Halibut Steak in Tomato Sauce

(Domates Soslu Kalkan Baligi)

2 Halibut steaks (Flat and bigger fish, looks like Turbot from Turkey, called Kalkan)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp butter
1 onion, sliced in rings
2 tomatoes, peeled, discard the seeds, diced
1 tbsp crushed tomato in can + 1/2 cup hot water
4 mushrooms, brushed, sliced
1 tbsp cream
Salt
Pepper

Saute the onion with butter olive oil for about 4-5 minutes.

Add water with crushed tomato, salt, pepper and halibut steak. Cover the lid. Cook for about 10 minutes over medium-low heat. Turn them over halfway. Add the mushrooms around the halibuts and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Then add the cream and stir. Turn the heat off.

Place the Halibut steaks on a service plate. Pour the sauce with mushrooms all over. Sprinkle some chopped parsley and lemon juice on top.

Meal ideas:
- Arugula Salad and Semolina Dessert with Chocolate Sauce.

Fried Zucchini with Yogurt Sauce

(Kabak Kizartmasi)

2 zucchini, peeled and cut in round slices
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sun flower oil

Yogurt Sauce:
1/2 cup plain Turkish yogurt
1 garlic clove, smashed with salt
2 tbsp dill, chopped

Put the zucchini slices on a shallow plate and pour milk all over. Leave for about 20 minutes.

Pour the flour in an another shallow plate. Remove the zucchini slices from milk (don't squeeze) and flour the both sides.

Heat up the oil and fry the zucchini slices until both sides take a light golden colour. Afterwords, place on a paper towel to soak up any extra oil. Arrange on a service plate and serve with yogurt sauce while the slices are still crunchy.

Serve at room temperature on the same day.

Meal Ideas:
- Stuffed Eggplants with Ground Beef and Shepherd's Salad.

Doner Kebab

(Pilav Ustu Doner)

2 pieces of beef tenderloin, each 200 gr
200 gr medium ground beef
Salt
Pepper

Add the salt and pepper to the ground beef. Knead and give it a round shape, then place in the middle of the two pieces of tenderloin.

Cover in plastic wrap and leave in the freezer overnight. The next day remove from the fridge 45 minutes before cutting. Use a knife, electric knife or meat cutter to shred it. Then fry in a large pan (be careful not to over-fry).

Traditionally, Pilav Ustu Doner is served on a plate with rice or bulgur pilaf and a hot sauce with melted butter and ground red pepper.

Meal Ideas:
- Turkish Style Tomato Dip or Side Salad for Kebabs.


Doner Sandwich
(Ekmek Arasi Doner)


You can serve doner in a corner of a loaf of Turkish (or French) bread or in pide (pita) with sliced onions, pickles, sliced tomatoes and shredded lettuce.

* The doner meat is normally made by slicing the meat (beef, lamb or chicken) through a rotating spit.

History of Döner:
The writings of Evliya Celebi tells us that it has been made first by Crimeans and prepared horizontally. Probably, the Döner was first cooked in vertical fire by Ottomans.

The final version of the current Doner is based on Iskender Effendi in Bursa in the years of 1800’s. Döner is prepared in different ways in various countries.

It is usually called Shawarma due to the similarity of the word (in Turkish it means "çevirme") in Arab countries. But, Döner’s and Shawarma's ingredients and tastes are not the same.

Haydari with Feta Cheese

(Beyaz Peynirli Haydari)

1/2 cup creamy (strained) yogurt
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1-2 garlic cloves, smashed with salt
1/2 tsp mint
1 small cucumber, grated
2 tbsp dill, chopped
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper, optional
Salt

Mix all the ingredients and place on a service plate. Pour some extra virgin olive oil all over. Use walnuts and black olives as garnish. Serve with pide (pita) slices.

Shrimp Kebab

(Karides Kebabi)

Large Shrimp, as much as you want, frozen or fresh, peeled and de-veined
1 red bell pepper, cut in chunks, equal amount as shrimp
Medium mushrooms, equal amount as shrimp, brushed
1 or 2 lemons, cut in 8s, equal amount as shrimp

Marinade:
50 ml extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tbsp lemon juice
2-3 garlic cloves, smashed with salt
Red pepper, crushed, optional
Salt
Pepper

Arrange lemon, shrimp, red pepper and mushrooms on the skewers.

In a bowl, whisk the marinade ingredients. Brush the marinade all over the ingredients on the skewers. Leave them in the fridge for one hour.

Preheat your barbecue or oven (grill/broil). Place the skewers on the rack and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Flip the other side and cook another 2-3 minutes.

If you have wood skewers, dip them in water first.

Meal Ideas:
- Roasted Asparagus, Mamzana and Lentil Pate.

