Spinach and Feta Filo Pie

8 sheets of phyllo pastry

Spinach filling / 1st part:
~300 g baby spinach, cleaned, washed, drained, chopped
1 tbsp butter
2-3 green onions,chopped
1/2 tsp paprika
Salt
Pepper
~
2nd part:
2 eggs
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Sauce:
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup milk

9.5" (24cm) pie plate, oiled

Cook 1st part of the fillings in a large pan at medium heat. Stir frequently until the spinach has wilted. Do not overcook! Let it cool down.

Meanwhile, mix the 2nd part of the filling in a bowl. Add the cooked spinach, stir.

Take 2 sheets of the phyllo pastry and place on the pie plate, leave the sheets hanging over the rim of the pan. Put some sauce with a spoon on the sheets. Take 2 more sheets and place over the pie plate, leave the sheets hanging over the rim of the pan as well. Spread some sauce over it. Wrinkle 2 sheets and layer on them. Then spread the cooked filling all over this layer (picture).

Wrinkle 2 sheets and cover the filling (picture) and put some more sauce again. Then fold over the sides of the bottom layers. Pour the rest of the sauce on the top. Leave in the fridge for about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Place the dish on the middle rack. Bake until the top turns to a light golden colour. Serve it with tea as an afternoon snack or as breakfast.

Eggs Florentine (Florentin Usulu Yumurta)

2 English muffins, split and toasted

1 Tbsp softened unsalted butter

2 cups packed spinach leaves, chopped or whole

2 eggs

1 tsp vinegar

Hollandaise Sauce:

2 egg yolks

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp water

Pinch of salt to taste

2 pinches of freshly ground pepper

6-8 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

For the sauce, set over a pot of barely simmering water in a heatproof bowl, combine the egg yolks, lemon and water and whisk constantly until the mixture begins to thicken, then continue whisking for about 1 minute more. Remove the bowl from over the pan as soon as the mixture thickens. Add the salt and pepper. Blend the mixture with a stick blender while slowly pouring in the melted butter in a thin stream until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Cover and keep warm over very low heat until ready to serve. 

Lightly spread the cut side of each muffin with 1/2 tsp of the softened butter. Melt the remaining 1 tsp butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the spinach and cook until slightly wilted, about 2-4 minutes. Keep them warm until served. Fill a deep pan with 1/2 inch water to poach the eggs, leave the pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Crack the eggs into the simmering water. Cover and cook until the whites are firm and the yolks are glazed over but still soft, about 3 minutes, or until done to your liking. Transfer the eggs to a warmed plate.

Top each muffin half with some of the spinach, an egg and generous amount of the sauce. Serve immediately.

ENJOY

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TURKCE

4 Ingiliz muffini, ikiye ayrilmis ve kizartilmis

3 yemek kasigi tereyagi, yumusamis

2 su bardagi ispanak yapragi, dogranmis ya da butun

2 yumurta

1 tatli kasigi sirke

Hollandez Sosu:

2 yumurta sarisi

1 yemek kasigi taze limon suyu

1 tatli kasigi su

Bir tutam tuz

2 tutam taze ogutulmus karabiber

6-8 yemek kasigi tereyagi, erimis

Sos icin; isiya dayanikli icinde kaynar su olan buyuk bir kabin icine bir tencere ya da kap yerlestirin. Yumurta sarilari, su ve limon suyunu icine koyun ve surekli cirparak pisirin. Koyulasmaya baslayinca 1 dakika kadar daha pisirin. Kaynar sudan cikarin tuz ve karabiber ilave edin. El blendiri ile karisimi cirparak yavasca erimis tereyagini ekleyin (yaklasik 2 dakika). Uzerini kapatin ve hafif ateste bekletin.

Her muffinin kesik tarafini hafifce ½ tatli kasigi yumusak tereyagi ile yaglayin. Bir tatli kasigi tereyagini tavaya alin ve ispanaklari hafifce soteleyin (2-4 dakika). Servis edene dek hafif ateste bekletin. Derin bir tencereye yaklasik 1 ½ cm derinlikte olacak kadar su koyun ve sirkeyi ilave edin. Kaynayinca orta atese alin ve icine yavasca yumurtalari kirin. Kapagini kapatin ve yumurta aklari sertlesene dek ama sarilari hala rafadan oldugunda (yaklasik 3 dakika ya da arzuya gore) pisirin. Yavasca yumurtalari isitilmis bir tabaga alin.

Her muffin yarisina biraz ispanak, bir yumurta ve bolca hollandez sosu ilave edin ve hemen servis edin.

