TURKISH CUISINE
It is said that three major kinds of
cuisine exist in the world; Turkish, Chinese, and French. Fully justifying its
reputation, Turkish Cuisine is always a pleasant surprise for the visitor.
In addition to being the refined product
of centuries of experience, Turkish Cuisine has a very pure quality. The variety
and simplicity of the recipes and the quality of the ingredients are guarantees
of delicious meals.
Kebabs are dishes of plain or marinated meat either stewed or grilled. Almost every district of Anatolia has its own kebap speciality. Lamb is the basic meat of Turkish kitchen. Pieces of lamb threaded on a skewer and grilled over charcoal form the famous "Sis kebab", now known in many countries of the world. "Döner kebab" is another famous Turkish dish, being a roll of lamb on a vertical skewer turning parallel to a hot grill. You should also try "Alanazik", "Sac kavurma", "Tandir" and different types of "Köfte" as typical meat dishes.
The aubergine is used in a wide variety of dishes from "karniyarik" and "hünkarbegendi", to "patlican salatasi" (eggplant salad) and "patlican dolmasi" (stuffed eggplants). It can be cooked with onions, garlic and tomatoes and served cold as "imam bayildi".
A delicious Turkish specialty is "pilav", a rice dish which is difficult for the inexperienced cook to prepare. In the Black Sea region of Turkey they make a great dish with rice and small fish called "Hamsili pilav". Another interesting dish from the same region is "Miroloto".
"Börek" are pies of flaky pastry stuffed with meat, cheese or potatoes. The delicious Turkish natural yoghurt, "yogurt", is justifiably renowned. A typical appetizer prepared with yogurt is "Cacik". And, of course, don't forget to try "Manti", with loads of yogurt.
One notable variety are the "zeytinyaglilar" dishes cooked with olive oil. "Dolma" is a name applied to such vegetables as grape leaves, cabbage leaves, and green peppers stuffed with spiced rice (Biber dolma). You should also try "Baklali Enginar" (with artichoke) and "Tekmil Lahana" (with cabbage).
Turkish sweets are famous throughout the world and many of these have milk as the basic ingredient such a such as "sütlac", "tavuk gögsü", "kazandibi", "helva", "asure", but the best-known are "baklava" and "kadayif" pastries, favorites of young and old alike.
Among the national drinks, Turkish coffee, ayran, shira, sahlep and boza should be mentioned. Turkish coffee comes thick and dark in a small cup and may be served without sugar, with a little sugar or with a lot of sugar. Either way, it is truly delicious. If you like alcohol you can try "Raki" made of anice, it is called as "lions drink" because you must be strong as a lion to drink it.
Soups are coming in a wide variety. These may be light, or rich and substantial. They are generally based on meat stock and served at the start of the meal. Lentil soup is the most common and best loved variety, but there are other preferred soups such as yayla, tarhana, asiran and guli soups.
Mezes are hors d'oeuvres figuring mainly at meals accompanied by wine or raki . Eaten sparingly, they arouse the appetite before the meal proper. Examples of meze include gözleme, fried aubergines with yogurt, lakerda (bonito pre-served in brine), pastirma (pressed beef), kisir, humus, fish croquettes, and lambs' brains with plenty of lemon juice. At many restaurants a selection of meze is brought to the table on a tray immediately after the drinks are served for the customers to make their choice.
Some other typical Turkish dishes are:
Pilaf:
Generally made of rice, but also of
bulgur (cracked wheat) and sehriye (vermicelli), pilaf (pilav) is one of the
mainstays of the Turkish table. The rice should not be sticky but separate into
individual grains. The pilaf may include aubergines, chick peas, beans or peas.
Although pilaf is traditionally a course in its own right, in recent years it
has appeared as a garnish with meat and chicken dishes at many restaurants.
Börek:
Thinly rolled pastry, often the paper
thin variety known as yufka, is wrapped around various savory fillings or
arranged in layers . The myriad types of börek are unmatched delicacies when
cooked to perfection. Böreks can be fried, baked, cooked on a griddle or boiled.
