Monday, September 24, 2012

Peppers with Milk and Cheese (Lorlu-Sutlu Biber ) Rumeli-Trakya

2 lbs sweet banana peppers
3-4 lbs ricotta cheese (preferably fresh)
3-4 cups milk
Salt to taste
 
Bring the milk to boil and add some salt to ricotta if you like. Let the milk cool aside (it should be a little cooler than the milk for yogurt making, 33-37 C). Chop the peppers about 1 inch long and put them in 1L or any size you like glass jars. Make sure to fill half of the jars. Then, fill the ¾ of the jars with ricotta cheese, covering the peppers almost 1 inch. Once the milk gets to the right temperature (33-37 C), fill the jars with milk to the top. Close the lids tight and place the jars upside down over a blanket or any other thick cloth, just as you make yogurt. Wrap the blanket around the jars tightly and let them ferment for 2 days. You may check sometime to see if there are any spills. Take them to the refrigerator when they get as thick as yogurt, or maybe thicker.
Let them rest in the fridge for 10 days and then they are ready to eat. The longer they stay in the fridge the thicker and more acidic they become as in pickles. They will have a more sour and strong taste.
ENJOY
 
TURKCE
1 kg carliston biber
1.5-2 kg taze tam yagli lor
3-4  bardak sut
Tuz
 
Sutu iyice kaynatin. Lor peynirinin tuz oranına gore arzu ettiginiz oranda tuz ilave edin. Sut bir kenarda sogumaya birakilir. (Yogurt mayalanacak sutten biraz daha ilik olmalidir). Biberleri 2-3 cm uzunlugunda dograyin ve 1 litrelik ya da kullandigiz herhangi bir boyuttaki kavanozun yarisina kadar doldurun. Kavanozdaki biberlerin uzerini bir-iki parmak gececek kadar (kavanozun 4’te 3u) lor peynirle doldurun. Sut, yogurt yapimi icin tercih edilen sicakliktan biraz daha ilik olunca, kavanozlarin agzina kadar doldurun. Kavanozlari sikica kapatin.Yogurt mayalar gibi, bir battaniye uzerine kavanozlari ters sekilde koyun ve etrafini battaniye ya da baska bir kalin ortuyle sikica sarin ve yaklasik 2 gun mayalamaya birakin. Arada kontrol ederek kavanozlarin sizinti yapmadigindan emin olun. Yogurt kivamindan daha sert bir kivama geldiklerinde kavanozlari buzdolabina alabilirsiniz.
Buzdolabinda 10 gun bekletttikten sonra tuketebilirsiniz. Buzdolabinda bekleme suresi arttikca kivami ve lezzeti artacak, ayni tursu gibi daha asidik, keskin ve eksimsi bir tad alacaklardir.
AFIYET OLSUN
 

Monday, September 10, 2012

Roasted Grape Tomatoes ( Firinlanmis Kiraz Domates)

3 cups grape/cherry tomatoes
5 button mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp sea salt
2 Tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
 
Preheat oven to 400F (200C). Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Transfer them over a glass baking dish ensuring they are in just one layer. Roast for about 20 minutes or until the tomatoes begin to shrivel. You may garnish with fresh basil. Serve hot from oven.
ENJOY
 
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TURKCE
3 su bardagi kiraz domates
5 tane kultur mantari, dilimlenmis
2 dis sarimsak, dovulmus
3 yemek kasigi sizma zeytinyagi
2 yemek kasigi balsamic sirke
1 yemek kasigi esmer seker
1 cay kasigi tuz
2 yemek kasigi taze feslegen, ince dogranmis
 
Firini onceden 200C (400F)’ye isitin. Orta boy bir kasede butun malzemeleri karistirin ve tercihen borcam bir tepsiye tek sira halinde yerlestirin. Firina verin ve yaklasik 20 dakika ya da domatesler kuculup, burusmaya baslayana dek pisirin. Firindan cikar cikmaz sicak servis yapin. Arzuya gore uzerine taze feslegen yapraklari ilave edebilirsiniz.
AFIYET OLSUN
 

