Pastry triangles with leeks, onions & cheese – and more delicious brunch ideas

Posted by Ozlem on Apr 12, 2012 in Appetizers and Mezes, Salads, Turkish Breakfast | 16 comments

Fresh and dried fruits are amongst the breakfast spread in Turkey

Life evolves around food in Turkey, and it all starts with breakfast. Our traditional breakfast includes fresh and dried fruit, wonderful olives, feta and cheddar cheese, eggs done in different ways, pastries and many more. We also like to have sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, as well as dried fruits and nuts with yoghurt and honey. In rural parts of Anatolia, this hearty lentil soup may well be the main event for breakfast. Although now, with the modern pace of life we mostly turn to cereal boxes during the weekdays, it is at the weekends that we indulge ourselves to a delicious brunch, Turkish style.

Olives, dried fruit, nuts, grains and honey are also a part of Turkish brunch

My sister and family have been visiting us during the Easter break, and we enjoyed one of these delicious brunch moments. Here is the part of the brunch spread we had and I wanted to share. This delicious pastry with leeks, onions and cheese (you can omit cheese if preferred) is very easy to make and the sweetness of onions and leeks really work well with a touch of heat from the red pepper flakes. I like to add some grated mozzarella cheese to the mixture; for a stronger flavor you may enjoy adding strong cheddar cheese or some grated parmesan. I used ready rolled short crust pastry; you may also use ready puff pastry.

Pastry triangles with leeks, onions and cheese

There are more ideas in this post for a delicious brunch or lunch. They all tempt us at home to gather around the table, slow down and enjoy a delicious bite together – I very much hope you enjoy yours too.

Serves 6 – 8

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

1 large or 2 medium leeks, finely sliced

1 medium onion, finely chopped

400gr/14oz short crust pastry *, ready rolled

125gr/4oz grated mozzarella (or a cheese of your choice)

5ml/1tsp red pepper flakes (or more if you like!)

10ml/1tbsp olive oil

1 egg, beaten

10ml/1tbsp nigella seeds

* Thawing the pastry: If the ready pastry is frozen, take it out 2 hours before using to bring it to the room temperature. If the pastry is in the fridge, it needs to stay at the room temperature for 60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F

Sauted onions and leeks with red pepper flakes

Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan and sauté leeks and onions for about 8 minutes, until they soften. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle the red pepper flakes. Mix well and set aside to cool.

Once cool, add the grated cheese to the mixture and combine well.

Place a spoonful of the mixture in the middle of the pastry squares

Fold over the pastry to form triangles and press the edges firmly to seal.

Place the triangle pastries in the greased baking tray. Brush the pastries with the egg mixture and sprinkle the nigella seeds over them. Bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes, until they turn golden brown.

Baked leek, cheese and onion pastry triangles

This pastry is delicious as a hot snack and goes down very well with this refreshing crumbled feta cheese with tomatoes, cucumbers and spring onion salad.

Crumbled feta cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers and spring onion salad with olive oil dressing

No Turkish brunch is complete without eggs, and how would you like yours? Here is the ever popular fried eggs with Turkish spicy sausages, sucuk (made of dried cured beef with garlic, cumin and red pepper flakes).

Ultimate Turkish breakfast; eggs with spicy Turkish sausages, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, sesame coated pastry rings, simit and Turkish tea - cay

If you rather prefer a vegetarian version, here is the Turkish style delicious and healthy eggs with spinach and onion.

I hope all these inspire you to knock up something delicious for brunch next time.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

MarkeTurk; Online Turkish Supermarket

 I have just come across another wonderful source to get Turkish ingredients in the UK. MarkeTurk, the online Turkish Supermarket, is an excellent source to get extensive Turkish ingredients including spices, legumes, red pepper paste, dairy products, pastries, fruit and vegetable and many more.

They offer a quality and reliable service; if you place your order before 4pm you get your shopping delivered to your door step the same day at the time slot you choose.

If ordering from the US, the Turkish online store Tulumba.com offers a great variety of  Turkish ingredients and food items.

