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Turkish granny's recipes

       Preparation    

 

Place the tarhana and 1/2 cup of water in a bowl. Leave it alone for 1-2 hours for tarhana to dissolve a bit stirring occasionally. In a pot, take butter and tomatoes. Saute over medium heat. Then, add in the rest of the ingredients. Cook over low-medium heat stirring constantly. Adjust consistency of the soup as you like by adding more water if you prefer.You can serve Tarhana Soup with crumbled feta cheese or croutons on top.

   Tarhana Soup    

:           Ingredients   

 

  • 3 tbsp tarhana

  • 2 tbsp crushed/grated tomatoes

  • 2 tbsp butter

  • 3-4 cups chicken broth/water+bouillon

  • 1 tsp salt to taste

  • Croutons/feta cheese for garnish

   Yogurt Soup   

:           Ingredients   

 

 

  • 2/3 cup yogurt, whisked

  • 3 tbsp flour, heaping

  • 6-7 cups chicken stock/water and chicken bouillon

  • 3 tbsp oil/butter

  • 1 tbsp salt to taste

  • Mint/paprika/black pepper​

       Preparation    

 

In a pot, sauté flour and oil/butter over medium heat, till the mixture turns to a light brown color. Then add chicken stock or water and chicken bouillon. Stir continuously and before it boils, stir in yogurt and salt. Simmer over low heat for 5-8 minutes.For the garnish in a small frying pan, melt butter or place oil over low-medium heat. When it starts spitting, stir in the paprika and turn the heat off. Pour over the soup. Also another alternative is to sprinkle dried mint or black pepper on top.Serve Yogurt Soup warm.

      Çoban Salade       

:           Ingredients   

 

 

  • 2 large Tomatoes, peeled,seeded & diced

  • 2 cucumbers, peeled,seeded & diced

  • 3 small green peppers or 3 small wax peppers

  • 6 radishes, thinly sliced (optional)

  • 3 green onions (white part only sliced) or 1 white onion, sliced into rings

  • 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

  • 6 tablespoons lemon juice 1/4 cup olive oil salt and pepper

       Preparation    

 

Have all the vegetables cut into similar size, dicedEnglish cucumbers work best; remove seeds from larger ones.Combine all ingredients in bowl.Mix dressing and gently toss just before serving salt and pepper to taste.

       Rice Stuffed Bell Peppers       

:           Ingredients   

 

 

  • 2 lb (~1kg) bell peppers

  • 1 cup rice, washed and drained

  • 2 onions, finely chopped

  • 1 tomato, diced

  • 1 tsp tomato paste

  • ½ cup olive oil

  • 1 cup hot water

  • 1 tbsp dried/fresh mint

  • ½ tsp allspice

  • ¼ tsp cinnamon

  • ½ tsp sugar

  • 1 tbsp salt

  • ½ tomato, sliced in 4 pieces for caps

       Preparation    

 

Cut tops off peppers, remove seeds and wash. In a saucepan, place the olive oil and finely chopped onions. Sauté lightly. Add chopped tomatoes and tomato paste, sauté for 3 more minutes. Add the rice and braise for 5 minutes. Then add salt, sugar, allspice, cinnamon, dried mint and1 cup hot water. Stir and simmer until all liquid is evaporated. Let it cool. With a spoon fill the peppers with the mixture. Place one slice of tomato as a cap on top of each pepper. In a large saucepan or pot, place the rice stuffed bell peppers in the bottom. Add warm water, enough to almost cover half height of the peppers.Close the lid and cook on low-medium heat, until the peppers get soft, for about 15-20 minutes. Cool before serving.

       Eggplant Mousaka with Mushrooms     

:           Ingredients   

 

 

  • 2 eggplants, peeled and cut into chunks

  • 1 big onion, chopped

  • ½ lb (200 gr) ground beef

  • ½ lb mushrooms, cut in quarters

  • 2 tomatoes, diced

  • 1 cup oil for frying the eggplant

  • 1 green pepper, chopped

  • 1 tsp salt

  • ½ tsp black pepper

  • 2 cloves of garlic, sliced thin (optional)

  • ½ cup hot or warm water

       Preparation    

 

Peel the whole eggplant and chop in chunks. Then, place them in a bowl and cover the eggplants with water. Let them stand for 30 minutes in water. Then, drain and wipe the eggplants with a paper towel. In a large skillet place the oil and lightly fry the eggplants until they change in color. Do not over fry. Place the fried eggplant pieces in a Pyrex dish and sprinkle salt on them.Place the ground beef and 1 tbsp oil and cook until the meat changes in color. You can use the same skillet or a smaller one. Then, add chopped onions and sauté for 2 minutes. Add chopped peppers, garlic (optional) and mushrooms. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and salt to taste. Sauté for 5 minutes. Finally add black pepper and give a stir. Spread this mixture evenly on the fried eggplants and add the hot water.Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C) and cook for about 20-25 minutes.You can serve this dish with pilaf and yogurt.

