Thin, crispy Turkish pizza with spicy lamb topping; Lahmacun

Posted by Ozlem on Feb 6, 2012 in Appetizers and Mezes | 4 comments

This thin, crispy Turkish pizza, lahmacun is the ultimate street food in Turkey. A very popular lunch time snack, lahmacun is sold in street stalls as well as in restaurants. In Kebab houses, mini lahmacuns are served as an appetizer that I can’t get enough. We Turks also love to have it as a take away food, a great, healthy alternative to fast food, the children love them too. Lemon is liberally squeezed over and then it is rolled up with sliced tomatoes, onion and parsley salad, piyaz.

 Flour Tortillas work very well as a mini lahmacun base if you can’t get around making your own dough. We had girls’ night in last Friday, and I used tortillas as a base for the lahmacun since I had limited time. They were ready in a flash and everyone really enjoyed it. Wonderful food for entertaining; highly recommended!

Lahmacun, Crispy Turkish Pizza with ground meat topping

Serves 4 – 6

Preparation time – 45 minutes (add 1 hour rest for dough if you choose to make it)

If using flour tortillas; Prep time: 25 minutes Cooking time – 20 minutes

 Dough ingredients:

5 ml/ 1 teaspoon active dried yeast

1/2 teaspoon sugar

150 ml/ 2/3 cup lukewarm water

350 gr/3 cups strong white bread flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon mild olive oil

Or

6 pieces of Flour Tortillas

Topping ingredients:

15ml/1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped or grated

2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped

1 bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

225gr / 8oz ground lean lamb or beef

15ml/1 tablespoon tomato paste

5ml/1 teaspoon paprika flakes

Juice of 1 lemon

 Piyaz (Sliced tomatoes, onion and parsley salad with herbs) ingredients:

 1 teaspoon salt

15ml/1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 onion, halved and thinly sliced

5ml/1 teaspoon ground sumac – optional-

1 bunch of flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

1/2 teaspoon paprika flakes – optional -

Preheat oven to 200 C / 400 F

Making the dough:

Place the sugar and the yeast in a small bowl with half the lukewarm water. Set aside for about 15 minutes until frothy.

Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl, make a well in the middle and add the creamed yeast and the rest of the lukewarm water. Using your hand, draw in the flour and work with the mixture to dough, adding more water if necessary.

Turn the dough on to a lightly floured surface and knead until it is smooth and elastic. Drip a few drops of olive oil into the base of the bowl and roll the dough in it. This will help the dough not to dry up. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preparing the lahmacun topping:

Lightly soften the onions in the olive oil. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until the liquid has been absorbed. Add salt to taste and set aside to cool. Put the meat in a bowl and add the tomato paste, parsley, paprika flakes, lemon juice, cooked onions and tomato. Season with salt and pepper and work this mixture into a paste with your hands. Cover and keep in the refrigerator until you are ready to use.

If you are making the dough; punch down the risen dough, knead it on a lightly floured surface and divide into 6 pieces. Roll each piece into a thin flat round, stretching the dough with your hands as you roll. Oil the baking sheets and place the dough rounds on them and spread a thin layer of the meat mixture covering the edges too. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, until the meat is nicely cooked.

 If you are using fresh flour tortillas as a base, spread a thin layer of the meat mixture over the Flour Tortillas and leave to rest for a couple of minutes. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until brown and crispy.

For the piyaz; work sumac and the salt into the onion slices with your hands really well. Combine with the chopped tomatoes, parsley and paprika flakes. Wisk together the extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice and pour over the piyaz. Season with salt (if needed) and freshly ground black pepper.

Serve lahmacun immediately with the piyaz, with lemon wedges to squeeze over by the side.

 Afiyet Olsun!

Zucchini (Courgette) Fritters flavored with Feta and Dill – Kabak Mucveri

Posted by Ozlem on Oct 3, 2011 in Appetizers and Mezes, Uncategorized | 0 comments

I have been looking at the previous recipes I posted and thought these zucchini fritters are really worth revisiting. The trick with them is to make sure you squeeze out any excess water from the zucchini, after grating. Hope you give them a go sometime and enjoy!
Zucchini are the most widely available squash in Turkey. They are very versatile, used in many dishes and their flowers are perfect for stuffing. This wonderful vegetarian fritters are fantastic accompanied by garlic infused yoghurt or a leafy salad and crusty bread. You can enjoy them as a meze/appetizer for supper or light lunch dish. The bite size versions would be a great party / finger food too. They are also wonderful served next day as a cold snack.

