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Tag: Turkish food

Turkish Style Cucumber And Parsley Salad

  • 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 3 to 4 Persian cucumbers, chopped
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses or lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Transfer the parsley, cucumbers and green onions to a medium bowl. Add the salt, pomegranate molasses and olive oil. Mix well and serve!

Turkish Style Bulgur Pilaf

Healthy and delicious!!

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon Turkish tomato paste (or use regular tomato paste)
  • 1 cup bulgur wheat (I used quick cooking bulgur from Trader Joes)
  • 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 2 teaspoons salt

Heat a medium saucepan with the olive oil. Add the tomato paste and cook on medium heat for a minute or two. I bought some Turkish tomato paste from Istanbul. I got the spicy kind, which has chilies in it- but regular tomato paste can be substituted. Add the bulgur and stir. Add the broth and salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and let cook for 10 minutes. Turn heat off, fluff with fork and let sit for another 5 minutes. Check for seasonings and serve.

Turkish Style Kebabs with Yogurt Sauce

One of our best vacations was in Istanbul- the food was out of this world.. These kebabs remind me of the amazing trip…

  • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • ½ cup milk

Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk for about 10 minutes and keep aside.

  • 1 pound ground pork, beef or dark meat turkey
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 teaspoon sumac
  • 1 teaspoon dried mint
  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Transfer the soaked breadcrumbs, ground meat, salt, cumin, all spice, sumac, dried mint, garlic, egg and parsley to a large food processor. Process till a smooth mixture is achieved. Take out and let the mixture marinate for at least 2 to 3 hours. Form into meatballs or kebabs, about ¼ cup of mixture for each kebab. Heat a frying pan with the oil and cook the kebabs on a medium heat, turning every 2 to 3 minutes until all sides are brown. Cook till the kebabs are cooked through- about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with yogurt sauce.

Yogurt Sauce

  • 1 cup full fat yogurt, whisked
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried mint
  • ¼ cup fresh dill, chopped
  • Juice of half a lemon

Mix all the ingredients including the yogurt in a bowl. Serve with the kebabs.

 

Turkish Style Lentil Soup

Yummy lentil soup for meatless Monday!!

  • 1 tablespoon butter or extra light olive oil
  • ½ medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried mint
  • ½ cup red lentils, washed
  • 1 small potato, peeled and cut in half inch squares
  • 2 to 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • Fresh lemon juice

Heat a medium saucepan with the oil. Add the onion, ground cumin and mint. Saute on medium heat, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Add the lentils, potatoes and broth. Bring to a boil and add the salt and turmeric and simmer on medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes adding more broth if necessary. Once the potato chunks are soft, take off the heat and let cool. Transfer to blender and blend till smooth. Pour the liquid back to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Adjust the consistency by either adding more broth or cooking off extra broth. Check for seasonings. Squirt some fresh lemon juice right before serving.