Ingredients:

• 3 medium yellow zucchini, cut into small quarters
• 3 medium green zucchini, cut into small quarters
• 2 large eggplants, cut into small quarters
• 3/4 cup of olive oil or vegetable oil
• salt for seasoning

Preparation:

1. Preheat to 450° – Position 1 rack in bottom third and 1 rack in top third of oven.
2. Wash and cut yellow zucchini in small quarters and place in large bowl.  Add 1/4 cup of oil and season with salt toss well to coat.
3. Arrange on to your baking sheet.
4. Wash and cut green zucchini in small quarters and place in large bowl.  Add 1/4 cup of oil and season with salt toss well to coat.
5. Arrange on to your baking sheet.
6. Wash and peel the every other skin of the eggplant, cut into small quarters and place in large bowl.  Add 1/4 cup of oil and season with salt toss well to coat.
7. Arrange on to your baking sheets.
8. Arrange baking sheets in the oven. Bake all vegetables until tender and slightly charred, stirring occasionally, about 25 – 35 minutes longer.  For the last 5 minutes, turn on your oven broiler and leave the vegetables to char lightly on top.
9. Arrange vegetables on large platter. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Sauce:

• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 cups of yogurt
• salt
• mint

1. Dice the garlic into tiny pieces or press through a garlic presser. Place in a mixing bowl.
2. Add in the yogurt and a little bit of salt and mix well.
3. Lightly drizzle mint on top and serve.

A New Year and new hopes, dreams, ideas, invites and cooking adventures.  To start of the New Year right, I invited my aunt Havva’s family along with my parents to host a traditional Turkish sit down dinner.  Since my aunts father in law is visiting and he visits so rarely I took upon this opportunity to host a graceful dinner.  In rare occasions like this,  I love our Turkish hospitality.  When great friends and/or immediate families are visiting we take the opportunity to invite them to our homes and show our respects.  If anyone of you have visited Turkey, I am sure you have experienced this first hand.  It is such a warm, humble and welcoming feeling.  For me this dinner was a special one because Grandfather Haci Muzaffer, resembles my own late grandfather in more then one way.  As he sat, chatted and played with daughter I thought about my own grandfather and how delighted I would have been to have him here with us.

Since it the New Year and we are all weight and health continuous, I opted to keep the menu light and yet still delicious. The above picture is Meat Dolma made by mom.

Middle Eastern aka Gray Squash – Stuffed with chopped meat, onions, pine nuts

Oven Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes with Rosemary 

Brussels sprouts with onions & carrots

Oven roasted, Yellow & Green Zucchinis and Oven roasted Eggplant

Not Pictured but served along with:

Turkish Peasant Soup
Turkish Style Lamb Chops
Jasmine Rice cooked Turkish Style
Which recipes would you like first? Please leave a comment below.

It is a frigid Tuesday night in New York City in the New Year 2012, one of the coldest couple of days we are having this winter. I’m not a big fan of the cold weather, I rather take the snow and sleet any day as long as I am not trapped indoors during that time.  Days like these call for hot, body and mind warming soups that comforts your souls.  These last several days, I’ve been into making different variety of soups.  Like yesterday, I made a butternut squash soup since we were not really digging the flavor we winded up having left overs today again.  Unlike the roasted cauliflower soup I made on Sunday, the whole pot was finished during lunch and dinner.  I’ve made this soup several times before and each time I make it tastes better and better!  Maybe it’s the soup or maybe it’s the Creme Fraiche! We’ve yet to decide!

Note: The plate is Lenox the Mediterra Menorca Collection

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER SOUP
Slightly Adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients:

• 1 large head cauliflower  - cut into small pieces
• 3 garlic cloves sliced
• 2 small onions diced
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 cups of vegetable  broth (or chicken broth)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 – 8 oz Creme Fraiche or 2 cups heavy cream
• Salt for seasoning
• Black Pepper for Serving

Two Tarts state that cake is “a great wintery cake – very rich, buttery, almond-scented, and simple.” It truly is!  Wishing you all a very wonderful and joyful Holiday Season! Hoping to see you all in a new & hopeful New Year!

Almond Cake with Caramelized Clementines
adapted from: Two Tarts

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 7 oz almond paste (a scant 1 cup)
• 1 + 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 sticks butter (1/2 lb + 4 Tbsp)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 eggs

Butter a 9-inch round cake pan thoroughly and line the bottom with parchment.  This cake tends to stick, so don’t skip the parchment step! Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a food processor (or in another large mixing bowl if you’re up for a workout) whip the almond paste & sugar together until it’s in very fine pieces. Next, add the butter and beat it together with the almond paste and sugar until it is light and fluffy.  Beat in the vanilla, then the eggs.  Finally, add the dry ingredients in to the wet, bit by bit, until fully combined. Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Let cool completely before turning out and slicing.

Caramelized Clementines
adapted from: Martha Stewart

• 4 peeled clementines, pulled in half then cut into thin half-moons

• 2 more clementines, juiced

• 1/2 cup sugar

Dissolve the juice and sugar in a sauce pan and bring to a simmer, then stir occasionally until the sauce reaches a golden caramelized color. Add the clementine half-moons and sauté until they’re coated in the caramelly glaze.  Remove them to a serving dish, then spoon the warm sauce over slices of almond cake.