If you are after a lighter flavor, you can bake the spread in a greased baking dish (at 180 C / 350 F) for about 35-40 minutes, like my mother does. You can then cut in squares and serve.

Serves 4 – 6
Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 25-30 minutes

3 medium zucchini (courgette), grated
150 gr / 6 oz feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
3 green (spring) onions, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 bunch dill, finely chopped
3 eggs, beaten
45 ml / 3 tablespoons all purpose (plain) white flour
Pinch of paprika or red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Canola oil (or sunflower oil) for shallow frying
Sprigs of dill for garnish

Garlic yoghurt to serve (optional)

Place the grated zucchini in a colander, sprinkle with a little salt and leave to drain for 15 minutes. In a separate bowl, crumble or grate the feta cheese.

Using a tea towel, squeeze out any excess water from the zucchini and put in a bowl.

Transfer the flour to a large bowl and beat in the eggs. Add the remaining ingredients, season with salt and pepper and beat into a batter (Take care not to add salt if your cheese is salty). Mix well.

In a frying pan, heat enough oil to shallow fry. Using a tablespoon, drop the spoonfuls of batter mix into the hot oil. Fry over a medium heat on both sides until golden brown. Remove with a straining spoon and drain on absorbent kitchen paper towel.

This meze (appetizer) can be enjoyed warm or you can make it in advance, and serve as a cold meze. Garnish with sprigs of dill and accompany with garlic infused yoghurt.

For garlic infused yoghurt, crush a couple of garlic cloves with salt. Combine the plain yoghurt and garlic and beat until smooth. Add salt to taste.

Afiyet Olsun!

Note: Squash is an effective diuretic and its potassium content benefits those with high blood pressure. Dill is known to aid digestion.

Broad (Fava) Beans in Two Ways

Posted by Ozlem on Apr 26, 2011 in Appetizers and Mezes, Uncategorized | 2 comments

Broad Beans (Fava Beans) with bell peppers, olive oil, dill and lemon juice – Fava Salatasi

We have had an over 3 weeks of heat wave in England, with temperatures reaching high 70Fs – lovely!:)- This pleasant warm weather put me into mood of more fresh vegetables and salads served with olive oil and lemon juice dressing, as we do in Turkey. And I really fancied some fresh broad beans. Unfortunately they are not in season here yet (they are at their peak from the end of June to mid September) so I used the broad beans in water to end my craving. Here are two delicious ideas to enjoy broad beans, and I am sure the taste will be at least doubled if you can use the fresh ones. Combination of dill, lemon juice and olive oil is a favorite way of flavoring broad beans at home. Hope you can get to try sometime.

Broad beans are a great source of protein and carbohydrates, as well as vitamins A, B1 and B2. In the US, they’re known as fava beans. This delicious and easy salad would be a great appetizer or light lunch served with crusty bread and perhaps with some olives.

Serves 2 Preparation time: 20 minutes

175gr/6oz tender broad beans (in water) or even better, fresh broad beans
2 spring (green) onions, finely chopped
1/4 red bell pepper, finely chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon
10ml/2 teaspoon fresh dill, coarsely chopped
15ml/1tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
5ml/1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

If using tender broad beans in water, empty the contents in a colander. Put the broad beans in a pan with fresh water and simmer gently for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the water and set the broad beans aside.

If using fresh broad beans, they should be podded, unless they are very young and tender. Put the beans in a pan, cover with boiling water, return to the boil and cook for about 10 – 15 minutes. Then drain, empty into cold water, slit each pod along its seam and run your thumb along the furry inside to push the beans out.

In a serving bowl, combine the broad beans with the rest of the ingredients except the balsamic vinegar and mix well. Make sure to season well with salt and pepper and drizzle the balsamic vinegar over.

Serve with some crusty or pita bread; green and black kalamata olives go well with this salad.

Afiyet Olsun!