AFIYET OLSUN

Sauceless Lasagna with Feta Cheese - Su Böreği

Börek is a family of baked or fried filled pastries made of a thin flaky dough known as phyllo (or yufka). Börek is the most probably invented in what is now Modern Turkey, in the Anatolian Provinces of the Ottoman Empire in its early era, to become a popular element of Ottoman cuisine. To make it easier, lasagna noddles used instead of phyllo in this recipe. Here is the recipe:

Sauceless Lasagna with Feta Cheese - Su Böreği

Sauceless Lasagna with Feta Cheese - Su Böreği
Origin: Turkish
Difficulty: Esay

Ingredients:
-(Must) 16 lasagna noddles
-(Must) 1 tbsp olive oil
-(Must) 1 large egg
-(Must) 100 gr or equivalently 0.4 Ibs melted butter
-(Must) 1/2 cup milk
-(Optional) 2 tsp salt

Filling:
-(Must) 400 gr or equivalently 1 Ibs feta cheese
-(Optional) 1 cup thinly chopped parsley

Upper: 
-(Must) 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese 

Sauceless Lasagna with Feta Cheese - Su Böreği

Directions:

Boil  10 cups of water in a large pan. Add olive oil, salt, and lasagna noddles. Cook about 5 minutes until soften but not too much. Drain the boiling water and gently rinse lasagna noddles to prevent them stick to each other. 

Combine parsley and shredded cheese to prepare filling. 

In another bowl, mix egg, butter and milk.

Place a layer of noddles(with 4) on greased baking tray. Rub some of your egg-milk sauce on noddles and place one more layer.  Lay cheese mixture and some of egg-milk mixture on noddles. Place other noddles with rubbing with mixture in all layer. Cover the top with mozzarella cheese and bake in 180 C (or 350 F) until it becomes golden. Serve hot.

Sauceless Lasagna with Feta Cheese - Su Böreği

Estimetad Nutrition Values  (by myfitnesspal.com)
Serves:8	Calorie	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sugar
Per Serving	487 kcal	51 gr	30 gr	24 gr	2 gr

Sesame Bagel - Simit

Simit is the quintessential Turkish food. To describe these round, chewy bread rings as “sesame-encrusted bread” really isn’t doing them justice; their flavor and deeply satisfying texture are quite unlike anything else. Turks eat simit daily, as a snack, but they really come into their own as fortifying breakfast fare, accompanied by cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers and olives.

Sesame Bagel - Simit

Sesame Bagel - Simit
Origin: Turkish
Difficulty: Moderate

Ingredients:

-(Must) 1 tsp sugar
-(Must) 3 tsp dried yeast
-(Must) 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
-(Must) 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
-(Optional) 2/3 cup pekmez (see note)
-(Must) 1 1/2 cups sesame seeds

Sesame Bagel - Simit

Directions:

Combine the sugar and 1/4 cup lukewarm water in a small bowl, then sprinkle over the yeast. Set aside for about 8 minutes, or until foamy, then add another 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water.

Combine the flour and salt in a bowl, then add the yeast mixture and stir to form a coarse dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 6–7 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Roll the dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 425°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Punch the dough down and turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and divide it into 10 even-sized pieces. Combine the pekmez with 1/3 cup water in a large bowl. Place the sesame seeds on a large plate. Working with one piece of dough at a time, use your hands to roll the dough out to make ten 22-inchlong ropes. Fold in half so the two ends align, then lift off the board and use your hands to twist each rectangle into a two-stranded “rope.” Place back on the work surface and join the ends together to make a circle, pressing the ends firmly together to seal. Repeat with the remaining dough to make 10 rope circles.

Dip each ring, first into the pekmez mixture, immersing completely to coat, then drain well and toss in the sesame seeds, turning gently to coat. Transfer to the prepared sheets and set aside at room temperature for about 20 minutes, to puff slightly. Bake in the oven for 15–18 minutes, or until deep golden and cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Simit are best eaten on the day of making but will keep, frozen in an airtight container, for up to 1 month.

Note: Pekmez is a molasses-like syrup made from the juice and must of certain fruits, usually grapes or figs. It is available from Middle Eastern and Turkish grocery store

Sesame Bagel - Simit

Estimetad Nutrition Values  (by myfitnesspal.com)
Serves:10	Calorie	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sugar
Per Serving	260 kcal	37 gr	10 gr	8 gr	1 gr

Sweet Tahini Pastry

In Turkish cuisine tahini is not as common as it is in Middle East cuisines. Tahini is usually used for sweet pastries. Here is the sweet tahini pastry (known as Tahinli Ekmek in Turkish, direct translation: bread with tahini) recipe which is a common pastry for afternoon teas or breakfasts. 

Sweet Tahini Pastry

Sweet Tahini Pastry

Origin: Turkish, Arabic

Difficulty: Hard 

Ingredients:

-(Must) 1 tsp sugar

-(Must) 3 tsp dried yeast

-(Must) 2/3 cup lukewarm milk
-(Must) 3 eggs; 2 lightly beaten, plus 1 egg yolk whisked with 11/2 tablespoons water
-(Must) 2 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
-(Must) 4 cups all-purpose flour
-(Optional) 2 tsp sea salt
-(Must) 1 cup tahini
-(Must) 1 cup superfine sugar
-(Optional) Sesame seeds or walnut, for sprinkling

Sweet Tahini Pastry

Directions:

Combine the 1 tsp sugar and 1/2 cup lukewarm water in a small bowl, then sprinkle over the yeast. Set aside for about 8 minutes, or until foamy. Combine the lukewarm milk and the beaten eggs, then add to the yeast mixture with another 2 tablespoons lukewarm water and the olive oil, stirring well to combine.

