One of my favorite things to eat when I’m in  Turkey is to devour real authentic Turkish Soups!  The taste is absolutely different then the ones I make at home here in the states.  I honestly don’t know what it is, the ingredients and cooking methods are the same, I say it must be something in the water and in the air.  I’ve yet to solve it, yet again anything related to back home tastes and looks better all the time. Well lets back to the soup.  Recently a good blogger friend of mine Mrs. Ergul’s Kitchen Haven, posted this soup recipe upon her recent return from Turkey and the images of the soup transported me back to my mothers kitchen in Turkey.  It also reminded me that, this is one soup that I have not made in a long long time.

I have to admit this soup is one of my absolute favorite favorite fall/winter traditional and very authentic Turkish soup recipes.  I love all sorts of soups, expect ones that contain tripe and tongue! Yes, we have make soups that contain tripe & tongue. My mother makes a killer tripe soup!  I prefer to stick to the simpler and healthier kinds!

The recipe is very filling as well one of the easiest Turkish traditional soups!  Make a pot full and take extras for lunch the next day!

TURKISH PEASANT SOUP ~ EZO GELIN CORBASI
adapted from Greg and Lisa Malouf’s Turquoise

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons hot cayenne paprika (or non hot)
• 1 tablespoon hot pepper paste (or non hot pepper paste)
  pepper paste can be substituted with tomato paste as well
• 200 grams red lentils
• 900 ml chicken stock
  can be substituted with water or vegetable stock
• 600 ml water, plus more if the consistency is too thick
• 1/4 cup fine bulgur
• sea salt – season as you like

Toppings:

• spoonfulls of olive oil
• freshly ground black pepper
• dried mint
• lemon wedges

Preparation:

1.  Heat the oil over low heat in a large, heavy-based saucepan.
2.  Stir the onion, carrot and garlic around in the hot oil, then add the cumin and hot paprika, and saute for 5 to 8 minutes, until the vegetables soften.
3.  Stir in the pepper or tomato paste and cook for a minute.
4.  Add the lentils, chicken stock and water and bring to a boil.
5.  Cover the pan and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring from time to time.
6.  When the lentils have broken down and become creamy, add in the bulgur.
7.  Season with salt and pepper, and simmer for 10 minutes.
8.  When ready to serve, ladle the soup into warmed serving bowls.
9.  Serve with a drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of dried mint toped with juice of the lemon wedges

Note: Thank you Mrs. Ergul!

Dearest Readers,

Please forgive my absence. I honestly can not recall how how quickly three months went by.  I know I’m bad at blogging, especially this year. I honestly have wonderful posts to share, but due to lack of time and sometimes (laziness) I neglect this home of mine. I hope to make up the time in the up coming posts.

A rainbow after a rainy afternoon in Amasya, Turkey

This summer has been pretty busy for us.  It started of with a wonderful and a very short trip to Turkey and that is where I my heart this summer.  I don’t know if was because my parents were in Turkey with us, after 22 years or  because I loved and enjoyed myself so much that we did not want to come back.  Since our return,  every weekend we  traveled to new places and made new discoveries. Here are a pictures from our adventures this summer.  Hoping you all had and are having a wonderful summer.

Iskender @ Haci’s in Samsun, Turkey

Kiyamli Pide – Meat Pies in Bafra, Turkey

Multi Flavors of Turkish Ice Cream, Samsun, Turkey

Various Kinds of Baklava, Samsun, Turkey (Sobiyet, Walnut Baklava & Pistachio Rolls)

White & Red Cherries, from my grandfather’s garden. Kadikoy, Yalova, Turkey

View of Manhattan from Long Island City, NYC

Duden Waterfall, Antalya Turkey   A definite must see in Antalya.  Incredibly beautiful.

A day before Labor Day weekend, we hopped on a plane and landed safely in Istanbul, Turkey.  Traveling with an 11 month old had its moments.  Our take off from New York City, JFK was delayed to Istanbul, Turkey which would not have been an issue if we did not have to catch a second flight out to Samsun, Turkey.   We literary had 25 minutes to get out from the plane, pass the passport control, out of the International Terminal all the way to the Domestic Terminal.  It was like we were running to catch up with time, consistently saying are we going to make it?  are we going to make it?  It was funny but also sad, because the next flight to Samsun would have been at 7pm at night and we honestly did not want to wait 6+ hours for a connecting flight.  Trip Map: Turkey Travel 2010

Fresh Arugula Shepperd Salad – Kayseri Turkey@ Daylan Balikevi

Oven baked buttered baby shrimp with mushrooms, tomatoes and kashkaval cheese.
Pan fried selomina breaded talapia fish.

