Almost Turkish Recipes

Quince Dessert (Ayva Tatlısı)

2025-11-20T00:00:00.000-08:00

It’s quince season, and I love that they’re everywhere in Northern California. Quince is almost unknown in the United States, yet for many of us from Europe or the Middle East it is an essential part of fall. The fruit itself is an apple-pear cousin with very little charm on paper. It is firm, extremely firm, and so tart that you cannot bite into it without a knife, yet it carries a quiet, floral sweetness. I prefer it raw, but it truly shines in this classic dessert.

Quince dessert is a traditional Turkish sweet prepared in a simple sugar syrup. In Turkey you see it in nearly every restaurant and patisserie throughout the fall and winter. Those versions are often a vivid red, thanks to food coloring, though they will insist it is natural. This recipe comes remarkably close to that deep red hue with no coloring at all.

Although the ingredients and technique are simple, it took me more than half a decade to share this recipe. It is surprisingly difficult to perfect. You want that deep red color without turning to food coloring, and you want the flesh to stay firm after the long, slow cooking needed to achieve it, yet not slip into mush.

Here it is:

for 6 people

3 quinces, pick ones that are yellow with minimal green spots., halved and cored
2 1/4 - 2 1/2 cups sugar (~1/2 - 3/4 cups sugar per quince, depending how sweet you want it) and yes, that's a lot of sugar but this is a syrup based dessert so...moving on
one red apple peel, any kind
Juice of one lemon
1 1/2 cup water (1/2 cup per quince)
4-5 whole cloves

-Fill a bowl with enough water to submerge the quinces once halved. Add the lemon juice.
-Peel and core the quinces, reserving the peels and seeds for coloring. Place the halved quinces in the lemon water to keep them from browning.
-Once all are prepared, lift the halves from the lemon water and set them in a pot, cut side up. Add one and a half cups of water, the quince and apple peels, and the quince seeds. These will help the fruit take on a deep red hue. Add the cloves as well. You may bundle the peels, seeds, and cloves in a large tea strainer, mesh bag, or a square of cheesecloth.
-Bring to a boil over medium to high heat and cook for 10-15 minutes.
-Add the sugar in the cores and continue cooking on low heat for two hours. After an hour and a half, turn the quince halves over so the cut sides face down, and let them cook for the remaining hour.
-Transfer the quinces to a serving plate, cut side up. Discard the peels, seeds, and cloves with a slotted spoon. Spoon the syrup over the quinces and let them cool.
-Serve with kaymak, qaymak, clotted cream, or, if none are available, mascarpone or whipped cream. Top with chopped walnuts or pistachios.

Bean Salad (Piyaz)

2025-06-21T16:30:00.000-07:00

Piyaz comes from the Persian word for onion, but in Turkish cuisine, it has taken on a life of its own. Today, it refers either to a bean salad made with onions, parsley, olive oil and vinegar, spiced with red pepper flakes, and adorned with tomatoes, parsley, sumac, and slices of hard-boiled egg. Regional variations abound: some add green onions, while in Antalya, tahini gives piyaz its signature twist.

In my hometown of Tekirdağ, one of Turkiye's two meatball capitals, piyaz is inseparable from kofte, meatballs. One simply cannot be served without the other. But hınestly, piyaz goes with everything: grilled meat, warm bread, rice. One of my favorite lunches is a bowl of cold rice and piyaz.

Ingredients

2 cups cannellini beans, soaked overnight and cooked until soft OR 1 can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 small red onion, thinly sliced in half moons, kneaded with 1tsp of salt, then rinsed and drained
1 tomato, diced (in Turkey tomatoes are always peeled before being added to salads)
1 green pepper, thinly sliced (shishito peppers make a great substitute for Turkish green chilies)
1/3 cup parsley, finely chopped
1-2 tsp sumac
1 tsp hot pepper flakes (optional)
a few black olives, pitted for garnish

optional but traditional

1 hard-boiled egg, chopped (I personally don't understand the appeal of rock-hard, bland eggs, especially cold ones. So I skip this part. But if your like them, go for it)

for the dressing

1/4 cup (or a bit more) good olive oil
2-3 tbsp apple or white wine vinegar
salt, to taste

instructions
-Arrange the beans on a flat oval or rectangle serving plate (not too deep.)
-Layer the kneaded and rinsed onions on top.
-Scatter the diced tomatoes and sliced green peppers. if using eggs, add them now.
-Sprinkle with sumac and hot pepper flakes.
-Top with chopped parsley and a few black olives for decoration.
-In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar and salt. Tast it, the dressing should be distincly tangy. Piyaz should be a bit sour. Vinegar should definitely come through!

-Pour the dressing evenly over the salad.

-Mix well right at the table before eating, and dig in, preferably with a crusty piece of bread!

Turkish-Style Romano Beans in Olive Oil (Zeytinyağlı Taze Fasulye)

2025-06-20T13:59:00.000-07:00

Now that summer's in full swing, the farmers' markets are bursting with fresh Romano beans--the broad, flat Italian kind. They're almost identical to Turkish çalı fasülye, the star of many summer lunches and dinners back home. You'll find them served cold as a meze, or as a light main dish alongside rice.

The trick is to cook them as soon as you bring them home. If you must wait, they'll keep in the fridge for up to a week. After that, they start turning woody and lose their sweet green flavor, which is no good for this kind of dish.

No Romano beans? No problem. French beans (haricots verts) will work just fine: see this recipe.

1 lb fresh Romano beans, washed and trimmed (snap off the ends and strip any stringy sides), then sliced lengthwise and cut into 2-3 inch (about 5 cm) pieces.
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, sliced or chopped
2 big or 4 medium fresh tomatoes, finely diced, grated, or blended--or just blend a can of diced tomatoes for a smoother shortcut
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/3 cup olive oil, plus 2 tbsp more for a final drizzle
~1 cup hot water
salt, to taste

Cooking:

-Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot (or pressure cooker if you're in a hurry). Add the chopped onion and sauté over medium heat until soft and translucent, about 7 minutes. No browning!

