I also added the stems, people tend to ignore them but they have a lot of flavor. I will try and sautee them next time, it just makes sense :D

I just cooked this up out of the blue yesterday and it turned out to be delicious ! It takes absolutely no time as well.

Ingredients:

10-12 Salty/Cheesy crackers
Handful of Italian Parsley
Your choice of melting chesee diced, I used mozzerella
3-4 cloves of garlic
Salted Butter ( enough to combine the whole thing )
2 eggs
Salt and Pepper
Dried chili powder
Olive Oil

Snap the crackers in to half and dump all of the ingredients above in to a blender. Just make sure you add the eggs once at a time. One egg might be enough for you to achieve the consistency you want, I felt like I needed another one to give it a bit more body. Blitz a few times for about 1-2 minutes and add a few glugs of olive oil in between. The parsley should give it a bright, healthy, green colour whilst the butter and garlic fume out that familiar smell. I suggest stuffing large button mushrooms or portobello mushrooms and adding some more cheese on top ! I baked mine in a conventional oven at 180 degrees celsius for about 15-20 minutes. I put the grill on for a few minutes to brown the cheese and they turned out great ! I hope you like it !

I assume so, but since the pan will be on high heat it might burn the garlic. What you could do is crack some garlic cloves and pop them in the pan with some butter. That way you could baste the steak and infuse it with some garlic flavor at the same time :)

Although most of the time I just use cracked black pepper and salt to season my steak, I do like to change things up a bit. What do you guys like to use ? I'm also a fan of rubbing the oil on the steak rather than the pan. I feel like the oil makes the spices stick on the steak where as when you oil the pan the seasonings just fall off. Here is my recipe:

Ingredients :
Salt ( sea salt would be best)
Garlic Pepper
Smoked Paprika
Onion Salt
Crushed Dried Chillies
Dried Oregano
Plenty of decent olive oil

true dat :D

Kofte is great when it is served with fresh bread. Grilled peppers and tomatos are always great too. We usually serve a bean salad. This recipe is ok, I will post a recipe for this later. I suggest you don't put olives in it. Here is the link http://www.food.com/recipe/turkish-pi....
Enjoy :D

no worries, will post more Turkish stuff as soon as lectures stop strangling me :D

I hope you'll like it !

As a Turkish person I can not stress enough how important meat and grilling is in our culture. Here is a great, simple recipe that you can cook up in literally minutes. You can now finally say " I can cook Turkish food !"

Ingredients

500 g lamb mince
500 g beef mince
* make sure that the mince does not have too much fat content "
1 grated onion
3 cloves of grated or minced garlic
2 stale bread slices torn in to small pieces
1 egg yolk
Chopped Parsley
Cumin powder
Salt
Pepper

Get your hands slightly wet and mix all of the ingredients above slowly, incorporating each ingredient little by little. You can tell that you have worked the mince enough when the mince returns/resembles its old color. When you have a fully combined paste, make a small ball and slowly squash it down to a flatter shape with your palms. The fact that it is slightly flat rather than spherical means that the meat sears better as there is more surface area. Cook on a hot grill or a well heated griddle pan with some olive oil. I suggest grilling some peppers and tomatos to accompany it ! Another trick is to rub your grill with some raw onion to avoid the meat sticking to it !The shape of the kofte is quite distinctive and can be seen in the picture below. Bon Apetit !, or as we say in Turkish Afiyet Olsun !

no worries, I hope it will turn out the same for you :)

true, although the skin gives it that classic potato smell the skin does not get crispy

When I roast potatoes in an oven, I simply like to cut them in half and rub them with some olive oil and butter. Before I do this I make a criss cross pattern with a sharp knife. I try not to cut too deep, but I make sure to cut deep enough so that the pattern comes out. I usually just season it with some salt and pepper and rub it with a garlic clove cut in half. I repeat this butter/oil/season/garlic process 3 times in a duration of 1 hour. The oven is usually around 190 celsius. The end result is a great looking, tasty yet simple side dish worthy of any steak !

