Vegetarian Pizza

What is better on Friday evening than pizza, cold beer and good company?! I bet not many things!!! This time it was vegetarian pizzas time!
What we need:
pizza dough
pickled mushrooms
boiled carrot
tomato
cheese
sweetcorn
green pepper
balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp of lemon juice
salt and pepper
thyme

What we have to do:
1. Roll out pizza pad. Brush with some olive oil.
2. Add 2/3 of cheese, then put mushrooms, sweet corn, carrots(brushed with balsamic vinegar beforehand), tomatoes, green pepper and the rest of cheese. Season with salt and pepper, thyme.
3. Bake for 25 min in 200 C oven. When pizza is done, drizzle some lemon juice and serve.

One more vegetarian pizza that is a hit in my family - Caramelised onion pizza.

Eggplant and broccoli stew

This week I have accomplished my goal!!! Our family hasn't eat meat for 7 days!!! I don't know why, but I always feel much better if I eat just vegetables. I love meat and nothing can change its flavour. I really don't agree with the idea that soya meat tastes as good as natural meat. But still I believe that it is possible to get many different flavours just omitting meat from your menu every now and again. This is our yesterday's dinner - eggplant and brocoli stew. The original idea of this recipe derives from traditional Turkish dish- fried stuffed eggplants. Instead of stuffing fried eggplants, I decided to put eggplant and the stuffing into the same pot and added lovely broccoli!!! Delicious!!!

What we need:

2 eggplants
1 head of broccoli
1 big onion
4 cloves of garlic
1 bell pepper
200ml of tomato puree
fesh thyme
200ml of vegetable stock
3 tbsp of olive oil

What we have to do:

1. Wash eggplant and peel it by leaving some skin on. Cut the eggplant in halves. Season with salt and set aside for 30 min. Then wash it and fry in olive oil until brown. Place on a kitchen paper towel. Let it cool.
2.When eggplant cools a bit, stuff some peeled and crushed garlic cubes into eggplant.
3. Cut onion, bell peppe, salt and pepper, and fry a bit in olive oil, the add brocoli, thyme, vegetable stock. Simmer for 5 min.
4. Add eggplant and tomato puree. Simmer for 3 min. Serve hot or warm with yogurt or bread. Enjoy!

Tomato and Olive salad

This resipe is very common in Antakya region, Turkey. As my hubby is from somewhere around there, this dish is definitely one of his favourite. So when our home is loaded with olives, this is the easiest way to use them up. A delicious and easy way!!!

What we need:

olives
tomatoes
onion
thyme ( fesh is always better, but this time I used dried)
salt and pepper to taste
lemon juice
olive oil

What we have to do:

1. Remove stones from olives.
2. Cut all vegetables in small pieces.
3. Mix tomatoes, onions, olives and thyme. Add salt and pepper, olive oil and lemon juice. You can also add some fresh parsley. Enjoy!!!

Below I posted a collage of Antakya and olives. Though generally olives found in this region are very small and have bitter flavour. That's why they go so well with tomato freshness.

Pickled green beans with onion

When I buy just too many green beans, one of my favourite ways to keep them crunchy and delicious is to make pickles!!!

What we need:

2 kg of green beans
2 big onions
2 bay leaves
5-6 black peppers
2 cloves of garlic
3 lemons
2 teaspoons of salt and sugar
1l water

What we have to do:

1. Boil green beans for 3 min. They must be still crunchy.
2. Make marinate: boil 1 l of water, then add salt and sugar, 2 lemon juice, bay leaves and pepper corns. Simmer for 5 min.
3. Cut onion into slices. Put beans and onion in a bowl, add one lemon slices and pour over the marinate. Cover the bowl with a lid and leave it until it gets cool. And finally enjoy!!!!

Vegetable curry

When I was looking for some dinner ideas, I really wanted something vegetarian!!! It's just too hot in Istambul for the last few days to eat meat! So I came across a slow-cooker vegetable curry in one website. But after reading the instructions how to make it, I was shocked to see that you have to cook it for 8-9 hours on a slow heat or 4-5 hours on a medium heat!!! But who has so much time nowadays???!!! That's why I used the idea of mixing curry sauce, coriander seeds and tomato puree, but I cooked my curry just for 30 min. And it tastes great!!! I loved the flavour that curry sauce adds to vegetables. Lovely!!!

