For Those who Love Sour Tastes: Smilax

I have previously given you the stir fry version of smilax which is also known as catbriers, greenbriers, prickly-ivys or sarsaparilla. I later decided to cook the stew version. This dish is the first of its kind, there are no other recipes out there. So if you would like to have a taste this sour dish, go ahead and try it out. Don't forget you can add yoghurt mixed with crushed garlic as a topping. They go wonderfully well together!

Green Lentil Soup with Vegetables

It's a known fact that green lentils are a rich source of protein. Always try to cook lentils frequently. There are so many ways lentils can be cooked I don't think it will be that difficult. Here is a lentil recipe with vegetables which makes lentils even more nourishing than they already are:

Stuffed Peppers in Olive Oil

Who can just stand there and not taste a lovely dish made with olive oil, especially stuffed peppers? Most folk hesitate to make it at home, thinking it's a difficult job to prepare stuffed peppers but of course here I am to "prove them wrong!" If you know the job it only takes 40 minutes to prepare this lovely dish. Here are the secrets, just follow:

Ingredients

• 750 gr small regular shaped green bell peppers
• 1 and a 1/2 cups of rice, washed and strained
• 2 middle size onions, chopped
• 2 middle size tomatoes, sliced
• 1/2 a bunch of parsley, stems removed and chopped
• 5-6 stems of fresh mint, stems removed and chopped or 1 teaspoon of dry mint
• 1 tablespoon of small currants
• 1 tablespoon of pine nuts
• 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
• 1 lemon
• 1 small cup of olive oil
• 2 cups of hot water
• Salt

Directions

1. The stuffing: pour half of the olive oil in a pot, add the pine nuts, currants and chopped onion and cook for 1 minute. Next, add the strained rice and stir for 2 minutes on low heat. Take it off the heat and add the chopped parsley and mint, ground black pepper and salt. Mix it all together and let it cool.
2. Meanwhile, core the bell peppers by pressing gently into the stem part with your thumb and taking out the core with the help of a knife.
3. Stuff the peppers with the rice mixture, with the help of a teaspoon. Be careful not to stuff too much, leave a gap of 1 cm empty, and keep the stuffing loose.
4. Close the peppers with a slice of tomatoe and place them in a pot open side up. Keep them tight. If the pot is too big, use a smaller one.
5. Slice up the lemon and cut the rinds off. Place the lemons on the stuffed peppers.
6. Add the rest of the olive oil and 2 cups of hot water. Close the lid and cook for 15-20 minutes on low heat.
7. Let it brew and serve cold.

Any Questions?

• I've had a peep of other recipes. Some say you should put a cup of water in the stuffing, some say you should stuff the peppers with cooked rice. Don't believe them it's a lie! If you don't want your stuffings to be mushy follow this recipe.
• Again I've seen some recipes using 6-8 onions. Don't even think about it.
• As I've said before the ratio of rice to water is still the same: 1 cup of rice to 1 and a 1/2 cups of water. No more no less.
• When cooked there should be 2 cm of liquid in the pot beneath the peppers. If you cook too much and the water boils down, then the stuffing will dry out as it waits.

Fried Okra with Yoghurt

You already know Okra Stew from my previous posts. I hope you have tried it because it's worth it. This post, as you have guessed is another delicious dish of okra, "Fried Okra with Yoghurt". The first time I tried it I loved it. It's amazing. Be sure I will cook fried okra a lot from now on!

Fresh Blackeye Beans with Olive Oil

Nowadays I have my mind set on cold dishes made with olive oil. These dishes are generally served as aperatives, and have a seperate place in the Turkish cuisine. You cook them, cool them and eat them. These cold dishes are light and are best eaten as main course in the summer. Here is one of those cold dishes made with olive oil: Fresh Blackeye Beans with Olive Oil.

A Cold dish of Pinto Beans in Olive oil (Barbunya Pilaki)

This is a dish made of pinto beans and it's delicious when served cold. Generally it's difficult to get the right texture for this dish, some make it too mushy, and some don't cook it enough, you could break a tooth with the pinto bean. This dish is called "barbunya pilaki" in Turkey. "Barbunya" is the name of the bean, and "pilaki" is the name of the dish. Here's the recipe:

Aubergine with Vegetable Stuffing - Imambayildi and its Story

Imambayildi! This is the name of the delicious dish of aubergines stuffed with vegetables in Turkish, and it means "The imam (prayer leader) fainted." There are a few stories of where this dish got this weird name. I've investigated the subject and come up with this story:

Get Ready for the Winter with Blackberry Jam

Don't hesitate if you are fond of jam. It's the right time. Here is an easy recipe. Enjoy!

