Onion Salad (Sogan Salatasi)

1 onion, sliced finely in half moon shapes
½ tsp salt
½ tsp sumac
For garnish:
Fresh parsley/dill
Lemon wedges

Rub the finely sliced onions with salt and wash under cold water. Then drain and place to a salad plate. Spread sumac on top and mix. Garnish with parsley/dill and lemon wedges.

Onion Salad is good to go with kebabs, lahmacun and meet dishes.

ENJOY

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TURKCE
1 sogan, yarim ay seklinde ince dogranmis
1 cay kasigi tuz
1 cay kasigi sumak
Sus icin:
Taze maydanoz/dereotu
Limon dilimleri

Ince dogranmis soganlari tuz ile birlikte elinizle ovun ve soguk su altinda yikayin, suyunu suzun ve salata tabagina alin. Uzerine sumak serpin karistirin.
Maydanoz/dereotu ve limon dilimleri ile susleyerek servis yapin.
Sogan Salatasi; kebap, lahmacun ve et yemekleri ile guzel gider.
AFIYET OLSUN

Side Salad for Kebabs (Kebap Salatasi)

1 tomato, chopped
1 cucumber, sliced
1-2 leaves of lettuce, chopped
½ bunch of parsley/dill, chopped
Lemon juice and salt

Arrange all the chopped ingredients in a salad plate. You can add salt and lemon juice on top.
Side Salad for Kebabs is good to go with Kebabs and Lahmacun.
ENJOY
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TURKCE
1 domates, dogranmis
1 salatalik, dogranmis
1-2 yaprak marul/kivircik, dogranmis
½ demet maydanoz/dereotu
Tuz, limon suyu

Butun dogranmis malzemeleri bir salata tabagina yerlestirin. Uzerine limon suyu ve tuz koyarak servis yapabilirsiniz.
Kebap Salatasi; kebap ve lahmacun yaninda servis yapilir.
AFIYET OLSUN

No Knead Bread (Yogurmadan Ekmek)

3 cups flour
1 ½ cup and 2 tbsp water
¼ tsp instant yeast
1 ½ -2 tsp salt

In a large bowl, place the flour, water, instant yeast, salt and combine them with a wooden spoon/spatula (see the picture). Wrap it up with a plastic cover (see the picture). Leave the dough for all night (12-20 hours) in a warm place (65-70 F).
In the morning (see the picture) spread some flour on the counter, wet your hands and place the bread dough on the counter. Wetting your hands prevents the dough to stick to your hands. Grab the dough and fold over all ends towards the middle (see the picture). Gently move the dough onto a floured towel or floured plastic wrap. Let it nap for 2 hours to be puff up and double in size.
Use a 5 qt or larger and at least 4“ tall cast iron, Pyrex, stainless steel, ceramic or enamel pot with a lid. Make sure that it does not have plastic handles or other plastic parts and it could resist to high heat.
Half an hour before the nap ends, place the covered pot into the oven. Turn the heat to 450 F and preheat for 30 minutes. To prevent the dough to stick to the pot, place a parchment paper in the pot first. Place the dough into the pot, cover and then put back into the oven (see the picture). Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on. Then take the lid off and bake additional 15-20 minutes until it turns to golden brown.
Take the pot out and cool. You can hear the crust crackling.
ENJOY

P.S: If you cannot consume the whole no knead bread, you can freeze and store it in the freezer. Then reheat in the oven at 350 F for 10 minutes. It will be as warm and crispy as before.

P.S2: Do not use metal container when kneading or resting the dough. Metal spoils the texture of dough.

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TURKCE
3 su bardagi un
1 ½ su bardagi ve 2 yemek kasigi su
½ cay kasigi instant maya
1 ½ -2 tatli kasigi tuz

Genis bir kapta un, su, maya ve tuzu tahta kasik ile karistirin (resime bakiniz). Uzerini plastik film ile kaplayin ve gece boyunca, ilik ortamda (20 C), 12-20 saat dinlendirin (resime bakiniz).
Sabah olunca (resime bakiniz), tezgah uzerine un serpin ve ellerinizi islatip hamuru tezgaha alin. Ellerinizi islatmaniz hamurun elinize yapismasini engeller. Hamurun kenarlarindan tutup ortaya dogru kivirin (resime bakiniz) ve unladiginiz bir havluya ya da plastik film icine koyun. 2 saat dinlendirin. Ekmek hamuru iki kati kadar kabaracaktir.
4-5 lt lik ya da daha buyuk, en az 8-10 cm derinliginde; dokme demir, paslanmaz celik, borcam, seramik ya da emaye, kapakli bir tencereye ihtiyaciniz var. Plastik kulplari ya da plastik parcalari olmamasina ve yuksek isiya dayanikli olduguna emin olun.
Hamurun dinlenmesinin bitmesine yarim saat kala, kapagini kapattiginiz tencereyi firina koyun ve 230 C (450 F) ye ayarlayip 30 dakika icerde bekletin.Hamuru tencereye koymadan once, yagli kagit koyarak hamurun tencereye yapismasini onleyebilirsiniz. Sonra hamuru tencereye koyup, kapagini kapatin ve firina koyun (resime bakiniz). Kapagi kapali olarak 30 dakika pisirin. Sonra kapagini acin ve uzeri kizarana dek 15-20 dakika daha pirisin.
Son olarak disari cikarin ve sogutun. Sogurken ekmegin kabugundan gelen citirti sesleri duyacaksiniz.
AFIYET OLSUN