Leftovers Supper – Eggs with Potatoes, Bell Peppers and Spring Onions – Patatesli, Biberli Sahan Yumurta

Posted by Ozlem on Jul 4, 2011 in Turkish Breakfast, Uncategorized | 2 comments

Do you do leftovers suppers? We do it quite often and must say I really enjoy it. Not only you finish up all the bits and bobs remaining, but also it is easy to prepare and can turn to delicious suppers. I usually have a few boiled leftover potatoes, the odd bell pepper or courgette (zucchini) waiting for their turn to be finished. And me being an egg lover, vegetables usually end up marrying with eggs.

This supper is super easy to prepare and you can use any vegetable in your fridge that needs finishing; mushroom, onions, peppers, courgettes all work very well. I especially love to add potato and sprinkle some cumin over them; the light smoky flavor of cumin is magical on sautéed potatoes, combined with eggs. Another good example of how you can add wonderful flavors to dishes using spices. With some green salad (or garlicky yoghurt) and crusty bread by the side, this is quite a perfect leftovers dinner for me or a lovely brunch treat

Serves 1-2
Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 8 minutes

2 free range medium eggs
1/4 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
2 spring (green) onions, coarsely chopped
1-2 small boiled potatoes, coarsely chopped
15ml/1 tablespoon olive oil
5ml/1 teaspoon ground cumin
5ml/1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Green Salad (of lettuce, cucumbers, radishes and anything else you fancy) to serve by the side
Fresh crusty bread to serve by the side

Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan and stir in the chopped boiled potatoes and bell peppers. Sprinkle half of the ground cumin and red pepper flakes over them and season with salt and black pepper. Stir and sauté for about 3-4 minutes over medium heat and let the spices infuse on the vegetables. Stir in the spring (green) onions and cook for another minute.

Create two holes in the pan with sautéed vegetables around and crack the eggs there. Cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat, until the egg white is set and egg yolk is still runny (you can cook a little more if you like your eggs well done). Sprinkle the left over cumin and red pepper flakes over the eggs, and season with salt and pepper.

How about serving this lovely leftovers supper with some fresh green salad? Just coarsely chop the lettuce, radishes, cucumbers and tomatoes (or any salad needs finishing in your fridge!), drizzle some extra virgin olive oil and squeeze of lemon over, season with salt and pepper. You are ready to go!

Serve the eggs hot with green salad and some crusty bread by the side.

Afiyet Olsun!

Fried Eggs with Turkish Sucuk (dried sauages) – Sucuklu Yumurta

Posted by Ozlem on Dec 29, 2010 in Turkish Breakfast, Uncategorized | 0 comments

This is, for me, one of the main pieces of the ultimate Turkish weekend brunch (along with the delicious olives, white cheese (similar to feta), sliced cucumbers and tomatoes, home made jam, honey, Turkish pide – flat bread with sesame seeds – and many more). So I thought to share it with you, for a delicious Turkish brunch on the New Year Day, as I will do. And I sure will visualize myself enjoying this feast by a café along the Bosphrous in Istanbul and wish to make this happen at every opportunity I am at home

Shaped like a horseshoe, sucuk is a cured sausage made with lamb or beef and flavored with garlic, cumin and red pepper flakes. In rural areas, people make their own sucuk with variety of spices and hang them outside to cure. Most Middle Eastern markets carry sucuk, if you can’t find them; you may like to try with chorizo sausage or any other dried cured sausages or pastrami of your choice.

Best wishes for a happy and delicious New Year – Mutlu Yillar!

Serves 2 generously
Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 5 minutes

115gr/4oz Turkish sucuk (or any dried sausage or pastrami of your choice), sliced
2-4 medium free range eggs
30ml/2 tablespoon olive oil
5ml/1 teaspoon ground cumin
5ml/1 teaspoon red pepper (or paprika) flakes
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Crusty bread to serve
Sliced tomatoes and cucumbers to serve by the side

Heat the oil in the frying pan. Stir in the sliced sucuk (or your choice of dried sausage or pastrami) and sauté them for a minute or two until they start to brown. Scatter the sausages around the edges of the pan forming a circle. Crack the eggs in the middle and cook for a few minutes on medium heat. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle ground cumin and red pepper flakes over the eggs. Cook until the egg whites are set and the egg yolks still runny.

