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Turkish Recipes
Turkish Recipes
'Revani' (reh-vah-NEE') is a classic dessert that has been present in Turkish cuisinesince
the Ottoman period. It's said to have been given it's name when the Ottomans conquered the
city of Yerevan in what is today Armenia.
'Revani' is one of the most common desserts in Turkish cuisine that's served both at home and
in restaurants. It's a simple dessert made with a single layer of soft, yellow, semolina sponge
cake steeped in lots of light syrup.
Different versions of 'revani' exist in many cuisines throughout the eastern Mediterranean,
including Greece, Egypt and Jordan to name a few. Try this easy recipe below and expirement
with different flavorings to make authentic Turkish 'revani' at home.
INGREDIENTS
3 tbsp. flour
zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups water
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PREPARATION
Before you start making the cake, prepare the syrup to give it time to cool down.
Begin by mixing the sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Turn the heat on high and
bring the mixture to a boil while continuously stirring it. Once it boils, reduce the heat to
low and let the syrup boil gently for about 10 minutes with the cover off. Add the lemon
juicetoward the end. Turn off the heat and let the syrup cool down while you make the rest
of the recipe.
1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar first. Whisk the mixture
briskly for several minutes until the sugar dissolves. The more you whisk, the better your
'revani' will turn out. Next, add the oil, lemon zest and yogurt and whisk for several
minutes more. Last, add the dry ingredients and mix together well until you have a smooth
batter.
1.
2. Pour the batter into a greased 10 x 12 inch baking tray. Bake in a 350 F/ 175 C oven
until the top is nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Once
you remove the pan from the oven, let it rest for about five minutes. Cut the cake into
portion-sized squares or rectangles while still in the pan. Using a large spoon, slowly
drizzle the cool syrup all over the cake and let it soak in. When you've used up all the
syrup, cover the cake with foil and refrigerate it for several hours.
3. Before serving, garnish each square of cake with a pinch of coconut and ground nuts.
You can also make orange-flavored 'revani' by substituting the lemon zest and juice with
orange zest and juice. Or, you can eliminate the lemon all together and use rose water
instead to give the cake a wonderful rose aroma.
1.
This dessert is quite heavy and large. The actual recipe had
a bit more sugar in the syrup, but I chose to reduce it and
that worked out quite well. The cookies were perfectly
sweet with this measurement. If you want a very sweet
Ingredients Makes 12
For the cookies
Yogurt cup
Baking powder tsp
Salt a pinch
Pistachios / almonds/walnuts to garnish
Sugar cup
Water 1 cup
Turn off the flame and let the syrup cool down entirely
to room temperature.
our Spanish class. Everyone was supposed to bring Mexican or Spanish food for the cultural
experience, however I was volunteered into bringing Turkish food. I prepared it late on a Sunday night
and the next day I left work early and placed it in the oven while I was getting ready. We took it to class
warm, just out of the oven. The smell of it was very tempting. It got a lot of praise. This was my first
time making this borek and I will make it again soon, this time for us.
1 lb ground beef
1 medium white or yellow onion (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
cup parsley (chopped)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
tsp paprika
tsp ground black pepper
For the Outer Part of the Borek:
1 package phyllo dough sheets
1 cup yogurt
cup olive oil
1 egg
Preparation of Filling:
Heat olive oil in a large non-stick pan. Add the onions and sautee for 3 minutes. Add the
chopped garlic and the ground beef. Cook until the beef takes a brownish color stirring
constantly. Add the parsley, salt, black pepper and paprika and sautee for 2 more minutes.
Remove from heat and set aside.
Putting All Ingredients Together:
In a deep bowl, add the yogurt, olive oil and egg. Mix vigorously until all three ingredients are
mixed well.
Using a brush, spread a small amount of this newly created mixture in a large Pyrex dish. This
is to prevent the Phyllo sheets sticking to the Pyrex dish.
Open the Phyllo dough package. Place a damp cloth on top so that the Phyllo sheets do not
dry out. The Phyllo dough sheets can be found in the frozen section of most markets. These
are the same dough sheets that are used for baklava.
Place one sheet of the Phyllo dough in the Pyrex dish on top of the yogurt, olive oil and egg
mixture spread. Dip your brush in this mixture and brush the Phyllo sheet. Do this one by one
until half of the Phyllo sheets are used up. (Some people brush the yogurt-olive oil-egg mixture
on every 3-4 Phyllo sheets, but I have found that it turns out better if you do it one by one).