Friday, August 24, 2012

Sopska Salata (Bulgaria)

2 tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped in cubes
1 small onion, chopped
1-2 green or red peppers, roasted or raw, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup Bulgarian sirene cheese or feta cheese, shredded/crumbled
2-3 Tbsp oil (traditional: sunflower, lux: extra virgin olive oil)
1-2 Tbsp vinegar (traditional: red wine vinegar, lux: balsamic)
Salt to taste
 
Place tomatoes, cucumber, peppers and onion in a large bowl and toss. Mix oil, vinegar and salt to taste in a small bowl until blended. Toss dressing with vegetables, transfer into a serving bowl. Top with crumbled cheese. Serve fresh.
ENJOY
 
TURKCE
2 domates, dogranmis
1 salatalik, dogranmis
1 kucuk boy sogan, dogranmis
1-2 yesil ya da kirmizi biber, kozlenmis ya da cig, dogranmis (istege bagli)
1 cay bardagi Bulgaristan sirene peyniri/beyaz peynir, rendelenmis
2-3 yemek kasigi sivi yag (geleneksel: aycicek yagi, luks: sizma zeytinyagi)
1-2 yemek kasigi sirke (geleneksel: uzum sirkesi, luks: balsamic sirke)
Tuz
 
Domates, salatalik, sogan ve biberleri genis bir kasede harmanlayin. Kucuk bir kasede; tuz, sirke ve siviyagi iyice karisana dek karistirin. Salata sosunu sebzelerin uzerine dokun ve nazikce karistirin. Servis tabagina alin ve uzerine rendelenmis sirene/beyaz peyniri koyun. Bekletmeden servis yapin.
AFIYET OLSUN
 

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Banitsa (Bulgarian Cheese Pie)

Banitsa (banica and banitza) is a traditional Bulgarian pastry. Traditionally, some lucky charms are put into the pastry on some of the national holidays or other occasions including; Christmas Eve, the first day of Christmas, New Year's Eve, etc.

1 package phyllo (filo) dough (1 lb)
3 eggs

1 lb Bulgarian(sirene) cheese/ feta cheese
5-6 Tbsp butter
1 cup of milk or yogurt

Beat the eggs in a bowl and combine the crumbled cheese, yogurt/milk and eggs together. Cheese should be lumpy so don't over mix. Melt the butter in a cup. Butter the bottom of a Pyrex or oven tray. Lay one sheet of filo dough and spread some melted butter with a brush all over. Then continue layering and spreading butter until 5-6 sheets one after another. Spread some of the cheese mixture on top, and distribute evenly. Then repeat layering and spreading butter in between for another 3-4 sheets. Pour some cheese mixture and repeat layering until all mixture is used. Lay the last 3-4 sheets on the top with no butter in between. Spread the rest of the butter on top. Cut in portion sized pie slices or squares and bake in the preheated 400 F (200 C) oven until golden (for about 30 minutes).
ENJOY

Banitsa is served for breakfast, brunch or any time with plain yogurt, ayran or boza. I would recommend Turkish tea with Banitsa. Served hot or cold, it is always tasty.
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TURKCE
Banitsa (banica and banitza) geleneksel bir Bulgaristan hamur isidir. Banitsa yapilirken geleneksel olarak icine bazi kismetler koyulur ve Noel ve Yeni yil gibi ozel gunlerde ya da  bayramlarda servis edilir.

1 paket filo dough (hazir yufka)
3 yumurta
½ kg Bulgaristan peyniri (sirene)/ feta peyniri
5-6 yemek kasigi tereyagi
1 su bardagi yogurt ya da sut

