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Babaghannoush is a similar dish to hummus, but, it is made with eggplants instead of chickpeas. Frequently, the eggplant is baked or broiled over an open flame before peeling, so the pulp is soft and has a smoky taste.

Served cold, it is a very good appetizer. It is also served hot with meat dishes, and is then called "hunkar begendi - Sultan's delight" The Hunkar Begendi recipe contains milk instead of yogurt and butter instead of olive oil and usually some kashkaval cheese asnd flour is added in order to give it a different taste and consistency.

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Dolma is a family of stuffed vegetable dishes in the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire and surrounding regions. Common vegetables to stuff include zucchini, eggplant, tomato and pepper. The stuffing may or may not include meat. The meat dolmas are served warm as main course and the meatless ones are served cold, usually as appetizers. In either case, the filling contains onions, parsley, herbs and spices.

The widely known dolma is the grape-leaf dolma with olive oil, which is also known as "yaprak dolma" and "sarma". It is usually served with lemon wedges and/or yogurt as appetizer.



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Despite the rainy weather, the summer is here and we are all in the mood for some light food and happy hours!!! You can sit at our sidewalk cafe or at the mini-garden. Here are our summer specials....

 

MEZZE PLATE WITH A GLASS OF HOUSE WINE $9.50>>

Between 3:30PM – 6:30PM>>

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DURUM (WRAPS) WITH SIDE OF FRENCH FRIES $9.50>>

Choice of meat are>>

Adana Kebap>>

Barbequed Meatballs>>

Doner>>

Chicken Kebap>>

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LAHMAJOUN (TURKISH STYLE PIZZA) $12.50>>

Flat-bread dough topped with ground lamb & chopped garden vegetables
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Belly dancing originates from Ancient Babylon in southern Iraq. Arabs introduced belly dancing and drumming and was passed on from generation to generation. Later on, when the Arabs settled in Egypt, they also passed on the belly dance and then to the Ottoman Empire. Outside the Middle East, belly dancing was popularized during the Romantic movement of the 18th and 19th centuries, whereby Orientalist artists depicted their interpretations of harem life in the Ottoman Empire.

Keep in mind that you can watch a live belly dance show at Turkuaz Restaurant on Friday and Saturday evenings. This would cheer up your shy date or bring a lot of fun to parties.

Here is a short video of the Turkish version of belly dancing. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 pounds ground lamb
1 onion, minced
½ cup minced parsley
¼ cup minced red bell pepper
1 teaspoon paprika ...<< MORE >>

Ottoman cuisine is the cuisine of the Ottoman Empire and its successors in Anatolia, the Balkans, and much of the Middle East.

The importance of culinary art for the Ottoman Sultans is evident to every visitor of Topkapı Palace. The palace houses several kitchens that are built underneath ten domes in several different buildings. By the 17th century approximately 1300 kitchen staff were housed in the Palace full time. The cooks specialized in several different dishes and would feed as many as ten thousand people a day and, in addition, sent trays of food to others in ...<< MORE >>

You will need:

4 cips of dried chickpeas
10 cups of water
1/2 cup of sesame seeds
1/4 cup of lemon juice
1/3 cup of garlic powder
Extra virgin olive oil

Place the dried chickpeas in a large pan with twice as much water to cover. Let sit overnight in the refrigerator. Drain off the soaking water. Put 10 cups of water and bring to boil, cover and reduce heat and simmer for 45-60 minutes until the chickpeas are tender. Drain off any excess liquid then cool the chickpeas.

In a large food processor, combine the sesame seeds, lemon juice, garlic and a little bit of oil. Mix until all the sesame seeds are ground up and a smooth paste is formed. Add the cooked and cooled chickpeas to the sesame mix. Blend until the chickpeas are broken down and a thick paste is formed. If the mixture gets too thick, gradually add a little bit of water or oil. Leave to chill. Decorate with olive, carrot and cucumber slices. Serve with bread or crackers.

For those who travel in culinary pursuits, the Turkish Cuisine is a very curious one. The variety of dishes that make up the Cuisine, the ways they all come together in feast-like meals, and the evident intricacy of each craft offer enough material for life-long study and enjoyment. It is not easy to discern a basic element or a single dominant feature, like the Italian "pasta" or the French "sauce". Whether in a humble home or at a famous restaurant, familiar patterns of this rich and diverse Cuisine are always present. It is a rare art which satisfies your senses ...<< MORE >>