Turkey – Page 3 – My Whisk and I

Turkish Delight Cheesecake

July 9, 2023May 23, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

250g digestive biscuits
80g butter, melted
50ml water
10g powdered gelatine
450g cream cheese
10ml + 5ml rose water
160ml cream
2 x 80g packets jelly, cherry flavour

Spray a 22cm loose bottom cake tin with cooking spray.
Break up the digestive biscuits and add them to a food processor. Blitz to fine crumbs.
Melt the butter and drizzle it in with the engine running.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin, spread it out evenly and press down. Refrigerate until needed.
Pour the water into a smal bowl and sprinkle the gelatine on top. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Add the cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixed fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until soft.
Add the icing sugar and beat until incorporated. Scrape the bowl down every now and then.
Add the 10ml rose water and mix through. Set aside.
Add the cream to a large bowl and whisk to form soft peaks.
Fold the cream into the cream cheese mixture.
Melt the gelatine in the microwave – a few seconds!!! It should be liquid and dissolved.
Scoop 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture into the gelatine and mix well.
Now add this mixture to the cream cheese mixture and thoroughly fold through.
Pour the mixture into the cake tin and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Prepare the jelly according to packet instructions and stand to cool but not set.
Add the 5ml rose water once the mixture is cooled and pour on to the cheesecake.
Refrigerate until set.

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Cheese Pies

July 6, 2023May 20, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

125ml butter
4 eggs, lightly beaten together
250ml grated mozzarella cheese
500g feta cheese, crumbed
12 phyllo pastry sheets

Preheat your oven to 190℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Add the butter to a bowl and melt it in the microwave oven.
Add the eggs to another bowl and beat together.
Add the grated mozzarella and feta to the eggs and mix together. Set aside.
Now lay one phyllo sheet on a work surface and brush all over with the melted butter.
Lay another sheet on top and brush again.
Spoon 125ml of the cheese mixture evenly across the length of the pastry, about 2cm away from the edge.
Fold the edge over the cheese and roll the pastry into a long log.
Now roll the log into a coil.
Place the coils on your prepared baking sheet and brush with the melted butter.
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
Serve the cheese pies with a sweet sauce.

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Turkish Yoghurt Cake

July 5, 2023June 13, 2023by Karen Claassen1 Comment

4 eggs, separated
100g granulated sugar
45mll flour
400g greek yoghurt
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
a pinch of salt

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 22cm loose-bottom cake tin with cooking spray.
Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
Whisk on a medium-low speed until the whites are frothy.
Increase the speed to medium-high and whisk until soft peaks form.
Spoon the whites into another bowl and set aside.
Add the yolks and sugar to the mixer’s bowl and whisk on a high speed until pale and fluffy – about 3 minutes.
Turn the mixer to medium speed and gradually add the flour, yoghurt, lemon zest, juice and salt.
Continue whisking until the ingredients are fully incorporated.
Take the bowl from the mixer and add half the egg whites. Gently fold through with a spatula.
Add the rest of the whites and fold in.
Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl so that you end up with a very evenly mixed batter.
Spoon the batter in to the prepared cake tin and smooth the top.
Bake for 55 minutes – if the cake becomes too brown place a piece of aluminium foil loosely over it while baking.
Take the cake from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

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Chicken Stew/Tavuk Sote

July 4, 2023May 8, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

45ml olive oil
600g chicken breasts, cut into 2cm cubes
1 onion, chopped
half a green bell pepper, deseeded and cut into 1cm cubes
2 red bell peppers, deseeded and cut into 3cm cubes
75g tomato purée
5ml smoked paprika
5ml sugar
2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
200ml water
a large handful of parsley, chopped

Place a large saucepan on medium-high heat, add the olive oil and wait for it to heat up.
Brown the chicken in batches and set aside.
Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the onion and peppers. Cook for about 10 minutes until softened but not coloured. Stir every now and then and add more olive oil if needed.
Add the tomato purée, paprika and sugar and cook for another minute.
Now add the chopped tomato, chicken and water and stir to mix.
Season with salt and black pepper.
Bring the mixture to the boil, lower the temperature and simmer for 25 minutes.
Take off the heat. Sprinkle in the parsley, mix through and leave to stand for 5 minutes.
Serve the stew on rice or bulgar wheat.

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Aubergine with Sesame Dressing

July 3, 2023June 20, 2023by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

12 baby aubergine OR 2 large aubergine, cut into 2cm thick slices
30ml olive oil
250ml greek yoghurt
45ml tahini paste
2 cloves of garlic, minced

Slice the aubergine in half and score the flesh.
Brush the olive oil on the scored side and either grill over an open fire or in a very warm pan until cooked and slightly charred.
Arrange the aubergine on a serving plate.
Add the yoghurt, tahini paste and garlic to a small bowl and mix together. Smear the tahini paste against the side of the bowl and scrape it off again so that it mixes through the other ingredients.
Serve the sesame dressing on the aubergine at room temperature.

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Turkish Flatbread/Bazlama

July 2, 2023May 7, 2023by Karen Claassen1 Comment

Bazlama is known as village bread in Turkey and is a super tender flatbread, very similar to naan. This bread can be cooked in a pan or on an open fire.

12,2ml instant yeast
15ml sugar
310ml warm water
190ml Greek yoghurt
30ml olive oil
10ml salt
4 x 250ml + 125ml flour + extra
60ml parsley, finely chopped

Add the yeast and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
Pour in the water and stir to dissolve the sugar. Set aside for 10 minutes, until frothy.
Now add the yoghurt, olive oil and salt and whisk together by hand.
Add the flour and parsley and turn the mixer on a low speed until the dough comes together.
If it is VERY wet you can add another 60ml of flour.
Knead the dough in the machine on a medium speed for 5 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a work surface and divide into 10 equal pieces.
Dust with flour, cover with a tea towel and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
Roll each dough portion to a 15cm diameter circle.
Brush the tops with olive oil.
Place a pan on medium-low heat and allow it to warm up.
Slice the first flatbread, oiled side down, into the pan and brush the top with olive oil.
Cook the bread for 1minute 40 seconds and flip it over. Cook for another 1 minute 40 seconds.
The bread should have bubbles after cooking for the first 1 minute and about 20 seconds. If your bread does not look like the photograph below, turn the heat up a notch.
Repeat with the other breads.
Keep the cooked flatbreads wrapped in a tea towel until you are ready to serve them.