All recipes

Dips and meze

• Hummus: Soft-cooked chickpeas, a tahini and lemon base whipped with ice water, and a few minutes in the food processor give a silky, spoonable hummus.
• Baba Ganoush: A spoonable roasted eggplant dip with a lemony tahini base, made in the oven for deep roasted flavor or over open flame for a clearly smoky taste.
• Stuffed Grape Leaves (Olive Oil Dolma): Tender jarred grape leaves wrapped around a spiced rice, herb and pine nut filling, then simmered in olive oil and lemon until soft and glossy.
• Muhammara: A smoky red pepper and walnut dip with a sweet-sour edge from pomegranate molasses, best scooped up with warm bread.
• Çiğ Köfte (Meatless Bulgur Köfte): Fine bulgur softened in just-boiled water is kneaded with pepper paste, smoky isot pepper, onion and pomegranate molasses, then squeezed into small pieces to wrap in lettuce with lemon.
• Ezme (Turkish Spicy Tomato and Pepper Salad): A finely chopped, tangy and gently fiery tomato and pepper salad that works as a meze, a spoonable relish or a topping for grilled food.
• Haydari (Turkish Yogurt and Herb Dip): A thick, cool meze of strained yogurt, raw garlic, dill and mint, finished with toasted walnuts and good olive oil.
• Roasted Red Pepper Hummus: Soft-cooked chickpeas and charred sweet red peppers blend into a silky, blush-colored dip with a gentle smoky sweetness.
• Labneh: Thick, tangy strained yogurt that needs only two ingredients and a night in the refrigerator.
• Lentil Kofte (Mercimek Köftesi): Soft red lentils and fine bulgur are kneaded with a sweet-spicy onion and pepper paste base, divided into 24 equal pieces, shaped by hand and served cool with lettuce and lemon.
• Tahini Sauce: A smooth, pourable lemon and garlic tahini sauce that comes together in ten minutes with a whisk and a bowl.
• Tzatziki: A thick, cool yogurt and cucumber dip with garlic, lemon and dill that stays creamy instead of watery.
• Zucchini Fritters (Turkish Mücver): Crisp-edged, tender-centered zucchini fritters packed with dill, feta and spring onions, served with cool garlic yogurt.

Soups

• Red Lentil Soup (Turkish Mercimek Çorbası): A silky, gently spiced red lentil soup made from pantry staples, finished with lemon and a sizzling mint and chili oil.
• Fasolada (Greek White Bean Soup): Dried white beans simmer slowly with softened onion, carrot and celery, then tomato and a final pour of raw olive oil make the broth thick, glossy and orange-red.
• Lentil Soup: A thick, savory brown lentil soup with cumin, tomato paste and a squeeze of lemon, finished with chili oil.

Breakfast

• Shakshuka: Eggs gently cooked in a thick, cumin and paprika scented tomato and pepper sauce, made in one pan and served with bread for scooping.
• Menemen: Turkish scrambled eggs set softly in a jammy sauce of tomatoes and green peppers, made in one pan and scooped up with bread.
• Ful Medames: Slow-simmered fava beans, roughly mashed with garlic, lemon and cumin, served warm with fresh tomato, parsley and good olive oil.
• Turkish Eggs (Çılbır): Silky poached eggs rest on cool garlic yogurt under a spoonful of warm, chile-red butter, with runny yolks for pasteurized eggs or fully set yolks for any eggs.
• Za'atar Flatbread (Manakish): Soft, chewy flatbreads brushed with a thyme, sesame and sumac za'atar paste and baked hot until the edges blister and brown.

