Baked Salmon (Fırında Somon Balığı)

This recipe was inspired by a cookbook that included recipes from Russia, Germany and Eastern Europe. If I recall correctly, the inspiration for this recipe came from the Russian part of the cookbook. The fennel and caraway seeds added an aroma that is out of the ordinary. The fresh dill used for garnishing purposes came out of my herbs in my small balcony.

This simple, yet healthy and delicious meal will keep you very satisfied.

1 lb salmon fillet
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp caraway seeds
2 tsp salt
2 tsp olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon

4-5 sprigs of dill for decoration

Heat your oven to 350º.

Place the salmon fillet on a Pyrex dish. Rub the fish fillet with the ingredients equally on each side. Cover with aluminum foil.

When the oven is ready, bake fish covered for 15 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 15-20 minutes uncovered. Place on serving plates and decorate with dill. Enjoy with rice pilaf or potatoes.

Thai Style Shrimp with Oyster Mushrooms

A while back I bought a Thai cookbook and got really Thai food frenzy. I purchased any kind of Thai sauces and pastes that I could find in stores without thinking about the recipes I will be making which I admit was not very wise. I was experimenting cooking Thai food at home and my husband was experimenting eating it! He was not very open to different foods before we got married. Now, he loves trying foods from all around the world. Those Thai recipes from the cookbook were really good. I rarely attempted to divert from the cookbook as I was not very familiar with cooking Thai food. Now that I am still left with some sauces and pastes and other stuff, I am creating new dishes employing Thai ingredients. Sometimes they work, sometimes they do not.

This shrimp dish with oyster mushrooms turned out pretty well. Therefore, I am sharing it here. It is simple, yet delicious. I used the oyster mushrooms and the scallions I bought at the farmer's market. The spiciness may be lacking, but I did not have any chilies on hand. Feel free to add them.

1 lb jumbo shrimp
¾-1 lb fresh oyster mushrooms
2 large scallions (chopped)
2 red chilies (optional)
5 leaves of basil (preferably Thai basil)
2 cloves garlic (sliced)
1 tsp dried basil
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp canola oil
Thai ginger peanut sauce
1 tsp salt

Cut the mushroom cluster in a way where each piece will have 3-4 of the mushrooms attached. Chop the chilies if you choose to add some spiciness to the recipe. Salt the shrimp. Heat the oil on medium heat in a large pan. Add the garlic and chilies. Sautee for 3-4 minutes, add the Thai ginger peanut sauce and the fish sauce to the garlic. Stir and add the mushrooms. Cook for 2 minutes before adding the shrimp. Add the dried and fresh basil. Stir for 3 minutes and add the scallions. Allow 2 minutes to cook after adding the scallions. Serve with plain rice. Garnish with fresh basil and red chilies if you wish.

Broiled Flank Steak

I got introduced to flank steak by my uncle who very often turned on his grill and grilled different kinds of meats and vegetables after he got back from work, even on snowy, cold days. He grills everything from asparagus to shrimp. He marinates the flank steak differently than I did in this recipe.

Flank steak is actually a long muscle that is located in the belly of a cow, below the rib cage. It is very lean and is tougher than other meat cuts. If cooked correctly, it can be quite tasty and flavorful. Avoid cooking the steak too long as it will become hard and chewy. I don’t believe this part of the cow is eaten in Turkey, but times have changed, I could be wrong.

