Jale Balci Recipes - Jale Balcı | Chef, Cookbook Writer & Food Styling

Chickpea and Eggplant Stew

SERVES 4-6

INGREDIENTS

10 whole	Baby eggplants, peeled in stripes
1 cup	Chickpeas, boiled
1 cup	Tomato, diced
1 bowl	Cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
1 whole	Red onion, large, chopped
10 cloves	Garlic
1 teaspoon	Granulated sugar
1 dessert spoon	Pepper paste
a pinch of	Ground cinnamon
	Thyme sprigs
½ cup	Late harvest olive oil
	Salt
	Black pepper
	Red pepper flakes

PREPARATION & SERVING

Place all the ingredients in a pot, and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cover with water, and drizzle with olive oil.

Cook on the stove over low heat or in the oven at 200°C (400°F).

Baked Cauliflower with Peanut Butter Sauce

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

1 whole	Cauliflower, medium sized
	Butter, softened
	Olive oil
	Ground chili pepper
	Salt
	Water

	For the sauce
1 tablespoon	Peanut butter
3 sprigs	Fresh mint
3 tablespoons	Sour pomegranate syrup
4 tablespoons	Olive oil
1 tablespoon	Jalapeño peppers, sliced

PREPARATION & SERVING

Preheat the oven to 180°C (375°F).

Wash the cauliflower thoroughly, and dry well.

Fill a pot with water. Add a dash of salt and bring to a boil. Place the cauliflower in the boiling water and boil for 8-10 minutes, remove from the pot, and dry.

Mix together the olive oil and ground chili, then coat the boiled cauliflower thoroughly with the mixture. Bake the cauliflower in the oven for 15 minutes, and remove from the oven. Using a brush, cover it completely with the softened butter. Return to the oven. Repeat the butter coating two more times and bake until crispy on the outside.

Place the sauce ingredients in a food processor, and blend until creamy. Pour the mixture over the cauliflower as soon as it’s removed from the oven, and serve.

NB: You can also fry the cauliflower in olive oil after boiling and serve it with the sauce.

Chargrilled Eggplant Börekitas

SERVES 6-8

INGREDIENTS

	For the dough
280 g (10 oz)	Flour
100 g (3.5 oz)	Butter, soft
100 ml (3.5 fl oz)	Late harvest olive oil
80 ml (2,7 fl oz)	Water
1 teaspoon	Salt
½ cup	Cheddar cheese, grated
1 whole	Egg, separated

	For the filling
2 whole	Eggplants, chargrilled and mashed
2 tablespoons	Cream
	Salt
	Black pepper

	For the surface
	Egg yolk

PREPARATION & SERVING

Preheat the oven to 180°C (375°F).

Mix the mashed eggplants with cream, salt, and black pepper. Let it cool.

Mix the dough ingredients by hand and knead. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.

Roll out the dough and cut circular shapes using a cookie cutter or a cup. Place the eggplant mixture on the circles and fold into a crescent. To prevent the edges from opening, either dip them in egg whites or press down on them firmly with your fingertips.

Place a piece of baking paper on an oven tray and then lay out the pastries on the paper, making sure to leave enough space between them. Coat the surface with egg yolk.

Bake in the oven until slightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Börekitas are soft when hot and crunchy when cold.

Cheese Spread

SERVES 6

INGREDIENTS

100 g (3.5 oz)	Feta cheese
2 tablespoons	Cream cheese
3 tablespoons	Olive oil

	For the sauce
⅓ cup	Olive oil
1 cup	Multicoloured cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
	Fresh thyme or rosemary

	To serve
	Sesame bagel or croutons

PREPARATION & SERVING

In a food processor, blend the cheese, the cream cheese, and the olive oil until creamy. Place the mixture on a serving dish.

For the sauce, heat a pan on the stove. Sauté the tomatoes in olive oil for 2-3 minutes. While still hot, pout over the cheese and garnish with thyme.

Serve hot with sesame bagel or croutons.

Zucchini Moutabel

SERVES 4-6

INGREDIENTS

4 medium-sized	Zucchini, grated
1 clove	Garlic, crushed
5 tablespoons	Late harvest olive oil
3 tablespoons	Yoghurt, strained
2 tablespoons	Tahini
1 whole	Lemon, juiced
1 dessert spoon	Butter
3-4 sprigs	Fresh dill, finely chopped
a pinch of	Cumin
	Red pepper flakes
	Black pepper
	Salt
	Pomegranate seeds

PREPARATION & SERVING

Roast the grated zucchini in a pan with the olive oil.

