European cooking with a modern twist

Braided Bread - fonott kalács

2011-11-06T17:11:00.009-05:00

I've grown up with this bread being made and served at christmas or easter and got kind of sad that I wouldn't be able to make this bread for those holidays (as I don't celebrate them anymore) but then I got the idea of why not make it for the holidays that I do celebrate?? So here it is ... make it for a holiday or anytime !! 1/2 L Milk (warm) 1 Egg + 1 Egg yolk for the top 2 Tbsp Butter

Savoy Cabbage Rolls - Lahana Dolma

2011-01-31T22:13:00.002-05:00

I've made the regular cabbage rolls from plain cabbage (really should make those soon too!) but I saw a nice head of savoy cabbage (I used to call it 'curly' cabbage when I was a child) and thought why not try a different recipe than the usual sour cabbage rolls. Hope you enjoy it! 1 large head savoy cabbage600 gr. ground beef 1/2 cup cooked rice 1 large tomato (or two smaller ones)Salt &

Peanut Butter Cookies

2011-01-31T21:00:00.005-05:00

I actually saw this recipe on the back of a peanut butter jar...I modified it a bit but its just so simple! 1 cup plain/natural peanut butter (nothing but peanuts)1/2 cup granulated sugar1 Egg Preheat the oven to 350F Mix the peanut butter with the sugar, combine well, add a bit of vanilla if you like and then add in the one egg, mix well until combined and the mixture is more solid and can be

Salmon in Phyllo pastry

2011-01-13T17:42:00.001-05:00

I had taken out some phyllo pastry earlier to make Borek but had not had a chance to do it (no cheese - shame a house with no feta cheese!) and I needed to use up the sheets, so voila this recipe came into my mind. 12 sheets phyllo pastry4 pcs of salmon (about 300gr ea)1 leek sliced in match sticks1 red bell pepper sliced thinly4 tbsp butter + 4 tbsp olive oil melted togetherSalt & pepper

Chicken stew with dumplings

2011-01-11T18:22:00.000-05:00

I was absolutely stuck for an idea for dinner...I knew I had some chicken breast in the freezer and some carrots, leeks and mushrooms so I figured I could put that all together to make a stew. I googled some ideas for a chicken stew and up came a recipe that included dumplings on top...so here is my version of it! Enjoy! 2 large skinless chicken breasts (with our without the bone in) cubed2

Pırasa - Leek stew

2010-12-25T18:28:00.000-05:00

This has become a new favourite of mine...kind of a comfort food for a cold winter day, very simple and light meal...try it! 2 Carrots (medium sized) 3 Leeks (try to use smaller type of leeks, not the very big ones) 1 Onion (large) 1/4 cup Olive oil 1 Lemon juiced 1/4 Rice 1 tbsp Tomato paste Salt & Pepper Heat a sauce pan with a bit of olive oil and add in the chopped carrots and

Roast Sesame Chicken

2010-12-22T11:53:00.001-05:00

1 Whole chicken 2-3 Carrots 1 large leek 1 red or yellow bell pepper 1 large tomato 2 tbsp dried mint Salt &Pepper Olive Oil 1/2 lemon Sesame seeds Wash the whole chicken and coat with olive oil sprinkle the chicken all over with the sesame seeds, then season with the salt & pepper, place in a pan. Pre-heat oven to 400F. Chop up all the veggies in fairly big pieces, place in a big bowl

Basa Fish Fillets

2010-12-20T23:49:00.000-05:00

I saw this fish at the market and thought I would give it a try. It is a very nicelight tasting white fish and the leeks and lemon juice give it just the right amount of flavour without it overpowering the fish. 3 Basa fish fillets 1 Leek sliced Olive Oil Half of a lemon juiced Salt & Pepper Pre-heat oven to 375F. Place fish fillets on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper, sprinkle

Asure

2010-12-17T21:20:00.000-05:00

Asure is prepared at a certain time of the year - you can get more information about it on this link. The short story is that this is what Noah's people ate on the ark, they only had nuts and grains and dried fruits to eat and they put that all together to form a 'pudding'. It's a very different dessert and it takes some time to prepare, but worth the time! 1/2 cup chickpeas1/2 cup white

Chocolate cake

2010-11-17T23:09:00.000-05:00

Chocolate cake Fruit filling Found a recipe online that used dates instead of butter or oil as a fat in a chocolate cake, so I decided to use that idea and make up my own two-layer cake! It is a rich, dense cake but doesn't feel very heavy when you eat it! Cake 1.5 cups whole what flour200gr dates 4 eggs (separate into whites and yolks)3 tbsp sugar5 tbsp cocoa 1 tbsp baking powder1

Roasted Veggie Sandwich

2010-11-14T11:56:00.000-05:00

1 Eggplant 2 Red peppers 3 Portobello Mushrooms 6 Slices Cheese (any kind you like)6 Sandwich buns (any type) Slice the eggplant into 1/2inch rounds and sprinkle with salt, set aside for half an hour, then drain and pat dry. Place the eggplant slices on a baking sheet, sprinkling with olive oil and bake at 400F until softened. Roast the peppers and portobello mushrooms the same way. Sprinke