Serve hot with crusty bread and sliced tomatoes and cucumber by the side.

Afiyet Olsun & Mutlu Yillar!

Eggs with Spinach and Onion – Ispanakli Yumurta

Posted by Ozlem on Oct 20, 2010 in Turkish Breakfast, Uncategorized | 2 comments

I have two small children and they love eggs. They are ok with spinach though they need something else next to it that is more attractive. Eggs work well in that respect and they also get to have two vegetables, onion and spinach with a good appetite.

This is a very delicious, easy and healthy recipe and works as a treat for a weekend brunch or everyday lunch. A dollop of plain yoghurt by the side really complements this dish. As a variety, you can add some grated cheese of your choice over the egg & spinach, just a couple of minutes before you turn the heat off.

Serves 2
Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes

400gr/14oz fresh spinach leaves, washed
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 medium eggs
30ml/2tablespoon olive oil
Salt and ground pepper to taste
½ teaspoon cumin – optional-
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes – optional-

A dollop of plain yoghurt and crusty bread to serve

Heat the olive oil in a shallow pan and sauté the onions for 3-5 minutes, until they are softened. Add the spinach and let it wilt gently for 1-2 minutes, with giving a gently stir. Season with salt and pepper.

Make two hollows in the spinach mixture and drop the eggs. Cook until the whites are firm but the yolks remain soft. Sprinkle ground cumin and red pepper flakes over the eggs (if you are using). Serve immediately with plenty of crusty bread and a dollop of yoghurt by the side.

Afiyet Olsun!

Baked bread with egg, cheese, tomatoes and spring (green) onions – Firinda peynirli, yumurtali ekmek

Posted by Ozlem on Sep 19, 2010 in Turkish Breakfast, Uncategorized | 2 comments

This is a wonderful, easy to make course for the weekend brunch or everyday lunch. As a child, I used love the smell of the baked melted cheese happily married with the egg and tomato & spring onions on bread, now my children can’t get enough of it! Big bonus; even the pickiest children wouldn’t mind the tomatoes and onions baked in the mixture:)

Serves 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 20-25 minutes

4 eggs, beaten
2 medium tomatoes, finely diced
2 spring (green onions), finely chopped
100 gr/3 1/2 oz shredded cheddar or mozzarella (or crumbled feta)
15 ml/ 1 tablespoon olive oil
8 slices of bread
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 180 C/ 350 F

Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, spring (green) onions, cheese and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.

Place the slices of bread on the baking tray. Spread the mixture evenly on each slice and bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes, until the mixture starts turning to golden color.

Serve with green salad with lemon juice and olive oil dressing if you would like.

Afiyet Olsun!

Tomato, Pepper, Feta Cheese Scrambled Egg – Menemen

Posted by Ozlem on Jul 29, 2010 in Turkish Breakfast, Uncategorized | 0 comments

What do you cook when you are loaded with boxes and busy unpacking? Well, this delicious scrambled egg and vegetables is packed with flavour, it is nutritious and gets ready in minutes. Menemen is one of my homeland’s favorite brunch item, and a great street food. There are many versions of it – garlic, onion, any choice of cheese, spinach would go well too. Served with nice crusty bread and a little garlic yoghurt by the side, this dish can make a wonderful light supper or a substential lunch option.

This recipe goes to Mark, who very much enjoyed Menemen during our Fascinating Istanbul Tour in 2009 and asked for the recipe.

Serves 4

Preparation time : 5 – 10 minutes Cooking time : About 5 minutes

8 eggs
1 green bell pepper, finely sliced
3 spring (green) onions, finely sliced
4 medium tomatoes, finely diced
15 ml/1 tablespoon olive oil
15 ml/1 tablespoon butter
120 gr/4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
5-10 ml/ 1-2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat the butter and the olive oil in a frying pan. Stir in the bell pepper and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the spring onions and the tomatoes and red pepper flakes, mix well. Crack the eggs in a bowl and mix. Add the feta cheese, combine well. Stir in the egg mixture to the frying pan and give it a good stir. Scramble the eggs until they are just done, retaining their juice. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve warm with a little more red pepper flakes sprinkled if you would like. Serve with toasted or crusty bread.

Afiyet Olsun !