What we need:

2 carrots
2 eggplants
1 zucchini
2 medium onions
2 peppers ( one jelapeno, one ordinary green pepper)
3 cloves of garlic
1 glass of boiled chickpeas
100 gr of green beans
3 tbsp of curry sauce
4 tbsp of tomato puree
250 ml of vegetable stock
coriander seeds
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp of olive oil
cheese for garnish

What we have to do:

1. Peel eggplant and cut into cubes, add salt and set aside.
2. Peel and cut into cubes carrots, zucchini, onion. Clean green beans and peppers, and cut into smaller pieces.
3. Preheat a pot with olive oil, add chopped garlic, coriander seeds and onion. Fry unil medium soft. Then add carrots, zucchini, and washed eggplant. Fry for 2-3 min, then add vegetable stock, chickpeas, peppers and green beans. Simmer for 10 min.
4. Add curry sauce and tomato puree. Simmer again for 6-8 min. Serve with rice if you want. Garnish with grated cheese or any fresh herbs.

Figs with yoghurt

Today I was so happy to see the first figs this season in our local store, that I grabbed some of them and rushed home to make something light!!! I generally don't like adding extra flavours to figs - they are just great as they are!!! So my first fig delight!!! I can't even call it a dish, just something very tasty!!!

What we need:

2 figs
3 tbsp of yogurt
1 teaspoon of honey ( optional)

What we have to do:

1. Peel one fig and crush it with a fork. Mix it with yogurt and honey.
2. Place fig yohurt into a serving dish and add one extra fig and some more yogurt on the top! Decorate if you feel like!!!

Note!!! It's just much more delicious and fresher if the ingredients are cold. Just keep figs and yogurt in a fridge for 1-2 hours before making or after making this delight!!! Enjoy!!!

Spicy chicken with light relish and Turkish pilaf

Spicy chicken with light relish and Turkish pilaf - I guess it is the longest name I have ever given to a dish in my blog!!! That is definitely because I had no idea what to make for dinner yesterday and was too lazy to go shopping, so made a bit of this, a bit of that and here we are- dinner's ready!!! I added some smoked paprika to get some smoky flavour which I just love and some chilli to get some kick!!! I love it too!!! Quite easy and tasty dinner!!!

What we need:

4 chicken breasts
1 tbsp of smoked paprika powder
1 chilli pepper
4 tomatoes
2 onions
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 lemon
2 bell peppers
salt and pepper to taste

for relish:

2 tomatoes
1 cucumber
1 onion
fresh parsley
1 tbsp of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

for Turkish pilaf:

1 glass of rice
3 tbsp of boiled chickpeas
1 tbsp of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 glasses of water

What we have to do:

1. Season chicken breasts with spices and drizzle some lemon juice. Fry chicken for 4 min in a pan with some olive oil. Then transfer meat to an ovenproof dish and add slices of onion, tomato, lemon, peppers. Put in the oven for 25 min in 180C.
2. Wash the rice in water, drain it. Preheat oil in a pot, then add the washed rice and fry them for 3 min while stiring. Then add chickpeas and water. Boil rice for 10 min. Then put the lid on and turn the heat off. Leave for 10 more min.
3. For relish, cut vegetables in small pieces, add lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper.
4. Serve with lavaş, tortilla or your favourite bread! Enjoy!!!

A cake for birthday

 

I've noticed that the longer I live, the smaller birthday cakes get, or it's just the visual trick the numerous amount of candles make... So I decided this time to put only eight... well... The younger the better!!! :D

What we need:

1kg of puff pastry
1 egg
1 tbsp of cream

for frosting:

500gr of butter

200gr of flour

350 gr of sugar

200 ml of milk

100gr of any liquer or brandy ( I used Bailey's)

3 egg yoks

seeds of one vanilla stick or vanilla extract

What we have to do:

1. Roll our puff pastry, cut into 5-6 squares or any shape you want. Brush with egg and cream mix and bake for 15 min in 200C. From one kg of puff pastry I made 5 square sheets. Leave them to cool.
2. Melt butter in a pot, mix in the flour and leave on the heat until flour gets brownish. Stir without a stop. Then add boiling milk with sugar and vanilla seeds. Mix it without stopping. Simmer for 3 min and remove from the heat. Add liquer and keep on stiring until the cream cools. Then add egg yoks, one by one. Mix until the cream turns fluffy and light yellow.
3. Spread the cream on each layer of puff pastry until the sheets finish and them cut the sides properly and decorate. I just sprinkled the remaining puff pastry and added some sugary hearts.

