Tag Archives: week by week

Jul24

Around the World: Turkey – Künefe

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Around the World: Turkey – Künefe
Around the World: Turkey – Künefe

Merhaba!! 

– that means hello in Turkish! 🙂 

Around The World, Week by Week: Turkey - Künefe by gingerlemonandspice

Today I will talk a little bit about the religion in Turkey.

Most of the people there are Muslims. That means they believe in Allah which is God. The Islam stands on five pillars: Testimony, Prayer, Alms-Giving, Fasting and Pilgrimage. Those are considered obligatory for all believers. The holy book in the Islam is the Quran or Koran, which is said to be verbally revealed from God to the last prohet Mohammad through angel Gabriel. The Muslims are restricted in their diet and should not eat pork, blood and carrion or drink alcohol. All food should be halal.

Around The World, Week by Week: Turkey - Künefe by gingerlemonandspice

I am telling you all this because I want to talk about the month of fasting: Ramadan or as they say in Turkey: Ramazan. It is during the ninth month of the Islam and in this time it is obligatory for all adult Muslims to fast from dawn till sunset except those who are ill, travelling or pregnant. One should refrain from food, drinks (no water!), smoking, having sex and sometimes even swearing. Everyday after sunset there will be the big Iftar (fast-breaking meal) where families and friends come together to celebrate.

I have to say that during my stay in Izmir it was also the time or Ramazan, but most of the people I met weren’t so strict to do a whole month of complete fasting. Some of them did a few days but not all of them. Also the working life is still going on as normal – maybe a bit slower but everything is open. I didn’t expect that! But it could be that this was only because I was in a big cosmopolitan city and it is different in the rural areas! 🙂

 

Ramazan is acutally happening right now! It concludes in the three day long festivities of breaking the fast (Ramazan Bayramı – this year from 8th to 10th of august). Those days are called ‘Zuckerfest’ in German which means ‘sugar festival’ and that says it all about how it is celebrated. Lot’s and lot’s of food will be prepared and eaten together with family, friends and neighbours, especially sweet dishes can be found on the table!

Around The World, Week by Week: Turkey - Künefe by gingerlemonandspice

It is only logical that today I have a special dessert for you: It is the crispy and sweet angel hair in syrup with melted cheese called Künefe! It is my absolute favorite dessert in Turkish Cuisine and I hope you enjoy it too!

Don’t foget, if you have any questions about Turkey or have made your own experiences please tell me about it in the comments!!

I’d love to hear about it!!

 

Künefe
 
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A sweet and crispy, creamy and warm dessert that will surprise your taste buds!
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Turkish
Serves: 8
Ingredients
Syrup
  • 300g (1⅓ cup) sugar
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon citrus zest (I used lemon)
  • 3 tablespoons fruit juice (orange or apple)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 sachet vanilla sugar
Künefe
  • 300g tel kadayıf (angel hair noodles from the Turkish store)
  • 150g butter, melted
  • 300g mozzarella cheese
  • 300g kaymak (Turkish cream, mascarpone works too)
  • 100g pistacchios, finally chopped
Instructions
Syrup
  1. Cook water and sugar on the stove until the liquid is reduced to half. Stir once in a while. Take the pot from the stove and whisk in zest, juice and vanilla.
Künefe
  1. Preheat your oven to 180°C (360°F)
  2. Chop mozzarella in small cubes and mix with half of the kaymak or mascarpone. Set aside.
  3. Cut the angel hair noodles in 1-2 cm pieces and loosen them up with your fingers. Pour the butter over the noddles and mix very well! Take half of the noddles and press them into a casserole dish big enough or use several smaller ones to make them portion sized.
  4. Distribute the cheese mix evenly on top and add the rest of the noddles on top. Press them down gently.
  5. Put your dish or dishes into the oven and bake for 25 minutes. The top should be golden brown!
  6. Take them out of the oven and pour the syrup over the Künefe. Wait until the syrup is soaked up. Decorate with the rest of the kaymak or mascarpone and the pistacchios! Then serve whilst hot.
  7. Enjoy 🙂
Notes
I forgot to put on the kaymak and pistacchios as the decoration. You will just have to imagine it 😉

Adapted from Sofralar of the KochDichTürkisch-Blog

Afiyet olsun!! 

 

Here are the other recipes I shared during this series:

An Introduction to the new series

Appetizer – Sigara Böreği

Main Dish – Köfte, Cacık & Pirinç Pilavı

Drink – Ayran 

Salad – Kısır

Pastry – Kurabiye

Snack/Fast Food – Lahmacun

Guest Post – Acılı Ezme

 

Around The World, Week by Week: Turkey - Künefe by gingerlemonandspice

~ Kathrin

 

Jul23

Around The World: Turkey – Köfte, Cacık & Pirinç Pilavı

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Around The World: Turkey – Köfte, Cacık & Pirinç Pilavı
Around The World: Turkey – Köfte, Cacık & Pirinç Pilavı

Hey there!