Stick with me on this one, I know it sounds mental but it actually works. The sugar in the cola breaks down the meat and tenderises it ! It also increases the intensity of the maillard reaction.

Ingredients:
A cut of meat of your choice, at least 700 g. I used Entrecôte ( the back ).
1 Onion finely diced
4 cloves of garlic finely minced
1 Red Pepper or chilli
1 tbsp of soy sauce
Smoked Paprika
Salt and Pepper
A few knobs of butter
A squeeze of tomato puree ( probably 1 tbsp)
1 can of coke ( 330 ml)

Heat up a pan and melt the butter. Sautee the garlic and the onions for a few minutes. Add the chilli/pepper of your choice ( make sure to deseed if you use a hot chillli) along with the tomato puree, soy and paprika. Cook for a few minutes and tip the contents of the pan in to a casserole dish. Add your choice of meat and pour the can of coke. Mix and marinade over night. The next day heat up a griddled cast iron pan ( for that bbq effect ) and cook your steak to your liking. At the same time melt a knob of butter and sautee the veg till they are warmed through. Make sure the sauce thickens a little. The onions taste like caramelised onions and the smoked paprika just gives the whole dish that smoky, bbq taste !

Ingredients :
450-600 g of sliced button mushrooms
Roasted red peppers, sliced ( half a jar )
2-3 mild chillies
My go to tomato base sauce ( http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/892687), or your own sauce
Butter
Olive Oil
Dried oregano
Smoked Paprika ( only 2 teaspoons
)Salt
Pepper
Mature cheddar or any melting cheese of your choice
2 cloves of garlic finely minced
Quarter of an onion, finely diced
Fresh parsley to garnish
Cast Iron Casserole dish(preferably one that you can use on a gas hob and oven) If you dont have one of these, use a normal pan and pre heat the glass casserole dish in the oven as you cook to retain as much as heat as possible

Pre heat the oven to 200 celsius. Melt some butter over medium heat and throw in the garlic/onion when it starts to sizzle. Season and sweat it off for a few minutes. Add the mushrooms and only cook for 3-4 minutes.
Add the chillies and roasted red pepper and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the sauce and season well. Since the sauce already seasoned, you may not need many spices. Of course if your base sauce is plain, you may want to add a few more seasonings. Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Take it out and add the cheese of your choice. I am a fan of mixing in the cheese rather than dumping it on top as it melts more evenly ( WHY NOT BOTH !). Cook until the cheese melts and stir in some of the freshly chopped parsley. Enjoy !

Blend with some mayo/olive oil and spices you like to make some kind of paste/ pate ?

This tomato sauce is actually a pasta sauce but it easily doubles as a great base sauce for many other things !

Ingredients:
2 tins of plum tomatos
Some fresh chopped basil leaves
Dry oregano
Half an onion, finely diced
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
Salt
Pepper
1 Glass ( approx 240 ml)Pasta water ( that has been seasoned with olive oil and salt, only necessary if you are going to use this as a pasta sauce )
Dried chilli flakes
Butter
Parmesan
Olive oil

Melt some butter over medium heat and when it starts to sizzle add the onion and garlic. Sweat them off for a few minutes till the onions turn translucent but be careful not to burn them ! If they look like they are about to burn immediately introduce the tomatos. Use a masher or telepathic mashing powers to mash the tomatos. Add salt ( make sure you add enough as plum tomatos tend to be quite sweet), pepper, chilli ( to your liking) and a healthy amount of oregano. I find that dried oregano works better than fresh oregano and it is the key ingredient that gives the sauce that fresh taste. Mix and leave it to simmer over low heat for at least half an hour. if you are using it as a pasta sauce add the fresh chooped basil leaves towards the very end along with a glass of pasta water. Let some of the water evaporate so that the sauce thickens a bit. The pasta water binds the pasta and sauce together as it creates an uniform taste among the dish ! It also gives the sauce that nice shine :). Stir in the cheese last with some olive oil for that nice kick and enjoy ! The sauce freezes very well so you can make massive batches and store it :) For further reference, I will refer to this sauce as my base tomato sauce in upcoming recipes.

