Turkish Food Passion

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• Turkish White Cheese (Beyaz Peynir) January 20, 2019
  This recipe was prepared over a year ago and I had an issue with the program I was using for the pictures after changing computers. I never got a chance to get back to what I was using before, so I decided to publish these not so great pictures as they are instead of waiting any longer. I had a few more pictures illustrating the the process, but it may take […]
• Homemade Butter (Ev Yapımı Tereyağı) June 10, 2017
  For years, I have been craving homemade butter. Growing up, I remember observing my grandmother make butter with a tall, round, wooden butter maker. I call it butter maker, because I do not know the name of it. I remember her shaking it vigorously for a long time to make the butter. The butter making process stayed vaguely with me however my collection of th […]
• The Sultan’s Delight (Hünkar Beğendi) May 29, 2017
  Finally, a recipe to share after a year! Life gets in the way and it becomes difficult to spend time on blogging. My hünkar beğendi recipe has been waiting for almost a year to be published. Now that it’s eggplant season again, I thought it’s a good time to share it. You may be curious about the name of this recipe. It translates to “The Sultan Liked It”. On […]
• Ladies Thighs Meatballs (Kadınbudu Köfte) April 27, 2016
  It has been way too long since I have published a recipe on my blog. Life is busy with children, work and home. Most of the food I have been cooking is catered toward little children and don’t even have the time to document it let alone to take pictures and post. But this recipe really deserves some space on my blog. My children loved it and I couldn’t keep […]
• Turkish Zucchini Fritters (Kabak Mücveri) September 1, 2015
  I have made mücver throughout the summer without following a recipe and each time making differently. This version, by far has been the tastiest one. Most of the time, I do not add white cheese and I think I will never make them again without it. The cheese adds such a wonderful flavor. I was already full when I made these, but I couldn’t resist so I ate two […]
• Kebab Stuffed in Eggplant Pots (Saksı Kebabı) August 17, 2015
  I could not resist posting another eggplant recipe before the summer season is over. By chance, I found these beautiful looking, organic eggplants and I had to buy them. There are so many Turkish recipes with eggplants, so I like to try something different each time. This recipe I have not made before, but after tasting its deliciousness, I will make it more […]
• Eggplant with Green Lentils (Mualla/Yeşil Mercimekli Patlıcan) August 4, 2015
  Eggplant is one of my favorite summer vegetables. I don’t seem to be cooking with it as much now since my kids don’t love it. One day, I really craved eggplants so I decided to make something saucy with eggplants. This recipe is traditionally made in Hatay/Antakya (Antioch) region and it is just incredibly delicious. The pomegranate molasses gives it such a […]
• Spicy Cookies from Hatay (Hatay Kömbesi) July 22, 2015
            These delicious, spicy cookies are traditionally made in the Hatay province right after Ramadan, during Şeker Bayramı which translates to “Sugar Feast”. Almost every household in Hatay region makes these cookies in very large amounts which usually involves friends, relatives and neighbors getting together to make them. They are either baked at home […]
• Rice with Carrots (Havuçlu Pirinç Pilavı) April 10, 2015
  This rice dish is extremely simple. I have been purchasing colorful (orange, yellow, light purple and dark purple) carrots almost every week. Each time, I make something different with them. One week roasted, one week sliced for salads, shredded for carrot salads, sautéed and etc. I shredded some this week to add to salads and other meals and wanted to add t […]
• Turkish Style Potato Salad (Türk Usulü Patates Salatası) February 25, 2015
    Here is a simple, light and delicious potato salad: Turkish style.  There is no mayonnaise or eggs in it, but if you would like it a little creamy, both ingredients can be added. Instead of green onions dried red onion and instead of green garlic a garlic clove can be used. The green onions and green garlic are from my small garden so I preferred to use th […]
• Cigaratte Rolls (Sigara Böreği) December 18, 2014
  Sigara böreği takes its name from the shape of cigarettes. Although I truly loathe cigarettes, I love cigarette rolled boreks! Addictive is the right word to describe these little rolls. In Turkey, they are usually served as appetizers, for breakfast and as an afternoon snack with a hot Turkish tea. I have tried making these numerous times using whole fat Tu […]
• Baked Pastry with Leeks and Chard (Fırında Pırasalı ve Pazılı Börek) December 3, 2014
  With winter comes, my favorite winter vegetables: chard and leeks. I started buying chard and leeks because of their nutritional value which I feed my little kids on a weekly basis. I grew up eating chard which I was not fond of but my mother only made it with a yogurt soup with grain which is eaten cold. I don’t recall eating it any other way. For böreks, m […]
• Baked Eggplant Kebab (Tepside Patlıcan Kebabı) September 9, 2014