4. Leave the cake overnight or at least for 5 hours. A very delicious cake.

16 hours in Ankara

Last Friday I headed for Ankara to do some stuff in Lithuanian Ambassy and at the same time had a chance to look around the capital of Turkey. My first impression was really great!!! For a girl from green Lithuania, Ankara looked amazing with blooming flowers all around, thousands of trees and even the weather was cleaner, no dusty feeling... 

But about everything step by step... I left Istanbul late at night or early in the morning at about 2am. A six-hour- bus ride was waiting for me, that's why I had chosen the bus by Ulusoy company. When it comes to buses, there are so many companies providing their services, but if you decided to use a bus, I would recommend Ulsoy as the buses are very comfortable, clean, cold and hot drinks ( no alcohol) and snacks are served on the way, they don't make too many break-stops. Actually, this time there were no stops as it was just a six hour night journey. In the morning, I enjoyed a lovely cheese sandwich with coffee. 

Ankara met me with pretty hot weather and crowded buses and hundreds of taxis. So I had to grab a taxi as I had no idea where to find the ambassy. It was an easy drive and I must say not too expensive. My so called stuff took only 20 minutes to fix and I was ready to get some real coffee in a cafe. Not far from the ambassies I found a lovely place for coffee. However, it was already about 11 am and pretty hot, that's why I decided to have cold frappe which originally was supposed to be with caramel and mango syrup. But I have and idea that the waiter just forgot to add any or was really mean. My verdict - no more frappe in the nearest future!!!

After sad coffee tasting, I was ready for some cultural and historical experience of Ankara. So the first stop was the mausoleum of Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish Republic. The mausoleum was constructed in 1944 and sits on the top of the hill overlooking the city and the area is called Anit Tepesi. This building is a notorious example of modern Turkish architecture. Below you can see some photos that were made at the entrance of the Mausoleum complex. Of course at first everyone was carefully checked by the officers and then I had to walk for about 15 min uphill in a boiling heat ( it was about +37C). The whole complex includes a Path of Honor guarded by Hittite lions, a Court of Honor, the Atatürk Mausoleum itself and a museum.

The path of honour leads to massive square with collonaded mausoleum and a museum with war memorabilia, paintings, personal Turkish presidents' belogings.

It took several hours to look around. So on the way back from the museum I enjoyed lovely shadows on the benches under the trees, which were in such a great variety and colours. The beauty of the museum and the park around it really shows Turkish affection and glorification of Kemal Attatürk.

Another place that I was longing to visit in Ankara was the museum of Anatolian Civilisation, which is located on the south side of Ankara castle. So I took underground to get there and one more time I had a pleasure of climbing numerous steps. To my surprise there weren't proper signs to show the way to the museum, that is why I just walked up the hill towards the castle, which was really high. So thirty steps, then again thirty steps, and of course some more steps and again steps... and the weather was still very hot!!! Then somewhere in the halfway I asked one water-seller where exactly the museum was, and as a good Turkish tradition goes - you cannot say 'I don't know!' and you MUST show something if you are asked. And I was shown to go up up up the hill. I went almost to the top but instead of a castle or a museum I found a Karaim village with carpets displayed on fences and women sitting next to their huts drinking tea. So I understood it was time to go back. 

On the way downhill I saw quite many parked cars and buses, so the only idea was that overthere there should be the real museum. Luckily, my intuition was right and I finally went into the museum. I loved the coolness inside and everything I saw there. The exhibits of gold, silver, glass, marble and bronze works date back as far as the second half of the first millennium BC. The coin collections, with examples ranging from the first minted money to modern times, represent the museum's rare cultural treasures. An unbelievable history lesson!!! Definitely a place worth a visit!!!

And finally evening came and it was time to enjoy some Turkish cuisine and some Turkish beer. So I had tavuk şiş ( chicken kebab) with fried potatoes and salad. For a snack we had cigara böreks ( feta cheese wrapped in fillo dough) with very spicy ketchup and mayonaise. Simple, not very healthy but delicious!!! After the dinner it was time to say goodbye to a nice city of Ankara. Time to go home!!!

Spicy carrots and zucchini

 Sometimes I like it spicy but still light without meat. So this can be called a dish by itself or just a side dish! 

