2 tsp dry/instant yeast 1 tsp sugar 1 ½ cups luke warm milk 3 ¾ cups bread flour 1 ½ tsp salt to taste Glaze:1 egg 1 tbsp milk Sesame seeds Add yeast and sugar into 1/2 cup of milk in a bowl. Leave for 5 minutes; stir to dissolve. Mix flour and salt in large a bowl. Make a well in center and pour in dissolved yeast. Mix in flour. Stir in reserved milk to form a sticky dough. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. Put dough in a clean bowl and cover with a towel or cloth. Let rise for 45-60 minutes in a warm place. Punch d ..read more

½ lb shredded dough (Kadaifi) 5-6 Tbsp sugar 4-5 Tbsp butter 1 ½ cups walnuts/pecans, largely crushed Turkish Milk Pudding (Muhallebi) ½ lb whipped cream Leave the kadaifi in the freezer for about 1-2 hours prior to use. Then, take it out and crack it into small pieces. Take it to a pot and add butter and sugar. Cook stirring constantly over medium heat until it gets pinkish. Stir in walnuts/pecans and turn the heat off. Let it cool. Click for the recipe of Turkish Milk Pudding (Muhallebi). Let the Muhallebi cool and add whipped cream. Mix with a mixer until it gets smooth. Take the half ..read more

1 lb banana/green/red pepper, washed  2-3 tbsp vinegar 5-6 tbsp olive oil/canola oil 1 tsp salt to taste ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped (optional) Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C) and place peppers over an oven tray with baking paper. Roast them for an hour or till they turn partly light brown (see the picture). You can also roast peppers over a grill/barbecue. Take out and let them cool down. Then peel and make a cut in the middle lengthwise with a knife (see the picture). In a bowl, combine vinegar, olive oil/canola oil and salt. Stir in roasted peppers, parsley (optional) and mix them ..read more

½ cup canola oil  125 gr butter/margarine, softened  1 Tbsp vinegar  ½ cup water  1 egg white (yolk is for the glaze)  1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp sugar  ½ tsp salt to taste  3 ½ -4 cups flour  ½ cup sesame and nigella seeds    Mix the dough ingredients in a big bowl. Then, knead the dough until becomes soft and consistent. Cover the dough and let it rest for about 10-15 minutes. Grab walnut size pieces and shape them into long sticks thick as pencil. Cut the sticks in 4-5 inch long. Brush each stick with the egg yolk you set aside before. Place ..read more

2 medium potatoes, boiled and peeled 2 eggs 150 g butter at room temperature 2 ½ cups flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt to taste 1 egg yolk for egg wash Sesame seeds or nigella seeds for top For filling: 1 cup ricotta cheese OR 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled OR 1 cup black olives, sliced Grate boiled and cooled potatoes. Then, combine all the dough ingredients in a big mixing bowl. Knead the dough and make it soft and elastic. Then, grab walnut size or bigger dough pieces and flatten them using your palms. Place 1 tsp of filling type you’ve chosen and close the edges in the middle making a cl ..read more

Baklava is a traditional and authentic Turkish desert. It is especially being made on religious holidays to serve the guests. 1 lb Phyllo Dough, thawed 250 gr butter, melted 1 ½ cup walnuts/pistachios (coarsely ground) Syrup: 1 ¼ -1 1/3 cup water 1 ½ -1 ¾ cup sugar 1 tsp lemon juice For the syrup; boil the sugar and water until the sugar is melted. Then stir in lemon juice. Simmer for about 2-3 minutes and let it cool. Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C). Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x14 inch Pyrex dish/tray. Unroll Phyllo dough. Cover Phyllo Dough Sheets with a dampened cloth to keep from ..read more

½ chicken breast 2 cups milk 1 carrot, chopped ½ lb ( 4-5 ) button mushroom, sliced ½ stick butter (50-65 gr) 2 Tbsp flour, heaping 1 Tbsp salt (for soup) 1 tsp salt (for boiling chicken) ½ bunch of fresh dill, thinly chopped or 1 tsp of dried dill (optional) 2 Tbsp cooking oil Boil the chicken breast with the chopped carrots until they are both soft and tender with adding 1 tsp salt. When it’s done, pour the remained water in a bowl for using it as the chicken stock in the soup. After the cooked chicken breast cools a little, cut it into small pieces. Meanwhile, in a skillet place the butter ..read more

2 cups lukewarm water 4-5 cups bread flour 1 cube fresh yeast (17 gr) 3 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp sugar 1 tbsp salt Glaze: 1 tbsp yogurt 1 tbsp water Nigella seeds or sesame seeds Place the lukewarm water, sugar and the yeast into a bowl. Stir well to dissolve the sugar and the yeast. Add the salt, olive oil and flour; knead for 10 minutes, till dough becomes elastic. The more you knead the better your bread will be. Cover the dough with a plastic wrap or a clean cloth (see the picture) and let it rest for 2 hours in a warm place, till it rises up to double its volume (see the picture). Place dou ..read more

1 lb zucchini, peeled and shredded 4-5 green onions/ 1 big onion, chopped ½ bunch parsley/dill, finely chopped 1-2 eggs, beaten ½ cup crumbled feta cheese (optional) 4-5 tbsp flour, heaping ¼ tsp baking powder ½ tsp black pepper ¼ tsp paprika (optional) 1 tsp salt to taste 1 cup olive/canola oil for frying Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, but eggs and oil. Then stir in beaten eggs and get ready for frying (eggs make the mixture juicy). If your mixture gets juicy, drain the excess water. In a wide skillet, sizzle oil and drop 1 table spoon of mixture into it. Then press gently to flatten ..read more

1 lb Petit Beurre or Social thin tea biscuits 10 tbsp brown/white sugar 7-8 tbsp butter/margarine, melted ½ cup milk ½ cup walnuts/pecans/hazelnuts, crumbled 1/3 cup raisins (optional) 1 tsp vanilla extract/ 1 package vanilla 3-4 tbsp cocoa, heaping 1 egg, beaten (optional) Coconut flakes/white chocolate chips for garnish In a bowl, mix all the ingredients but the biscuits. Then crumble the biscuits and mix with the other ingredients evenly. You can use aluminum foil, plastic wrap or cake pans to give it a shape you like. I’ve used a cake pan. Place plastic wrap over the bottom of pan and ..read more