Traditions Across Europe Italy-Spain-Turkey Traditional Turkish Recipes

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TRADITIONS ACROSS EUROPE ITALY-SPAIN-TURKEY TRADITIONAL TURKISH RECIPES

1- MANTI
Ingredients

For the dough: 2 cups all-purpose flour, tsp salt, 1 egg, lightly beaten For the filling: 1 small onion, grated, 1 pound ground beef or veal, 1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley, salt, freshly ground pepper Yogurt and garlic sauce: 2 cups yogurt, at room temperature, 2-3 tsp minced garlic, salt, optional Pepper topping: 2 Tbs butter, 1 tsp Aleppo pepper, pinch of sumac, optional

Directions

Prepare the dough by making a well in the flour, and adding the salt, egg, and cup water in the centre. Using your fingers, work the ingredients together until dough is formed. If needed, add more water a spoonful at a time. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic. Gather into a ball, place in a bowl, cover, and let rest for an hour. Prepare the filling by mixing together in a bowl the grated onion, meat, parsley, salt, and pepper to taste. Set aside. In a small bowl combine the yogurt and garlic, with salt to taste, if desired. Let sit at room temperature until ready to use. Divide the dough into 2 balls. Roll out one ball of dough at a time on a lightly floured surface until very thin (about 1/16 inch). The secret of good dough is to roll it in different directions, not just in one direction. Cut strips 1 inch wide, then cut into 1-inch squares. Place about a teaspoon of filling in the center of each square. Bring the four corners together over the filling and pinch to seal. Continue making manti until all the dough and filling are used. Place the manti on a lightly floured surface to lightly coat them. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and in half the manti. As soon as they are cooked they will rise to the surface. Remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon and place in a serving bowl or individual bowls with a tiny bit of the cooking liquid. Cover to keep warm while cooking the remaining manti. Pour most of the yogurt sauce over the manti saving the rest to pass in a serving dish. Quickly heat the butter in a small skillet and when the butter is sizzling hot, quickly add the pepper, mixing well. Remove from the heat and drizzle over the yogurt sauce. Sprinkle with sumac if desired. Serve manti at once with yogurt sauce. Manti can be frozen.

2-

Red Lentil Soup

(Kirmizi Mercimek Corbasi)

1 cup red lentils, washed and drained 1 onion, chopped 1 small carrot, chopped 1 tbsp crushed tomato, in can 1 tsp red pepper paste 1 1/2 cubes beef bouillon 3 cups water

Garnish: 1 tbsp butter Red pepper Cayenne pepper


Place all the main ingredients in a medium-sized pot. Cook for about 20 minutes on medium-low heat. Then mix thoroughly using a blender. If necessary (too thick), add more hot water. Pour into soup bowls using a ladle. Melt the butter in a small pan and add in the peppers. When it starts bubbling, pour over the soup. Serve Red Lentil Soup while still hot with fresh bread. Add a few drops of lemon juice to taste.

3-

Grape Leaf Rolls with Olive Oil

(Zeytinyagli Yaprak Sarmasi)

~400 gr grape leaves, washed one by one

Filling:
1 cup rice, washed and drained 4 medium onions, chopped 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 5 tbsp sugar 2 tbsp pine nuts 1 tbsp current 1 tbsp dry mint 1 cup hot water Salt Sautee the onion with olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add the rice and salt, stir and cover the lid. Cook over very low heat until the rice looks almost seethrough. Add the sugar, nuts, current, mint and 1 cup hot water. Cook until all the water evaporates, stirring occasionally over low heat. Put aside and let it cool down.

Fill a large pot half way with water and boil. Add all the leaves in it and boil for about 2-3 minutes. Drain and cut off the stems . The matte (not shiny) side of the leaf is the inside, that's where the filling will go. Grab a leaf and fold the top. Use a teaspoon to put filling on it. First fold over the top, then the two sides and roll to close it up . Line up all the rolls in the pot side by side tightly, without any holes in between. Pour in 1 1/2 cup of water from the side of pot. Cook over low heat until most of the water evaporates. Leave a little bit of water at the bottom, it will go away as it's cooling down. After it cools down, place on a service plate and serve with lemon slices on top. Keep in the fridge.