Mains

• Falafel: Soaked raw chickpeas and a lot of fresh herbs give falafel a shatter-crisp crust and a tender, green, fluffy middle.
• Baked Falafel: Soaked raw chickpeas, plenty of fresh herbs and a hot, oiled tray give falafel patties a crisp golden crust and a tender green middle, with no frying.
• Briam (Greek Roasted Vegetables): Potatoes, zucchini, eggplant, pepper and onion baked slowly in grated tomato and olive oil until soft, jammy and browned at the edges.
• Chickpea Stew with Tomatoes and Spinach: Home-cooked chickpeas simmer in a tomato and pepper-flake sauce, then wilted spinach and lemon brighten the pot at the end.
• Gözleme with Spinach and Feta: Paper-thin yogurt dough wrapped around salty feta and herby greens, then cooked in a hot skillet until blistered and crisp at the edges.
• Imam Bayildi: Silky eggplants stuffed with sweet, jammy onion and tomato, braised in olive oil until meltingly tender.
• Mediterranean Chickpea and Bulgur Bowl: A warm tomato-scented bulgur pilaf topped with crisp spiced chickpeas, a fresh chopped salad and garlicky yogurt.
• Vegetarian Moussaka: Roasted eggplant, a lentil and tomato sauce warmed with cinnamon and allspice, and a thick, golden béchamel, layered and baked until bubbling.
• Mujadara: Lentils and rice simmered together in the lentil cooking liquid with cumin and allspice, then topped with deeply browned onions.
• Okra in Tomato and Olive Oil (Bamya): Whole okra pods are lightly browned, then braised gently in tomato and olive oil until tender, with a squeeze of lemon at the end.
• Spanakopita: A crisp, flaky phyllo pie filled with spinach, feta and plenty of dill, baked until deeply golden.
• Stuffed Eggplant (Karnıyarık Style, Vegetarian): Silky fried eggplants are split open, packed with a savory lentil, mushroom and walnut filling and baked under tomato and pepper in a light tomato sauce.
• Turkish Stuffed Peppers (Biber Dolması): Small sweet peppers filled with a fragrant herb and rice stuffing, then simmered in olive oil and tomato until tender and served warm or at room temperature.
• Stuffed Zucchini (Kabak Dolması): Zucchini pieces are hollowed, filled with a fragrant olive oil rice and herb mixture, then braised upright on a bed of their own flesh until silky and tender.

Sides

• Bulgur Pilaf: A one-pot Turkish bulgur pilavı, built on softened onion, pepper and tomato, with fluffy grains that stay separate.
• Green Beans in Olive Oil (Zeytinyağlı Taze Fasulye): Green beans sweated, then braised slowly with onion, garlic and tomato in olive oil until silky, and served at room temperature with lemon.
• Leeks in Olive Oil (Zeytinyağlı Pırasa): Tender leeks and carrots braised slowly in olive oil with a spoonful of rice, brightened with lemon and served warm or at room temperature.
• Roasted Eggplant with Tahini and Pomegranate: Silky roasted eggplant halves under a lemony garlic tahini sauce, finished with juicy pomegranate seeds, parsley and toasted nuts.

Salads

• Mediterranean Chickpea Salad: Dried chickpeas are soaked cold overnight, simmered until creamy, and dressed while still warm so they take up the lemony garlic dressing.
• Fattoush: A crunchy Levantine bread salad of crisp pita, juicy vegetables and plenty of herbs, tossed in a tart sumac and lemon dressing.
• Greek Salad (Horiatiki): A village-style Greek salad of chunky ripe vegetables, olives and a whole slab of feta, dressed simply with olive oil and oregano.
• Kısır (Turkish Bulgur Salad): Fine bulgur is steeped in tomato and pepper paste, then tossed with olive oil, lemon, pomegranate molasses and plenty of fresh herbs.
• Lentil Salad with Herbs and Lemon: Tender, intact lentils soak up a bright lemon and olive oil dressing while fresh herbs and crisp vegetables keep every bite lively.
• Turkish Smoky Eggplant Salad (Patlıcan Salatası): Eggplants and long green peppers are charred until smoky and soft, then chopped by hand and dressed with garlic, lemon, olive oil, tomato and parsley.
• Pomegranate and Walnut Salad: Juicy pomegranate seeds and toasted walnuts tossed with finely chopped tomato, pepper, onion and herbs in a sweet-sour pomegranate molasses dressing.
• Cucumber Tomato Salad with Sumac: A bright, juicy Turkish and Mediterranean style salad where sumac-rubbed onion and a dressing made with the tomato juices do the flavoring.
• Tabbouleh: A bright, herb-heavy salad where parsley is the main green and fine bulgur is just a seasoning grain.
• White Bean Salad (Turkish Piyaz): Creamy white beans dressed while warm with lemon and olive oil, tossed with sumac onion, then finished with parsley, tomato and egg.