts

For the syrup:

3 cups sugar * 3 cups water * 1 tbsp lemon juice

To garnish:

2 tbsp crumbled nuts

Prepare the syrup. Put the water and the sugar in a pan and bring to boil. When it starts to get thick, take from the fire, add the lemon juice and bring to boil again. Take from the fire and let it cool down. Meanwhile, prepare the dough. Sift the flour and open a hole on it. Place inside the oil, the melted margarine, the yogurt, the baking powder and the vanilla extract and knead well. Cover the dough with a wet cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes. Separate portions of the dough in the amount of a nut and work each one with your hand or on a table, giving the shape and the size of a coffee cup plate. Place the nuts in the center and close each dough portion by joining the sides in the center. Place the cakes in a greased oven tray and bake on a 170º preheated oven. Take the cakes from the oven, cover them with the syrup and then sprinkle with the nuts. When the cakes absorbe the syrup, they are ready to be served.

Braided Sweet Yeast Bread (Paskalya Çöreği)

Paskalya means Easter in English and the literal translation of this sweet, so common in Turkey, is something like Easter Cake.

½ cup milk * 20 g yeast * 8 ½ cups flour * 2 cups sugar * 4 eggs * 250 g de margarine * 1 tbsp mahaleb * 15 cardamom seeds

For the covering:

1 egg yolk * 25 g crumbled hazelnuts

In a bowl, dissolve the yeast in the milk, add 2 cups of flour and mix. Let it rest for 10 minutes in a warm ambience with the bowl covered. Meanwhile, mix the sugar with the eggs. Melt the margarine and let it cool down. Place the rest of the flour in a bowl. Add the mixture of the yeast with the milk, the mixture of the eggs and sugar, the melted margarine, the mahaleb and the grinded cardamom seeds. Knead the dough very well with your hands and let it rest in a warm place. Separate 3 portions of dough, make three three rolls with your hands and give it the shape of a braid. Place in an oven tray, brush with an egg yolk and sprinkle with the crumbled hazelnuts. Bake on a 180º preheated oven.

Spinach Cake with White Cream (Ispanaklı Pasta)

300 g spinach (only the leaves) * 4 eggs * 200 g flour * 200 g sugar * 1 tbsp baking powder * 1 tbsp vanilla extract * 50 ml orange juice

For the covering:

4 ½ cups milk * 5 tbsp corn starch * 1 ½ cup sugar * 2 drops mastic * 2 kiwis

Place the spinach leaves in the mixer to obtain spinach juice. Put the flour in a bowl and open a hole in the center. Place inside the eggs, the sugar, the spinach juice, the vanilla and the baking powder and mix well. Put the mixture in a greased round cake pan and bake on a 180º preheated oven for 30 minutes. Let it cool down. Then, divide the cake in two parts and pour on the orange juice. Prepare the covering. Take to low heat the milk mixed with the corn starch and the sugar. Stir continuously with a wood spoon until you get a consistent cream. Take from the fire and add the mastic. Cover one half of the cake with the cream and then place the other half of the cake over it. Cover the cake with the rest of the cream and garnish with the kiwis.

Pistachio Biscuits (Antepfıstıklı Kurabiye)

1 cup flour * ½ cup semolina * ½ cup sugar * 1 cup crumbled pistachios * 125 g margarine * powder sugar to sprinkle

Place to flour in a bowl. Add the semolina, the sugar, the crumbled pistachios and the margarine at room temperature. Knead well, cover with a cloth and put in the refrigerator for half an hour. Then, separate portions of dough in the amount of a hazelnut and give them a round shape with your hands. Put in an oven tray and bake on a 170º preheated oven for 20 minutes. Let it cool down and sprinkle with powder sugar.

Ground Meat Turkish Pizza (Kıymalı Kır Pidesi)

For 12 pizzas

For the dough:

1 cup margarine * 1 cup oil * 1 cup yogurt * 1 cup water * 1 tbsp baking powder * 1 egg white * enough flour

For the filling:

300-350 g ground meat * 2 onions * 1 tomato * salt * black pepper

To garnish:

4-5 cherry tomatoes * 1-2 green chili peppers * 1 egg yolk

Prepare the filling. Mince the onions, take the shell to the tomatoes and cut them into pieces. Place the ground meat in a bowl and add the minced onion, the tomatoes, the salt and the black pepper. Mix very well using a fork to press. Prepare the dough. Mix the flour and the baking powder, the margarine at room temperature, the oil, the yogurt, the water and the egg white. Knead very well in order to get a soft and homogeneous dough that you can easily work with your hands. Separate portions of dough in the amount of a tangerine (150 g) and open each one with a rolling pin. Place the filling in the center, and close the dough using the sides and giving the shape of a boat. Put a greased paper in an oven tray and place the pizzas on the paper. Brush the pizzas with egg yolk. Bake them on a 180º preheated oven. Take the pizzas from the fire and garnish them with tomatoes and chili peppers.