Yumurtalari bir kasede cirpin ve uzerine yogurt/sut ve ufalanmis peyniri ilave edin. Peynir parcalarini cok dagitmadan nazikce karistirin.Tereyagini eritin ve bir kaseye alin. Borcam ya da firin tepsisinin dibini yaglayin. Bir parca yufkayi tepsiye yayin ve uzerini erimis tereyagi ile fircalayin. Sonra, ust uste 5-6 yufka olana dek yaglama islemine devam edin. Peynirli karisimin bir miktarini uzerine esit olarak dagitin. Tekrar tek tek yufkalari 3-4 tane olana dek tereyag ile yaglamaya devam edin. Yine peynirli karisimdan biraz koyun ve dagitin. Butun peynirli karisim bitene dek ayni islemi tekrarlayin. Son 3-4 parca yufkayi aralarina tereyegi surmeden en uste yerlestirin ve kalan tereyagini uzerine guzelce surun. Arzuya gore kare veya ucgen dilimler kesin ve onceden isitilmis 200 C (400 F) firinda yaklasik 30 dakika ya da uzeri kizarana dek pisirin.
AFIYET OLSUN

Banitsa kahvalti, cay saati ve gunun her ani sade yogurt, ayran veya boza ile ikram edilir. Benim tavsiyem yaninda Turk cayidir. Her turlu cok lezzetli oldugu icin sicak ya da soguk servis edilebilir.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Roasted Jalapenos with Sauce (Kozlenmis Soslu Jalapeno Biberi)

1 lb fresh jalapeno pepper, washed
3-4 Tbsp vinegar
5 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt to
taste
1 tsp sugar (optional)
6 medium cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional)
1 tsp peppercorns (optional)

Lightly roast the jalapenos either over a grill or a stove until they get a couple of dark spots on each side. Make sure not to over roast, we would not want the skins to be removable. Let them cool for a while. Then, preferably remove the stems or you may keep them on. In a bowl, combine vinegar, olive oil, sugar, parsley and
salt. Add the roasted jalapenos and mix them all. Either use glass jars or other storage containers to store the jalapenos.
Divide the garlic cloves and peppercorns evenly between the containers. I usually prefer glass jars with tight caps if I am going to store them for a long time. Place some peppercorns and garlic in the bottom of the container and add a thick layer of roasted japalenos. Then continue layering with garlic, peppercorns and jalapenos until the container is full to the top. Try not to leave much space in between the jalapenos by pushing from the top.
Pack all the containers the same way and then distribute the remaining olive oil-vinegar sauce between the containers. All the jalapenos do not need to be covered with the sauce, so just use what you have. Close the lids tight. Keep the jars/containers in the refrigerator and you may serve these roasted jalapenos with any kind of dish.
ENJOY

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TURKCE
½ kg jalapeno (Meksika) biberi, yikanip kurulanmis
3-4 yemek kasigi sirke
5 yemek kasigi zeytinyagi
1 tatli kasigi tuz
1 tatli kasigi seker (istege bagli)
6 dis orta boy sarimsak, soyulmus ve dilimlenmis
½ cay bardagi taze maydanoz (istege bagli)
1 tatli kasigi tane karabiber (istege bagli)

Jalapeno biberlerini izgara ya da ocagin uzerinde her taraflarinda esit kucuk siyah kabarciklar olana dek hafifce kozleyin dek pisirin. Biberlerin kabuklarinin ayrilmasini istemedigimizden dolayi fazla kozlememeye dikkat edin. Kozlediginiz jalapenolari sogumaya birakin. Tercihen saplarini koparin ya da saplariyla birlikte de kullanabilirsiniz. Bir kasede, sirke, zeytinyagi, seker, maydanoz ve tuzu guzelce karistirin. Kozlenmis biberleri ilave edin ve harmanlayip karistirin.
Hazirladiginiz biberleri sster cam kavanoz isterseniz de saklama kaplarinda koruyabilirsiniz. Ben genelde uzun sureli saklayacagim zamanlar agzi guzel kapanan cam kavanozlari tercih ediyorum. Sarimsaklari ve tane biberleri kullanacaginiz kaplar arasinda esit paylastirin. Once kaplarin dibine biraz karabiber ve sarimsak koyun sonra bir miktar kozlenmis jalapeno ilave edin, sonra tekrar sarimsak ve karabiber, jalapeno olamk uzere tabakalar halinde kaplari agzina kadar doldurun. Arada bosluk kalmamasi icin uzerinden biberleri hafifce bastirabilirsiniz. Butun jalapenolari kaplara yerlestirdikten sonra geriye kalan zeytinyagli sirkeli sosu esit olarak bitin kaplara paylastirin. Biberlerin tamamen sos ile kaplanmasina gerek olmadigi icin elinizde ne kadar sos varsa onu kullanin. Kapaklarini sikica kapatin ve buzdolabinda saklayin.
Kozlenmis soslu jalapenolari her turlu yemek cesidi ile birlikte servis yapabilirsiniz.
AFIYET OLSUN

