Session # 2 Recipes

Turkish Cooking Class January 23rd Menu

IZMIR KOFTE

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

1 small onion

½ cup bread crumbs

1 egg

Salt, pepper

2 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons tomato paste

4-5 potatoes

Mix the ground beef with grated onions, bread crumbs, egg, salt and pepper. Give the koftes finger shape and cook at low broil. Peel and slice the potatoes into another tray and bake at 400ºF. In a small pot, melt the butter and mix with tomato paste, add 2 cups of water and boil. Combine the meat fingers and potatoes into the same tray and spread the tomato sauce on top. Cook in 375 ºF oven for additional 15 minutes.

TURKISH PASTRY WITH CHEESE (BOREK)

Ingredients

6 Turkish style phyllo doughs

4 eggs

2 cups milk

1 cup oil

2 cups water

Filling

½ lb feta cheese

Finely chopped parsley

Beat the eggs and mix with oil, water and milk. Spread one sheet of the dough onto an oil sprayed oven tray. Roll a dough sheet and cut about 3 inch long slices. Dip the slices into the milk mixture and arrange in a row on the tray. Apply the same to another dough sheet. Spread the feta cheese filling over the dough sheets. Roll and dip into the milk mixture two more dough sheets and arrange in a row. Spread the last dough sheet on the tray flat without rolling and sprinkle the remaining milk mixture. Bake the borek at 375ºF and serve warm.

PURSLANE SALAD (SEMIZOTU SALATASI)

Ingredients

1 bunch of purslane

½ lb green olives stuffed with red pepper

½ lb pickles

4 potatoes

½ lb corn

Sauce

3 tablespoons yoghurt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 teaspoon mustard

1 teapoon salt

1 teapoon dried mint

Boil and cube the potatoes. Slice the pickles and green olives thinly and chop the purslane. Mix all the ingredients. Prepare the sauce using a blender and sprinkle onto the salad before serving.

AEGEAN FIG DESSERT (INCIR TATLISI)

Ingredients

1 lb dried figs

1 cup walnut

½ teaspoon cinnamon

4 tablespoons sugar

1 cup water

1 cup milk

Wash the dried figs and soak into warm water for half an hour. Mix the walnut with cinnamon. Poke the bottom of the figs and fill the inside with 1 teaspoon of walnut. Place the figs into a pan. In a separate pot mix water, milk and sugar and warm that up until the sugar melts. Spread the milk over the figs and cook on medium heat for 15-20 minutes. Place the figs onto serving plate hot and spread the remaining milk, sugar mixture on them. When the figs cool down, they can be served with whipped cream or ice-cream and chopped walnuts.