Lahmajun

We love lahmajun so we baked it yet again! You can find the recipe here.

Kunefe (Kanafeh)

Kunefe has been a staple of the cuisines of the Ottoman Empire in the Eastern Mediterranean. Traditionally, it is cooked in small copper plates, served hot in syrup with a dollop of clotted cream kaymak and pistachios (or walnuts) all over the top.

Ingredients

• 1 Package Shredded Dough (kataifi) ~ 450 gr
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cup sweet cheese

Syrup

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups water
• 1 slice lemon

Sweet cheese is sold in specialty stores but if you cannot find it you may also use unsalted Mozzarella cheese instead. I've also heard some people successfully using ricotta cheese but I've never tried it myself. Sweet cheese provides the best texture, though!

In different middle eastern recipes for kunefe, you may come across to rose water or orange blossom water as an ingredient for the syrup. In Turkey, we don't use any of these. I guess it's the strong flavor that takes over the dessert which is not all that appealing to our taste buds. Feel free to experiment, though. Also, lemon juice is not added for a different flavor, but to enhance the consistency of the syrup.

Preparation

This recipe is for 2 "frying pan" size kunefes. Now, we do not bake this dessert, but cook it on the stove. I know, you've seen recipes where you actually do the baking but this version is simpler and the dough doesn't dry as much. (Oven or stove, it all depends how you like it). You need a good non-stick frying pan which is shallow, a wok won't do the job.

1. Put half a package of shredded dough in the food processor and pulse a few times. Then, do the same for the other half. If you'd like you can do that with your hands. In a large bowl combine the dough with the butter, mixing with hands until every strand is evenly coated with the butter. 
2. For the first pan, simply put 1/4 of the dough-butter mixture and firmly press down. 
3. Spread half the cheese, evenly. Then put another 1/4 of the dough-butter mixture and again, firmly press down.
4. Meanwhile prepare the syrup. For the syrup, simply mix sugar and water in a saucepan and boil. After it comes to a boil, let simmer for 5 minutes and add the lemon juice and let boil for another 2-3 minutes. 
5. Pour the hot syrup on the hot kunefe. 
6. Sprinkle with ground pistachios and serve immediately after the kataifi absorbs the syrup. It should still be piping hot and make sure you have a good knife to cut through.

Kale Leaf Dolma

Ingredients

• 2 lb. kale
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 3 medium sized onions - diced
• 2 medium sized tomatoes - diced
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/4 cup rice - uncooked
• 8-9 stems of fresh parsley - finely chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsps butter
• 1 tbsp cooking oil

Before I get into detail with the prep process, I'd like to say a few words on the kale. In general, dolma is regarded as an appetizer. However, the kale leaf dolmas are prepared with ground beef, hence is considered a main dish. Kale is large enough to be a wrapper and tough enough to hold some filling and it has larger and tougher leaves compared to the grape vine. Some nice chard may work instead of kale as well but always remember, it never replaces the taste of kale .

Preparation

1. Kale wrappers
You should start off with properly washing the kale leaves. There is grit hiding between the leaves and you don't want to eat that. Then, get rid of the stems. In a large pot, boil 5 quarts of water and add the leaves in. Boil the leaves for 10-15 minutes. Pull the leaves out and let them cool a little.

2. Rice filling
In a mixing bowl, simply add ground beef, onions, tomatoes, tomato paste, rice, parsley, salt and pepper. Add two tablespoons of water and mix well. At this point you may add a dash of cumin and dried mint. I didn't list these two in the ingredient list as they are not the traditional spices for this dish. I personally like the health benefits come cooking with these.

3. Assembling
Even if the kale leaves are small, de-bone all of the leaves. They'll be easier to work with and more appealing to eye when eating. Lie a leaf on a flat working surface, shiny side down. Place about 2 tablespoons of rice filling near the stem end. Fold in that end and then the sides, while rolling up nice and neat. Repeat until you're done with all the leaves. Line the bottom of the pan with some kale leaves. (That'll prevent the actual dolmas from sticking.) Place the dolmas on the kale leaves. Add dabs of over the dolmas and pour in water or stock. It's better if you put a heat resistant plate on the top to keep the dolmas  pressed down. Cook covered over medium heat.

Dolmas are generally served with a cup of yogurt on the side.

Kuymak (or Kuymack or Mich-lama)

Translating the name of this dish was a toughie even though it's an essentially bland and simple food. Basically, it is polenta with cheese but not as thick as the Italian version. It has a thick pouring sauce consistency.