Ana Sayfaya Don

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Panera's Broccoli Cheese Soup (Panera Brokoli Corbasi)

3 Tbsp butter
½ medium onion, chopped
¼ cup flour
2 cups milk
2 cups chicken stock
½ lb fresh broccoli, chopped
1 cup carrot, shredded
¼ tsp nutmeg
1-2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
 ½ cup corn starch
Salt and pepper

Sauté onion in butter over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and add chicken stock and milk. Add broccoli and carrots. Simmer for 20-25 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Dissolve starch in water and add into the soup. Stir frequently until the soup thickens. If desired, can be puréed in a blender. Return to heat and add cheese. Stir in nutmeg.
Serve hot with bread.
ENJOY
 
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TURKCE
3 yemek kasigi tereyagi
½ orta boy sogan, dogranmis
¼ su bardagi un
2 su bardagi sut
2 su bardagi tavuk suyu
250 gram brokoli, dogranmis
1 su bardagi havuc, rendelenmis
½ cay kasigi muskat (kucuk hindistan cevizi)
1-2 su bardagi cedar peyniri, rendelenmis
½ su bardagi misir nisastasi
Tuz ve karabiber

Tereyagini tencerede eritin ve sogani orta ateste pembelesene kadar soteleyin. Unu ilave edin ve 3-5 dakika pisirin. Surekli karistirarak tavuk suyu ve sutu ilave edin. Brokoli ve havuclari ilave edin. Yaklasik 20-25 dakika kisik ateste pisirin. Tuz ve karabiber ilave edin. Bir miktar su icinde nisastayi cozun ve corbaya yavasca ilave edin. Corba koyulasana kadar surekli karistirin. Arzu ederseniz blendir ile pure haline getirin. Ocaga alin ve cedar peynirini ilave edin. Son olarak muskati ilave edin ve ocaktan alin. Yaninda ekmek ile sicak servis edin.
AFIYET OLSUN

Friday, June 15, 2012

Muska Boregi (Triangle Borek)

1 yufka (Turkish pastry)
¼ lb (100 gr) ricotta/feta cheese
1 egg
1tsp butter, at room temperature
1 cup canola oil for frying

Whisk the egg in a small bowl and add butter and cheese. Mix well. Cut the yufka in half and place them on top of each other. Then, starting from the wide part cut 1 ½ inch strips in width. Place one tsp of the cheese filling on the wide side of each strip. Then, fold from side to side to form a triangle. Keep folding until the end of the strip. Then, wet the edge with water and stick to the triangle. Fold all the pieces the same way.  Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry both sides of the triangle boreks.
ENJOY

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TURKCE
1 yufka
100 gram lor peyniri/beyaz peynir
1 yumurta
1 tatli kasigi tereyag, oda sicakliginda
Kizartmak icin 1 su bardagi kanola yagi

Yumurtayi kucuk bir kaseye alin ve cirpin. Tereyagi ve peyniri ilave edin, guzelce karistirin.
Yufkayi  ortadan ikiye kesin ve ust uste koyun. Enine dogru yaklasik 4 parmak genisliginde seritler kesin. Her parcanin genis kismina peynirli icten yaklasik 1 tatli kasigi kadar koyun ve ucgen seklinde saga sola dogru katlayarak muska seklinde katlayin. Son kismini suya batirin ve borege yapistirin. Butun parcalari bu sekilde katlayin.
Kizgin yagda her iki taraflari kizarana kadar kizartin.
AFIYET OLSUN