Hamur İşleri
Carrot Börek (Havuçlu Börek)
Grated carrot turns sweet as it cooks in butter. White cheese balances it.
Tatlılar
Revani
A semolina cake soaked in syrup. The proportion of semolina decides whether it is dry or wet.
Salata & Meze
Purslane Salad with Yoghurt (Semizotu Salatası)
With yoghurt and garlic. If the thick stalks are not picked out, they stay stringy in the mouth.
Çorbalar
White Bean Soup (Kuru Fasulye Çorbası)
Kuru fasulye in soup form: thinner, faster. Add pastirma or sucuk and the flavour goes up several levels.
Kahvaltılık
Eggs with Pastırma (Pastırmalı Yumurta)
Pastırma cooks very briefly. Left too long it toughens and its çemen crust turns bitter.
Ana Yemekler
Stuffed Peppers (Etli Biber Dolması)
Choose the thin-skinned stuffing peppers. Fill them to three quarters; the rest is room for the rice to swell.
Hamur İşleri
Fried Meat Pastries (Çiğ Börek)
The mince goes in raw and cooks while the pastry fries. Rolling the dough thin is what makes that possible.
Tatlılar
Şekerpare
A semolina dough that swells as it takes up the syrup. Over-kneading makes the dessert hard.
Salata & Meze
Rocket Salad (Roka Salatası)
The sharpness of rocket balanced with parmesan and lemon. Three ingredients, five minutes.
Çorbalar
Chickpea Soup (Nohut Çorbası)
Cooked chickpeas with cumin and lemon make a soup that fills you up without sitting heavily. Half is blended…
Kahvaltılık
Eggs with Sucuk (Sucuklu Yumurta)
Frying the sucuk in a dry pan is enough. It releases its own fat and the eggs cook in that.
Ana Yemekler
Stuffed Vine Leaves in Olive Oil (Zeytinyağlı Yaprak Sarma)
Meatless rolls, eaten cold. The amount of onion in the filling decides the whole flavour.
Hamur İşleri
Rose Börek (Gül Böreği)
Strips of pastry rolled and coiled into a spiral, laid in the tray like a rose. The look is half the point.
Tatlılar
Semolina Halva (İrmik Helvası)
Flour halva made with semolina: grainier and quicker. Pine nuts are not optional.
Salata & Meze
Borlotti Bean Pilaki (Barbunya Pilaki)
A pulse dish cooked in olive oil and served cold. The sugar does not sweeten, it balances.
Çorbalar
Carrot and Ginger Soup (Zencefilli Havuç Çorbası)
The natural sweetness of carrots meeting the bite of ginger. Four ingredients, half an hour.
Kahvaltılık
Plain Omelette (Sade Omlet)
A low heat and constant stirring. Over a high heat an omelette turns rubbery.
Ana Yemekler
Tekirdağ Köftesi
Stale bread and a long knead. The resting time is what keeps the meatballs from falling apart.
Hamur İşleri
Potato Poğaça (Patatesli Poğaça)
Boiled potato in the filling makes them filling. Without spice they taste of nothing.
Tatlılar
Flour Halva (Un Helvası)
Toasting the flour long in butter is the only technique. When the colour reaches hazelnut shell it is ready.
Salata & Meze
Piyaz
The Antalya version with tahini dressing. The beans being warm is what lets them take up the dressing.
Çorbalar
Celeriac Soup (Kereviz Çorbası)
Apple and lemon balance the earthiness of celeriac. Light, low in calories and unexpectedly filling.
Kahvaltılık
Pan Fried Sucuk (Sahanda Sucuk)
No eggs, just sucuk. In a dry pan, until the edges curl.
Ana Yemekler
Stuffed Bulgur Shells (İçli Köfte)
One of the hardest recipes in Turkish cooking. The consistency of the shell dough and how wet your hands are…