Slowly add the tahini, lemon juice, yoghurt, and cumin, then stir. Place on a serving plate.

Melt the butter with the red pepper flakes and drizzle it over the zucchini. Sprinkle the dill on top.

Add the pomegranate seeds, serve at room temperature or chilled.

Potato Köfte with Hot Meat Sauce

Ingredients (Serves 6)

2 cups bulgur

cup hot water

3 medium potatoes, boiled

2 heaping tbs. pepper paste

1 heaping tbs. tomato paste

1 tbs. dried basil

1 tsp. cumin

Black pepper

Parsley, minced

Onion sauce

1 large onion

1 cup olive oil

Meat sauce

250 gr minced beef

1 onion

1 tsp. paprika

1 pinch cumin

Black pepper

Olive oil, salt

Preparation

Mix all the ingredients, except for the potatoes and parsley, with the hot water in a large bowl, letting the bulgur sit for 15 minutes so that it can soften.
Add the boiled and slightly hot potatoes to the mix and knead well. Knead the mixture as if you were kneading çiğ köfte (extremely rough and constant kneading). If the bulgur is still tough, add hot water intermittently.
For the onion sauce, fry the onions and olive oil in a pan until the onions soften but do not get fried.
For the minced beef sauce, lightly fry the onions in olive oil and add the minced beef. Wait until the meat has cooked. Add the black pepper, salt, paprika and cumin once it has.
Once the potatoes and bulgur have been sufficiently kneaded together, stop. Pour the previously prepared onion sauce on the bulgur and mix well until it has been completely absorbed and then add the chopped parsley. Create shapes with your hands and then serve with the meat sauce.

Martedella

Ingredients (Serves 6)

250 gr minced beef

100 gr finely ground breadstick crumbs

3 cloves garlic, finely ground

50 gr walnuts

tsp. köfte spices

Salt

Sauce

1 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tbs. tomato paste

Water

Oil for frying

Preparation

Place the meat and the breadstick crumbs in a large bowl. Slowly add water as you knead the meat and crumb mixture, add the garlic, salt and köfte spices. Knead well and then let it sit for 5 minutes.
Divide the prepared meat into five pieces. Roll one of the pieces in the palm of your hand. Place a walnut in the middle of the patty and after enclosing it completely, roll it. Repeat the same procedure for the other four pieces. Lightly oil the 5 rolls using a brush.
Dissolve the tomato paste in hot water in a bowl.
Heat the oil in a pan.
Lightly fry the rolls in the hot oil. Remove the oil from the pot.
Add the vinegar to the pot that the rolls are in and cook over high heat for 2 minutes. Add the watery tomato paste to the pot (this mixture should just be enough to cover the meat rolls).
Cook for approximately 20-30 minutes. Remove the rolls from the pot, slice them and pour the remaining tomato sauce on top before serving.

NOTE: Martedella is usually prepared in Christian homes for special holidays or occasions and can be served as a main course or as an aperitif.

Lahmi Le Varka

Meat in paper

Ingredients (Serves 4-6)

500 gr ground/minced beef

1 bunch parsley

bunch fresh mint

1 red pepper

5 cloves garlic

1 pinch pepper

1 pinch cumin

Salt

Cooking paper – also known as butcher paper

Preparation

Put the parsley, mint, pepper, and garlic in the food processor and finely chop. Mix this with the meat until it is completely mixed. Add the spices for taste.
Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
Oil the baking paper with olive oil, spread the meat evenly across the paper and leave some space along the sides. Place in a baking tray.
Cook in the pre-heated oven.
Tomato and pepper slices can be added on top of the meat if so desired and then placed in the oven.

Şıhel Mahşi

Ingredients (serves 6)

12 squash/marrow

250 gr ground minced beef

2 onions, chopped

cup green lentils

4 tbs. olive oil

Salt, pepper

Topping

1 tbs. tomato paste

2 cups water

2 tbs. corn oil

1 tbs. butter, cut into small pieces

Preparation

Boil the green lentils for twenty minutes, then strain them.
Core out the insides of the squash without making them too thin.
Place the meat, boiled green lentils, onions, salt and pepper into a bowl and mix.
Stuff the inside of the squash with the prepared stuffing. Place neatly in a pot.
Stir the tomato paste, water and corn oil. Let the paste completely dissolve.
Cook over medium heat. When it starts to boil, take the butter and lightly pour it in and then cook over low heat until the lentils soften.
Serve hot.