-Stir in the garlic and cook for just a minute, until it smells amazing. Again, don't let it brown or burn.

-Add the green beans and cumin. Stir everything together and cook for 4-6 minutes, until the beans brighten and lose that raw green look.

-Add the grated/blended tomatoes, stir and cook for 3-5 minutes.

-Pour in enough hot water to just barely cover the beans, no bean soup here. Add salt to taste.

-Cover and simmer gently on low to low medium heat for 25-30 minutes, until the beans are soft and silky.

-If using a pressure cooker: Lock the lid and cook for 12-14 minutes after it reaches pressure.

Whatever pot you use, let the beans cool in it, don't rush them into another container while they're hot. These Turkish olive oil dishes are better as they sit and settle.

Serve at room temperature, drizzled with a little extra olive oil.

This dish is great with buttery rice, a thick dollop of yogurt, or just a nice piece of crusty bread. In my family, it's rice and yogurt every time.

Izmir Style Meatballs in Tomato Sauce (İzmir Köfte)

2023-10-20T15:23:00.000-07:00

Turkish cuisine has so many meatball dishes that you could easily fill a multi-volume cookbook with them. Among all of them, İzmir köftesi, a specialty of the Aegean city of İzmir, holds a special place in my heart. Meatballs cooked with potatoes and peppers in tomato sauce, it's one of my all-time favorite comfort foods: the kofte goes tender in the sauce, the potatoes drink it up, and everything tastes a little better than the sum of its parts. İzmir kofte is traditionally a summer dish, made when tomatoes are at their peak and served with rice and yogurt on the side, accompanied by an icy glass of rakı, obviously. But these days we need comfort more than ever, so I've been making it almost weekly--tomatoes in season or not.

For the meatballs

1/2 lb ground meat
2 slices of stale bread, soaked in water and squeezed tight, or 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup minced or finely chopped onion
1–2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 egg (traditionally there's always an egg in the meatballs, both to hold them together and to keep them moist when baked; I don't like the smell of egg in meatballs, so I leave it out)
Salt

For the rest

About 10 peppers, seeded. In Turkey, green sweet chilies are the standard for this dish. If you like heat, any pepper works: jalapeño, wax, banana, Anaheim, or poblano. I like shishito and sweet Italian peppers here.
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
3 tbsp olive oil
3–4 medium tomatoes, grated or chopped in a food processor
1 tbsp tomato paste (optional)

Mix all the meatball ingredients and knead well for 5–7 minutes. Wet your hands and shape into 3–4 inch oval, finger-shaped meatballs — rounded in the middle and tapered at the ends.

Heat a pan and add 3 tbsp olive oil. Add the meatballs and cook just until they change color. You're not cooking them through, just sealing them.

Set the meatballs aside and keep the oil in the pan. (Some people fry the potatoes too, which is delicious but much greasier, so I skip it.)

Arrange the meatballs in a sun pattern in a wide oven-proof dish or cast iron pot, leaving 1/2 to 1 inch between them. If you're using a square or rectangular dish, line them up instead.

If you're using tomato paste, add it to the pan with the reserved oil and cook for 2 minutes. Add the grated tomatoes (or canned diced tomatoes or tomato sauce) and salt to taste. Cook until the juice has reduced, then add 1 1/2 cups boiling water. Bring to a boil and turn off the heat.

Tuck the potatoes between the meatballs and place the peppers on top, keeping the sun shape.

Pour the tomato sauce over everything. It should barely cover the meatballs and vegetables-if it doesn't, add a little more boiling water.

Bake on the middle rack at 380°F for 40–45 minutes, enough time for the potatoes to cook through.

Serve with rice or crusty bread and yogurt.

Bon appétit!

Greens and Grains (Yeşil Yapraklılar ve Tahıllar)

2023-09-18T17:34:00.007-07:00

We're transforming a Turkish classic: In Turkey, a traditional winter favorite is spinach cooked with onions, peppers, or tomato paste, and served with rice alongside a dollop of creamy yogurt. However, since I moved to the United States, I've taken this beloved dish and given it a twist by incorporating a variety of greens and grains. I now experiment with spinach, chard, beet greens (of course I keep my beet greens), kale, and even collard greens, pairing them with bulgur, quinoa, wheat berries, buckwheat, and more. The result? A delightful medley of flavors and textures that can be enjoyed for lunch or dinner, and it is vegan.

Sometimes, I venture to the local farmers' market to pick the freshest greens available, but on other occasions, the convenience of a 1.5 lb bag of power greens or baby spinach from Costco comes to the rescue, allowing me to whip up a delicious meal in just 30 minutes. The possibilities are endless—select your preferred combination of greens and grains and give it a try. Whether you opt for a plain or garlicky yogurt accompaniment, you're in for a green treat.

(For the dish in the picture I used Costco power greens and coarse bulgur.)
1-1.5 lb greens of your choice
1/4 cup of grain of your choice
1 biggish onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp tomato or hot pepper paste
salt/pepper/red pepper flakes
1/2 cup hot water
optional
1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped fresh pepper (I love using sweet Italian red peppers but just like anything else, you can choose yours)
And yogurt for serving

-Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté for 6-7 minutes until they become translucent and tender, but not browned.
-If you're using bell peppers, add them to the pot along with the minced garlic. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
-Stir in the tomato or pepper paste and cook for an additional 1 minute to enhance the flavors.
-Begin adding the greens in small batches, allowing each batch to wilt before adding more. Stir continuously for about 10 minutes until the greens darken in color and become tender.
-Add your chosen grain to the pot and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes. (Avoid using brown rice due to its longer cooking time; if you must, use pre-cooked brown rice.)
-Pour in the hot water and season with salt and black pepper to your taste. If you like a bit of heat, don't hesitate to sprinkle in some red pepper flakes.
-Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let the mixture simmer for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until the grain is cooked and has absorbed most of the liquid.
-Serve your delicious greens and grains dish with a side of yogurt. While I personally love mixing the cooked greens with yogurt, some enjoy it plain.

