Life 'n' Such

I think I am really mean just putting up pictures of the wonderful simple food I am eating, and leaving you all with no recipes.

Since this wonderful meal really just took a few minutes to make, I am quickly going to write how you could have it tonight and share it with your friends and family.

Today’s Menu:

Salmon (Pan fried),
Baked potato wedges,
Charred mini sweet colored peppers

Ingredients:

For Salmon:
salt, black pepper, garlic powder, good oil couple tbsp for frying (I used Olive Oil)

For Potatoes:
potatoes, washed, cut into wedges, salt, little black pepper, little red chilli powder, lots of oil, bread crumbs,

For Mini red peppers:
salt, oil, black pepper

Method:

Did you all notice, the ingredients, salt, pepper and oil are the base of all 3 dishes, so can you all imagine, how quickly you can put all this together? Also, less time for cleanup!

I started with the potatoes first, since they take the longest to cook.
Pre heat the oven to 400deg F, and then in a tray, put the potato wedges, and throw in all the ingredients, give it a nice toss and bake for about 30 minutes, pull out the tray, flip the wedges over, and bake another 10 minutes. Done.

Next, pull out the potatoes from the oven, drizzle the oil, salt, pepper over the peppers, and this time, put the oven on Broil (in certain ovens there is only temp setting, mine has 3 ie low, medium, and high, I put it on broil Med till the skin got charred a little bit)
Pull out the peppers, Done.

This technique is guaranteed to make your salmon perfect, that is crispy on the outside, and super soft and flaky on the inside.

Heat your pan on Med flame. Till then, on one side of the salmon, put salt, pepper and little garlic powder if you like. Put some oil in the pan, and when the oil is hot, gently put the salmon pieces in it, seasoning side down.
I recommend watching it while cooking, the color from the bottom is going to start turning lighter pink in color, when it reaches the middle of the piece, gently turn the pieces over. Again as the color from the bottom starts turning pink, and raises up, stop when it almost reaches the middle. Turn off the pan!
Its going to cook even if you take it off the pan. This will ensure a flaky interior not chewy Promise!

Enjoy a hot yummy simple meal, which seriously takes less than half an hour, hey Rachael Ray, aren’t you proud?

Note: I love drizzling lemon on fish before eating, it just tastes extra good!

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Chock full of vitamins in this recipe. So many vegetables you can use, and there are very high chances your kids are going to love it. No fuss, no mess, easy recipe. Few ingredients, lots of vegetables!

Here you go!

Ingredients:

For the basic white sauce, (which has been used by me in some of the previous recipes too with pasta, with cauliflower and broccoli, etc etc, the Beshamel sauce used by Turkish friends)

unsalted butter, 2 tbsp
all purpose flour (maida), 2 tbsp
milk, cold 2 cups

Vegetable mix:
carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, french beans, (any combination, chopped into equal bite sized pieces)
peas, american corn (off the cob that is)

(you can optionally throw in some boiled chicken too)

seasoning: salt, white pepper, red chilli flakes

Method:

First boil the vegetables and keep separate the stock. Retain the stock, do not discard it.

To make the white sauce, heat the butter, and fry the flour in it, till the color changes, and you get an aroma. (maybe 1 or 2 mins). Do not let it brown. Slowly add the cold milk, and whisk quickly with the other hand. Stir continuously till the sauce thickens. The sauce is ready.

Now if required, thin the sauce with water, stirring constantly. Then when it comes to a boil, add the vegetables and some salt and white pepper powder. (To make it a bit spicy, add red chilli flakes).

Done, go ahead, get a spoon, eat it right out of the pan. Don’t burn your tongue though.

Yum-O rating!

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We visited my dear brother and his family recently (miss you Tara!). And my dear sister in law Tehrat, made yummy dinner for all of us. She marinated chicken with Kraft barbecue sauce, and made pasta in cheese sauce with vegetables. They ordered yummy salads from a cool place, forget the name.

Here is the recipe for the sauce for the pasta, which is almost like the Turkish Beshamel sauce (on this blog, you will find the recipe).

I do not have the exact measurements, but the best part is, you really dont need exact measurements and you cannot go wrong with this recipe. The only part to remember is to keep stirring constantly, so you wont end up with a lumpy sauce.

Ingredients:

unsalted butter, a few tablespoons
chopped garlic, or paste
cold milk and all purpose flour stirred well
oregano or any italian seasoning (optional)
red chilli flakes (more or less, for a spicy kick to the pasta)
cheese grated (cheddar, mozarella etc)
boiled pasta water (reserve some while straining the cooked pasta)

Method:

First fry the garlic in the butter till golden, add the spices and quickly add the milk-flour mix. Now cook stirring constantly until the sauce thickens, and the flour-y taste disappears. Add more milk if needed. Add a little reserved pasta water too. Get it to a gentle boil. Then, add the grated cheese at the end. Add salt after tasting. Cheese contains salt, the seasonings also have some salt in them.

