TURKISH MEZE RECIPES

Turkish Cuisine is full of amazing tastes and defiantly not only about Kebab! Most of the people who visit Turkey get shock with this rich cuisine. The fun part is, the taste of the foods and the ingredients  are so different in Turkey when you travel to South, North, West and East. 

While south uses many different chili peppers, meat and salca (Turkish Tomato paste), north has more simple foods such as grilled local seafood and cornbread. 

When it comes to Meze, it is also so rich and vary!

We decided to write about Two different meze recipes.

First one is `Ezme` which is from the South Eastern part of Turkey with lots of chili and made to be served before meat.

And `Haydari`, it belongs to Western part of Turkey a fresh taste and can be served before seafood or meat.

EZME

• 3 Large Tomatoes
• 4 fresh chillies
• 1 large red pepper, seeds removed
• 1 medium cucumber
• 1 large onion
• 2 bunch parsley
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp salça (tomato puree)
• 1/2 tsp dried mint
• Salt
• 
  
• Place a pan of water on the hob and bring to the boil.
• Plunge your tomatoes into the water for just under 1 minute and then remove them.
• You can now remove the skin from the tomatoes
• Scoop out the seeds of tomatoes with a teaspoon and discard the seeds.
• Chop your tomatoes finely and add them to a large bowl.
• Chop the pepper, onion, chillies and cucumber finely.
• Chop the parsley finely before adding that to your other ingredients.
• Add the mint, oil, vinegar, salca and salt.
• Give everything a good mix and do a taste test.
• Ezme is supposed to be spicy so feel free to add more chili if necessary, if it seems too loose, add more salça.
• Place in the fridge for at least half an hour before serving.

                                                   HAYDARI

• 2 tablespoons feta cheese,
• 2 Cups Turkish Yogurt
• 2 clove garlic,
• 1 handful minced dill,
• 1 handful minced fresh mint leaves,
• Salt
• Olive Oil
• Mash the cheese using a fork and stir into the yoghurt,
• Add the grated / crushed garlic, dill, mint and salt and stir really well,
• Put into a serving platter and pour some olive oil over.

If you are willing to serve your mezes in a Turkish way you can check out our Handmade Turkish Ceramic Meze/Breakfast Serving Sets!

LET´S HAVE SOME FUN - TURKISH CERAMICS

We are longing for Spring, maybe more than ever! You know how beautiful it gets with spring all the colors and the amazing waking up energy. Today we had some fun with our Spring Arrival Turkish Ceramic Bowls and Plates. It is amazing how they bring such color to any spaces! Here are some ideas how to use them.

Turkish Copper Trays are perfect for serving, but they also add an authentic touch when you want to decorate your Turkish Ceramics.

You can shop this set with the Tray, HERE.

All these Mediterranean colors are warming up our soul! Firuze Bowls, Small Relief Bowls and Iznik Ceramic Plates are simply perfect for spring/summer and you be ready to get many compliments when you serve to your guests or family with them :-)

No secret that we LOVE Suzani fabric and they are perfect for every season! If you are willing to create a happy and colorful space, using suzani with Turkish Ceramics is a great idea!

ALACATI IN JANUARY, UNDISCOVERED BEAUTY OF TURKEY

Ah this was a great idea! People who live in big cities will understand, sometimes you just need two days gateway to a small town to freshen up and get more creative. Turkey is a gold mine for this idea, there are so many amazing small cities or towns that recharge you and you go back with so many new ideas without even noticing.

When we called Alacati "Undiscovered", do not think that this town is a hidden place. It has became so popular among Turkish people last few years during summers and it is almost impossible to book a hotel unless you do it at least two months ago before summer. 

This very western part of Turkey town looks like a mix of Greek Islands, Southern Italy and Spain

the extreme Mediterranean spirit! It seems like every local person of Alacati has a great taste of decorating as we had to stop in every corner to take a pictures!

We have started our day with a huge Turkish Breakfast at our hotel Viento Alacati Hotel. Everything was homemade or shopped from the local Alacati Bazaar.

