Çerkez Tavuğu - Circasian chicken

For some children, the best part of going on holiday is the travelling and our children are no exception. At school they always talk about their journey to Burgaz Island. They are woken up at 4am to take a taxi to Heathrow Airport, then a flight to Istanbul, another taxi to the sea port, a boat trip to the island, then lastly a horse and carriage ride to their Grandmother's house. How many people can brag about such a variety of transportation to reach their destination? I have to admit that I don't really enjoy the horse and carriage part, I feel so sorry for the horses hard at work and only hope they are well looked after. Horse and carriage is the taxi service around  Burgaz. When Dan was old enough, he asked to sit at the front of the carriage for the journey, he soon regretted that request as the front seat is right behind the horses bottom where there is a bag to catch it's business, he held his nose all the way to the house.

Before our boat trip to the island, at the entrance of the port there are several men and some young boys sitting on a stool. In front of them is a bucket turned upside down with a tray on top. They are displaying and selling nuts, mainly walnuts and almonds. I had only ever eaten dried nuts before either by cracking open the shell or ready shelled and dried from a packet, usually brown in colour. The walnuts sold at the port look like yellow miniature brains. They are fresh walnuts, shelled and soaked in water. Amir always buys a bag for our boat journey to the island. The membrane has to be peeled off before eating and to this day I still can't do it without making a total mess and wasting half the nut before I can manage to salvage the tiniest piece to eat. It takes skill and a lot of patience to peel them. I get very frustrated with it all and end up asking Amir to peel them for me. Almonds however, are a lot easier to peel, after they are soaked in water, the skin becomes soft and the nuts just kind of pop out from the skin when squeezed. It's like a liberation for nuts. I want to tell the whole world to soak their almonds before eating them. I can't believe for so many years I had eaten them with their brown bitter skin. Just by simply soaking the almonds in warm water overnight, the skin easily peels off and the almond is revealed as smooth and sweet. It's a revelation.

Nuts are one of Turkeys main successful export products and used in a lot of recipes. You would think I am mainly referring to desserts but there is a favourite dish  of mine called Çerkez tavuğu translated as Circassian chicken. It's an unusual cold savoury dish served as a meze starter. I love it.

1 large chicken breast (mine weighed 450g)

1 slice of dried bread (or 25g breadcrumbs)

2 tablespoons of mayonnaise

4 tablespoons of natural yoghurt

50g dried walnuts 

 1 and a half tablespoons of oil

Pinch of salt
Half a teaspoon of garlic powder
Half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper

Boil the chicken in water and a little salt until cooked.

Take out the chicken to cool but do not throw away the water.

When cold shred chicken into small crumbly pieces and place in a mixing bowl. 

Put the dried slice of bread into an electric chopper to make breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over the chicken.

Chop the walnuts and add together with the mayonnaise, yoghurt, garlic powder & pinch of salt. Stir in well. 
The consistency should be thick. 
Add about 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken juice to moisten consistency.

Place mixture in serving dish and smooth down.

Pour about 2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan.  

Sprinkle the cayenne pepper in to the oil and simmer until the colour of the oil turns reddish.

With a spoon, pour over the chicken mix.
Place dish in fridge to serve cold. The Oil will then harden slightly.

Tip: When you put the chicken mix in to the serving bowl you can create a pattern with a fork or knife so that when you pour the oil on top if pours in to the pattern you have created.

Fresh walnuts displayed on a bed of fig leaves at the port.

Dan sitting at the front of a horse & carriage with Serena behind.

Topik

When I first started driving,  my Father said "Lisa, I know you can drive well but just be wary of the other drivers around you". For this reason alone, I never had the courage to drive in Istanbul. Some of you Istanbulites are guilty in one way or another of being mad drivers. With your shear determination to squeeze in to a parking space just big enough for a motorcycle.  When you see your friend on the other side of the street, you don't just press your horn once to get their attention, you manage to hoot an entire symphony as if you were at a cup final football match. It's true, Amir tried it even in England, he saw a lorry with an Istanbul number plate and tooted the melody, sure enough the lorry responded.
I remember a Friday night, traffic was bad and we were on our way to Amir's Grandmother for shabbat meal. Amir spotted a man on the opposite side of the road standing by a mobile container. He got all excited and told me he was selling something called topik, an Armenian dish and explained that it was very rare these days to see someone selling it. That was the moment I held on tight, Amir was determined to get to the other side of the road to buy topik. It was all a blur as to how we managed to reach the other side but I remember drivers pressing their horns whilst Amir swerved in and out of the traffic to get to the topik. I thought to myself  it better taste good after all that. I was hoping that Amir would tell me that it was some kind of chocolate dessert, so I was a little disappointed when he said it was made with chick peas. They better be giant sized chocolate coated chickpeas then!
We arrived at Sarika's and rang the door bell. Her face always lit up at seeing us. Amir kissed her on both cheeks and pulled her ears affectionately and then handed her the topik. "Bu ne?" "what's that?" she asked. Amir smiled as he told her it was topik, Sarika was also delighted that he had found a portion of topik which was wrapped with white paper in a block shape.
We lit the candles and said the shabbat prayer and the topik was unwrapped. I admit, it looked rather bland. Amir sliced a piece and put it on my plate, I could taste the outer part was made with chick peas but the centre was a surprisingly sweet/savoury creamy cinnamon type of flavour.
I am happy to say that Amir no longer needs to drive like a maniac to get his topik as he has mastered making it perfectly at home.

makes 2 block portions (each block can serve 4)

1 can of drained cooked chick peas (500g)

2 medium onions

3 tablespoons of currents (50-75g) 

the small black Greek ones are best

2 and a half teaspoons of cumin

1 and a half teaspoons of cinnamon

4 teaspoons of sugar

5 tablespoons of tahini

pinch of salt

you will need 2 muslin squares of material approx 25cm x 25cm

Soak the currents in warm water to soften. 