Traditionally it was said that no girl should marry until she had mastered the
art of börek making. Preferred fillings are cheese, rninced meat, spinach and
potatoes. In the form of rolls filled with cheese or minced meat mixtures and
fried, böreks are known as "Sigara (cigarette) böregi". Böreks should be light
and crisp, without a trace of excess oil.
Döner Kebap:
Slices of marinated lamb on a tall
vertical spit and grilled as it slowly turns are delicious. The cooked parts of
the cone of meat are cut in very thin slices by a huge sword-like knife, and
arranged on a plate with Ace or flat pide (pitta) bread. This dish is the most
formidable obstacle to the victory of the hamburger in the fast food market.
Döner kebap in rolls with slices of pickle and chips is the most common stand-up
lunch for city office workers.
Köfte:
The diverse köftes of all shapes and
sizes are a culinary world of their own. Finely minced meat mixed with spices,
onions and other ingredients is shaped by hand, and grilled, fried, boiled or
baked. Köftes are named according to the cooking method, ingredients or shape.
Plump oval köfte dipped in egg and fried have the evocative name of "Ladies
Thighs" (kadin budu). Some köftes are cooked in a sauce as in the case of the
delicious "Izmir köfte", the köftes are first grilled and then cooked with green
peppers, potato slices and tomatoes in their own gravy. An interesting dish
called "Hamsi köfte" comes from the Black Sea region
MEAT AND KEBAPS
DONER KEBAP
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Ingredients
1 1/2 kg.'s leg of lamb
50 gr. black pepper
2 kg's lamb fat, ground
1 egg,
50 gr. salt
1 litre onion juice
1 cup of olive oil
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Preparation :
Remove any bits of skin and bone from the meat. Cut into serving-size pieces.
Pound with a meat tenderizer or the edge of a heavy saucepan until 1/8 cm. thick.
Trim. Prepare a marinade of onion juice, olive-olil, salt and pepper, and soak
meat in the marinade. Spread over each piece of meat the lamb fat, and ground
lamb mixed with an egg. Thread pieces of meat on a long skewer, starting with
the larger pieces. Trim the chunk of meat on the skewer and add trimmings to the
end of skewer. The chunk of meat is broiled in the "Doner Kebab" broiler, made
specially for the purpose.
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SHISH KEBAP
Ingredients
1 kg. lamb meat (from thigh or shoulder)
cut into small pieces
4 tomatoes
2 green peppers
Preparation :
Cut tomatoes into large chunks removing the inner soft part. Cut the green
peppers in half, remove the seeds and cut into smaller pieces. Skewer a piece of
meat, tomato, and green pepper succesively. Cook on a barbecue, 3 to 4 minutes
each side.
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SULTAN'S DELIGHT
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Ingredients
1000 gr. mutton
2 tablespoons margarine
2 onions
2 medium tomatoes or
2 tablespoons of unsalted tomato paste
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
salt
2 1/2 glasses of water
Eggplant puree
750 gr. eggplant
2 1/2 tablespoon flour
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/5 glasses of milk
1/4 glass of grated Kashar cheese
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Preparation :
Peel and grate the onions. Pare the tomatoes, scoop out the seeds and dice.
Kebab : Put the margarine and grated onions in a saucepan and saute over
moderate heat. Add the meat and saute with the onions for 3-4 minutes until
golden. Cover and cook until the meat absorbs the water while stirring
occasionaly. Season with 1/2 tablespoon black pepper and salt. Add the tomatoes
or the tomato paste and 2-2 1/2 glasses of hot water, and simmer until the meat
is tender. Check occasionally for water and add water if necessary.
Eggplant Puree : Put the butter and flour in a small saucepan, place over
moderate heat and saute for 2 minutes making sure that the flour doesn't turn
golden. Set aside. Grill the eggplants on strong coal or gas heat, burning the
skins. Peel the skins of eggplants and blanch them in a bowl containing lemon
juice. After blanching for 15 minutes, remove the eggplants from lemon juice and
press them with the hand to drain. Put the eggplants in the flour one by one and
blend them well with a fork. Place the saucepan on heat, add 1 tablespoon of
salt and add 1/5 glasses of hot milk, and blend them well by beating rapidly.