NOT: Eger ekmegin hepsini tuketemezseniz, geri kalan ekmegi buzlukta dondurarak muhafaza edebilirsiniz. Tekrar 180 C (350 F) sicakliktaki firinda 10 dakika isitarak, taze ekmek gibi sicak ve citir bir ekmek elde edebilirsiniz.

NOT2: Hamuru yogurmak ya da dinlendirmek icin metal kap kullanmayin. Metal hamurun yapisina zarar verir.

Cigarette Borek (Sigara Boregi)

½ lb (200-250 gr) Phyllo Pastry
1-1 1/2 cup feta cheese
1/3 cup fresh parsley/ dill, finely chopped
½ cup oil for frying

Mix feta cheese and dill/parsley in a small bowl. Place Phyllo Pastry sheets on top of each other and cut them in half. Then again cut the 2 pieces crosswise from the corners and form 4 pieces (see the picture). Place 1 tsp of filling on the wide sides (see the picture) and fold the corners inside (see the picture). Then, roll them up (see the picture) and soak the end to water and close it up. Roll all the sheets up in the same way (you can use 2 pieces of sheets together since the sheets are very thin, but it is up to you).
Sizzle the oil in a large skillet and fry the both sides of Cigarette Boreks over medium heat till their color turn into a light golden brown color. After that, place them on a paper towel to soak the excess oil up.
Place them to a serving plate and serve warm.
ENJOY
P.S: If you are using Turkish-style pastry sheets, cut them in 16 triangular-like pieces and then follow the intructions described above to roll up and fry.
P.S: The Phyllo Pastry dries quickly, so roll them up quickly or cover the ones you aren’t using with a clean cloth.

TURKCE
½ paket (200-250 gr) Phyllo Pastry

1-1½ su bardagi ufalanmis beyaz peynir
1/3 su bardagi taze maydanoz/ dereotu, dogranmis
½ su bardagi siviyag, kizartmak icin

Peynir ve maydanoz/ dereotunu bir kasede karistirin. Yufkalari ust uste tezgahin uzerine yayin ve enine 2 parcaya bolun. Sonra her parcayi kosesinden caprazlamasina kesin ve 4 parca elde edin (resime bakiniz). Sonra genis kisimlarina 1 tatli kasigi ic malzemeden koyun (resime bakiniz) ve ust kenarlarini ice dogru kivirin (resime bakiniz). Sonra rulo seklinde dolayin (resime bakiniz). Uc kismini su ile islatarak yapismasini saglayin. (Yufkalar cok ince oldugu icin 2 yufkayi birden de sarabilirsiniz.)
Yufkalar bitene dek bu islemi uygulayin. Genis bir tavada yagi kizdirin ve sigara boreklerin her iki tarafida kizarana dek orta ateste kizartin. Sigara boreklerini kagit havlu uzerine alip, fazla yagini almasini saglayin.
Servis tabagina alin ve sicak servis yapin.
AFIYET OLSUN

NOT: Eger normal yufka kullaniyorsaniz, yufkayi 16 esit parcaya bolun ve yukarida anlatildigi bicimde sarin ve kizartin.
NOT: Phyllo Pastry cabuk kurudugu icin, sigara boreklerini cabuk sarin ya da kullanmadiginiz yufklari temiz bir bez ile ortun.

Roasted Nuts (Kavrulmus Kuruyemis)

1 lb unshelled nuts (walnut, almond, hazelnut, pecan etc.)
½ tsp salt

Wash the unshelled nuts and drain. Then, sprinkle the salt and mix. Place them on a baking tray with baking paper (see the picture).
Preheat the oven to 350-375 F (180-190 C) and roast the nuts till they change to light brown color (8-10 minutes). Also when they are ready, you can hear them cracking.
Cool the roasted nuts and rub them with your hands to remove their thin skins.
ENJOY
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TURKCE
½ kg kabugu soyulmus kuruyemis (ceviz, badem, findik, v.s)
1 cay kasigi tuz

Kabugu soyulmus kuruyemisleri yikayin ve suyunu suzdeukten sonra tuz serpip harmanlayin. Yagli kagit yaydiginiz firin tepsisinin dibine kuruyemisleri yayin. (resime bakiniz)