Take the skin off all the chick peas and blend together to form a smooth paste. Add a pinch of salt.

Finely slice the onions and blanch, cover with water and cook until water has evaporated completely.

Add the drained currents to the onions and all of the other ingredients except the chick peas. Leave to cool.

Take a muslin square and dampen it.

Press half the amount of chick pea paste on top of the muslin.

Place half the amount of onion mix on top of the chick pea layer and carefully using the edge of the muslin fold over so that one side of the chick pea layer reaches the other then peel back the muslin and repeat on all sides until you have formed an oblong shaped closed parcel. The parcel must be tightly closed. Repeat with the other muslin. Wrap the parcels again with the muslin, immerse in water and boil or steam for 10 mins. Take out, leave to cool.

Put the parcels in the fridge over night.

When you want to eat it, take out of the fridge and let it rest until room temperature. Unwrap the parcel and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Slice and serve. Eaten as a starter or can be served with other meze type dishes.

Halva di Semola / Semolina Cake

As a child brought up in the 70's if anyone would ask me what I remember most about school meals, the first thing that would come to mind is semolina, hot semolina served with a dollop of jam and a biscuit on the side. This was the only way I knew how to eat semolina. Amir had never eaten it this way before and I had never eaten it the way his Mum makes it. I was astonished to see a cake like shape come out of the fridge made of semolina. It turns out that my children love it and I often make this sephardie style dessert especially during the summer months as it has such a delicate cool texture and taste and with non baking wholesome ingredients it's a winner all round. The traditional Turkish way of making semolina is fried, this is also very tasty indeed but naturally harsher on the calories.

Halva di Semolina

6 glasses of liquid (eg. 3 glasses milk, 3 glasses water)

equal to approx 1.5 litres

Just under 1 and a half glasses of sugar

equal to approx 250g

1 glass of semolina

equal to approx 200g

Cinnamon

If you use the same glass throughout, the weight measurement will make no difference. You may prefer more or less sweet.

Place milk, water, sugar & semolina in to a saucepan and boil on a low heat stirring constantly until thick.

Prepare your cake tin by dripping a little water in the bottom, this allows the cake to come out easily from the tin without sticking. I use a loaf tin 13x24cm but any shape tin or baking dish will do.

Pour the thick semolina mixture in to the tin and leave to cool. 

When cooled, place in the fridge to chill.

Ease sides away from the tin and give a little shake. Place serving dish on top of the tin and turn upside down.

Slice & serve with a sprinkling of cinnamon on top.

I have also experimented with this dish by pouring half the amount of semolina in the dish then mixing kakoa powder in the second half and pouring it on top. When chilled it has the two colours, however, eaten plain with cinnamon is our favourite.

 Kavrulmuş irmik / irmik helvası (Turkish style)

3 tablespoons of oil

1 glass of semolina (200g)

Pin nuts, as much or as little as you wish, I usually put approx 2 tablespoons.

300 ml milk

Half a glass of sugar (100g)

Place oil, semolina and pine nuts in a frying pan, heat and stir constantly until brown. keep on a low heat.

Add the milk and place a lid on top of the pan.

Cook on a gentle heat until milk has absorbed.

Add the sugar, mix and turn off the heat.

Serve warm and add cinnamon if you wish.

Bamya / Okra / Lady's Fingers

Walking through the streets of Burgaz fill my senses to full capacity, especially along the busy back street where most of the shops are. There aren't many shops but perhaps just enough to serve those who are resident. The fruit and vegetable stores always catch my eye, it amazes me how their displays are arranged so perfectly piled up like a game of Jenga and the fresh vibrant colours make you feel healthy just looking at them.

I sometimes used to walk with Amir's Mum to buy groceries. One evening she wanted to buy okra. She asked the vegetable seller “bamya taze mi?” “ Are the Okra fresh?” I thought it was rather a pointless question as surely the seller wouldn't reply “no, they are all stale.” Then, shortly after that, she asks “incir güzel mi?” “Are the figs nice”? “Tabi tabi,” “of course” he replies,  I was giggling to myself almost willing the man to say “no, they are horrible.”

The same evening, after we had finished our dinner, Amir's Mum drank her coffee and smoked her cigarette then sat outside on the balcony with a bowl of okra on her lap and an empty bowl on the table. She then began preparing the vegetable to cook the following morning, peeling each individual one. I thought to myself how much easier it was in England to buy vegetables ready prepared, ready cut, ready sliced and even ready washed (but never as tasty!)