4-

Lahmajun - Turkish Pizza(Lahmacun)

Ingredients

2 Glass of flour 2 Little spoon of salt 3 gr dry leaven 1/2 middle spoon of sugar 1/4 glass of warm water 150 gr yoghurt 450 gr tomatoes 1 medium size onion 250 gr mince a pinch of parsley

5 clove of garlic 5 green pepper (can be hot.) Blackpepper

1. First the parsleys, onion and green peppers should be mixed greatly. 2. Beat those garlics. 3. Mix the leaven and sugar including warm water. 4. Cut the lemon into 8 peaces. 5. Cut into cubes the tomatoes you've been pared. 6. Seperate 2 normal spoon of the flour. Then mix it with 2 little spoon salt. 7. Make a kinda pool with your flour add our leaven-sugar mix in it. You'll have an easy dough. 8. Play wit hit gently and leave it to get relax for 30Min. Dont forget to cover with a compressor. 9. Lets prepare the mince by now, mix all the tomatoes, onion, mince, parsley, green pepper, garlic, salt and blackpepper inside a container. Mix it around 5min. 10. Use your dough right there, seperate it into peaces. Peaces can be like an egg in size. 11. Make a slim round with one of that peaces. 12. Cover your slim dough with mince but dont forget to leave 1cm's around the lines. 13. Place them inside the oven you've prepared in 220C before. 14. Wait around 15mins. That's it!

5-

Iskender Kebab

(Iskender Kebap)

2 pieces of beef tenderloin, each 200 gr 200 gr regular ground beef 4 pieces of Asian Nan Pita bread or plain pita bread (pide) Salt Pepper

Garnish:

Yogurt 1 cup tomato paste, heated up with a few tbs of water (or use canned crushed tomatoes) 2 tbsp butter Add the salt and pepper to the ground beef. Knead and give it a round shape, then place in the middle of the two pieces of tenderloin. Cover in plastic wrap and leave in the freezer overnight. The next day remove from the fridge 45 minutes before cutting. Use a knife, electric knife or meat cutter to shred it . Then fry in a large pan (be careful not to over-fry). Cut the pitas in bite size diagonal shapes and place on the plates . Spread the beef over the pita bread pieces. Pour the tomato sauce on top and place a few spoons of yogurt on the side. Lastly, melt the butter in a small pan. When it starts bubbling, pour over the tomato sauce . Serve Iskender Kebab while still hot. This recipe makes 4 servings.

6-

L KFTE

Filling:
300 gr lean ground beef 1 onion, finely chopped 1/2 cup walnuts, crumbled 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp all spice Salt Pepper

Kofte shell: 400 gr beef steak (no fat, no veins), cut in medium sized chunks 1 1/2 red pepper, chopped 1 cup bulgur, fine grain 1/2 small onion, finely chopped 3 tbsp red pepper paste Salt
For the filling: Saute the ground beef with the onion until the meat is light brown and crumbly. Then drain and add the rest of the ingredients, stir. Put aside. For the Kofte shell: Put the beef and red pepper in the food processor and turn it into paste. After that check the paste with your fingers, if there are any

stringy veins, remove them. Place the bulgur in a large bowl and add a little bit of water to get it wet, but not sloppy. Add the red pepper paste, onion and salt, knead them all. Slowly add the beef paste little by little and knead well. During the kneading, wet your hands once in a while and continue kneading. Do this for 10 minutes and make sure everything's mixed well. Take a walnut sized piece from it, make a ball and place it on your palm. Use your other hand's index finger to make a hole at the centre. Make the outside as thin as possible. Put 2 tsp of filling in it* . Then wet your hand and slowly close the top. And rotate it in your palm to make the surface smooth. Place the Kofte on a plate and make sure they don't touch each other. If you don't want to fry all of them, put them in the freezer, and after freezing, put them in ziploc bags. When you do want to fry the frozen Kofte, let them sit for 5 minutes at room temperature before frying. Heat the sunflower oil in the frying pan, then fry all sides equally. Serve with crushed red pepper, dry mint, lemon wedges or sumac. Makes about 22 Koftes. * Take care to stuff the Kofte as quickly as possible. It would be good if you can get help - maybe someone can stuff them and the other person can close them up. Otherwise the Kofte might crumble since the bulgur expands over time after getting wet.

