turkish home

Green Beans in Olive Oil (Zeytinyağlı Yeşil Fasulye)

2009-05-20T15:39:00.001+03:00

Serves 3 – 4

Ingredients
500 gr of green beans
50 ml of olive oil
1 medium size of onion, finely chopped
1 cubanelle pepper, cut 3 – 4 pieces crosswise
2 tomatoes, peeled and diced
2 tsp of sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Warm water

How To Cook
Remove the two ends and the strings of the beans, trimming the two sides. Cut them in half. Wash and drain.
Heat the olive oil. Lightly brown the chopped onions and the cubanelle pepper. Add in the tomatoes, beans, sugar, salt and pepper, mix well. Pour in warm water just enough to cover them. Cover the lid and cook on low heat for about 1 hour until the beans are tender and the water is reduced. Let cool before serving.

Steamed Fish (Balık Buğulaması)

2009-05-20T15:01:00.003+03:00

Serves 4 – 5

Ingredients
1 kg of small fish, such as red mullets, sardines, or anchovies
2 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
1 medium size of onion, finely chopped
2 cubanelle pepper, thin sliced
2 cloves of garlic
2 tomatoes, peeled and diced
200 ml of hot water
1 stem of spring onion, slice crosswise
½ tsp of red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lemon, slice crosswise
A bunch of parsley (a handful, or probably about 2-3 tablespoons.), finely chopped

How To Cook
Melt butter in a skillet then add in the olive oil. Saute the onion in the same skillet over low-medium heat until half tender. Add in the cubanelle pepper and garlic, stir them constantly about 2 – 3 minutes. Then add in the diced tomatoes, mix well. Pour in the hot water, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and spring onion, stir and cook for about 2 minutes or until it boiled and then turn the heat off.
Pour half of the mixture above into a stewpot. Add in half of the parsley all over it. Arrange the fish in the stewpot. If necessary, add in salt and pepper to taste. Put the lemon over the fish and then add in the rest of the parsley and onion mixture. Cover the lit and let cook on medium heat for about 7 – 10 minutes.

Pilaff with Orzo (Şehriyeli Pilav)

2009-05-20T13:33:00.001+03:00

Serves 2 – 3

Ingredients

1 cup of long-grain white rice
2 – 3 tbs of orzo
1-½ to 1-¾ cups of hot water or chicken stock
1 tbs of olive oil
2 tbs of butter
1 tsp of salt or to taste

How To Cook

Rinse the rice in a few changes of warm or cold water. Then soak the rice in hot water for about 15 minutes and then drain it thoroughly.

Heat the olive oil in a cooking pot over a medium to low and then stir in the orzo until the colour change to light brown. Add in the butter and rice in it, stir for about 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in the hot water or chicken stock and add in the salt. Close the lid and turn the heat to low. If your lid fits loosely, put a clean kitchen cloth between the lid and the pot.

After about 12 minutes, the liquid should be absorbed, and the rice al dente. Let the rice sit off the heat (turn the heat off), undisturbed with the lid on, for at least 5 minutes.

Ready to be served while it’s warm.

* It is a vegetarian recipe (use hot water instead of chicken/beef stock).

* The orzo could be subtituted with short cuted vermicelli (tel şehriye).

Istanbul

2009-05-20T11:08:00.002+03:00

Istanbul is one of the most famous city not only in Turkiye but also in the world. The most important reason why Istanbul has developed as a world metropolis is the geopolitical location of the city. Istanbul, is the only city in the world chich is established on two continents.

The city consists of three parts in general; On the European side, the Historical Peninsula to the South of the Golden Horn and the Galata District to the North, and the New City on the Asian side.

The European side of the city is a trade and business center, whereas the Asian side is more of a residential area. Istanbul is established on the both sides of the Bosphorus, which connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara, and separates Asia and Europe. The 7 km, long narrow inlet, named as the Golden Horn, divides the Europe side of the city into two.

Today, Istanbul is still a political and commercial center for the Balkan and Middle Eastern Countries and the Turkic Republics of Central Asia.

The settlement, known as Byzantium after its founder, took the name Constantinople, the city of Emperor Constantine’, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Contantine the Great. It was then known as Istanbul after the conquest of the Ottomans, and became one of the biggest and the most crowded city of Europe. The city spread over an area of 7.500 km2, 150 KM long and 50 KM wide.