Mamzana

(From the Trakya Region)

1 or 2 eggplants, roasted and chopped
1 red pepper, roasted and diced
1 fresh onion, chopped
1 large tomato, diced or 1 cup cherry tomatoes, in halves
1-2 cubanelle pepper, diced
2-3 tbsp parsley, chopped
Salt
Pepper

Sauce:
1-2 garlic cloves, smashed with salt
1 cup yogurt, room temperature

Garnish:
1-2 tbsp liquid oil, like sunflower oil
1 tsp hot red pepper

Place roasted eggplants in a service plate. Arrange roasted red pepper, fresh onion, tomato, cubanelle pepper and parsley on top. Sprinkle some salt and pepper. Add yogurt sauce on top. Heat up the oil in a small skillet and add the red pepper. Pour over the dish when you see it start bubbling.

You can serve this with any kind of Kebab.

Roasted Eggplant:

Before putting in the oven, make holes on the eggplant with a fork so that it will soften and cook better. Then place on an oven tray and roast for about 35 minutes on broil. Then peel it, remove any hard seeds and place in 2 cups of water with 1/2 lemon juice to prevent dark colour. Leave it in for about 5 minutes. After draining, cut into small pieces with a knife. Alternatively, you can barbecue it until softened.

Roasted Red Pepper:

Cut off the tops of the red peppers. Discard the seeds. Cut each pepper in half. Set the oven to broil (grill), and heat it up. Place the red peppers on an oven tray (inside facing down) and place in the oven. Roast them for about 15 minutes. Leave them in a paper or plastic bag for about 10 minutes to peel off the skin easily. Alternatively, you can barbecue it until softened. Just place the red peppers out side facing down on the barbecue.

Eggplant Kebab

(Patlican Kebap)

2 Chinese or Japanese eggplants, washed, cut in 3 cm thick pieces
3-4 cubanelle peppers, washed
2-3 medium tomatoes washed, cut in halves
4-5 garlic cloves, unpeeled

Meatball Ingredients:
300 gr medium ground beef
Salt
Pepper

Garnish:
Extra virgin olive oil
Mozzarella, grated
Crushed red pepper
Salt
Pepper

Knead the meatball ingredients. Shape them into medium sized balls. While maintaining the order of the eggplant pieces, alternate meatball and eggplants while skewering.

Preheat your barbecue or oven (grill). Place the skewers on the rack along with the peppers, tomato halves (inside up) and garlic cloves. Make sure to turn the skewers so that all sides of the meat and eggplants are cooked equally.


How to Serve Eggplant Kebab



Cut the meatballs into small pieces with a knife on a plate. Peel the eggplants and garlic cloves. Also peel the peppers, discard the seeds and cut in small pieces. Peel the tomatoes, cut in small pieces. Add olive oil, red pepper, salt and black pepper on top of everything and toss them. Finally sprinkle some grated cheese on top. (picture).

Wrap it with pide (pita) or arrange into a pocket pita. Eggplant Kebab is very rich in flavor and tasty. Bon apetit!

This recipe makes 2 servings.

Meal Ideas:
- Lentil Pate, Radish Salad and Ayran.

Radish Salad

(Turp Salatasi)

1 bunch radish, cut the stems and wash
1 tbsp lemon juice
Sumac
Salt

Cut the radish in thin slices. Arrange on a service plate. Sprinkle lemon juice, sumac and salt all over. Leave it in the fridge for an hour and serve with any kind of Kebab.

Milk with Banana

(Muzlu Sut)

1 ripe banana, thinly sliced
1 tsp almond, bleached, ground
1 tsp honey
1 cup milk
1 pinch cinnamon

Put the banana slices, honey, cinnamon, almond and 50 ml (3-4 tbsp) of milk into the blender. Blend for about 35-40 seconds. Pour in the rest of the milk and mix again for about 35-40 seconds. Pour into a glass and drink with the bubbles. You can also add in a couple ice cubes.

When you blend the banana with a small amount of milk at first, there won't be any small banana chunks left:)

Haddock Fillets with Sauce

(Soslu Mezgit Baligi)

250-300 gr Haddock (or Sole etc.) fillets, 4 pieces frozen
1 tbsp butter
1 onion, copped
1 garlic clove, chopped
125 gr mushrooms, sliced (fresh or in a can)
1 medium tomato, peeled and diced
1 tbsp crushed tomato, canned
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup water

125 gr cooked shrimp, frozen or fresh, cooked, peeled and deveined

Sauce:
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup cream
2 tbsp lemon juice

Garnish:
4 lemon slices
2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

Saute the onion with butter for 3-4 minutes in a pan. Add the garlic and when the smell comes out, add the mushrooms, tomato, crushed tomato, salt, pepper and stir.

Place 4 fillets on top of the vegetables in the pan. Add the water. First turn the heat to high. When the water starts bubbling, turn the heat down and simmer. Cover the lid and cook for 10 minutes. Place the fillets on a service plate. Cover with aluminum foil to keep them warm.

Add the shrimps into the pan, cook until half of the remaining water evaporates.

Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolk, lemon juice and cream. Pour slowly into the pan. Mix and turn the heat off. Don't boil the cream mixture. Pour all over the fish. Garnish with lemon slices and parsley.

Meal Ideas:
- Ezo Gelin Pilaf and Arugula Salad.