  This truly delicious dish comes from the city of Gaziantep, Turkey which is very famous with its cuisine. After Hatay (my Province), I like Gaziantep’s food next and then Adana which is about two hours away from my hometown. I have only passed by Gaziantep and have not been there to taste all the delicious food, but when I was very young we had a family acqu […]
• Green Beans with Ground Beef (Kıymalı Yeşil Fasülye) August 20, 2014
  We have been really enjoying all the seasonal vegetables this summer: zucchinis, green beans, eggplant, okra, green and red peppers and of course a lot of tomatoes. Every week at least 3-4 of these vegetables are consumed in our households depending on the availability. I like to purchase them all organic and sometimes organic is not available. In that case, […]
• Yogurt Drink (Ayran) July 17, 2014
  One of the most refreshing drinks, ayran is enjoyed throughout the summer in Turkey. It pairs very well with kebaps and bulgur dishes. You will find ayran in most Turkish restaurants in the States as it is very popular. I do not know any Turkish person who does not love it, but I think it is an acquired taste for most Americans.  The yogurt used in this reci […]
• Zucchinis with Lentils (Mercimekli Kabak) July 17, 2014
  Another favorite summer time vegetable: zucchini. Without planning, I end up buying zucchinis every week in the summer since they are in season. Almost every time, I cook them in tomato sauce either with ground beef, with lentils or just with carrots and tomatoes. They’re delicious in my opinion. Although, I used to almost hate them when I was little. When I […]
• Rose Pastry with Beef and Spinach (Etli ve Ispanaklı Gül Böreği) June 5, 2014
  I have made these boreks with potatoes, spinach and cheese filling separately in the past. This is the first time I am trying them with meat. All versions turned out really good. Anything with phyllo dough tastes wonderful; at least that’s what I think. The shapes of these boreks are attractive which makes me wanting to eat one more and one more…The filling […]
• Nightingale’s Nest (Bülbül Yuvası) May 27, 2014
  A cousin of the baklava, this dessert is equally delicious but with a different style. The nightingale’s nests look very appealing and hard to resist. I made these about a month ago and loved them. They tasted so delicious that I decided to make them again with a few little adjustments. Instead of pistachios, you may use hazelnuts, almonds or any other nut y […]
• Fried Dover Sole (Dil Balığı Kızartması) May 3, 2014
  My 17 month old twins love this fish. Ever since they were 8 months old, they have been eating this fish. I think the reason is because the fish is so delicate, it is very soft and doesn’t require a lot of chewing. Since this fish falls apart easily I usually sauté it in a pan for them, however I would like a little more texture to the fish so I decided to f […]
• Etli İçli Köfte (Stuffed Bulgur Shells with Beef) April 16, 2014
  İçli köfte is also known as “oruk” in Turkey and in the Hatay/Antakya (Antioch) region where I am from, it is called “kibbeh” a word that comes from Arabic. İçli köfte is very popular in the Middle East and each country may have a different version of it. Even within Turkey or within Hatay, there are many different versions. This recipe is the içli köfte tha […]
• Fried Smelts (Gümüş Balığı Kızartması) April 4, 2014
  It has been over 20 years since I have had fish this small. I remember eating small fish such as hamsi (anchovy) and izmarit (picarel) when I was small. It has been tempting to buy it when available but since I am the only one who is willing to eat it in the house, I never bought it before. This week when I was shopping I saw the fresh smelts and they looked […]
• Chicken Liver Wrap (Tavuk Ciğer Dürüm) March 22, 2014
  Nutritious and quick to prepare! Those are the first things that come to my mind when I think of chicken liver. Due to the fact that liver is rich in iron levels, I try to incorporate them in the twins diet. In the summer when my twins started eating meats, I had them try liver and they actually liked it. After a long while, I tried it again and they really […]
• Walnut Spread with Red Pepper (Biberli Ceviz) March 13, 2014
  Besides the taste and the simplicity, the versatility of this dish encourages me to make it more often. As it is traditionally served as a spread on flat bread, it can also be served as a spread for sandwiches, wraps and crackers. It is a quick way of getting a healthy, filling and tasty dish. I actually had it with baked flounder and potatoes the next day w […]
• Broiled Chicken Marinated in Pomegranate Juice (Nar Suyu ile Izgara Tavuk) February 20, 2014
  There was a pomegranate in the fruit drawer of my refrigerator for a long time. For weeks and weeks (pomegranates can keep for months) every time I would open the drawer to grab a quick piece of fruit, it would stare at me and I would stare back at it thinking that it is time to eat it. This repeated almost every day for quite some time until finally I had a […]
• Turkish Coffee (Türk Kahvesi) February 12, 2014
  While organizing some folders, I noticed that I had semi-prepared a post and taken a few pictures of Turkish coffee several years ago. When I saw that, I decided to spend a few minutes to post the recipe for Turkish coffee. If you haven’t tried Turkish coffee, mostly likely you have heard of it. Turkish coffee is very popular where most Turks enjoy it daily; […]