Ramazan Pide - Turkish Flat Bread

2009-09-02T13:46:00.008-04:00

Ramadan (Ramazan in Turkish) is the month of fasting that Muslims participate in every year - it is a time of reflection and of increased prayer. I always enjoy this time of year as I really feel that it is important to reflect on the fact that there are so many people who are starving - we are lucky that we only have to fast from sun up to sun down and after that we can enjoy food again, so

Orzo with asparagus and blue cheese

2009-04-07T10:16:00.002-04:00

Had some asparagus in the house and was trying to come up with an interesting idea to use them up. I've been on an orzo kick lately, using it instead of rice with most dinners, so I had a thought... what about using the asparagus in there? Well this is what it turned out to be... Orzo with asparagus and blue cheese! 1 cup Orzo 1 bunch asparagus cut into about 1" pcs (if you can find the thin

Apple Pie

2009-03-31T22:00:00.003-04:00

I wanted apple pie last night and you know what....I made apple pie! I've never had great success with the crust, it never turned out flaky, instead it was always soft like a cookie. Not that it was bad but I just wanted to have that flaky, tender crust that you see on commercials. Well last night I think I came as close as I will ever to that elusive 'flaky' crust! All thanks to using a very

Bran crusted Tilapia

2009-03-31T20:55:00.005-04:00

4 pcs Tilapia fish 1/2 cup Bran buds, processed into a powder 1 Egg Salt & pepper Make sure the bran buds are processed into a fine powder as this is what will be the coating. Dip the Tilapia fillets into the beaten egg and then dip into the bran to coat evenly. Place on a greased pan and place into a preheated 400 F oven. Bake for 15 mins, until crispy. Serve with Orzo or rice Servings 4

Pasta shells

2009-03-26T20:32:00.002-04:00

20 uncooked shells 2 green onions 1 pkg spinach 3 cups cottage cheese 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese salt pepper and paprika 2 cups tomato sauce Water Parmesan cheese Cook the shells until they are just under cooked and set aside. Mix the spinach, cottage cheese, feta cheese and spices. Chop the green onion and add to mixture. Take each shell and fill with the spinach-cheese filling. Arrange

Basic Chocolate Truffles

2009-03-09T16:53:00.004-04:00

150 gr Dark chocolate 25 gr Milk Chocolate 40 ml Heavy Cream Granulated or Powdered Sugar or cocoa to coat. Heat up the heavy cream in a sauce pan, just before boiling take off from the heat. Add in the chocolate pieces. You can chop up the chocolate in either small pieces or leave them in more chunkier pieces, it really does not matter as it will all melt down. Keep swirling the pan until

Pear & Walnut Cake

2009-01-25T21:06:00.005-05:00

This recipe came about because I had too many pears that needed to be used up. So I first began with making pear jam, which became pear puree because after cooking it for 2 hours it never firmed up to be a jam. So having so many cups of puree I figured I would make a pear and walnut cake. If you have a small culinary blow torch then you can caramelize the top of the cake, sprinkle it with a

Shepherd's Salad - Çoban Salatası

2009-01-25T19:44:00.005-05:00

Had this salad the first time in Turkey (well had all the components separately before but never in this combination and with that dressing) It was a great accompaniment with grilled meats. Enjoy! 2 Cucumbers 4 Tomatoes 1 Red or Yellow onion Parsley Olive oil (Drizzle) Lemon juice (1 whole lemon) Sumac (sour tasting spice) Salt Chop up the Cucumbers, Tomatoes and Onions into medium-small

Fennel & Potato Soup

2009-01-25T19:31:00.007-05:00

I had two fennel bulbs that were looking at me all sad and lonely - I had bought them not really knowing what to do with it. So I looked up what to do with fennel bulbs and got a myriad of different recipes, most of them being salads. I was not in the mood for a salad, this cold weather was begging for a 'comfort' food, so here it is - Fennel and potato soup! Enjoy! 2 Fennel Bulbs 4 Small

Meatballs in tomato sauce - Domates soslu tavuklu sulu köfte

2008-12-31T20:35:00.001-05:00

450 gr ground chicken (you may use beef) 1/2 cup bulgur Salt Pepper Red pepper flakes 1/2 cup flour 1 onion, grated 4-5 tbsp crushed tomatoes, or in a can 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 cups water Salt Pepper Mix the ground chicken, bulgur, onion and spices, knead for a bit and form into small meat balls and set aside. In a pot place the olive oil tomatoes on high heat add two cups of water

Potato patties - Patates Köfte

2008-12-31T13:45:00.001-05:00

2 large potatoes, boiled, peeled and grated 1 garlic clove, chopped 1 small onion, sliced 2 tsp Olive oil + 2 Tbsp (for frying) 1 pinch red pepper 1 egg Parsley, chopped 1/2 tsp salt 1 pinch black pepper 1/2 cup flour + extra for dusting Servings 8 pcs total (calories per piece) Calories 138 Fat 4.2 gr Fiber 2.2 gr Protein 3.5 gr In a frying pan heat up the oil and add in the onions, frying

White Cookies -Fehér kifli

2008-12-30T22:48:00.002-05:00