Chicken Shish Kebab (Tavuk Şiş Kebab) and Zerzavat (Onion Salad with Sumac and Parsley)

Chicken shish kebabs (şiş kebap- şiş means skewer and kebap means cubed, grilled meat) are an excellent alternative to regular lamb or beef şiş kebabs, especially for people who are not fond of red meat. When accompanied with zerzavat (onion salad with sumac and parsley) and rice or flat bread, it can make an excellent meal. Any type of meat can be used for şiş kebabs; however the most common ones are beef and lamb. Kebabs are also can be made with vegetables such as green peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, onions and etc.

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
½ tbsp red pepper paste
1 clove of garlic (chopped finely)
½ tbsp thyme
1 tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp salt

10 bamboo skewers or regular skewers
1 tsp olive oil for greasing the skewers

Vegetables on the Side:

1 bell pepper
2 plum tomatoes
1 white or yellow onion

Cut the chicken breasts into cubes. Put in a large bowl. Add the red pepper paste, garlic, thyme and salt. Add the olive oil and as the last step, add the lemon juice. With your hands (wear kitchen gloves so you do not make your hands messy) integrate all the ingredients so they are distributed evenly on the chicken. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

If you are using bamboo skewers, soak the bamboo skewers for 30 minutes in water prior to cooking the chicken, so that they do not burn during broiling or grilling. Oil the skewers ¾ of the way only, so that you have a place to hold the skewers without greasing your hands. Take each chicken cube and insert into the skewer, again ¾ of the way, not all the way.

Cut up the bell pepper in squares and quarter the onion. Start inserting the peppers, onions and one tomato in each greased skewer. Alternate the vegetables so that they look colorful.


Heat the broiler or grill. Broil or grill each side of the skewer for 12-13 minutes. Enjoy with rice pilaf and zerzavat.


Zerzavat (Onion Salad with Sumac and Parsley)

1 medium red onion (white or yellow will also work)
1 tbsp sumac
½ tsp salt
¼ cup parsley (chopped)
4 lemon wedges

Cut onion in half. Slice each half in thin slices so that you have half rings of onions. Sprinkle the salt and mix with the onion. Add the chopped parsley and sumac. Mix well. You may squeeze the lemon on top of the onion salad or you may serve with lemon wedges and squeeze the lemon while eating. Enjoy with grilled meat, chicken or fish.

Broiled Flank Steak with Turkish/Mediterranean Marinade

The marinade used for marinating the flank steak is Turkish/Mediterranean style. My uncle who loves grilling uses this type of dressing. You may broil or grill this steak.

1 lb flank steak
¼ cup lemon juice
1 tbsp fresh rosemary (chopped finely)
1-2 tsp coarse sea salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp black pepper


Rub the steak with sea salt and black pepper. Add the fresh rosemary, olive oil and lemon juice to the steak making sure the ingredients are distributed well all over the steak. Marinate over night in the refrigerator. Broil or grill for 10-12 minutes on each side. Depending on how you prefer your meat cooked, you may adjust the cooking time. It will cook well done based on this recipe. Slice against the grain and serve with potatoes or pilaf.

Broiled Zucchini (Izgara Kabak)

Here is another tasty, yet simple to make appetizer/side dish. The zucchinis would taste much better if you throw them on an outdoor grill. Enjoy.

2 lb medium zucchinis
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Remove stem and cut zucchinis in half. Arrange in a large baking pan. Add salt, pepper, paprika and oregano to both sides of the zucchinis. Brush with olive oil on both sides. Heat oven broiler at 500º F. Keep the oven door half open to avoid any fire dangers. Broil each side of the zucchinis for 7-8 minutes until golden brown. Serve as a side dish or an appetizer.

Red Cabbage Salad with Tomatoes (Domatesli Kırmızı Lahana Salatası)

First off, thanks to those of you who left comments while I was out. Sorry for posting the comments so late; I was traveling overseas. It’s great to be back, however lots of work was waiting for me at home and at the office! No cooking yet, although I can always count on those recipes that I have accumulated over time. I have been doing that a lot lately and thus have become lazy to photograph my food and write down recipes. I am running out, so I need to make another deposit of recipes to come in handy at times when cooking is not convenient.

This salad deserves a place on the table both in the winter and summer. In the summer, it would be sufficient for a meal all by itself as well as with an entrée, but in the cold winter, I think it would be too light to fill a stomach. If you are a vegetable lover, any time you have this salad, it will be very satisfying.

