my lovely FOOD

I love to eat! It is amazing pleasure for me to have nice breakfast, then lunch and dinner. I love good food: nice, new, and healthy recipes. No Fast Food...anymore :)

 

 Here is my favorite food list and recipes from Fusion Passion in the links:

 

 Sushi 

 

 

Pasta

 

Rosół

 

Pierogi

 

Çiğköfte

Avocado 

 

 

Fish

 

 

Bon Appetit!

My Turkish Christmas

Last week in Ewa Wojciechowska page I wrote about my Christmas in Turkey.

Everybody who was born in a family of catholic roots and celebrate Christmas know how hard it is to be in this time abroad and far from the family. It is of course hard for me too but I try with all my heart to celebrate Christmas with my fusion family like I celebrated it with my Polish family before.

There is no Christmas in Turkey. Turks celebrate New Year similar like Christmas. They decorate the Christmas tree, buy gifts, prepare a sumptuous dinner. The main dish is turkey. The streets of Istanbul are decorated with beautiful new year decorations.

 

 

 

You can buy at that time Atatürk çiçeği (Atatürk flower), which is our "star of Bethlehem" in the original comely spurge (Euphorbia pulcherrima) and Yılbaşı çiçeği (flower of New Year) and it is Kokin (Ruccus aculeatus) as the flowers of the season.

In our house we retains Polish traditions. We decorate the Christmas tree, prepare the Christmas Eve dinner, Santa brings gifts, and Santa Claus visited us also on December 6, in his name day, listen and sing carols. All catholics in Istanbul can participate the Midnight Mass in the Church of the Holy Anthony in Taksim, on the European side of the city, the ceremony is conducted in English-Italian-Turkish. Another possibility is Midnight Mass in Polish - Turkish language in "village" called Adampol or Polonezköy.

Before December 24 we meet with Polish friends on Mikołajki Day, organized by the General Consulate Republic of Poland in Istanbul. It is a children's event , but also a time to meet with the Polish living in Istanbul. Nativity play are staged with the participation of adults, children and students living in Istanbul for Erasmus . The whole program and the singing of Christmas carols ensure our Polish missionary p Arleta . Every year there is also a Christmas concert .

To Istanbul come Polish organists , choirs, opera singers , with a repertoire of Christmas carols.

This year it was a Chorus Magisterium of Stanisław Wiechowicz from Ostrow Wielkopolski.

Here is one of the song from that day.

We are spending Christmas at home with friends, mix families not only Polish -Turkish . Two years ago we celebrated with Estonian- Turkish family. And last year our Turkish friends with children who know Christmas from Germany and wanted also to know the Polish tradition. This year, Christmas Eve will be the Polish- Turkish- Cyprus. On our Christmas table, I try to prepare twelve dishes. These are meatless dishes . Me and Çağatay, we love to cook. My kitchen is simple and healthy. Cato experimental and even tasty. His are fish dishes and soups, mine vegetables, pies and sweets. Our special is pumpkin soup.

There is also borsch or fish soup, but pumpkin is excellent. We prepare grilled or fried and "Greek" fish. Carp is not a popular fish here. We have to get by without herring or buy marinated fillet only.

 I try to look for substitutes, or cook something new that fits the Christmas Eve menu.

I will also prepare kutia. I like it a lot and reminds me of my Polish family. 

My mom makes the best one!

 

More of Christmas Food recipies here.

 

As you can see we also spend Christmas in Turkey with Polish tradition.
Merry Christmas to the Polish people in Turkey and all over the World!

Food in Japan

 

Me and Cato went to Japan. We stayed in Tokyo for 5 days. Visited also Hakone.

I was so impressed: Amazing clean, Amazing food, Amazing people!

 

I aet so much, so good and very tasty food. I need to share this with you!

 

Sushi

 

It is a Japanese food consisting of cooked vinegared rice (shari) combined with other ingredients (neta), usually raw fish or other seafood. Raw meat sliced and served by itself is sashimi.