Continue beating until the eggplant mixture becomes a dens paste. Add the grated
kashar stir well and remove from heat.
When both the kebab and the puree are ready, place puree on serving dish, put
the meat decoratively in the middle and serve hot.
Kashar is a sheep sheese similar to Cheddar or Kashkavale available in Jewish
stores.
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EASY LAHMACUN WITH TURKEY
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Ingredients
3 big pita bread
1 egg
1/2 of medium size onion
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 of medium green bell pepper
3 slices of cold turkey
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dry mint flakes
1 tablespoon mixed Italian seasoning
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Preparation :
Cut each pita into little triangles by cutting in half first and then cutting
each half into triangles like you slice a pie. Chop 1/2 onion into cressent moon
pieces. Cut onion only long ways once, then seperate the layers by hand. Chop
1/2 green bell pepper into small pieces. Cut 3 slices of turkey into small
squares. Use a mid size bowl, combine all the ingredients in the bowl and stir
gently until egg is mixed evenly. Put a tablespoon of mixture over each pita
triangle and put each triangle on an ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle with the
red pepper or paprika. Heat oven to 375F. Bake 30 to 45 minutes until golden
brown and pita is crispy. Serve warm or cold.
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KEBAB WITH YOGHURT
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Ingredients
900 gr. mutton meat
3 Pides (Pide is slightly leavened bread.
For this dish you may obtain the pides from a Turkish Restaurant)
5 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 medium tomatoes (very ripe)
Sauce
500 gr. unflavored natural yoghurt
1 large tomato
6 green peppers
1/2 tablespoon red pepper
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Preparation :
Place pides on a grill and heat both sides gently. After cubing the pides,
put them on a preheated plate and top of with 2 1/2 tablespoons of melted butter
or margarine. Mix well and set aside. Marinate the cubed meat in onion juice and
olive oil. Skewer the meat cubes, leaving 1/2 inch between each meat cube, place
skewers 2 inches above moderate coal fire and grill all sides until golden brown
for 4-5 minutes. While the kebaps are being grilled, peel and dice the medium
tomatoes, put in a pan and cook gently for 2 minutes. Spread the cooked tomato
sauce on the pides, beat the yoghurt with a fork and add on top of the tomato
sauce. Place the kebab again evenly and decoratively on each plate, top with red
pepper and melted butter or margarine.
Slice the tomato and grill very gently while grilling the green peppers well. Top with the grilled tomato and green pepper slices and serve hot.
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LADY'S THIGH MEATBALLS
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Ingredients :
500 gr. semi-fat minced meat
2 onions
3 tablespoons flour
3-4 tablespoons margarine
5 egges
1/4 bunch parsley
3/4 glass olive oil
2 tablespoons rice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
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Preparation :
Saute the chopped onions and two thirds of minced meat with 1 tablespoon
margarine. Boil the rice in lots of water till soft, and drain. Remove meat from
heat, add the rest of the minced meat, the rice, chopped parsley, salt, black
pepper, and 3 egges and knead well. Take egg-sized peces of meat and form into
oval shapes. Put half of the flour on a tray, place meatballs on the tray and
sprinkle the resty of the flour over them. Beat 2 eggs in a bowl, coat the
meatballs with beated egges 20 minutes before the meal, and fry them in a pan
containing 3/4 glass of heated olive oil, till golden. Take meatballs of the pan
woth a perforated spoon, draining them well, and place on a serving plate. Serve
with french fries as an accompaniment.
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KEBAB WITH CREAM SAUCE
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Ingredients
1000 gr. mutton
2 large onions
2 tablespoon margarine
2 medium tomatoes and 2 tablespoons of unsalted tomato paste
salt
Cream
1 tablespoon margarine
2 1/2 tablespoons flour
250 gr. milk (1 glass)
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon salt
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Preparation :
Grate the onions and the tomatoes.
Bone and cube the meat and put it into a saucepan with margarine and grated onions. Cover and cook for approximately 1/2 hour, occasionally stirring. Add the grated tomatoes or the tomato paste mixed with 1/5 glass of water and cook till the tomatoes dissolve. Add the alt and 2 glasses of hot water, cover and simmer for almost 2 hours till the meat is cooked.
