Enjoy Turkish cuisine at home by keeping these basic ingredients + recipes

Turkish cuisine is a blend of Middle Eastern, central Asian, eastern European and Balkan cuisines but has an identify of it’s own. Similar to say Greek cuisine, it’s fresh, uses seasonal fruit and vegetables, nuts, meat and a variety of both fresh and dried herbs and spices. Here is how you can enjoy Turkish cusine at home by keeping these basic ingredients.

Most of us think of Turkish bread (pide), Turkish Delight and their own version of baklava when we think of Turkish food but it’s way more than that. Simply prepared food with fresh ingredients, which most of us have in our homes, is what Turkish cuisine is all about. A blend of different country’s cuisines with an identity all of it’s own.

Herbs & Spices:

• Allspice, anise, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, mastic, nigella seeds, red pepper, rosewater, saffron, sesame seeds, sumac

Meat & Protein:

• Ground meat, veal, lamb, fish, sardines, anchovies, chicken, eggs, lentils, chickpeas, black eyed peas, cannelini beans

Fruit & Vegetables:

• Fresh or dried plums, apricots, pomegranates, pears, apples, grapes, and figs, citrus fruit, currants, raisins,  spinach, leek, cauliflower, artichoke, cabbage, celery, eggplant, green and red capsicum (bell peppers),  green beans, jerusalem artichoke, carrots, onions, tomatoes, vine leaves, olives, zucchini, garlic, potatoes, cucumber

Pantry Basics:

• Rice, tomatoes, tomato paste, olive oil, yoghurt

Recipes:

Turkish meze is usually a selection of dishes to share as an appetiser and a prelude to the main dish. Most people eat this way whether it’s at home or at a restaurant. What a great way to feed a crowd or for entertaining. There is a selection of typical meze recipes here.

We might be familiar with the doner kebab but kebabs are a traditional and common way the Turkish cook and eat meat. You can find 10 different recipes here. A great alternative for the barbecue.

Traditional Turkish Börek

Turkish Dolma (Stuffed vine leaves)

Turkish style hummus

Mercimek köfte (Red lentil meatballs)

Turkish stuffed eggplant (striped imam bayildi)

Muhammara (Spicy Walnut & Capsicum Dip)

Turkish tabouleh (Hande’s kisir)

Burghul balls (bulgurlu köfte)

Fattoush

Turkish Bread Pizza (Lahmacun)

Gozleme

Turkish Bread (Pide)

Turkish Delight

Turkish bread pizza {lahmacun}

I’ve seen recipes many times for lahmacun (Turkish flatbreads topped with a ground meat mixture and flavoured with Middle Eastern spices) but its just one of those things on my cooking ‘to do’ list. I always forget about it or I don’t have the necessary spices.

Source

When I was asked to try the sumac from Herbie’s Spices I knew straight away that I had to try this delicious Turkish meal. From Herbie’s web site:

Sumac of culinary use comes from a tree that grows in the Middle East. It is the outer flesh of the berry that is harvested when crimson. Sumac has a delicious, fruity, lemon-like tangyness. Sprinkle over salads, particularly avocado and tomato, and used to season white meats during cooking. Sumac forms a tasty crust when coated onto lamb joints before cooking. 

It is commonly used in nearly all Middle Eastern cuisines and is such a handy spice to have in your collection. I found this recipe from one of my favourite food channels here in Australia, SBS Food. I used to remember Mum always cooking us savoury mince on toast when she wanted a night off from cooking. No takeaways in those days. Just something quick and easy. I guess you could say this is a Turkish version. A lovely spicy ground beef mixture which I served on Turkish bread. or a Fmore authentic dish, you could make your own bread, which isn’t really that hard.

Top with a tossed salad and you’ve got a complete, quick, easy AND tasty meal. There are a few ingredients from this recipe that I didn’t have but looking up the handy Cook’s Thesaurus, I was able to substitute tahini for peanut butter and sesame oil and pomegranate molasses with balsamic vinegar. You don’t have to go without trying some of these exotic cuisines nor have a pantry full of various ingredients. Just make do with what you have or just leave it out. Don’t leave out the sumac though. It’s delicious.

I also like to have sumac in my pantry to make za’atar, a Middle Eastern spice blend that is good on so many things. It’s like the Egyptian dukkah. A blend of spices that is served as a condiment for many meals, or how I like to use it, sprinkled on Lebanese bread and served with a dip like hommous.

To make za’atar:

• Grind 1 tablespoon of roasted sesame seeds in a mortar and pestle.
• Then add 2 tablespoons dried thyme, 2 tablespoons of dried marjoram, 2 tablespoons dried oregano and 1 teaspoon of salt. (Recipe courtesy of About.com Middle Eastern food.)

For the ultimate spice experience, go online and buy your spices from Herbie’s Spices. You’ll find much more than just spices. There’s recipes, suggestions, kits and a whole lot more.

Disclaimer: I was supplied with a packet of sumac from Herbie’s Spices. All thoughts and opinions are my own.