sardines in vine leaves

It’s time to fire up the barbecue for this mouthwatering and very simple recipe. It’s best to use fresh vine leaves. Difficult to get hold of, yes – but well worth the effort. Try your local Turkish or Mediterranean food store. However, preserved vine leaves will do if you really can’t find fresh.

Ingredients

8 fresh sardines, washed and gutted

8 vine leaves

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp lemon juice

Salt and pepper

Extra oil for brushing

Method

Mix the first lot of olive oil with the lemon juice and seasonings.

Make sure the sardines are dry and brush them with the mixture.

Wrap each sardine in a leaf.

Brush each leave with olive oil and put them seam side down so they don’t come undone.

Cook on the barbecue or pan fry for about 4 minutes each side or until the vine leaves are charred.

Serve with grilled vegetables and wedges of lemon.

Stuffed Pide Turkish Pizza

This sinfully tasty Turkish snack is made by cramming hot bread with a spicy mince mix.  Pide can be made several different ways, depending on where you’re from in Turkey. This is the most commonly found version – and one of the most popular.

Dough

1 Tbsp dry yeast

1 cup warm water (or milk, if you want a softer bread)

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

3 Tbsp vege oil

3 cups all-purpose flour

Filling

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 medium onions, finely chopped

4-5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

300g minced beef or lamb

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup chopped tomato

¼ cup curly leaf parsley, chopped

2 Tbsp fresh mint, chopped

Lemon juice (if desired)

Method

Mix together dough ingredients and knead until smooth.

Oil the dough with drops of oil, then cover and leave to rest for 30 minutes.

Knead for two minutes and then cover and let dough rise to around double its size (around an hour).

While you’re waiting, prepare the filling by heating the oil in a large pan. When it is hot, add the onions and the garlic. When these are soft and translucent add the meat and dried seasonings. Cook for five minutes.

Add tomato and cook until water is absorbed, then remove from heat and when cooled add fresh herbs.

Turn the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and cut into four pieces (if you want medium-sized pide) or eight pieces (for smaller).

Roll each piece into balls, and then flatten into ovals of around 30cm for medium pide or 15cm for small pide. Try and keep the edges nice and thick.

Put your dough shapes onto a baking sheet on a baking tray.

Spoon the filling into each dough shape, then pinch the points of the pide together, making a boat-like shape.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and sprinkle with lemon juice. Top with extra fresh mint.

This tasty, smoky dip is loved by almost everyone. Dunk pita bread in it or eat it with a spoon!

Ingredients

1 large eggplant

2-3 cloves unpeeled garlic
4 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp plain yogurt
3-4 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cumin
Salt

Turn on the grill. While it is heating up, poke holes into the eggplant with a fork – this will make it roast more evenly. Put the eggplant and the unpeeled garlic onto an oven tray and place in the oven. Roast for around 20 minutes, turning occasionally. Take out of the oven to cool.
Peel  the skin from the eggplant and the garlic. Cut into small pieces with a sharp knife. Put in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients.

Kuskonmaz Kavurmasi

This is a lovely, fresh and seasonal dish you can make in about ten minutes.

Sticky sweet baklava is a Turkish dessert favourite

No Turkish recipe file is complete without this sweet, crunchy, gooey dessert.  The most difficult part of this recipe is waiting the five hours for the syrup to infuse the dish.

Ingredients

Filling:

2 cups finely chopped almonds

1 cup finely chopped walnuts

¼ cup caster sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground cloves

375 gram packet of filo pastry (or make your own)

Syrup:

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

1 cinnamon stick

1 tbsp lemon juice

Method

Place all the ‘filling’ ingredients, except for the pastry, into a mixing bowl. Combine until blended.

Place all the ‘syrup’ ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Turn down to a simmer for ten minutes then remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Grease a 12 x 10 inch baking dish with butter. Brush 10 sheets of filo with melted butter, layering them one by one on top of each other in the baking dish.

Spoon the filling evenly on top of the pastry, then cover with another 10-12 buttered filo sheets.

Trim any excess pastry that is hanging over the side of your dish and brush the top of the pastry with butter.

With a sharp knife, lightly score diamond shapes on the top of the pastry.

Bake at 160°C for an hour or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and pour the syrup slowly and evenly over the top.

Leave for 5-6 hours to let the syrup absorb.

Have you enjoyed our baklava recipe? Let us know in our Turkey Expat Forum! You can also recommend to us a recipe you would like to see featured on our website. Please contact us with your suggestions!

This cheesy dish is cooked in an earthenware pot.

A ‘güveç’ is an earthenware pot in which meat or vegetables are cooked slowly. These come in a number of sizes. This recipe calls for smaller güveçs.

Ingredients

1 kilo of raw, peeled shrimp

1 finely chopped onion

5 cloves of finely chopped garlic

3 tablespoons of olive oil

2 green peppers, chopped

2 red peppers, chopped

10 white mushrooms, sliced

4 tomatoes, diced

1-2 cups grated mozzarella

Salt and pepper to taste

Cooking directions

Fry onion and garlic in the oil until soft.

Add peppers and stir for two minutes before adding the mushrooms.

Add the tomato. If the mixture is looking a little dry, add some water.

Cover and cook for around seven minutes until the tomato is cooked.

Stir in shrimps and cook for no more than five minutes.

Divide the mixture into individual oven safe pots, or into one large pot if you prefer.

