Breaded fish with Mushrooms and Cheese

Hello  2013 and hello everyone!! I wish all of you a Happy happy Prosperous New year!! To start with my 2013 series.. got a new recipe for you to enjoy!! :)

Breaded Fish with mushrooms and Cheese

Ingredients:

2  levrek ( Bass) fish

Filling: 

100 gr. mushrooms sliced

1 medium carrot diced

1 onion  minced

1 egg beaten

parsley

2 tbsps. grated cheese

salt and pepper to taste

20 gr. butter for sauteeing

Dough:

1/2 cup   milk at room temperature                          2 tbsps. sugar

1 tsp. dry yeast                                                        1 tsp. salt                          

1 egg                                                                       about 2  1/2 cups sifted flour

2 tbsps. vegetable oil

Procedure:

First and foremost, we have to wash and clean the fish, removing their scales and gills. Slice open the side and remove the back bone of the fish as shown in the picture.

Wipe the outside of the fish with a paper towel, then season the fish with salt and pepper. When the filling is cold, stuff in to the fish and set aside.

Filling:

 Step 1. Make an omelet with the egg and slice in strips and set aside.

Step 2. In a cooking pan, melt butter for sauteeing.

Step 3. Add in the minced onions and diced carrots. Cook for at least 5 minutes or till onions turn translucent.

Step 4. Add in the sliced mushrooms and cook till carrots and mushrooms are tender. Season with salt and pepper.  Turn off the heat.

Step 5.  Mix the strips of omelet, minced parsley and grated cheese. Set aside to cool.

Dough:

Step 1. In a clean bowl, mix together dry yeast, 2 tsp. lukewarm water and pinch of granulated sugar, wait for 5 minutes for the yeast to ferment.

Step 2. To the fermented yeast, add milk, egg, oil, sugar. Beat with a wooden spoon or a whisk till well combined.

Step 3. Mix salt to the sifted flour and add in to the yeast mixture.

Step 4. Mix and knead till you get a clean and elastic dough. Cover with a clean dishcloth and let it rest in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Assembly:

Step 1. Roll out the dough and flatten with a rolling pin. The flatten dough must be about 1 cm. thick. Place the stuffed dish to the center of your dough.

Step 2. here's the fun part... Make slits parallel to each side in the dough as shown in the picture. Starting at the bottom of the fish, leave the one slit and start braiding at the 2nd slit till you reach at the top. To braid ...lift one slit from the right side and pass it to the left side of the fish then lift a parallel slit from the left side overlapping over the previous braid... and so on.  Reaching at the top of the fish, wrap the head of the fish with the top dough then do the last strip on top of the wrapped head. For the tail, going back to the tail, braid DOWN the skipped slits that we had at 

                                                      start. With an extra dough, make a small round dough for the eye.

Step 3. Hope this picture will help you out in braiding. Swipe with an eggyolk on top of the braided fish. Bake in a preheated 200C for about 20 mins., or till the crust turns golden brown.

To serve:  Cut slices at the CENTER of the fish leaving out part of the tail as for the presentation... ENJOY!! :)

Elmali Kurabiye ( Cookies with apple filling)

Elmali Kurabiye 

Ingredients:

Filling:                                             Dough:

 2-3 green apples                           1 pack margarine 250 g.
3 tbsps. granulated sugar                4 tbsps. powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder         3/4 glass of vegetable oil
crushed walnuts                              3 tbsps. yoghurt
                                                      1 pack baking powder 10g
                                                      3+ cups all purpose flour



Procedures:
Filling:



Step 1. Wash, peel and grate the apples.

Step 2. In a clean cooking pan, put in the grated apples and the granulated sugar.

Step 3. Cook in medium heat till no water will be in the pan.

Step 4.  Turn off the heat and add up the cinnamon powder and crushed walnuts. Mix well. Set aside to cool.





Dough:

In a clean bowl, put in the  dough ingredients except for the flour ... add the flour little by little till the dough won't stick to your hands while mixing . The dough must be SOFT. Form the dough into 8 balls.

Assembly:

Get 1 ball of dough, and with your own palm, flatten the ball into rounds and cut into 8 parts. On top of each part, spread out the filling and roll each part up ( as seen in the pic).. You can also use any marmalade as filling.

Bake in 200C for 20 minutes or till the bottom turns golden brown.
Cool when the cookies are well baked.

Sprinkle powder sugar on top before serving.

Avocado cheesecake

Avocado Cheesecake

Ingredients:

100 grms. butter ( melted)

300 grms crackers ( around 2 packs  of Burcak )

2 packs Labne cream cheese @ 200g. each pack

200 g. granulated sugar

1 tbsp. cornflour

3 eggs ( at room temp.)

2 tbsps. lemon juice

2 cups ripe avocado ( approximately 2 pcs. medium size )

Procedures: Preheat oven to 180C

let's start by preparing our baking pans... Brush the base and sides of pan with a little of melted butter.

Remove the base from the tin. Cut a round of parchment paper to fit the base of   the tin, brush the paper with butter and set aside.

Preparing for the crust.

Crush the biscuits in a food processor, or simply crush the biscuits into tiny crumbles.

With the crumbles, add the remaining melted butter and mix well.

Pour the crumb mixture into the base of the baking pan.

With the aid of any tumbler or flat glass, press the crumb mixture , tapping firmly with the base of a glass tumbler as you go.

this is the ready crust now, and set aside for the meantime.

Preparing for the batter

 wash and cut open the avocados, spoon out the flesh and put in a clean bowl, and lightly mash the flesh.

With a whisk or a spoon, add in the lemon juice and mix well.  Set aside.

In a clean mixing bowl, put in the cheese and sugar.

 Beat cream cheese and sugar will smooth. Beat in cornflour.

 Add eggs one at a time, beating till smooth.

Add the lemon juice and avocado mixture and beat briefly to combine.

 Pour the batter into the tin

 With aluminom foil, wrap tightly the bottom of the pan for this will be bake with WATER BATH.

 Place the baking pan in a large baking dish and pour boiling water into the dish to come halfway up the sides of our baking pan.
Bake for 50 minutes then turn off the oven BUT DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR FOR A FURTHER AN HOUR.





 Lift the tin from the water bath. Cool and set aside for 20 minutes.

 Cover the top of the baking tin and let it stay in the refrigerator for at least a day.... Serve and enjoy top with brown sugar or any sweet toppings that you would love to.

Braised Chicken Liver ( Ciğer Kavurması)

Braised Chicken Liver ( Ciğer Kavurması)

Ingredients:

 1 pack of chicken liver washed ( cut into bite size )
 2 tbsps. cooking oil
 1 onion chopped
 2 green pepper chopped
 1 tbsp. tomato paste
 salt, ground black pepper, red pepper flakes



Procedures:

  Step 1. In a clean cooking pan, put in the washed and sliced chicken liver and cook in a moderate heat. WITHOUT OIL

 Cook until the the water released from the liver will evaporate.

 Step 2. Add in all the remaining ingredients, stir and cook till the onions and pepper are cooked.

This is best served with turkish rice or even with only their plain bread.
Enjoy!