Onceden isitilmis 180-190 C (350-375 F) firinda 8-10 dakika kavurun. Renkleri hafif kahverengiye donecek ve citirdamaya baslayacaklardir.
Soguduktan sonra, elinizle ovalayarak ince kabuklarindan ayirabilirsiniz.
AFIYET OLSUN

Spicy Potatoes (Baharatli Patates)

1-2 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
½ tsp dried mint
¼ tsp paprika
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix them all. For the microwave, place them in a microwaveable tray and bake till they become soft and tender (8-10 minutes).
For baking in the oven, preheat oven to 425 F (220 C) and bake for about 20-30 minutes till potatoes become soft and tender.
Serve the Spicy Potatoes warm.
ENJOY

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TURKCE
1-2 orta boy patates, soyulup, dilimlenmis
1 cay kasigi kuru nane
½ cay kasigi kirmizi toz biber
½ cay kasigi tuz
1 yemek kasigi zeytin yagi

Butun malzemeleri bir kasede harmanlayin. Mikrodalgada pisirmek icin, mikrodalgaya uygun, borcam, cam ya da porselen bir tepside patatesler yumusayana dek pisirin (8-10 dakika).
Firin icin, patatesleri firin tepsisine alin ve 220 C (425 F) de yumusayana dek yaklasik 20-30 dakika pisirin.
Baharatli Patatesleri sicak servis yapin.
AFIYET OLSUN

Mousaka with Bechamel Sauce (Besamel Soslu Musakka)

200 gr (~1/2 lb) ground beef, medium
4-5 medium potatoes, chopped in bite sizes
1 big onion, chopped
2 tbsp tomato, diced or crushed
½ tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp salt
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp cumin
¼ tsp black pepper
1 cup hot water
Béchamel Sauce:
3 cups milk
3 tbsp flour, heaping
8 tbsp (100-125 gr) butter /margarine
2 eggs, beaten
½ tsp salt

Place the ground beef in a large skillet and sauté over medium heat till its color changes (no need to add oil). Add onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and spices and mix. Finally, add potatoes and sauté for 5 minutes. Place the mixture into a Pyrex dish and add the hot water. Place the Pyrex dish into 400F (200 C) preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes (see the picture).
Béchamel Sauce:
Place the butter in a pot and melt. Add the flour and sauté over low heat till its color change to yellow. Then, add milk and stir continuously to make Béchamel sauce smooth and even. If flour particles don’t dissolve use a blender. Add the salt and cook for 3 minutes. Turn the heat off, add the eggs and stir.
Take the Pyrex dish off the oven. Pour the Béchamel sauce evenly on top of it. Place the Pyrex dish back to the oven and bake until the surface of Béchamel sauce is brown (about 20-25 minutes).
ENJOY
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TURKCE
200 gr yemeklik kiyma
4-5 orta boy patates, kup seklinde dogranmis
1 buyuk sogan, dogranmis
2 yemek kasigi domates, dogranmis yada pure
1 yemek kasigi salca
1 yemek kasigi tuz
1 cay kasigi kirmizi toz biber
½ cay kasigi kimyon
½ cay kasigi karabiber
1 su bardagi sicak su
Besamel Sosu:
3 su bardagi sut
3 yemek kasigi tepeleme un
100-125 gr margarin/ tereyagi
2 yumurta, cirpilmis
1 cay kasigi tuz

Genis bir tavada kiymayi orta ateste renk degistirene kadar kavurun (yag koymaya gerek yok). Sonra sogani ilave edin ve 2-3 dakika kavurun. Domates, salca, tuz ve baharatlari ilave edin ve karistirin. Son olarak patatesleri ilave edin ve 5 dakika kadar orta ateste kavurun. Hazirladiginiz karisimi borcama yada bir tepisiye aktarin ve 1 su bardagi sicak suyu ilave edin. 200C (400F) ye onceden isitilmis firina borcami koyun ve yaklasik 20-25 dakika pisirin (resime bakiniz).
Besamel Sosu
Bir tencereye margarini koyup eritin. Unu ilave edip kisik ateste sararana kadar kavurun. Sonra sutu ilave edin ve surekli karistirin. Eger un parcalari dagilmazsa blendir ile krema kivamina getirin. Tuzu da ilave edip kaynadikdan sonra kisik ateste 3 dakika pisirin. Pistikten sonra ocagi kapatip cirpilmis yumurtayi ilave edin ve guzelce karistirin.
Tepsiyi firindan cikarin ve hazirladiginiz besamel sosunu uzerine esit olarak yayin ve tekrar firina koyun. Sosun uzeri kizarana kadar pisirin (yaklasik 20-25 dakika).
AFIYET OLSUN