Turkey

This Turkish Semolina Cake in Syrup, also called Revani, is at first lightly sweetened and then drenched in a lemon-hinted syrup. The semolina flour and ground almonds give it a nice chew, and the bit of apricot make each bite beautifully flavored.

Pide can be made with a wide-variety of fillings. Popular ones are spiced ground lamb, mixed greens and herbs, and cheese and egg. This version has an earthy mix of chard, spinach, green onions, and parsley.

This is a simple salad with a nice combination of crunchy vegetables, ripe fresh tomatoes, and bright lemon and herb dressing.

A little of this salad goes a long way and is great alongside Pide stuffed with greens and herbs.

Labneh is a strained yogurt cheese from Turkey that is delicious as a dip, along with flatbread and herbs, or stirred into greens or even just spread on toast. To give it a little extra flavor boost, here I have added a quick mix of Za’atar and chopped pistachios.

Baklava is one of those desserts that satiates perfectly. For such a tiny little serving it has to hit all the right notes, and it does. Crispy, chewy, crunchy, sweet, just a touch salty, and decadent.

I don’t know about you but I love mushrooms. they are so versatile and umami-rich. This is a simple preparation the brings out their flavor and gets a nice kick of freshness from the herbs mixed in just before serving.

For the Turkish Grand Prix this year I found some excellent vegetarian recipes in Classic Turkish Cooking by Ghillie Basan: Zucchini and Cheese Patties, Spicy Garlic Mushrooms, and a side salad of chopped crunchy veggies and herbs.