Although its population is not occurately known, it is an estimated 12 to 15 million. Because of the continuous immigration from the rural areas, the city grows rapidly and the population increases around half a million every year. Each year, 1.000 new streets are constructed within the city, and brand new settlements rise on the east west axis. The population of the city, with a 5% annual increase, doubles in every 12 years. One out of every five citizens, is living in Istanbul. Around 2 million tourists visit Istanbul every year, and admiral the historical and natural beauties of the city. The city has A lots of the finest monuments and museums of Turkey. Istanbul, where East and West, Asia and Europe meets, is a world city that different cultures and religiıons create the most harmonious synthesis. With particular consideration of historical monuments and cultural richness, Istanbul may only be compared to Rome, which carries so many similar characteristics. In Rome and in Istanbul, which was the capital for both the Byzantine and Otoman Empires, administrators and governors constructed the greatest religious and civil structures, and decorated their capital cities with the most beautiful works of the famous architects. The Bosphorus is unparalleled for its natural beauties such as the Golden Horn and the Islands. Its moderate climate, active night life, lovely people, and the excellent Turkish Cuisine are some of the other factors, which make Istanbul an attractive destination fort he foreigners. A foreigner wishing to know Istanbul closely should spend at least a week in this beautiful city.

Turkish Rice Pilaf (Pilav)

2009-05-17T11:30:00.000+03:00

Serves 2 – 3

Ingredients
1 cup of long-grain white rice
1-½ to 1-¾ cups of hot water or chicken stock
2 tbs of butter
1 tsp of salt or to taste

How To Cook
Rinse the rice in a few changes of warm or cold water. Then soak the rice in hot water for about 15 minutes and then drain it thoroughly.
Melt the butter in a cooking pot and then saute the rice in it for about 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in the water or chicken stock and add in the salt. Close the lid and turn the heat to low. If your lid fits loosely, put a clean kitchen cloth between the lid and the pot.
After about 12 minutes, the liquid should be absorbed, and the rice al dente. Let the rice sit off the heat (turn the heat off), undisturbed with the lid on, for at least 5 minutes and for as long as 30 minutes.
Ready to be served while it’s warm.

* It is a vegetarian recipe (use hot water instead of chicken stock)

Ground Beef Spinach (Etli Ispanak)

2009-05-17T10:21:00.003+03:00

Serves 2 – 3

Ingredients
300-500 gr spinach, washed, drained, and coarsely chopped
~150 gr ground beef
2 tablespoons Turkish bulgur (you can subtitute it with rice)
1 medium size onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 tomato, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon chilli paste
2 teaspoon tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste
Water (optional)

Garlic Yogurt Sauce
½-1 cup of plain yogurt
1-2 cloves of garlic, mashed or grated

How to make it
Melt the butter in a stewpot over medium heat and then add in the olive oil. Saute the onion until half tender, about 2-3 minutes, and then add in the ground beef, salt, and pepper, stir well. Let it cook until the ground beef colour turns to light brown. Add in garlic, chilli paste, tomato paste, and tomato, mix them well.
Put the spinach over the ground beef mixture in the stewpot, stir them, pour a glass of hot water (optional) and then cover the lid. You can add in salt and/or pepper if necessery. Half through cooked, add in the turkish bulgur and some extra hot water if needed, and then cook until bulgur is tender. Meanwhile, mix all the ingredients of the garlic yogurt sauce in a small bowl.
For serving, place the dish on a serving plate and pour a couple of spoons of the garlic yogurt sauce over the top of it. Best serve with the Turkish Bread.

