cook-food

Purslane is a wild, edible, succulent weed that is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. The nutritional richness of this vegetable was not known to me until recently, when I read an article about its nutritional facts. It tastes a little sour and kind of salty and with gooey substance inside its green leaves which are small and clustered around its pinkish stem. Purslane is perfect for culinary uses prior to blooming flowers. It is usually picked from gardens where it grows wild. Since I was very little girl, purslane was always on the menu in the summers as a side dish, usually in the form of ‘cacık’, yogurt with purslane and garlic. Turkish cooks use purslane for salads, cacık, sauté (similar to spinach) and even soups. I have not had the chance to experiment with different recipes of purslane, however my two favorites are: purslane salad and cacık with purslane. This purslane was purchased from the Greek farmer at the farmer’s market and this summer was the first time I came across purslane...

This stew is very popular in Turkey in the summer months. Depending on your preference, you may cook it with beef or lamb. I did not add any meat, since most of the time I prefer to have my vegetable dishes without meat. Turkish cuisine also includes grilled or fried okra which also can make a delicious meal. Although he is not a picky eater, my husband loathes okra, so okra is not cooked frequently in our home. For the sake of my blog, I decided to cook okra before the season was over. I do have a tendency to lag in posting my recipes, but this time I managed to get it out before the summer is gone. I purchased these this weekend from the farmer’s market and they turned out to be very fresh. The stew was soft, light and tasty with a rich tomato sauce. As for the lifelong okra hater, he manifested his dislike by not even tasting the okra since his favorite green bean stew was also on the menu. 1½ lbs okra 3 medium ripe tomatoes (peeled and diced) 1 small green pepper (sliced) ¼ yellow ...

During a recent trip to the farmer’s market, I came across an edible weed that my mom used to make in Turkey. I immediately recognized it when I saw it at the Greek farmer’s stand and recalled the fact that I actually had seen it in Maria’s blog (Organically Cooked) and actually had learned this weed’s name in English from her post on Amaranth. Actually, I did not even know the name in Turkish either, until after some recent research on the internet. Amaranth was not my favorite food when I was growing up, however it still was exciting to see something that reminded me of home; so I had to buy it. Plus, my taste has changed over the years; hence I appreciate good and healthy food much more. The Greek farmer also had purslane which is also another edible weed that I had not seen while living in the States. Of course, I could not have passed that one up either. A post will be coming up on that one too. Seeing these edible weeds at the Greek farmer’s stand did not surprise me since Turki...

Since I started my blog 15 months ago, I have been meaning to post cooking measurements and unit conversions on my blog. Finally, after having prepared this and sitting on it for more than 6 months, I am posting this useful information! I hope, it will be helpful. ABBREVIATIONS: tsp. = teaspoon (also referred to as 't') tbsp. = tablespoon (also referred to as 'T') gal. = gallon ml = milliliter l = liter oz. = ounce fl. oz = fluid ounce inch = in sq. = square cm = centimeter mm = millimeter kg = kilo lb = pound F = Fahrenheit C = Celsius COMMON COOKING MEASUREMENTS: 1 tsp. = 1/6 fl. oz. 1 tbsp. = 3 tsp. = 1/2 fl. oz. 1/4 cup = 4 tbsp. = 12 tsp. = 2 fl. oz. 1/3 cup = 5 tbsp. = 16 tsp. = 2.7 fl. oz. 1/2 cup = 8 tbsp. = 24 tsp. = 4 fl. oz. 3/4 cup =12 tbsp. = 36 tsp. = 6 fl. oz. 1 cup = 16 tbsp. = 48 tsp. = 8 fl. oz. 2 cups = 1 pint = 16 fl. oz. 4 cups = 1 quart = 2 pints = 32 fl. oz. 8 cups = 1/2 gal. = 64 fl. oz. 4 quarts = 1 gallon = 8 pints = 16 cups = 12...

Chicken shish kebabs (şiş kebap- şiş means skewer and kebap means cubed, grilled meat) are an excellent alternative to regular lamb or beef şiş kebabs, especially for people who are not fond of red meat. When accompanied with zerzavat (onion salad with sumac and parsley) and rice or flat bread, it can make an excellent meal. Any type of meat can be used for şiş kebabs; however the most common ones are beef and lamb. Kebabs are also can be made with vegetables such as green peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, onions and etc. 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast ½ tbsp red pepper paste 1 clove of garlic (chopped finely) ½ tbsp thyme 1 tbsp olive oil Juice of 1 lemon 1 tsp salt 10 bamboo skewers or regular skewers 1 tsp olive oil for greasing the skewers Vegetables on the Side: 1 bell pepper 2 plum tomatoes 1 white or yellow onion Cut the chicken breasts into cubes. Put in a large bowl. Add the red pepper paste, garlic, thyme and salt. Add the olive oil and as the last step, add the lemon juice...

The marinade used for marinating the flank steak is Turkish/Mediterranean style. My uncle who loves grilling uses this type of dressing. You may broil or grill this steak. 1 lb flank steak ¼ cup lemon juice 1 tbsp fresh rosemary (chopped finely) 1-2 tsp coarse sea salt 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp black pepper Rub the steak with sea salt and black pepper. Add the fresh rosemary, olive oil and lemon juice to the steak making sure the ingredients are distributed well all over the steak. Marinate over night in the refrigerator. Broil or grill for 10-12 minutes on each side. Depending on how you prefer your meat cooked, you may adjust the cooking time. It will cook well done based on this recipe. Slice against the grain and serve with potatoes or pilaf.