Crispy Okra (Çıtır Bamya Mezesi)

2023-08-11T17:55:00.002-07:00

Years and years ago when we moved to the south for a couple of years, I decided to give fried okra a chance, despite it being my least favorite vegetable. To my surprise it turned out to be a rather enlightening moment. I discovered when prepared this way okra becomes quite palatable and even makes for an excellent meze. Through some experimentation, I found that crispy okra, especially when served on garlicy yogurt, is the best.

Nothing is set in stone here. Feel free to adjust any of the ingredients to your liking or based on your needs.

~1/2 lb or less fresh okra pods, sliced

1-2 tbsp olive oil

~3 tbsp cornmeal

1 cup yogurt

1 clove of garlic, minced

optional: 1 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped

1 tbsp olive oil + 1 tsp paprika or crushed hot pepper flakes

-Coat the sliced okras with olive oil in a bowl. Once they're coated, add cornmeal and coat them with cornmeal as well.

-Arrange the sliced okras in a single layer on a parchment lined baking tray and bake at 430F preheated oven for ~20 minutes or until crispy.

-Mix one cup of yogurt with one clove of minced garlic and a dash of salt. Cover the bottom of a plate with yogurt. Top it with crispy okras.

-In a small frying pan, heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add either paprika or, if you want spicy, crushed pepper flakes. Drizzle it on top of okras and yogurt.

_Sprinkle some fresh dill and serve.

Bon appétit!

Cretan Style Zucchini Ribbons with Rice (Girit Usulü Kabak Sıyırma)

2023-08-06T13:16:00.002-07:00

This Cretan style zucchini dish/meze is an absolute summer favorite. Cretans create magic with zucchinis and this one is no exception.

3 medium sized zucchinis, peeled and ribboned. Do not ribbon the soft, seedy inside, just the firm flesh. Save the seedy cores for mucver (we don't want the skin since it might have a different cooking time compared to the flesh of the zucchini)

1/4 cup baldo, arborio, if not jasmine rice, soaked in hot water for at least 20 minutes

3-4 green onions, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

~1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped

~1/4 or less fresh mint, finely chopped

1/2 cup olive oil

juice of one lemon

salt

-Put 1/4 cup of rice i hot water to soak.

-Peel and ribbon the zucchini. Sprinkle some salt on top and leave to rest.

-In a pot heat the half of the olive oil, ~1/4 cup, and add the green onions. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

-Rinse the rice after at least 20 minutes in hot water, and add to the pot.

It is important to soak the rice in hot water, DO NOT skip this step. We need to cut the cooking time for rice so the zucchini doesn't melt away while rice is cooking.

-Add garlic with the rice.

-Cook for 3 minutes stirring constantly.

-Add 1/2 cup of water and let cook covered on low to medium for ~10 minutes. Check every now and then for water.

-After 10 minutes, the rice should be half way cooked. Add zucchini ribbons, lemon juice and some salt. Stir and cook for another 10 minutes covered. No extra water needed since the zucchini will release some of its own.

-After ten minutes the both the rice and zucchini will be cooked. We don't want zucchini to be too soft.

-Turn it off, add half of dill and mint, stir and let it cool down to room temperature.

-Serve it on a wide round or oval dish. Pour the rest of the olive oil on top and sprinkle the rest of the fresh herbes. Salt to your taste. It is good at room temperature or cold. It is a great dish for hot summer days but also an excellent meze/side. You can enjoy it with a slice o f good bread or with cold yogurt. Bon appétit!

Chicken Kebab Marinade (Tavuk Şiş Sosu)

2023-05-19T15:58:00.000-07:00

This is a classic tavukçu marinade i.e. grilled chicken restaurant marinade and it is both adult and kid favorite in our house.

You can use any part of chicken, but I do love thighs for grilling. Cut the chicken thighs into 1-2 inch-ish cubes and marinade for at least two hours or preferably overnight, and then put them on skewers for grilling. However, if you're strained for time you can also pan-fry them.

This marinade is for ~1lb chicken

1/2 cup plain yogurt

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sweet paprika

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp turmeric

juice of half a lemon or lime

optional for grilling: 2 onions, tomatoes, peppers chopped in ~1 inch pieces (as big as your chicken pieces)

-Chop chicken pieces and rub them well with lemon/lime juice.

-In a bowl mix all the ingredients and mix well.

-Add chicken pieces and coat them well with the sauce.

-Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.

-Thread the chicken pieces on the skewers. Alternate chicken pieces with onion, tomato, and/or pepper pieces for extra deliciousness.

-Grill them for ~10 minutes by turning them around. Grilling time would vary based on different grills and the size of chicken pieces. Just don't overcook and dry them out.

If you don't have a grill, you can also bake these skewers in the oven at 400-420F or broil them.

-Eat with rice, on its own, or wrapped in warmed flat bread/tortilla or a sandwich bread.

Grilled Branzino (Mangalda Levrek)

2022-06-20T16:43:00.002-07:00

Branzino or European sea bass is one of my favorite fish and until recently it was hard to come by in US. Nowadays, not only staple places for European seafood like Whole Foods, but also Trader Joe's sells branzino fillets. However, branzino has an amazing flavor when cooked on the bone. I get them as a whole from Costco. This is a simple and quite delicious way to grill branzino.

However many branzinos you need head and tail on (the cheeks and tail, my favorite), scaled and gutted

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1 lemon, sliced

2 bay leaves per fish

salt & pepper

olive oil

-First things first, start your grill. You will cook the branzino(s) on high.

-Rub the fish cavity and the outside of the branzino with olive oil, a good one.

-Generously season the cavity and the outside of the fish with salt and pepper.

-Stuff the cavity with onion and lemon slices and bay leaves.

-Place the stuffed branzino on the heated grill split side facing you. This way it'll be easier to flip it over without losing the stuffing. (If you feel uncomfortable about flipping a stuffed fish, the first time around you can tie it with an unbleached kitchen twine. You'll get a hang of it fast)

-Cover and cook for at least 7 minutes. Don't peek, don't poke. Sip your beer. After 7 minutes try with the spatula to flip the fish, if it resists it is not ready. Let cook for another minutes. The fish will tell you when it's time, when it's not sticky anymore. Do NOT force it.

