Tomato Soup with Greek Noodle Nests (Yunan Şehriye Toplu Domates Çorbası)

I found these Greek thin noodle nests at an international market. They looked so cute that I had to buy them. On the package it was suggested to cook the noodle nests in water with a little bit olive oil and salt, and to serve as a soup with lemon juice. That recipe sounded blend to me, so I decided to use them in tomato soup, and the result was very tasty. The only drawback, which is not actually a drawback, was that I had to eat my soup with the...

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White Beans (Kuru Fasulye)

White beans with rice is the traditional Turkish dish. It is to us what pasta is to Italians. If you have pickled vegetables, especially cabbage, with it, you cannot expect more. There are variations of this recipe based on what kind of meat you want to use, or you may completely skip the meat part as I do. You can cook white beans with stew beef or lamb, with ground meat, pastrami (pastirma), and/or soujuk (sucuk, Turkish sausage). My favorite...

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Celery Root à la Turque (Zeytinyağlı Kereviz)

Who likes celery root? It's a complicated issue. People who think it has a very strong smell can handle celery stalks. And there are also people like me who cannot have even a single bite from celery stalk because of its smell, but love celery root. So you have to try to see if you like it or not. As if having one strong smelling plant is not enough, this recipe requires another one: dill, the odor of which, to some, is less agreeable than many other...

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Ezo the Bride Soup (Ezo Gelin Çorbası)

Ezo was a real person who lived in the south eastern part of Turkey, close to Syrian border, in early 20th century. She had two miserable marriages, and died in Syria, homesick. There are films based on her hard, unfortunate life. But I have no idea why this soup is named after her.The most important trivia about Ezo Gelin soup is that you cannot find a single Kebapçı (Kebab Restaurant) in Turkey that doesn't serve this soup. It's the best starter...

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Zucchini with Beef and Garbanzo Beans (Kabak Bastırması)

I saw this recipe in a Turkish food blog, chez Ayşenur, and immediately decided to make it. Garbanzo beans and zucchini: how could it be bad? It certainly is delicious. Ayşenur says that this is a local recipe from Kilis, a city in Turkey near the Turkish-Syrian border.2/3 cups of garbanzo beans1/2 pound stew beef (I preferred beef but y0u can also use lamb)2 zucchinis, medium size cut in half-rounds2 tbsp olive oil1 onion, chopped2 banana peppers...

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Cinnamon Tea (Tarçın Çayı)

It's dark, cloudy, cold, rainy, in other words, miserable outside. Perfect time for cinnamon tea.2 cinnamon stick4-5 cloveshoney-Pour 2-3 cups of boiling water on 2 cinnamon sticks and 5-6 cloves. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Cover the teapot or French press with a towel to keep it warm. Sweeten with honey.optional: add 4-5 black pepperco...

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Pastirma-Leek Potato Gratin (Pastırmalı Pırasalı Patates Graten)

This is an "almost" Turkish recipe because of the pastirma. It is not easy to find Turkish or, even better, Armenian pastirma, pastrami, in  US, but it's not impossible either. I buy pastirma from international markets. To see what pastirma looks like click here.-pastirma is optional1 pound/bag of baby potatoes, red or golden peeled and sliced thinly2 leeks, chopped finely10 strips of pastrami, cut in thin slices (you can have more or less)1...

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Fava Beans à la Turque (Zeytinyağlı İç Bakla)

I wasted 25 years of my life without eating fava/broad beans, but I had my reasons. The first time I tried fava beans, they were not podded. The pod has a weird fuzzy feel and I sure cannot stand it. Years after that first experience, I tried podded fava beans, and it's been one of my favorite olive oil dishes ever since. I still cannot eat them in the pod.The only place I found fresh fava/broad beans in pod here in the states was Seattle Pike Place...

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Chicken in a Bag (Fırın Torbasında Tavuk)

This is the easiest and yummiest chicken ever. You need whole chicken legs, thighs, drumsticks, or wings--bonny and fatty parts of chicken. This recipe doesn't go well with less fatty parts like breast.6 chicken thighs1 oven bagjuice of 2 lemonspaprika, enough to cover the thighs1 tbsp ground black pepper1 tbsp oregano leaves3 cloves of garlic, mincedsalt-Place the chicken in a big bowl and squeeze lemons on top. Make sure every piece is covered...

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Garbanzo Beans with Vegetables (Sebzeli Nohut)

1 cup dry garbanzo beans or 1 can of organic garbanzo beans1 big onion, chopped1 bell pepper, chopped1 cup fineley chopped cabbage1 carrot, garted1 potato, grated1 tbsp tomato paste1 tbsp pepper paste (optional)1 tsp cumin seeds1 tsp pepper flakes1/3 cup olive oil1 cup vegetable stocksalt and pepper-If you want to use dry beans, either soak them over night and then boil them until soft or use a pressure cooker. I pressure cooked 1 cup of garbanzo...

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Dill-Feta Poğaça (Dereotlu Peynirli Poğaça)

Poğaça, a kind of savory pastry / bread, is a traditional baked good in Turkey and Eastern European+Balkanic countries which at some point in history were under the Ottoman rule long enough to adopt its cuisine. Poğaças are best with (black) tea. In Turkey, people would have them for breakfast from a neighborhood patisserie on their way to work or school, or for afternoon tea time.Usually poğaças are made in half-moon shape. Several pieces of round...

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Sparkling Chicken (Maden Suyuyla Tavuk)

8 boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces1 little bottle of Perrier or 1-1 1/2 cups of any sparkling (mineral) water1 tbsp chopped dill2 cloves of garlic, minced1 tsp paprika / red chili powder1 tsp ground black pepper3 tbsp olive oil1 small onion, chopped thinly in roundsany kind of fresh pepper, chopped (I used small sweet yellow Italian peppers)mushroom, chopped - as much as you wantjuice of one lemon or lime1 tbsp flour2 tsp peppercornssaltThe...

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Moist Cocoa Cake (Kakaolu Islak Kek)

1/2 cup milk4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa1 1/2 cup sugar1 cup flour1/2 cup oil (vegetable, corn, or canola)2 eggs2 tsp baking powder1/4 cup crushed walnuts1/4 raisins1/2 petite diced appleThese ingredients are for a 9.5 X 4 inch cake pan.-Mix eggs, sugar, milk, oil, and cocoa in bowl. Set 1/2 cup of this mixture aside; you will need that mixture to moisten the cake.-Add flour, baking powder, walnuts, raisins, and diced apple in the bowl. Mix well. Grease...

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