Yasemin's Kitchen

Mediterranean Recipes with a Turkish Flair

Artichokes Stuffed with Avocados

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Artichokes with Avocados IMG_2111

Artichokes Stuffed with Avocados

Here’s a perfect example of an Aegean-California fusion dish, if there is such a thing. Although the Mediterranean climate is perfect for growing avocados, they are fairly new in the Aegean region. As people get more familiar with avocados, they are creatively integrating them into their local cuisine. Artichokes, however are widely used in the Mediterranean as main courses, appetizers or salads. This is a fairly easy recipe that adds the creamy texture of the avocados to the tangy delicate flavor of the artichokes. The main thing that takes time in this recipe is the avocado filling which has to be marinated at least 2-3 hours.

Ingredients:

  • 12-15 frozen artichoke bottoms
  • 1 cup lemon juice, divided
  • 1 clove garlic, mashed
  • 1 table spoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • Salt to taste
  • 3-4 medium avocados
  • 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped, or sliced
  • 3/4 cup olive oil, divided
  • 2 cups boiling water
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • Salt to taste
  • Fresh dill weed for garnish, finely chopped

Directions:

Fill a large bowl with tap water, add 1/2 cup lemon juice. Remove frozen artichoke bottoms from the package, place them in the lemon water, set aside to let them thaw.

To prepare the marinade sauce for the avocados, in a medium size bowl mix lemon juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, mashed garlic, mustard, honey and salt with a whisk until it slightly thickens. Peel the avocados, remove seeds, and cut them in small cubes (about ½ inch in size). Place avocados in the sauce. Gently stir with a spoon, making sure the sauce covers the avocado pieces well. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and let it chill in the refrigerator overnight or at least for 2-3 hours.

Cut a small slice from the bottom of each artichoke to make sure the bottoms are flat, not pointy. This is needed to properly stuff them with avocados later. In a large sauce pan, place remaining olive oil and coarsely chopped onions. Spread the onions in an even layer. Place artichokes over the onions in the pan. Sprinkle with sugar and salt. Drizzle the remaining lemon juice ½ cup) evenly over the artichokes. Lemon juice will prevent the color of artichokes from darkening. Add the hot water to the pan and cover with a lid. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, let it simmer until artichokes are tender, about 25-30 minutes. Remove from heat, let it cool to room temperature. Remove artichokes from the pan and place them on a serving plate. Discard the remaining onions. Using a spoon, carefully fill the artichokes with avocados. Sprinkle chopped fresh dill over the avocados. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Bon Appetit! Afiyet Olsun!

Artichokes in lemon water

Artichokes in lemon water

 

Cut the bottom of the artichoke

Cut the bottom of the artichokes

 

Chopped dill

Chopped dill

 

Olive oil and onions in pan

Olive oil and onions in pan

 

Artichokes cooking

Artichokes cooking

 

Cooked Artichokes

Cooked Artichokes

 

Artichokes ready to be served

Artichokes ready to be served

Kale Salad with Tahini Dressing

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Kale Salad with Tahini Dressing
Ingredients:
  • 6 cups baby kale
  • 1 medium green apple, sliced
  • 1 medium orange, peeled
  • 1 small avocado, diced
  • 2  Tbsp hemp seeds (optional)
  • 2-3 Tbsp raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
  • 1/2 cup oranges
  • 1/2 small sweet onion, thinly sliced (optional)
  • black pepper to taste

Dressing:

  • 2 1/2 Tbsp tahini (sesame paste)
  • 3 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon avocado or grape seed oil
  • 1 tsp pomegranate molasses

Directions:
For dressing, mix together all ingredients with a whisk or by shaking in a bottle. Taste and make adjustments to your taste. I usually at least quadruple the recipe and save the left over dressing in the fridge for future use with other salads. Set aside the dressing.

 
Wash and drain kale. Remove any stems that are sticking out. 
 
Cut apple into slices and then cut each slice across in thin triangles.
 
Peel oranges with a knife, exposing the juicy orange part. Cut oranges in half lengthwise. Place on the flat side. Cut each half again lengthwise, then slice across.