The following evening, Amir's Mum served the cooked okra and as she put the dish on the table she said the word “sheheyanu.” This was then echoed around the table “evet” “yes” “sheheyanu.” I thought to myself could this vegetable have so many names? Okra, bamya, lady's fingers and now they are calling it sheheyanu. I then learnt that it is a Hebrew word used when eating something for the first time in the year. Fruits and vegetables are eaten seasonally in Turkey. It's like a blessing.

It was the first time I had tried okra. It didn't look terribly appetising, it had a kind of slimy texture to it and the inside was very gooey but there was something about it I liked.

It is quite difficult to find fresh okra in regular high street supermarkets here, so we usually buy it in a jar but still re-cook to add flavour.

1 650g Jar of okra

1 tablespoon of oil

1 tablespoon of tomato puree

Half a lemon

half a glass of water

1 teaspoon of sugar (more if required to taste)

sprinkling of salt

Pour all contents of the jar into a saucepan including the juice and any tomatoes from the jar.

Add the juice of the lemon and the rest of the above. Do not stir as mixture will become mushy.

Leave to cook until the water has reduced and you are left with a thick sauce.
If you can find and want to cook fresh you will need to sit with a bowl of approximately 500g of okra on your lap and one bowl on the table. Peel gently around the top of every one. Don't cut too deep or you will cause the inside to ooze out. 
You can add a fresh tomato and cook as above for longer until they are soft and you are left with the thick sauce.

some vegetables sold in Burgaz

Borekitas - Savoury Pastries

It's been a while since I've written on my blog. The main reason being that I have had the pleasure of my Mother-in-Law staying with us for 5 weeks.

Whilst she was here, I took the opportunity to ask her to teach me how to make my ultimate favourite Sephardi pastries, borekitas. I have made a similar version to this in the past, called tapada, it's basically a large version of borekitas made with a lot less fuss fiddling around rolling individual parcels. I had tried and failed on so many occasions to make borekitas and what ever I did, they would just fall apart.

We organised ourselves to put aside a morning dedicated to baking. When I came home from the school run all the ingredients were on the table top ready to start. I told her that I needed to write down everything she is doing and the correct quantity. She told me that there is no correct quantity, she just bakes by eye. I explained that I couldn't write a recipe based on how it looks, I needed to write by weight and measurement. We started preparing the ingredients and whilst I was writing her instructions she started pouring the flour in the pan to make the pastry. I yelled out  "WAIT, how much flour did you put in the mixture?" she said "I don't know, I just put like that". She started kneading the pastry and told me "you can tell when the pastry is ready when the texture feels like your ear lobe". I then asked her if she had ever read a recipe in her life where it was written... put as much flour in until it looks right and knead it well until it feels like your ear lobe! She began to laugh but all joking aside, I had given up writing down the recipe. I told her that I would have to make them myself another time with her guidance so I could write down correct quantities. She still couldn't quite grasp the fact that anyone would need a recipe to follow.
So finally, another day came and we made them again, this time using weight and measurement. The result was perfect. At last I had learnt to make delicious borekitas. My favourite filling is with aubergine and cheese but they are also nice with potato and cheese, or spinach.

(makes approx 20)
Half a jar of roasted aubergine (350g)
60g Feta cheese
60g Grated cheddar cheese or any hard cheese
3 Tablespoons of oil for filling
1 glass of oil for the pastry
Half a glass of water
pinch of Salt
400g Plain flour

Make the filling first by putting the aubergine in a frying pan.

Add 3 Tbls oil and cook on a low heat until the oil evaporates. Keep stirring whilst cooking otherwise the aubergine will stick to the pan.

Add the feta and the grated hard cheese, stir in until melted, then turn off the heat.

Heat oven at 180c

Now for the pastry:

In another pan pour 1 glass of oil and half a glass of water, add a sprinkle of salt and bring to boil. Once bubbling, turn off the heat.

Add the flour 100g at a time and stir in. Let the mixture cool enough to enable you to handle it. Place in a bowl and knead well.

The consistancy shouldn't feel oily, if it does then add a little more flour. 

Remember, have a feel of your ear lobe to see if the texture feels the same!

Sprinkle a little flour on your work surface ready to roll out the pastry.

Take a small handful of pastry in the palm of your hand and roll it in to a ball, then squash it down and place on the work surface. 

Start to roll the pastry, you need to aim for a kind of oval shape, nearly the length of your hand and about 2mm thick. Take a teaspoon of mixture and place in the centre of the pastry.

Roll over one end of the pastry to meet the opposite end, press the sides down well so the filling doesn't come out and with your fingers puff up the shape like a pillow. Take a clean glass and place it around the edges to slice off the excess pastry. The shape should resemble half a moon and should be plump.

Place the pastries on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Wet the top of each borekita with a little water and sprinkle grated cheese on the top.

Place in the oven and bake until golden.

These pastry parcels can be frozen unbaked. Place in the oven from Frozen.

To make tapada just divide the pastry in half, roll out and place one half at the bottom of a baking dish, put the filling on top and then cover and close with the other half of pastry to make a pie.

This is a tapada I made with aubergine and feta cheese filling.

Tip:  If you have any left over aubergine you could make a creamy salad dip. Just add yogurt, mayonaise, add a little lemon juice and garlic if you wish.

