Turkish dinner: red lentil soup, chopped salad, and burek

 We buy the burek from the bakery.

Turkish Red Lentil Soup (Mercimek Çorbası)

Silky, lemony lentil soup topped with sizzling browned butter, chili, and mint.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 1 medium carrot, chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste or Turkish pepper paste

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 cup red lentils, rinsed

• 5–6 cups chicken or vegetable broth, divided

• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste (start with less if using salted broth)

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or paprika

• 1 teaspoon dried mint

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste

• Lemon wedges, for serving

• Warm bread, for serving (optional)

STEPS

1. Soften the vegetables: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10–12 minutes, until very soft and beginning to turn golden. Lower the heat if they brown too quickly.

2. Cook the paste and bloom the aromatics: Stir in the tomato or Turkish pepper paste and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until slightly darkened. Add the garlic and cumin and cook for another 30 seconds, until fragrant.

3. Simmer the lentils: Add the lentils, 5 cups broth, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer partly covered for 20–25 minutes, until the lentils fall apart.

4. Blend and adjust the texture: Purée thoroughly with an immersion blender until silky smooth. Add the reserved broth a little at a time until the soup pours easily but still has body. For an especially smooth finish, pass through a fine-mesh sieve.

5. Add the lemon: Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Taste and add more lemon juice as needed, then adjust the salt. Keep warm over low heat.

6. Make the chili-mint browned butter: Melt the butter in a small, light-colored pan over medium-low heat. Cook, swirling frequently, until golden flecks appear and it smells nutty. Immediately remove from the heat and stir in the Aleppo pepper or paprika and dried mint. Swirl briefly; the residual heat will bloom the spices.

7. Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and promptly spoon the warm chili-mint butter over each serving. Serve with lemon wedges and warm bread, if desired.

NOTES

• The soup thickens as it sits. Add a splash of water or broth when reheating, then taste again for lemon and salt.

• Watch the butter closely once golden flecks appear; it can darken quickly. Have the pepper and mint measured and ready before you start.

 ---------------------

 Shepherd's Salad (Çoban Salatası)
A crunchy, lemony chopped salad that cuts through rich pastry.

INGREDIENTS
• 3 ripe tomatoes, diced
• 2 cucumbers (Persian), diced
• 1 green pepper (Anaheim or bell), diced
• 0.5 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 0.5 teaspoons salt (for the onion)
• 0.5 cups flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped (optional)
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoons sumac (optional)
• 0.5 teaspoons salt (for dressing)

STEPS
1. Mellow the onion: Rub 0.5 small red onion, thinly sliced with 0.5 teaspoons salt (for the onion) and let it sit 10 minutes, then rinse and squeeze dry. This takes away the harsh bite.
2. Chop and combine: Combine 3 ripe tomatoes, diced, 2 cucumbers (Persian), diced, 1 green pepper (Anaheim or bell), diced, the onion, 0.5 cups flat-leaf parsley, chopped, and 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped (optional) in a bowl. Aim for small, even dice.
3. Dress and serve: Just before serving, toss with 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoons sumac (optional), and 0.5 teaspoons salt (for dressing). Taste and adjust.

NOTES
Dress the salad right before eating so it stays crisp. A handful of crumbled feta or a few olives are good additions.

Modified light and crispy granola

 Reducing sugar, adding an egg white, adjusting baking temp/time vs my original granola recipe to create a more light/crisp version.

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups rolled oats
• 1½ cups mixed nuts/seeds
• Pinch cinnamon
• ¼ tsp salt
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• ¼ cup honey
• 3 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 large egg white (about 30 g)

Directions

1. Mix the oats, cinnamon and salt.
2. Warm the brown sugar + honey + oil + water until the sugar is mostly dissolved and everything is fluid.
3. Let that mixture cool for a few minutes so it's warm rather than hot.
4. Whisk the egg white until lightly foamy, but you don't need to whip it to peaks.
5. Slowly whisk the warm honey mixture into the egg white.
6. Pour that over the oats and mix very thoroughly.
7. Add your nuts/seeds and mix again.

Bake:

Spread the granola onto your Silpat and gently compress it into an even layer. Don't make it rock-solid; you're just getting the ingredients into contact with one another.

Bake at: 300°F for approximately 30–40 minutes, do not stir.