After you have layered half of the phyllo dough, spread the meat filling on top of the Phyllo
dough. Add another sheet of the phyllo dough and butter it. Continue the process of brushing
each Phyllo dough sheet and placing them on top of each other until all the Phyllo sheets are
used up. If you have any of the yogurt-olive oil-egg mixture left over, pour it on top and spread
it evenly with a brush.
fBake at 350 in the middle rack of the oven for 40 minutes. Serve warm or at room
temperature.
Baklava
Makes approximately 28 pieces
Instructions
1.
Prep the filling. Preheat the oven to 350F. Measure out 8 ounces of walnuts and 8
ounces of pistachios using a kitchen scale and place in the bowl of a food processor (reserve
the additional 1/4 cup of pistachios for garnish). Add the sugar and cinnamon. Pulse a few
times to break up the nuts but do not chop them too fine or into a powder. Transfer to a bowl.
2.
Melt the butter. Place the two sticks of butter into the sauce pan and melt under low
heat. Keep an eye on things and turn off the burner when the sticks are nearly melted. The
rest will melt from the residual heat of the pan.
3.
Set up your assembly area. Clear off a large surface, such as your kitchen table or
counter. Place the bowl of nut filling, the baking pan, the melted butter and the pastry brush
on the surface, reserving a spot for the phyllo.
4.
Set up the phyllo. Unwrap the phyllo sheets and carefully unroll onto the assembly
surface, keeping the large sheet of plastic used to roll the sheets underneath. Dampen the tea
towel (not too wet!) and lay it over the phyllo.
5.
Trim the phyllo (optional). If the phyllo dough is too big for your baking pan, trim the
phyllo sheets to match the dimensions of your pan. A scissors is the easiest way to do this.
6.
Lay the bottom layer. Using the pastry brush, brush on a thin layer of butter all over
the bottom of the baking pan. Fold back the tea towel, carefully remove one sheet of phyllo
dough and place it on the bottom of the pan. Butter the top of the phyllo lightly, making sure
you are going out all the way to the edges. Repeat with layering 6 more sheets to total 7 sheets
of phyllo, buttering the top of each sheet of phyllo before placing the next. Be sure to re-cover
the remaining phyllo with the tea towel each time you remove a sheet.
7.
Add the first layer of nuts. Sprinkle half the nuts over the phyllo and spread them
gently with your hand so that you have a fairly even layer. Be sure to spread them all the way
to the edges.
8.
Create another phyllo layer. Place a sheet of phyllo on top of the nuts and carefully
brush with melted butter. Repeat, layering 4 more sheets in all, with butter between each
layer.
9.
Add the second layer of nuts. Sprinkle the remaining layer of nuts over the phyllo.
Again, spread them into an even layer and push them all the way to the edges.
10.
Lay the top layer. Pace a phyllo sheet on top of the nuts and brush lightly with butter.
Repeat, layering 6 more sheets of phyllo, with butter between each layer, to total 7 sheets.
11.
Cut the baklava. Using a very sharp knife, cut the baklava on the diagonal into
12.
Bake. Place the pan of baklava in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes. Check half
13.
Chop the pistachios. While the baklava is baking, finely chop the remaining 1/4 cup of
14.
Remove the baklava from the oven and cool. When the phyllo is evenly golden brown
all over, remove the pan from the oven and set on a rack to cool.
15.
Make the syrup. While the baklava is cooling, make the syrup. Combine the sugar,
water, and honey in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes.
16.
Re-cut the baklava. While the syrup is cooking, run your knife through the baklava to
17.
Pour on the syrup. When the syrup has boiled for 10 minutes, remove from the stove
and carefully pour over the baklava, being sure to coat each piece.
18.
Garnish and serve! Sprinkle some of the chopped pistachios on each of the baklava
squares. Cover the baklava and let sit for several hours or overnight before serving. Will keep
for up to 5 days, covered.
A delicious and healthy caramalised carrot paste & walnuts dessert from Mersin, Turkey. I hope you
can have a go and treat yourself, family and friends with these delicious carrot delights. Cezerye
keeps well in an air tight container for a week.
Author: Ozlem Warren
Recipe type: Turkish desserts
Cuisine: Turkish Cuisine
Serves: 6
Ingredients
Instructions
1. Place the grated carrots, cup water and sugar in a wide, heavy pan.
2. Cook over medium heat, uncovered, stirring often. Cook this way for about 30 minutes or
until all the liquid evaporated.
3. Stir in the rest of the cup water and cook again on medium heat, stirring continuously
(carrots also release their own juice, therefore I prefer to add the liquid a step at a time so
that the carrots wont become mushy).
4. Cook the carrots until all the juice evaporated and they are softened, this should take
another 30 minutes. Using your stirring spoon, mash the cooked carrots to turn into a thick,
chunky paste. At this point, they should also thicken, start to caramalise and get sticky (you
can take a little bit between your fingers to test whether it sticks or not). Turn the heat off.