If you have any left over pastry you could make boyikos, little pastry biscuits. Just shape them in to small squares or circles, sprinkle cheese and red pepper spice on top and bake.

Passover: Dan's Meringues

Passover is almost over and I still haven't baked everything I wanted to. It seems the Sephardi recipes took major priority in the house this year as I did not have any chance to make my Mother's recipes. Her specialities were cinnamon balls, coconut pyramids and almond macaroons. I have to admit though for some reason I could never get any of these recipes to taste as good as my Mother's.
Today, I'd like to share with you a recipe that my son, Dan, makes so perfectly. Suitable for passover or at any time. I had to ask his permission of course if I could share his recipe and I'm happy to say he agreed. Dan has become an astonishing chef in the kitchen. We first noticed his talents when he began to critise us on our cooking!

Makes 12

50g Chocolate

2 Eggs

100g Sugar

Heat oven to 110c

Line baking trays with greaseproof paper.

Break up the chocolate in to a bowl and place the bowl on top of a saucepan with boiling water. Chocolate must melt until smooth.

Seperate the egg whites from the yolks and place only the whites into a mixing bowl.

Whisk well until it begins to thicken, then add sugar and carry on whisking until firm enough to form peaks.

Drizzle chocolate over the egg mixture and stir around twice to make a marble effect.

Scoop up a tablespoon of mixture and scrape off with a teaspoon on to the baking trays.

Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes. Turn the oven off but do not take the meringues out, leave them in for a further 15 minutes.

Take out of oven and leave to cool.

Crispy on the outside, gooey marshmallow like on the inside

(You may wish to use slightly less sugar as they do turn out very sweet)

Passover: köfte de prasa / leek meatballs

Passover brings lots of questions for me. Why do we do this? Why do we do that? I am never satisfied with the answer of "because that's what we do". I was reading the ingredients on the side of the box of matzo and it said, wheat flour and water. I couldn't understand why then we are not allowed to use normal flour in recipes as it too is made from wheat flour. It took me a phone call to someone in Turkey to be able to have that answered.
Another thing I have learnt this passover thanks to one of Amir's friends is why leeks are used in Sephardi recipes during passover.
It's appearance resembles reeds which reminds us of the parting of the Red Sea.
Köfte (meatballs) are very much a signature dish in Turkey and I remember Amir's Mum roaring with laughter when I told her I had made et toplar. Yes, Turkish friends you will understand the misinterpretation I had made. Et means meat. Toplar means balls, so you would think meatballs would be et toplar, wouldn't you? No, they are called köfte.
These leek meatballs are so delicious, I really don't understand why we only ever make them during passover.

Based on making approx 16

7 or 8 large leeks = approx 750g when cut

150g Minced meat

1 egg

1 matzo

oil

salt & pepper to season

Discard the outer layer and cut the ends off the leeks, slice length ways twice and then slice into pieces.

Wash well and leave to drain.

Boil until soft

Tightly squeeze all the excess water out of the leeks and place in a bowl.

Soak the matzo with water until soft then squeeze out the  excess water and place in the bowl with the leeks

Add minced meat, egg and seasoning.

Knead mixture together with hands 

Take small handfuls, roll and pat down to make rounded oval shapes.

Pour oil in the bottom of a large frying pan and shallow fry the leek balls until golden brown.

These can be eaten warm or cold the next day.

You can also make the above using spinach. Your guideline is approx 750g of spinach to 150g minced meat. Use the same process as above by boiling the spinach and squeezing out the water.

köfte de prasa

together with köfte kon spinaka (spinach)

Passover: Houevos Haminados / Marbled eggs

Passover and Easter more often than not, fall at the same time of year. Apart from its seasonal similarity there is also one other thing that the two festivals have in common. Eggs. 
Whilst Amir & I have been busy preparing food for passover, Dan has been enjoying Easter activities at school. These activities are centred around eggs. There is an Easter egg hunt where they search for chocolate eggs wrapped in colourful tin foil, there's the egg decorating competition and the egg rolling competition. According to google research, the egg symbolises "life" for the Christians to remember the Resurrection of Jesus after he was crucified. Eggs in the Jewish tradition however, represent mourning.
When I was a child and Easter fell at the same time as passover, I wasn't allowed to eat my chocolate Easter eggs until passover had finished, so my Mum would store them away in a cupboard until I was able to eat them. If only I had the same will power now, as I did then.
Houevos Haminados is I believe Ladino for baked eggs. I call them marbled eggs as that is the effect given after they've been cooked. Each one is unique in design and they are always a talking point at our passover meal. These eggs are supposed to be baked for hours and hours in the oven but here is the quick version which is just as effective.

The secret of this recipe is onion peel. You will need as much as possible, so start collecting it months before or perhaps ask your supermarket if you can collect some in a bag. There isn't a measurement of quantity needed. I use handfuls and handfuls.

Eggs (based on 10 eggs)

Onion peel (mostly red but mix in some brown)

1 small teaspoon of black pepper

salt

2 large tablespoons of oil

Place the onion peel in a saucepan

Bury the eggs inside the peel 

Add the oil and the seasoning

Cover with water so the eggs are just peeking

Cook for the longest possible time you can until the water has almost gone.