 Combine kale, apples and oranges in a large bowl. Add thinly sliced onions (optional). Add enough dressing to cover the leaves. Toss well to make sure the dressing is evenly distributed. Add hemp (optional) and pumpkin seeds, avocados and gently toss again. Transfer to a serving dish, serve chilled.

Bon Appetit! Afiyet Olsun!

Baby kale
Baby kale stems removed
Kale Salad ingredients
Kale Salad ready for tossing
Kale Salad with Tahini Dressing

 

 

Barley Salad with Pomegranates

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Barley Salad with Pomegranate Seeds
I make a quinoa salad similar to this. I was having my friends for lunch and I planned to cook quina pilaf to serve with stew. So, I did not want to have a quinoa salad and decided to use barley instead.  It came out just as delicious. Pomegranate seeds add a fresh sweet taste to this tangy salad. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
  • 1 cup pearl barley
  • 5 cups boiling water
  • ½ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh dill, chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh mint, chopped
  • 1 medium carrot, julienne cut
  • Zest of one medium orange
  • ¾ cup pomegranate seeds
  • 1 avocado, diced
  • 3 table spoon olive oil (you can also use any good oil like avocado or grape seed oil)
  • 3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
  • 1-2 table spoons lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
 
Soak barley in cold water at least for 2 hours or overnight. It soaks a lot of water, use a large bowl and plenty of water. In a large pot, boil 5 cups of water. Drain barley, add it to the boiling water and let it simmer until it is tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, let it cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl, mix barley with all of the ingredients except pomegranate seeds and avocado. Toss well, then add pomegranate seeds and diced avocado. Gently stir and transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint. Serve chilled.
Bon Appetit! Afiyet Olsun!
 
Dry barley
Barley soaked in water
Pomegranate seeds
Orange zest
Coarsely chopped walnuts
Barley Salad with Pomegranate Seeds
 

Black Bean Salad

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Black Bean Salad

 I have to admit that there’s nothing Turkish about this recipe. Practically no one has heard of black beans, cilantro or quinoa in Turkey. Until 10 years ago avocado and using corn in salads were unheard of. But, here I go. In fact, when we first came to the U.S., I bought a bunch of cilantro, mistaking it for the Italian (flat leaf) parsley. I could not stand the aroma of it at first. Living in California, starting with chips & salsa, I eventually not only got used to the taste of cilantro, I now look for it in certain salads and dishes. In this recipe, however, if you don’t like cilantro, you can substitute parsley. 
When Cathy, Dianne and I had one of our potluck lunches, Dianne had prepared Black Bean Salad for us. I had brought fish and quinoa pilaf, Cathy brought dessert. We decided to add a couple of spoonfuls of quinoa to the bean salad, it was delicious. So I added it to the recipe as an optional ingredient. Hope you like it. 
Black Bean Salad
Black Bean Salad with Quinoa

 

Ingredients

  • 1 (15 ounce) can of black beans, rinsed, and drained (or 1 1/2 cup of cooked black beans)
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen corn, defrosted (or fresh corn, boiled, drained, cooled)
  • 3 green onions, chopped
  • 2 pickled or fresh jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
  • 2 fresh medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1 avocado, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
  • 1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro or parsley
  • 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
  • 2 tablespoon lemon or lime juice(about 1/3 lemon, or 1 lime)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2-3 tablespoons of cooked quinoa (optional)

 

Directions

If you are going to use quinoa, cook according to the instructions on the box. Set aside, let it cool. Rinse and drain the beans and corn. In a large bowl, combine the beans, corn, onions, jalapeno peppers, tomatoes, quinoa (optional), cilantro (or parsley), basil, lemon (or lime) juice and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix all ingredients with a spoon. Add avocados last to avoid mashing them.  Chill in the refrigerator for at leaset 1/2 hour before serving.

Afiyet Olsun! Bon Appetit!

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Yasemin Ari

I love cooking, especially cooking with friends and family.

I believe that some of the best conversations take place around the kitchen counter... [Read More]