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Turkish cuisine provides healthy, hearty, delicious food for family and friends.
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Turkish Breakfast

Acma; Turkish Style Soft Bagels

Acma, home made Turkish style soft bagels

Acma, home made Turkish style soft bagels

Acma, Turkish style soft bagels have always been one of the Turkish style breakfast treats at home for us. It is also a delicious snack you can enjoy with cup of tea, Turkish cay, all day long. I had a chance to recreate these delicious bagels at home recently, everyone enjoyed them.

We have been pleased with the result; they turned out softer inside and a little crispy outside (this home made version is a little crispier than the Acma you get in Turkey but still very delicious and satisfying).

You can enjoy Acma, sliced in half, and buttered with jam or honey. They are also delicious with a cheese of your choice, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes aside.

Acma; home made, Turkish style soft bagels

Acma; home made, Turkish style soft bagels

I hope you enjoy making Acma; Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

5.0 from 1 reviews
Acma; Turkish Style Soft Bagels
 
Acma, Turkish style soft bagels have always been one of the favorite Turkish style breakfast treats at home for us. It is also a delicious snack you can enjoy with cup of tea, Turkish cay, all day long. I had a chance to recreate these delicious bagels at home recently, everyone enjoyed them. Hope you enjoy making Acma at home!
Author:
Recipe type: Turkish style pastries
Cuisine: Turkish
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 7 gr (1 pack) of instant dried yeast
  • 4 fl. oz. / ½ cup luke warm milk
  • 2 fl. oz. / ¼ cup luke warm water
  • 15 ml / 1 tbsp. sugar
  • 4 fl. oz. / ½ cup light olive oil
  • 238 gr/ 2 cups / 8 oz. + 1 tbsp. all-purpose plain flour
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • To finish / glaze:
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 15 ml / 1 tbsp. Sesame seeds – optional -
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 200 C / 400 F
  2. Combine the yeast with warm water in a bowl, stir well and let the yeast dissolve for a few minutes.
  3. Add the sugar, warm milk and the olive oil to the mixture, stir for the sugar to dissolve.
  4. Sift the flour in a large bowl and stir in the salt. Make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast mixture.
  5. Combine and knead the dough for a few minutes; you will get lovely, soft dough. Cover the dough with a cling film and tea towel and leave to rise at a warm spot (near an oven or in a warm airing cupboard works well) for 2 hours. The dough will double in size.
  6. Once doubled in size, divide the dough into 6 balls. One at a time, roll each dough ball between your palms to make it about 16 cm / 6 inches long. Then swirl and roll and seal the two ends together. Repeat this with the rest of the dough balls.
  7. Place the Acma rolls on a baking paper on a tray, making sure there are minimum 1 inch / 2.5 cm. between each Acma roll, as they will expand while baking. Brush with the egg mixture and sprinkle sesame seeds over the top if you’d like.
  8. Bake in the preheated oven (200 C/ 400 F) for 10 minutes. Then turn the heat down to 190 C / 375 F and bake for another 10 minutes or until the Acma has a rich, golden color.
  9. Serve warm, afiyet olsun!

Turkish cookery class at  Blid & Hatton Gatherings (The Food Studio), Medicine Garden, Cobham

Wednesday, July 13th, 10 am – 2 pm

Kisir: Spicy Bulgur Wheat Salad with Pomegranate Molasses

Kisir: Spicy Bulgur Wheat Salad with Pomegranate Molasses

I am delighted to share my next Turkish cookery class on Wednesday, July 13th, 10 am – 2 pm at the Blid&Hatton Gatherings (The Food Studio) at Medicine Garden, Cobham, England. We have a feast of a class featuring wholesome and delicious spicy bulgur wheat salad with pomegranate molasses, Kisir, ever-popular stuffed aubergines with minced meat and vegetables, Karniyarik, savory filo pastry with spinach & feta, Ispanakli Borek,  stuffed baked dried apricots, Kayisi Tatlisi and more.

Spinach and feta filo pastry pie; Ispanakli Borek

Spinach and feta filo pastry pie; Ispanakli Borek

Here’s the details and booking information, booking will be through the Blid & Hatton Gatherings, the Food Studio at this link. Early booking is advised and the participation is limited.