What we need:

2 small zucchinis

2 carrots

2 cloves of garlic

1 tomato

2 tbsp of olive oil

salt

1 chili pepper

some chopped dill and thyme

2 tbsp of lemon juice

What we have to do:

1. Cut carrots and zuchini into slices. Pre-heat a skillet and add oil and vegetables, salt. Let it fry for 5 min.

2. Add chopped garlic, chilli and tomato. Let it simmer for 3-4 min. Then add dill and thyme.

3. Serve it hot with some squeezed lemon juice!

Saffron Chicken wings

I bought some saffron quite a while ago in Istanbul Spice Market but was quite afraid to use it in my dishes due to various comments from my friends. Some of them didn't like the bitterness, the others the colour, but still it's one of the most expensive spices in the world. So there must be a reason why it is so appreciated by gourmet chefs. So I started my saffron experience with a simple Middle Eastern chicken wing recipe. I don't know if it's because of saffron or the way of preparing the wings, the meat was so soft and flavourful. I'll definitely make it again!!!

What we need:

10 chicken wings
1 small teaspoon of saffron
2 tbsp of olive oil
salt and pepper
2 tbsp of flour
1 chili pepper ( optional)

What we have to do:

1. Put saffron in 1 tbsp of olive oil, mix it and leave it for 15 min. Then season chicken wings with salt and pepper, chopped chilli and pour over saffron with oil. Leave it for 15 min.
2. Dust chicken wings with flour and fry them in oil for about 5-6 min. Just until the skin gets a bit brown. Transfer the wings onto a tray with baking paper.
3. Put the wings into a preheated oven ( 180C) for about 20 min.
4. Traditionally chicken wings are served with lavaş or pide bread. But you can choose your favourite side dish! Enjoy!!!

Spinach and white cheese pie

Most Mediterranean countries are famous for their variety of cheese. Turkey is no exception. This time I decided to make an easy spinach and white cheese ( tr. beyaz peynir - 'beyaz' - white, 'peynir' - cheese) pie in puff pastry. Beyaz peynir is very similar to feta cheese in its texture but it's generally made from cow's milk. Well, I can call it Turkish feta! And it's really delicious with any olives. In Turkey this cheese is used in böreks ( anything that is rolled in fyllo daugh and baked or fried in oil) or tarts.

What do we need:

200 gr of puff pastry
300 gr of white cheese
200 gr of fresh spinach
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs
1 tbsp of sesame seeds ( I used black seeds)

What we have to do:

1. Cut onion and garlic into small pieces and fry them in olive oil. Add cut spinach, salt and pepper. Fry for 2-3 min.
2. Roll out puff pastry. Take a baking dish and brush it with olive oil, place puff pastry.
3. Mix white cheese with fried spinach, add 2 eggs, mix it wel and pour into dish with puff pastry.
4. Cut some slices of puff pastry and decorate the top of the pie. Then brush with eggwash and sprinkle some black or white sesame seeds.

5. Pre-heat the oven until 200C and bake for 30 min or until the top gets golden brown! Enjoy!!!

Greek rice salad

As the weather is getting hotter and hotter every day, everyone wants only something light... On my today's wish list was something with rice and cold. That's exactly when I remembered Kalofagos.ca blogged recipe just a few weeks ago... And I really liked it!!! As always...

What we need:

250 ml rice
2 cucumbers ( optional)
1 green and 1 red bell peppers
1 spring onion
10 olives
100gr of fresh peas
1 finely grated carrot
2 tbsp of olive oil
2 tbsp of lemon juice and zest
salt and pepper to taste
chopped dill and parsley, thyme

What we have to do :

1. Wash the rice in water and put into a pot, add 500ml water and boil for 8 min then cover with a lid and leave for 10 more min. Then let it cool. (If you have no time or you are very hungry, pour over cold water and drain)
2. Peel the cucumber, cut into small cubes. Grate carrot. Cut peppers and spring onion. Put vegetables into a bowl.
3. Add salt and pepper. Add chopped olives, peas and herbs. Mix in the rice and add lemon juice and olive oil. Mix it well and serve! Enjoy!!!

French style beef and mushroom stew

While looking through the recipes that I've blogged during the last 4 months, I found one recipe that I especially liked - Sauteed Chicken/ Saute de Paulet. So this time I chose beef for almost the same recipe. Just with a touch of French wine, onion and bell peppers ( which I just adore).

