“For some reason, my parents did not have the habit to buy ready-made Meze but preferred to prepare it by themselves at home. We would rather prepare every meal we had together as a family. While my father insisted that no other woman could cook better than his own mother, my mother absolutely did notContinue reading “Topik Meze from the Armenian Cuisine of Turkey”
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Stuffed Cooked Mussels from the Greeks of Istanbul
“I had never considered living in Athens. When I was in Istanbul I thought the cuisine in Greece and ours would be the same but as I arrived here, I realized it is much different than I expected. Thereupon, I started to research our cuisine in Istanbul to find out the connections between our culture and the food we enjoy.”
Marinated feta cubes
Ingredients: 150g feta cheese – cut into cubes ½ tsp coriander seeds ½ tsp cumin seeds 1 fresh red chilli – you can substitute it with dried chilli flakes A handful fresh parsley – chopped finely Zest of one lemon A squeeze of half a lemon 2 fresh thyme – if not you can useContinue reading “Marinated feta cubes”
Baked butter beans, fennel & orange
That dish is truly a comfort food with the ingredients that you can find easily everywhere. I love cooking vegs and pulses in orange juice which always gives a tangy, zingy flavour to the dish. Olive oil based dishes are very much spring and summer to me as I remember my mum used to cookContinue reading “Baked butter beans, fennel & orange”
Ribbon Carrot Tahini Tarator
Ingredients: 3 carrots – peeled 2 small garlic clove or 1 large – grated 1tbsp olive oil ½ coriander seeds A little pinch of salt Tahini sauce 2tbsp tahini 1tbsp yogurt 1tbsp water Squeeze of a half lemon Sea salt and black pepper to taste First start with tahini sauce. In a bowl addContinue reading “Ribbon Carrot Tahini Tarator”
Olive Oil Braised Pea & Onions (vegan)
Ingredients: 500g pea 2tbsp olive oil 1 medium brown onion – sliced 2 spring onions – sliced roughly Half bunch of dill Pinch of sugar Pinch of salt to taste 100ml hot water For topping 1tbsp extra virgin olive oil Squeeze of lemon and a little zest of it Dill Freshly groundContinue reading “Olive Oil Braised Pea & Onions (vegan)”
Cacik
“Cacik – according to Ahmet Rasim- is one of the “sine qua non” of Raki mezze tables of Istanbul. The main ingredient of Cacik is yogurt and cucumber. No water should be added to yogurt but garlic is a must. Cucumber should not be grated, but chopped finely. Topping it with olive oil and dill,Continue reading “Cacik”
Terbiyeli Chicken Soup
Terbiye is an egg and lemon sauce with yogurt and used for binding soups and some stews in Turkey. As well the word is used for various marination techniques for meat, fish, vegetables. This soup is often cooked with orzo pasta for thickening soup. But I made it with a simple roux – flourContinue reading “Terbiyeli Chicken Soup”
Paskalya Coregi – Istanbul’s Easter bread
Makes 2 x braided Easter bread Ingredients ● 7g quick dry active yeast (1 pack or a flat teaspoon) ● 100ml lukewarm water ● 100ml warm whole milk ● 170g caster sugar ● 500g-550g plain flour + handful for kneading and shaping – sifted ● 110g unsalted butter – melted & cooled ● 2 mediumContinue reading “Paskalya Coregi – Istanbul’s Easter bread”
Chef In Residency at October Gallery
Topik London’s six months residency at October Gallery was between September 2018-March 2019, successfully run by Irem, the founder of Topik. Topik London “food without borders” is a food culture project; works on Istanbul’s diverse culinary history and ongoing contributions made by urban’s different communities, old and new migrants. Thanks to everyone who visited Topik’sContinue reading “Chef In Residency at October Gallery”