Sunday Late Breakfast: Egg Bake With Sausages/Chorizo

Perfect sunday breakfast yumminess! This recipe could be an alternative for the typical omelette. I used Turkish 'sucuk' for this recipe (the one that is made of beef). I think, in taste it is close to Spanish chorizo which is a type of sausage. So I'm saying, if you cannot find 'Turkish beef sucuk', then try to go for anything that is made from beef/veal and anything spicy.  If you like, instead of using 'sucuk' or spicy sausages, you can go for vegetables like courgettes or green pepper. But this is my recipe for this weekend. So here goes my omelette in the oven with 'sucuk'. =) 

Ingredients: (Serves for 2 or 3)
3 eggs
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup of whole wheat or rye flour
8-10 slices of sausages or 'sucuk'
1/2 fresh red pepper
A pinch of salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon of dry rosemary
1/4 teaspoon of baking powder

How to:
1. Wash and chop the red peppers in tiny pieces. Slice the sucuk and quarter the slices to have smaller bits.
2. Mix the eggs with milk, flour, salt and pepper and then, add all the rest of the ingredients in (sucuk, peppers, rosemary and baking powder).

3. Once all is combined well, pour in a small oven dish (that has been greased) and bake in the 175 degree oven for 30-40 minutes. You will see how it puffs up and becomes mouth-watering! Eat and enjoy!

A simple salad of tomatoes, cucumbers and parsley goes perfect with the warm omelette.

Don't think that 1 slice is enough! It is so light and delicious.

Quick Cake With Apples

I was looking for the easiest cake recipe because today I was feeling a bit lazy, but at the same time I wanted to have a cake ready at home. I found this old recipe in one of my recipe notebooks that I have been keeping for years. It was perfect, I had two apples in the fridge that have seen better days. With some cinnamon and a little bit of butter, the kitchen smells amazing -only in 15 minutes! So, here goes the recipe.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1,5 cups of white sugar
1 cup of milk
1 heap tablespoon of butter
2 apples
1 heap teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 cup of raisins
3 cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

How to:
1. Beat the eggs well and add the sugar and combine until fluffy.
2. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan, add the grated apples, raisins and cinnamon, stir for 5 minutes. Then turn off the heat and let it cool down.
3. Go back to your eggs and this time add the flour, baking soda and milk, then mix with a spatula. You can also continue with your mixer but the batter is pretty thick, so it is better to do it by hand.
4. Take the apple sauce/mixture and add to your cake batter. Grease a ring cake tin and pour the cake mixture in. Bake in the preheated 175 degrees (Celsius) oven for 40-45 minutes. Bon apetite!  

Greek Casserole: Yuvetsi

 

 Yuvetsi is a famous dish in Greek cuisine. It can be made with chicken, beef or lamb. A traditional yuvetsi recipe is easy to find and make. It is very juicy, delicious and filling as well. Easy to make, perfect choice for family dinners or guests. This is how I made it for two this time with a delicious summer 'Briam'. You can also find the briam recipe on my blog here.

Ingredients:
Serves for 2-3
300 gr beef (chopped into small pieces)
3 tomatoes
1 cup of orzo
1 cup of boiling water
A little less than 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil 
Salt, pepper, a pinch of nutmeg

How to:
1. Put the tomatoes into a food processor and process well. Put the tomatoes (with the juice and all), beef pieces, olive oil and hot water into a baking tray, season with salt and pepper and bake in 200 degree oven for 50 minutes. Be careful with the size of the tray. This recipe is for 2-3 people, if you are going to cook for more, double the ingredients and use a medium size, deep baking dish/oven tray.   
2. After it has cooked in the oven for 50 minutes, take your tray out and add a cup of orzo, with another cup of boiling water (if it looks dry, add 1/2 cup of water). If you are unsure about the amount of water, you can check in 10 minutes. The orzo will definitely soak up some water.

  The beef is soft and almost cooked; it is time to add orzo.

3. Once the orzo has softened and cooked, the beef is underneath the juicy caramelized tomatoes, take it out of the oven and serve warm. Because this is a Greek recipe, it is generally served with some feta cheese on top. I like to sprinkle it with chopped parsley and dry thyme.
With or, without crumbled feta cheese, this dish is yummy and sure to get you compliments from your friends. Very easy to make, so it is a good cheater's home cooking. :) 

Yuvetsi with beef and briam, all it need is a little bit of tzatziki or yoghurt. They go so well together!

Also, try this recipe with chicken thighs like I did on another day. 

I added chopped onions with tomatoes because I thought the chicken would need some extra ingredients.

My first ever yuvetsi!

Summertime Potato Salad

 

Everybody knows a potato salad and I think most people love it. It is a good salad, complimentary to many dishes. Lots of different cuisines have lots of different types of potato salad. In America, they make it with mayonnaise for instance. In Turkish home-cooking, a potato salad generally consists of potatoes, spring onions or white onions and parsley. This summer I made many different potato salads using fresh potatoes. Today's recipe is the one that I call 'Summertime Potato Salad' because it has got nice summer peppers, full red juicy tomatoes in it. A bit of fresh mint with fresh lemon juice and there you have it -perfect summer taste!