Combine the flour and salt in a bowl, then add the yeast mixture and stir to form a coarse dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Roll the dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Meanwhile, put the tahini, superfine sugar and the whole egg in a bowl, mixing until well combined — the mixture will become quite thick.

Punch the dough down and turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and divide it into 12 even-sized balls. Working with one ball at a time, roll each out into a circle with a 7-inch diameter using a rolling pin. Spread 1 tablespoon of the tahini mixture on each round, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge. Roll up each to form a long sausage shape and continue to roll until it’s about 12 inches long. Use your hands to shape each sausage into a tight spiral — each spiral should be about 4 inches in diameter — then flatten slightly. Transfer to lightly greased baking sheets, cover loosely with a dish towel, and set aside for about 30 minutes, or until puffy.

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Brush the top of each spiral with the egg yolk mixture and sprinkle lightly with sesame seeds. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Tahini spirals are best eaten on the day of making but will keep, frozen in an airtight container, for up to 1 month.

Sweet Tahini Pastry

Estimetad Nutrition Values  (by myfitnesspal.com)
Serves: 12	Calorie	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sugar
Per Serving	392 kcal	62 gr	15 gr	10 gr	26 gr

Circassian Chicken

Circassian chicken is a rich paste made with crushed walnuts, chicken and stock thickened with stale bread. Circassian Chicken is a classic Turkish dish typically served cold as an appetizer. It's very stylish and you're gonna love combination of chicken and walnuts! Here is the recipe

Circassian chicken

Circassian chicken

Origin: Turkish

Difficulty: Easy-Moderate 

Ingredients:

-(Must) 8 cups water

-(Optional) 1 large onion, coarsely chopped and 1 small onion, minced
-(Optional) 2 whole carrots, either peeled or scrubbed with a wire brush, and coarsely chopped
-(Optional) 2 bay leaves
-(Optional) 8 peppercorns
-(Optional) 3 tsp salt (divided)
-(Must) 3 tbsp chicken-flavor base
-(Optional) 1 tsp dried thyme
-(Optional) 2 tbsp dried parsley
-(Optional) 3 whole cloves
-(Must) 3 Ibs or equivalently 1.4 kg boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed of fat
-(Must) 3/4 pound or equivalently 0.35 kg walnuts
-(Must) 5 cloves of garlic, crushed
-(Optional) 2 tbsp plus 2 teaspoons sweet paprika (divided)
-(Optional) 2 tsp Hungarian half-sharp paprika
-(Must) 3 slices good French bread (crusts removed), soaked in milk and then squeezed dry
-(Must) 4 tbsp walnut oil (divided/ if not available olive oil)

Directions:

In large pot, combine all ingredients for the cooking broth: water, coarsely chopped onion, carrots, bay leaves, peppercorns, 1 teaspoon of the salt, chicken base, thyme, parsley and cloves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Add the chicken, cover and simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat, remove lid and allow chicken to cool in broth about 45 minutes.

While chicken cools, set aside a dozen or so of the prettiest walnut halves. Pour the remaining nuts into a food processor and grind until fine. Put ground walnuts in large mixing bowl and add garlic, minced onion, 2 tablespoons of the sweet paprika and the sharp paprika. Break up the wrung-out bread and throw it in the bowl. Add remaining 2 teaspoons salt. Stir to mix.

Remove some of the cooking broth from the pot and strain through mesh strainer to measure 2 cups. Stir strained broth into mixture in bowl along with 1 tablespoon of the walnut oil. Put this mixture in batches into food processor and grind it to a smooth pouring consistency; if the walnut binding sauce is too thick, add more strained broth.

When the chicken has cooled sufficiently, remove it from the broth and shred it by hand, pulling to separate the fibers of the meat. (I told you this dish was labor-intensive.) The resulting pieces need not -- actually, should not -- be uniform. In a large bowl, fold the sauce into the chicken until mixture is uniform. Place chicken salad into a serving bowl or onto a platter and form into a mound. Decorate with the walnut halves you set aside earlier. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Just before serving, warm remaining 3 tablespoons walnut oil in the microwave or in a small saucepan over low heat. Off the heat, add remaining 2 teaspoons sweet paprika and stir to blend with the oil. Decorate the salad with the reddened oil. Serve on crackers, on pita wedges, on baguette slices or simply on a plate.

Circassian chicken

Estimetad Nutrition Values  (by myfitnesspal.com)
Serves: 8-12	Calorie	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sugar
Per Serving	415 kcal	15 gr	25 gr	33 gr	2 gr