NOTE: This meal is served as a main course with yoghurt.

Mamul Kömbe

Cookies/Biscuits with Walnuts or Dates

Ingredients (Serves 12)

Dough

500 gr flour

110 gr powdered sugar

300 gr soft margarine

1 tsp. vanilla

3 egg whites

For the date cookies

1 kg dates

200 gr soft margarine

cup water

For the walnut cookies

250 gr walnuts, ground

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 tbs. granulated sugar

Preparation

Mix the margarine and sugar in a large bowl. Add the vanilla and egg white and stir. Add the flour and knead. When the dough is the consistency of an earlobe, the dough is ready.
Heat the oven to 180-200°C or 350-400°F.
Mix all the ingredients for the date cookies with your hands. You can also mix the ingredients for the walnut cookies with your hands.
Using a wooden mould, take a piece of dough the size of a walnut, place it inside the mould, open up a hole with your finger and put in the mixture the size of 2 tsp. and close the dough. Turn the mould and tap it into your palm. Place on a cooking sheet.
Continue making all cookies in this manner.
Bake until lightly brown.

If you don’t have a mould, place the dough in the palm of your hand, fill and close them. You can make them into any shape you wish.

White Wine Punch

Ingredients (Serves 6)

1 bottle white wine

2 peaches or nectarines, sliced

1 tsp freshly ginger, grated

1 cup (250 mL) peach juice

1 cup pineapple juice

2 limes, sliced

6 tbs (40 mL) lemoncello

2 tbsp lemon syrup

2 ½ tbsp (15 mL) Bacardi

Fresh mint

Ice

Pour all of the ingredients into a large punch bowl, and mix thoroughly.
Place in the fridge for 3 hours to set.
Serve in punch or tall glasses, with ice. Bon appétit!

Veggie Fritters

Ingredients (Serves 6 – 8)

1 zucchini/courgette, grated

1 eggplant/aubergine, grated

2 tbsp red bell pepper, finely chopped

2 tbsp green bell pepper, finely chopped

2 tbsp canned corn

1 tbsp green onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp white onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 potato, grated

2 sprigs dill, finely chopped

2 sprigs parsley, finely chopped

3 tbsp white cheese*, grated

1 egg

Flour, white or all-purpose

Black pepper

Salt

Combine all of the veggies, herbs, and spices in a large mixing bowl.
Add the egg and flour – the latter should be just enough to make a semi-thick fritter batter. Mix everything together thoroughly.
Heat oil in a medium-sized pan. Using a tablespoon, scoop generous dollops of the firtter mixture into the oil, flatten them with the bottom of the spoon, and fry on both sides until golden brown.
Serve hot. Bon appétit!

NOTE FOR ANGLOPHONE READERS:

*White cheese (aka. beyaz peynir) is a soft goat’s cheese unique to Turkey. The closest equivalent would be Greek feta – which makes a good substitute. You may be able to find the real thing at your local Middle Eastern or Balkan deli.

Parmesan Croquettes

INGREDIENTS (Serves 6 – 8)

60 g bread sticks

2 medium-sized potatoes, boiled

80 g Parmesan, grated

50 g fresh kaşar cheese*, grated

1 egg

1 sprig rosemary

1 tsp dried thyme

3 green onions, finely chopped

1 tsp Cajun spice

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

½ tsp chilli pepper flakes

BREADING:

Breadcrumbs

1 egg, whisked

Olive oil (for frying)

DIPPING SAUCE:

1 tsp white wine

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp olive oil

2 red bell peppers, grilled

1 clove garlic, crushed

Salt & white pepper, to taste

PREPARATION

Place the bread sticks in a food processer and lightly crush until they become very coarse crumbs.
Grate the boiled potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Next, add the Parmesan and crushed bread sticks, and mix.
Add the herbs, spices, grated kaşar, green onions, and egg to the potato mixture, and knead everything together. Then, form the mixture into walnut-sized balls.
Set up two separate shallow bowls, one containing a whisked egg, and the other breadcrumbs. Dip the balls first in the egg, then the crumbs.
Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan, and then place the balls in oil and fry until crispy and golden brown.
For the dipping sauce, combine all of the ingredients in a food processer and blend.
Serve the croquets either hot or luke warm. Bon appétit!

NOTE FOR ANGLOPHONE READERS:

* Kaşar is a hard cheese native to Turkey, and similar-ish to cheddar. While any hard cheese would make a reasonable substitute, you might be able to find the real stuff at your local Middle Eastern or Balkan deli.

