Cooking

Well after living in Turkey for over 2 years I finally learned how to make a couple Turkish dishes. I had been telling my friend, Nildeniz, that I wanted her to teach me how to make a few things. We are both so busy with work though, that we often meet in the city between her classes or after my school. But since I am leaving in less than a month and time was running out,
we made the time last weekend for her to come over to the apartment and show me. First, we made börek (pastry filled with cheese, potato, spinach, meat, etc). So yummy! This one has spinach and beyaz peynir (like feta cheese). Then we made baklava (sweet pastry filled with chopped nuts and syrup - what I thought was honey). This is very typical Turkish dessert and dates back to the Ottoman Empire. First, we did several layers of yufka (like filo pastry) and walnuts.Next, we had to cut the pastry into nice squares - through all 20 layers. We poured melted butter along the edges/cracks and then cooked in the oven for 20 minutes. After cooking the pastry, we allowed it to cool for a few minutes before pouring the syrup (water, sugar, and fresh lemon juice) on top. What fun this was for me...I can't wait to try making these things in the states. It was a great afternoon with a sweet friend. One of the many reasons I am going to miss Nildeniz!