Whilst cooking, the eggs should crack from the heat, this is how the eggs get their marble effect. If you see that the eggs haven't cracked and the water has reduced a lot then tap each egg very lightly with a spoon, put a little more water and carry on cooking.

Eggs placed in saucepan ready

to cook.

Water reduced, white eggs turn red.

Chocolate Easter eggs - Simply no will power left!

Passover and Prasinagua

Over the next couple of weeks I will be preparing dishes for Passover. I will post recipes as and when we make them. 
It's a very busy time in the kitchen as I like to prepare ashkenazi recipes that my Mother traditionally used to make and Amir likes to cook sephardi recipes from his side of the family. 

 Passover, a time for Jewish people to remember the liberation of slavery and to remind ourselves of the suffering endured. So, I am not sure if I am supposed to feel guilty or not by immensely enjoying all the traditional biscuits and cakes baked during this festival.

My Mother-in-law will be coming to stay with us in England for 5 weeks as she does every Spring and she will be bringing something with her of great importance. Prasinagua - the best translation of this I can give is 'green growing without water'. It's written in Ladino. As Yiddish is to the ashkenazi Jews, Ladino is for the sephardi Jews. In Istanbul, Amir's Mum will go by the edge of the road side to search for wild grass. She then picks the grass and dries it. When dry, she will make little parcels with the grass and bring them to England. It amazes me that she hasn't been stopped and searched by customs who may be under the impression that she is smuggling in weed or some kind of drug! 
On arrival at home in England the first thing she does is give all of us a little bundle of grass to put in our purses or wallets. She then scatters some of the dried grass all over the hallway by the front door and tells me not to clean it up for 24hrs! She has great pleasure in giving us the parcels of grass and tells the children every year that the grass will bring good luck and prosperity in to our lives. This grass grows wild and in abundance and shows the coming of summer and so with it, it will bring an abundance of luck and prosperity in to our home, inşallah, we hope.
In Greek the word prasino means green and one of the recipes we traditionally eat over passover is meatballs containing leeks. Leeks in Turkish is pirasa. So there is a connection with the meaning of prasinagua.
So, to all of you who celebrate Passover and all of you who don't, I wish you prosperity, luck and all good things to enter your homes and in to your lives.
I look forward to sharing our Passover recipes with you. XXXX

This is a bundle of grass still kept in my purse from last year.

*I will welcome any other information about prasinagua and please let me know if any corrections are needed.*

Pancar Yaprağı Böreği (Beetroot Leaf pie)

Let's take a look at the stereotypical Jewish Mother. Honest about their emotions, caring, compassionate, worrying, overprotective, neurotic, sometimes smothering (especially with kisses), double all of that and what do you get? The stereotypical Turkish Jewish Mother! and all of these unique qualities of the wonderful women that they are seem to become a reality over the dinner table.
Amir's Mum, who I adore and love very much works extremely hard preparing food. With no air conditioning in the house in Burgaz and the temperature soaring to it's heights outside, there she is, in the kitchen with a wooden spoon in one hand and a cigarette in the other wearing a loose cotton dress. Every so often she wets her face and hair to keep cool while the pots and pans simmer and steam.
8pm is dinner time. We have all returned from the club, showered and changed into comfortable clothes and ready to sit down for dinner. Amir's Mum asks for our plates one by one as she serves the meal that she had been preparing all morning. We wait for her to sit down herself before we start to eat.
I know, that in the corner of her eye she is watching us to see if we are enjoying the meal, if no-one speaks about how the food is the questions start......
"Nasıl?" (translated as how, how is it?)
"Güzel mi?" (Is it nice?)
"Niye yemiyorlar? Çocuklar sebze sevmiyor mu?" (Why aren't they eating? Don't the children like vegetables?)
At that point I explained that Serena and Dan didn't like to eat all vegetables, in fact most things green they tended not to eat. The worrying stage then sets in, "How are they going to grow? They are not getting enough vitamins." After the worry stage, comes the neurotic stage......."Take them to see a specialist, they are not eating properly, it's not normal". 

Now, I am pleased to say that my children eat most things, vegetables included. The beetroot leaf börek is a good way to introduce leafy vegetables. Perhaps it's the purple veins that run through the leaves that save them from being the dreaded totally green vegetable. 

The beetroot leaf  börek is sometimes made with filo pastry but to keep meals healthy I make it without so I wouldn't really consider it as a pie, more of a starter or side dish.
It's a great shame that grocery stores in England cut off the leaves of the beetroot before they display it on sale. Such a waste.

The following ingredients I would estimate as a portion for 4.

3 bunches of beetroot leaves (approx 400g)

50g Feta cheese

100g of grated hard cheese (I use cheddar)

3 tablespoons of oil

1 egg

1 heaped tablespoon of flour

Wash the leaves thoroughly the night before to enable them to dry.

Cut off the stalks and chop. Place in a bowl.

Add all the ingredients together and mush them up in the bowl by squeezing with your hands.

Oil the bottom and sides of an oven dish and flatten down till 1cm thick. (I use a dish approx 30x20cm)

Place in the oven at 180c and bake until it starts to go brown on top.

Cut and serve.

We love eating this with a dollop of natural yoghurt.

If beetroot leaves are too difficult to find. This dish is just as tasty using spinach leaves.

