Hummus Amongus

Ingredients:

1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas
1/4 cup tahini paste
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper

Directions:

1 Drain beans; reserve water.
2 In a food processor or blender add beans and all the ingredients.
3 Process until smooth.
4 If mixture is too thick, add some of the reserved liquid from the beans to dilute to a desired consistency.
5 Serve at room temperature with pita bread, grilled pork, lamb or chicken.

 

 

Excite Me Tonight! Chicken!

Ingredients:

For a Lebanese Marinade

4 -6 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/4-1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (depending on how much you like lemon!)
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, fresh
1/2 cup olive oil

For a Turkish Marinade

1 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or 1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (to taste)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 large lemon, juice of
salt (to taste)
fresh ground pepper (to taste)

For a Moroccan Marinade

1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted or 1/2 cup olive oil
1 large lemon, juice of
salt (to taste)
fresh ground pepper (to taste)

For an Egyptian Marinade

1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 onion, grated
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

 

Directions:

1 If using boneless chicken pieces, cut into 1 inch cubes and place in a shallow non-reactive container; if using whole birds, butterfly them; if using broiler halves, leave whole; select one of the marinades, then combine the ingredients for it in a bowl and pour over chicken; cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight.
2 Bring the meat to room temperature; meanwhile prepare your gas or charcoal grill or preheat broiler.
3 Remove the meat from the marinade, reserving the marinade; if using chicken cubes thread onto skewers; place skewers, butterflied or halved birds on the grill rack or a broiler pan and grill or broil until cooked through, basting with the reserved marinade.
4 Cooking time will depend upon size of poultry pieces; do not let meat become dry;.
5 Whole fryer (3-4 pounds) 60 - 70 minutes; Whole Roaster (5-7 pounds) 22 minutes a pound, Butterflied whole chicken (3-5 pounds) 45-50 minutes; Whole Cornish hens (18-24 oz) 45-55 minutes; Whole capon (4-8 lbs) 15-20 min a pound; Breast half, bone in (6-8 oz) 10-15 minutes a side; Breast half, boneless (4 oz) 8-10 min a side & (6-8 oz) 10-15 minutes a side; leg or thigh (8 or 4 oz) 10-15 minutes a side; Drumstick (4 oz) 8-12 minutes a side & (8-16 oz) 10-15 minutes a side; wings or wing drumette (2-3 oz) 8-12 minutes a side – Remove from oven when meat thermometer reads 175°-180°F; temperature will continue to rise as it stands.

Kabak Mücveri (Turkish Zucchini Fritters)

Ingredients:

1 lb zucchini
1/2 cup chopped green onion (spring)
1 small yellow onion, grated
1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped
4 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 cup kasseri cheese, grated or 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup all-purpose flour
fresh ground pepper
olive oil, for frying

Directions:

1 Grate the zucchini and place in a colander; sprinkle with salt and let drain for 30 minutes; squeeze out moisture and pat with paper towels.
2 Place the zucchini in a bowl and add the green and yellow onions, dill, parsley, cheese, eggs, flour and salt and pepper to taste; mix well.
3 In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, pour in oil to a depth of ¼ inch; when the oil is hot, drop the batter by heaping tablespoonfuls into the pan (or form into small patties), allow space in between fritters; fry for 2 minutes on the fist side, then turn to brown on the second side for about 3 minutes; using a slotted spatula transfer to paper towels or newspaper to drain; repeat with remaining batter.

 

Turkish Red Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

1 cup red lentil, washed and cleaned
4 cups vegetable stock
1/4 cup mild onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup white potato, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)

 

Directions:

1 Place the red lentils in a colandar and rinse.
2 Sift through to remove and debris or damaged beans.
3 Place the washed and cleaned lentils into a medium pot with the stock, potatoes, onions and paprika.
4 Bring the pot to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
5 Loosely place a lid on the pot leaving slightly ajar as to allow some evaporation.
6 Cook for 40-40 minutes until the lentils are tender.
7 Add salt and pepper to taste.
8 Place all but 1 cup of the soup into a blender or food processor and blend briefly.
9 Return blended soup to the pot with the reserved cup of soup.
10 Heat through.
11 Serve.

Spiced Sweet Roasted Red Pepper & feta Hummus

Ingredients:

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
1 (4 ounce) jar roasted red peppers
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

 

Directions:
1 In an electric blender or food processor, puree the chickpeas, red peppers, Feta, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, cumin, cayenne, and salt.
2 Process, using long pulses, until the mixture is fairly smooth, and slightly fluffy.
3 Make sure to scrape the mixture off the sides of the food processor or blender in between pulses.
4 Transfer to a serving bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
5  (The hummus can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Return to room temperature before serving.) Sprinkle the hummus with the chopped parsley before serving.

Salmon Patties (Somon Baligi Koftesi)

  Ingredients:

1 ½ cups cooked salmon OR canned salmon, drained

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 stalk celery, finely diced

1 green onion, finely chopped

2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

3-4 Tbsp olive oil

½ tsp freshly ground pepper

1 tsp salt to taste

1 cup corn meal (optional)

Directions:

Place salmon in a medium mixing bowl. Flake apart with a fork; remove any bones and skin. Add egg, onions, parsley, celery, salt and pepper; mix well. Shape the mixture into 8 patties, about 2-3 inches wide. If desired roll them in corn meal (optional).

Heat the olive oil in the pan over medium heat. Cook salmon patties until the undersides are golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges and tartar sauce.

ENJOY

Rolled Pastry (Rulo Borek)

  Recipes:

 

3 Turkish yufka

1 cup ricotta cheese

½ cup parsley, finely chopped (optional)

¾ cup milk

½ cup canola oil

1 egg

1 Tbsp yogurt

1 pinch salt to taste

 

 

Directions:

Mix the ricotta cheese and parsley. Meanwhile, mix canola oil, milk, egg and salt for the sauce.

Place one Turkish yufka on a flat surface and spread the 1/3 of the sauce all over it equally. Place the second yufka on top and spread the ricotta mixture over evenly. Then, place the third yufka over and spread the other 1/3 of the sauce all over. Roll it over to a long log. Cut it in half and leave in the freezer for up to 2-4 hours.

Then, take the rolls out of the freezer and slice them in ½ inch thick and place over a greased oven tray. Add the yogurt to the remaining sauce, mix and spread it all over the borek slices. Bake them in the preheated 400F (200C) oven for 30-40 minutes or until they turn golden brown.

Serve them hot/warm.

ENJOY