Today I have a Main Dish from Turkey for you: Köfte, Cacık & Pirinç Pilavı. It is a classic!

Around The World, Week by Week: Turkey - Köfte, Cacık & Pirinç Pilavı by gingerlemonandspice

But let’s talk a bit about the country first. Around The World, Week by Week: Turkey - Köfte, Cacık & Pirinç Pilavı by gingerlemonandspice

The Republik of Turkey is a transcontinental country located in Europe but mostly in Asia. It is surrounded on three sides by water, the Mediteranean, Aegean and Black Sea. It is a rather big country with only 75 million people living in it, which makes some areas very rural. Turkey has a very rich history. There are a lot of sites from the time of Alexander the Great, the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman Empire. I am not much of an expert in any kind of history but it is very impressive to visit the ancient ruins with or without a guided tour! I love doing that, even if I’m more interested in architecture and lifestyle than in the politics of those times!! 🙂

Around the World, Week by Week: Turkey by gingerlemonandspice

Around The World, Week by Week: Turkey by gingerlemonandspice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well the Republik of Turkey as it is called today was only founded 1923 by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, how also was the first president. Until today he is adored by many and you can find his statues and picture everywhere, some men even have tattoes on their arms or cars of his name and signature! 🙂

Most of the people in this country are Turks, but there is also a minority group called the Kurds. Most of the people have Turkish as their mother tounge and their money is the Turkish Lira. The weather varies very strongly in the different parts of the country; it can get really cold like -40°C (-40°F) in winter in some areas but also really hot in summers (always above 30°C/86°F).

So that’s enough of the formal stuff for me by now, I have some more pictures for you to click through to get your own view!

If you got any questions about Turkey or my stay there, or made your own experiences just leave a comment below!! I would love to read about it!!

 

Now on to the food: Meat balls (in Turkish Köfte) can be found in many variations in the Turkish Cuisine. It might even be that every family does them a bit different! What I have here is a very classic recipe for Köfte that can be fryed in a pan or better grilled on a charcoal barbecue!

They are accompanied by the traditional yoghurt dip with cucumbers and garlic called Cacık. It goes with a lot of dishes and can also be found on a Meze (Appetizer) Table! Also I have some rice for you called Pirinç Pilavı. Like with the meatballs there are so many ways of preparing this!

Around The World, Week by Week: Turkey - Köfte, Cacık & Pirinç Pilavı by gingerlemonandspice

 

I found all the recipes for these in one of my favorite cookbooks, ‘Sofralar’ by Orhan Tançgil of the blog ‘KochDichTürkisch’. They also have a lot of videos to the recipes on the blog, so even if you can’t speek German you might find something you like! Hop over and say hi from me!

Around The World, Week by Week: Turkey - Köfte, Cacık & Pirinç Pilavı by gingerlemonandspice

Köfte, Cacık & Pirinç Pilavı
 
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A recipe for yummy turkish meat balls with rice and a yoghurt dip with cucumbers and garlic!
Author:
Recipe type: Main Dish
Cuisine: Turkish
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
Köfte
  • 500g mixed minced meat (lamb and beef)
  • 1 onion
  • 2 slices of stale white bread
  • 1 egg
  • 1 handfull of parsley
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • pepper, pul biber spice (chili flakes)
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • oil for frying
Pirinç Pilavı
  • 60g butter
  • a small handfull of soup noodles (şehriye)
  • 1 cup of rice, washed in a sieve
  • 2 cups of water or chicken stock
  • 1 teaspoon water
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
Cacık
  • 250g süzme yoğurt (turkish yoghurt with 10% fat)
  • 5 tablespoons milk
  • 2 small turkish cucumbers or 1 usual
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 handfull of fresh dill
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • pepper, pul biber spice (chili flakes)
  • olive oil
Instructions
Köfte Mix
  1. Start bei preparing the mixture for the Köfte. Just put the meat, the finally chopped onion and parsley, the spices, the egg, the olive oil and the pressed garlic in a big bowl. Cut the bread in small chunks and add to the bowl too.
  2. Now mix very well! It works best if you use your hands. Form small balls and pat them down flat and set aside on a plate or chopping board. Use wet hands while forming the Köfte so that the mixture doesn't stick to your fingers!
Pirinç Pilavı
  1. Melt butter on a pot on the stove on high heat and add the noodles. Fry and stir well until they get a golden color. Then add the rice and fry for 2-3 minutes more.
  2. Pour water or stock in and add the spices. Stir once then cover with the lid and wait until the water boils.
  3. Turn the heat down to very low for about 15 minutes then turn it off and let the pot just sit where it is. The rice will soak up more of the moisture and will get done without sticking to the bottom with this method.
Frying the Köfte
  1. Meanwhile heat one or two big pans and add some frying oil. You don't need much as the meat releases some fat as well. About one tablespoon for each pan! Put the meatballs into the pan and fry them on medium heat until they are half through then turn around and do the other side. It is even better when you have a charcoal barbecue and grill them there! You can also bake them in the oven on 200°C for about 25 minutes if you want to retain some fat. But that's not the most typical way 😉
Cacık
  1. Mix yoghurt and milk in a bowl with an egg whisk until smooth. Chop the cucumbers as finely as you can or grate them. But on the secon method make sure to press some of the water out!
  2. Add the cucumber, the spices (minus the chili), the finely chopped dill and pressed garlic to the bowl and mix well. Taste and reseason as you like.
  3. Pour the Cacık in a nice bowl and decorate with olive oil, chili and some dill sprinkles!
Notes
The cumin spice is essential for the typical taste in the Turkish Cuisine! Don't miss it!