1 lb flank steak
¼ white onion
2 garlic cloves
5-6 sprigs parsley
1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ cup olive oil
2 lime juices
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tbsp chopped parsley for garnishing


Vegetables For Serving:

4 long green peppers
1 large tomato (quartered)
1 onion (quartered)

Let’s start with a delicious marinate. Except the steak, place all the ingredients in a food processor or a blender. Puree the all the ingredients. You may adjust the salt and pepper based on your taste. Place this newly created marinating sauce in a large bowl, on top of the steak. Make sure the sauce touches every part of the steak. Refrigerate 24-48 hours. Before cooking, remove from fridge and let sit in room temperature for 30 minutes. Heat the oven broiler or a grill if you have an outside grill. If broiling, put the steak in a Pyrex dish and place on the top rack of the broiler. Sometimes when I can afford longer cooking time, I place it under the 2nd top rack. Keep the broiler slightly open when broiling to avoid any fire dangers. Cook each side of the steak for 7-8 minutes depending on how you like it cooked. If you like it rare, I would cook it less than that, put I prefer my meat cooked medium well to well, so usually I can acquire that level within 7-8 minutes. Again, if you’re using the 2nd top rack, it will take longer to cook.

For Broiling the Veggies:

Place all the veggies in a large tray. The soft parts of the tomatoes should be up and the skin side down. Sprinkle some salt on the onions and tomatoes. Broil until the skin of the peppers are blackened. By that time, the tomatoes and the onions should be ready too.

Slice the steak thinly against the grain of the meat, garnish with parsley and enjoy with potatoes or rice.

Spicy Gumbo

Gumbo is a type of soup or stew that originated in Louisiana, but widely cooked in Southern of the United States. It is made out of either seafood or various kinds of sausages as well as bell peppers, celery and bunch of spices including a thickener which is called roux. This dish is usually served over rice. The first time I came across Gumbo was when I went to New Orleans for a business trip a few years back. I first did not like gumbo but after almost moving there I tried gumbo in numerous other places. There was this small restaurant that served incredibly tasty shrimp Po-boys in Baton Rouge. One day, I decided to try the gumbo and that’s where I really enjoyed it.

One Sunday when I felt like cooking something different, so I decided to try gumbo. I created my own gumbo recipe and it was so yummy! My husband also really enjoyed it and he claimed that I made the best gumbo he had ever eaten considering that he had lived in Louisiana for six years. Ok, this was my first time and I am sure that there are chefs and cooks that make gumbos much more delicious. Some people add okra to gumbo, so feel free to play with the ingredients as you may discover something even tastier.

2 lbs shrimp
1 lbs scallops
1 lbs crab claw meat
½ lbs leg of lamb (chopped)
3-4 ribs of celery (chopped finely)
2 ½ onions (chopped finely)
4 garlic cloves (chopped finely)
2 large roasted and peeled tomatoes (diced)
5-6 roasted and peeled green peppers (diced)
2 cans of beer (dark beer preferable)
4 cups of chicken broth
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp mace
1 tsp celery seeds
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
1-2 tsp hot sauce
2 tbsp fresh parsley (chopped)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup flour
Salt


For Roux

1 cup flour
¾ cup canola oil

Roux Preparation:

In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil. Add the flour slowly while whisking constantly so that there are no lumps in the flour. Do this for about 20 minutes until that mixture thickens and takes a brown color. Preferences may differ on how brown the roux should be. I prefer it medium brown. If you would like to use the roux at a different date, you could cool it and freeze it.



Gumbo Preparation:

Once the roux is ready, add the onions and celery and stir. It may get a little lumpy, but keep mixing them together for 5 minutes. Add the olive oil on the mixture. Most people prefer butter, but since I do not use butter in my cooking, I used olive oil. Add garlic, roasted peppers and the tomatoes. Also feel free to add all the juices that come out from roasting the peppers and tomatoes. In a separate pan, cook the lamb slightly and drain the water that comes out of the meat. Add the lamb to the pot with the roux and vegetables. Add cumin, paprika, mace, celery seeds, thyme, black and cayenne pepper, bay leaves, salt and the hot sauce. Add the chicken broth and the beer and stir well. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes and then cook for 1 hour and 20 minutes on low heat. Add the shrimp, crab claw meat and scallops to the soup. Feel free to add salt to the shrimp and scallops before adding them to the soup. Cook for 5 more minutes after adding the seafood. Garnish with fresh parsley before removing from heat. Remove the bay leaves before serving. Serve over rice or as a regular soup.