Midye Dolma (stuffed mussels)

My son Dan is a Burgaz boy. He adores everything about the island.  I think what he loves most of all is the freedom. I found it difficult to allow him to walk to and from home around the island on his own but I knew that from a young age children walked about unaccompanied. Two years ago, Dan begged me to let him walk from the house to the club on his own. It wasn't far at all and I knew that he was confident and was familiar with the route. I told Amir to follow behind him just to be sure. Off Dan went with his swimming gear in his back pack, all happy, stroking cats and dogs along the way down the road with Amir following him like a detective. When I finished what ever I needed to do at home, I went to the club to join them. I walked round to where the decking area is by the sea as that's where we usually sit. I put my bags down and looked around for Amir & Dan. I could see two bottoms sticking up in the air. I walked over and saw that the pair of bottoms belonged to them. They were both kneeling down and peeping through the tiny cracks of the decking. I asked what they were doing and they said they were looking to see if there were mussels. Amir then borrowed Dan's goggles and dived down beneath the decking. So, I joined Dan with my bottom in the air to look through the gaps of the decking to see if I could see him swimming beneath us. He was no-where to be seen. Amir then re-appeared with a hand full of mussels to take home. He had gone to a different area where the boats are to collect them.
Being raised in a Jewish family I was not introduced to seafood. It was a big no-no at home. My Mother told me that seafood is very unhealthy and you could get food poisoning from it so it always worried me when Amir would buy stuffed mussels from the street sellers. I had the devil on one shoulder telling me "try it...try it" and the angel on my other shoulder telling me not to eat it. The devil spoke louder and so I tried one of Amir's home made stuffed mussels and I've been eating them ever since.

There is a saying in French that all the months containing the letter R (September-April) are the best months of the year to eat mussels.

800g fresh mussels

225g rice (not basmati or jasmine)

100g chopped onion

125g currents

1 level teaspoon black pepper

(Amir likes it quite peppery as the street sellers make but personally I would use less)

1 and half heaped teaspoons of cumin

1 and half heaped teaspoons of cinnamon

Quarter of lemon juice

2 and half teaspoons sugar

salt to taste.
oil

Drizzle oil in the bottom of a saucepan and blanch the chopped onions until slight colour change and soft.

Wash the rice well and place in the saucepan.

Add all the other ingredients, add water to 1cm above rice level and simmer until rice is cooked. 

Leave to cool slightly.

Wash the mussels well in a colander.

The messy part.....

Prise the mussels open with a knife but leave the top half connected to the bottom half. You need to discard the beard (the hairy part inside the mussel.) 

When all have been prepared in this way take a mussel and tear off the top half. Scoop up the rice mixture into the bottom part of the mussel and sandwich it together with the top half. Press down and with your finger wipe around the edge where rice has oozed out.

Place neatly around the saucepan.

Pour water over the top to dampen (you can measure about a finger width of water in a glass) place saucepan on a low heat and steam for approx 10 - 15 mins.

When cooled, store in fridge. 
Serve cold with a drizzle of lemon juice.

Use the top half of the mussel as your spoon to scoop out the filling.

Sorry to disappoint anyone who wanted to see a photo of our bottoms in the air!

Biscuit and Chocolate Pudding Cake

In the first few weeks of arrival to Istanbul I was probably at the height of gossip between Amir's friends and family. All wanted to meet me. Every few nights, Amir would tell me that we have been invited to someone's home. I quickly learnt to make sure I wore clean socks with no holes in as I would be expected to take off my shoes when entering in to some ones home. I would then be offered a pair of slippers to wear. I found it amazing that no matter whose home I visited everyone had a pair of slippers to fit. I looked around to see where  slippers of every size could possibly be kept but I could not see evidence of cupboards in the hallway large enough to store such a variety of slippers and sizes. I of course made every effort with my appearance when meeting Amir's friends and family for the first time and felt a little disappointed that I was forced to wear a pair of slippers that were very unattractive and didn't match what I was wearing.
Every home I went to was beautiful, simple and elegant, each piece of furniture looked like an antique to me and I was so cautious not to spill anything or leave any fingermarks on untouched glass. In my mind I questioned how tidy and precise all these homes were, no magazines lying around, no piles of paperwork in sight everything had it's place, even table cloths were artistically draped.
After the gossip had died down and everyone had met me on a number of occasions I started to notice something different about their homes, the chairs were not the same as I remember them to be, the sofas were not of the same colour and material as when I first saw them and then I found out why. Some Turkish people cover their furniture. Everyday, they live in their home without seeing the full beauty of their furniture as it is hidden underneath a cover. The reason for this is that with everyday life the furniture can be spoilt so to preserve its life, chairs and sofas are covered and only on the occasion of a special guest the covers are taken off . This bothered me a lot, especially at Sarika's home (Amir's Grandmother) her furniture was comparable to that in a museum, beautifully carved wood with regal style fabric was hidden under bland dark green covers. My argument was that she should enjoy looking at her furniture in all its splendour every single day. Perhaps, I am just as guilty at home in England but we do have an excuse, we have a large hairy Labrador living with us and I have gone to the extreme of even having a cover on top of the cover!
The recipe I have chosen to write about today is one that always impresses my guests, it gets a "WOW" when they see it. Just as I used to be when I was impressed as a guest myself. Little do they know what it is made from. When Amir's Mum first made it I could not understand what the ingredients were. I think this is referred to as the pyramid cake because in Turkish patisseries they make it triangular shaped. This is the fastest no bake cake ever, simply made with petit beurre biscuits and a ready chocolate pudding mix. Don't worry though, if you can't find the pudding mix in a shop I will give you the recipe at the end.