Tender Broad Beans with Garlic and Yoghurt Sauce and Poached Eggs – Cilbir Yumurta ve Sarimsak Yogurtlu Fava Salatasi

This is another exciting way of enjoying broad (fava) beans, which I recently experimented. It is quite common to serve poached egg with garlic yoghurt at home and this combination has gone really well with the broad beans. This dish would make a lovely lunch with some pita bread or a delicious meze (appetizer).

Serves 2 Preparation time: 15-20 minutes

175gr/6oz tender broad beans (in water) or even better, fresh broad beans
10ml/2teaspoons fresh dill, coarsely chopped
5ml/1teaspoon red pepper flakes
10ml/2teaspoons juice of lemon
15ml/1tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 free range eggs
30ml/2tablespoons white wine vinegar
For garlic yoghurt
2 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
90ml/6 tablespoons plain natural yoghurt
Salt and pepper to taste

Sprigs of dill and red pepper flakes to decorate

If using tender broad beans in water, empty the contents in a colander. Put the broad beans in a pan with fresh water and simmer gently for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the water and set the broad beans aside.

If using fresh broad beans, they should be podded, unless they are very young and tender. Put the beans in a pan, cover with boiling water, return to the boil and cook for about 10 – 15 minutes. Then drain, empty into cold water, slit each pod along its seam and run your thumb along the furry inside to push the beans out.

In a bowl, combine the broad beans with dill, red pepper flakes, lemon juice and olive oil. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper, mix well. Divide the salad into two individual serving plates.

In a small bowl, beat the yoghurt with garlic and seasoning. Spoon this into two serving plates and spread over the broad beans mixture.

Fill a small pan with water, add the vinegar (this will help sealing the egg whites) and bring to a boil. Stir the water to create a whirlpool and crack in the first egg.

As the egg spins and the white sets around the yolk, stir the water ready for the next one. Poach each egg for 2-3 minutes so that the yolk remains soft.

Lift the eggs out of the water with a slotted spoon and place them over the garlic yoghurt spread.

Sprinkle red pepper flakes over and a few sprigs of dill. Serve immediately with some nice bread to mop up the salad’s delicious juices.

Afiyet Olsun!

Fried Aubergine (Eggplant), Courgette (Zucchini) and Peppers with Tomato Sauce-Saksuka

Posted by Ozlem on Feb 23, 2011 in Appetizers and Mezes, Uncategorized | 0 comments

This is one of the most popular mezes, appetizers at home, featuring our beloved eggplant (aubergine). It is delicious and easy to make. Garlicky yoghurt accompanies this dish really well.

One of the joys in life for me is to cook and eat with friends and family. The life evolves around kitchen, children come and go and you get to cook with those dear to you, simply wonderful. We made and enjoyed this dish with friends this week; in Turkish we say “the food tastes better when shared” and it sure did.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 25 minutes Cooking time: 20-25 minutes

1 large aubergine (eggplant)
1 courgette (zucchini)
1 red bell pepper
2-3 chili peppers (as hot as you wish), kept whole
Sunflower oil for shallow frying
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

For the tomato sauce:
400gr/14oz can of chopped tomatoes
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed with salt
5ml/1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
15ml/1tablespoon olive oil
Handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Garlicky yoghurt sauce:
200ml/7fl oz thick and creamy natural plain yoghurt
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Using a vegetable peeler, partially peel the aubergine in stripes. Cut the aubergine in half lengthways and then cut each half into thick slices. Sprinkle salt over the eggplants and leave them aside for 15 minutes. Salt will help the moisture come out of the eggplants. Dry the eggplants with kitchen towel thoroughly (otherwise the excess water will cause the hot oil to spatter everywhere).

Cut the courgette in half lengthways and then cut it width ways into thick slices. Deseed the red bell pepper and cut it into bite size pieces.

Heat enough oil for shallow frying in a wide pan. Fry the vegetables in batches until they are golden brown. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen towel.

On a separate pan, sauté the garlic for a minute or so with the olive oil. Add the canned tomatoes and mix well. Stir in the red pepper flakes and the parsley. Add salt and pepper to your taste. The tomato sauce is ready.