Turkish Meatball In Stewpot (Tencere Köftesi)

2009-05-17T01:56:00.001+03:00

Serves 2

Ingredients

300 gr of ground beef
1 slice of (non fresh) white bread
1 small size onion
2 cloves of garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Cummin to taste
Thyme to taste
3 medium size of potatoes
A half of tea cup olive oil
3 cubanelle pepper
1-2 tomatoes, peeled and grated (or you can use canned crushed tomatoes)
1 small spoon tomato paste
A half cup of hot water

How To Cook

Knead well ground beef, white bread, grated onion, and grated garlic with salt and all the spices. Pour half of the oil into a wide stewpot. Using your palm, shape the ground beef dough into a wide thin round shape (burger like shape) and then place covering the bottom of the stewpot. Peel the potatoes and then wash it. Cut the potatoes lengthwise into a circle shape and then put in array over the meatballs. Cut into half the cubaneller pepper and place them onto the potatoes. Pour the grated or crushed tomatoes into the stewpot. Add in salt to taste and the remaining olive oil and then cover the lid. Cook over low heat until the potatoes hald tender before pouring in tomato paste dissolved in a half cup of hot water. Continue to cook until potatoes are well cooked, you can test it by sticking a fork into the potatoes. Serve hot.

Red Lentil Soup (Kırmızı Mercimek Çorbası)

2009-05-17T01:02:00.004+03:00

Serves 4 - 5

Main Ingredients
1 cup of red lentil
2 tbs of olive oil
1 medium size onion
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or grated
1 small or medium size carrot, washed, peeled, and then chopped or grated
3 cups of chicken or beef stock, or you can adjust it to taste (can be subtitute with water)
½ tsp red pepper flakes or to taste
½ tsp ground pepper or to taste
Salt to taste

Garnish
Lemon juice
1 tbsp of butter, melted
Red flakes pepper

How to cook
Wash and grate the onion and carrot (or you can use the food processor). Heat the oil in the stewpot. Meanwhile wash the red lentil and drain it, put aside. When the oil is hot enough (you will notice it when you put a spatula in it and you can see small bubles coming from the side of it), saute the onion till half tender. Then put in the red lentil, carrot, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper, mix them together and then pour in the chicken or beef stock. Cook over medium-low heat until red lentil tender, about 35 minutes. After cooked, if it got too thick, you can add more hot water. For smoother texture, you can mixed all together using blender (optional).
For presentation, melt butter in a mini skillet and then add in a big pinch of red pepper flakes. Mix well and cook until it start bubbling. Pour over the soup and add a few drops of lemon juice (optional). Serve hot with fried toast-bread cuted into cubes.

* It is a vegetarian recipe (use hot water instead of chicken/beef stock)

The Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii) in Istanbul

2009-05-16T22:09:00.005+03:00

Sultan Ahmet Camii, which was constructed by the 14th Ottoman Sultan Ahmet I, who ruled between the years of 1603 – 1617, is the greatest and the most splendid mosque of Istanbul. The construction of the mosque was started in 1609 by architect Mehmet Agha, who was a student of Architect Sinan and who undertook the architectural works of the structure and the construction was completed in 1616. The premises consisted of a madrasah, a hospital, an Arasta Bazaar, a school, a mausoleum, a caravansary and a public fountain together with the mosque. The hospital and the caravansary were damaged in 19th century.

Sultan Ahmet Camii is the last impressive structure of Ottoman religious architecture. Although many other mosques were built after this one, none of them reached to the dimension and to the elegance of the decorations of Sultan Ahmet Camii.

The land preffered for the mosque construction was the old Hippodrome, known as Atmeydanı, and was the center of the city since the Byzantine Period. During the preparation of the huge area, many earlier Byzantine and Otoman structures had to be demolished to open a space fort he construction. Among these structures, the Royal Byzantine Palace, remains of the auditorium of the Hippodrome, and palaces of many Ottoman dignitaries can be listed. Its close proximity to the Topkapı Palace was the reason why this area was chosen for the mosque. A very careful selection was mad efor the construction and decoration material.

The 21.043 tile pieces used fort he iner decoration of the mosque were brought from the palace workshop in İznik, the silk carpet on the flor of hundreds of square meters were brought from selected weaving centers, and hundreds of crystal oil lamps used for illuminaton were imported. It is known that the leading administrators of the state donated many valuable gifts, especially the handwritten Korans after the completion of the mosque.

The dimensions of the front courtyard, constructed on a podium arising in the middle of the outer courtyard and the dimensions of the main nave are almost the same size, and it is 72 M x 64 M wide. There are five doors for entrance opening into the outer courtyard. Among these doors, there is a chain hanging above the main entrance.

According to the legend, the reason why this chain was hung, was to have the sultan, who came to the mosque on his horse, to get off his horse and walk in with respect like anyone else. There are three portals that provide access to the inner courtyard, as you climb up the stairs.

