Borek consists of thin sheets of pastry dough, stuffed with meat or cheese and then fried or baked in the oven. My favorite borek is [4]Puf Borek, a cheesefilled borek which is simple to prepare. Of course, famous Turkish yogurt appears all the time and is incredibly rich and thick. Its uses include topping a dish of fried aubergine or green peppers, or as [5]cacik, which is whipped yogurt with garlic oil and cucumber, eaten with a spoon.

"Meze" is the name applied to Turkish hors d'oeuvres and encompasses many tasty tidbits. One can easily make a complete meal of sampling meze which might include fresh fish or shellfish, [6]shish kebab, a tangy stew, meat grilled in a wrapping of oiled paper, and doner kebab, which is a roll of lamb meat on a vertical skewer, cooked turning over a hot grill. Some meat dishes are prepared with vegetables such as [7]karniyarik, ground meat grilled in a hollowed aubergine.

Aubergine, (eggplant), is used in a large variety of dishes. It can be cooked with onions and then served cold. It can be fried and topped with yogurt or tomato sauce in a salad, or served hot with roast lamb. It can be stuffed, grilled or baked. It's always delicious!

A special cheese course does not exist in a Turkish meal because cheese is served throughout the meal in various forms. With meze, it is served in simple slices, as filling in borek or mixed with ground meat to make juicy Turkish meatballs, [8]kofte. Cheese is also an important ingredient in many Turkish desserts.

Ah, desserts...so sweet and delicious. Many Turkish desserts have milk as a basic ingredient, like Almond Cream, or [9]Bademli Krema; also well-known are [10]baklava and [11]kadayif pastries ---favorites of young and old alike. Small salted cakes, such as [12]Tuzlu Kurabiye are often served alongside these sweets at tea time. Turkish fruits end most meals and, in season, I have found no better fruits in all the world: peaches, apples, figs, grapes and oranges.

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KIRMIZI MERCIMEK CORBASI - (Red Lentil Soup) [13][TOP]
 

* Ingredients: 1 cup red lentils - 4 cups meat broth - 2 Tbs. butter - salt & pepper to taste - 2 medium onions - 1 Tbs. tomato paste, or 2 small chopped tomatoes * Chop onions; saute onions in butter. Wash the lentils & add them to the broth with the salt, pepper, tomato paste or chopped tomatoes. Simmer about 20 minutes. Serve with fresh bread. Serves 4.

BARBUNYA PILAKISI - (Dry White Bean Pilaki) [14][TOP]

* Ingredients: 1 cup dry white beans - 3/4 cup olive oil - 1 each carrot, celery stalk, potato, tomato chopped - 1 onion, finely chopped - 1 large clove of garlic - 1 tsp. salt - 11/2 tsp. sugar - 1 cup water * Soak beans overnight; wash, place in pot; heat on low heat 45 minutes; drain. Peel and chop vegetables, cut garlic into thin slices. Heat oil in pan, add onion and garlic and brown for 2 minutes. Add carrot and stir for 2 minutes. Add celery and potato and cook & stir 2 more minutes. Add beans, chopped tomato, water, salt and sugar and simmer for 1 hollr Serve when cnol Serves 4 to 6.

LAHANA DOLMASI - (Stuffed Cabbage) [15][TOP]

* Filling ingredients: 1 cup rice - 1 cup olive oil - 3 1/2 Cups finely chopped onion - 1/4 Cup pine nuts - 1/4 Cup currants (or any seedless raisin) - Salt to taste - 1 Tbs. sugar - 1 cup boiling water - 1/2 bunch each of parsley, mint and dill (chopped)
* Heat oil in large pan; add onions and cook until golden. Add nuts and rice. Stir constantly over a medium heat for 30 minutes, until rice is golden. Add salt, sugar, currants and stir. Add boiling water, stirring. Cover and simmer on low for 15 minutes. Add parsley, mint and dill and stir. Let cool before using.

* Cabbage ingredients: 2 Ibs. cabbage - 1/2 cup of salt - 1 cup olive oil - Salt to taste - 1 tsp. sugar
* Fill a large pot with water and 1/2 CUp salt. Bring to a boil. Cut heart of cabbage out and place in pot with cabbage leaves pulled a little bit apart, and turned downward. Cover, boil 3 minutes. Lower heat. Turn cabbage over, cooking another minute. Turn cabbage over again and remove the softest leaves from the bottom. Turn again and let cook for 5 minutes. The leaves should be supple without being fully cooked. If not, let them remain in water 3 or 4 more minutes. Place cabbage under running water, gently removing each leaf. Line the bottom of a large saucepan with the thickest leaves. Fill each leaf, rolling to completely contain the filling. Place in the saucepan with the large leaves in the bottom; add a cup of water, sugar, salt and oil. Simmer 1 hour until water is absorbed. Cool, place on serving dish. Garnish with lemon slices. Serves 4

PUF BOREGI - (Puf Borek) [16][TOP]

* Ingredients: 1 cup flour - 3/4 cup water - 1 egg - 1 Tbs. olive oil - 4 Tbs. butter - 1 to 1 1/2 Cups water - 1 cup white cheese (you can substitute the cheese with ground meat mixed with chopped onion) * Mix flour, water, egg & oil into dough. Let sit 15 minutes. Separate dough into 5 equal pieces, roll into balls. Roll the balls thin with a pastry rolling pin. Spread melted butter on each surface; layer the pieces. Let sit for 1/2 hour. Roll dough out as thin as possible, into a large, round disc; on half of the disc, spoon small portions of the filling, about 5!! apart. Fold the empty half over the filled half. Around the base of each filling, cut a half-moon with a spoon. Seal around each filling. Fry in oil for 3-4 minutes (until crust is crisp). Drain on paper towel; enjoy! Makes about 12 pieces

