![20 Things You Should Bring Back from Turkiye]()
by Yvonne Maffei | Jul 27, 2019 | TRAVEL, Turkey
I came to Turkiye twice before making the leap to live here for an extended period of time. I’ve been mostly in Istanbul, the Black Sea region and now in southern Turkey with treks along the way to and fro. I’m always on the lookout for unique things I’ll use and not just novelty items (you can find plenty of those kinds of things here, just as in any touristy area). I like things that I’ll actually use on a daily basis, things that will make my home more beautiful and remind me of the memories I’ve made while visiting. I’m also just really attracted to the naturally-natural things available in Turkey. Much of it is not made to look or feel organic or natural- it just is that way already, and that’s what is so appealing to me.
Below is a list of 20 of my favorite finds throughout my trips to Turkey. Many of these items I’m actually using on a daily basis now, so I can tell you they’re worth it. They also make great gifts for friends and family you’ll share your experience with upon return, so make them special.
You’ll find that many of my suggestions here can be purchased at local grocery stores, so read it through, print this out and perhaps you can make a run to the local Migros store and get most of your souvenir and take-home shopping out of the way in almost one fell swoop. That’s what I did on my last trip and I’m so glad I did. I was able to enjoy the rest of my trip so much more that way. But hey, you do your trip your way.
* please note that some of the items listed will have to be declared ahead of time before entering back into the United States, so please read these guidelines and do that when traveling back into the country.
I hope you find the list enjoyable and if there is anything else you would suggest, please list those in the comments section at the end of this post.
- Kırmızı Biber Salçası (Red Pepper Paste)
In the states you could find red pepper paste in some Turkish or Mediterranean markets, but not always and it’s somewhat more expensive than what you’ll find it for in Turkey. Even the Korean red pepper paste in Asian markets (gochujang) can be a substitute, but to me the taste is very different and it’s also hot. Use it much like you would tomato paste for pasta dishes, meat dishes, breakfast eggs and the like. To me, it’s a unique ingredient I never started using until I came to Turkey so if you’re interested in making Turkish food when you get home, you’ll wish you brought this stuff. Please don’t buy the glass jars (trust me)- there are packs-of-three small boxes (Tat Pratik brand) of it that you can find in many grocery stores like Migros in Turkey. To cook with it, you can find several examples of dishes on my Instagram page and recipes using it on this website.
- Findik Ezmesi (Hazelnut Butter) by Findux
Findux Findik Ezmesi
or Fiskobirlik (my personal preference). It’s more like a hazelnut paste or spread that is so tasty at breakfast with bread or as a health food before/after working out by just eating a few spoonfuls. It can be found at just about any grocery store, such as Migros or A101 stores (similar to Aldi stores in the U.S.).
- Fiskobirlik Yagi (Hazelnut Oil from Giresun). This is a unique oil that is hard to find in the U.S. and once you do find it, it’s quite expensive and I’ve never seen it from here specifically, anyway. They have small-medium containers of this oil in Turkey, mostly at grocery stores, so you can purchase and find a space in your suitcase to take this home easily. Use it in salads and cooked pastas, but do not heat it to a high temperature.
- Turkish Pistachios (Fistik) from Gaziantep. You’ll find all sorts of loose nuts and dried fruits in Turkey, but what you must taste are the fresh, raw or roasted pistachios from the pistachio capital of the world: Gaziantep. The meat of the nut is so green, it’s unmistakable I like to buy the vacuum-sealed packages of them found in many grocery stores because they make great gifts and keep well until you’re ready to open and store them at home after traveling.
- Baklava from Asi Künefeleri in the Eminönü neighborhood of Istanbul. You’ll find lots of options for sweets there, but look for this one that make the huge baklava “sandwiches” in their storefront window. Also try their green pistachio baklava and ask them to wrap it tight so you can take it home. Just be sure to eat these up quickly, as they are made fresh and do spoil within a week or two. I learned the hard way. The neighborhood is great for bargain shopping, by the way- especially for kids’ stuff.
- Turkish Hazelnuts (Findik) from Giresun (Black Sea region). Turkish hazelnuts from the Black Sea region are smaller than the ones we normally find in the U.S. I think they’re delicious and definitely worth a try and suggest you buy the unshelled nuts rather than shelled, since they retain their flavor much longer.
Top: Dried Turkish Hazelnuts; Bottom: Fresh Turkish Hazelnuts
- Small Turkish Garlic. If you love to cook, you’ll want to at least take these home and try them out. They’re so different than anything I’ve seen back in the US (even in California) and I feel like they’re a pretty unique find, especially since I happen to notice them in an 80-year old apothecary near the main entrance of the Spice Bazaar.