Turkish Delight (Sade Türk Lokumu)

This is probably the most famous Turkish sweet and one of the most appreciated all over the world.

1 kg sugar * ½ liter water * 1 tbsp lemon juice * 1 cup corn starch (100 g) * 25 ml water * 2 g cream of tartar * some almond oil

To garnish:

50 g corn starch * 1 cup powder sugar

Place the sugar in a pan with ½ liter water. Bring it to boil over low fire and add the lemon juice. Keep on low fire and let it boil slowly. Dissolve the corn starch in 25 ml of water. Add slowly to the sugar syrup. Then, add the cream of tartar and mix. Keep the mixture on fire until you get a thick paste. Grease a rectangular tray with almond oil. Pour the mixture in it and let it cool down. Mix the corn starch with the sugar and sparkle the lokum with it. Grease a knife with almond oil and cut the lokum. First cut into slices, with the thickness of two fingers, and then in cubes. Then put each cube on the corn starch and sugar mixture in order to be very well sparkled. The Turkish delight is ready to be served.

In Turkey the cream of tartar can be found in patisseries and in herbalists (Lokman Hekim). If you can’t find the cream of tartar, I read here that it can be replaced by lemon juice or vinegar, in the amount three times superior of the one specified for the cream of tartar. This ingredient is very important, because it will give the gum consistency to the lokum.
I know many people love this delight and is anxious to try. I am waiting for your comments.
I will publish more lokum recipes soon.

Turkish Ravioli (Kayseri Mantısı)

Kayseri is a Turkish city located in central Anatolia. Kayseri Mantısı is one of Kayseri's most famous and typical dishes.

Makes 6 servings

For the dough:

4 cups flour * 1 egg * 100 ml water * salt

For the filling:

1 onion * 250 g ground beef * salt

For the sauce:

2 tomatoes * 3 chili peppers * 1 tbsp olive oil * 2 tsp butter * 2 tsp pepper paste * 50 ml water * red pepper * dry sweet basil

To garnish:

Sumac * Yogurt Sauce with Garlic (Sarımsaklı Yoğurt) - 4 tbsp yogurt * 2 tbsp water * salt * 2 garlic cloves

Prepare the dough. Mix the flour, the egg, the salt and the water and knead well. Cover the dough with a wet cloth and let it rest for 15 minutes. Separate small amounts of dough. Open each amount of dough with a wood pin on a floured surface. Cut little squares with 1 cm x 1 cm. Prepare the filling. Mix the chopped onion with the ground beef and the salt. Place this mixture in the center of each square. Close all the sides very well. After filling all the squares, place them on a large pot and cook them with water and salt. Drain and pour over a cup of cold water. Place the mantı on a deep serving plate. Prepare the sauce. Mince the tomatoes and the peppers and sauté with olive oil. Add the butter, the red pepper, the sweet basil, the water and the pepper paste. Pour the sauce on the mantı. Garnish with the yogurt sauce and sprinkle with sumac.

To make the yogurt sauce, mix very well the yogurt, with the water, the garlic and a little salt. If the yogurt is very thick, add a little more water.

You can learn more about mantı here.

Turkish Nut Baklava (Cevizli Baklava)

1 kg flour * 40 g melted butter * 4 eggs * 1 cup water * 3 cups crumbled nuts * salt

For the syrup:

1 1/2 kg sugar * 1/2 lemon juice * 5 cups water

Prepare the syrup. Place the sugar and the water in a pot. Bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn the heat off and add the lemon juice. Reserve and let the syrup cool down.

Prepare the dough. Mix the flour, the eggs, the water and the salt and knead well. Separate 12 pieces of dough and open each one with the rolling pin to obtain a very thin dough. Overlap 6 pieces of dough and place between each one the melted butter and the crumbled nuts. Do the same with the other 6 pieces of dough. Cover the top with the remaining melted butter. With a wet knife, cut each block of dough diagonally, both longitudinally and transversally, in order to form diamond shaped pieces. Brush the inside of a roasting pan with butter and place inside the 2 blocks of dough. Bake for 20 minutes on a 180º pre-heated oven. When the baklava is cooked, cut it again using a knife. Pour the lukewarm syrup with a tablespoon along the cut lines of the hot baklava. When all the syrup is completely absorbed, the baklava is ready to be served.

You can find here information about baklava.

Vegetable Cake with Cheese (Sebzeli Kaşarlı Kek)

3 eggs * 1 cup yogurt * 1 cup oil * 1/2 cup boiled peas * 1 carrot * 1 potato * 1/2 cup crumbled kaşar (or cheddar) cheese * 3 cups flour * 1 tbsp baking powder * 5-6 green olives * salt

Boil the carrot and the potato, cut them in cubes and put aside. Beat the eggs. Add the oil and the yogurt and continue beating. Add the peas, the carrot, the potato, the cheese, the salt, the flour and the baking powder and mix well. Place the mixture in a greased loaf pan. Garnish with the olives cut into slices. Bake on a 180º preheated oven. Serve warm or cold.