What we need:

400 gr beef, cut into pieces
300 gr of mushrooms
2 medium onions
2 bell peppers
thyme
rosemary
3 cloves of garlic
500ml of beef stock
100ml of French wine
2 tbsp of butter or oil
3 tbsp of flour
salt and pepper to taste

What we have to do:

1. Put flour, chopped thyme, black pepper and salt into a plastic bag and put cut beef. Shake it well. Then fry beef on a pan with some oil or butter. Fry for 5 min.
2. In a pot add chopped onion and garlic, sautee it until medium soft. Then add fried beef, beef stock and red wine. Some more thyme and rosemary. Let it simmer for 20 min.
3. Then add cut bell peppers and simmer again for 20 min or until beef is completely soft. Serve hot with your favourite side dish or green salad.

Quesadillas with mushrooms

One evening my hubby asked me to make a small snack, well, something to go with beer and football. And this, almost vegetarian version, was a really great dish!!! We hade so much fun no just enjoying quesadillas, but because our favourite team became the Turkish league champions!!!Well done guys!!!

What we need:

3 tortillas
1 big onion
4 big mushrooms
1 bell pepper ( green or red)
1 cayene pepper
parsley or dill
some chopped spring onion
50 gr of grated cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp of olive oil or butter

What we have to do:

1. Cut onion and fry in a pan with some olive oil.
2. Then add cut mushrooms. Season wit salt and pepper.
3. Add bell pepper and cayene pepper, dill. Fry until they are almost done but still crunchy.
4. Drain mushroom and vegetable juice and place some of the fried vegetables on a tortilla, add some grated cheese and fold tortilla in half. Fry on both sides until light brown. Cut into triangles and serve with vegetable salad or your favourite sauce.

Grean Beans with potatoes

This is another great and easy recipe from Turkish cuisine. I always make it when I actually have no time or no inspiration to cook. But still it tastes great as I love green beans in tomato sauce.

What we need:

300 gr of green beans ( cut into smaller pieces)
6 baby potatoes
4 tomatoes
thyme
oregano
salt
red pepper flakes
1 glass of water
1 tbps of olive oil
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic

What we have to do:

1. Peel the potatoes, cut into smaller pieces and add into a pot with water, add some salt and let it boil for about 10 min. Then drain half of the water.
2. Chop onion, garlic and tomatoes. Fry them in a pan with olive oil. Then put it into a pot with boiled potatoes, add green beans, thyme, oregano and red pepper flakes. Simmer for 10 more min. And finally serve!!! It's a great side dish or a dish of its own.

Turkey Muffins with Turkish lavaş

This recipe is very very new for me and the dish is still hot waiting for the evening ( I've just prepared as I have to work in the evening), but I just wanted to share a recipe which is just SOOOO delicious!!! Well, I guess you all have heard about meat loaf, so these muffins are just mini version!!! But the key is just not to overbake it... Well, I couldn't wait until the evening and have already had one... well, maybe two...

What we need:

500 gr of turkey breast, chopped into small pieces

1 onion

2 cloves of garlic

150 ml of tomato sauce

1 egg

80 gr of grated cheese ( your favourite)

butter for a muffin tray

1,5 tbsp of bread crumbs

1 tbsp of mayonaise

salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon of chopped dill

What we have to do:

1. First cut the turkey meat into small pieces, then add chopped onion and garlic. 

2. Beat the egg and mix it with mayonaise and tomato sauce. Pour the mixture into the turkey meat. Add salt and pepper, grated cheese, chopped dill and bread crumbs. Mix it well.

3. Brush muffin tray with butter and add a tablespoon of the meat mix into each hole. 

4. Preheat the oven until 200C and bake it for 25 min. Serve with your favourite side dish or just some lettuce, tomatoes and  Turkish lavaş ( turkey meat and Turkish lavaş... sounds pretty weird) or tortilla. 

That made 12 muffins!

Stuffed grilled mushrooms

On our grilling day, I felt that I needed some snack just before the grill is hot enough for the meat. So I starded with grilled mushrooms. Then I quickly mixed the stuffing and here you are... a lovely snack!!!

What we need:

10 big mushrooms
3 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
2 cloves of garlic
1 tbps of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

for stuffing:
1 big cucumber
2 roasted pepper
some spring onion
150 gr of cream cheese
1 tbsp of natural yogurt
chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

What we have to do:

1. Clean the mushrooms, remove the stems and add them into a bowl with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and grated garlic. Add some salt and pepper. Leave it for about 30 min. Then place them on the grill. And grill for about 10-15 min.

2. Cut cucumber and roasted pepper into cubes, add chopped spring onion and parsley. Mix in cream cheese and yogurt. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Stuff the mushrooms and garnish with parsley. Enjoy!!!