One packet of chocolate pudding mix

(This can be bought in Turkish supermarkets, any make is fine)

One packet of plain rectangular biscuits

(petit beurre is the type you can find in shops)

Milk (according to amount stated on the packet)

Follow the instructions on the pudding packet. It will usually be to empty the packet in to a saucepan and add milk, the packet I used today instructed to use 500ml milk.

Stir constantly until bubbling. Mixture will become thicker when boiled.

Leave to cool slightly, it will then thicken even more. Stir again.

Place your biscuits and pudding mix in front of you together with a long plate to serve on.

Spread pudding mix on one side of one biscuit, then place another biscuit on top as if to sandwich it. Then place upright on your serving plate until all biscuits have been sandwiched together. The remainder of the chocolate can then be spread with a knife all over the biscuits to completely cover.
Place in fridge to set.
EACH SLICE MUST BE CUT DIAGONALLY TO REVEAL STRIPES!

I made this one a few months ago and decorated it with strawberries. You can also place slices of banana in between.

This is the surprise. Cut diagonally across the cake and each slice will be served with stripes!

If you can't find pudding mix in the shops, here's the recipe:

For two packets of biscuits you will need

4 cups milk

2 tablespoons of cocoa powder

6 tablespoons of sugar

3 tablespoons flour

1 egg

1 packet of vanilla powder

Put all ingredients in a saucepan and heat. Keep stirring until the consistency is thick.

Leave to cool for about 20 minutes then you can sandwich the biscuits as above.

TIP: If your consistency is not thickening quickly enough  you can add cornstarch. It needs to be able to be poured but on the border line of plopping off of the spoon!

If you find your biscuits are not balancing upright you can lay them flat and create layers of chocolate / biscuit / chocolate etc.

Bananas are lovely to put inside if you are making it in a dish.

You can sprinkle the top with coconut or ground pistachio nuts.

Poğaça (savoury pastries)

We have a saying, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. I knew that if I wanted to survive in Turkey I needed to learn the language as soon as possible. I found a beginners course at Bosphorous University. It was not only interesting to learn the language but socially stimulating as I had the wonderful opportunity to meet other people from all over the world like myself, starting a life in Turkey. Some were there on business, some married to Turkish wives or husbands. What ever their reason for joining the language class, we all  understood each others isolation and frustration. I particularly connected with two girls, Judith from South Africa and Sue, from the Bahamas. Together, we ventured through Istanbul finding our way around, practising the Turkish we had learnt. Sue & I especially spent a lot of time together. I can honestly say that I wouldn't have survived with out her. We shared moments of tears  and good times with much laughter. 

I travelled to the university by bus and on many occasions had my breakfast en route. Poğaça (poh-ah-cha) is a popular, fast way of eating breakfast. These savoury plump pastries are both satisfying and tasty, they can be eaten plain or with a cheese filling. They are usually sold on the streets in mobile glass containers with an umbrella erected above. The word Poğaça was always a challenge for me to pronounce and in the beginning I didn't have enough courage to walk up to the man selling them. However, over time I felt more and more confident to speak Turkish and even though I still had that English twang of an accent that wasn't the thing that gave me away as being foreign. It was when I said "Lutfen" (please). Yes, that's when I got the strange look from the Poğaça seller. "Bir tane peynirli lutfen", "one with cheese please" I would ask. Lutfen, is hardly used when asking for something,  I can't help myself, In English we say please and thank you simultaneously. So, when in Rome, I do as the Romans do, but with a please at the end!

I choose to use mahlep in this recipe, I love the aroma and taste of this spice and use it in cakes and biscuits also. It's made from the seeds of a special sour cherry and has a nutty flavour perhaps the equivalent to nutmeg. It is also known as mahlab in other countries. It can be bought in Asian and Turkish shops here.

125g Feta cheese

Parsley (just a handful)

100g soft margarine

75ml oil

75ml milk

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of mahlep

300g plain flour (sieved)

pinch of salt

1 egg (for glazing only)

Make the filling first by mashing together the feta cheese and parsley in a bowl.

Now for the dough:

In a saucepan, warm the milk slightly.

Then, pour it in to a bowl together with the margarine, oil, baking powder and mahlep. Sieve the flour into the bowl & add the salt.

Knead mixture together until dough is firm and smooth.

This mixture makes approximately 12 so divide the mixture in to 12 equal balls.

Take a ball of dough and flatten with your hands into an oval shape. Dough should be thin, certainly no more than 5mm thick.

Take a small quantity of the cheese mixture and place it in the middle of the oval. Fold the side over and pinch at the edge. You can make circle shapes if easier, just bring the edges up to meet like a little parcel.

Use the yolk of the egg to glaze all around the top of the parcels.

Sprinkle with poppy seeds or sesame seeds if you prefer.