1 small head of red cabbage
3 firm tomatoes
2 green peppers (cubanelle)
1 small red onion
½ cup fresh parsley chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp sumac
2 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of salt

Cut the cabbage in half and slice each half. Put in a large bowl. Cut each pepper lengthwise, clean out the seeds and slice. Follow the same procedure for the onion by cutting the onion in half and slicing it in thin slices. Dice the tomatoes. Add all the vegetables including the parsley to the bowl on top of the cabbage. Add sumac. Sprinkle with salt, add the olive oil and lime juice. Toss and serve with any meal you like.

Turkish Style Seared Scallops (Türk Stili Tavada Tarak)

Seafood in general is enough to get me excited for a meal, especially when accompanied with a fresh, green salad and good bread. Seafood is light, nutritious and delicate which makes it attractive for any meal. Scallops, which I mostly prepare broiled or seared with wine are at the top of my seafood choices.

These particular scallops are prepared in a Turkish/Mediterranean style. The simplicity of the recipe allows me to cook them often. When served with rice pilaf and salad, scallops can make a filling and tasty meal.

6 large scallops
1 tbsp fresh or dried thyme
Juice of ½ lime
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp chopped parsley for garnishing
4 round slices of lime for garnishing

Rub the scallops with salt. Sprinkle the thyme, paprika, ground black pepper on both sides of the scallops. Keep in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to marinate.

Heat olive oil in a large pan. Place the scallops in the oil. Cook each side for 4-5 minutes until the scallops are golden brown.

Arrange in a plate. Garnish with parsley and lime slices. Serve warm.

Arab Kebab (Arap Kebabı)

As far as I know, this kebab is mainly prepared in the Hatay-Adana-Mersin provinces which are in Southern Turkey. Although, the ingredients are very Mediterranean, the name of this dish may not be familiar to many people. The fact that Hatay province shares a border with Syria (an Arab country), the food culture in Hatay has been influenced by Syrian cooking and flavors. Probably, that’s where the name of this dish comes from.

This kebab that is made in the pot was prepared by my husband without my assistance. It is very simple to make and it tastes really good with some good bread. Some people choose to make it with ground beef or beef cubes. For you vegetarians out there, I would substitute the meat with portabella mushrooms.

1 lb lamb (stew meat)
4 juicy ripe tomatoes (coarsely diced)
1 green pepper (coarsely chopped)
1 medium onion (coarsely chopped)
2 large cloves garlic (sliced)
3 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp cumin
2 tsp salt


Heat olive oil in a large pot. Saute the onions and garlic until the onions are transparent. Add the lamb. When the lamb takes a light brownish color, add the peppers, tomatoes, pepper, salt and cumin.

Give it a stir and close lid. Cook on medium heat for 20 minutes and then turn to low heat for another 20 minutes. If the tomatoes are not juicy, you may need to add a little water so that the dish is not dry.

Mixed Vegetables (Türlü)

A wonderful light summer dish ‘Türlü’ encompasses a variety of vegetables with different tastes in one dish. Other summer vegetables such as okra and zucchini also can be added. This is known and consumed in most of Turkey; perhaps under different names. Rice or bulgur pilaf is a perfect complement to Türlü. Beef or lamb cubes can also be added to the recipe. Both vegetarian and with meat versions are excellent.

5 medium eggplants
3 medium potatoes
1.5 lb green beans
1 green pepper
7 small ripe tomatoes
1 cup frozen peas
3 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tbsp red pepper paste
3 tsp salt (adjust to your taste)
2 cups water
Water for pot

Prepare a large pot full of cold water with 1 tsp salt. Peel the eggplants in lengthwise stripes. The eggplants will have a peeled stripe and an unpeeled stripe. If the eggplants are thin, slice them diagonally, if they are thicker, cut in half and slice diagonally and place in the salty water. This will prevent them from turning brown.

Cut the ends of the green beans and cut them diagonally in an inch and half length. Peel the potatoes and cut in half. Cut each half in squares. Slice the green pepper. Peel and dice the tomatoes and set aside.

Heat the olive oil. Add the green beans and sauté for 7-8 minutes. Drain the water from the eggplants and add to the beans. Add the potatoes, green pepper, garlic and peas.

Dissolve the tomato sauce and the red pepper paste in the water. Add this mixture to the pot. Sprinkle salt. Taste the salt so that it is according to your taste.

Cook covered on high heat until the water in the pot starts to boil. Turn to low heat and cook for 50-60 minutes. Enjoy warm with rice or bulgur pilaf.