TURKISH BANANA PUDDING

This is a nice light and low fat desert.  Good in any season but best in the hot summer days.  You can top with cool whip or ice cream or chocolate sauce instead of grated chocolate.  This is a great way to use the bananas that are starting to go brown as well as a good source of calcium for those who don't like to drink milk (like me).

4 cups cold milk (1 lt)

4 tablespoons cornstarch (I use a soup spoon steepingly full) 

2/3 cups sugar

1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon (9 gr) vanilla

3-4 mashed bananas

Top: Grated chocolate or cool whip or icecream or chocolate sauce

• Mix cold milk, corn starch and sugar in a pot
• Cook in low heat stirring constantly until it thickens
• Add in vanilla and butter.  Stir until butter is melted
• Add bananas
• Put in serving dishes and let it cool in the fridge for a couple of hours (covered with saran wrap)
• Top with your choice of chocolate pieces, cool whip or ice cream.

TURKISH SHORTBREAD COOKIES (UN KURABIYESI)

Translation of Un Kurabiyesi is: Flour Cookies.  I've been meaning make these cookies for a very long time simply because I missed them so much.  I don't make them often because of the calories but I have to tell you, they are absolutely worth it.

 250 gr unsalted butter (1 cup)

1/2 cup oil

1/3 cup corn starch

2/3 cup icing sugar

1 package vanilla (2 teaspoons)

3.5 cups flour

• Cream butter and oil together.  I left the butter at room temperature overnight.  It was so soft that I did not need a mixer.  I used a fork.
• Add corn starch, icin sugar and vanilla
• Add flour a little at a time to get a soft tough.  Dough does crumble a bit.  You need to make sure it sticks together by hand.  Set aside to rest for 10 minutes
• Split the dough into 6 equal parts
• Make a roll with each piece of dough using your hands.  Be careful with the crumbs just stick them together by hand
• Cut each piece into 5 cookies
• Put on a lined cookie sheet
• Pierce with a fork
• Preheat oven to 325
• Cook until the edges turn pink.  In my oven it took 20 minutes
• Cool and sprinkle with icing sugar

TURKISH CHICKEN WRAPS (TAVUKLU DURUM)

Turkish Chicken wraps have a very different look and taste.  Although I haven't tried it with soft tortillas, I am thinking they would likely work well as well.  In authentic recipe, there is not ketchup or mayonnaise but my family felt they go well with this and use it so I added them to my recipe.

3-4 Chicken breasts

1/3 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

2 - 3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon red pepper

Optional: currie and allspice

Lavash bread or Indian Roti bread

Fillers
Fried potatos, lettuce, tomatoes, sliced onions with sumac, garlic pickles, hot peppers, ketchup, mayonnaise

• Slice chicken legthwise
• Add olive oil, salt, tomato paste, thyme, black pepper and red pepper
• Mix well and marinade for 3-4 hours in the fridge
• Cook at medium heat until all the juice comes out and evaporates.  This takes over an hour of cooking.  You can continue to stir fry in its own juice at the very end.
• While chicken is cooking prepare the potatos.  Peel, wash and cut them in small cubes.  Fry them in small amount of olive oil.  Add salt at the end
• Get all the filling option cut up and ready
• Serve in warmed lavash bread.  I used Indian roti bread.

BROCCOLI IN BECHAMEL SAUCE (BASAMEL SOSLU BROKILI)

Some people love Broccoli while others don't even like them.  Those who don't like Broccoli but try to eat them do it usually because they know how good it is for their health.  My household is no different. My husband likes them plain, my yougest daughter will only eat it if it is made with this recipe.  Me and my older daughter will eat Broccoli in any recipe because we love them.  If you are one of those people who try with Broccoli, you must try this recipe.  I hope you enjoy it.