 

Okonomiyaki

It is a Japanese savoury pancake containing a variety of ingredients. The name is derived from the word okonomi, meaning "what you like" or "what you want", and yaki meaning "grilled" or "cooked".

Shabu-Shabu

It is a Japanese soup dish. The term is an onomatopœia, derived from the sound emitted when the ingredients are stirred in the cooking pot.

We ate a lot of small starters and dessert like:

Octopus Carpaccio

Squid

Onion soup

Green tea ice cream

Sweet starter

Puree ziemniaczano-dyniowe / Mashed potato-pumpkin

Składniki:

ziemniaki
dynia
czosnek
cebula
mleko
masło
sól i pieprz

Przygotowanie:

Ziemniaki i dynie ugotować w lekko osolonej wodzie. Usmażyć cebulę i czosnek na patelni z masłem lub oliwą z oliwek. Rozgnieść  ugotowane warzywa, dodać mleko lub śmietanę, również sól i pieprz, czosnek i cebulę. Bardzo smaczne z rybami.

English

Ingredients:

potatoes
pumpkin
garlic
onion
milk
butter
salt and pepper

Preparation:

Potatoes and pumpkins cook in lightly salted water. Fry onions and garlic in a pan with butter or olive oil. Smash  cooked vegetables, add milk or cream, also salt and pepper, garlic and onions. Great to served with fish.

Ryba po grecku / Greek fish salad

 

Składniki:

filet z ryby morskiej (dorszcz)
marchew
seler
cebula
jabłko
maka
olej/oliwa z oliwek
czosnek
koncentrat pomidorowy
sok z cytryny
sól, pieprz, bazylia, oregano
przyprawa warzywana (vegeta)

Przygotowanie:

Rybę opłukać, posolić i obtoczyć w mące. Smażyć na rozgrzanym oleju lub oliwie z oliwek.
Włoszczyznę obrać, zetrzeć na tarce, cebulę drobno posiekać. Dusić do miękkości, na oliwie z oliwek.  Dodać zioła i przyprawy. Na koniec dodać koncentrat pomidorowy i sok z cytryny. Przestudzonymi warzywami obłożyć usmażone filety rybne. Podawać zimne.

English

 

Ingredients:

fish fillet
carrots
celery
onion
apple
flour
oil / olive oil
garlic
tomato paste
lemon juice
salt, pepper, basil, oregano
spice vegetables (vegeta)

Preparation:

Rinse the fish, season with salt and coat with flour. Fry in hot oil or olive oil.
Greens peel, grate, chop the onion. Simmer until tender in olive oil. Add herbs and spices. Finally add the tomato paste and lemon juice. With warm vegetables cover fried fish. Serve cold.

 

Fish soup / Zupa rybna

Ingredients:

- fish

- carrot

- parsley

- potato

- green peas

- onion

- garlic

- celery

- allspice

- bay leaf

- salt, pepper

- vegetable spice

Preparation:

To the pot of water put fis, bay leaf, allspice. Boil. Clean water from dirt. Add onion and one clove of garlic. Still boil. Take fish out, clean it and add back to water. Then add all chopped vegetables and spices.  Cook on low heat until vegetable will be soft.

Easy and very tasty! My children love it!

Polski

 

Składniki:

- ryba

- marchew

- pietruszka

- ziemniaki

- groszek zielony

- cebula

- czosnek

- seler

- ziele angielskie

- liść laurowy

- sól, pieprz

- przyprawa warzywna

Przygotowanie:

W garnku z wodą umieścić rybę, liść laurowy, ziele angielskie. Gotować. Oczyścić  wodę z zanieczyszczen. Wyciągnąć  rybę, oczyścić i dodać z powrotem do wody. Dodać cebulę i ząbek czosnku. Nadal gotować.. Następnie dodać wszystkie pokrojone warzywa i przyprawy. Gotować na małym ogniu, aż warzywa będą miękkie.

Łatwe i bardzo smaczne! Moje dzieci ją uwielbiają!