-Once you flip it, cook for another 7-8 minutes, and that's it. The branzino, which must be smelling delicious by then, is ready. Serve right away with a green salad and maybe some crusty baguette.

-Discard the stuffing and dig in.

Purple Basil-ade (Reyhan-ata/ Reyhan Şerbeti)

2022-06-12T07:35:00.000-07:00

Purple basil-ade, or basil sherbet as they call it in Turkey, is a very old recipe that has become popular in the last couple of years. The way it is served is quite sweet for my taste so here's my recipe for a sugar-free purple basil-ade.

1 bunch purple basil

1/2 lemon

2 liters boiling water

optional

1-2 cinnamon sticks

4-6 cloves

1/2 cup sugar or any sugar substitute you want to use

-Wash the purple basil leaves and put in a jar or a pitcher

-Squeeze the lemon on top and crush/knead the leaves with lemon juice to extract the utmost color.

-Pour the boiling water on top and let it cool down overnight, uncovered. If you want a sweet sherbet, add the sugar with water and stir. If you want a sugar-free one, adding cinnamon sticks gives it a slight sweetness, which I prefer to sugar.

-That's it. Your basilade is ready. Serve it cold.

Note: If you make the basil drink more intense with less water, it becomes an excellent base for summer cocktails!

Haydari Yogurt Dip/Side

2022-06-09T22:10:00.005-07:00

Haydari, a sine qua non for rakı tables, is a perfect summer side dish or dip. It is great with grilled meat or on toasted bread. Traditionally it's made by mixing strained/Greek yogurt and white cheese--although some try to skip the cheese, we all know that it ain't haydari if there's no cheese.

~2 cup strained or Greek yogurt (in Turkey it's always whole milk yogurt, but non-fat is also fine)

1/2 cup Turkish or Bulgarian white cheese. If you cannot find them, use feta.

1 clove of garlic, minced

2-3 tsp dry mint leaves

1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

salt

-With a mortar and pestle mash the white cheese to a smooth texture. You can use the back of a fork as well but make sure there are absolutely no lumps left.

-Mix the cheese and yogurt, and half of the fresh dill, and salt in a bowl. The amount of salt depends on the saltiness of the cheese. Adjust to your taste.

-In a small pan heat 2 tbsp butter,1 tbsp olive oil, and garlic.

-When the butter starts bubbling. Turn the heat off and add the dry mint. Set aside to cool down to room temperature.

-Once the butter cools down, mix it into the yogurt. Mix it really well.

!!!Once you mix the butter into the yogurt, haydari should never go into the fridge, should stay out at room temperature.!!!

-Serving: Haydari is best served on an oval or rectangle serving plate. Lay it evenly on the plate and then make dents with the side edge of the scoop for olive oil that we'll use to decorate to stay on, as in the picture.

-Drizzle the remaining olive oil and sprinkle the rest of the fresh dill.

Bon appétit!

Sour Meatballs or Meatballs in Egg and Lemon Sauce (Ekşili Köfte)

2021-08-24T16:27:00.003-07:00

Ekşili Köfte, a very popular meatball dish cherished by kids and adults alike has differing variations in different parts of Turkey; in some parts tomato or pepper paste is used; in some small diced vegetables; and in some eggs are completely left out. This version is from the Northwestern / Western part of Turkey.

1 lb ground beef

1 small onion, grated

1/3 cup + 2 tbsp white rice

1/4 or 1/3 cup very finely chopped parsley

1/4 or 1/3 cup very finely chopped fresh dill

1 egg, white and yolk separated

1 tsp or more black pepper

salt

3 tbsp flour

4 tbsp olive oil

juice of 2 lemons

-Put ground meat, grated onion, parsley, fresh dill, 1/3 cup rice, white of the egg, black pepper, salt in a bowl and mix really well.

-Flour a tray.

-Make mini meatballs, quarter size, and place them on the tray.

-When all are on the tray, shake the tray back and forth or side to side to roll the meatballs to get covered in flour. This flour on them will make a nice crust and will make the "soup" part of the dish thick.

-Grab a wide bottom-ish pot and heat. Add the olive oil and once hot place the meatballs at the bottom.

-Cook the meatballs until they have a nice crust on one side.

-Add half of the lemon juice, 4 cups of water, and 2 tbsp white rice, and a tad bit of salt, just to your taste.

-Simmer on low for 20 minutes.

-Mix egg yolk with the rest of the lemon juice in a bowl. Start taking little scoops of liquid or soup from the dish and mix with egg and lemon. We are trying to warm the egg slowly so that it won't curdle when we add it to the dish. Add 3-4 scoops of liquid, one at a time and mix the sauce after each time.

-Add the egg and lemon sauce to the dish, stir once and let simmer covered for another 15-20 minutes.

-Serve fresh dill or parsley, or with dry mint flakes on top, and crusty nice bread on the side.

Tips: If you have picky kids or adults, you can skip the fresh herbes in the meatballs. If you want to add veggies, add diced carrots, potatoes, celery root and peas right after you add the water.

Savory Cornmeal Pancakes (Mısır Unlu Kaşık Dökmesi)

2021-03-01T11:35:00.007-08:00

I love corn in any form and these cornmeal savory pancakes are one of my favorite brunch or lunch specials.

2 cups of cornmeal / corn flour

2 eggs

1/2 cup yogurt

1 cup milk

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp salt

1/4 finely chopped herbs: parsley, dill, mint, or chives, pick one.

1/2 cup hard to melt cheese such as crumbled feta, small diced halloumi, or Turkish tulum goat cheese (I use a mix of Syrian halloumi and Turkish tulum goat cheese)

1/2 pitted and chopped black olives

-Whisk eggs, milk, oil, and yogurt.
-Add cornmeal, baking powder, salt and mix.
-Add cheese, herbs, and olives and fold into the batter.
-Heat a nonstick pan over medium, slightly grease the pan and drop pancake batter with a spoon. These are similar to old-fashion pancakes, a bit thick. Cook for ~1-2 minutes, check bottom and flip. Cook for another minute.
-Serve with butter or some sort of spreadable cheese on top because there's no such thing as too much cheese.