Cream Sauce : Put the margarine in a deep pan and melt it. Add the flour and saute very gently for 2 minutes while stirring with a ahisk or spoon. Meanwhile, pour the milk gradually into the pan and blend well. Continue stirring till the mixture becoms a pudding-like paste. Put the sauce in the saucepan containing the meat and blend. Bring to the boil, place on a serving dish and serve hot.
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MUTTON RAGOUT
Ingredients
1000 gr. mutton
3 tablespoons margarine
35 gibson onions
3 large tomatoes
3 glasses water
1 teaspoon salt
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Preparation :
Skin the tomatoes, remove seeds and chop. Cut the meat into egg-sized pieces
but do not bone it. Put the meat and the gibson onions into a saucepan, place
over medium heat and allow to cook for 15 minutes, occasionally stirring. Add
the tomatoes and salt and allow to cook for 5 minutes. Then add 3 glasses of hot
water, cover and allow to simmer on low heat for 2 hours ands serve hot.
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CHICK PEAS WITH MEAT
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Ingredients
400 gr. chick peas
250 gr. lamb (cut into small pieces)
3 large onions
4 tablespoons margarine
3 large tomatoes or 2 tablespoons of tomato paste (unsalted)
5 glasses of water or meat broth
2 red peppers
1 teaspoon salt
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Preparation :
Put the margarine and chopped onions into a pan, saute for 5 minutes. Add the
meat and continue to saute until the meat simmers. Add the peeled and chopped
tomatoes or the tomato paste, the red peppers, water or meat broth and salt.
Cook for 45 minutes over low heat. drain the chick peas that were soaked
overnight in water, and put in fast boiling water. Boil for about 30 minutes.
Remove from heat and drain off the water. Add the chick peas to the cooking meat
and cook over heat slightly less han moderate until the chick peas become
tender. Place on a serving dish and serve
SALADS
YOGHURT AND CUCUMBER SALAD
(CACIK)
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Ingredients
1 kg. natural yoghurt (unsweetened and
unflavoured)
4 large cucumbers
1/2 glass water
1/2 bunch fresh mint or 1 tablespoon
dried mint
6 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
6 small ice cubes
1 teaspoon salt
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Preparation
:
Peel and dice the cucumbers. Put the
cucumners in a bowl. Pound the garlic cloves in a mortar with 1 teaspoon of
salt. While whipping the yoghurt with a fork or whisk, pour in 1/2 glass of
water gradually and mix with yoghurt. Add the cucumbers and garlic to the
yoghurt abd mix again. Put the olive oil, vinegar and ice cubes into the bowl.
Decorate the salad with chopped fresh mint leaves or dried mint.
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EGGPLANT SALAD (
PATLICAN SALATASI )
Ingredients
1kg. eggplants ( 4 large eggplants )
1/2 glass of olive oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 lemon
salt
Garnish
2 medium tomatoes
1 onion
6 green peppers
15 olives
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Preparation
:
Grill the eggplants (preferrably fat ones) under a hot
grill until their skins are grilled. Peel the eggplants and place them in a bowl
containing 3/4 galss olive oil. Pour a mixture of salt and the juice of 1/2
lemon into the bowl. Mix well and set aside for a while. Pour vinegar into the
bowl containing eggplants and pound well with a fork. When the eggplants become
pasty place the mixture onto a plate. Garnish the salad with slice tomatoes and
onions and green peppers after scooping out their seeds, and then cut like
fingers. Place olives decoratively on top. And your salad is now ready to serve.
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CABBAGE PICKLES
( LAHANA SALATASI )
Ingredients
1 cabbage
2-3 whole garlic heads
salt
vinegar
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Preparation
:
Wah the cabbage. Make a hole in the middle of cabbage
with a pointed knife. Put some salt in the hole and boil cabbage in a little
water until it becomes tender. Remove from water and separate the leaves. Slice
the leaves and put them into jars. Add the garlic to the jars between the
cabbage leaves. Pour vinegar into the jars so as to cover the cabbage. Add 10
grams of salt for 1 liter of vinegar. in 10-15 days your pickels will be ready
to serve.