Bake until you see a fairly deep golden color and a dry surface. It may still seem slightly soft when you take it out. Leave it completely alone until it is cold.

The egg-white coating will crisp as it cools, and you can break the slab into clusters afterward.

Saffron Pistachio Malai Kulfi Ice Cream

 

Yield: about 1½ quarts

Style: traditional kulfi flavor, churned into a creamy, scoopable ice cream

Ingredients

• 2 cups (480 g) whole milk
• 100 g frozen unsweetened mawa/khoya, thawed and finely grated
• 1 cup (240 g) malai
• ¾ cup (180 g) heavy cream
• ½ cup (150 g) sweetened condensed milk
• ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 1½ Tbsp (12 g) cornstarch
• ¼ tsp fine salt
• 8–10 green cardamom pods
• 20–25 saffron threads, generously pinched
• ⅓ cup (40–45 g) unsalted pistachios, finely chopped

Before you start

Thaw the mawa in the refrigerator until soft enough to grate. Don't worry if it is somewhat crumbly.

For the most traditional flavor, use unsalted, raw or lightly roasted pistachios rather than heavily roasted/salted ones.

---

1. Infuse the milk

Crush the cardamom pods lightly with the side of a knife and remove the seeds.

Grind the cardamom seeds fairly finely.

Put the milk, ground cardamom and saffron into a medium saucepan.

Heat over medium-low heat until the milk is steaming but do not boil.

Remove from the heat and let it steep for 15–20 minutes.

---

2. Cook the mawa into the milk

Add the grated mawa to the warm infused milk.

Return the saucepan to medium-low heat and whisk frequently until the mawa has completely dissolved.

Continue cooking gently for 7–10 minutes, stirring frequently.

The mixture should become noticeably richer and slightly reduced. You aren't trying to reduce it dramatically—the goal is to develop that cooked, concentrated dairy flavor of traditional kulfi.

If you see the milk beginning to stick to the bottom, lower the heat.

---

3. Make the thickening slurry

While the mawa mixture is cooking, whisk together in a small bowl:

• sugar
• milk powder
• cornstarch
• salt

Add about ½ cup of the warm milk mixture and whisk until completely smooth.

Pour this slurry back into the saucepan while whisking.

Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for about 2–4 minutes, until the mixture thickens enough to lightly coat a spoon.

Don't cook it to pudding thickness.

---

4. Add the malai and cream

Remove the saucepan from the heat.

Whisk in:

• malai
• heavy cream
• condensed milk

If your malai has stubborn lumps, an immersion blender can make the base completely smooth.

At this point, taste the base.

It should taste a little sweeter and more intensely flavored than you want the finished ice cream to taste. Freezing will mute both sweetness and spice.

If using rose water, add 1 tsp now. I would actually make the first batch without it so the saffron, cardamom, pistachio and cooked dairy remain the dominant flavors.

---

5. Chill completely

Transfer the mixture to a container.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.

This is important. The milk solids and starch will continue hydrating as the base chills, and the very cold base will churn into a much better texture.

Once thoroughly chilled, whisk or briefly blend the base again.

---

6. Add the pistachios

Reserve 1–2 Tbsp of the chopped pistachios for topping.

Stir the remaining pistachios into the cold base.

I prefer adding them before churning rather than all at the end because some pieces become distributed throughout the ice cream while others remain pleasantly concentrated.

---

7. Churn

Pour the cold base into your ice cream maker.

Churn according to your machine's instructions, stopping when the ice cream has reached a very thick soft-serve consistency.

Because of the high milk-solid content from the mawa and malai, it may become quite thick toward the end.

---

8. Harden

Transfer immediately to a shallow, freezer-safe container.

Press a piece of parchment or plastic wrap directly against the surface and cover.

Freeze for approximately 3–5 hours, until firm enough to scoop.

Sprinkle the reserved pistachios over the top before serving.

For the best texture, let it sit at room temperature for 5–10 minutes before scooping.

---

What you should get

The flavor should be much closer to classic pistachio-saffron kulfi than conventional pistachio ice cream:

• concentrated, cooked-milk flavor from the mawa
• rich fresh dairy character from the malai
• dense creaminess without an egg-custard flavor
• prominent cardamom and saffron
• little pops of pistachio throughout
• enough overrun from churning to make it scoopable rather than frozen-solid kulfi

cá kho tộ (Caramelized garlic fish)

 Ver 1.

