Lentil Soup with Bulgur (Bulgurlu Mercimek Çorbası)

Lentil soups are very common in Turkey. This one is traditionally made with red lentils. However, I like the taste of bulgur more with brown or green lentils. For this one I used French lentils. The peppery taste of French lentils along with dried mint was simply perfect for this winter soup. To try the traditional Turkish recipe, just replace French lentils with red lentils.3 tbsp butter1 medium onion, finely chopped1/2 cup French lentils1/2 cup...

Read More

Stuffed Onions (Soğan Dolması)

In order to promote circulation sales, once in a week most newspapers in Turkey come with a supplementary booklet loaded with recipes by TV celebrity chefs. Sad but true! Turkey has witnessed worse; in the past, newspapers offered even non-reading related "things" to increase their sales. Among those were vacuum cleaners, radios, TVs, dinner sets, silverware, cameras, bikes, etc. Unfortunately people subscribed for months to certain newspapers...

Read More

Oven Baked Zucchini Fritters (Fırında Kabak Mücver)

Mücver is, if you ask me, "the" zucchini dish. It is usually deep fried and served with yogurt, garlicy yogurt. However, in our house mücver is always baked, because it is healthier and lighter. We have oven baked zucchini fritter as a snack for afternoon tea-time or sometimes for dinner with salad on the side. We love it with plain yogurt. The recipe is my mom's.2-3 medium size zucchinis, grated (3 cups approximately)3 eggs1/2 cup white cheese/...

Read More

Cabbage Stew with Beef (Etli Kapuska)

Kapuska is a hearty traditional Turkish stew whose name is derived from, I believe, "cabbage" in Russian. Although the name is imported, the dish is truly Turkish, or Turkish version of a multi-faced cabbage stew common in Russia and Eastern Europe. Kapuska is widely known and eagerly consumed in Thrace, as a result of Eastern European impact i.e. Albanian and Bulgarian immigrants, and also in the Black Sea Region of Turkey thanks to our next door...

Read More