OLIVE OIL DISHES
STUFFED GREEN PEPPERS IN OLIVE OIL (ZEYTINYAGLI BIBER DOLMASI )
Ingredients
800 gr. green peppers (suitable for stuffing)
1/4 glass olive oil
1 glass of water
For the filling
1 glass rice
7 meduim onions
2 small tomatoes
3/4 glass olive oil
2 tablespoons currants
1 tablespoon pine nuts
1/2 bunch mint
1 bunch dill
1 teaspoon spices, sugar, salt
1/2 glass water
1 teaspoon black pepper
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Preparation :
Allow the rice to stand in hot water until the water cools. Then drain the
rice and wah it several times. Put 3/4 glass olive oil, chopped onions and 1
teaspoon salt in a pan and saute until the color of the onions changes. Add the
rice and saute for 10 more minutes. Add water, chopped tomatoes, currants, pine
nuts, black pepper, spices, sugar, mint and dill, cook for 15 minutes and remove
from heat. Cut off the tops of the peppers ro from a lids and remove all seeds.
Stuff the peppers ( but not too much ), replace the lids and line in a pan, the
lids facing up. Add water olive oil and salt and cook for about 50 minutes.
Remove from heat, and after they have cooled down, put on a serving plate and
serve.
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STUFFED VINE LEAVES IN OLIVE OIL
(ZEYTINYAGLI YAPRAK
DOLMASI)
Ingredients
1/2 kg. vine leaves picked in brine
1/2 kg. rice
7 medium onions
1 1/2 glasses olive oil
4 glasses water
2 tablespoons currants
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 bunch dill
1 bunch parsley
salt, black pepper and spices
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Preparation :
Place the vine leaves in boiling water in order to
remove their salt. Put 1/2 glass olive oil and chopped onions into a pan and
saute over moderate heat while stirring with a wooden spoon, add the washed rice
and continue to stir. Add water, spice, salt, chopped parsley and dill, black
pepper, currants and pine nuts. Pour in 1/2 glass olive oil and cook gently
while still stirring. Put aside to cool. Cut off the stalks of the leaves and
place stalks on the buttom of the pan where the cooking will be done, over these
put one layer of vine leaves. Place 1/2 tablespoon of the filling on each leaf,
roll and line up in the pan. After all the leaves are stuffed, cover the entire
surface with a layer of leaves and pour the water, the remaining olive oil and
lemon juice over and cook on moderate heat. When the leaves become tender remove
from heat, and put on a serving plate after they have cooled down. Decorate the
plate with lemon slices, serve along woth the remaining lemon juice if desired.
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STUFFED ARTICHOKES IN OLIVE OIL
(ZEYTINYAGLI ENGINAR)
Ingredients
8 medium artichokes
1 tablespoon flour
1 lemon (juice)
4 glasses of water
1 teaspoon salt
1 large tomato
For the filling
1 glass olive oil
6 medium onions
1 tablespoon pistachio nuts (suitable for stuffing)
1/2 glass rice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 glasses of water
1/2 bunch parsley
1/2 bunch dill
1/2 bunch mint
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Preparation :
Cut off the stalk and the leaves of of the artichokes. Slice the tomatoes in
circles. Put flour, lemon juice and salt into a pan and bring to the boil, place
the artichokes im boiling water and blach for 5 minutes. Remove from water and
line up on a tray. Pout the boiling water into a bowl and put aside.
For the filling :
Let the rice stand in a warm water for half an hour. Wash well and drain.
Slice the onions thinly. Chop the parsley, dill and mint. Heat the olive oil in
a frying pan, put the onions and pistachio nuts in, stir frequently until the
onions are sauteed and pistachio nuts turn golden. Add the rice, salt, allspice
and black pepper and saute for 5 minutes while stirring. Add water and cook
until the rice absorbs the water. Remove the pan from heat, add parsley, dill
and mint, mix them all together.
Stuff the artichokes with the prepared filling, pour the artichoke water over.