      Zucchini-Potato Fritters    

:           Ingredients   

 

 

  • 1 zucchini, grated

  • 2 potatoes, grated

  • 1 large onion, grated/finely chopped

  • 2 eggs

  • ¼ cup flour

  • ½ tsp black pepper

  • 1 tsp salt to taste

  • ½ cup canola oil for frying

  • Ripe tomato slices and basil for top

       Preparation    

 

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, but eggs and oil. Then stir in beaten eggs and get ready for frying (eggs make the mixture juicy). If your mixture gets juicy, drain the excess water.In a wide skillet, sizzle oil and drop 2 table spoon of mixture into it. Then press gently to flatten and give a pate shape. Fry both sides till they get golden brown over high medium heat. Place fried Zucchini-Potato Fritters over a paper towel to get rid of the excess oil.

      Stuffed Collard Greens 

:           Ingredients   

 

 

  • 2 bunch collard green

  • 2 onions, chopped

  • 1 ½ cup rice, washed and drained

  • ½ lb ground beef

  • 1 tsp tomato paste

  • 1 tsp dried mint

  • ½ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

  • ½ tsp pepper

  • 1/3 cup canola oil

  • 1 tsp salt to taste

  • Hot water

       Preparation    

 

Wash the leaves several times to make sure they are all clean. Remove the center stalks from the leaves and cut the large leaves into three triangular pieces. Cut the smaller leaves into two pieces.Take the collard greens in a pot and boil for 2 minutes in salty water. Then, drain and let them cool for a while.Combine all the other ingredients, but the water in a big bowl.Take one piece of leave and place one Tbsp of filling on the larger side. Then, fold the sides inside and roll it as seen in the picture. Repeat the same procedure for all off the pieces.Place all the rolls side-by-side in a large pot. Add hot water just to cover the rolls. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Then, turn the heat down and cover the lid. Simmer for about 40 minutes or until the rolls are tender.Serve it warm preferably with yogurt or cacik.

      Turkish Rice Pudding    

:           Ingredients   

 

 

  • 1/2 cup rice (short or whole grained), washed, drained

  • 1 cup water

  • 2 cups whole milk

  • 8 tbsp sugar

  • 1 egg yolk, whisked

  • 1 tbsp corn starch, heaping

  • ½ tsp vanilla extract Cinnamon

  • Pomegranate pieces

       Preparation    

 

In a pot place the water and, washed and drained rice. Put them over high-medium heat. After the bubbles come out, close the lid and turn on low-medium heat. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon. Simmer till small amount of water remains.Add the milk, whisked egg yolk and sugar and stir. Meanwhile, dissolve the starch in 3 tbsp of milk and add it to the rice pudding. Stir constantly. When you see the bubbles on the surface, add the vanilla extract and cook for 2-3 minutes over low heat.This recipe makes 4 bowls of Turkish rice pudding. But you can make it 6 servings by using smaller bowls.With a ladle, pour the Turkish rice pudding into small glass or porcelain bowls. Let them cool in the fridge for 1-2 hours.Before serving sprinkle some cinnamon or pomegranate pieces on top.NOTE: Do not sprinkle cinnamon right after you pour the rice pudding to the bowls. This would let the microorganisms grow fast at the contact surface of cinnamon and the hot surface of the rice pudding which may lead to foodborne diseases. Make sure you sprinkle the cinnamon just before serving the cooled rice pudding.

:           Ingredients   

 

 

  • 500 gr (~1lb) shredded dough

  • 4 Tbsp butter

  • 300 gr unsalted cecil cheese (mozzarella works too)

  • 3 cups sugar

  • 3 cups water

  • Ground pistachio for garnish

      Kunefe    

       Preparation    

 

In a pot, prepare the syrup mixing 3 cups of sugar and 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Then turn the heat off and let it cool.Melt the butter and pour all over the shredded dough. Mix it using your hands and make sure they get mixed up well. Meanwhile, split the shredded dough into small pieces by pulling them apart with your fingers. Grease a middle size oven tray or Pyrex. Then, spread half of the shredded dough and press down using your hands. Slice unsalted cecil cheese or Mozzarella (about ¼ inch thick). Place sliced cheese over the shredded dough evenly and then, cover with the remaining half of the shredded dough. Again press down to compress using your hands.Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C) and bake Kunefe until the top turns light brown. Then, take it out of the oven and turn upside down with the help of a flat tray. Again bake until the other side turns light brown. Pour the cooled syrup all over the hot Kunefe and set aside for 5-7 minutes before serving.After the syrup is absorbed slice the Kunefe as you like and garnish with ground pistachio.

      Spninach Cake    

        

       Preparation    

 

Puree spinach in a food processor and put aside. In a wide bowl, mix sugar and eggs with a mixer till it gets foamy. Add lemon juice, canola oil and spinach. Then, add baking powder, vanilla and flour. Mix for 3-4 minutes till obtaining a smooth mixture. Then pour it into greased Pyrex (~3L).Bake in a preheated 375 F (190C) oven for about 30-40 minutes. Check if it’s done inserting a toothpick into the cake. It is done, if it comes out clean.Let it cool down and then take out of the Pyrex. Cut off the sides off about ½ inch wide and powder them in the food processor. Set aside. Place the cake over a serving plate; spread whipped cream on top evenly. Then, sift the powdered cake on top of the cream. Slice it up and serve. 

:           Ingredients   

 

 

  • 2 eggs

  • 1 ½ cup sugar

  • 2 cups flour

  • ½ cup canola oil

  • ½ or 1 cup spinach, pureed

  • 1 package/1 tsp baking powder

  • 1 package/1 tsp vanilla

  • 2 tbsp lemon juice (optional)

  • 250-300 gr whipped cream

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