Around The World, Week by Week: Turkey - Köfte, Cacık & Pirinç Pilavı by gingerlemonandspice

Afiyet olsun!! – Enjoy your meal!

 

Here are the other recipes I shared during this series:

An Introduction to the new series

Appetizer – Sigara Böreği

Dessert – Künefe

Drink – Ayran

Salad – Kısır

Pastry – Kurabiye

Snack/Fast Food – Lahmacun

Guest Post – Acılı Ezme

 

~ Kathrin

Jul22

Around the World: Turkey – Sigara Böreği

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Around the World: Turkey – Sigara Böreği
Around the World: Turkey – Sigara Böreği

Hey there!!

So today is the first day of the Turkish Week on my blog taking part in the Around the World, Week by Week – Series!

Around the World, Week by Week: Turkey: Appetizer: Sigara Böreği by gingerlemonandspice

Why did I chose Turkey as the first country to be featured?

Well, I got the chance to visit this country for two months in the summer of last year. I went there through a partnership of my university in Germany with the Ege-University of Izmir for an internship in the milk technology departement. I didn’t expect much as the turkish people living in Germany often keep very much to themselves and their culture kind of stayed a mystery to me. But boy was I wrong!

süt tecnolojisi

The people were so open and friendly – it was amazing!! Even if it was hard to communicate with some because they didn’t really speek English or German and my Turkish was well, let’s say, just not existing 😉 We got along so well using our hands to gesticulate and some google-translate for more difficult things!! The people were very hospitable and obliging and the boys real gentleman! I felt at home right away and made many great friends!!

Also I found a family there which adopted me, at least figuratively speeking 🙂 It is the family of my neighbour who died unfortunatly and very sudden two years ago. His wife went back to Turkey to stay with their son and daughter and their grandchildren who are already in their late teens. I last saw them all when I was little, they didn’t come to Germany often to visit because most of the time my neighbour and wife went to Turkey and spend some weeks each year there. So when he died everything was really quick. They gave up the house and moved back to Turkey in just like two weeks or something – a time in which I couldn’t come to my parents house to say goodbye. I had to stay and go to university. So when I found out they actually lived near Izmir and I could probably see them during my stay I got really excited!!

gingerlemonandspice

And then I finally met them and it was like coming home to your family. Everybody was kissing and hugging and I was instantly adopted as a family member! They called me their daughter, cousin and sister and it was how I felt too!! This sounds all very emotional – but it is how I felt!!

I stayed at their house, was invited to their cram-ful tables for breakfast and dinner, I  was cooking with them Turkish food and I even cooked a German dish for them at the last evening as a thank you. I guess I got some first-hand experience there 😉

gingerlemonandspice

It was awesome!! I miss them all very much!!

 

But now let’s go on to the food part! There has to be something to tell for the next days too 😉

Today is Monday, so we will have a little talk about appetizers in Turkish Cuisine. Small plates with different dishes to snack on have a long tradition in Turkey. They even have a special name for it: Meze! It is kind of like the Tapas of Turkey 🙂 You can get them in nearly every restaurant, and in the better ones you even get some for free. It can be things like a salad, bread, a joghurt dip or different spreads – it’s all possible.

Around the World, Week by Week: Turkey: Appetizer: Sigara Böreği by gingerlemonandspice

What I have here for you is Sigara Böreği, a savoury snack in the form of thin rolls. They taste a little bit salty and very crispy – once you start eating you can never stop 😉 They are really delicious and probably gone faster than anything else on a buffet!!