Bon Apetit!

Tip: You can add some sauteed vegetables to this, and some pasta, to create a hearty meal

Tip: I was changing channels on TV when I saw on MasterChef India, the chef was giving a tip on cooking pasta, he cut the pasta in the middle, and said that if there is a white line inside, then it is al-dente (which is how pasta is supposed to be), where as if there is no line, then it it overcooked. I should try it next time.

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I am not sure if I spelt that right. Well, the name isnt that important. Important is how quick and easy this recipe is… and oh delicious, win-win all the way. All my Turkish friends made it, but this recipe is given to me by Nilgun.
Ingredients:

Cauliflower (1 whole medium sized, cut into bite sized florets)
1 packet frozen broccoli
2 and half cups cold milk,
4 tbsp butter (unsalted)
1 and 1/2 tbsp flour,
1 onion, chopped
red pepper flakes, black pepper powder, salt
lots of grated mozzarella cheese
Method:

Start by boiling the cauliflower florets, then when its half done, (about 6 minutes) add the broccoli, and cook, till its almost done (not smooshy). Drain and put it in the tray you plan to bake and serve in.
In second pan, fry the onion, turn off the heat, add the salt, red and black pepper. Put it over the cauliflower/broccoli. Mix slightly.
In a third pan, heat the butter, and add the flour. Keep stirring it constantly and when it starts bubbling, add the cold milk, whisking simultaneously.When it starts to thicken, its done. (It will thicken I promise

Pour this over in the tray. Sprinkle grated mozzarella cheese and mix some in the cauliflower and broccoli. And lots of cheese on the top.

Bake for about 35-40 minutes, till the cheese is melted, and golden at 375 deg F.

Done!

Serve with rice pilaf, or eat by itself.

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Have you ever gone to a Turkish restaurant, and tried this. If you haven’t then I beg you to try this dish. I absolutely love it.

But, if you dont have a Turkish restaurant in your neighborhood, then you gotta follow my recipe. Its awesome, and this was a lucky accident.

Actually I started making the recipe for seekh kebabs (as my MIL) taught me, but I forgot to add the garlic! I know.. big Oops! And I made them (baked and shallow fried)
Then, I was thinking, how could I add garlic to this. I recently had eaten in a Turkish restaurant* this entree, with chicken kebab on a bed of warm pita (called ‘pide’ in Turkish) and yogurt garlic sauce. Hmmm it was sooooo good!!
*(again a lucky coincidence – we were driving by looking for a restaurant in Beachwood, and found this real nice Turkish restaurant called Antalya; It was excellent food and the price was not too bad. I will try to google the address, if you would like to dine there sometime.)

Anywho… here is the  recipe, enough yak yak…more recipe details! Sorry I get carried away talking about food, you know that!

Ingredients:

For kebabs:
2 chicken breast, ground until minced in a food processor
salt, 1 tsp
garam masala 1/2 tsp
red chilli powder,
1 egg
and ofcourse garlic 1 tsp
(optional 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, 1 hot green pepper)
oil for frying
For yogurt sauce:
2 cups of yogurt,
2 cloves of garlic,
few pinches of salt

For tomato sauce:
oil,
3-4 tbsp of tomato sauce,
cold water – 2 tbsp
red pepper

Pita,
olive oil
Method:

First mince the chicken (chop it up in medium sized pieces and using a food processor or a meat mincer, mince it well). Add the egg and the spices to this while mincing.

Finally using skewers (bamboo or metal), and dipping your hand in cold water, apply the minced chicken mixture on the skewers, and lay them hanging over a baking tray. For more details, follow the seekh kebab recipe here.
Preheat the oven to 375 deg F, and then bake for 15 minutes.

In the mean time, make the garlic yogurt sauce by grating a couple cloves of garlic in about 2 cups of yogurt and whisking it with little cold water, add some salt.

To make the tomato sauce, heat oil, add a few tbsp of tomato sauce, and wait till it bubbles, then add the turkish red pepper to it. Add some cold water, and mix and let it come to a bubble (boil) again. Turn off the heat. Add a couple pinches of salt.
Chop up about 5-6 pitas in small 1 inch pieces with a knife. (If you have a middle eastern bakery close by, I would recommend getting the pitas fresh). Spread them in a baking tray (which you will finally use for serving as well) Drizzle some olive oil over it. Keep aside.
When they kebabs come out of the oven, immediately pull them off the skewers.

Fry them in oil, and keep aside.

Put the pita in the oven for a few minutes(5-8 minutes), until they are all warm and slightly crispy.
Now, begin making your layers: over the warm pita, pour the yogurt sauce, then lay the kebabs on them, and drizzle the tomato sauce over it.

That’s it!!!!!!!!!!! It is just too good that I cannot find words to describe it. It is very much like the one they serve at a restaurant.

