Lahmacun (Turkish pizza)

If you like middle eastern food, I know you'll like this one. It's so fast and easy it's not even funny.
Here's the recipe I used for the filling. I didn't make the dough, instead I used pita bread or flat bread. This is the recipe from the foodnetwork hopempage:

DOUGH:
3/4 teaspoon dried yeast
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Olive oil for bowl & brushing dough

FILLING:
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces ground lamb or chuck
1 tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon kirmizi biber, or combination sweet paprika and cayenne pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 1 lemon

Combine the yeast and sugar with a little of the warm water, and set aside until mixture is frothy. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl, and make a well in the center. Add the yeast mixture, along with the remaining warm water. Using your hands, work the mixture into a dough, adding more water if necessary. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until pliable and springy, about 5 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl, turning to coat, cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.

Punch down risen dough and knead on a lightly floured surface. Roll into a log and cut into 2 to 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, place on floured surface and let rest 30 minutes under a towel.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F, and preheat baking sheets, tiles, or a baking stone.

Prepare the filling: Melt the butter in a skillet, add the onion and saute until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and saute another minute. Transfer onion mixture to a large bowl, add remaining ingredients, and mix thoroughly with your fingertips. If mixture seems too dry, add a teaspoon of water.

Place a ball of dough on a floured surface and roll into a round, flat circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Place the round on the oiled, preheated baking sheets or tiles. Brush the top with olive oil and spread with a thin, even layer of the meat filling, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. The dough should still be soft enough to roll up.

Squeeze a little lemon juice over each of the hot lahmacuns, and serve immediately either flat or rolled up into cones.

home made bread

I've been wanting to make my own bread from scratch for quite some time now and earlier this week, I finally made. I can't find the recipe right now but here's the picture of my bread. turned out great :))

Salmon in foil

In an attempt to eat a little bit more healthy - keyword is "attempt ;) I made salmon in foil this week. It is so simple to make too.

Ingredients:
1 salmon
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 lemon, very thinly sliced
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil







Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Rinse salmon fillet under cold running water and pat dry. Cut a piece of foil long and wide enough to encase the salmon when folded over the center and folded up on the ends. Position the foil on a large baking sheet and place the salmon in the center of the foil, skin side down. Sprinkle the salmon with the salt, pepper, and rosemary. Place the lemon slices over the fish fillet along with the sliced onion and garlic slivers. Drizzle the fillet evenly with the olive oil and fold the edges of the foil up over the salmon and crimp to seal. Fold the edges together on both ends to create an airtight package.

and after 15 min...VOILA :

Greek Lamb Burger

So today, after a whole day of cleaning the house and the yard, we figured it would be the perfect time for some burgers - but Greek style. The weather was very good for grilling too and it turned out just perfect!






Ingredients:
- ground lamb meat
- mint
- paprika
- oregano
- greek seasoning
- salt and pepper




Mix it all well and form into patties.
Then grill (4-5 min per site)



now, who's the Grillmeister? ;)



Serve on toasted pita bread with some lettuce and tsasiki sauce.





Mike loved it!



Here's a happy husband. Liebe geht halt doch durch den Magen :)

Pork Tenderloin with Chimichurri

Here's another great and easy Tyler Florence recipe.
I served this with yellow rice and a mango salso. This dish can't go wrong!








Chimichurri:

- 6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 2 jalapenos, seeded and minced
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- About 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- About 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh oregano leaves
- 3 limes, juiced
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper



- 2 pork tenderloins (about 1 pound each), trimmed of excess fat, patted dry
- salt & pepper
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Lime juice, for drizzling
- Parsley sprigs, for garnish



Combine the garlic, jalapeno and vinegar in a bowl. Stir in the parsley, oregano, and lime juice. Whisk in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside at room temperature to allow the flavors to marry.

Reserve 1/2 cup of the chimichurri to serve and marinate the pork in the rest. Put the pork and marinade in a sealable plastic bag and set aside in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the grill or oven broiler to high.

Remove the pork from the marinade, wiping off any excess. Season both sides with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and place on the grill. Grill the pork on the hottest part of the barbecue for 4 minutes per side, until well charred. Allow the tenderloin to rest for about 5 minutes prior to slicing. Spoon some chimichurri over the meat, drizzle with lime juice, garnish with parsley, and serve with the remaining sauce at the table.

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and for leftovers, i cooked up some beans, cut the pork in little strips and made wraps out of it...with the leftover mango salsa.