When we saw all these fresh veggies, it was hard not to take the picture of :-)

Even though it is January, the weather is perfect here. We only wear thin jackets and we can use our sunglasses! This made us think, Alacati might be a great spot for Honeymoon couples during winter, maybe?

When we walk to the centre we found small local boutiques with handmade souvenirs and amazing antique pieces! Of course we picked many pieces for our webshop :-)

This Art Gallery is such a popular spot. Inside you can find from paintings to pottery, many different pieces, it is a good idea to bring a piece to home as a memory, we found one painting!

You can go into other boutique hotels to have some samovar made Turkish Tea and have a conversation with the sweet owners. Might be because of beautiful nature or all the organic foods, the local people here are amazing!

Food means `meze` when you go to the Western part of Turkey. As the life is calmer than the rest of the Turkey, they love enjoying long lunch or dinners. We had our lunch at the restaurant `Fava`and it was A-MAZING! 

Our hotel room. It was great to wakeup to calm sunny morning, we are coming back soon!

Planing to come to Alacati? For your questions, trip advices and reservations about Alacati, please email us to;

contact@grandbazaarshopping.com

You can shop all the pieces we have handpicked from Alacati on our website:

www.grandbazaarshopping.com

EZOGELIN SOUP RECIPE - NEW YEAR NEW SOUP

Most people who visit Turkey love this delicious soup! As it is one of our favorite, we thought you might want to try this recipe on the first days of 2016!

• 1 yellow onion
• 1 ½ cups red lentils
• ½ cup large grain rice
• ¼ cup Turkish bulgur
• 1 heaping tbsp. flour
• 4 tbsp. butter/margarine
• 2 tbsp. sweet red pepper paste or tomato paste (salca)
• 8 cups beef broth or boullion
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. hot red pepper flakes (preferably Turkish pepper, more or less to taste)
• 1 tsp. dried mint (to taste)
• PREPARATION
• Melt 3 tbsp. of the butter or margarine in a large, covered saucepan. Add the onion and fry until translucent and very tender. Next add the flour and stir until bubbly, but be careful not to let the flour brown or burn.
• Mix the pepper or tomato paste with two tablespoons of water, then add to the flour and stir until well combined. Next, slowly add the beef broth while stirring constantly. Continue stirring the mixture over high heat until it comes to a boil.
• 
  
• Wash the red lentils, rice and bulgur together in a fine wire strainer until the water runs clear. Add them to the boiling mixture. Add the salt, then reduce the heat and cover the pan. If you are using boullion, you may need to reduce the added salt. Let the soup slowly simmer until the rice and bulgur are very soft and the lentils have fallen apart, about 20 minutes.
   
• Melt the remaining 1 tbsp. of butter in a small skillet or pan. Add the hot pepper flakes and mint and stir over the heat for a minute or two. Stir the butter and spices into the soup and let it simmer a few minutes more. If the soup seems too thick, add a little more water or broth. Adjust the salt and spices to your taste.
   
• Serve a sliver of lemon for squeezing along with each bowl of soup as a garnish. We also suggest to put small bowls of red pepper flakes and mint on the table for sprinkling on top.

        Afiyet olsun! (Enjoy it!)

TULIP FIGURE IN TURKISH CULTURE

If you have ever visited Turkey, It is hard to miss the Tulip figures that are used on ceramic walls in Blue Mosque, doors in Topkapi Palace or ceilings in Grand Bazaar.. In Turkish Culture, Tulips always have a special place and meaning. Since the Ottoman Empire, the main reason Ottoman palaces and gardens are dressed with tulips is the meaning of 'Tulip flower' in sufism.

According to Sufism, Tulip, because of its red color and shape; considered as face, cheeks and lips of the loved one. Today, you can see Tulip figures in Mosques, Palaces and even in modern Turkish Ceramics in Turkey.

You can check out our Turkish Ceramic Plates with Tulip figures to get a traditional Turkish touch to your spaces!