Aug
29
2010
Turkish: Zeytinyagli kabak
A perfect summer dish and a favorite meze [Wikipedia] which is served cold with Raki [Wikipedia] in Turkey.
Ingredients for 4:
3 zucchini
3 tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
1 onion
2 carrots
½ dl olive oil
1,2 dl hot water
½ tsp black pepper
2 tsp dried or fresh mint leaves
Chili pepper flakes
Salt
Directions:
- Cut the zucchinis first into four lengthwise and then in 2 cm slices
- Chop carrots in half rounds
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat.
- Add chopped onions and sliced garlic, and saute until onions are softened
- Add carrots and stir for 3-4 minutes.
- Pour in tomatoes and cook until they start to look like a sauce
- Add zucchini, salt, pepper, mint leaves, and water
- Cover and cook over low heat for about 30-40 minutes, until zucchini is soft
This dish goes well with
rice,
bread, and
yogurt. It can be served hot or cold.
A.
COMMENT(s) HERE! | tags: tomato, veggie, zucchini | posted in Appetizers, Recipes, Vegetable Dishes
Aug
16
2010
This is a very ligh and fresh cauliflower soup which is extremely easy to make.
Ingredients for 6:
1 cauliflower (500g)
1 small onion
4 carrots
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley
1 vegetable bouillon cube
1 l water
Salt
- Chop the cauliflower, onion and carrot
- Place all ingredients except salt and pepper in a big saucepan
- Cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender (about 20min)
- Separate the vegetables from the liquid without throwing anything away
- Place the vegetables in a food processor and puree
- Place the vegetable puree back into the pot, add the liquid and stir until smooth
- Reheat and add salt and pepper to taste
Some tips: For a nice cauliflower-white soup, use cream-colored carrot instead of the classic orange one. If you don’t mind some extra calories, you can stir in a deciliter of Turkish Yogurt at the last heat-up, for extra creaminess.
M & A
COMMENT(s) HERE! | tags: carrot, cauliflower, veggie | posted in Recipes, Soups
Dec
2
2009
Ingredients for 4 persons:
20 champignons
1 dl crunched bread
2 tbsp yogurt
3 tbsp cream
1 clove of garlic, smashed
2 tbsp parsley, chopped finely
1 bay-leaf, chopped finely
2 tbsp white wine
2 tbsp cheddar, or parmesan cheese
black pepper
Directions:
- Clean the mushrooms using a paper towel
- Cut off the body of the mushrooms and chop.
- Place the mushroom caps in boiling water for 5 minutes
- Take them out of the water and dry
- Mix up the chopped mushroom bodies, crunched bread, bay-leaf, garlic, yogurt, cream, parsley, salt and black pepper in a plate. This mix should be sticky. If not, add little more yogurt.
- Place the mushroom caps in a tray and stuff them using a spoon.
- Add the white wine in the tray.
- Grid some cheese on the mushroom caps.
- Heat the oven to 200 C
- Place the tray in the oven and let them cook for 30 minutes
Enjoy!
A.
COMMENT(s) HERE! | tags: mushroom, picnic, veggie, yogurt | posted in Appetizers, Oven Dishes, Recipes
Nov
22
2009
Turkish: Zeytinyagli Enginar
Ingredients for 4 persons:
6-8 artichokes, peeled, cleaned (or 400 gr canned artichokes)
100 gr sweet peas, frozen
1 small carrot, peeled, cut in cubes
1 small potato, peeled, cut in cubes
50 ml + 25 ml olive oil
1 tsp sugar
Juice of ½ lemon
4 dl water Salt
Dill Directions:
- Place the artichokes in a shallow pan and place the vegetables between artichokes
- Add 50 ml olive oil, lemon juice, sugar and salt
- Cover the pan and cook them for 20 minutes over medium heat until all the vegetables and artichokes are cooked
- Let the dish cool down
- Place the artichokes on a service plate and place some vegetables on top of them
- Drizzle 25 ml olive oil and garnish with dill
- Serve artichokes in olive oil at room temperature with lemon wedges.
Recommended with Turkish rice pilaf .
A.
2 comments | tags: artichoke, veggie | posted in Appetizers, Recipes, Vegetable Dishes
Nov
22
2009
Pilaf is a meal that comes to our table very often to accompany main courses. It is very easy and quick to cook, delicious and satisfying yet you should know some hints to cook it properly.
Ingredients for 4 persons:
4 dl rice
1 tbsp vermicelli
1 tbsp butter
6 dl hot water
Salt
Directions:
Put the rice in hot water for few minutes. Strain the water and wash it with cold water once more, then strain the water again
Melt the butter in a casserole
Add vermicelli and lightly brown them in butter
Add the rice and stir over medium heat for few minutes
Add hot water and salt
Stir once more and cover
Let it boil on high heat
When it starts boiling, turn down the heat to low.
When the rice absorbs all the water, turn heat off.
Open the cover, put 1-2 paper towel sheets over the casserole and let it rest for about 20 minutes before you serve it.
Enjoy!
A.
Pilaf is a meal that comes to our table very often to accompany main courses. It is very easy and quick to cook, delicious and satisfying yet you should know some hints to cook it properly.