 

 

 

 

Fish salad/ Sałatka z ryby

                               Made by Cato. Easy, very tasty and very good for hot evenings.

Materials:

fish

salad

cucumber

tomato

carrots

parsley

chive

olive oil

salt, pepper, spices

lemon

Preparation:

Clean and wash a fish, then fry in olive oil. To the bowls put washed, peeled and chopped all the vegetables. Add fish and seasonings, and lemon essential. Is there anything more easy?

Polski

Materiały:

ryba

sałatka

ogórek

pomidor

marchew

pietruszka

szczypiorek

oliwa z oliwek

sól, pieprz, przyprawy

cytryna

Przygotowanie:

Oczyścić i umyć ryby, następnie zeszklić na oliwie z oliwek. Do miski włożyć umyte, obrane i posiekane warzywa. Dodać rybę, przyprawy i cytrynę. Czy jest coś bardziej prostrzego?
                                                                      Smacznego!!!

Light fish soup / Lekka zupa rybna

Materials:

fillet of fish

carrots

leek

parsley

celery

water

salt, pepper, spices

lemon
pasta
dill

Preparation:

Prepare a broth from the fish, throw to the water allspice and bay leaf. Clean of dirt. Add washed, peeled and chopped vegetables. Cook until vegetables will be soft. In the end you can add dill, before serve lemon. Serve with pasta.
                                                                       

Polski

                                                                         Materiały:

filet z ryby
marchew

por

pietruszka

seler

woda

sól, pieprz, przyprawy

cytryna
makaron
koperek

Przygotowanie:

Przygotować wywar z ryby, wrzucić ziele angielskie i liść laurowy. Oczyścić z brudu. Dodać umyte, obrane i posiekane warzywa. Gotować aż warzywa będą miękkie. Na koniec można dodać koperek, przed spożyciem cytrynę. Podawać z makaronem.

Solmon soup / Zupa z łososia

Materials:

salmon

potato

carrot

celery

leek

parsley

dill

pepper and salt

herbs

bay leaf

lemon

cream

spices

water

Preparation:

Wash vegetables, peel and cut into cubes. Steame them and salmon. Pour water into pot, add the allspice and bay leaf. Add in a steamed vegetables and fish. Boil. Remove the bay leaf and allspice. Mix soup by blender. In the end add lemon, pepper, cream and any spices you wish.

Polski

Materiały:

łosoś

ziemniaki

marchew

seler

por

pietruszka

koperek

                                                                        pieprz i sól                                                                       ziele angielskie

                                                                        liść laurowy

cytryna

śmietana

przyprawy

woda

Przygotowanie:

Umyć warzywa, obrać i pokroić w kostkę. Ugotować je i łososia na parze. Wlać wodę do garnka, dodać ziele angielskie i liść laurowy. Wrzucić warzywa i rybę. Zagotować. Wyjąć liść laurowy i ziele angielskie. Wymieszać zupę blenderem. Na koniec dodać cytrynę, pieprz, śmietanę i przyprawy według uznania.

Salad with tuna and avocado

We didn't ate something green and healthy for sometime. I decided that I make salad.
At home I had the avocado and tuna, they super-fit to eatch other.The problem is that now I can not eat fish from the can. So I made tuna...next to salad:)

Ingredients:

- salad
- avocado
- tuna
- red pepper
- corn
- cucumber
- cherry tomatoes
- chives
- garlic
- capers
- dill
- spices to salads
- olive oil
- balsamic sauce
- salt and pepper
- parmesan

Preparation:

Wash all vegetables thoroughly, cut into cubes, move up to the salad bowl.
Prepare the sauce and tuna, separately. To tuna add a little olive oil (unless it is already in oil), dill and capers, salt and pepper. Sauce do with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and spices to salads, add garlic. Pour the sauce to the vegetables and mix all ingredients. At the end sprinkle with parmesan cheese of the salad!

Enjoy!

