Sautéed Spinach with Garlicky Yogurt

December 05, 2020 by Gizem in Meze, Salads

2020 has been a year where I had a love hate relationship with food. Some days I’d have an insatiable motivation to cook the most elaborate dishes and try complicated, five pages long, bread recipes and on some days, I didn’t even want to open the fridge. Lately I found the balance by finding comfort in simplicity. Cooking simpler food that I love, I know how to cook and that doesn’t require 15 obscure ingredients that I would normally enjoy searching in crowded shelves of specialty stores, seems to do the trick.

So here is a fancy looking yet simple salad (or side dish, meze) recipe that needs only 5 ingredients plus salt. You can serve it as a salad or a side dish, it goes really well with rice and meats, or you can spread large dollops on a slice of bread and call it lunch on a day you don’t feel like cooking.

As 2020 is coming to a close, I am starting to enjoy cooking again. It is a slow process but sticking to simpler and familiar food has been helpful. How is your relationship with cooking this year? Comment below, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Yields: 6 servings Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups plain yogurt (or Greek yogurt diluted with 2-3 tbsp water)

1 garlic clove, grated

Pinch of salt

2 bunches fresh spinach (not baby spinach)

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp olive oil

Preparation

1. Throughly wash the spinach. Most spinach leaves have some residue soil on the stems, so the best way to wash them is to submerge in water for 5 minutes and let the soil, if there is any, fall to the bottom. You can also wash them in a colander in small batches, rubbing with your hands until all the residue is washed away.

2. Place the yogurt in a serving platter like a wide pasta bowl. If you are using Greek yogurt, add 2-3 tablespoons of water to make the yogurt runnier. Mix until the yogurt is smooth

3. Add the salt and grated garlic into the yogurt and stir until evenly distributed. Spread the garlicky yougurt evenly inside the platter.

4. Over medium heat, cook down the spinach until they are wilted but still in bright green colors, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to the serving platter and distribute evenly over the yogurt.

5. Add the olive oil and tomato paste into a small pot (I use a Turkish coffee pot). Over medium-high heat, while stirring, warm up the olive oil and the tomato paste. When the oil turns into red and starts to bubble a bit, take off of the heat. With the help of a spoon distribute dollops of the tomato sauce over the spinach and drizzle any leftover oil all over the dish.

6. Serve warm. This dish is still delicious chilled as well.

Enjoy!

Spicy Feta Spread

November 08, 2019 by Gizem in Snacks, Meze

I don’t know about you but I love savory snacks. If I am looking for something to munch on during the day, there is a very good chance that it will be olives, cheese or bread, or all of the above. This spicy feta spread is a snack that I can whip up fast to satisfy the savory cravings. I mostly have this as an afternoon snack with some black tea (they go so well together), but I also made it for breakfast and served it as a meze at dinner parties in the past.

As the name suggests, this feta spread is quite spicy. I definitely recommend sticking to the recipe (or making it even spicier, I mean, why not) but if spicy food is not your thing, you can always reduce the heat that the recipe asks for. I didn’t use to like spicy food until I met my husband, Cesar. His love of spicy food rubbed off on me over years of food adventures. Now we have a collection of hot sauces in the fridge, yet another collection of peppers in the spice drawer and we became the couple that travels with a carry-on size Sriracha.

But, back to the spices in this recipe. Turkish Marash pepper or Aleppo pepper is a bit sweeter than the standard red pepper flakes you find at the supermarket. Marash and Aleppo peppers have moderate heat and a sweeter taste, almost like sundried tomatoes with a nice kick. Most spice shops carry Aleppo pepper. Marash pepper is a lesser known name, at least in the United States. If you can’t find either, feel free to use crushed red pepper flakes but keep in mind that your feta spread mind end up a bit spicier.

Yields: 8 servings Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

150 grams feta cheese, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)

3 tablespoons walnuts, chopped

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, preferably Marash pepper or Aleppo pepper

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Preparation

1. I always buy blocks of feta cheese if I can find them. If you are starting this recipe with a block of cheese, place it inside a bowl and crumble it using the help of a fork.

2. Chop the walnuts with the help of a knife or if you are lazy like me, use the chopper attachment of a hand blender. The walnut pieces should be relatively small.

3. Combine crumbled feta, walnuts, tomato paste, olive oil and spices until everything is incorporated.

4. Spread on slices of toasted bread and serve.

Romano Beans Braised in Olive Oil

November 08, 2019 by Gizem in Dinner, Meze

With leaves already turning yellow and red in Seattle, berries, beans and peppers are leaving their spots to pumpkins and apples. Romano beans braised in olive oil, served cold, is the dish that encapsulates summer for me. I wanted to share this recipe to thank this summer for all the great adventures and officially say goodbye to it with a big hug.

I wrote about the Turkish tradition of cooking vegetables in olive oil in a previous post about cooking fava beans. These “olive oil dishes” are almost always served cold to help fight the summer heat and add a refreshing, light meal to the table. Without a doubt, this romano bean dish is a classic summer meal that visits the tables of every Turkish household. Dishes like this one is a great example of home cooking that you can’t easily find at any restaurant.

Romano beans are also known as Italian green beans and are much wider and flatter than your common green beans. In the United States I can only find them at the farmers markets during summer. I highly recommend using romano beans for this recipe but if you can’t find them most other fresh green beans will work as well.

In the next few weeks, as I get myself ready to welcome fall, expect to see more and more soups and stews on the blog. I will also ramp up posting desserts as the holidays approach. Dear fall, long time no see, bring on the blankets, cozy sweaters, rain boots and lots of festive meals.

Yields: 4 servings Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

1 pound romano beans

2 tomatoes

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup water

Pinch of pepper

Preparation

1. Cut the ends of the romano beans and give them a good rinse.

2. Put the olive oil in a pot.

3. Dice the onion and add into the pot. Turn the heat to high and cook the onions, stirring a couple of times, for 2-3 minutes until they are translucent.

4. Dice the tomatoes and add them into the pot. Give everything a stir. If you have the time I recommend peeling the tomatoes first.

5. Add in the romano beans. Some people prefer to cut them in half both leghtwise and widthwise. I prefer to keep them whole as this preserves their shape better.

6. Add in the teaspoon of salt and sugar and a cup of water and give everything a stir.

7. Turn the heat to low and let cook for about 45 minutes with the lid closed.

8. When cooked, the beans should be soft but they should preserve their shape. Transfer them to a serving container. Let it cool to room temperature and then place in the fridge. Serve the beans room temperature or ideally, cold with some slices of bread to dip into the juices.