Turkey is located in the continent of Asia. It has the Black Sea to the north, Russia, and Georgia to the northeast, Armenia and Azerbaijan to the east, Iran, and Iraq to the southeast, Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Cyprus to the south, Greece to the west, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and the Ukraine to the northwest.
The capital is Ankara.
The official language is Turkish.
The climate is varied generally influenced by the seas and mountains. Temperatures range from -4F in the west to -40F in the east. The coastal fringes are mild with temperatures ranging from 41F to 86F.
The staple foods are lamb, chicken, beef, fish, rice, eggplants, onions, beans, tomatoes, pistachios, almonds, walnuts and so many more delicious tastes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_cuisine).
https://www.britannica.com/place/Turkey
KOFTA KEBAB (https://www.themediterraneandish.com/kofta-kebab-recipe/):
– 1 medium yellow onion, quartered
– 2 garlic cloves
– 1 whole bunch parsley, stems removed (about 2 packed cups parsley leaves)
– 1 lb. ground beef
– ½ lb. ground lamb
– 1 slice of bread, toasted until browned and soaked in water until fully tender
– Salt and pepper
-1 ½ tsp ground allspice
– ½ tsp cayenne pepper
– ½ tsp ground green cardamom
– ½ tsp ground sumac
– ½ tsp ground nutmeg
– ½ tsp paprika
– Pita bread to serve
For the fixings for Pita bread:
– Tahini Sauce
– tomato wedges
– onion wedges
– more parsley
- Soak 10 wooden skewers in water for about 30 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from water when you are ready to begin. Lightly oil the grates of a gas grill and preheat it to medium-high for about 20 minutes.
- Prepare pita bread and fixings. If you plan to, make the tahini sauce from this recipe. Prepare other sides and salads before you begin grilling.
- In a food processor, chop the onion, garlic, and parsley.
- Add the beef, lamb, bread (be sure to squeeze out the water completely), and the spices. Run the processor until all is well combined forming a pasty meat mixture.
- Remove the meat mixture from the food processor and place in a large bowl. Take a fistful portion of the meat mixture and mold it on a wooden skewer. Repeat the process until you have run out of meat. For best results, make sure each kofta kebab is about 1 inch in thickness.
- Lay the skewered kofta kebabs on a tray lined with parchment paper
- Place the kofta kebabs on the lightly oiled, heated gas grill. Grill on medium-high heat for 4 minutes on one side, turn over and grill for another 3-4 minutes.
- Serve the kofta kebabs immediately with pita bread, tahini and the fixings you prepared. See suggestions for sides and related recipes.
I did not use lamb since the store was out, so substituted ground turkey instead. I also grilled the kebabs on my George Forman and still the flavors were amazing!! I chose not to make the pita. I may need to make this one again with everything as called for in the recipe.
PIYAZ (Turkish White Bean Salad ) (https://www.themediterraneandish.com/piyaz-turkish-white-bean-salad/):
– 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
– 2 garlic cloves, minced
– 5 TBSP red wine vinegar
– juice of 1 large lemon
– kosher salt and black pepper
– 2 tsp sumac, more for later
– ¼ C extra virgin olive oil, our Spanish or Italian EVOO are great options here, given their fruity finish
– One 15oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
– 3 Roma tomatoes, cut into wedges
– ½ C packed chopped fresh parsley
- In a large bowl, add the onions, garlic, vinegar, and lemon juice. Toss and set aside for a few minutes while you work on the rest of the ingredients, about 10 minutes. (The citrus bath will help tame the strong taste of the onions and garlic).
- Add the beans, tomato wedges, and parsley. Then add the sumac, kosher salt, and black pepper. Drizzle with the olive oil. Toss to combine.
- Taste and adjust seasoning (I often add a bit more kosher salt and sumac).
This salad had SUCH great flavor. Highly recommend!!
TURKISH DELIGHT CAKE (https://www.ridiculouslyrichbyalana.co.uk/news/post/turkish-delight-cake):
For Sponge:
– 1-1/4 C (250g) caster sugar
– 2 sticks (250g) salted butter
– 2 C (250g) self-raising flour
– 5 free range eggs
– 1 TBSP (7g) baking powder
– ¼ C (35ml) milk
– rose flavoring to taste
– pink coloring as required to go a bright pink
- Preheat the oven to 375F (190C) on fan and grease two 8-inch (20cm) sandwich tins with butter and line with baking paper.
- In a large mixing bowl add all the butter, caster sugar, and mix well until pale.
- Add eggs, flour, baking powder, coloring, flavoring and milk beating together until smooth and soft (if using rose water you will need considerably more to add to taste).
- Split the batter between the two sandwich tins and flatten down with a spatula.
- Put the two tins in the oven for around 20 minutes, until the cake is golden and springs back when pressed lightly.
- Remove from tins and leave to cool fully on a cooling rack.
For Buttercream:
– 2 sticks (250g) salted butter
– 3-1/4 + 3 TSBP (500g) icing sugar
– 3 TBSP milk
– 1 TBSP cocoa powder
– 1/3 C (50g) melted dark chocolate
– rose flavor/water
- After cakes are out of the oven, make the first buttercream by combining 7+ TBSP (100g) butter with 1-1/4 C + 2 TBSP (200g) icing sugar, and 1 TBSP milk until smooth.
- Make sure you sieve the icing sugar.
- Add the rose flavor or water, you will need approx. 1 tsp if its flavor, and 2/3 tsp if using rose water.
- Spread this between the two layers.
- Combine the remaining butter, icing sugar, milk, and mix.
- Add the cocoa powder and melted chocolate. Combine until smooth.
- Cover the cake and leave in the fridge to set.
- Decorate with drizzles of melted white chocolate and rose petals.
- To get the chocolate on the side, you will need to tip the cake, but be careful it doesn’t slide off!!
Cut yourself a very large slice and enjoy!
I will make this one again and use more buttercream in the center. Still a great cake, especially with the rose flavoring!!
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