I will defo give that a try next time ! Thank you for the idea :)

1/4 c. mayonnaise

1 tbsp. english mustard

1 tbsp. honey

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Normally a recipe would call for yelow mustard, but I really like the kick from Colman's mustard ! Whisk and enjoy ! If too strong or bitter use yellow mustard !

Ingredients:
A few half baked easy oven bake baguettes
Thin wafers of ham ( preferably honey roast ham !)
Some butter
Smoked bacon ( 2 rashers for each half of one baguette, do the math :D)
Honey mustard ( store bought or follow the recipe that I'll post soon)
Roasted red peppers
Thin sliced tomatos
Fresh black pepper

Follow the cooking instructions for your baguette and make sure you preheat the oven with the tray in it ! Cook the bacon starting from a relatively warm pan ( not too hot) so that the fat renders slowly ( mmmm). Make sure you time your bacon/baguettes so that they are done at the same time. My baguettes take 10 minutes, I pre heat the pan on low heat when I pop the bread in ( we dont have gas burners, it takes ages to heat up) . Smear one half of the baguette with butter and the other with honey mustard. Crack some black pepper on each side and place a few slices of roasted red pepper. Add some wafers of ham to your liking and bacon. Top with cheese and tomato slices ( make sure you put a bit of salt/pepper on the slices). Broil so that the cheese melts and enjoy !

Try my recipe, I know that it will work ! http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8926...

I tried doubling it and altough it was tasty and nice, it just did not have the same texture and color as the original recipe. So when I say that you can't double it, you actually can, it was just a personal preference :D The flax seeds sounds like a great idea !

Ingredients:
Enough olive oil to coat all of the chicken
500 g of chicken breast strips
Salt
Pepper ( preferably a fresh crack of a mixture of red,white and black !)
Smoked Paprika
Garlic Pepper
Dried chilli flakes
Cayenne
Dried Oregano
Dried Thyme
Dried Sage
Dried Rosemary
* the oregano,thyme,sage and rosemary are usually sold as an italian seasoning, so if you have something similar it should do the job*
1 Large non stick pan

In a bowl mix all the spices and the olive oil. Make sure the chicken is at room temperature before you start cooking, take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before you do the spice rub ! Mix the chicken and the rub with your hands ( yes, fucking get in there like a boss ! ). Put a pan on medium high heat till it is almost smoking. You want to give the chicken a nice crust so that it has some color and texture to it. The garlic pepper has large grains so it should give it a nice feel ! The amount of each spice you use is entirely up to you ! I am a fan of the smoky flavor so I go quite heavy on the paprika and garlic pepper.You can keep the chicken in the rub as long as you want but for me a mere 1 hour is more than enough as I am an impatient student :D Lay the strips in the pan ( facing away from you of course !) and do not flip till you see that at least half of the strip is white from the heat. If it does not have enough have color dont flip it ! I promise that if you keep watch and flip even times and check the biggest piece to see if its cooked or not, you'll end up with some moisty, tasty chicken breast strips ! Note that I do not put extra oil in the pan. I always oil my meat products directly before hand and not the pan as using too much oil in the pan causes the meat to boil rather than sear ! I hope you enjoy it :D

Ingredients:
1 kg of maris piper potatoes
A few springs of lemon thyme, plucked from the stem
Fresh Chives
A few leaves of sage
Butter
2 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
Milk
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Pepper
Mature grated cheddar
Smoked paprika
Large pot