1/2 kg. Broccoli

2 full tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup milk

salt, blackpepper

1/2 cup permasean cheese

1 cup shreded mozerrella cheese

• Separate Broccoli florets and boil them lightly in salted water making sure they are not too soft
• In a pan, melt butter and  add flour.  Cook until the flour changes colour to light yellow.  I find this to be the most difficult part of this recipe as the flour sticks to the wooden spoon.  Make sure you have a fork handy to scrape off the spoon so you can continue to cook
• Add mik.  Reduce heat and cook until the sauce thickens a bit
• Add Permasean cheese and remove from heat
• Mix the sauce with broccoli
• Spray the bottom of your pan
• Pour Broccoli and the sauce.  Try to make sure broccoli is single layer.  It should not be too thick.
• Sprinkle shreded cheddar cheese
• Cook at 350 degree preheated oven until the top is golden brown (approx 20 minutes)

COCONUT SWEETHEART COOKIES

Coconut is an absolute favorite of mine.  Not only in cookies but also in chocolate and all kinds of deserts.  I made these cookies for valentines day last month but did not get a chance to publish them until now.  This is one of those must try recipes (in my opinion of course).

1 cup shreded dry unsweetened coconut

1 cup sugar

2.5 cups flour
3/4 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)

2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Icing
1 cup icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons milk

• Using a food processor, process coconut and sugar until it is fine as flour
• In a separate bowl, mix together butter, and flour until you get a "crumble"
• Mix everything together. 
• Mix eggs separately and add to the flour mix and to get a medium dough.
• Turn to a lightly floured surface and roll out 1/2 cm thickness.
• Cut using a cookie cutter any shape you like
• Preheat oven to 350
• Cook 8 - 10 minutes (until the edges change colour a bit)
• Set aside to cool
• Prepare icing and spread on your cookies.  If you like you can add coloured candies too
• Set aside for about 1 hour.

FRIED POTATO, EGGPLANT MIX (SAKSUKA)

Origin of this dish is southern Turkiye.  In hot summer days, Saksuka with yogurt and garlic sauce and fresh bread for dunking in its juice makes a perfect light dish.

2 large eggplants

4 potatoes

3 cubenella peppers

3 pieces of garlic

salt and pepper

1/2 kg. tomatoes

cooking oil (or olive oil)

• Partially peel the eggplants (see the picture - they look like zebras)
• Fill a large bowl with water.  Add 1 teaspoon salt.
• Cut eggplant in cubes and leave in salted water for 20 minutes.  This removes any bitterness from the eggplants

• Drain the eggplants
• Put some cooking oil in a frying pan.  Add Eggplants a little at a time and fry them until cooked
• Remove from oil and remove access oil.  I use a paper towel lined plate.  I leave them on the paper towel until some of the oil is gone and then move them to a large bowl
• Peel potatoes and cut them into cubes similar to the eggplants and fry them the same way
• Finally wash and cut pepper and fry them
• Add all of the fried vegetables together in a large pot
• Wash and chop the tomatoes.  Put them in a pot.  Add in crushed garlic, salt (optionally some dry basil).  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat and cook until some of the juice is gone.  Set aside to cool.
• Combine all of the vegetables and half the tomato sauce
• Move to the serving dish
• Pour remaining tomato sauce on top.  Optionally, you can pour yogurt garlic sauce (see the sauce section for the recipe.  All you need is yogurt and crushed garlic) first and then top with tomato sauce.

BANANA BREAD

This is a classic banana bread recipe with an optional strudel topping.  You can add variety by adding apple pieces or chocolate chips or cinnamon into the batter.  A couple of key points to remember: First you do not need a mixer (use wooden spoons or whisk) and second, always butter and generously flour the bottom and the sides of the pan.

2 eggs (beaten)

3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup plain yogurt

6 tablespoon (1/4 cup) melted unsalted butter

1.5 cups flour 

1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1.5 cups ripe bananas thickly sliced (approx. 3)

1/2 cup coarsly chopped walnuts (optional but highly recommended)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional but highly recommended)

Optional strudel topping:

2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

• Butter and generously flour the bottom and sides of your pan
• Preheat the oven at 350
• Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stir with a whisk.
• Place sugar and butter in a large bowl and mix together
• Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Add banana, yogurt, vanilla and walnuts.
• Add flour mixture
• Spoon batter into an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan coated
• Prepare the topping by mixing all the ingredients together and spread over the pan.
• Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack