SALADS

Salads

TOMATO SALAD

Ingredients

Tomato 3 large size

Parsley 1 large size

Green Onion 5 medium size

Green Pepper 4 medium size

Onion 1 medium size

Lemon juice 3 tablespoon

Salt 1 1/2 teaspoon

Red pepper 1 teaspoon

Mint 1 tablespoon

Wash vegetables; drain. Remove stems and seeds of peppers. Dice all vegetables; combine. Place in a salad bowl. Add lemon juice. Sprinkle with salt, red pepper and. mint; mix well. Chill and serve.

EGGPLANT SALAD

Ingredients

Eggplant 3 medium size

Onion 1 large size

Olive Oil 1/2 cup

Garlic 2 clove

Tomato 4 small size

Green Pepper 5 large size

Parsley 1/3 bunch

Lemon juice 3 tablespoon

Salt 1 2/3 teaspoon

Black Pepper 1/2 teaspoon

Red pepper 1/2 teaspoon

Cook eggplants directly over gas flame. Turn frequently to ensure even cooking on all sides. When the skins are chared and black, they are done.Remove from heat; cool. Peel outer skin of eggplant. Remove stems and mince. Set aside. Saute finely chopped onion in olive oil for 4-5 minutes in a covered saucepan, stirring occasionally. Add minced eggplant; mix well. Saute for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat. Keep covered. Remove stems and seeds of peppers and dice. Cut tomatoes into cubes. Mince parsley and garlic. Stir all vegetables in eggplant; mix well. Add lemon juice, salt and spices; blend thoroughly. Place in a serving dish. Garnish with parsley. Serve warm or cold.

POTATO SALAD

Ingredients

Potato 6 medium size

Water 2 cup

Green Onion 5 medium size

Mint 1/4 bunch

Basil (fresh) 3-4 sprigs

Olive Oil 6 tablespoon

Lemon juice 4 tablespoon

Salt 1 2/3 teaspoon

Olive Oil 6 piece

Black Pepper 1/4 teaspoon

Red pepper 1/4 teaspoon

Cook potatoes in 2 cups of water for 20-25 minutes or until tender. Peel and cut into 1 cm ( 1/2 inch) cubes. Add chopped onions, fresh mint and basil; toss slightly. Place into a serving bowl. Beat olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and spices. Sprinkle over potatoes, garnish with olives. Chill and serve.

CACIK (CUCUMBER-YOGHURT SALAD)

Ingredients

Cucumbers 3 medium size

Dill 3-4 sprigs

Yogurt 3 ½ cups

Salt 2 teaspoons

Water 1 ¼ cups

Olive oil 2 tablespoons

Garlic 3 cloves

Wash, peel and coarsly grate the cucumbers. Wash and weed out the dill and chop finely . Whisk the yoghurt, add salt, water, garlic and the cucumbers and mix well. Pour the mixture into individual dishes and sprinkle with olive oil and dill.

GREEN LENTIL SALAD

Ingredients

Green Lentil 1 cup

Water 2 cup

Green Onion 3 medium size

Parsley 1/3 bunch

Mint fresh 3/4 sprigs

Green Pepper 1 medium size

Salt 1 1/2 teaspoon

Olive Oil 4 tablespoon

Lemon juice 3 tablespoon

Red pepper 1/2 teaspoon

Soak lentils overnight with water. Cook for 25-30 minutes or until tender; drain. Combine lentils with thinly sliced onions, pepper rings, minced parsley and mint leaves; mix well. Season with salt and red pepper. Beat olive oil and lemon juice together. Arrange lentils in a serving dish. Sprinkle dressing over. Serve cold.

SHEPHERD'S SALAD

Ingredients

Cucumbers 2 medium size

Tomatoes 3 large size

Green Peppers 4 medium size

Spring Onions 7 medium size

Parsley 2/4 bunch

Fresh mint 7- 8 sprigs

Olive oil 2 tablespoons

Lemon juice 2 tablespoons

Salt 1 teaspoon

Wash the vegetables, peel cucumbers, remove stems and seeds of the green peppers, remove the surplus parts of onion, parsley and the mint. Chop the onions and the green peppers 1 cm. thick and the tomatoes and the cucumbers into 1 cm. cubes. Finely chop the mint and parsley. Add lemon juice and salt to olive oil, whisk well and pour over the salad.

DRY BEANS SALAD (PIYAZ)

Ingredients

Dry Beans 1 cup

Water 2 cups

Onion 1 medium size

Salt 1 ½ teaspoons

Parsley 1 bunch

Green pepper 1 medium size

Tomato 1 small size

Black pepper ¼ teaspoon

Egg 1 ea.

Olive oil 4 tablespoons

Lemon juice 3 tablespoons

Olives 6 ea.

Wash the dry beans and soak overnight in 2 cups of water . Cook for 35 - 40 minutes until tender . Peel the onions, wash, chop finely into half moons, rub with ½ teaspoons of salt to soften. Wash the other vegetables. Seperate the parsley leaves, remove the stem and seeds of the green pepper and chop both finely. Chop the tomatoes into 1 cm. cubes. Add the beans and the black pepper to the vegetables, mix and place in a serving dish.

BEET ROOT SALAD

Ingredients

Red Beetroots 3-4 ea.

Vinegar 1 glass

Sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons

Garlic 3-4 cloves

Salt 1/2 teaspoon

Sort and cut the leaves off red beetroots. Put them in a saucepan with enough water to cover them. Add vinegar and boil the beet roots .Cut them into small pieces and place in a salad bowl. Add half teaspoon of salt and crushed garlic with approximately 1 glass of vinegar to the beetroots. Let stand for a few hours. This may be served alone or with lettuce.

TARATOR

Ingredients:

Walnuts 1 glass

Sesame oil 1/3 glass

Lemon juice 1/3 glass

Garlic 40 gr.

Parsley 2 bunches

Salt 1 teaspoon

Put walnuts (cleaned and peeled), garlic (cleaned) and salt into a mortar and pound well. Watch carefully to see that walnut oil is not secreted. Mix sesame oil and lemon juice well in a bowl. Add walnuts and garlic to the bowl and continue blending. Chop the parsley and add it to the bowl. Your tarator is now ready for serving. Serve in a deep dish.

CHICK PEA SALAD

Ingredients

Chick peas 250 gr.

Sesame oil 1/3 glass

Lemons 2-3

Olive oil ½ glass

Red pepper 1 teaspoon

Salt 1 teaspoon

Soak chick peas in warm water overnight. Boil chick peas in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Strain the chick peas and puree them. Blend sesame oil with the puree of chick peas. Add lemon juice to the mixture until it tastes sour. Add red pepper and salt to taste. Mix the salad well .Put the salad into a serving dish and add dressing of olive oil and red pepper before serving.

CABBAGE PICKLES

Ingredients

Cabbage 1 ea.

Garlic 2-3 whole heads

Salt

Vinegar

Wash the cabbage. Make a hole in the middle with a pointed knife. Put some salt in the hole and boil cabbage water until it becomes tender. Drain the water and separate the leaves. Slice the leaves and put them into jars. Add cloves of garlic to the jars in between the cabbage leaves. Pour vinegar into the jars so as to cover the cabbage. Add 10 grams of salt for 1 liter of vinegar. In 10-15 days your pickles will be ready to serve.

COLD SHREDDED CHICKEN IN WALNUT SAUCE

Ingredients

Pound Chicken 3- to 3 ½ (cut into 6 pieces)

Water 3 cups

Salt 1 1/2 teaspoons

Walnuts 1 1/2 cups

Onions 1/2 cup(finely chopped)

White homemade- type bread 3 slices

Paprika 1 teaspoon

Black pepper freshly ground

Parsley 1 tablespoon(finely chopped)

Combine chicken, water and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt in a 4- to 5-quart saucepan, bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, partially cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is tender but not falling apart. Transfer the chicken to a plate, and boil the stock rapidly, uncovered, over high heat until reduced to 1 1/2 cups.

Combine walnuts, onions and stock in the jar of an electric blender and blend at high speed for 15 seconds. Add bread, 1/2 teaspoon of paprika, remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and a few grindings of pepper, and blend at high speed until the mixture becomes a smooth puree.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin with a small knife and cut or pull the meat away from the bones. Discard the bones, and cut the chicken meat into strips about 1/8 inch wide and 1 to 1 1/2 inches long. Place the chicken in a bowl and add 1 1/2 cups of the walnut sauce, tossing the chicken about with a spoon to coat the pieces well. Mound the chicken on a platter, mask the top with the remaining sauce, and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of paprika. Garnish with parsley if desired.

GREEN LEAF LETTUCE SALAD

Ingredients

Head green leaf lettuce 1 ea

Finely chopped green onions 5 ea

Salt

Oil & Lemon dressing

Wash & dry lettuce. Shred it finely. In a salad bowl,combine with the green onions & a little salt. Sprinkle with the dressing & toss well.