7-

Cig Borek

1 pkg egg roll wraps (large size 5 1/2 inch)

Filling: 200 gr medium ground beef 1 small onion, grated 4 tbsp water Salt Pepper For frying: 1/2 cup sunflower oil
Mix the ground beef, salt, pepper, onion and water with a spoon. Take some filling and spread it over one half of the wrap diagonally . Have a cup of water nearby, and use a finger to dampen the sides around the filling so the dough will stick . Fold the other half over and close them up tightly . Cut off (2-3 mm thin) and throw away the sides of the triangle . Pour the oil in a large frying pan. When it heats up place two borek side by side. Fry both sides until they get a light golden colour. Grab a large pot and put a paper towel at the bottom to soak up the oil. Place the borek inside as you fry them and keep the lid closed so they stay warm. Serve Cig Borek while still warm with AYRAN

8-AURE..

2 cups wheat kernels 1/2 cup great northern beans 1/2 cup chick peas 1/2 cup rice (short grain) 3 cups sugar 9 pints (18 cups) water cinnamon 1 cup walnuts, chopped 1 cup raisins 1/4 cup currants 1/2 cup pine nuts 1.5 cup dried apricots 1.5 cup dried figs 1 tablespoon orange rind 1 pomegranate

The legend is that when Noah and his animals were about to run out of food on the arc, he mixed whatever ingredients were left and cooked them all together to feed his voyagers and the resulting dish was the pudding described in this recipe. Asure is a classical, most cherished Turkish dessert, which is a staple item of every "muhallebi" shop in Istanbul. It is a "must" if you need to brag about your knowledge of the Turkish cuisine. This recipe yields twenty four 6 oz servings of asure. Choose a pot large enough to take all the dry ingredients and 8 pintsof water. Measure 5 pints of water into the pot. Bring the water to a boil.

Wash the wheat grains thouroughly in a wire mesh strainer under running water until the water runs clear. Add the grains to the boiling water, cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and leave the grains in this water overnight. Wash the rice thouroughly in a wire mesh strainer under running water until the water runs clear. In a seperate pot, boil 2 pints (4 cups) of water. Add the rice to the boiling water, cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and leave the grains in this water overnight. Wash the great northern beans and soak them in water overnight. Wash the chick peas and soak them in water overnight. Begin the next day by cooking the chick peas and the great northern beans in plain water. We recommend using a pressure cooker. The beans and the chickpeas need to be cooked separately because it takes less time to cook the beans. In our pressure cooker, we use 15 minutes for the beans and 30 minutes for the chick peas. It is important to note however that the cooking time may slightly change between different pressure cookers. If you do not have a pressure cooker, you can boil the beans and the chick peas in separate pots until they are fully cooked. When they are cooked, leave the beans and the peas in cold water until they are cool to hand. Discard the water chickpeas and beans were cooked in. While the beans and chickpeas are cooking, dice the dried apricots and the figs into small pieces - see the picture below for reference. Remove the skins of the chick peas. If they are properly cooked, a gentle squeeze is sufficient to remove their skins. Add 2 more pints of water into the main pot with the wheat grains, add the chick peas, the great northern beans, the rice and the orange rind. Bring the pot to a boil, reduce the temperature and continue boiling for 15 minutes. Add the sugar, continue boiling for another 15 minutes. Add the raisins and half of the the dried apricots, continue boiling for 5 minutes. Add half of the dried figs, turn off the heat. Let the asure rest for about an hour, then pour it into small, 8 oz bowls.

Garnish with cinnamon, chopped walnuts, currants, pine nuts, remaining half of the dried apricots, remaining half of the dried figs and fresh pomegranate seeds. Serve at room temperature.

