Delicious Chickpea Stew

Cooking chickpeas is a real task. If cooked too much, you can find yourself serving chickpea mush, or on the other hand if not cooked enough you can find yourself driving one of your guest to the emergency room for an accidentally broken tooth. This recipe you are about to read will give you the perfect way to cook a delicious chickpea stew and furthermore fulfill your state of happiness.

Tomato Soup Made from Real Tomatoes, not Tomato Paste!

Who doesn’t love tomatoe soup, especially with grated parmesan cheese and crutons? However, when we look around for the recipe we generally see that people generally make this soup from tomatoe paste, which doesn’t necessarily give the real tomato taste.

Here I present you a recipe of tomato soup you can easily make from real natural tomatoes.

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.

Bulgur (Cracked Wheat) Pilaf with many Vegetables

Bulgur pilaf is a national dish of Turkey, and goes wonderfully well with jajik. Bulgur is a form of wheat, boiled and pounded. You will probably find it at the market as "cracked wheat". Don't worry what to cook for dinner, Bulgur Pilaf is easy and nutritious.

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:

Rice Pilaf with Tomatoes

Here is a recipe of rice pilaf with tomatoes and homemade "red pepper paste".

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:

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!

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!

Here's the Real Thing: Menemen (tomatoes, peppers and eggs)

Another meal that you must, and I repeat you must try is Menemen. It's very easy to cook and delicious when you dunk you hot bread, and take those yummy bites. Yes, you heard it, the way to eat this dish is to dunk. Of course you may not want to give up your manners and stick to using your fork and knife, but I assure you, you would miss all the yummy side to yummy menemen.
Most folk cook this meal like scrambled eggs, but I prefer it this way with the eggs left whole. Besides being a good breakfast serving, I also recommend it for a light lunch or dinner. Whatever way you like, just try it out!
This recipe is for 5 servings, but be careful 2 people could easily wipe the plate clean!

Summer Vegetable Stew (Hodge podge)

Summer has arrived and it's time for abundent and cheap fresh vegetables. It's also hot and you're thinking about your vacation. Got to get rid of those extra pounds, and those celulites, but how? Here is a recipe which is nutritious, refreshing, light, and easy to prepare. If you want to get into shape try out this dish, which you may already know, but beware of the difference!

Ezo Gelin Soup With Vegetables (Red Lentil Soup)

When it’s time for Ezo Gelin Soup nothing can stand in the way. It is a warming tasty soup, which has an interesting story. This recipe is of a richened Ezo Gelin soup commonly served on the dinner tables of the East Black Sea region in Turkey.