I do not like peeling potatoes as the skin has that distinct potato smell. Wash the potatoes and fill up the pan with cold water. Cut the potatotes in to even sized chunks. I prefer cutting them into quarters. Salt the water till it is like sea water, this will not only flavor our potatoes but will also break them down faster ( SCIENCE BITCH !). Throw in the potatotes along with the thyme and sage. Bring up to a boil over medium heat. When the potatoes start breaking down ( a knife should just come out clean when you stab one) , drain and set aside. Melt some butter in the pan and make an even coating. Throw in the potatoes and add more butter to your liking of creaminess. Do not add all of the milk at once as it will make the mash soggy ! The more milk you add the more smoother the mash will be. So if you like a bit of texture and chunk in your mash, be careful. As you mash about add the olive oil and the spices listed above. Be careful with the garlic pepper and smoked paprika as they are quite strong. Cut up the chives in to thin strips so that they are ready. Add in the cheese and stir in slowly. The cheese is basically a substitute for double cream as it melts and binds the mash. Be careful with the amount of salt you add as the cheese has quite a bit of salt. As you are about to serve mix in the chives, the mash has plenty of heat to warm up the chives and absorb its flavor. The end product ( depending on your quantity of butter/milk/cheddar) should be a delicately seasoned mash potato with the thyme/sage lingering from the boiling process along with a fresh chive taste ! I say give this recipe/guideline a try instead of boring old mashed potatoes :D

Ingredients:
1 Large Non Stick Pan
80g of plain flour
1.5 tablespoons of caster sugar
220 ml milk
Pinch of salt
1 jumbo egg
Vanilla exract ( to your liking but not much as it is quite pungent )
Melted Butter

Whisk the dry ingredients and put the pan on medium heat. Add the egg and pour a little bit of the milk and keep whisking. Do not pour in all of the milk in one go as it will make the batter lumpy. Combine the milk with the egg and dry ingredients slowly. Melt some butter in the pan that has been on the heat and mix this in to the batter. If you want to add some vanilla extract. The first pancake will always be the worst one as the pan will have cold/hot spots. While pouring the batter, pour directly in to the middle of the pan so that it has an even radius to spread. Flip using a spatula when the edges look like they are about to come off and enjoy with some nutella and pb or lemon juice and sugar !

*This should make about 4-5 decent sized thin pancakes ( or crepes, whatever). Do not try to double the measurements to make a bigger batch, it does not work :D *

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/856257 if you want I can adjust the measurements for larger batches but Im sure you will be able to figure it out it is very simple and hard to mess up, enjoy !

I live in Ankara, Turkey and Coventry in England at the same time as I study in England. I believe it will be easier to grow them in Turkey due to more sun etc. What can I do to grow them in England where it is usually cloudy and rainy most of the time ?

Thank you I hope you'll like it !

I agree with gingershelly, marinated meat on a grill is the easiest way. I have a great recipe for lamb chops if you want, it is on my profile. Let me know if you want it I'll link it

That is a great shout mate, will try it soon !

Some fresh spinach leaves ( as much as you want really, a whole bag, like the ones that are sold that are already cleaned)
2-3 shallots, minced
1 clove of garlic ( optional, but I am a bitch for garlic , crushed)
Olive Oil
Butter ( a few knobs )
100 ml of cream
Cayenne
Salt, Pepper
Yogurt
Paper towels

Put some olive oil in a pot over high heat and add spinach leaves. Cook until the leaves are wilted, keep the lid on ! Place the spinach in a colander let it drain, water is our enemy in this recipe. This is a slight variation to a similar recipe from Foodwishes.com. While this is going on melt the butter over medium heat and sweat out the shallots and garlic( after the butter sizzles of course), do not brown them and stir continuously and add the cayenne. Put the spinach on a cutting board and pat it dry with some paper towels and give it a rough chop so it is easier to eat. Place the spinach in to the pan with the butter. After 3 minutes or so add the cream and stir while you raise the heat. This is where you can choose to really reduce down the cream or keep it a bit more on the liquid side, I personally like to reduce it 1/3 of the original volume. Season to your liking.

This is a very fatty dish due to the cream, so if you like to keep it on the low you could saute the spinach with the shallots/garlic in some butter and instead of butter mix it with some fresh yogurt ( not frozen yogurt but real yogurt like Turkish/Greek). This is a very common thing we do in Turkey as the saltiness and the milky aspect of the yogurt tones down the irony and strong flavor of the spinach. This is a great side dish for any steak !