There are taps used for ablutions below the North portico of the front courtyard. Furthermore, there is a fountain for ablutions in the middle of the courtyard with 6 corners and 6 columns. 30 small size domes are constructed on a total 26 granite columns.

Sultan Ahmet Camii is the only mosque with 6 minarets in Istanbul and in Turkey, and that make it matchless among other Ottoman Mosques. The minarets placed at the corners of the mosque and the courtyard have a total of 16 balconies. Certain section of some minarets are embellished with blue tiles. According to the legend about the minarets of the mosque, Sultan Ahmet I asked from the architect, Mehmet Ağa, a mosque with a golden minaret. Because of the turkish pronunciation of gold, which is “altın”, is similar to number six in turkish, which is “altı”, architect Mehmet Ağa misunderstood this point, so, the architect preffered a mosque with 6 minarets instead of golden ones, as the cost would be very high. The dimensions of the nave, which almost square planned, are 51 M x 53 M. The architect Mehmet Ağa has no significant innovations in the plan and design of the Ottoman mosques in the Classical Period from the architectural point of view, but the iner decoration of the mosque has the specifications of being eclipsed of the previous Ottoman mosques. Essentially, the reason why the mosque is known as the ‘Blue Mosque’ all over the world is because of the tiles and embellishments, which are mostly in blue and gren colors on the walls and the domes.

The carpet weaving showed progress in Moslem world, as the ‘shalat’ is performed on the floor; whereas the carpet Works did not improve in Christhianity, because the service is followed by the attendants that are seated. Manufacturing tiles is one of the handicrafts that the Turks dealt with since the 12th century. Just like in carpet weaving, in manufacturing tiles, every region has its own design and color differences. The most frequently used designs in the mosques are springs, leaves, calyxes, tulips, roses, hyacinths, carnations, pomegranate flowers and grapes, and geometric patterns to a certain extend.

When you look at the building from the exterior, the structure forms an elegant scene that you never expect from its dimensions.

The main dome, the arches supporting it, all round and angular carrier architectural elements are set up in a complete harmony. All edges and corners, which would not look nice, are rounded, the big carrier elements are softened in a complete sense. The light coming in through the windows placed around the dome, together with the windows covered with stain glass in 5 rows especially through the apse wall, intensifies the beauty of the tiles and decorations. There are total 260 windows in the mosque. The Venetian glasses, which were used in the first construction of the mosque, unfortunately could not stay until today. The diameter of the 43 M high dome reaches to 23.5 M. The diameter of the giant buttresses called elephant feet, which are carrying this giant dome and the elements surrounding it together with the pendentives, is about 5 M. Under two of these columns, which are nearby the entrance, there are taps for ablutions. The old writtings embellishingthe walls and columns together with the central dome of the mosque and the conches are the works of an artist named Seyid Kasım Bubari from Diyarbakır and these are various verses of Koran and the substantial sayings of Prophet Muhammad saw (the hadeeth).

Until a recent time, the precious handmade carpets in various colors and design, which completely covered the entire flor of the mosque were unfortunately exchanged with machine made carpets.

The wood benches in the mosque were placed to leave the shoes on, in case there is no place at the outer shelves. The galleries at the three sides of the mosque, expect the wall pointing south-east, are for the use of women and religious meetings.

The monumental burial in front of the mosque was built by Sultan Osman II, son of Sultan Ahmet I, in it there is the grave of Sultan Ahmet I, besides the grave of Osman II and Murat IV. Moreover, Kösem Mahpeyker Sultan, wife of Ahmet I and whom was loved so much by him, is also buried at the same place. Other than these, there are thirty two more burials belonging to the royal family members.

Roasted Cheesy Bread (Peynirli Ekmek)

2009-05-16T21:43:00.006+03:00

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 Turkish bread

For topping:
1-2 slices of feta cheese, mashed
1 eggs
1 tbs butter
2 tbs chopped parsley

How to Cook
Slice the bread into several part.
Mix all the topping’s ingredients in a bowl.
Spread the topping evenly over one side of each slice of the bread.
Roast the bread until it gets a bit brown (or you can transfer the bread to a baking sheet and then bake it in a 350 degrees of oven until heated through and crisp on the outside, about 10 minutes).
Serve hot.