Note: You could also put different seasoning for the kebabs, my Turkish friends usually have salt, black pepper, red pepper and oregano in their kebabs.

My recipe is almost the same, with Indian twist to it.

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Looks beautiful, and tastes great! Oh, did I mention easy to make recipe?

I love to eat these stuffed zucchini boats (stuffing can be potatoes, or ground meat, or chopped chicken). How versatile!

Ulfet has made these a few times, and finally I remembered to ask her the recipe yesterday over the phone. By the way, belated birthday wishes to her!

Ingredients:

zuchini (1 per person), cut lenght wise into 2 pieces
stuffing: either mashed up potatoes, or ground meat, or chicken (Recipe for each stuffing follows)
(Also, chopped onion, tomatoes, garlic and oregano for meat or chicken stuffing)
spices and seasoning (salt, red pepper black pepper)
mozzarella cheese grated
oil for cooking/frying
water as per the requirement

Method:

Fry the zucchini halves till they are golden. Then remove some of the core with a spoon (scooping it out slowly). Mix the boiled potatoes with red pepper, black pepper and salt. Fill in spoonful(s) in the fried zucchini. Top it off with mozzarella cheese. Bake/broil in the oven, till the cheese melts.

For Chicken/ground meat Stuffing:

Fry the onion, add the chicken/meat to it, and cook till done (water is evaporated, and the meat/chicken is ready). Add the tomatoes, garlic, and cook till the tomatoes melt in. Add the salt, pepper, red pepper and the oregano. 

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This is what I had at Nilgun’s iftaar party the other night. I tried it and it is super simple!!

First let me mention the menu she had that night! We started off with lentil soup (courtesy Nur), there was spring roll borek, then salad, nuts, dates, everything laid out beautifully. Then the main course there was bulgur pilaf (I will post the recipe for that soon), cauliflower and broccoli baked in milk cheese sauce (besemal sos), this chicken, baked peppers, green beans in tomato sauce, and eggplant dip. Finally for dessert we had sekerpare (again courtesy Nur). YUMMMM! That’s all I have to say!!!

Ok, now the recipe.

Ingredients:

chicken breast boneless, chopped in bite size pieces,
1 onion, grated
red pepper,
black pepper,
salt,
oregano/curry powder
lemon juice,
milk
oil
Method:

Marinate the chicken in all of the above ingredients for atleast overnight. Then cook in a pan, till all the water evaporates, and the pieces look shiny. DONE!!!!  mmmm, now what was I saying, super Simple?

1 Comment | In: Food, Recipes, Turkish | | #

Nilgun and Asiye make this; and I think all the other Turkish friends make it too for breakfast. It is so so simple. Aye, I wish I had this recipe earlier!! I had to eat Top Ramen and Maggi noodles during my first few years while in University here in US.

Ingredients:

about 5 English Muffins (split open) or 6 regular bread slices,
3 eggs,
lots of mozarella cheese,
Chicken/Meat sausage cut in slices,
salt, red pepper, black pepper, mint/parsley

Method:

What do you think, you do next? Well, just mix all the above ingredients in a small bowl (except the muffins/bread) and spread it on each muffin/bread. That’s it! Toss it in the oven, broil it till the eggs are all done (and cheese is melted in, and the sausages are browned up a bit).
Serve hot!

Tell me if you like this. And if you make any variation to this, share it with us for sure.

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Fadime said, this was really easy, and said, her family likes this so much, that they have to buy tons of peppers and stock up! So here it goes:

Ingredients:

potato cut in cubes, and fried till golden brown,
green  peppers cut in little bite sized pieces,
1 tomato chopped,
little oil for cooking
salt, (optional: black pepper, red pepper)
For the sauce:
Yogurt, grated garlic, salt (little water for diluting)

Method:

On one side, keep the potatoes for frying. In the mean time, in little oil, sautée the peppers, on medium heat, for about 20 mins, till they are tender. Add the chopped tomatoes, and turn the heat off when the tomatoes changes color. At this point, add the fried potatoes to this and the salt/black/red pepper. Serve with yogurt garlic sauce on the side.

This is soooo good, now I want to go and buy peppers to make this, even when its snowing outside! Ta-Ta!

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Had a great evening after such a long time with my dear friends from Turkey! Nilgun hosted it, and she did a fabulous job. I ate and ate and ate! What is a girl to do with so many desserts?? There was Spinach cake made by Asiye, Elma Ll pasta made by Asuman, and cookie cake made by Nilgun. Nilgun also made a really good cheese borek. I have to get the recipe from here soon. Fadime made yummy yummy green pepper and fried potatoes with yogurt garlic sauce. It was soo soo good! Hmm.. what else was there, oh yeah and red lentil kofte!

Now you know, why I had to skip dinner that night! good times

Look I have a couple things I managed to take pictures off, rest we devoured rather quickly!

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