Zucchini Cups Stuffed with Mussle Rice

Ingredients (Serves 4)

6 zucchinis/courgettes

200 g mussels

3 tbsp white vinegar

¼ cup of white rice, uncooked

100 g mushrooms, finely chopped (soak in water 3 hours beforehand)

¾ cup water

¼ cup olive oil

2 tbsp kaşar cheese*, grated

Salt

Black pepper

Wash, peel, and slice the zucchinis into long thin strips. Next, brush the strips with olive oil and grill them in a skillet.
Steam the mussels in salted water with the vinegar added in. Once cooked, de-shell them.
the mushrooms in salted water. Be careful not to over-boil them; they should be firm.
Heat olive oil in a medium-sized pan; add the rice, and sauté until the gains become semi-transparent. Next, add ¾ cup of water, and simmer until the rice absorbs the liquid.
Combine the mussels and mushrooms into the rice; mix thoroughly. Add ½ cup water, and cook again until the mixture soaks in the water.
. Remove from heat once cooked, add grated kaşar, salt, and pepper, and mix thoroughly.
Pre-heat your oven to 180 °C (356 °F).
Grease a muffin pan/tin. Line each cup with the grilled zucchini slices – the zucchini should be hanging out of the cup.
Pour the rice/mussel mixture into each cup, and then fold over the zucchini edges – thereby enclosing the rice.
Place the pan in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
Once cooked, take the tin out and let it cool down. Then, carefully flip the in over to remove the zucchini cups.
Serve hot or luke warm. Bon appétit!

NOTE FOR ANGLOPHONE READERS:

Beef Pastrami Crêpe Rolls

Ingredients (Serves 10)

Crêpes:

2 eggs

½ cup flour, white or all-purpose

1 cup milk

1 pinch salt

10 g melted butter

Vegetable oil

Stuffing:

10 slices beef pastrami*

80 g labne**

100 g cream cheese

2 sprigs tarragon

½ tsp mustard

For the crêpes, combine the eggs, flour, and milk in a mixing bowl, whisk thoroughly. (If you use a mixer, you’ll get better results!)
Add butter, and salt, and mix again.
Pre-heat a crêpe pan; lightly grease with oil. Pour a ladle’s worth of batter into the pan, and spread the batter around until it covers the entire surface. Cook for 1 minute on a low flame; then, flip over with a spatula, and cook for another 30 seconds or so.
Transfer the cooked crêpe to a plate, and repeat the process until you’ve used up all the batter. Don’t forget to re-grease the pan each time.
In a separate bowl, combine the cheese, mustard, and tarragon, and mix together.
Lay the crêpes out on a clean surface.
Spread a good dollop of the cheese mixture onto each crêpe.
Lay a slice of pastrami over one, and then roll into a cigar. Transfer to a plate.
Cover the finished rolls tightly with cling wrap, and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
Cut into smaller roles and serve chilled. Bon appétit!

NOTE FOR ANGLOPHONE READERS:

*What’s meant by pastrami here are liner meat or cold cuts, as sold at any deli.

**Labne is a kind of cream cheese common in Middle Eastern countries. It tends to be lighter or less dense than standard cream cheese.

Semolina halwa infused w/ orange & pistachios

Ingredients (Serves 8)

120 g pistachios or unsalted peanuts, de-shelled

180 g unsalted butter, cut into cubes

130 g brown sugar

2 eggs

50 g flour, sifted

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp orange peel

125 mL orange juice

185 g semolina

SYRUP:

250 g icing sugar

125 mL orange juice

3 tbsp orange vodka

Preheat your oven to 180 °C (356 °F).
Line a cake pan (22 cm) with baking/parchment paper. The pan should have handles on either side.
Spread the pistachios/peanuts on a separate baking tray, and roast for 8 – 10 minutes. Chop the nuts coarsely once cooled down.
In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar – whisk well. Then, add the vanilla extract, orange peel, and eggs. Mix again.
Add the flour, orange juice, semolina, and nuts, and gently fold everything together using a spatula.
Pour the resulting mixture into the cake pan (See step 2).
Place the pan in the oven, and bake until golden brown.
For the syrup, combine orange juice and sugar in a sauce pan, and stir over medium eat until it comes to a boil. Add in the orange vodka, and remove from heat. Using a spoon, pour the syrup over the halwa.
Cut into slices, and serve with icing sugar. Bon appétit!

