A Few Recipes:

Bacaklı Çorba – Lentil And Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

1 c home-cut noodles
1 c lentils
2 medium onions, chopped
2 medium tomatoes or 1 T tomato paste
3 Tokat peppers
150 gr salted butter
Salt, black pepper, cumin, mint

Sort and wash lentils, and boil in salted water. Add the noodles. In another pan, sauté the onions and chopped peppers, add the tomatoes and mix. Add the spices to taste. Add this to the cooked lentils and noodles and serve hot.

If desired the onions etc. may be sautéed first, and the water, lentils and noodles added afterwards.

Gendüme Çorbasi – Hulled Wheat Soup

Ingredients:

1 c hulled wheat
1 onion, chopped
200 lamb neck, bone in, cut up
6 c water
2 T flour
1 T pepper or tomato paste
Salt, flake pepper
2 T butter

Saute onions in butter, add the paste and stir well. Add the washed wheat, meat, water, salt and spices, and simmer until the wheat has swelled and softened well. Mix flour with water in a bowl and add to the cooked soup, cook 5-10 minutes more to thicken.

Mercimekli Hamur Çorbası – Noodles Soup With Lentils

Ingredients:

1 ½ c green lentils
1 ½ c square-cut noodles
5 c water
2 T butter
2 T dry mint
Salt
2-3 c yogurt infused with garlic

Wash the lentils and boil in salted water. As soon as they are tender but not disintegrating, add the noodles. When the noodles are done, turn off the heat; if the water has been absorbed add a little cold water. If not, allow to cool somewhat. Add the yogurt and stir in gradually; add as much as you like according to the consistency you like. In a separate pan, heat the butter and add the dry mint, and pour over the top of the soup, serve immediately. It is generally served warm, not boiling hot.

Alaca Patlican – “Variegated” Eggplant

Ingredients:

1 kg eggplant
½ c olive oil
Salt
5-6 cloves garlic, crushed, or to taste
1 ½ c yogurt

Peel the egg plants in alternating strips, leaving half the peel on, the cut into strips the thickness and length of your little finger. Mix in a tablespoon of salt and toss with eggplant, let stand 10 minutes, then wash in two or three changes of water, dry. Heat the oil in a wide pan and add the eggplant and cook, covered, stirring carefully occasionally, until the eggplant is soft. Put into a wide serving platter and allow to cool. Mix crushed garlic with yogurt and pour over, serve cold.

Cevizli Bat – Lentils With Walnuts

Ingredients:

1 c green lentils
2 T pepper or tomato paste
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
1 t red pepper
2 onions, chopped
3-5 scallions, chopped
200 gr grape leaves
3 c water
1/3 c crushed walnuts
Salt
2 T chopped red basil (or dry if fresh is unavailable)
1 bunch dill

Boil lentils till tender, allow to cool. Mix all the remaining ingredients with the lentils, serve with grape leaves and thick sourdough bread.

Cizlak

Ingredients:

4 onions
500 gr ground meat
Butter
Salt
Corn meal

Make a dough of corn meal and hot water, knead. Saute the onions and meat together in another pan, then add to the dough and knead again. Take small pieces of the dough, flatten out and cook on a sac, or other griddle.