Okra Stew without the Slime

"Okra!" Some love it, and some hate it because of the "slimy, sticky substance" it secretes when cooked. If you know the job this great vegetable won't go gooey, and let you down. Okra deserves much more than to be disregarded because of this sticky stuff. It's right in season and here is "a very light recipe made with only one tablespoon of olive oil and no slime." In these summer days, if you want to keep in shape, it would be a great decision to try okra. Give it a try you'll love the texture!

Nettle Salad with Tomatoe Sauce

I previously gave you a recipe for "Stinging Nettle Puree." If you are fond of nettle I bet you will love this recipe for "nettle salad with tomatoe sauce".


Ingredients

• 250 gr of stinging nettle
• 2 middle sized tomatoes, grated
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 middle size onion, chopped finely
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1 tablespoon of grape vinegar
• 1/2 a small cup of olive oil
• 1 stem of parsley leaves
• 1 stem of dill leaves
• Salt
• A Pair of thin rubber gloves

Directions

1. Remove the leaves of the stinging nettle from the stems with rubber gloves, and wash. Be careful it really does sting!


2. Put the nettle in hot water and boil for 10-15 minutes. When the nettles can be squashed with a spoon it's cooked.


3. Put the nettle in a striner and press out the juice with the help of a spoon. Put the nettle in a service plate.


4. Mix the grated tomatoe, finely chopped onion, crushed garlic, olive oil, vinegar, salt and lemon juice in a seperate bowl.


5. Pour this mixture over the nettle and add the parsley and dill for decoration.
   

Afiyet olsun!

Ice Cold Minty Lemonade

I know you're used to drinking acidic and gaseous beverages. Here's a recipe that's not only perfect for hot summer days, but is also a drink that will make you stop drinking those harmful drinks. We don't find good homemade lemonade anymore, but with this recipe I'm sure lemonade will find its way into your homes.


Ingredients

• 10 lemons
• 1/2 an orange
• 1/2 a cup of sugar
• 5 cups of water
• 5-6 leaves of fresh mint

Directions

1. Wash the orange and lemons thoroughly and scrape their rinds lightly to get rid of any pesticides and dirt.
2. Slice the lemons into two and squeeze their juice into a large bowl.
3. Add the squeezed lemons, orange, mint leaves and water into the bowl and stir until the sugar has disolved.
4. Put the mixture in the fridge. Wait for 3 hours.
5. Sieve the mixture with a fine muslin cloth.
6. Your lemonade is ready. Serve with ice cubes.

Afiyet olsun!


Notes

• We scrape the lemons to get rid of the dark spots.
• The amount of water and sugar are upto you. Add slowly and test to see if the texture is good.
• Add a few strawberries and experience an even better flavour!
  
  

Guaranteed Recipe for Rice Pilaf

Cooking rice pilaf seems to be very easy, but to get the desired texture, not too mushy, or to dry, is a task every cook must master. You can blame the rice, jasmin, baldo, calrose, basmati... whichever you choose, it isn't the rice's fault! If you know the job, it doesn't matter which rice you are cooking. "Try this recipe and get a guaranteed result for super pilaf."

Easy Recipe for Samphire Salad

People of the Mediterranean know this plant well, it's especially popular in the coastal regions. This plant grows at sea shores and because of the tides it grows half in water and half in the normal atmosphere. Besides being very tasty, it has many benefits from being a natural support of anti-aging, to preventing goitre. Now is the right time for Samphire. Get some and cook some for your summer dinners. It's easy to cook, don't hesitate!


Ingredients

• 250 gr samphire
• 1 middle size tomatoe, grated
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• juice of half a lemon
• salt

Directions

1. Cut the stems of the samphire. Becareful to cut the branchy hard parts off. Keep the soft parts. Then wash them and boil for 10-15 minutes.
2. Strain the samphire and leave to cool.
3. When cool, remove stringy bits inside each shoot, as you can see in the picture below. Hold at the root part and pull the green soft skin off.
4. When you have finished skinning, leave to strain for 3 minutes.
5. Put the samphire in a service plate. Add grated tomatoes, crushed garlic and lemon juice.
6. Finally dribble the olive oil all over, and add some lemon slices to decorate.

Afiyet olsun!

Notes

• When boiling the samphire, check to see if they have softened to see if they are cooked.
• Don't eat without garlic!
• Don't add any spices, such as dry mint, red pepper, thyme, etc...
• It has a sweet, sour, and salty taste. Check before adding any extra salt.

Feel free to ask anything that crosses your mind!

Home Made Strawberry Jam

Last weekend I came across some lovely strawberries that had that odour that reminded me of old fashion home made jam. At the spot I decided to make some jam at home. What tastes better than fruit and vegetables bought in their season? So I got the strawberries came straight home bread or on my ice cream ocasionally. I think I'll have to make some more before fresh strawberries run out in the market. With this recipe you will get approximately 2.5 kg of jam.