Ground Meat Bread Rolls (Kıymalı Rulo)

2021-02-16T15:00:00.000-08:00

A yeasty dough rolled with ground meat and walnuts and a dash of cinnamon is what we all need for afternoon tea. It takes a while to make regarding the yeast and the wait for the rise, but it is easy and delicious. You should definitely try this one!

for the dough
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 tsp yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
2-2 1/2 cup flour (or more)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup oil (olive oil, sun flower, whichever you feel comfortable with)
1 tsp salt
yolk of one egg (we'll use the to brush the dough, you can add the white into the dough)
black nigella seeds or sesame seeds

the stuffing
3 tbsp oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped, ~1,5 cup
1/2 pound ground meat
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1/2-1 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt

-Mix yeast, sugar, and water with a spoon in a bowl and let it dissolve for 15-20 minutes. Yeast will start to expand and bubble.
-In a pot on medium heat cook ground meat stirring constantly until it soaks its juice.
-Add 3 tbsp oil and onions to ground meat and stir until onion is cooked. Turn it off and add walnut, cumin, cinnamon, black pepper.
-Sift flour into the bowl of yeast. Add milk, oil, and salt. Add flour as necessary to make dough easy to handle. Dough should not stick to your hands.
-Let the dough sit in the bowl covered with a kitchen towel or whatever you use in a warmer place to rise twice its size, depending on the season and the warmth if your house this might take from 40 minutes to 2 hours.
-After it rises, divide the dough into two.
-With a little bit of oil and your hands make each piece into a 15 X 15 cm circle or a squarish circle. Don't worry it doesn't need to be a perfect shape.
-Place the half of the stuffing on your first circle-ish dough. Roll the dough like a cigarette without squeezing it too hard. Do the same for the second dough.
-Brush egg yolk on each roll and sprinkle black n'gella or sesame seeds or don't sprinkle anything.
-Bake at 375 F in a preheated oven for ~25 minutes or until golden brown like a loaf of bread.
-Let cool down for 10 minutes. MAke tea while waiting and dig in. Bon appetit!

Turkish Scrambled Eggs with Vegetables (Menemen)

2021-02-11T08:13:00.000-08:00

Menemen, Turkish style scrambled eggs, is enjoyed both as breakfast or a wholesome meal. It is best in summer when sweet green chilis and juicy tomatoes are in abundance. Best part of menemen is whether you are a great cook or an aspiring one, you cannot go wrong with menemen; the ingredients secure the taste. Must-have traditional ingredients for menemen are eggs, tomato, peppers (preferably sweet green peppers), parsley, and the controversial "onion": People of Turkey are divided when it comes to having menemen with ot without onion. I am a lifelong member of the "no onion" camp.

Here's how I make menemen for four:

6 eggs, well-beaten
4-5 juicy tomatoes, diced
4 fresh peppers, finely chopped (if you cannot find sweet green chilies, you sweet Italian peppers or shishitos, banana peppers or any pepper you like)

1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
salt

1/3 cup feta/white cheese, diced fresh mozzarella, cottage cheese or any kind of cheese you want to try.
1-2 tbsp oil or butter
optional

2 tsp spicy pepper flakes
1 tsp black pepper

If you must: 1 small onion, finely chopped

Nothing is written in stone, so you can use more or less of anything above.

-[If you would like to try menemen with onion, in a frying pan heat oil and add onion. Cook on medium until they're soft but not browned.]

-Add fresh peppers and cook 2-3 minutes.
-Once they're cooked, add tomatoes and salt. Wait until tomatoes change color to a dark red and cook down a little.

-Stir in beaten eggs. Stir constantly.
-Right before eggs are cooked, add your choice of cheese and chopped parsley.
-Serve with bread.

Baked Chicken and Rice (Tavuklu Kapama)

2021-02-08T20:28:00.004-08:00

For every eid/bayram one of my aunties used to make "the traditional" version of this dish, common among Balkan immigrants in Thrace, north western Turkey: lamb pieces cooked in white rice. In time lamb was replaced with chicken due to an increase in the number of picky children in the family, lamb does have a smell. I tried hard to avoid eating the dish with chicken, simply because it was blend and oh so uninteresting; white rice and slightly dry chicken.

I started experimenting with it once the main cook of my favorite "esnaf lokantasi" (trademan's restaurant) in Ankara shared his tips to keep the chicken moist and the dish interesting. I think I nailed it (even my picky 7 year old compliments me when I make this) and this version is absolutely delicious, but you can create your own switching rice with other grains or chicken with lamb. I like it also with bulgur or buckwheat, but this version is the kid favorite in our house.

6-8 chicken drumsticks (or any part you want)
1 bay leaf
3 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp peppercorns
some parsley
2 tbsp olive oil + 2 tbsp butter
1 onion, finely chopped ~1/2 cup
2 cups white rice
1 cup grated tomatoes
2 tomatoes, sliced in 4
~8 shishito peppers (or any kind you want)
1 tsp dried mint (optional)
salt & pepper
1 tbsp or more yogurt
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp paprika

-Put chicken drumstick/pieces in a big pot cover with water 2 inches over. Add bay leaf, garlic cloves, peppercorn, parsley, and 1 tsp salt. Cook for 30-35 mins until chicken is cooked. Do not discard the water. Drain and save.

-In a wide bottom cast iron or steel pot (that can go in the oven) heat olive oil and butter. (the one in the picture is 11.75" diameter, 2.13" deep)

-Add onions and cook until soft on medium, ~7-9 minutes.

-Add grated tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes.

-Add rice, stir for a couple of minutes, until it soaks the tomatoes.

-Add 4 cups of chicken stock that you saved. Add dried mint, salt and black pepper, and wait until it starts to boil.

-Once it starts bubbling, turn in off. Place drumsticks in any pattern you want.

-Place peppers and sliced tomatoes in between chicken pieces.

-Mix yogurt, tomato paste and paprika. Spread this mixture on drumsticks with a brush. This will help them have a nice color and keep them deliciously moist.

-Bake in a preheated oven at 380F for ~30 minutes, until rice absorbs all the water.