Place tomato slices in between the artichokes. Put the tray on the oven and cook
for 20 minutes at high temperature. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
After cooling, place in the refrigerator and leave to stad there for a few hours.
After this, the dish will be ready to serve.
SOUPS
TARHANA
Ingredients
100 gr. yeast
300 gr. onions
1000 gr very ripe tomatoes
250 gr. big red peppers
(may be hot or sweet according to taste)
250 gr. natural yoghurt
(unsweetened and unflavored)
2000 gr flour
1 glass of water
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Preparation :
Mix yeast with water and make it into a paste. Peel and
strain tomatoes. Chop the peppers thinly. Grate the onions. Mix the yeast,
yoghurt, tomatoes, peppers and onions in a bowl until they turn into a thick
liquid. Start kneading the mixture by adding flour gradually. Knead the dough
until it becomes very thick.
Flour a tray, put the thick dough on the tray and cover
it with a piece of cloth. If the dough is in a warm place it will puff up in 1
hour, if it is in a cool place it will puff up in 5-6 hours. When the dough has
puffed up, remove it from the tray and knead well. Then put it on the tray as
before and cover it. Go on with the same procedure until the dough no longer
puffs up. Now that your tarhana is ready, you can take a piece of the dough and
see that it breaks without skretching. Form the dough into small pieces, place
pieces on a cloth and let them dry. Check the pieces as often as possible for
drying. Crumble the dried pieces. (It is necessary to check the dough often,
because if the dough dries too much, crumbling gets more difficult.)
When crumbling is over, put the crumbles in a fine
sieve and sieve then, put tarhana in dry jars and cover with lids. Your tarhana
is now ready for cooking.
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RICE SOUP WITH TOMATOES
Ingredients
6 glasses of meat broth
1/3 glass of rice
1/2 kg. tomates
parsley
salt to taste
1 tablespoon margarine
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Preparation :
Wash the rice and put it into a saucepan with the
margarine, salt and the meat broth. Place the saucepan on heat. Put one of the
tomatoes aside and grate the rest. Add the grated tomatoes to the saucepan. Peel
the remaining tomato and cube. Put the tomato in a saucepan and let the soup
cook for 15 more minutes until the rice softens. Remove saucepan from heat and
serve the soup after topping it with chopped parsley.
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RED LENTIL SOUP
Ingredients
1 glass red lentils
4 glasses of broth
1 glass water
1 tablespoon flour
1 onion
carrot
1 tablespoon margarine
4 slices of white bread
3 tablespoons margarine
2 egg yolks
1 glass of milk
salt to taste
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Preparation :
Chop the onion, put into a saucepan with 1 tablespoon of margarine and saute.
When onion is semi-sauteed add the flour and mix well. Wash the lentils, chop
the carrot and put them in the saucepan. Pour the broth and water into the
saucepan, add salt as desired and cook the soup for 30 minutes until the lentils
are pasty. Strain the soup and pour it back into the same saucepan. Bring to the
boil. Meanwhile blend egg yolks with milk well in a bowl and mix this into the
soup. Remove saucepan from heat after 2 minutes. The soup is now ready to be
served.
Cut 4 slices of white bread into cubes. Fry bread in a pan with 2 tablespoons
of margarine. Drain off the margarine and put the bread cubes (croutons) on the
soup.
POULTRY
ROASTED TURKEY
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Ingredients
1 young turkey
1 glass of water
5 tablespoons of margarine
1 big carrot
2 medium onions
3 cloves of garlic
salt
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Preparation :
Choose a good quality, quick roasting bird. Peel the
onions and carrot, and cut them into 4 pieces each.
Put the Turkey in a pan with the onios, carrot, margarine, peeled garlic and water. Cover and put on heat. When the water starts boiling, remove the pan from heat and put in a hot oven. Some time later, turn the turkey over and cook until it becomes tender. When the turkey is tender remove the cover. Baste the turkey occasionaly.
When cooked, take the turkey out of the oven, put in on a serving dish and separate the different sections (breasts, legs, wings etc.) Puree the sauce remaining in the saucepan and serve the roasted turkey either topped with the sauce, or serve the sauce separately.