9-

Ayran

3 cup plain yogurt 1/2 cup water 1 tsp salt This is very straight-forward but tastes great: Put all of the above in a blender. Mix for about 35-40 seconds. Pour into glasses. Also after blending, at the top, you will see bubbles and that's the best part. Makes 4 portions.

Origins of the word "yogurt": The word comes from the Turkish word "yourt", deriving from the verb "yourtmak", which means "to blend" - a reference to how yogurt is made.

10-

Turkish Baklava

(Baklava)

Baklava is of Turkish origin and is the world's favourite Turkish Dessert. It's extremely delicious.

Syrup: 1 1/4 cup water 1 3/4 cup sugar 1 tbsp lemon juice Baklava: 454 gr (1 lb) Phyllo Pastry (~20-22 sheets) 1 cup + 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted 1 1/2 cup pistachios, grounded (use a mixer but do not grind finely), the measurement is after grinding 6 tbsp cream 35%
3L (13x9x2") Pyrex casserole dish To prepare the Baklava syrup place the water and sugar in a medium sized pot. First bring to a boil and continue boiling for 5 minutes. Then simmer for 15 minutes and turn the heat off. Add lemon juice and place the syrup in another bowl so that it cools down quickly. Place the block of Phyllo sheets on the counter. Cut the sheets in half (8x12 inches) . Now there are two blocks of approximately 40 sheets. After cutting in half, the size of the sheets should the same as the size of the Pyrex dish. Keep the blocks separate as half the sheets will go below the Baklava filling, and the

rest above. Brush the inside of the pyrex dish with the butter. Then lay down 2 sheets. Spread more butter on top and then place two more sheets on top and butter again. Continue until you finish the first block of the phyllo sheets. Then brush on the cream evenly on top. Spread the pistachios on the cream evenly. Then finish second block of the sheets the same way. Don't forget to brush the very top with butter. Dip a big, sharp knife into hot water to cut the Baklava in rectangles. Cut 4 vertically and 6 horizontally to get 24 piece of Baklava. However, don't cut all the way down, only cut halfway until you reach the pistacchio. This will ensure only the top parts will rise when you bake it. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Place the pyrex dish on the middle rack. Bake for 25 minutes. At this point turn the heat down to 325 F while the dish is still in the oven. Bake for 30 more minutes and take the Baklava out. Leave it at room temperature for 10 minutes. Then using the same knife, re-cut the Baklava all the way down. This part may be a little bit hard but is worth it:) With a tablespoon pour the lukewarm syrup evenly along the cut lines. Make sure not to pour it all over, only between the lines, otherwise Baklava won't turn out well. Sprinkle some pistachios on top of each Baklava. Let it rest at least 4 hours before serving. The syrup should be completely absorbed. You don't need to refrigerate it. Cover Baklava loosely with aluminum foil.

11-

Classic Turkish Breakfast

(Klasik Turk Kahvaltisi)

Breakfast is very important in Turkish cuisine and has a rich variety. Butter, cheese (Beyaz Peynir, Kasar, Tulum etc..) black or green olives, eggs; soft or hard-boiled, marmalade or recel (recel is different than marmalade, fruits are preserved as they are in recel, they are not mashed as in marmalade).

Sucuk (Turkish Sausage, seasoned with garlic and spices), Pastirma (similar to prosciutto or pastrami, also seasoned with garlic and spices), borek, and other pastries are very popular. Weekends especially are a good time to gather the family around and have it brunch-style. We love to have conversations while eating every meal, and there is no rush to leave sofra (dining table). Our wildly large cuisine's gift to us is having long, lovely sofra basi muhabbeti (chat) :) I hope you will enjoy our style of breakfast as much as we do.... Afiyet olsun (Bon Apetit). Turkish tea Soft or hard-boiled eggs, sizzled with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle some oregano and red pepper on top, or have it plain:) Butter Stuffed or regular green olives Black Turkish olives in extra virgin olive oil, a little bit of lemon juice, some oregano and crushed red pepper on top Feta cheese (Beyaz Peynir), plain or some sizzled olive oil on top

Homemade jam, any kind Cubanelle Pepper, washed Red Pepper, washed Tomato, washed and sliced Cucumber, washed and sliced