Ingredients:
Serves for 4

2 big potatoes
2 medium size tomatoes
A handful of fresh mint leaves
1 medium size onion
2 medium size sweet red peppers
2 medium size sweet banana peppers
Juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil (As always!)
Salt, pepper
A clove of garlic

How to:
1. Peel and wash the potatoes, chop them into chunks and put them in a pot to boil.
2. Meanwhile, wash and chop the peppers, tomatoes, fresh mint leaves and put them in a salad bowl. Add the chopped onions on top and leave aside.
3. Squeeze the juice of one lemon into a small bowl, then grate a clove of garlic in it. You can also chop the garlic but I tend not to use the garlic crusher as I want the crunchiness of the garlic without the flavor being too strong. Add a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar and mix well. This is our salad dressing. 
4. Once the potatoes are cooked (check with a toothpick or a knife), chop them into smaller pieces and add to the salad mixture in the bowl. Pour over the dressing and mix well. Our salad is ready. Yum!

 

I like to decorate it with a sprinkle of dry mint before I serve.

Various Dips With Yoghurt

                                      

How many different dips can you make by using yoghurt? For me, a dip sauce with yoghurt is kind of inevitable/irresistable with crisps, bread sticks, snacks or savory biscuits. I have created and tried many different dips over the years, so today I wanted to share some of them, mainly the favourites.
It is easy to find your own dip sauce and prepare it the way you like it -make it spicy, sour, creamy or soppy. The clue is to use Greek yoghurt or Turkish 'suzme' yoghurt, whole fat or no fat, doesn't matter really. You will get the smooth, creamy result every time. Chop, mix, dip and enjoy!

SPICY DIP:
one of the most common, basic dip sauce for crisps (here in Istanbul)
A bowl of yoghurt
1 teaspoon of dry mint
1 teaspoon of chilli flakes
1 teaspoon of dry roasted sweet chilli pepper 
1 teaspoon of thyme
A pinch of salt and black pepper

  I love the colour! Perfect with crisps or breadsticks.

MUSTARD DIP:
1 bowl of yoghurt
1 teaspoon of wholegrain mustard
1 teaspoon of dijon mustard
1 teaspoon of honey
1 teaspoon of (freshly squeezed) lemon juice 
2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil  
A pinch of salt and pepper 

Especially for cocktails and snacks! 

  Or you can add some cucumber inside and have a good bowl of snack any time during the day. 

FRESH HERBS DIP:
1 bowl of yoghurt
1 tablespoon of fresh mint (chopped) 
1 teaspoon of dry mint
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon of curry mixture
2 teaspoons of apple vinegar 
2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil (can be more)
A pinch of salt and pepper 
A pinch of sumac (or chilli flakes) to decorate

GREEK TZATZIKI DIP WITH FRESH HERBS:
1 bowl of yoghurt
1 tablespoon of chopped dill 
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh mint 
1 teaspoon of dry mint
1 clove of garlic (optional)
1 small cucumber (chopped in tiny pieces)
1 small sweet banana pepper (again, chopped in tiny pieces)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
A pinch of black pepper
A pinch of sumac to decorate

It can be served with food as a refreshing garnish; you can adjust the amount of fresh herbs inside. Yum! 

LIGHTLY SOUR DIP:
1 bowl of yoghurt
1 tablespoon of apple vinegar 
1 teaspoon of wholegrain mustard
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil  
1 teaspoon of pomegranate sour
A pinch of salt and pepper

CURRY DIP:
1 bowl of yoghurt
2 teaspoons of curry powder
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
A pinch of salt and pepper

Courgette Patty in the Oven

 It goes very well with some salad the next day for lunch. :)

Now a patty is by definiton something 'fried.' I agree, but this time I made a change in this traditional recipe and I baked it in the oven. For two reasons: 1) I couldn't be bothered to make small shapes and fry them one by one. 2) I thought it would be a healthier, lighter version. It's up to you to try and decide. We loved it! I served it at a family dinner and my family loved it. This recipe is known in Greek cuisine as 'Kolokithakeftedes', which means 'courgette balls/courgette fritters'. However much I like the original fried recipe, I reccomend that you try this one as well. If you want to make fried courgette fritters, then all you need to do is prepare this mixture, then spoon it on a frying pan with some olive oil and fry both sides for 3-4 minutes. Perfect summer recipe! Even better the next day when it is cold. Total indulgence for courgette lovers.

Ingredients:
5 medium size courgettes
1 - 1,5 glass of whole wheat flour or rye flour 
2 big eggs
100 gr of Greek feta cheese or Turkish white cheese
1/2 bunch of fresh mint 
1 teaspoon of dry mint 
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of dry curry powder (optional)
1/2 teaspoon of sweet roasted red pepper powder (optional)
Extra virgin olive oil 

How to:
1. Wash the courgettes thoroughly, then peel and grate them into a big bowl. 
2.Add the flour, egg, salt, pepper, chopped fresh mint leaves, dry mint and the rest of the spices according to your taste. Then crumble 100 gr of feta cheese inside and mix well. 
3. Grease a rectangular shaped baking tray with extra virgin olive oil and pour in the mixture. Press with your spatula to make it even and level. (The mixture should be 1 or 1.5 cm thick in the oven tray. If it is thicker, it might need more time in the oven.) Pour some more olive oil on top to make a crusty and well-baked top, then bake in the pre-heated 175 degrees Celsius oven for 35-40 minutes. Serve warm or cold. Eat and enjoy!

 

Ready to go into the oven.