CACIK - (pronounced "jajik") [17][TOP]

* Ingredients: 3 cups yogurt - 2 small cucumbers - 1/4 cup olive oil - Dill sprigs - 1 large clove of garlic, crushed * Beat yogurt vigorously with a whisk; peel cucumbers and chop into small pieces; add cucumbers, oil, garlic and salt to taste. Mix well; put mixture into four small bowls, garnish with dill. Dribble a little oil on top. Makes 4 servings

SHISH KEBAB - (Sis Kebab) [18][TOP]

* Ingredients: 2 Ibs. Iamb meat (from thigh or shoulder) cut into 1" pieces - 4 medium tomatoes - 2 green peppers - Salt & pepper to taste. * Peel and seed tomatoes; cut into large pieces; cut green peppers in half, remove seeds, cut into smaller pieces. Skewer a piece of meat, tomato, green pepper; repeat until all inaredients are used. Cook over qrill. Serves 5.

KARNIYARIK - (Stuffed Eggplant) [19][TOP]

* Ingredients: 6 medium eggplants - 1 cup olive oil - 1 Tbs. butter - 1 lb. ground meat (lamb & beef, mixed) - 3 medium onions - 4 medium tomatoes - parsley, salt & pepper * Slice eggplants lengthwise and scoop out the center; remove stems. Fry the eggplant halves in olive oil for 3-4 minutes, turning to fry the complete pieces. Put them in an oven dish open side up. + Filling: Dioe onions, saute in butter; add ground meat, salt, pepper, tomatoes. Mix and cook. + Fill eggplants; garnish with parsley. Add a little water to dish; cook at 350¿ F for 30-45 minutes. Serves 4-6.

KURU KOFTE - (Dry Kofte) [20][TOP]

* Ingredients: 2 slices bread, crust removed - 2 eggs - 2/3 cup water pepper, salt, cumin to taste - 1 1/2 Ibs ground lamb, or a mixture of lamb & beef - 4 Tbs. white flour - 1 Tbs. butter
* Soak the bread in water; squeeze water out of bread. Put bread in bowl; add 2 eggs, salty pepper & cumin, onions, water and meat. Knead and roll small meatballs until they are finger shaped. Roll the kofte in flour, fry in butter for 4 or 5 minutes. Makes 5 servings.

BADEMLI KREMA - (Almond Cream) [21][TOP]

* Ingredients: 1 quart milk - 3/4 Cup almonds - 7 Tbs. sugar - 4 Tbs. potato starch - 1 cup heavy cream
* Pour milk, blended almonds, starch and sugar into a saucepan; bring to boil, stir constantly for 5 minutes. Let cool. Slowly add heavy cream. Pour into desert dishes and garnish with roasted almonds or pistachio nuts. Serves 4

BAKLAVA [22][TOP]

* Ingredients: 1 cup flour - 2 eggs - 1 tsp. olive oil - 1 cup melted margarine - 3 cups sugar - Juice of one large lemon - Flour - 1 tsp. salt - 1 cup qround walnuts * Knead flour, salt and a cup of water into a dough. Folddough and knead again. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise - about an hour. Divide dough into 8-10 pieces and spread a little flour on it - roll out as thin as possible. Place half of it into a pan, pouring margarine on each layer. Spread watnuts, add layer, spread margarine on each layer. Cut into squares. Pour remaining margarine on top. Bake 350F 1 hour.
* Mix sugar, water and 1 tsp. Iemon juice in saucepan. Boil to heavy syrup. Pour over lukewarm baklava, slowly. Serve cold.

TEL KADAYIF [23][TOP]

Note: This pastry used long, finely shredded strands of pastry dough. "Tei Kadayif" is available in Turkish pastry shops. Two other forms are "ekmek Kadayif' shaped like a thick biscuit, or "yassi Kadayi"' which is smaller.

* Ingredients: 1 1/2 Ibs. tel kadayif - 1 stick (8 oz) butter - 1 cup crushed or ground hazelnuts - 4 cups sugar - 1-2 cups water - juice of one lemon * Melt half the butter in a found, high-sided cake pan. Spread half the te! kadayif on the bottom of the pan. Spread crushed huts over this layer, spread the rest of the kadayif over the nuts. Put small pieces of remaining butter evenly ovPr top of dough. Bake 25 minutes at 350F, or until the top turns golden brown. Prepare a syrup of lemon juice, water and sugar. Pour over cooked kadayif. Serve when cooled.

TUZLU KURABIYE - (Dry Salted Cakes) [24][TOP]

* Ingredients: 3/4 Cup plain yogurt - 3/4 cup softened butter - 3/4 cup olive oil - 1/4 cup salt - 1 egg yolk - flour
* Mix yogurt, butter, oil and salt. Add enough flour to make a firm dough; roll out dough; sut assorted shapes (triangles, circles, ovais,etc.) Put on buttered cookie sheet; brush with egg yolk. Bake 20 minutes (or until golden brown). Sprinkle sesame seeds or grated cheese to add variety.