Fish soup for whole family

I found fish head in our freezer:)
so what I could do with it? Soup!
Another fish soup recepie in our blog.
This time very easy one for whole family. Melis ate with relish!



Ingredients:

- fish head
- carrot
- parsley
- potato
- peas
- onion
- garlic
- celery
- allspice
- bay leaf
- vegetable broth
- salt, pepper
- dill
- cream

Preparation:

To the pot of water put fish head, add bay leaf, allspice, onion (half) and one clove of garlic. Boil. Take head and dirt from fish out. Then add all chopped vegetables and vegetable broth, also salt and perrer.
Cook on low heat. In the end add a dill and some cream.

Easy and very tasty!

Pan-Fried Fish (with a side-dish)

Here is a fish recipe that you can prepare in 20 minutes. Very fast, very delicious. Method is below, if you want everything to cook at the same time, start with potatoes, then the fish.



Ingredients (4 servings):
- 4 pieces of fillet of fish (with skin, no bones)
- 1 kg potatoes (a thin skin variety will be perfect)
- 200g of peas (frozen or canned)
- 2 onions
- 2 lemons
- dills
- parsley
- pickled capers
- 3 or 4 pickled gherkins
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- butter, olive oil, sunflower oil
- salt & pepper

Method:

1. The Fish:
In a big pan, pour some sunflower oil, heat up. On the skin of the fish, smear some butter, add salt & pepper. Put the skin side on the pan first. Let fry for around 15 mins. Season the other side as well with salt & pepper. Flip carefully and cook the other side for about 5 minutes on lower heat. That simple.

2. The Side-Dish:
Wash the potatoes, cut bigger ones in half. Put in boiling water and let cook for about 17-18 minutes. In a separate pot, melt a big slice of butter. Cut 4-5 very thin slices of lemon. Dice the onions and add lemons and onions to the butter. Mix until onions turn golden. Then add the peas and turn off the heat (we don't want to overcook the peas, just heat them). When potatoes are cooked, mix these two pots, add some dills and parsley, salt & pepper, butter and olive oil to taste. Smash all together, but do not smash too much, we want some greens to be visible.

3. The Sauce:
Real simple. Put capers, gherkins and some dills together and dice them, put them in a bowl. Add the cream, some olive oil, juice of half a lemon and some salt. Mix well.

4. Serving:
Put about 2 spoons of the side dish on the plate. Place the fish on top, with the (now crusty) skin facing up. Put some sauce on the top. Decorate with some dills.

Enjoy ;)

Crab Salad

We love crab surimi. Every trip to the local supermarket ends with us getting one pack of these. They can be used for many purposes: use it in sushi, eat from the pack like snacks, use them in fish soup, or make a nice salad.



Ingredients:
- Crab fingers (crab surimi)
- cornichons
- red bell-pepper
- spring onions
- dills
- lettuce
- salt & pepper
- ketchup
- mayonese
- lemon
- garlic (powder or 1 clove smashed)
- olive oil

Method:
- Wash all the vegetables
- Slice the lettuce
- Dice the red bell-peppers
- Cut dills thin
- Slice the crab fingers
- In a cup, mix 3 tablespoons of ketchup and mayonese, add juice of half lemon, a pinch of salt and pepper, garlic and a drop of olive oil. This will be the salad sauce.
- This is all: Put all vegetables in a bowl, mix them well, add the sauce on top.

Enjoy;)

Fish Sandwich

What do you do when you cannot consume all the fish you cook for lunch? We use them for a nice sandwich for the supper or the next day.


When I was a student, our university's cafeteria offered cheap fish sandwich (called "balik-ekmek" in Turkish). That was one of my favourite lunches. Simple recipe, a slice of fish, mixed with few spices and lemon juice.

Later, when I moved to Istanbul, I discovered the real "balik-ekmek" served on fisherman boats on the bosphorus. A few years ago, these were banned due to security reasons (ending an era in Istanbul's fish cuisine).

