Celery Root (Kereviz Kökü)

Happy New Year to everyone! I hope that every one had a nice holiday season. Even though, I had planned to start the New Year with a dessert recipe on my blog, I just did not have the time to make a dessert or any type of dish for that matter. My family was visiting from Turkey and I spent precious time with my family. Unfortunately, I did not get to cook together with my mom much and write down some of her favorite recipes since we concentrated on family time and travels when I was off. When I was working, it was wonderful to find delicious Turkish food ready for me at home. Despite the fact that I love cooking, nothing beats home cooked meals by my mom.

I posted some of my previously prepared posts while I was away, but unfortunately, I do not have many unpublished recipes left. This celery root recipe was also written last year and I thought it is a good time to publish it. I will start cooking again (hopefully soon) for the sake of my blog.

Although, it is not my favorite root vegetable, celery root is extremely light and healthy. This vegetable is commonly used for therapeutic purposes against a number of diseases around the world.

Celery root is very popular in Turkey and this recipe was inspired from ‘Anatolian Feast’ Turkish Cookbook which is my favorite cookbook. Celery root can be found easily in markets during the winter season. This dish is perfect as a side dish. Enjoy.

1 celery root (peeled and sliced)
1 small onion (diced)
3 cloves garlic (diced)
2 carrots (diced)
1 large tomato (diced)
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp cumin
½ tbsp chopped fresh dill
½ lemon juice or lime juice
½ tsp salt
1 cup water
Fresh dill for garnish

Heat olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Saute onions and garlic. Add carrots and then tomatoes. Spice up the ingredients with cumin and dill. Add salt and sauté until soft. Remove from heat and set aside.

Take one slice of the celery root and place a few tablespoons of stuffing on top.

Place another slice of celery root on top of the stuffing and repeat the same process until all the stuffing and celery root slices are used up.

Place the stuffed celery root in a pan and add the water. Squeeze ¼ of a lemon on top and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Cook covered for 20-25 minutes. Garnish with fresh dill and serve at room temperature.

Note: If you desire, you may pour 2-3 tbsp olive oil on the celery root slices prior to cooking.

Turkish Sausage Sandwich (Sucuk Sandviç)

Turkish sausage sandwich can be prepared in numerous ways. To create this sandwich, I used whatever I had on hand. It is easy to be creative in making a sandwich with Turkish sausage, so use your creativity. The best part of the sandwich is the sausage, so anything will go with it. Enjoy.

Note: Turkish sausage can be found in Turkish markets or Mediterranean stores.

1 Turkish sausage ring (1 lb package) or any other hard sausage
8 slices of kaşar cheese (pale yellowish sheep’s cheese) or any other hard cheese
4 hamburger buns or hoagies or 1 quartered baggett
2 green bell peppers (sliced thick)
2 tomatoes (sliced)
Mayonnaise
Pickled small peppers for garnishing
3-4 green onions for garnishing
½ tomato for garnishing
½ green bell pepper for garnishing


Cut the sausage ring in half right in the middle. Each half will make two sandwiches. Cut each half in 3-4 slices lengthwise in thickness of 1/3 of an inch. Some of the pieces may be smaller than others due to the shape of the sausage. You also may adjust the length of the sausages according to the bread you are using.

Heat a non-stick pan. Place the sausage slices in the hot pan for two minutes on each side. Do not add any oil or butter, as the sausage will be cooked in its own fat. Spread as much mayo as you want on the bread. Put the sausage slices on the bottom of the sandwich. Place the cheese on top of the sausage. Add the tomatoes and green peppers to the sandwich and enjoy with yogurt or cacık.

Serve with hot pickled small peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and green onions.

Lobster Tails Turkish Style (Türk Stili Istakoz)

Similar to other seafood, lobsters also need extra attention as to how much they are cooked. When they are cooked too long, the lobster meat has a tendency to be rubbery and tasteless.

The seasoning for these lobsters is Turkish/Mediterranean style, but you may alter it anyway you desire.

4 lobster tails (any size)
1 tbsp olive oil
½ lemon
¼ tsp paprika
½ tsp salt

Wash the lobster tails. Using a sharp knife cut the lobster tails lengthwise from the middle. Cut out the top portion of the shell with kitchen shears or with a knife so that the flesh of the lobster meat is exposed. Be careful not to leave tiny pieces of the shell on the meat.

Sprinkle the lobster meat with salt and paprika. Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil. Broil for about 7-8 minutes. Serve with potatoes or rice and vegetables.

Broiled Oysters (Izgara Istiridye)

My preference for eating oysters is raw; however my husband is not fond of raw oysters and actually not crazy about oysters or any other shelled seafood. Therefore, I usually broil them slightly so both of us would enjoy them.