Ingredients for 4 persons:
4 dl rice
1 tbsp vermicelli
1 tbsp butter
6 dl hot water
Salt
Directions:
- Put the rice in hot water for few minutes. Strain the water and wash it with cold water once more, then strain the water again
- Melt the butter in a casserole
- Add vermicelli and lightly brown them in butter
- Add the rice and stir over medium heat for few minutes
- Add hot water and salt
- Stir once more and cover
- Let it boil on high heat
- When it starts boiling, turn down the heat to low.
- When the rice absorbs all the water, turn heat off.
- Open the cover, put 1-2 paper towel sheets over the casserole and let it rest for about 20 minutes before you serve it.
Enjoy!
A.
2 comments | tags: rice, veggie | posted in Pilafs, Recipes
Nov
15
2009
This is a nice and quick. This weekend we decided to bake a nice bread. While thinking what to have on it, we ended up with this nice sauce.
Ingredients:
500 gr tomato cross
1 big size onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 bunch of fresh parley, chopped
1 tsp mint
1 tsp chili flakes
½ tsp black pepper
salt
Directions:
- Fry the onion and garlic until soft
- Add tomato cross, parsley, mint, chili flakes, black pepper and salt
- Fry for 10 minutes
- Let it cool down
- Let it wait for a day in the fridge
Especially recommended on freshly baked (see recipes here and here) bread.
A.
COMMENT(s) HERE! | tags: tomato, veggie | posted in Appetizers, Dips & Sauces, Recipes
Oct
11
2009
This is a delicious pie (or quiche if you want to be precise), perfect for gluten sensitive people as well as anyone who loves spinach and potato, like me. It takes a while to prepare, but it is well worth it! And why not prepare a bit extra for tomorrow as well?
Ingredients for 4:
5 dl grated potato (firmly-packed)
4 eggs
1 dl grated onion
200 g spinach (thawed if frozen)
1 dl low-fat ricotta cheese
150 g feta cheese
1 dl parmesan cheese
black pepper
salt
oil (canola, olive or your own favorite)
Directions for the crust:
- Preheat oven to 200 °C
- Mix potato and a tea spoon of salt and let drain for 15min in a strainer
- Oil a 25 cm pie plate while waiting
- Press down on the potatoes with paper towels to squeeze out the excess moisture.
- Beat one egg lightly in a medium sized bowl.
- Add the potato and onion and mix.
- Press the potato mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pie plate.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Brush the top lightly with oil and bake another 15-20 minutes until the crust is lightly golden. Do not over bake.
Directions for the filling:
- Beat the remaining 3 eggs in a large bowl. (If you wish to cut down on the fat, replace two of the eggs with three egg whites.)
- If you use frozen spinach, squeeze moisture out in a kitchen towel.
- Grid the hard cheese (keep separate), and dice the feta cheese.
- Add ricotta, feta and spinach to the egg and mix well.
- Add salt, black pepper and chili according to taste.
- Spread the spinach mixture on top of the prepared potato crust and top with parmesan cheese.
- Bake 30 minutes until the quiche is browned.
- Remove from the oven and allow the quiche to cool at least 15 min. (If you cut the quiche too early, it will be runny.)
Serve with a fresh salad and newly-baked bread.
M
COMMENT(s) HERE! | tags: cheese, egg, potato, spinach, veggie | posted in Pastrys & Breads, Recipes
Aug
16
2009
We are talking salty pastry today, and a quite colorful such, perfect for the picnic. They can of course also be served as starter, or with a fresh tomato salad as a meal. They are very fast and easy to make. It takes 30 min to prepare, all in all, as long as the dough is not frozen and you remember to heat up the oven in time.
Ingredients for 8-10 pastries:
1 carrot
½ leek (preferably the green part)
½ dl crossed tomato
2 tbsp cheese spread with chive
1 vegetable stock cube
1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
chili powder
your favorite spice (curry or perhaps cacao?)
Pastry dough** (FIN: torttutaikinalevyjä | SWE: smör/tårtdegsplattor)
** You need a flaky pastry butter dough. The dough can of course be home made too, but I use to buy it ready, rolled out in ½ cm thick pieces. If you cannot find this, I suppose filo dough in several layers will work fine as well.
Directions:
- Grid the carrot roughly
- Chop the leek into thin slices
- Fry leek and carrot in oil until soft
- Add the tomato and the stock cube and boil until everything has mixed
- Add the cheese and let it melt
- Add salt if needed
- Cut the pastry dough into 8-10 square pieces (8×8 cm)
- On each piece, place a heaped spoon full of the mixture (be careful to leave the edges free from the mixture)
- Close each piece, either by bringing up all the corners to the middle and squeeze them together, or (better for picnic) fold it to a triangle and close the edges by pressing with a fork.
- Place the pastries on an oven tray (on oven paper) and decorate with the chili and your favourite spice
- Place in the oven (225 °C) for 10-15 minutes until golden or slightly brownish
Bring 3-4 pastries for each person, plus a salad or other snacks.
Have a nice picnic! :)
M
COMMENT(s) HERE! | tags: leek, picnic, veggie | posted in Pastrys & Breads, Recipes