12-

Apricot Compote

(Kayisi Kompostosu)

6 fresh apricots, peeled, pitted, sliced 1/3 cup sugar 2 cup water 1/2 tsp almond extract 2 tbsp almonds, blanched, sliced, roast lightly if you prefer Bring the sugar and water to boil in a medium cooking pot. Turn the heat down to very medium-low. Add the apricots and almond extract in it. Cook for about 5-6 minutes. Pour into a bowl and let it cool. Then chill in the fridge. Add almond slices. Serve in individual bowls with Pilaf on the side on hot Summer days:)

13-

Candied Chestnuts in Syrup

(Kestane ekeri)

500 gr chestnut 1 cup sugar 2 cup water 1 tsp vanilla extract When buying chestnuts, choose the fat ones, as they will be more delicious. Soak the chestnuts in water for about 15-20 minutes to get them to soften. Using a small knife, cut the shells horizontally on the top (fat) side. Place the chestnuts in a medium size pot, cover them with the water. Boil them for about 5 minutes. Remove the shells and inner skins using a small knife. Clean the same pot, put sugar, water and vanilla extract in it. Boil it for about 5 minutes. Add the chestnuts into the syrup, close the lid. Cook for about an hour over just under the medium heat. Let the chestnuts cool down first in the pot. There should be a little bit syrup left. If the syrup is too much, cook a little bit longer without the lid. Place them into the glass container with the syrup, put the lid on and keep it in the refrigerator. For servings, place them individually in the candy cups.

14-

Turkish Coffee

(Turk Kahvesi)

1 tsp Turkish Coffee 1/2 tsp sugar 1 Turkish Coffee cup of water, size pictured above 1 Turkish coffepot, called "cezve", as pictured above Put the sugar into the coffepot first, then add the coffee. Fill the Turkish Coffee cup with water at room temperature, although leave a bit of room at the top. Pour into the coffepot. Turn the heat to low. Place the coffeepot on the stove and slowly stir with a small spoon to ensure the coffee mixes in with the water. Then stop and wait until bubbles form at the top. When the bubbles rise, take the coffeepot off the stove and pour into the cup & serve. The grinds will sink to the bottom of your cup, don't drink this part. The grinds are darker and thicker.

15-

Turkish Tea

(Turk Cayi)

4 tsp Turkish tea leaves + 2 tbsp bottled water 3 cups bottled cold water

Brewing Tea Turkish-style


To make Turkish tea you should use Caydanlik which is a small tea pot-brewer (demlik) on top of a kettle. Pour 3 cups of water into the larger kettle. Put the Turkish tea leaves and 2 tbsp of water into the teapot and place it on the kettle. Bring the water in the kettle to boil over medium heat. Then turn the heat off. Wait for the water to settle*, then pour half of the boiling water from the kettle over the leaves into the brewer. Let it brew for about 5 minutes**. Then pour the brewed tea into tea glasses using a small tea strainer. Fill in half of the tea glasses with the brewed tea and the rest with the hot water. Serve Turkish tea with sugar cubes. I like to have my Turkish tea without sugar with just a few drops of lemon juice. * If you pour boiled water immediately over tea leaves, the tea will lose its vitamins. ** If you extend brewing time, the taste will get bitter. Also freshly brewed Turkish tea should be consumed within half an hour of brewing time. This recipe produces 4 servings in Turkish tea glasses.

About Turkish Tea In Turkey, tea growers don't use pesticide and Turkish tea doesn't contain much caffeine. For these reasons, Turkish tea is more natural and healthy. The tea is produced in Northeastern (Dogu Karadeniz) Turkey, which is the 5th largest producer in the world. Benefits of Turkish Tea - C and E vitamins in tea boosts the immune system and wards against leukemia. - Caffeine in tea stimulates the nervous system, increases concentration, makes you feel relaxed and comfortable. - Lowers cholesterol levels. - Fluoride in the tea helps prevent tooth decay. - Cleans the liver, lowers blood pressure, stabilizes the kidneys and it's also good for atherosclerosi

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