-Take out and let rest 5-10 minutes before serving.

Cheese and Olive Cake with Sesame Seeds (Susamlı, Peynirli ve Zeytinli Kek)

2021-02-05T13:40:00.001-08:00

This is my new homesickness and feel-good cake!

1 cup yogurt

3/4 cup olive or sunflower oil

3 eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup feta/white cheese

1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1 cup pitted and chopped black olives

1/2 or more chopped parsley

2-3 tbsp sesame seeds

2-3 tbsp nigella seeds

-Whisk eggs, oil and yogurt together.

-Add in 2 or 3 parts flour along with salt and baking powder. Mix and make sure there are no lumps left.

-Fold in feta/white cheese, parsley, olives, and half of mozzarella cheese.

-Pour the batter in a greased or lined 9 inch cake pan or a square one.

-Sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella on top. Generously sprinkle sesame and/or nigella seeds.

-Bake in a preheated oven at 380-390F for 50-60 minutes or until a knife poked in the middle comes out clean.

-Rest for 15 minutes on a rack to cool down and then gobble up.

Easy Moist Chocolate Cake (Kakaolu Islak Kek)

2021-01-19T17:12:00.004-08:00

This is my interpretation, or I'd love to say improvement, of an '80s classic, moist cocoa cake which was, beyond dispute, the indispensable part of '80s in Turkey; every mom made it and every kid loved it. I cannot even remember how many times I had this as a birthday cake, for mine and others. In the original recipe, you put a cup of the cake batter aside before adding flour and baking powder and pour that batter over the cake once baked to keep it moist. That one cup of batter never sufficed for my taste so I started experimenting to create my ultimate no-fuss extremely moist cake.

While this may not be the super chocolatey cake, it is definitely the easiest and one of the lightest ones to make. It is absolutely a kid and grown up favorite in our house.

for the cake

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1 cup oil, I use sunflower oil
1/3 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

for the sauce

1 cup milk

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup chocolate chips

2 tbsp coffee liqueur or brandy or granulated coffee (all optional)

crushed pistachios, hazelnuts or shredded coconut for decoration on top

-Beat eggs and sugar together, then add milk and oil. Mix until smooth.

-In a separate bowl sift flour, baking powder and cocoa powder.

-Mix dry and wet ingredients together until well combined.

-Pour in a greased 9 inch round baking pan and bake at 380F preheated oven for ~40-45 minutes until a tester poked into the center of the cake comes out clean.

-While the cake is baking, mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a small saucepan and bring to a boil until all melt down. Keep it warm.

-Once the cake is done, give it five minutes on a rack and then place it on a serving plate and slowly pour the sauce on top. You can poke little holes on the surface for the sauce to make its way, kind of wetting a rum cake.

-The kids like ours topped with crushed pistachios but I would prefer mine covered with shredded coconut.

Peppers with Cheese (Lorlu Biber)

2021-01-11T11:38:00.001-08:00

A great Thracian specialty! Just like menemen, peppers with cheese can also be served as a side dish, main dish, or a breakfast treat. Many people enjoy lorlu biber for breakfast or lunch, but in my family we usually have it for dinner with fresh bread. it's really easy to make, and almost impossible to go wrong.

For this recipe you can use as many peppers and as much cheese as you want; as you can see in the first picture I love mine quite cheesy. Traditionally lorlu biber is made with long green peppers called çarliston, i.e. Charleston yet no idea why this name. However, there ares so many different kinds of delicious peppers out there shishitoes, sweet Italian, Hungarian, poblanos, banana peppers, just follow your taste buds.

1 lb green/red/orange/yellow peppers, chopped in rounds (seeds taken out)
1/2 cup ricotta, cottage, or farmers cheese (this can easily go up to 1 full cup)
2-3 tbsp olive oil
salt if needed

-Heat oil in a frying pan.
-When it's really hot, add chopped peppers and saute until they get slightly brown
-Take the peppers out with a slotted spoon and place them on a paper towel to soak excessive oil.

-Add cheese.

-Stir until cheese starts melting.
-Serve hot.

Poached Eggs with Sautéed Spinach (Ispanaklı Poşe Yumurta)

2021-01-05T14:24:00.000-08:00

This is my recipe for merging two of my favorite comfort foods: sautéed spinach with eggs, for which spinach is sautéed with onions on a wide shallow pot or pan and eggs are cracked in little pockets in spinach to cook to perfection with runny yolks and çılbır, which is poached eggs served with garlicy yogurt and topped with olive oil and paprika sauce. And I have to say it is a fine combination with exciting twists. You can use any kind of greens you want or have; spinach, beet greens (see recipes here and here), power greens, etc.

1 bunch spinach, chopped or 3 cups of any greens

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced or chopped

2-3 peppers sweet or spicy, chopped

2-3 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

red pepper flakes

1/2 cup yogurt

1-3 eggs

1 tbsp vinegar

2 tsp salt

-Fill a small saucepan or a pot with water, salt and vinegar and put on low to medium heat. This is for poaching eggs. For poaching eggs, the water should be hot but never boiling. If there's even a slight sign of movement on the surface, you need to turn down the heat and wait for a smooth surface.

-Meanwhile, heat a pan and add olive oil.

-Saute onions until soft and add peppers and garlic.

-Stir for 3-4 minutes and add green and cook on medium to high until wilted.

-Season with salt and black pepper, and if you wish, pepper flakes.

-For poaching: break eggs one at a time into a small bowl and slowly and gently slide it into the water to prevent whites scattering around. depending on the size of your pot cook no more than two eggs at a time. Approximately 2-3 minutes for soft runny yolks and 4-5 for cooked yolks.

-Place sauteed greens on a plate, top with yogurt and then with poached eggs.

-Season with salt, pepper and/or hot sauce.

Mushroom and Green Olive Salad (Yeşil Zeytinli Mantar Salatası)

2021-01-01T13:43:00.000-08:00

Back in the day when I used to live in Ankara, on my way home I used to stop by a well-known supermarket right by my house for its extensive salad bar; and the mushroom and olive salad was my favorite. I had it as a side for dinner or on its own for lunch. With all the fresh herbes and acidity coming from green olives and pickles, it clicked all the right boxes for my sour loving taste buds. I learned some tips on how to make it from the supermarket chef and since then it's been a staple for me.