For the yoghurt sauce, beat the yoghurt with the garlic and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pile the hot vegetables on to a serving dish and spoon the tomato sauce over the top. Serve the yoghurt sauce by the side, accompanied by chunks of fresh bread to mop up the tasty sauce.

Afiyet Olsun!

Walnut & Red Pepper Paste Dip – Cevizli Biber

Posted by Ozlem on Feb 15, 2011 in Appetizers and Mezes, Uncategorized | 2 comments

This is one of my favorite mezes of all time; it is very easy to make and very, very more-ish, you just can’t stop eating them. It is one of my mother’s recipes from her historic hometown Antakya (Antioch) and whenever I make it, I feel like I am home.

Tahini bread or pita bread would go really well with this delicious dip/spread. You can keep the dip covered in the fridge for 3-4 days. Middle Eastern stores or specialty stores usually carry the red pepper paste. If you can’t find it, there is a recipe for it in my blog under “Turkish Spices”.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Serves 4-6

3-4 slices of white or wholemeal stale bread,
1/3 yellow onion, chopped
45ml/3 tablespoons Turkish red pepper paste (or 1 1/2 tablespoon Amore chili paste)
225gr/8oz English walnuts, shelled
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch of Salt
60ml/4tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
15ml/1 tablespoon water

To serve:
15ml/1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1-2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Pita bread, tahini bread or crackers

Ground the walnuts with the onion, cumin, salt and red pepper paste in the food processor. Soak the bread into water and squeeze the excess water. Crumble the bread and add to the mixture in the food processor. Add the olive oil and water and blend to make a smooth spread. If it appears to be too thick, add a little more olive oil.

Place the spread on a small salad plate or bowl. Pour the extra virgin olive oil all over and sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Serve the spread with pita bread, tahini bread or wide crackers.

Afiyet Olsun!

Patties with Potato, Bulgur, Onion and Parsley – Patatesli, Bulgurlu Kofte

Posted by Ozlem on Jan 7, 2011 in Appetizers and Mezes, Uncategorized | 1 comment

These patties are healthy, moist, easy to make and delicious; you just can’t stop eating them. They look similar to the bulgur and lentil patties I made previously(recipe in the blog, under appetizers and mezes), they have a different texture though, softer and more moist.You can serve them as a starter meze on a bed of lettuce leaves to wrap, or with bowl of olive oil and pomegranate molasses (or some sharp balsamic vinegar) by the side to dip in. In South Turkey, it is common to dip these patties to the sauce of stew and casseroles. I recently served them by the side of the aubergine, shallots and meat stew (the recipe is under stews and casseroles) and they went down very well, disappeared very quickly

You can prepare them a day in advance, the flavors get even better the next day. Add more red pepper flakes if you like it more spicy.

Serves 8 -10
Preparation time : 15-20 minutes Cooking time : 25 minutes

175gr/6oz/1 cup bulgur, rinsed and drained
4 medium potatoes, skinned and quartered
45-60ml/3-4 tablespoon olive oil
3 spring onions, finely chopped
Handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 tablespoon red pepper paste (optional)
1 – 2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoon/10ml ground cumin
8fl oz/ 1 cup hot water
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Bowl of cold water to wet your hands

Extra virgin olive oil and pomegranate molasses (or sharp balsamic vinegar) to serve

In a large bowl, combine the bulgur, red pepper paste (or red pepper flakes) and spring onion, mix well with using your hands. This will help the paste or the spice to really blend in with the bulgur and the spring onions. Add the hot water on the mixture and give a good stir. Leave it aside for about 15 minutes and stir once in a while so that all the water would be absorbed.

Boil the potatoes in salted water until cooked, drain the water. Mash the potatoes in a separate bowl with cumin. Add the olive oil, salt and ground pepper and knead the potatoes with your hands really well, until they are smooth and elastic. Stir in the potatoes with the bulgur mixture, and add the parsley, mix well with your hands. Check the seasoning and add more salt if needed. Have the bowl of water ready by your side. Wet your hands with the water and take a walnut size from the mixture and shape like patties using your hands. Place them side by side on a serving dish.

Put some extra virgin olive oil and pomegranate molasses (or sharp balsamic vinegar) on a small bowl and serve the patties with them for dipping. The patties are also wonderful served on a bed of lettuce leaves.

Afiyet Olsun!