It all came back when I cooked some seabass in the oven, definitely more than we could finish. Some stayed in the fridge for a day. On Sunday evening, hungry for a quick supper and a nice movie, we made a quick sandwich and side-salad.

Ingredients:

- Previously cooked, sliced seabass (no bones please)
- salt
- 1 small bread (2 paninies would have been perfect)
- spices to taste: a pinch of pepper, red pepper, thyme are must.
- lime juice

Method:

- Simply cut the bread in two halves, open each half.
- Place the slice of fish
- Use a knife to cut the slice into small pieces
- Put a pinch of salt and other spices inside
- Put some lime juice
- Close the bread, put in a toaster until warm and flat

Simple and fast, no need to heat the fish beforehand, since it will heat up in the toaster.

Enjoy ;)

Angler Fish Skewer

Wow, it has really been some time since my last post. Partly, it has to do with the fact that we started a new blog about our baby daughter. The second reason is that we have been busy with work and school and travelling so there was less time to cook. The third reason is that I was diagnosed with high cholestrol but don't panic. It is not because of the food I cook or eat, it is inherited. Now I will consume even more healthy food and write more healthy food.

Anyway, this is enough chit-chat. Now on with the recipe of Angler Fish Skewer.



Here we used 850g of Angler Fish. This is really a nice fish, since there are no bones in its flesh and it tastes great. You first fillet the fish, remove the skin, the center bone is easy to take out. Cut each fillet in half lenghtwise, and then chop each part into 5-6 pieces so you will have big dices to go on a skewer.

Ingredients:

- 850g angler fish, diced skewer size as above
- 1 tomato
- 2 green peppers
- olive oil
- salt
- sumac syrup (can be replaced by a lemon)

Method:

- Cut the fish as above.
- Dice the tomato
- Cut the peppers in half, get the seeds out and cut the same size with the fish
- On a bamboo skewer, place a piece of fish, then a tomato, a fish, pepper, fish, pepper, fish and tomato.
- Repeat above step until you have all the fish on the skewers.
- Place skewers in a teflon oven tray
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius
- Pour some sumac syrup over the fish. This herb is very tasty. If it is not possible for you to find, you can use one lemon's juice instead.
- Put a pinch of salt on each skewer (can make 8)
- Place some olive oil on and around the skewers.
- Cook for 20 minutes, rotate the skewers and cook for another 10 minutes

You can serve them without removing the skewers. This is enough to be main dish for 2 people or appetizers for 8 people.

Enjoy ;)

Chinese Risotto

That's something that will make both the Chinese and the Italians unhappy, but I have to tell you that this food came out great. We started off by cooking some vegetables in a wok, then this great idea for food came when we found that the expiry date of a can of coconut cream was due.



Anyway, to cut things short, allow me to give you the ingredients:

- 1 zucchini
- 1 carrot
- 1 onion
- 1 bell green pepper
- 2 large mushrooms
- 200g fish fillet
- 2 cloves of garlic
- sesame oil
- canola oil
- soy sauce
- 200g rice
- 1 tbsp coconut cream
- water

Get a wok. If you use a wok for frying and roasting things, you will know how useful it is to have one in the house. If you don't have one, get one.

Cut all the vegetables into thin slices. Dice the mushrooms and the fish. Peel the garlic and smash them.

Put some canola oil on the bottom of the pan and add about 1 tbsp of sesame oil to it. Put the garlic and the onions. Once the color of the onions start to change, add the carrots and the mushrooms. Roast until the mushrooms lose their water and that water is reduced. Add the zucchini and the fish. Add some soy sause and stir them until everything is cooked well.

Meanwhile, wash the rice and put them in a pan. Add cold water about twice the amount of the rice, add coconut cream to it. Bring the water to boil, then stir the rice with a wooden spoon until the water is totally reduced. Done correct, you will have cooked but hard rice. Similar to a risotto.

Take the rice out, and add it to the wok where the vegetables are cooking. Stir until everything is mixed well and the rice gets all the flavors and the colors in the wok. Serve while still hot. Enjoy ;)