Ozlem1

Hope you can join us!

Ozlem

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Turkish Flat Breads with potato and cheese; Patatesli Gozleme

Turkish stuffed flat breads with mashed potato and cheese, Patatesli, Peynirli Gozleme

Turkish stuffed flat breads with mashed potato and cheese, Patatesli, Peynirli Gozleme

We Turks love these stuffed flat breads, Gozleme. Turks were originated from Central Asia, where they drifted towards Anatolia gradually and made their home. They have been making these stuffed flat breads called Gozleme since then and they are a much loved Turkish street food and a special part of Turkish breakfast. These popular snacks are cooked quickly on a hot griddle and can be filled with various fillings.

I previously made Gozleme with spinach and cheese filling, they became hugely popular. This time I made them with mashed potatoes, cheese and parsley; a comforting, delicious combination, another winner with family and friends. This gozleme is also a wonderful way to finish up leftover cooked potatoes and bits of cheese. I used feta cheese here, you can also use Turkish white cheese, grated cheddar cheese or mozzarella. I spiced up my gozleme with a little Turkish red pepper paste, biber salcasi; you can also use red pepper flakes instead if you are after a touch of spice.

I hope you enjoy making your own Gozleme, a wholesome, delicious street food at home. They go down very well with a glass of Turkish tea, cay or ayran, traditional Turkish yoghurt drink.

Turkish stuffed flat breads with potato and cheese; Patatesli, Peynirli Gozleme

Turkish stuffed flat breads with potato and cheese; Patatesli, Peynirli Gozleme

I love our savoury pastries in Turkish cuisine. Gozleme and over 90 authentic Turkish recipes are included at my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland. Signed hardback copies, as well as ebook and other options are available at this link; Signed copies are delivered worldwide including US and Canada here.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

5.0 from 5 reviews
Turkish Flat Breads with potato and cheese; Patatesli Gozleme
 
We Turks love these stuffed flat breads, Gozleme. Turks have been making these stuffed flat breads over thousand of years, they are a much loved Turkish street food and a special part of Turkish breakfast. The mashed potato, cheese and parsley proves to be a delicious, comforting filling; these gozlemes are wonderful with cup of tea or as part of mezze spread.
Author:
Recipe type: Turkish Flat breads with fillings, Gozleme
Cuisine: Turkish Cuisine
Serves: 5 gozleme, feeds 6-8
Ingredients
  • 1lb./ 16 oz. /3 cups plain flour
  • 8g / 1 sachet instant dried yeast
  • Pinch of salt
  • 45 ml/ 3 tbsp. olive oil
  • 30 ml/ 2 tbsp. plain natural yoghurt (preferably whole milk)
  • About 260 ml/ 9 fl. oz. / 1⅕ cups water
  • For the filling:
  • 3 medium sized potato, cooked, skinned and mashed – about 2 ¼ cups -
  • 5ml/1 teaspoon Turkish red pepper flakes or 2 tsp. Turkish red pepper paste (optional)
  • 200gr/ 7 oz. Turkish white cheese or feta cheese, juice drained and crumbled.
  • 28 gr/ 1 oz. / ½ cup chopped flat leaf parsley
  • 30 ml/2 tbsp. olive oil
  • Salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • Nonstick pan or griddle to cook the Gozleme
Instructions
  1. Combine about 150 ml / 5 fl. oz. warm water, yeast and salt in a small bowl, stir and cover. Stand in a warm place for 5 minutes or until bubbles form on the surface.
  2. Sift the flour into a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast mixture, olive oil, yoghurt and the remaining (about 110 ml/ 4 fl. oz./ ½ cup) water. Using your hand, draw in the flour from the sides and work the mixture into a dough. Knead thoroughly to form a soft dough. Divide the dough into 8 pieces, knead them and roll into balls. Place the balls on a floured surface, cover with a damp cloth and leave them to rest for 30 minutes, or until the dough doubles in size.
  3. Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Mash the cooked potatoes with a fork or a masher in a large bowl. Drain the juice of the Turkish white cheese or feta cheese and crumble into the bowl. Stir in the chopped parsley, the red pepper paste or red pepper flakes (if you wish) and pour in the olive oil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and combine all well. Your filling is ready.
  4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each of the balls of the dough with a rolling pin into thin, flat rounds, about 40cm/16in diameter. Sprinkle a little flour as you roll the dough so that the dough won’t stick. Roll until you achieve a thin sheet of a flat round.
  5. Fold the left and right sides of the dough in a way for the edges to meet in the middle. Spread about 2 ½ - 3 tablespoons filling into the middle part of this flat sheet. Then fold the top and bottom edges over the filling, making sure all the filling is safely covered. Press edges together well to seal. Repeat the same procedure for the rest of the dough balls.
  6. Heat a griddle or a non-stick pan, and brush one side of the gozleme with a little olive oil and place on the pan to cook for about 2 -3 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush the uncooked side with a little olive oil and then flip it over. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, until golden brown.
  7. Brush both cooked sides of gozleme with a little olive oil -this will keep the gozleme moist. Cook the rest of the gozlemes the same way.
  8. You can either roll the Gozlemes to serve, or you can cut in halves or quarters. Ayran, Turkish yoghurt drink or Turkish tea, cay would go really well next to Gozleme.
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Watermelon and White Cheese (Feta) Salad; Karpuz, Peynir, Ekmek