Nothing is set here; you can use more or less of any ingredient.

for 4 as a side/ for 2 as a main dish

2 cups of sliced mushroom
1 cup of sliced pitted green olives, not the canned olives

1/2 cup corn

1/2 cup finely chopped pickles

1-2 red sweet pepper, finely chopped

4 green onions, finely chopped

1/3 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped

1/8 cup fresh mint, finely chopped

juice of 1 lemon

3-4 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

salt

-Mix 3 cups of water and juice of half lemon in a saucepan and boil the chopped mushrooms for 5 minutes. (lemon juice will prevent the mushroom from darkening, so you need to put the mushrooms in the lemony water as you chop) Drain well and let cool down.

-Mix everything in a bowl.

-Salt to your taste and add other half of the lemon juice and olive oil.

-Drizzle the balsamic vinegar on top and serve.

It goes well as a side for grilled meat or veggies or as a lunch on its own.

Sautéed Spicy Beet Greens

2020-12-10T15:09:00.004-08:00

Beet greens, stems and leaves, although usually discarded, are in fact quite healthy, sweet, and delicious when cooked in simple ways. There are a couple of different ways of cooking beet greens in Turkish cuisine. The following recipe is a simple one rice and olive oil.

We get beets, red or golden, from the csa farm box almost every week and absolutely love to use them to pickle or for salads and risottos. I save the greens for my lunch. I love sauteing them a couple of different ways like this recipe, but this spicy one with jalapenos is my favorite.

beet greens of 1 bunch red or golden beet, stems and leaves chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 or more jalapenos or any hot pepper of your liking, finely chopped

2-3 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

Red pepper flakes

-Heat olive oil in a pot.

-Add onion and cook on medium 3-4 minutes until soft.

-Add beet stems, jalapeno, and garlic. Sauté another 3 minutes.

-Add chopped leaves, salt and pepper and keep sauteing on low to medium for ~10 minutes.

-Salt and pepper to taste. Add hot pepper flakes if you wish.

-Serve at room temperature or cold, preferably with yogurt on top, and baguette on the side. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and Tabasco sauce for more fun!

Green Lentil Salad (Yeşil Mercimek Salatası)

2020-09-28T13:47:00.001-07:00

If you are a lentil lover, this could be one the most delicious and nutritious salads. While studying for my qualifying exams at the library all day as a graduate student, green lentil salad was my lunch for at least three days a week.

There's nothing written in stone: You can use more or less of anything down below. In Turkey this salad is usually dressed with pomegranate molasses, however I don't enjoy the slight sweetness that comes with it, so I prefer crisp tartness of lemons.

For 4 people
1 cup green lentils

4-5 scallions, finely chopped

2-3 red sweet Italian peppers, finely chopped

1/2 cup roasted red peppers, chopped

1/2 cup dill or cucumber pickles, or cornichon pickles finely chopped

1/2 cup or a bit more canned corn

1/3 cup fresh dill, finely chopped

1/3 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh mint, finely chopped

salt

juice of 1 lemon

a generous 1/4 cup of olive oil

optional

2-3 tbsp pomegranate molasses (It's widely available at international or middle eastern stores)

1/4 cup pickled jalapenos, finely chopped (I absolutely love having pickled jalapenos in this salad, sour and spicy is a perfect combination)

1/4 cup pickled peppers, finely chopped

1/3 - 1/2 cup crumbled feta

-Put 1 cup green lentils in a pot with 4-5 cups of water and cook for ~15 minutes. Check to see if they're cooked after 1o minutes. Lentils should be cooked but not mushy. Immediately rinse in a colander or sieve; we don't want the lentil to cook more in the hot water. 1 cup will make a lot of lentils, perfect for company or lunch for everyday.

-Chop everythıng finely as if you're trying to match them with lentils.

-Salt to your taste.

-Add juice of one lemon. One lemon is usually good for this many lentils but you can use less as well. I usually add a bit more. (If you would like to add pomegranate molasses balance it with lemon juice)

-Add olive oil and toss.

Enjoy!

Chickpea Rice with Chicken (Tavuklu Nohut Pilav)

2020-09-22T11:34:00.003-07:00

In Orhan Pamuk's 2014 novel A Strangeness in My Mind, we read Istanbul and Mevlut's story, a street vendor who comes to Istanbul at an early age from a village in mid-Anatolian city Konya. Drawing inspiration both from bildungsromans and picaresque novels, The Strangeness in My Mind documents the transformation of Mevlut into a grown happy man alongside the transformation of the city. Mevlut sells yogurt, and mainly boza, but at one point in his life he sells chickpea rice with chicken on the streets of Istanbul. How Mevlut and his beloved wife Rahiya prepares and sells this popular street food is described in such detail in the chapter titled "Rice With Chickpeas: Food Tastes Better When It's Got Some Dirt In It" that everytime I read that chapter I make chickpea rice with chicken. I cannot help it.

Pilaf/rice has always been an important part of Turkish cuisine and particularly chickpea rice has a long history: you can read the recipe and the story here. Chickpea rice with chicken has been for decades a favorite street food that used to be sold only in street carts but thanks to its popularity, available in many restaurants now. You can find this simple nutritious dish at any time of the day yet it's become a favorite as a late night, post-bar hour food; after drinking, before heading home for a good sleep. Must-haves of this street food is pickled hot peppers and ground black pepper. Although some vendors have yogurt on the side, pickled pepper is the way to go. Some vendors prepare the chicken, just like Rayiha in the novel, with spices like oregano and paprika, and garlic, but the most common way is just plain chicken: most people refrain from having spiced up chicken thinking spices are used to cover up the smell or appearance of old/leftover chicken from previous day.