Daint Cookie w/ Golden Raisin Jam

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE COOKIE

250 g flour, all-purpose

100 g butter

100 g icing sugar

1 egg

½ tbsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

FOR THE JAM

200 g golden (preferably Iranian)

1 cup water

150 g granulated sugar

5 tbsp mascarpone

2 tbsp pistachios, de-shelled and chopped

PREPARATION

Preheat your oven to 180 °C (356 °F).
For the jam, combine the raisins, water, and sugar in a saucepan, and simmer on low heat. Boil for 3 to 4 minutes.
For the cookie, combine all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Pour the dough onto a sheet of barking/parchment paper. Roll out a 24 x 24 cm sheet that is 1 mm thick. Cut a large circle (i.e. the cookie), and clean edges off using a plate or pizza cutter. Transfer (with the paper) onto a baking tray.
Place the cookie in the oven and bake until golden brown.
Ice the finished cookie with mascarpone and the raisin jam. Bon apetit.

Apricot & Pear Roles

SERVES 4

Ingredients

8 sheets phyllo pastry

115 g dried apricots, cubed

2 tbsp apricot marmalade

1 tsp lemon juice

50 g brown sugar

2 pears, cubed

50 g almond flour

2 tbsp of almond slivers

25 g melted butter

TOPPING

Icing sugar

PREPARATION

Preheat your oven to 200 °C (392 °F).
For the filling, combine the apricots, pears, marmalade, and sugar in a saucepan, and simmer over a medium flame for 5 – 7 minutes. Don’t forget to occasionally stir.
Remove the filling from the heat, and add the almond flour and slivers; mix again.
Open up a sheet of phyllo, and brush the surface with butter. Place another sheet of phyllo on top of that, and butter it as well.
For the first roll, pour the some of the filling over the double phyllo sheet. Leave 2.5 cm of room around the edges. Role into a long cigar, and brush with butter.
Repeat steps 4 and 5 for the other phyllo sheets and filling. You should end up with four rolls in total.
Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.
Dust with icing sugar on top, cut into smaller roles, and serve hot.

Cookies w/ Semolina Cheesecake & Mango Sauce

SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS

COOKIES

250 g flour, all-purpose

100 g butter

100 g icing sugar

1 egg

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

CREAM

½ cup semolina

1½ cups milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp mascarpone

3 tbsp icing sugar

SAUCE & Garnish

2 mangos

2 tbsp granulated sugar

1 handful dried lavender

PREPARATION

Preheat your oven to 180 °C (356 °F). Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
For the cookies, combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Roll the dough out onto the baking sheet, make sure it’s no more than 1 mm thick. Cut into small cookies using a cookie cutter; remove any excess. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes until golden brown.
For the sauce, peel and puree the mangos in a food processor. Pour the puree in a saucepan, combine with sugar, and simmer until it gains a cream-like consistency. Remove from heat, cool, and pour into an icing bag.
For the cream, combine the milk, semolina, sugar, and vanilla extract in a separate saucepan, and cook over a low flame until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat, and leave to cool. Next, add in the mascarpone, and mix everything with a hand blender. Pour into an icing bag.
Take two cookies, and squeeze one filling onto one, and the other onto the other, then sandwich the two together make a macaroon. Repeat the same step the other cookies. Roll the edges in lavender.
Pour the mango sauce over each cookie, and serve.

Tip: You can use the mango sauce in the filling as well.

Celery Root Risotto

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

1 celery root, cubed

1 medium-sized potato, cubed

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

3 tbsp mascarpone

2 tbsp Parmesan, grated

50 mL cream

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

PREPARATION

Heat olive oil in a pan and sauté all of the vegetables until soft.
Lower the heat, add the garlic, cream, and mascarpone to the pan; mix everything to and let simmer briefly.
Add the spices, butter, and parmesan; stir quickly this time, then remove from heat and transfer to a large plate.

Serve hot.

Sea Bass Roles

SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS

2 sea bass (flounder) fillets, descaled

5 tbsp olive oil

Salt

Pepper

FILLING

4 tbsp raisins

100 g pistachios, de-shelled

4 tbsp capers

PREPARATION

For the filling, combine the raisins, pistachios, and capers into a food processer and blend together into a puree.
Pour the filling over the width of the fish fillets, then role into a cigar.
Tightly cover the rolls in cling wrap, tying the ends together.
Place the rolls in a pot of boiling water, and cook for 3 – 4 minutes. Next, shock them in a bowl of ice water for 1 – 2 minutes.
Pre-heat a pan with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Remove the fish from the cling wrap, place in the pan, and grill on both sides.
Cut the rolls into smaller slices and serve hot.