WALNUT & TOMATO PASTE (Muhammara)

Ingredients

Walnuts 1/2 lb.(finely ground)

Bread Crumbs 1/2 cup of

Mild feta cheese, 1 cup (unsalted and crumbled)

Tomato paste 1/2 cup

Tomatoes 2 medium (grated)

Lemon juice 1 ea.

Olive oil 1/2 cup

Garlic 2-3 cloves (crushed )

Red pepper paste 1 Tbsp. (optional)

Salt, pepper, oregano, and crushed bell pepper

Chopped parsley for garnish

Mix the dry ingredients (walnuts, feta cheese, and bread crumbs). Mix the tomatoes, tomato paste, red pepper taste, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and spices in a separate bowl. Fold the tomato mixture into the dry mixture gently. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve it on pita bread or sourdough bread. Let muhammara stay overnight before serving so that all the spices are blended well.

CARROT SALAD WITH YOGHURT

Ingredients

Carrots 1 lb.

Onion 1 medium, chopped

Yogurt 1 cup

Garlic 2-3 cloves crushed

Salt to taste

Chopped parsley for garnish

Olive Oil 1/2 cup

Saute chopped onions with olive oil until they are translucent. Add grated carrots and saute until carrots are cooked. Mix with yoghurt, crushed garlic and salt. Garnish with some olive oil and with chopped parsley.

BROAD BEANS PUREE

Ingredients

Broad beans 7 lb

Onion 1 ea

Bunch dill 1 ea

Cup olive oil 2 ea

Salt

Sugar

Put the drained broad beans in water. Add olive oil, salt and sugar. Put one whole onion in and boil. When the broad beans are soft enough , put in a blender and make a puree. Garnish with the minced dill and serve.

FRIED CARROTS

Ingredients

Carrots 5 ea.

Olive oil

Plain Yogurt 1 cup

Garlic 3-4 cloves

Salt

Wash the carrots, peel them ,and cut vertically as quarter of an inch thick circles. Ground three or four cloves of garlic. Mix garlic , salt and one cup of plain yogurt. Heat olive oil a frying pan for few minutes. Fry the carrots in hot olive oil until brown.Lay the fried carrots on paper towels to drain excess oil. Place the carrots on a plate and dress them with the yoghurt, garlic, and salt mixture.

LENTIL FINGERS ( Mercimek Köftesi)

Ingredients

Split hulled red lentils 1 cup

Fine bulgur 1.5 cups

Water 8 1/2 cups

Olive oil 1/2 cup

Onion 2 (1 roughly chopped and 1 finely)

Sweet red pepper 2 tablespoon

Garlic 1/2 clove

Red pepper paste 1 tablespoon

Tomato paste 1 tablespoon

Parsley 1 cup (chopped)

Fresh onions 1 bunch

Wash lentils, place in a medium-size pan, cover with 3.5 cups of water. When it starts boiling, skim. Reduce heat to medium and cook until lentils turn yellow and mushy and most of the water is absorbed. Pour this creamy mixture over the fine bulgur. Stand for about 30 minutes. In a small skillet saute the roughly chopped onion in olive oil slightly. And 2 tablespoons of flaked red pepper. Set aside. Add the finely - chopped onion to lentil - bulgur mixture. Also add salt and both pastes. Knead well. When it is mixed well enough add fresh onion, garlic and some salt. Knead again. Put chopped parsley and dried tarragon on top of that mixture. Add the sauteed rougly chopped onion, knead well again. Shape into egg - size patties. Use damp hands to pinch off and shape .Arrange on a large, flat serving dish. Garnish with lettuce, fresh mint, water cress and with other greens.

MARINATED ROAST PEPPERS

Ingredients

Green Bell Peppers 6 ea

Garlic cloves 3 ea (mashed)

Vinegar 1/2 cup

Salt to taste

Cook peppers in a moderate oven or directly over a gas

flame. Turn frequently to ensure even cooking on all

sides. When the skins are charred & black, they are

done. To peel, place peppers immediately into a plastic bag & seal closed, cover with a towel & let stand for 30 minutes. Peel off the skins & rinse in cold water, pat dry. Cut off the tops & remove seeds. Cut lengthwise into 4 or 5 pieces & arrange on a serving dish. Combine the rest of the ingredients, pour over peppers & refrigerate for several hours. Serve at room temperature.