5. Stir in the chopped walnuts to the carrot paste and mix well. Again using your stirring
spoon, blend them all well and turn into a thick paste.
6. Cover a small rectangular dish or tray with parchment paper. Spread the carrot paste
evenly and tightly, making sure they stay intact, with a height of 1,5 cm (0.6).
7. Cover with a cling film and rest the mixture to settle for 2 hours in fridge.
8. After 2 hours, start shaping the carrot paste. Have a bowl of water near you. Wet your
hands, take a dessert spoonful and shape into small round balls. Or wet your knife and cut
into small squares.
9. Spread the desiccated coconut flakes on a dry surface and coat the carrot balls and squares
with the flakes to coat all over.
10.
Cezerye is ready to serve. Cezerye keeps well in an air tight container for a week.
MANTI
Dough ingredients:
300gr/ 2 cups/ 10 oz. all-purpose plain flour (plus a little extra for rolling)
1 egg, beaten
4 fl. oz. / cup water
30ml/2 tbsp. olive oil
5ml/1 tsp sea salt
For the filling:
225gr/8oz ground beef or lean ground lamb
1 onion, grated or very finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the garlic yoghurt:
500gr/2 cups thick and creamy plain yoghurt
1 -2 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
Salt to taste
For the sauce:
15ml/1 tbsp. Turkish hot pepper paste, biber salcasi (give link) or tomato paste
60ml/4 tbsp. olive oil
10 ml/2 tsp. dried spearmint, kuru nane
5 ml/1 tsp. (or more) ground sumac (optional)
5 ml/ 1 tsp. (or more) Turkish red pepper flakes, chili flakes, pul biber
Spoon a little of the filling, rounded at a size of half a chickpea, into the middle of each square.
Cut the dough into 3 pieces. Working one piece of dough at a time (and cover the
rest of the dough pieces with a damp towel in the meantime so they dont dry out),
roll the dough as thinly as you can into a sheet, on a lightly floured surface. Using a
sharp knife, cut the dough into small squares (roughly 2.5cm/1in). Spoon a little of
the filling, rounded at a size of half a chickpea, into the middle of each square.
Pinch the opposite corners to form a little a little pouch and press the seams
together to seal firmly.
Bake uncovered for 10 minutes, until the manti, dumplings start to get light
golden.
Repeat with the rest of the dough and place the stuffed dumplings in a greased oven
proof dish, stacking them next to one another. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes, until
the manti, dumplings start to get light golden. Take them out of the oven and let the
manti cool. You can freeze some of this baked manti in a sealed bag for up to 3
weeks.
Pour the hot water and pinch of salt to a large pan and bring to the boil. Place the
baked dumplings gently to the boiling water and simmer for about 8- 10 minutes,
until they are cooked. Once cooked, drain the water and return the manti to the pan.
Drizzle a little oil over them so that they dont stick together.
While manti is cooking, prepare your sauce. Heat the oil in a wide pan and add the
hot pepper paste, biber salcasi or the tomato paste. Stir in the red pepper flakes,
dried mint and sumac, combine well and simmer for 1-2 minutes.
Arrange manti on a warm serving dish and spoon the garlic yogurt over them. Then
drizzle spices infused olive oil and tomato/red pepper paste sauce over the garlic
yoghurt. You can decorate with extra red pepper flakes, dried mint and sumac and
serve immediately.
S I G AR A B O R E G I C R I S P Y C H E E S E AN D H E R B F I L L E D F I L O
PAS T RY R O L L S
by Ozlem Warren on March 6, 2013 in Fascinating Istanbul, Savory Pastries, Turkish Street Food 32
Asli Borek, Besiktas; here is the cheese & parsley rolls on display
If you have read my previous post on Istanbul, you may already know how much we
Turks love a goodborek, savory pastries, made with paper thin pastry called Yufka.
Boreks are widely available in pastry shops and bakeries, they are also sold on stalls
and a hugely favorite street food; delicious and great value too.
It is thought that the Ottoman Palace kitchens devised these tasty treats in order to
tempt the precious little princes. These cigar shaped rolls with cheese and parsley is
very popular at home. Traditionally the rolls are deep fried in a deep-sided pan, I
love this way too as it taste great and crispy. We recently had a go at these rolls in
my recent Turkish cookery class and this time we baked them in the oven; the result
was still very delicious with a bonus of them being healthier. The rolls disappear very
quickly, very popular with children as well as adults. Worth giving a go!