- Freshly Ground Hot Kahve from Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi in Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not really a fan of Turkish coffee and I have my own reasons for that. I do, however, know plenty of people back home who would go crazy for this stuff, so it was a perfect gift to bring back home. If you go to this location in the Grand Bazaar, you’ll be able to get cute little bags of a few ounces of freshly ground kahve that make just the most perfect gifts. You can, of course, get larger portions, too, but I thought the small bags were just great alongside other trinkets I brought home for friends and family. Yes, you can find it all over the world, but the freshly ground stuff is really special.
- Bal (Turkish honey) from the Mugla Region. The Mugla region of southern Turkey is THE place for honeybees and honey production. It’s famous for pine honey, especially, but there are other varieties such as wildflower. You should be able to find this type of honey anywhere in Turkey.
- Pekmez (Grape Syrup/Molasses). Gear up for a boost of iron with this ingredient that is usually mixed with tahini (which you can easily find all over the U.S.) and eaten with bread. I call it the Turkish peanut butter and jelly“. It can be found nicely bottled in many grocery stores, or in large tubs all around Istanbul, especially around the Grand Bazaar. I feel like those are too heavy to lug back in a suitcase, so I always opt for the tall glass bottles found in the stores. Wrap them tight with your clothes and some bubble wrap or a thick paper bag, if you can. This cannot be brought on in your carry-on since it’s considered a liquid.
- Lokum (Turkish Delight) They say the best lokum comes from Afyon, but the ones I did try there were nothing in taste compared to the ones I found in the Grand Bazaar, so I’m not buying that notion on this one. Do some tastings around the bazaar, as there are hundreds of stalls to choose from, and then hundreds of flavors to try. I personally love the rose petal lokum as well as the tangerine, but there are so many yet to try. Serve them with Turkish çay or Turkish kahve when you get home and tell your friends and family all about your trip.
- Tirebolu Tea. Speaking of çay, much of the best tea in Turkey is grown in the Black Sea region of Tirebolu where I personally saw the beautiful tea fields myself. You can find the teas in specialty shops around Turkey. Look at grocery stores like Carrefour or Migros and shops that sell nuts and dried herbal teas or ask around to see where you can get it. I brought mine back directly from the source near Tirebolu, but you definitely don’t have to go that far to find it.
- Ihlamur (Linden Tea) and Other Dried Loose Herbal Teas. Speaking of teas, Turkey is also famously known for their herbal teas, which are mostly consumed during the cold and wet winter months. If you’ve been reading this website, you’ll remember that I’ve written about my love of ihlamur before and how to make it with the dried leaves (here). They’re super beneficial and way more potent than the bagged tea versions you find it boxes at the grocery stores, so be sure you grab the loose teas, which can be found all over the country. I found a good variety of teas in Istanbul near the shopping areas just outside of Eyup Sultan Çami.
- Copper Pots. If you love to cook or are buying a gift for your favorite chef, do not miss the opportunity to purchase Turkish copper cookware: sauce pans, braising pans, coffee pots of various sizes. Not only are they remarkably inexpensive compared to their US and European counterparts, they’re just as durable and good in quality. Here’s the trick, however, to know that what you’re buying is real copper: there will be a price for each item when you ask the shopkeeper, but if it is real copper, he will not be able to tell you a final price until the item is weighed. That is how you know it’s real. If it’s a fake, there will be a set and final price on the item, no weighing. I wouldn’t buy it, personally. There are many shops in Istanbul, particularly around the Egyptian Spice Market.
- Clay Serving Bowls & Cooking Pots– You’ll find in many restaurants when they serve something like Turkish rice pudding, they’ll put it in cute, round ceramic bowls (which I always want to take home) called Güveç Kabı. These are great for decorative serving, but you can also bake with them, which is why they’re also so practical in the kitchen. You can find them all over the pazars, but you’ll be surprised to find them sometimes at stores like Migros or A101 for unbelievable prices.
The same goes for the Güveç pots which come mostly unglazed and are great for clay pot cooking of meat and vegetables, after which a famous Turkish dish is name. I’ll be posting a recipe and how to season and use the pot soon. You can also find these in the same places as the small bowls for a really great price. I always put these in my carry-on because I’m too afraid they’ll break in a suitcase. 
- Handmade Wooden Spoons & Cutting Boards. I’ve bunched these together even though they’re two separate types of kitchen goods, but it’s because you’ll usually find them somewhere together at a shopkeeper’s stall at a local farmers market (pazar), which is the best and cheapest way to find them. I’ve seen them in Istanbul, the Black Sea region and in the south, so someone is making these everywhere you go. In the south, you’ll also find boards made out of olive wood instead of the typical pine. What I love about all of these is that although they don’t seem sealed with anything, I don’t find them warping in the heat of cooking or when I’m neglectfully keeping them in water too long, so that’s a big plus for me!
