Turkish Style Beef Shanks (Firinda Dana Incigi)

4 beef shanks, 1 onion, chopped ½ cup celery, chopped 1 carrot, chopped 4-5 bay leaves 2 Tbsp canola oil Salt and pepper to taste For baking: 1-2 carrots, chopped round 1 big potato, chopped ½ cup sweet peas Place canola oil in a braising pot and sear...

Sweet Pumpkin (Kabak Tatlisi)

3 lbs pumpkin (1500 gr) 2-3 cups sugar ½ cup walnuts or pecans thickened cream (optional) Cut the pumpkin in chunks larger than bite size (you can cut them in any size you like). Clean the seeds inside and peel the pumpkin chunks. Place them in a large...

Asparagus Mushroom Stir Fry (Mantarli Kuskonmaz)

1 cup red bell pepper, julienne cut 1 cup mushroom, chopped 1 cup asparagus, cut in 2 inches 1 carrot, cut in round 2-3 Tbsp olive oil 1Tbsp soy sauce (optional) A pinch of salt to taste   Peel the carrot and chop in rounds. Clean asparagus and cut...

Zucchini Salad with Yogurt (Yogurtlu Kabak Salatasi)

1 lb zucchini 1-1 ½ cup plain yogurt 2-3 gloves garlic, minced or grated 1/3-1/2 cup crushed walnuts (optional) 1-2 tbsp olive oil ½ tsp salt to taste Wash zucchini and grate without peeling. Then, take olive oil into a skillet and add in grated zucchini....

Baked Pasta with Ground Beef (Kiymali Firin Makarna)

500 gr Penne/Ziti ½ cup olive oil 2 lbsground beef 1 large onion, chopped 1 cup tomato puree 3 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped 2 eggs, beaten ½ tsp ground allspice 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese ½ cup hot water 3 Tbsp breadcrumbs 1...

Red Cabbage with Yogurt (Yogurtlu Mor Lahana Salatasi)

3 cups red cabbage, finely shredded ½ -1 cup yogurt 1 tbsp mayonnaise (optional) 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced ¼ tsp salt to taste Parsley for garnish Mix yogurt, garlic and mayonnaise in a small bowl. Then, salt the red cabbage and pour the yogurt...

Eggplant Mousaka with Mushrooms (Mantarli Patlican Musakka)

2 eggplants, peeled and cut into chunks 1 big onion, chopped ½ lb (200 gr) ground beef ½ lb mushrooms, cut in quarters 2 tomatoes, diced 1 cup oil for frying the eggplant 1 green pepper, chopped 1 tsp salt ½ tsp black pepper 2 cloves of garlic, sliced...

Shelled Fava Beans with Olive Oil (Zeytinyagli Bakla)

1 lb shelled fava beans, chopped 1 medium onion, chopped 1 medium tomato, diced 1 tsp tomato paste 2-3 Tbsp olive oil 1 tsp salt to taste 1/3 cup hot water 1/3 cup fresh dill, chopped Take olive oil and onions into a pot and sauté over medium heat until...

Leek Saute with Ground Beef (Kiymali Pirasa Sote)

1 lb leek, finely chopped ½ cup lean ground beef ½ cup tomatoes, finely diced 1 Tbsp canola oil ½ tsp salt to taste Take canola oil and ground beef in a pot and sauté until the ground beef gets pink. Stir in chopped leeks and sauté until they decrease...

Turkish Shortbread (Un Kurabiyesi)

1 ½ cups powdered sugar ½ lb (250 gr) margarine/butter, soft at room temperature ½ cup oil 2 cups corn starch 2-2 ½ cups flour 1 tsp/1 package vanilla ½ cup powdered sugar for top In a large bowl, combine sugar, oil and margarine/butter. Then add...