These rolls, as with most savory pastries, are made with paper thin sheets of dough
called Yufka in Turkey. As it is difficult to find yufka abroad, I made them with filo
pastry sheets and it worked really well. You can prepare the rolls in advance and
keep under a damp tea towel in the refrigerator. As with most savory Turkish filled
pastries, this borek freeze very well once cooked too.
Serves 4 6
Preparation time: 20 minutes
260 gr / 9 oz phyllo (filo) pastry sheets, thawed, or fresh yufka sheets, if you can get
225gr/ 8 oz feta cheese, crumbled
60gr/2 oz shredded mozzarella
2 eggs (one for the filling, one for brushing the boreks)
Mash together the cheese (feta and mozzarella), 1 egg, parsley and the milk to form
a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper. However, if the feta cheese is already
salty, you may wish not to add salt.
Place the filo sheets on a flat surface. Keep the pastry covered with a damp cloth as
you are working. This will help to avoid it getting too dry or less manageable.
Working with one sheet at a time, cut the filo into strips about 10-13cm/4-5in wide.
Keep the strips covered with another damp cloth.
Fold over the pastry from each side to seal in the mixture.
Lay one strip of filo and place a tablespoon of the filling along one of the short ends
(take care not to overfill as the filling may ooze out while cooking). Fold over the
pastry from each side to seal in the mixture and then roll up like a cigar.
Wet the end of each pastry roll with water to seal. Continue, keeping the finished
ones covered with a damp cloth as you work. It would be ideal to cook straight
ahead, but you can cover with a cling film and refrigerate for an hour or so if you
need to.
Mix the olive oil and the other egg in a bowl. Grease the tray with a little olive oil.
Brush the pastries with olive oil and egg mixture and bake until they are golden
brown, about 25 30 minutes.
You can serve these delicious rolls, Sigara Boregi, hot as part of a meze spread. We
also like to eat them as morning or afternoon snacks and they also go down very
well for lunch next to this Coban Salata Shepherds Salad of tomatoes, cucumbers,
onions and parsley with olive oil and lemon dressing.
Cheese and parsley filled cigar rolls, Sigara Boregi.
Cook's notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature
by 20C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals
20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. |
All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless
specified.
Instructions
Working in batches, place the capsicums and peppers directly over a low gas flame and cook,
turning often, for 8-10 minutes until they are well charred all over. Transfer to a large bowl then
stand for 20 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Remove the blackened skin, stems and
seeds then transfer the flesh to a food processor and process until a smooth puree forms.
Combine the puree in a large saucepan with the remaining ingredients and stir to combine well.
Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium then reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring often, for 4550 minutes or until a very thick puree forms - a wooden spoon should leave a trail through the
paste when you draw it along the base of the pan. Cool the paste to room temperature then
transfer to a sterilised jar and pour a layer of olive oil over the surface to seal it from any air. Cover
with a lid then refrigerate until needed. Pepper paste will keep, refrigerated for up to 4 weeks.
Shakshuka
A flavorful North African baked egg dish with sauted peppers, tomatoes and spices,
topped with eggs and herbs.
Author: Sylvia Fountaine | Feasting at Home Blog
Recipe type: Breakfast
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Serves: 4
I N GR E D IEN TS
3T Olive oil
1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 large yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
3-4 garlic cloves, diced
tsp salt
cracked pepper to taste
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp sugar
tsp smoked paprika
tsp chili flakes
3 medium tomatoes diced small
c white wine or water
1 T fresh basil ribbons or chopped Italian parsley
4 -6 Extra large organic eggs ( or seared salt and pepper tofu...see below)
Other optional additions:
crumbled feta or goat cheese
1 C browed chorizo
C finely diced spanish style cured Chorizo or Merguez, a North African
spiced sausage
I N ST RUC T IO N S
1. preheat oven to 400F
2. In a large cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion
and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. ( if adding raw chorizo, brown it with the
onions)
3. Add the sliced peppers and garlic, and turn heat down to med-low and cook for
5 more minutes, until peppers are tender.
4. If adding the cured spanish chorizo or Merguez sausage, add it now.
5. Add all spices, sugar and salt.
6. Cook for 2 more minutes. Add fresh tomatoes and white wine ( or water).
7. Simmer on low for 15 minutes, adding more water if it gets too dry or thick.
You want a stew like consistency. After tomatoes cook down, taste, it should be
full flavored and adjust salt and sugar if necessary.
8. Crack 4-6 eggs over the mixture, sprinkling each egg with a little salt and
cracked pepper.
9. Add crumble goat cheese or feta ( optional) over the top and place in the 400F
oven. Bake until Egg whites are cooked ( about 7 minutes) and yolks are still soft.
Remove from oven and top with fresh basil ( or cilantro or Italian parsely). Serve
with toast or crusty bread.