For those of you, who have never shucked oysters, when shucking oysters, make sure you have a special oyster shucking knife along with a thick towel. The first time I purchased fresh oysters, I had the seafood guy in my market show me how to do it. Even with that, I found it very difficult to shuck oysters. It can be very dangerous if you hand with the knife slips while shucking the oyster. So, be careful.

You may add any other spices prior to broiling as it all depends on a person’s taste. Serve with lemon wedges and enjoy.


10 oysters
Pinch of salt
½ tsp paprika
½ lemon

Shuck the oysters. Sprinkle with salt and paprika. Squeeze lemon on top and broil for 3-4 minutes on the top shelf of the oven broiler. Enjoy as appetizers.

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.

Seafood Stew (Deniz Ürünleri Yahnisi)

For almost a year, I have been sitting on some seafood recipes that are not necessarily traditionally Turkish, but may be with Turkish/Mediterranean seasoning. Finally, I got a chance to publish them which will be in a consecutive order. A few more seafood recipes exist in my repertoire that need to be polished. At the same time, here are the ones that are ready to be published.

In addition, I will be busy these days, so I may not respond to your comments or questions immediately. However, I will still be posting new recipes and checking my e-mails and comments as much as I can, since I really enjoy reading them.

Now about the recipe…If you like to indulge in seafood, this is the perfect meal that comprises of different types of seafood in one pot. If you desire, you may add a few other seafood such as scallops or calamari to the recipe. You may also adjust the spices to your liking as it may be too spicy for some. Enjoy with a nice piece of bread or pasta.

1 lb mussels
1 lb clams
1 lb shrimp (cleaned and devined)
¼ cup olive oil
4-5 bay leaves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1 cup white wine
1 cup water
Dill for garnishing (optional)

Wash the mussels and clams with cold water thoroughly and discard the opened shells. Heat olive oil on medium heat in a large pan. Place the mussels and clams with the salt and all the spices. Let them cook for two minutes. Then, add the shrimp, wine and water. Let it simmer for 4-5 minutes. Garnish with dill. Enjoy with just bread or pasta.

Persimmons (Hurma)

One of the tastiest fruits, persimmon is among the top of my favorite fruits. Persimmons can come in different varieties. The most common types are the tomato shaped or the heart shaped ones. Both types of persimmons are astringent prior to ripening and become extremely sweet once ripened.

When the tomato shaped persimmon is firm, usually the outer peel has a bright orange color or sometimes still greenish color while its flesh contains numerous super tiny, dense, brown spots which make the color of the persimmon flesh brownish. The denser the brown spots on the flesh, the sweeter the fruit. The fruit also may have from 4-8 brown seeds, although in some varieties, the seeds maybe non-existent or so small and fresh that they are unnoticeable. I think it depends on the variety of the fruit. This type can be consumed while firm or after softened.

The heart shaped ones can look ripened on the outside with a bright orange color, but still astringent inside. In order to lose its astringency, it has to become extremely soft. Similar to unripe dates, if you keep the unripe persimmons at room temperature or under the sun, they will ripen off the tree. In my opinion, the tomato shaped persimmons with the brown spot flesh are the best ones.

Persimmon branches and persimmon fruits also can make beautiful centerpieces at your home. I personally would never pay money for the branches with the fruit for my vase, but if I had a tree, I certainly use them to make my home beautiful.

In the area I grew up in Southern Turkey, persimmon trees grow easily. My father has many trees in his garden (again, I never had the chance to taste them). Persimmons were abundant while I was growing up and enjoyed them very much. I can eat many persimmons and never get sick of them. They are harvested between October and December in the Mediterranean region.

Persimmons also grow in Texas; in fact we went persimmon picking last year with some friends at a persimmon farm. My initial plan was to write about it last year, but since we found the owner of the farm really grouchy and rude to his customers (other customers too) I changed my mind, so I created this post instead.

Similar to figs and pomegranates, they are very expensive in the United States. However, since persimmons are very popular with Asians (and persimmons probably originated in Asia), Asian markets sell them at a much cheaper price. Instead of paying from $2.50 to $2.99 per persimmon at regular markets, at Asian stores you can find them at $1.50 to $1.95 per pound! Even here in Calgary, I went to Chinatown one day during lunch hour to search for persimmons. I found them at a very reasonable price.

Personally, I have never attempted to cook or bake with persimmons. Occasionally, I plan for cooking with them, but we end up eating the fruit raw as they are which I really enjoy. Probably the nutrients in the fruit are maximized when the fruit is raw. They are rich in antioxidants, vitamin A and vitamin C, potassium, calcium, iron and may contain many other health benefits.

If you are not familiar with this fruit and never had it, do not miss any opportunity to taste it. Enjoy.

Note: The persimmons in both pictures are different. The persimmons in the first picture were purchased last year at the farmer’s market in Houston. The other ones with lighter color and cut in half are purchased from Calgary’s Chinatown. The persimmons purchased at the Chinatown were more delicious.