Spring Fruit Salad

I know, spring is over and summer is here, but we still have great strawberries and some juicy oranges... So the following recipe can be used as  a fresh dessert or on any brunch menu.

Preparation time: 30 mins
Serves: 10

Ingredients:
- 1 kg sliced strawberries
- 2 medium size sliced oranges
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1 water glass orange juice

- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 table spoons sugar

- Mint leaves to taste

Mix all ingredients, and thats it. Enjoy...

Recipe: Nur Olcer

Photograph: Nur Olcer

Beet&Goat Cheese Terrine / Pancar ve Keçi Peynirli Başlangıç

Beet and Goat Cheese Terrine

Preparation time: 25 mins

Cooling time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

300 gr  fresh beets

1 lemon

250 gr  fresh goat cheese

200 gr  ricotta

2 Tbsp whipping cream

1 Tbsp finely chopped chives

1 Tbsp finely chopped mint

1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

salt and pepper

 Cook whole beets, untrimmed in boiling water with juice of 1 lemon (put the lemon halves in water after squeezing out juice), until tender, about 45 minutes. Drain, cool and then peel. Slice beets as thinly as possible and set aside.

Beat goat cheese and ricotta with whipping cream until smooth. Add remaining ingredients, season to taste and fill a piping bag with a large, plain tip.

To assemble, line 6 muffin tin cups or 4-oz ramekins with plastic wrap. Place a single beet slice in the bottom of each cup. Line sides of each cup with beets, bedding to fit into the edge if needed, so that each cup is entirely lined with beets. Pipe goat cheese filling into each and top with beet slices to cover goat cheese. Chill for at least 2 hours. 

 To serve, gently pull out each terrine, unwrap and turn out onto serving plate.

Source: Anna Olson's kitchens recipe adapted.

Photograph: Nur Olcer

Zucchini with Yoghurt / Yoğurtlu Kabak

Summer season here and we look for more fresh dishes on the table. The following recipe is pretty easy to do and can be a great side dish / meze.

Preparation time: 30 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins
Serves: 8

Ingredients:
- 1 kg zucchini
- 1 medium size onion
- 1/2 kg strained yoghurt (suzme yogurt)
- 1 water glass walnut (crushed)
- 1 teaspoon salt

- 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 2 table spoons olive oil

Clean the zucchinis and grate them. Cut the onion in small pieces. 

Put the olive oil in a sauce pan and heat it, then stir in the onion. Add the grated zucchinis (squeeze them to get rid of water). Mix all of them for 5 - 8 minutes so that the mixture gets thicker. Let it cool afterwards.

Mix yoghurt, garlic and walnuts, add salt and cooked zucchinis. And ready to serve...

Enjoy,

Recipe: Nese Olcer

Photograph: Nur Olcer

Asparagus with Spring Onions / Taze Soğanli Kuşkonmaz

Asparagus season is almost ending, hence a quick and easy side dish recipe...

Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
- 1 bunch fresh asparagus (almost 1/2 kg)
- 5 spring onions
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper to taste

Clean the tough ends of the asparagus with a vegetable peeler and cut them in big chunks. 

Heat the oil in a skillet and add the asparagus and spring onions. Cook for 7 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the butter, salt and pepper, and mix couple minutes. And serve...

Enjoy,

Recipe: Jaques Pepin

Photograph: Nur Olcer

Artichoke Hearts with Olive Oil / Zeytinyağlı Enginar

Artichokes are native to Meditteranean region. Since my mom is from Mugla, Agean, we always have different dishes of artichokes in spring -  peak season for artichokes. The recipe below is a delicous fit for a healthy lifestyle...

Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 40 mins
Serves: 6

Ingredients:
- 6 large artichoke hearts
- 2 medium onions
- 1 large potato
- 1 cup green peas

- 1 large carrot
- 1 lemon (squeezed)
- 1 tea spoon salt

- 1 tea spoon sugar

- 2 water glasses water

- 8 table spoons olive oil

- 1 table spoon flour

Cut the onions in round slices and place them into the pot, place the artichokes on top of them. Cut the potato and the carrot in small cubes. Add potatos, carrots and the peas.

Whisk flour and water first and then add all the other ingredients to this and pour into the pan. Let it cook for 40 minutes on medium heat until the artichokes are tender.

Transfer the artichokes to a serving platter, reserving juices.  Put the onion, potato and pea mixture in the middle to each of the artichoke. Drizzle the pan juices over them and add some fresh dill up to taste. 

Enjoy,

Sources

Recipe: Nese Olcer

Photograph: Nur Olcer

Meatballs / Kadınbudu Köfte

In Turkish these type of meatballs are known as "Women's thighs meatballs/ kadınbudu köfte" probably because of their shape.
Great for a family dinner and best served with some mashed potatoes for the mild taste palette.
This was and still is one of my favourites from my mother's cooking...
Enjoy!

Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Serves:8

Ingredients:
-1 kg lean mince meat
-2 large onions
-2 teaspoons of salt
-1 teaspoon of black pepper
-1 teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate
-200 gr of white rice (approx. 2 water glasses)
-3 eggs (for frying)

Blend together all of the ingredients except for the eggs. Churn them into individual meatballs. These meatballs are pretty large each should fit  and fill up inside of your palm.

Boil some water in a large pan. Place the meatballs in the boiled water for the rice to swell up.

In the meantime, whisk up the 3 eggs in a separate bowl. Dip in each meatball to these eggs to coat all over.
Fry the meatballs in some olive oil.Turn sides carefully as the eggs will form trimmings all around the meatballs.

Insider tip: Heating up half of the mince meat before mixing up all of the ingredients reduces the cooking time by half.

Source: Buyukada Yemekleri by Selin Kutucular.

Welcome!

Here's to new launch.

We welcome you to a journey of recipes cooked in our kitchens at Istanbul,Turkey.
They will be a fusion of the east and the west. Since we have descentants from Gaziantep (South-East Turkey), Crete and Thessoloniki (Greece), Mugla (Aegean region, Turkey) and of course Istanbul.

Enjoy!