Leave the pastries to rest for at least half an hour before placing in to the oven at 175 and bake until glazing is dark golden brown.

(I baked these today. I think perhaps my pastry was slightly too thick but never the less, they were tasty.)

Enginar (Artichokes)

City life took a lot of getting used to but I found it vibrant and exciting. During the winter months, we lived in Şişli, a very congested area in Istanbul. Our apartment was one of many sandwiched along a street without a pathway. I  regularly gazed out of the window watching pedestrians dodging the traffic as they walked in the road. 
One day, when I stood by the window, a woman in the apartment directly opposite caught my eye. She opened the window and started to climb outside. Whilst balancing on the window ledge she held on to the window frame with one hand. I started to panic, I thought I was going to be a witness to a suicide attempt. Then, she pulled out a cloth and started to clean the window. I couldn't believe my eyes. Cleaning ladies from Turkey must be the bravest and most skilful.
Along with the visual entertainment of our busy street I embraced the sounds that accompanied it. "Enginar (en geh nar), enginarci" a man yelled on a daily basis. Feeling relieved that the man was not in search of a long lost relative called enginar, I learnt that he was selling fresh artichokes.  A basket appeared from no-where tapping against our living room window as it descended. I rushed to see where it was coming from. As I stretched my neck to look above me, I saw a woman leaning out of her window levering  the basket by string very slowly to the street below where the man was standing. He put some artichokes in her basket and  then the woman  pulled  the string back up towards her as the basket banged against our window again . 
When the children were young, I  practised this basket manoeuvre in our home asking the  children to place their toys in the basket whilst I pulled it upstairs to their bedroom. It didn't last very long!

Enginar is a seasonal vegetable in Turkey. It's difficult to find decent fresh ones in England so Amir buys them uncooked and preserved in a jar from the local Turkish supermarket. There are a few different ways of cooking them. This is the traditional Turkish way, eaten as a meze (starter) or a vegetable accompaniment. 

4 large or 8 small uncooked artichoke cups

100g peas

1 large potato 

2 medium carrots

8 onion shallots or 1 onion (optional, I don't use)

half a small squeezed lemon

100ml oil

2 and a half heaped tablespoons of sugar

salt to taste
1 tablespoon of chopped dill

If you are using artichoke cups from a jar, they will need to be drained.

Dice the potato and carrots, slice the onion if you are going to use.

In a saucepan place the oil and diced vegetables and start to simmer for 5 minutes.

Add artichokes and peas. Cover with water and cook for 5-10 mins.

Add lemon, sugar and salt and cook for a further 10 mins.

Add dill.

Simmer in the pan until water has reduced and you are left with just enough sauce for the vegetables to lay on and artichokes should be soft.
Serve chilled or my preference is at room temperature.

The other way of cooking artichokes is classed as the Turkish Jewish way (seferadi). Cooked in a rich lemon sauce.

It is the same as the above minus the extra vegetables. 

Cook the artichoke cups in the oil, water and lemon juice adding the sugar and salt. The liquid will reduce to make a nice tangy sauce.

Before meeting Amir I had never eaten an artichoke. There are many other English people that are not familier with this vegetable and how to cook it. If you buy it fresh from the supermarket I can guide you through how to cook it. You can even eat the stalk and part of the leaves!

Cheese Croquettes

Apart from the fact that they rhyme with minarets, cheese croquettes are both delicious and addictive. They were one of the very first things I ate on the island of Burgaz.
Whilst still living in England, I visited Amir for a two week vacation. My first ever trip to Turkey. I travelled with my very dear house mates and good friends Danny & Vitali. We took Vitali's Aunt & Uncle's boat from Istanbul mainland to Burgaz across the Marmara sea. It was like another world to me, I had never known anyone to own a boat before. I imagined myself like Jackie Onassis with my over sized glamorous sunglasses and wind swept hair, only the reality was that I felt sea sick and my hair was all over the place like a troll.
I remember feeling very nervous as I would be meeting Amir's Mum for the first time. Amir warned me that she didn't speak any English so I prepared myself to just smile constantly at what ever she said hoping that she approved of her son's English girlfriend. With a grin firmly set in place I approached her. Amir introduced me and I shook her hand. Then, she started to speak in English. Amir was in shock, he said to his Mum "I didn't know you could speak English". She laughed and replied "when would I ever get the chance to speak to you in English?". She explained that she used English during her work when she was younger and she amazed herself that she hadn't forgotten her vocabulary. I felt so much more at ease knowing that we could have a conversation, and so, lunch was ordered and I got to know her as much as I could in such a short space of time. 
An array of meze dishes arrived at the table and that's when I indulged in the wonderful melt in your mouth golden croquettes.

250g grated hard cheese

(I use cheddar but any strong flavoured hard cheese is fine)

50g (1 large heaped tablespoon) plain flour

1 egg (egg white only used)

half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

oil for frying

Place the egg white in a bowl and whisk until firm.

Add grated cheese and fold in with a spoon.

Mix in flour and bicarbonate of soda.

Consistency should be firm enough to make small balls.

Place cheese balls in the fridge for as long as possible.

Deep fry and keep balls turning until golden brown and crispy all round.

Tip: Don't over size the balls as they puff, above ingredients should make around 20 balls.