Baked Mushroom Chicken

You'll be amazed at the deliciousness of this simple recipe which doesn't require a lot of prep time.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sized onions - diced
• 4 mild chili peppers - diced
• 2 lb. mushrooms
• 2 lb. chicken - cut into bite sized cubes
• 3 medium sized tomatoes
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella *
• curry powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• thyme (optional) ** 

Preparation:

1. In medium heat, saute the onions in olive oil until translucent. Add the peppers and cook them until peppers begin to soften. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 400F.
2. Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Turn the heat up to high and add tomatoes and mushrooms. Cook until chicken and mushrooms are fully cooked.
4. Add the seasonings and fold.
5. Transfer to a casserole dish.
6. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella and bake uncovered until the cheese melts.

* If you like parmesan better than mozzarella, then you can substitute parmesan instead or use half a cup of each. To Turkish taste buds, parmesan is stronger and thus not preferred for all that much.

** You may want to use thyme sparingly in this recipe since it has a strong taste. Traditionally, we add dried thyme as fresh form of thyme is more flavorful. As with bay, thyme is slow to release its flavors so add it early in the cooking process.

ASURE (Noah’s Pudding)

Ingredients (makes 30 servings):

• 1 cup wheat
• 1 cup white beans
• 1 cup garbanzo beans
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup almonds
• 3/4 cup peanuts
• 12 dried apricots
• 5 1/2 cups sugar
• Water (enough to cover)
• Topping: walnuts, cinnamon

Preparation:

1. Soak wheat, white beans, garbanzo beans and almonds in water overnight.
2. Boil the above ingredients; remove the outer shell or skin.
3. Soak the raisins in boiling water until they soften.
4. Put all the ingredients above (steps 1-3) in a large pot and boil. Add peanuts and almonds (peeled and cut in half) at this point.
5. Chop the apricot into small pieces; add to mixture along with sugar.
6. Boil for 10-15 minutes.
7. Enjoy your pudding!

*These are the ingredients we chose. Feel free to experiment with other grains, fruits and nuts. Pomegranate, sesame seeds and orange peel are recommended.

Baked Rice Pudding (Sutlac)

Ingredients:

• 4 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup rice
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla sugar

Preparation:

1. Wash the rice and boil with 2 cups of water until water is soaked.
2. Add milk, sugar and vanilla and stir on low heat for 15-20 minutes until it boils.
3. Mix corn starch with a little bit of water in a cup until it is smooth. Then add it slowly to the pot and continue stirring for 5 more minutes.
4. Pour pudding into ovenproof bowls and broil them until the top is brown.
5. Chill and serve.

Roasted Eggplant Salad

Ingredients:

• 7-8 roasted eggplant
• 2 roasted green pepper
• 2 roasted red pepper
• 1 red onion (chopped)
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 bunch Italian parsley (minced)
• Salt, black pepper, paprika
• lemon juice

Preparation:

1. Chop roasted veggies in small cubes and mix them in a large bowl.
2. Add garlic, onion and, parsley, and season with salt, paprika and black pepper.
3. Add olive oil and lemon juice and stir them well. Place on a platter to serve.

Sekerpare

Ingredients:

Cookies:

• 2 sticks butter (at room temperature)
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 5 tbsp semolina
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 lemon or orange zest (optional)
• nuts for the top (preferably hazelnut)
• flour (2.5-3 cups)

Syrup:

• 3 cups sugar
• 4 cups water
• half a lemon juice

Preparation:

1. Start with preparing the syrup. Mix water and sugar in a pot. Add lemon juice and let the mixture boil for 7-8 minutes. Set it aside to cool down while making the cookies.
2. Mix butter, powdered sugar, semolina, eggs and vanilla; add flour (little by little) and baking powder to make soft dough.
3. Take walnut sized pieces from the dough and shape them into round balls; place them on a tray and put a nut on top of each one.
4. Bake cookies in a preheated oven at 350 degrees.
5. After removing the cookies from the oven, wait for 3 minutes and then pour the syrup on top of the cookies. Let them absorb the syrup until you serve.

Lahmajun

Ingredients:

• 1 pack of flour tortilla (cooked or uncooked)
• 1/2 pound ground lamb (or beef)
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1 large onion (finely chopped)
• 2 tomatoes (finely chopped)
• 1 small red pepper (finely chopped)
• 1 tbsp pepper paste
• 1 tbsp pepper paste
• 1 tbsp butter (at room temp)
• 1 tsp flaked peppers
• 1-2 garlic cloves (crushed)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup water

Preparation:

1. Set aside tortillas, ground beef, parsley and water and mix and knead rest of the ingredients. Add ground beef and parsley and continue kneading. Add water.
2. Place aluminum foil on the oven rack or use a tray. Heat oven to 450 degrees.
3. Spread the mixture on the tortilla as a thin layer with the aid of some water and place it on the foil. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
4. Fold cooked lahmajuns in half and stack them on a paper towel in a pot with lid closed to keep warm.