Years and years ago when we moved to the south for a couple of years, I decided to give fried okra a chance,  despite it being my least favorite vegetable. To my surprise it turned out to be a rather enlightening moment. I discovered when prepared this way okra becomes quite palatable and even makes for an excellent meze. Through some experimentation, I found that crispy okra, especially when served on garlicy yogurt, is the best.  Nothing is set in stone here. Feel free to adjust any of the ingredients to your liking or based on your needs.  ~1/2 lb or less fresh okr ..read more

  Branzino or European sea bass is one of my favorite fish and until recently it was hard to come by in US. Nowadays, not only staple places for European seafood like Whole Foods, but also Trader Joe's sells branzino fillets. However, branzino has an amazing flavor when cooked on the bone. This is a simple and quite delicious way to grill branzino.  However many branzinos you need head and tail on (the cheeks and tail, my favorite), scaled and gutted 1 small onion, thinly sliced 1 lemon, sliced 2 bay leaves per fish salt & pepper olive oil -First things first, start your gri ..read more

  Purple basil-ade, or basil sherbet as they call it in Turkey, is a very old recipe that has become popular in the last couple of years. The way it is served is quite sweet for my taste so here's my recipe for a sugar-free purple basil-ade. 1 bunch purple basil 1/2 lemon  2 liters boiling water optional 1-2 cinnamon sticks 4-6 cloves 1/2 cup sugar or any sugar substitute you want to use -Wash the purple basil leaves and put in a jar or a pitcher -Squeeze the lemon on top and crush/knead the leaves with lemon juice to extract the utmost color. -Pour the boiling water on top a ..read more

  Haydari, a sine qua non for rakı tables, is a perfect summer side dish or dip. It is great with grilled meat or on toasted bread. Traditionally it's made by mixing strained/Greek yogurt and white cheese--although some try to skip the cheese, we all know that it ain't haydari if there's no cheese.  ~2 cup strained or Greek yogurt (in Turkey it's always whole milk yogurt, but non-fat is also fine) 1/2 cup Turkish or Bulgarian white cheese. If you cannot find them, use feta.  1 clove of garlic, minced 2-3 tsp dry mint leaves  1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped 2 tbsp butter 2 tb ..read more

  This is a classic tavukçu marinade i.e. grilled chicken restaurant marinade and it is both adult and kid favorite in our house.  You can use any part of chicken, but I do love thighs for grilling. I cut the chicken thighs into 1 inch-ish cubes and marinade for at least two hours or preferably overnight, and then put them on skewers for grilling. However, if you're strained for time you can also pan-fry them.  This marinade is for ~1lb chicken 1/2 plain yogurt 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp tomato paste 1 tsp salt 1 tsp sweet paprika 1/2 tsp b ..read more

 Ekşili Köfte, a very popular meatball dish cherished by kids and adults alike has differing  variations in different parts of Turkey; in some parts tomato or pepper paste is used; in some small diced vegetables; and in some eggs are completely left out. This version is from the Northwestern / Western part of Turkey. 1 lb ground beef 1 small onion, grated 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp white rice 1/4 or 1/3 cup very finely chopped parsley 1/4 or 1/3 cup very finely chopped fresh dill 1 egg, white and yolk separated 1 tsp or more black pepper salt  3 tbsp flour 4 tbsp olive oil juice of 2 ..read more

  I love corn in any form and these cornmeal savory pancakes are one of my favorite brunch or lunch specials. 2 cups of cornmeal / corn flour 2 eggs 1/2 yogurt 1 cup milk 2 tsp baking powder 1/4 cup olive oil 1 tsp salt 1/4 finely chopped herbs: parsley, dill, mint, or chives, pick one.  1/2 cup hard to melt cheese such as crumbled feta, small diced halloumi, or Turkish tulum goat cheese   (I use a mix of Syrian halloumi and Turkish tulum goat cheese)  1/2 pitted and chopped black olives  -Whisk eggs, milk, oil, and yogurt.  -Add cornmeal, baking p ..read more

A yeasty dough rolled with ground meat and walnuts and a dash of cinnamon is what we all need for afternoon tea.  It takes a while to make regarding the yeast and the wait for the rise, but it is easy and delicious. You should definitely try this one! for the dough 1/2 cup lukewarm water 1 tsp yeast 1/2 tsp sugar 2-2 1/2 cup flour (or more) 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup oil (olive oil, sun flower, whichever you feel comfortable with) 1 tsp salt yolk of one egg (we'll use the to brush the dough, you can add the white into the dough) black nigella seeds or sesame seeds the stuffing 3 tbsp oi ..read more

Menemen, Turkish style scrambled eggs, is enjoyed both as breakfast or a wholesome meal. It is best in summer when sweet green chilis and juicy tomatoes are in abundance. Best part of menemen is whether you are a great cook or an aspiring one, you cannot go wrong with menemen; the ingredients secure the taste. Must-have traditional ingredients for menemen are eggs, tomato, peppers (preferably sweet green peppers), parsley, and the controversial "onion": People of Turkey are divided when it comes to having menemen with ot without onion. I am a lifelong member of the "no onion" camp.  ..read more

For every eid/bayram one of my aunties used to make "the traditional" version of this dish, common among Balkan immigrants in Thrace, north western Turkey: lamb pieces cooked in white rice. In time lamb was replaced with chicken due to increase in the number of picky children in the family. I tried hard to avoid eating the dish simply because it was blend and oh so uninteresting; white rice and slightly dry chicken.  I experimented with this dish once the main cook of my favorite "esnaf lokantasi" (trademan's restaurant) in Ankara shared his tips to keep the chicken moist and the dish ..read more