I've had my fair share of chickpea rice with chicken in different locals and from different vendors that I got to perfect my homemade version of this beloved street food and plus this is a kid favorite in my house.

for 4-6 people

2 cups short grain rice (In Turkey most commonly used and favored one is a type of arborio called baldo)
1/2 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight or 1 can of chickpeas
2 chicken breast, preferably with skin on
1 small onion, peeled and halved
1 bay leaf
1 tsp peppercorns
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
salt

-Soak chickpeas overnight. The next day cook them for 15-20 minutes until cooked but not mushy soft. 1/2 cup makes ~1 1/2 cups of cooked chickpeas. OR use a can of chickpeas

-Place rice in a bowl and cover with enough water to go 1 inch or more above the rice. We're going to soak the rice and loosen the starch while chicken is cooking.

-Place chicken breasts in a pot with onion halves, bay leaf and peppercorns. Cover with enough water, add 1 tbsp salt and cook ~35-40 minutes, until thoroughly cooked, first on high then simmer. While simmering the chicken will form some foamy stuff on top. Discard them.

-Once it's cooked, take the chicken with a slotted spoon and let cool. We need that broth. Set a strainer or a skimmer over a large bowl and strain broth by pouring it to the strainer. Discard the onion, bay leaf and peppercorns. Save the broth.

-25-30 minutes into chicken boiling, drain the rice and rinse under cold water.

-Heat a wide bottom pot, because we never want to crowd the rice. Add butter and olive oil, it might seem like a lot of butter and oil for 2 cups of rice, but it ain't street food if it's not greasy.

-Add rice into the pot, with gentle movements, we don't want to break the rice, stir the rice for 4-5 minutes until almost translucent.

-Add chickpeas. Stir, again gently, for another 2 minutes.

-Add 3 cups of chicken stock that we sere saving-if you gave less than 3 cups, top it with water. Add 1 tsp salt (since we had already salted the broth, don't go heavy on the salt here)

-First bring to a boil and then cook on low covered for 15-20 minutes until all the water is absorbed. Don't stir the rice while cooking, we don't want to break it. When the water is absorbed, check the bottom of the pot with a spoon to see if the water is all gone, cover the top of the pot with a clean kitchen towel or a paper towel and place the lid tightly on top. We want to get all the moisture from the rice so it won't be sticky or mushy, a big NO for rice in Turkey. It should be "tane tane," each grain separate. Let sit for 10 minutes, we call this process "brewing."

-While the rice is "brewing," make the pulled chicken, small thin pieces are better than bigger ones.

-If your chicken gets cold, move the rice to one side of the pot and put the chicken to the other, close the lid. They'll warm each other up.

Serving: Chickpea with rice is usually served with the upside down bowl trick. Place a scoop of rice in a smallish bowl, fill to the brim and press down. Turn the bowl upside down on a plate as if you're making sand castles. You have a rice dome now. Place pulled chicken pieces on top generously. Sprinkle ground black pepper and add spicy or not spicy pickles to the plate and you have the perfect street food.

Bon Appétit!

Antalya Bean Salad (Antalya Usulü Piyaz)

2020-09-19T15:13:00.004-07:00

Piyaz is what we call bean salads in Turkey, but the term is actually Persian and means "onion." Piyaz is usually prepared with cannellini beans and kneaded onion; dressed with olive oil and vinegar; spiced up with pepper flakes; and decorated with tomatoes, parsley, and hard-boiled eggs. Depending on the region, piyaz might have green onions or sumac. However, in Antalya, a beautiful city with magnificent beaches and rich history on the Mediterranean coast, piyaz is made differently than the rest of Turkey. The difference is tahini and garlic, which had put me off at my first try because it was so different and incredibly rich than the piyazs I was used to. In Tekirdag, my hometown, and in Antalya piyaz is usually served with grilled meatballs.

I've had different versions of Antalya bean salad in years. Sometimes the difference is how it's served; with or without onions, sometimes it's the beans; sometimes the beans are served warm and sometimes at room temperature; and sometimes it's the sauce; some add smashed or pureed beans to the sauce, some add a little bit of sugar to level the tahini, and some add cumin, which I liked a lot. This is how I make my Antalya bean salad at home to go with grilled meatballs.

2 cups of cooked cannellini beans (save the cooking water)
1 small onion, cut finely in julienne or half-moons (in Antalya, they serve the onion diced, but I prefer julienne)
1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 or two hard boiled eggs, sliced or grated (I don't like eating cold eggs, so I skip this one)
1 tomato, peeled if you feel like it and diced

the sauce

1/2 cup tahini
4 tbsp vinegar, red wine or apple
Juice of half a lemon
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 - 1/3 cup olive oil

1tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cumin, if you want to try it with cumin

-Soak the beans overnight. Bring them to a boil and then on medium heat cook them until soft but never mushy, they should be holding themselves fine. Save the cooking water. OR, ofcourse, use canned beans.

-In a bowl mix first tahini and vinegar to a smooth consistency. It will get clumpy; it's fine, it will loosen up. Just keep stirring.

-Add minced garlic, salt, and garlic. If the sauce is thick, this is where we will add the cooking water from beans, a couple of tablespoons at a time, slowly. Use a whisk to get rid of clumps. Add water until you have a smooth tahini sauce, but not very runny. The tahini sauce shouldn't be too runny or thick. Since different tahini brands have different density, I cannot tell you exactly how many tablespoons of water you need. Finally add lemon juice and half of the olive oil and whisk again.
-First place the beans on a plate (I like the warm bean version so I keep the beans in the pot until I serve them to keep them warm). In Turkey piyaz is usually served on oval, slightly deep serving platters so you have enough sauce to dip your crusty bread in.

-Slice the onion thinly julienne style and knead with 1 tsp salt in a bowl. Rinse and squeeze the excess water and place on the bean.

-Add diced tomatoes on top.

-This is where that boiled egg will come. You can add the egg chopped or grated on top.

-Pour the tahini dressing over everything on the plate evenly.

-Sprinkle finely chopped parsley on top of everything.
-Finally, dress with the rest of the olive oil and serve with a lemon slice or half a lemon on the side, because there's no such thing as piyaz being "too sour." Piyaz is usually tossed at the table and you have to, have to soak that juice with bread!