After about a month going through Africa I am now starting a new journey in Turkey, going through a few countries in the middle east and then going east through India and south east Asia. This is a new chapter with many new recipes, new tastes and a lot of learning I hope!

As stated above, the first country of this new adventure is Turkey. Here are a few facts about Turkey:

• Capitals: Ankara
• Population: about 75 million
• Area: 783 356 km²
• Currency: Turkish Lira

For this turkish meal I made Iskender kebap which is marinated thinly sliced beef in a tomato sauce. It usually comes with plain yogurt but I decided to make Cacik with it. Cacik is yogurt and cucumber with garlic and mint. It is similar to tzatziki. To accompany the whole meal I made pide ekmek which is a flat bread with seeds on it. Here are the recipes for all these dishes.

Iskender kebap

Ingredients:

For the marinade:

• 1 pound of ribeye steak
• 1 large onion
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper

For the tomato sauce:

• 3 tablespoon tomato paste
• Red pepper flakes to taste (I used 1/2 teaspoon)
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups water
• salt and pepper

For the side vegetables:

• 1 green bell pepper
• 3 tomatoes

Directions:

First we need to prepare the marinade. Thinly slice the meat and beat it with a rolling pin or a meat tenderizer to get very thin and long slices. Grate the onion and measure the spices and oil.

Squeeze the grated onion and keep the juice. Discard the pulp. Combine all the ingredients and cover with cling wrap. Let it marinate at least 8 hours, ideally overnight.

The next day, take the meat out of the fridge 1 hour before cooking so it is room temperature when you cook it.

In the meantime, measure the ingredients for the tomato sauce and cut the bell pepper in long strips and the tomatoes in wedges.

In a saucepan, heat the olive oil and the tomato paste with salt, pepper and the red pepper flakes.

Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 10-15 minutes uncovered.

In a large sauté pan, brown the meat and lightly char the red pepper and tomatoes. Serve with yogurt or Cacik (keep scrolling for recipe) and pita or Pide bread (keep scrolling for recipe).

Cacik

Ingredients:

• 1 cucumber
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped mint

Directions:

Thinly chop the cucumber, press the garlic in a garlic press or thinly chop. Thinly chop the mint.

Combine all the ingredients, add salt and pepper and mix well. Add a little bit of water if too thick.

Pide Ekmek

Ingredients:

• 450g all purpose flour
• 7g or 1/4 oz packet of dry yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 175ml warm water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoon yogurt
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 egg (to brush on before cooking)
• poppy seeds and sesame seeds to taste

Directions:

First step is to measure all the ingredients.

Add half the water, the sugar and the dry yeast to a bowl and let it sit for 2-3 minutes.

Sift the flour and the salt into a large bowl. Dig a well in the center and add the yeast mixture, olive oil, yogurt and the rest of the water.

Mix all the ingredients until you get a sticky dough, if the dough doesn’t stick together add a little bit of water.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Return to the bowl and cover with a wet towel. Let the dough sit for 1 and a half hour. It should double in size.

Preheat the over on 400F.

Punch the dough down, knead for 1 minute and divide in 2 equal balls. Flatten the balls with your hand until you get 2 discs. Make sure the edge of the discs have a thick lip. Indent the dough with your fingers

Beat the egg and brush the discs. Add the poppy and sesame seeds to taste and put in the oven on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Hadi yiyelim!