Mücver (zucchini fritters)

5-6 small firm zucchinis, grated or left over zucchini carvings from stuffed zucchinis (makes ~4 cups)
3 eggs
1/3 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1/3 cup chopped fresh dill
2-3 tbsp or 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint (depending on how much you like mint)
3-4 green onions, finely chopped
1 cup white cheese/feta
1 tbsp paprika
salt
black pepper
~1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup olive oil for frying

-Put grated zucchini in a colander. Sprinkle with salt and let drain for 10 minutes. Squeeze and place in a bowl.
-Mix well all the ingredients except for flour and frying oil.
-Add flour in slowly and mix well.
-Heat oil in a frying pan. On medium drop scoops of mücver mixture in hot oil. Make sure they don’t touch.
-Fry them on each side until golden brown, 4-5 minutes.
-Drain excessive oil by placing fritters on paper towels.
-Serve with plain yogurt or garlicy yogurt sauce. For garlicy yogurt sauce beat every 1 cup of yogurt with 1 clove of minced garlic.

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from almost turkish.

chicken liver pilaf (Ic Pilav)

i see the vegans out there already wrinkling their noses. substitutions, baby! my chosen protein source for this dish will DEFINITELY be chicken livers – super cheap, crammed FULL of protein, a good use of a byproduct of our culture’s wings-and-breasts chicken obsessions (seriously, how did wings ever become so popular?) and SO DELICIOUS.

but what’s stopping you from making a delicious turkish rice pilaf with nuts and dried fruit? turn that ‘chicken liver’ into chunks of fried eggplant, extra nuts and seeds, chunks of a lentil loaf, or just skip the chunks of protein entirely and toss in some of yesterday’s bean salad or soup! pilafs are a great way to use up the four bites of yesterday’s dinner that you lost your appetite for.

ic pilav

3/4 cup rice
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
100 gr liver, chicken or lamb, cut in small pieces
2 tbsp pine nuts
2 tbsp current
1 cup hot chicken or beef broth
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
Salt
Pepper

Garnish:
1 tbsp dill, chopped

Melt the butter in a cooking pot. Saute the onion with butter for 2-3 minutes while stirring. Add the liver, nuts, current and saute for another 3-4 minutes. Then add rice, cinnamon, allspice, salt and pepper, stir. Pour hot beef broth or chicken stock in it. Cover the lid. Turn the heat down to low and cook until the rice absorbs all the water. Let the Pilaf stand for about 5 minutes. Garnish with dill, then serve.

walnut-stuffed figs

walnut-stuffed dried figs

walnut and hazelnut yogurt dip

walnut and hazelnut yogurt dip