Watermelon and Turkish white cheese (or feta) Salad; Karpuz, peynir, ekmek

Watermelon and Turkish white cheese (or feta) Salad; Karpuz, peynir, ekmek

Watermelon, or karpuz, as we call it in Turkish, is a much loved summer fruit and my daughter’s favorite. I remember as a child, cooling the watermelon at my grandmother’s little fountain in her courtyard in Antakya (and we children dipping in and out of the fountain to cool down, along with the watermelon). We would eagerly wait for our cool slice of watermelon, and that heavenly very first bite into the sweet, refreshing fruit – happy days.

This is a typical, refreshing and delicious salad we Turks love. A very simple one too, with only watermelon, Turkish beyaz peynir, white cheese (or feta cheese) and a few fresh mint leaves in it. Ripe, juicy and sweet watermelon doesn’t really require any other dressing in this salad and complement the mildly salty white cheese or feta cheese very well. We love this salad as part of our summer Turkish breakfast, for lunch or as a side to grills. With fresh Pide bread, ekmek by the side, this watermelon and feta salad is one of the highlights of summer for me.

Beautiful flowers in Bodrum, Turkey

Beautiful flowers in Bodrum, Turkey

I am passionate about healthy, delicious Turkish cuisine; over 90 authentic Turkish recipes are included at my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland. Signed copies now 30 % off for a limited time here and delivered worldwide including the US.

Afiyet Olsun, 

Ozlem

5.0 from 1 reviews
Watermelon and White Cheese (Feta) Salad; Karpuz, Peynir, Ekmek
 
Watermelon, karpuz is a much loved summer fruit in Turkey and this watermelon and feta salad is one of the highlights of summer for me. Ripe, juicy and sweet watermelon doesn’t really require any other dressing in this salad and complement the mildly salty white cheese or feta cheese very well. We love this salad as part of our summer Turkish breakfast, for lunch or as a side to the grills.
Author:
Recipe type: Healthy Turkish Salads
Cuisine: Turkish Cuisine
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 3 slices of medium, ripe and cool watermelon
  • 200 gr / 7 oz. Turkish white cheese, beyaz peynir or feta cheese
  • Fresh mint leaves to decorate
Instructions
  1. Keep the watermelon in the fridge for 2 hours to cool, prior to cutting.
  2. Slice the watermelon and cut the skin. Take out the large seeds in the watermelon (smaller seeds don’t bother us and we leave, you can take them out if you prefer).
  3. Cut the watermelon into about 1 in (2,5 cm) cubes or small wedges. Place the watermelon in a serving plate.
  4. Drain the juice of the Turkish white cheese or feta cheese and cut into small cubes (again about 1 in/ 2,5 cm).
  5. Gently toss the feta cheese and watermelon in the serving plate and garnish with fresh mint leaves.
  6. Serve immediately with fresh Pide bread or pita bread slices by the side. This refreshing salad is delicious as part of Turkish style breakfast or lunch. You can also serve watermelon and feta salad with grilled fish, meat and vegetables.
 

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