This dish - you may call it a mush if you'd like - is particular to the northern part of Turkey. It is a very popular breakfast dish mostly in the cities along the Black Sea coastal region. However, you can enjoy it any time of day.

Ingredients

• 1 cup corn meal
• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 cup cheese
• salt to taste

Before I get to instructions, I have to stop here to talk about the cheese. The cheese for this dish is specially sold in stores in Turkey and not readily available here in the U.S. The original cheese for this is called minzi and it's some sort of dry skim milk cheese. You can substitute shredded mozzarella, cheddar, monterey jack, pepper jack  or feta cheese if you'd like. As I've mentioned, the cheese has to be dry. Don't waste your time experimenting with, let's say, cottage cheese, or the like. I strongly recommend a 50-50 mixture of mozzarella and feta. Feta is rich in flavor but not strong enough to dominate the dish when there is mozzarella. My two cents...

Preparation

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan. After the butter is fully melted - but definitely not browned - add the corn meal. 
2. Keep stirring until corn meal turns a little brownish. Be careful not to burn the corn meal. (Well, in that case you have to start all over again!) 
3. Add hot water to corn meal and stir until it thickens. After that, add the cheese and cook for another 5 minutes. 
4. Add the salt and keep stirring. 
5. Serve immediately. 

It's also worth mentioning that you need to be careful with feta cheese, especially the fat-free kind. It's very salty and you may not need to add any salt at all. It sure depends on how salty you like.

Afyon's Turkish Delight

Ingredients

• 1/2 pint heavy whipping cream  (If you have cool whip in hand, use that instead. You can even play around and use flavored cool whip, strawberry works the best!)
• Fine coconut flakes (not the shredded coconut)*

Custard

• 5 cups milk
• 1 cup sugar1/2 cup flour

Preparation
 In a saucepan, on medium heat, stir constantly mix all the ingredients. You need to stir until it comes to a boil. It should be all bubbly on the surface and have a pudding like consistency. Let it cool down, but not completely.

Assembling

1. Generously line a tray with plastic wrap and make sure the wrap is hanging from the sides. (This will come in handy for the final step. ) Sprinkle with the coconut flakes.
2. Carefully pour the custard on top of the flakes. You may want to use a large spoon so that the flakes are distributed evenly underneath the custard layer. 
3. Put the tray in the fridge and let the custard completely cool down for around an hour. After an hour, take the tray out and spread whipped cream/cool whip on top. 
4. Place in the fridge once again for up to a day if you want to plan ahead for your guests. If you're serving the same day, then take it out after another hour in the fridge. 
5. When you're ready to serve, fold the desert in half by slowly pulling the plastic wrap over. Now your desert will be two-layered like a sandwich, and you'll have coconut flakes at both ends. 
6. If you want to go for a non-empty sandwich, you can sprinkle with the finely crushed nut of your choice, then get to folding. After you're successfully done with folding, slice as you like.

*This can be found at the Turkish store or any other international grocery store.

Kabak Kaliyah (Zucchini Dish)

  
Ingredients

• 1 big or 2 small onions - diced
• 1 clove garlic - crushed
• 2 lb ground beef
• 2 tbsps tomato paste
• 5 medium tomatoes - grated*
• 3 lb zucchini - preferably white
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup Mozzarella cheese (optional)

Bechamel Sauce

• 3 tbsps butter
• 3 tbsps flour 
• 3 cups milk 
• black pepper and salt to taste

*Substitute 2 cans of crushed or very small diced tomatoes. Make sure you strain the cans well.

Preparation

1. Saute the onions and garlic in olive oil. Add ground beef and when it's done add salt and pepper. Add tomatoes and the tomato paste and continue to cook for another 10 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, prepare zucchinis. Traditionally, we remove the skin off the zucchini but you don't necessarily need to. Unless your zucchinis are waxed, then definitely go without the skin!
3. Cut zucchinis by half, lengthwise and fry them in your favorite cooking oil.

Prepare the White Sauce (Béchamel Sauce)

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour. Vigorously stirring, slowly pour milk. If you think the sauce is too thick, you may add some more milk.

Assembling

1. Place your fried zucchinis on an oven safe dish. Put a tablespoonful or two from the ground beef mixture. 
2. Once you're done with stuffing your zucchinis, pour the bechamel sauce over to cover. 
3. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese on top. (We didn't have any cheese when we were making this though!)
4. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or so until the cheese is melted.