Session # 2 Photos

Our second Turkish Cooking Class of the year was held on January 23rd, Saturday. We demonstrated some of the dishes of fascinating Aegean region and watched videos on its history, culture and people. Next cooking class is on February 6th, Saturday. Please, join us for the feast!

Turkish Pastry with Cheese (Borek)

Izmir Kofte

Purslane Salad (Semizotu Salatasi)

Fig Dessert (Incir Tatlisi)

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.

Session # 2 @ January 23rd

Please, join us to enjoy (and learn how to cook) traditional Aegean Region Dishes. Aegean region is very well known for its healthy diet and delicious variety of food. If you don`t want to miss the chance to taste come on January 23rd, Saturday @ 2pm. Cooking classes are held in Turquoise Center: 1416 E.Collins Blvd. Richardson, TX.

RSVP is required. Please RSVP by replying to this e-mail or through our meet-up group.

TAWA

Session #1 Photos

First class of 2010 was last Saturday January 9th. We moved to a bigger room due to the increase in the number of students. We were delighted to have many new faces as well as our old friends from last semester. Here are some photos of our class and the food! :):)

We presented some information about Marmara region.

How to make rose desserts

After they are fried.

Kapama (Roasted chicken with rice)

Herse (eggplant salad)

and ayran (yogurt drink)...

Session # 1 Recipes

Turkish Cooking Class January 9th Menu

KAPAMA (ROASTED CHICKEN WITH RICE)

Ingredients
7 chicken thighs
3 cups rice
2 tablespoons butter
Salt
3,5 cups chicken broth

Boil chicken thighs.
Soak the rice with salt and water for 15 minutes, then wash the rice and drain. Spread the rice on a tray. Heat the oven to 400°F. Sprinkle salt to cooked chicken thighs and place on the rice. Place small butter cubes on the rice. Pour the remaining chicken broth over the rice carefully and cover the tray with aluminum foil. Bake the rice in the oven until the water drains. Remove the foil and let the chicken cook more. Cover the chicken and rice with another tray after removing from the oven.

HERSE (EGGPLANT SALAD)

Ingredients
2 large eggplants
2 green bell peppers
2 red bell peppers
2 tomatoes
1-2 cloves of garlic
lemon juice
Olive oil
½ cup finely chopped parsley

Poke the eggplants and bell peppers with a fork. Lay aluminum foil on the oven rack and bake the eggplants and bell peppers with low broil by occasional turning until the skin color turns crimson. Peel the skin of the roasted vegetables; remove seeds of the bell peppers. Cube the tomatoes and roasted vegetables; add finely chopped parsley, crushed garlic, salt, lemon juice and olive oil. Mix everything by slight mashing.
.
AYRAN (YOGURT DRINK)

Ingredients
1 package of plain yoghurt
1 1/3 cups cold water
salt

Mix yogurt and water in blender, until well blended. Add salt if desired. Start off with a small amount of salt and work your way up.

GUL TATLISI (ROSE DESSERT)

Ingredients
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
2 tablespoons yoghurt
½ cup melted butter
1 small bottle sparkling water
1 egg white to stick the dough

Syrup
2 cups water
2,5 cups suger
2-3 dried cloves
Few drops of lemon juice

Mix sugar and water to make the syrup and boil for 5-10 minutes, add lemon juice and cloves before turning the heat off. Let the syrup cool down at room temperature.
Mix the flour and baking powder, make a well in the middle and add all the other ingredients in the well and make a soft dough. Divide the dough into two pieces and open the dough with rolling pin. Cut three sizes of circles with water glass, small tea glass and with a coke cap. For each rose we need three sizes of these circles. Make cuts to four sides of the circle and brush egg white in the center of the largest circle and place the medium circle in the middle by placing the cuts in opposite direction. Brush egg white to center of the middle circle and place the smallest one again on it by avoiding cuts of the middle. Suppress in the middle to stick all the circles. Deep fry them in oil and transfer into cold syrup after frying. After the roses soak into the syrup, place them into service plate. Sprinkle coconuts or walnuts for service.

Session # 1 @ January 9th

Happy new year everybody!

Turkish Cooking Classes are resuming this Saturday January 9th 2010. This semester we will have each session to have dishes from each geographical region of Turkey. We will start with Marmara Region, which is in the northwest of Turkey and which includes Istanbul, the most famous city in Turkey.

Our menu for this week is as follows:
1) Kapama (Roasted chicken with rice)
2) Herse (Eggplant Salad)
3) Ayran (Yogurt drink)
4) Rose dessert

We would like to see you all in our first class this semester.