Bake at 180°C for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, add the mozzarella to the top and bake for another 5-10 minutes, until the mozzarella is golden brown.

Serve with white rice.

Have you enjoyed our Karides Güveç recipe? Let us know in our Turkey Expat Forum! You can also recommend to us a recipe you would like to see featured on our website. Please contact us with your suggestions!

Lamb Shank Kuzu Incik

Ingredients:

1 lamb shank – a big one can be enough for two people

4-5 cloves of sliced garlic

2 sliced shallots

2 portabella mushrooms sliced

2 potatoes cut into cubes

3 small carrots

1/2 cup red wine

3 tbsp olive oil

1 ¼ tsp salt

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp dried thyme

¼ tsp ground black pepper

1 cup water

Cooking Directions:

1. Heat olive oil on a medium heat in a large pot. Place the lamb shank in the pot and brown on all sides.

2. Add sliced garlic and shallots to the pot and stir for 3 minutes or until the shallots are transparent. Add in the portabella mushrooms and stir well.

3. Add the red wine and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add to the pot the potatoes, carrots and the rest of the ingredients including the water. Mix well and cook on medium heat for 20/30 minutes.

4. Place the covered braising pan into the oven. (Oven Gas mark 4) Cook about one and half hour.

5. Take the lid off the pan, and stick the lamb shanks in the oven, uncovered, for 20 minutes to cook. This will help to cook off some of the water, making the sauce more concentrated and delicious.

6. Serve hot with rice, salad or potatoes.

Have you enjoyed our Lamb shank Kuzu Incik recipe? Let us know in our Turkey Expat Forum! You can also recommend to us a recipe you would like to see featured on our website. Please contact us with your suggestions!

Firinda Makarna Turkish Food Recipe

A delightful Turkish pasta dish, Firinda Makarna can be served as part of a main course dinner – a delicious pasta meal.

Ingredients:

For the Sauce:

3 cups grated cheese

2 ¼ cups milk

3 cloves of garlic chopped finely

3 tbsp flour

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp dried parsley

½ tsp red pepper flakes

¼ tsp ground black pepper

½ tbsp salt

For the Pasta:

1 package pasta

1 tsp oil

1 tsp salt

Cooking directions:

1. Boil water in a large pot. Add in the pasta to the boiling water. Allow for about 12-13 minutes for the pasta to cook. Add in a little bit of oil and a pinch of salt so that the pasta does not stick together while it is cooking.

2. Heat olive oil on a medium heat in a deep pan. Add garlic and sauté to the pan for about 2 minutes. Add in to the pan: the milk, parsley, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes prior to adding flour. Stir the ingredients for a minute and add flour. Stir constantly and thoroughly so that the flour does not end in lumps. Keep stirring until the sauce thickens slightly. Tip: If you get lumps, you could use hand mixer to soften

3. Preheat the oven to 350º F. Drain the pasta and pour the white sauce over the pasta and mix. Tip: You could put one cup of grated cheese inside the source as well and mix with together for that extra cheesy flavour!

4. Sprinkle the cheese evenly on top of the pasta and bake for 25/30 minutes or until the top of the pasta starts to take a brownish colour.

5. Take the pasta out of the oven and serve warm… Enjoy!

Have you enjoyed our Firinda Makarna recipe? Let us know in our Turkey Expat Forum! You can also recommend to us a recipe you would like to see featured on our website. Please contact us with your suggestions!

Mercimek Corbasi Lentil Soup

A classic Turkish soup dish – Mercimek Corbasi Lentil Soup is favoured amongst Turkish people. The soup provides a good starter dish or a simple lunch.

The following recipe serves 4 people.

Ingredients:

1 cup of red lentils

1 large sized onion

1 large carrot

6 cups of water

1 tablespoon of salt

1 tablespoon of pepper

1 tablespoon of tomato paste

Small amount of paprika

Cooking directions:

1. Chop the carrots and onion into small fine pieces.

2. Place into a pot on medium heat along with the 6 cups of water and tomato paste. Add in the lentils and salt and pepper for seasoning.

3. Use a food blender to mix everything in. A hand blender is best – the key to the soup is that it must be really smooth.

4. Serve the soup piping hot and add some sprinkles of paprika for the final finish and enjoy!

Have you enjoyed our Mercimek Corbasi Lentil Soup recipe? Let us know in our Turkey Expat Forum! You can also recommend to us a recipe you would like to see featured on our website. Please contact us with your suggestions!

Cacik Recipe Turkish Food

Cacik is a delicious dish in Turkey. Cacik can be served as an appetizer or as a treat during the summer.

The following recipe serves 4-6 people.

Ingredients:

3 large cucumbers

750 grams of full fat natural yoghurt

2 cloves of crushed garlic

1 cup of water

Dill – several sprigs finely chopped or some fresh chopped mint

Teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon of salt to taste

Black pepper

Cooking Directions:

1. Get a mixing bowl and mix in the yoghurt, water, garlic, and salt

2. Chop the cucumbers finely and add to the mixture – making sure it is all well mixed in and leave the mix to chill

3. Pour the mixture into small serving bowls – sprinkle with olive oil and dill/mint

4. Enjoy! It really is that simple!

Have you enjoyed our Cacik recipe? Let us know in our Turkey Expat Forum! You can also recommend to us a recipe you would like to see featured on our website. Please contact us with your suggestions!