Hamur İşleri
Ramazan Pidesi
The square, heavily seeded and softer form of pide bread. Milk in the dough gives the softness.
Tatlılar
Kemalpaşa Tatlısı
Small curd cheese balls boiled in syrup until they swell. They need a long time in the syrup.
Salata & Meze
Courgette with Yoghurt (Yoğurtlu Kabak)
Grated courgette cooked in olive oil. How far its liquid goes decides the texture of the meze.
Çorbalar
Chicken and Vegetable Soup (Tavuklu Sebze Çorbası)
The soup you drink when you are ill. Chicken, carrot, celery and plenty of vegetables; no thickening, no…
Kahvaltılık
Strawberry Jam (Çilek Reçeli)
The strawberries sit in sugar overnight and then boil briefly. Long boiling darkens the colour.
Ana Yemekler
Kayseri Mantı
Rolling the dough thin and keeping the squares small is the whole job. Forty mantı should fit on one spoon.
Hamur İşleri
Homemade Yufka Sheets (Ev Yufkası)
The basis of börek, rolls and katmer. Rolled thin and cooked on a griddle in seconds.
Tatlılar
Fig Dessert with Walnuts (İncir Tatlısı)
Dried figs stuffed with walnut and cooked in milk. Three ingredients, half an hour.
Salata & Meze
Spinach with Yoghurt (Yoğurtlu Ispanak)
Spinach cooked down until it gives up its liquid, served cold with yoghurt. Garlic and olive oil.
Çorbalar
Prawn Soup (Karides Çorbası)
The stock drawn from the prawn shells carries the whole soup. Throwing the shells away means throwing away…
Kahvaltılık
Honey and Kaymak (Bal Kaymak)
Not a recipe but an arrangement: cold kaymak, honey at room temperature, hot bread.
Ana Yemekler
Whole Roast Chicken (Fırında Bütün Tavuk)
Crisp skin comes from a dry surface. Drying the chicken thoroughly before it goes in the oven is essential.
Hamur İşleri
Katmer
A dessert from Antep: clotted cream and pistachio inside paper thin pastry. The dough must be stretched until…
Tatlılar
Pumpkin Dessert (Kabak Tatlısı)
The pumpkin is left overnight with sugar and cooks in its own liquid. Adding water makes it collapse.
Salata & Meze
Purslane with Yoghurt (Yoğurtlu Semizotu)
Purslane blanched briefly and folded into yoghurt. A softer meze than the raw version.
Çorbalar
Fish Soup (Balık Çorbası)
Made with white fish, with lemon and an egg thickening. The fish stock is simmered separately and strained…
Kahvaltılık
Mixed Toastie (Karışık Tost)
Sucuk, salami, kaşar and tomato. The wet fillings are hidden between layers of cheese.
Ana Yemekler
Chicken Kapama (Tavuk Kapama)
Chicken and rice in the same pan, covered over with lettuce leaves. The steam does all of it.
Hamur İşleri
Gözleme
Unleavened dough cooked on a griddle. Going easy on the filling stops the dough tearing.
Tatlılar
Zerde
A rice pudding coloured yellow with saffron. Steeping the saffron in warm water first releases the colour.
Salata & Meze
Girit Ezmesi
White cheese, walnuts and olive oil. Do not add salt without allowing for the salt in the cheese.
Çorbalar
Dried Okra Soup (Bamya Çorbası)
An Anatolian soup made with dried okra, lamb and lemon. The lemon cuts the sliminess of the okra.
Kahvaltılık
Fig Jam (İncir Reçeli)
The figs stay whole. Soaking them in lime water is what keeps them from collapsing.
Ana Yemekler
Rice with Liver and Pine Nuts (İç Pilav)
Rice enriched with liver, pine nuts, currants and spices. A classic of holiday tables.