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TURKEY WITH RICE GARNISH
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Ingredients
1 turkey (2000 gr)
8 glasses of water
1/2 tablespoon of salt
Sauce
3 tablespoons of margarine
2 medium sized onions
3 tablespoons of unsalted tomato paste
2 glasses of turkey stock
Garnish
1 1/2 glasses of rice
2 tablespoons of margarine
3 glasses of turkey stock
1 tablespoon of pine nuts
2 tablespoons of raisins
1/2 tablespoon of sugar
salt
black pepper
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Preparation :
Chop the onions. Put the turkey into a saucepan containing the water and
salt. Noil and remove the bubbles on the boiling water with a skimmer. Cover and
boil on moderate heat until the turkey is cooked. Remove saucepan from heat, and
place the turkey into a roasting pan and put aside.
Sauce: Brown the choppen onions in a pan with the margarine. Add the stock,
the tomato paste, and salt and boil for 5 minutes. Pour the sauce into a
strainer and strain., pour the sauce over the turkey and put the pan into a
medium oven. Roast the turkey well by turning it ovber and spreading the sauce
evenly. Cut the roasted turkey into sections of legs, wings and breast, and put
aside for cooling.
Garnish: Brown the rice and pine nuts with the margarine in a saucepan on a
high temperature for 10 minutes. Stir constantly while browning. Add some black
pepper, the stock, the raisins, the sugar and the salt to the rice. Cover and
cook a on a high heat at first, lowering the temperatire afterwards, then cook
until the rice absorbs the stock throughly. After cooking, let the rice simmer
for 15 minutes. Put the rice in a serving dish, place the turkey on top and
serve.
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CHICKEN IN YUFKA
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Ingredients
1 chicken
4 onions
1 tomato
8 tablespoons of butter
2 glasses of hot water
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
300 gr. yufka (12 sheets) *( yufka is made of unleavened bread dough
in thin sheets )
Preparation :
Cut the chicken into sections of breast, legs and back, and remove the ribs
from flesh. Put the pieces into a saucepan, add 2 1/2 tablespoons of butter and
cook the flesh for 10 minutes, stirring occasionaly. Slice the onios and add
them to the chicken. When the onion is browned add the peeled and chopped tomato,
salt, black pepper, and 2 glasses of hot water, and cook for 1 hour. Remove the
cooked chicken from the saucepan and separate the cooked flesh from the bones.
Cut the chicken into small pieces, and put it back into the sauce in the
saucepan. Melt the rest of the butter in a small pan. Arrange the yufkas in
pairs. Take one of the pairs, brush one yufka with the melted butter an put the
second one on top. Brush the second yufka with melted butter and fold the pair
into a rectangular shape with the ungreased parts at the top. Do the same with
all the pairs.
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GOOSE STEW WITH TOMATOES
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Ingredients
1 goose (2 kg.)
10 ripe tomatoes
1 large onion.
30 gibsons (small onios)
20 small fresh potatoes
4 tablespoons of buter
3 tablespoons of flour
salt to taste
black pepper
1 glass stock
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Preparation :
Cut the goose into sections. Put into a saucepan with
enough water to cover and boil. Strain and set the goose aside. Chop the onion
and tomatoes. Pell the gibsons. Peel the potatoes and fry in 2 tablespoons of
butter. Put the goose and onions in the saucepan. Add 2 tablespoons of butter
and saute, constantly stirring untill the onions turn golden. Sift some flour
into the saucepan and fry the goose over a moderate heat. Put the tomatoes and a
glass of stock into a saucepan and boil, then simmer lightly. Add the tomatoes
and stock to the goose with the gibsons. Season to taste. Stew and check
occasionaly with a fork. Add the potatoes 2-3 minutes berfore cooking is over.
Serve.
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GRILLED QUAIL
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Ingredients
10 quail
salt to taste
pepper to taste
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Preparation :
Open the quail by cutting along the backbone. Remove the spine and ribs.
Flatten the meat and season. Prepare a moderately hot barbecue coal fire and
place gril 4-6 inches above the barbecue. Put the birds on the grill and grill
both sides. Grilled quail is served with potatoes anjd/or carrots for garnish.