 
Oven baked Helva Pudding - words can not describe how good this is. 

We made our flight and we landed safely  in Samsun, Turkey and that’s when our road trips began.  With 8 adults, 2 kids and 2 infants and 2 cars, we covered a lot road, dirt and then some.  Family road trips are always fun, because so much is going on that you don’t know what is actually going on.  Aside the sight seeing, family seeing, resting, playing -the best part of a road trips are those pit stops for food, gas, food, drink and more food. 
Our Trip Map: Turkey Travel 2010

My husband’s aunt own a Pit Stop Family Oriented Restaurant, mostly popular for their Menemen aka  Shakshuka. Agg, I can so have a huge pan now! It is so addicting and delicious,  I can easily finish a large pan by myself.  The restaurant is situated on a main highway in Turkey, making it easily accessible.  Whenever we passed by, we stopped and ate pans full of menemen and a couple of days before our return we stopped for some of this. Known as Pide.

A Turkish bread dough with kashkaval cheese, topped with pastirma, lamb stew and eggs. Even, Yigit Pura a contestant on Bravo’s Top Chef Just Desserts stated “You have NO idea how badly I miss this!!!!!!!!!!!”on my facebook page. I clearly don’t need to say anything else. For more Travel & FOOD Pictures, visit & comment on my Flickr Page.

See, last year around this time I was in Turkey and I never really got to blog about our wild trip to Turkey, because I pregnant.  When you are pregnant everything is an excuse, OH how I miss those days!!!  Recently I was going through our pictures and I realized, I totally forgot to post these amazing pictures of this amazing dish that is VERY popular in Turkey.  It is is known as Menemen and is similar to a dish known as Shakshuka.  See the ingredients list is similar but they we prepare it and cook it is completely different.  The best place to eat Menemen is in Cakalli, Samsun, Turkey.

My husband grew up in and lived in Samsum, Turkey which borders the Black Sea.  His family still lives their today.  It is a beautiful city, rich in culture, history and of course food.  My husband’s uncle owns and operates a family style stop and rest family restaurant in Cakalli, Turkey.  Ah the view from this place is amazing, it sort of sits on mountain top and the view from the back patio of the restaurant is breathtakingly beautiful. 

Looking at those pictures, made and still makes my mouth water. I hunger for it, I am really sorry I had one whole pan by myself and moved on two a second pan, but it was too much to finish.  All I can say is it is finger licking, double dipping DELICIOUS!

What makes this dish stand is several things:

1. Farm Fresh Tomatoes

2. Farm Fresh Eggs

Ingredients & Preparation as follows: **Dish must be prepared in an aluminum pan**

 
Butter & 2 farm fresh green peppers

 
Tomatoes – yes the chef you about 5-6 tomatoes – skin removed

Butter, pepper & tomato sauteing away, a sprinkle of maras/urfa “hot” pepper flakes – optional

 
Continue to cook until the tomatoes are completely broken down.
Add in about 2/3 cups of kashkaval cheese – cut into chunks.

Add in the eggs – chef use 2 eggs per person - one whole egg and one egg yolk

The final dish – go ahead rip of a chunk of that Turkish Pita Bread and dunk it in.

MENEMEN – SHAKSHUKA – SAMSUN TURKEY STYLE
        Serves 2

• 1 long sweet green pepper – chopped
• 1/2 stick of unsalted butter
• 4 -5 small to medium tomatoes – skin removed & chopped
• 1 tablespoon of maras/urfa pepper*
• 2/3 cups of grated or chopped into small pieces of kashkaval cheese
• 6 eggs – 2 eggs per person
• salt and pepper for seasoning

1. Heat a cooking pan, add in butter and chopped peppers and let saute 2-3 minutes.
2. Then add in the chopped tomatoes and continue to saute, for about 5 – 7 minutes, until the tomatoes are completely soft.  Using the back of a fork breakdown the tomatoes, where it resembles a sauce like texture.
3. Add in the chopped/grated kashkaval cheese.
4. In two bowl, crack 3 whole eggs and 3 egg yolks. 
5. Add the eggs into the sauteing mixture and stir using a fork until the eggs are completely incorporated into the mixture.  Add salt & pepper for taste & mix.
6. Cover and let sit on medium heat for about 5 minutes until the eggs are completely cooked.
7. Serve hot or warm with nice dipping bread. Like Turkish Pita or a hearty Italian loaf.