Turkish Recipes
51 recipes found
Turkish Pumpkin Soup
This is an intriguingly sweet winter squash soup, based on a recipe by Ghillie Basan from her wonderful book, “Classic Turkish Cooking.” The sweetness comes from the squash itself and the allspice and cinnamon, with the addition of only a teaspoon of honey or sugar. The sour and spicy yogurt and chile garnish make a great flavor contrast.
Turkey Kebabs With Urfa Pepper
Warm Hummus
In this comforting Turkish version of hummus the chickpea purée is warmed in the oven and topped with pine nuts. In the authentic version, a generous amount of melted butter would be drizzled over the top before baking. I have substituted a moderate amount of olive oil for the butter.
Marina's Kofte
Spinach and Feta Borek
In Turkey, savory pastries like these are made with hand-rolled yufka sheets, but store-bought phyllo dough makes a fine substitute. Often shaped into bite-size parcels, this large version may be cut into wedges. Serve it with a salad of sliced cucumber and radishes, and a bowl of olives, if desired.
Turkish Burned Milk Pudding (Kazandibi)
This delicate Ottoman milk pudding has a burned bottom layer that adds a toasted-marshmallow, caramel-like flavor reminiscent of crème brûlée. The pudding itself is thickened with cornstarch for a soft, delightfully wobbly dessert that’s gently perfumed with mastic. You can find mastic, an aromatic tree-sap resin harvested in the Mediterranean, from specialty markets and spice shops. But if you can’t get it, feel free to substitute more vanilla extract, using a full teaspoon for the recipe. You need to make this at least 6 hours ahead so it has a chance to firm up. Making it a day or two ahead is even better. You will need a flameproof 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan — as long as it's made entirely of metal without an enamel coating, it should work. Avoid glass, which will shatter.
Grilled Albacore With Yogurt-Dill Sauce on a Bed of Arugula
This is based on a recipe for red mullet from “Classic Turkish Cooking” by Ghillie Basan. Red mullet isn’t so easy to come by in the United States, and albacore works well here. In the authentic Turkish dish, the red mullet is marinated in a mixture of onion juice and lemon juice with bay leaf. This step is optional; it tenderizes the fish and adds terrific flavor, but grilled albacore is nice enough on its own. Dill is the traditional herb for this recipe, but mint is very nice as well.
Poached Apricots
Chicken Kebab, Turkish Style
Smoky Eggplant Salad With Yogurt and Mint
This tart Turkish-style salad is meant to be served with triangles of warm pita or other flatbread for dipping. At the market, choose eggplants that are firm and shiny; they will taste sweeter and have fewer seeds. Make the salad several hours or up to a day in advance. Pomegranate molasses can be found at Middle Eastern groceries.
Turkish-Style Lamb Boreks
These irresistible savory pastries go by many names throughout the Middle East. In Turkey, they are called boreks and the best ones have a beguiling, complex filling that features salty, sweet and sour elements. If you can’t find pomegranate molasses, substitute lemon juice and honey, and maybe a splash of sweet vinegar. It’s easy to cut these large boreks into two, three or four pieces, for feeding a crowd.
Spinach-Filled Anatolian Flatbread
Barley and Herb-Stuffed Vegetables
This dish is based on a Turkish stuffing for vegetables, a delicate sweet-savory rice mixture seasoned with allspice, cinnamon, parsley, and dill or mint. I decided to use barley instead of rice for a heartier dish. Once stuffed, the vegetables are gently cooked in a mixture of water and oil.
Turkish-Spiced Halibut Skewers With Yogurt Sauce
Turkish chefs make these beautiful skewers with local swordfish, usually dousing the fish in a garlicky lemony marinade before cooking. Bay leaves (they grow wild) are usually a presence, too. David Tanis took that inspiration and made the fish halibut, adding thinly sliced lemons and onions, along with pinches of aromatic cumin and coriander, and a heavy hand with the bay leaves. You would think this might be overkill, but in fact it only enhances the sweetness of the fish.
Stuffed Baby Artichokes, Izmir Style
Poached Apricots With Kaymak
Microwave Saffron Turkish Delight
Turkish Fruit Butter
Artichokes With Caviar Sauce
Turlu
Turkish Spinach with Tomatoes and Rice
Not every tradition allows rice during Passover; in this fragrant dish there’s just enough of it to add substance to the vegetables. Some Sephardic Jews have traditionally allowed rice during Passover, whereas many Ashkenazi Jews do not. There isn’t much of it in this Turkish spinach dish, adapted from a recipe in Clifford A. Wright’s “A Mediterranean Feast,” just enough to add substance to the vegetables.
Turkish Flour Helva
Flour helva, a thick, sweet pudding that tastes of warm, toasted flour and browned butter, is both a ceremonial and everyday dish in Turkey. It’s essential at gatherings such as funerals and births, but is also often made as a staple family dessert. This version, from the Istanbul food writer Cemre Narin, was given to her by her mother-in-law, Ozden. It is much beloved for its deep brown butter and cinnamon flavor, as well as its comforting, smooth texture, with the contrasting crunchy almonds on top. It makes a filling warming dessert or snack that's especially lovely in winter. The key here is patience. The dish takes a long time to come together, and while you don’t have to stir it constantly, you won’t be able to go far from the pot while it cooks. Make this when you're in the kitchen anyway, tending to other pans or projects. Be sure to get the flour deeply golden brown so it takes on a rich, nutty flavor, otherwise your helva may be bland. Pine nuts are often used here in place of the almonds. Feel free to use either one.
Turkish Yogurt and Spinach Dip
Known in Turkey as caçik, this garlicky mixture of green vegetables, fresh herbs and yogurt can be served as a salad or as a dip with pita and raw vegetables. Traditionally, caçik is made with a number of vegetables, including cucumbers, cabbage and beets.
Turkish Hummus with Yogurt
This is much like the familiar Middle Eastern chickpea purée, but instead of tahini, the chickpeas are blended with yogurt. It’s lighter than the version made with tahini, and it’s nice either warm or at room temperature. Skinning the chickpeas makes a more delicate, smoother purée, and it doesn’t take as long as you’d think, but I leave the step as an optional one.