cook-food

You may be familiar with this type of salad as roasted red peppers are sold everywhere. In Turkey, we spice it up with garlic, parsley and lemon. This can be enjoyed cold as a salad, an appetizer or a side dish. I also like to add these red peppers on sandwiches, especially chicken sandwiches. 3 red bell peppers 1/3 cup fresh parsley (chopped finely) 2 cloves garlic (chopped finely) 1 tbsp olive oil Juice of ½ lime or lemon Sprinkle of ground black pepper Pinch of salt Turn on oven broiler. If you have a grill, that will work even better. Place the peppers in a Pyrex dish or oven proof tray. Broil each side for about 10 minutes until the skin of the peppers blacken and pull away from the flesh of the peppers. Remove from the broiler and cool. Once the peppers are cool enough to work with, remove the skins and the seeds. Slice each pepper lengthwise. Add the parsley, garlic, black pepper and salt. Drizzle olive oil and then the lime/lemon juice. Mix well and serve at room temperature or...

Last month, I attended a Turkish cooking class called “A Turkish Feast Fit For A Sultan” taught by Özlem Warren at my favorite supermarket. It was exciting to see a Turkish cooking class in the Foodie magazine of the market (unfortunately, this is rare). Last year, I had seen her scheduled class in the Foodie magazine, but I had to miss it due to prior commitments. This year, I did not want to miss it again, so I actually canceled my previously arranged plans for that night, so I could attend her class. Good thing I did. Obviously, since I am writing about it, I truly enjoyed it. She had some useful cooking tips. The menu for the class included the following: Mercimek Çorba (Lentil Soup with Red Pepper-Infused Olive Oil) Cevizli Biber (Walnut, Red Pepper Paste and Onion Dip with Toasted Bread) Patlıcanlı İslim Kebabı (Lamb Wrapped in Grilled Eggplant Slices with Tomato Sauce) Sade Pilav (Rice Pilaf) Cevizli & Fıstıklı Baklava (Baklava with Walnuts and Pistachios) Türk Çayı (Turkis...

The past couple of weeks have been hectic and the next few weeks are not looking good either. I apologize for those of you who wrote comments, for not publishing them in a timely manner. As always, thank you for stopping by. I am not completely back, but I wanted to post this recipe before the weather warms up. This is one of the most popular dishes in Turkey. Traditionally, it is served with pilaf, onion or/and pickles. It tastes best in cool weather. Enjoy! 3 cups white beans 1 small onion (chopped finely) 1 1/3 lb sirloin steak or any other meat cut you prefer (cut in cubes) 2 tbsp tomato paste 1 tbsp red pepper paste 2 tbsp olive oil ½ tsp black pepper 3 1/2 tsp salt 8 cups water Soak beans overnight. Drain and boil in a large pot for about 40-45 minutes or until the beans are slightly soft. Depending on the type of beans and the stove you use, this time could vary; so make sure to check the softness of the beans before removing from stove. After removing from heat, drain the beans...