Here is a little picture to help you visualize what the dough sheets look like and what to do with them 🙂

Around the World, Week by Week: Turkey: Appetizer: Sigara Böreği by gingerlemonandspice

 

Have you been to Turkey yourself? Have you tried or even cooked Turkish food? What were your experiences?

I would love for you to share in the comments! 🙂

 

Sigara Böreği
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Appetizer
Cuisine: Turkish
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1 package triangular shaped yufka-sheets (about 25 sheets -turkish store)
  • 300 g beyaz peynir or feta cheese
  • 1 handful of parsley, finely chopped
  • water
  • rapeseed or sunflower oil
Instructions
  1. Prepare the filling first by squishing the feta cheese or beyaz peynir as finely as you can. Mix with parsley and set aside.
  2. Arrange your workspace: Put a clean and slightly wet towel on your surface. You need a bowl with water, your filling, the yufka sheets and a clean plate in arms length!
  3. Now you can start rolling your Sigara Böreği: Place one sheet of yufka on your towel, the wide side facing towards you. Sprinkle with water, especially the sides that will be folded in!
  4. Take some of your filling (about 1 tablespoon) and distribute in a line near the end of the round side of the triangular. Fold the sides in and roll your Sigara Böreği up! Tip the pointy end of your yufka into your bowl with water and close the roll. Set aside on your plate and continue until all the yufka sheets are used up!
  5. Heat the oil in a wide pan. You need about 1 cm of oil in your pan. Use a wooden spoon to test if the oil is already hot enough. There will be bubbles forming on the spoon when you put a corner of it into the oil. When the oil is hot enough put some Sigara Böreği in. They have to be in one layer and you need a little bit of space to turn them. Turn them once after the bottom side is golden and lay them on a paper towel to drain excess oil when you take them out.
  6. Enjoy preferably with some salad or çaçik!
Notes
I have tried to make them with less oil already but the results were always a disaster! The dough was still raw inside and the outside was burned and it never got crispy and flakey.

Around the World, Week by Week: Turkey: Appetizer: Sigara Böreği by gingerlemonandspice

Afiyet olsun!!

– That means enjoy your meal in Turkish 🙂

 

Here are the other recipes I shared during this series:

An Introduction to the new series

Main Dish – Köfte, Cacık & Pirinç Pilavı

Dessert – Künefe

Drink – Ayran 

Salad – Kısır

Pastry – Kurabiye

Snack/Fast Food – Lahmacun

Guest Post – Acılı Ezme

 

~ Kathrin

Jul21

Introduction To The New Series: Around The World, Week By Week

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Introduction To The New Series: Around The World, Week By Week

Hello everybody!

Today I am going to introduce you to my first series on this blog!! I was dreaming about this for quite some time now, but it took some preparation and time to make it happen 🙂

Around the World, Week by Week: Turkey by gingerlemonandspice

As you might or might not know I really love to travel. Especially Ireland and Turkey feel like my second homes! This is mostly because of the very warm welcome I have been given and the openness and hospitality of the people there!

I love to discover new cultures!! I love to do sightseeing and experience the way of life the people are having there! This applies of course especially for the food culture too! I am always excited to try new things and ways of cooking and also embed what I’ve learned in my cooking at home. Just last night I whipped up a quick dinner turkish style for me and my flatmate and we were both very pleased with the result 🙂

 

Now what I want to do is not only have those experiences on my own but rather share them with you!!

From tomorrow on you can find a new series on this blog. It is called: Around The World, Week By Week!!

For a whole week I will feature the culture especially in food of one country!! I will tell you about eating habbits and their way of life and some stories about what I have been experiencing there! You will get a new recipe of a different category each day and by the end of the week there will be a little special extra too 🙂 I plan to do a new country every month!

 

The first country I feature will be TURKEY! 

Around the World, Week by Week: Turkey by gingerlemonandspice

I have been spending two months last summer in Izmir at the west coast working at the University of Izmir. It was my first time in this beautiful country and I really had such a great time!!

Around the World, Week by Week: Turkey by gingerlemonandspice

 

Here are the categories of the recipes I will share:

Monday: Appetizer (Sigara Böreği)

Tuesday: Main Course (Köfte, Cacık & Pirinç Pilavı)

Wednesday: Dessert (Künefe)

Thursday: Drink (Ayran)

Friday: Salad (Kısır)

Saturday: Pastry (Kurabiye)

Sunday: Fast Food or Snack (Lahmacun)

Guest Post: Acılı Ezme by Zerrin Günaydin of Give Recipe

 

I hope you will enjoy this as much as I do! 🙂

Maybe you have been to Turkey yourself or have tasted turkish food too? Tell me about your experiences! 🙂

I am looking forward to a great week!!

 

With love,

Kathrin