Mild white fish becomes deeply savory in this quick one-pot meal inspired by cá kho tộ, which the chef Mai Pham described as the "one dish that best represents Vietnamese home cooking" in her 2001 cookbook "Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table" (HarperCollins). Originally from the south of the country, the dish of freshwater snakehead fish (cá lóc) is braised (kho) in a claypot (tộ) with a blend of sugar melted to a dark brown, garlic and fish sauce. Sometimes known as nước sốt (or kho sauce in English), there are countless variations in Vietnam and its diaspora. The sauce is fantastic with tofu, chicken, beef, pork, duck and all kinds of vegetables and seafood. Just make sure you have plenty of rice to soak it up.

Time: 20 min

Yield: 2 to 4 servings

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon hot water

1 tablespoon grapeseed, canola or other neutral-flavored oil

3 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 pound cod, catfish or other flaky white fish fillets, cut into 2-inch pieces

Freshly ground black pepper

A small handful of cilantro leaves and tender stems, coarsely chopped

Steamed rice, for serving

1. Put the sugar in a large saucepan and crush any clumps. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon water over the sugar to dampen it and set over medium heat. Cook without stirring until the sugar melts to a dark gold, swirling the pan if needed to evenly brown, 3 to 5 minutes.

2. Add the oil and garlic, and cook, stirring, until the garlic is evenly coated and just tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the fish sauce and remaining 2 tablespoons water, and cook, stirring, until any sugar clumps dissolve and the sauce bubbles.

3. Add the fish in a single layer, reduce the heat to medium-low and partly cover. Cook, turning once, until just opaque on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes. Uncover and continue simmering until the fish is just opaque throughout, 1 to 2 minutes more.

4. Remove from the heat, generously grind black pepper all over and top with cilantro. If the fish hasn't already flaked apart, gently nudge it into smaller pieces to soak up all the sauce and serve immediately over rice or noodles.

 Ver 2.

https://www.cooking-therapy.com/vietnamese-caramelized-salmon/ 

 

Brazilian Lemonade

 

How it's made:

1. Cut 3–4 limes into wedges. Leave the peel on.
2. Blend them briefly with about 4 cups of cold water and ½ cup of sugar. Pulse only a few seconds, because over-blending makes the pith bitter.
3. Strain out the solids.
4. Whisk or blend in 3–4 tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk.
5. Serve right away over ice.

Best Fluffy Pancakes

• ¾ cup milk
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted 

Directions

• In measuring cup, measure milk and add white vinegar, set aside to curdle ~5m.
• Meanwhile mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt in a medium bowl.
• crack egg into milk and whisk with a fork.
• Pour milk mixture into flour and mix slightly. Add melted butter. mix just until combined, lumps are fine.
• Cook like a pancake & serve.

Turkey burgers

 

PESTO BURGER

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1/4 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 3-4 tbsp pesto
• 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
• pinch red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup Parmesan
• 1 egg

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix together with your hands.
2. Form into patties 1/2-inch thick. Cook in a pan over medium to medium-high heat.
3. When you can see the "cooked" part is about half-way up the side of the burger, flip them. If desired, add slices of cheese on top and cover with a lid to trap the heat and help the cheese melt.
4. Serve with your favorite toppings. We like more pesto, fresh tomato slices, and mozzarella on a ciabatta roll or herb slab cut into squares.

 

================

 

Poblano Salsa Turkey Burgers

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1/4 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 poblano pepper, finely chopped
• 2–3 tbsp thick salsa (salsa verde would be especially good)
• 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
• Pinch red pepper flakes, or 1/4 tsp cayenne/chipotle powder
• 1/4 cup finely shredded pepper Jack, Monterey Jack, or sharp cheddar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• A few grinds black pepper

Instructions

1. Combine everything in a large bowl and mix gently with your hands just until evenly incorporated.
2. Form into patties about 1/2-inch thick. If the mixture seems noticeably softer than your pesto version, add another tablespoon or two of breadcrumbs.
3. Cook in a lightly oiled skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Flip once the cooked portion has visibly reached about halfway up the sides.
4. Cook the second side until the burgers reach 165°F internally. Add pepper Jack or Monterey Jack during the last couple of minutes and cover the pan to melt it.