- Turkish Cookbooks. I was so happily surprised to find a second hand book bazaar Sahaflar Carsisi) in Istanbul, not far from the Grand Bazaar. It has been there since the Byzantine days and yet I had no idea it was there, but just happened to bump into it while meandering about. What was amazing about it was that it seemed like a courtyard full of small book stalls for university students as well as for those studying Islamic courses, so there are lots of Qur’an and other Islamic studies type of books in Turkish there, too. I happen to be looking for Ottoman cuisine cookbooks and asked one of the shopkeepers about it, and he brought out one of my favorite cookbooks to this day: Dervis Sofralari (The Dervish Table) by Sahrap Soysal. Another simple, but really good book is Ramazan Lezzetleri (Delicious Ramadan) by M.Omur Akkor. They may be in Turkish, but if you really love and want to cook some authentic cuisine, you’ll pour through these books and figure out what the recipes are saying- plus, there’s always Google translate to help.
- Gül Suyu (Rose Water) by Gülsah. For just about $1 USD you can find this product in many grocery stores like Migros and use it as a facial toner. You can also put this in a spray bottle and use it as a face/body hydrator, which is absolutely refreshing.
- Hammam Towels (also referred to as simply, “Turkish Towels”). I absolutely love the look of Turkish hammam towels and have bought many that I just adore. They come in pretty pastel colors usually, and vary in size from small hand towels to super large beach towel size. I’ve been all over Turkey and the best prices I’ve found for these were in the Galata Tower area of Istanbul where you’ll find a lot of shopping and touristy shops, but with competitive prices. Sometimes if you buy a lot, they’ll even throw in some cute soaps with your purchase.
- Olive Oil Soap. Speaking of soaps, there is nothing as pure and soft as olive oil soap. You can certainly find these in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean markets in the U.S., but they’re worth the buy for the price and quality in Turkey. I’ve found them cheapest at stores like A101 and Sok, but you can certainly find them in the pazars (markets) and specialty shops where things like hammam towels are sold. *P.S. I even wash my hair with it sometimes!
Whew…that was a lot. And this post took me down memory lane, as I remember where I was with every purchase. For me, it’s so much like a scavenger hunt to find new products that I love and are unique to me and that I actually use at home at the end of the day. I hope you’ll find the same usefulness and enjoyment of these things as I did (and still do)!
![Sicilian Eggplant Rolls]()
by Yvonne Maffei | Jul 15, 2019 | Appetizers & Snacks, By Meal Type, Italian
This summer weather in Turkey reminds me exactly of my two summers spent in Sicily in the mid 90’s. Very hot. Very dry. Limited A/C, if any…and the smell of homemade cooking in every neighborhood. Those smells give you a great idea of what to cook, actually. In Italy, there is the smell of all things based on tomatoes; in Turkey it seems to me the smell is more based on red pepper paste, at least here in the southern part of the country where I am now. I visualize what my neighbors are cooking all the time, which is in part what helps me to think up my own menu day after day.
That said, I can never let go of the traditional tastes I grew up with and grew to love even more after visiting Sicily because the food there is that good. At least a few times a week there has to be some sort of pasta on the table and something to do with tomato sauce. Right now eggplants are plentiful so there is no excuse not to consume them, but they do have to be prepared just right to get the bitterness out of them, which can be a deterrent when you’re pressed for time.
I happen to be searching for traditional Sicilian recipes online since all of my cookbooks are still back in Chicago and I found one I just couldn’t stop thinking about until I made it- and then made it again- and again: Sicilian Eggplant Rolls. The flavor is simply delicious, rustic, earthy and so incredibly satisfying. If I was having a party, I would serve this up as an appetizer (although it’s a lot of work for an appetizer, but it really does have some pizazz in presentation).
Here’s how to make them.
First, get fresh, beautiful purple eggplant without any soft spots or wrinkles.
Once you’ve got your prized eggplants, be sure to make the tomato sauce ahead of time. Please don’t wait until the eggplants are cooked to do this- trust me. You will want to eat these as soon as they’re stuffed with the cheese, so do not miss the opportunity to eat these with the delicious tomato sauce- even if it’s all cold- they’re delish!
To make the tomato sauce, I use an unseasoned tomato puree that comes in a jar and then add minced garlic, basil, salt and a wee bit of sugar. Yes, sugar- to take out the acidity or bitterness of the tomatoes. It’s basically the only time I ever totally approve of using sugar in my cooking, but that’s just me. Use organic turbinado sugar, if possible.
Take the tops off and cut each lengthwise thinly, which may take a while if you’re using a knife. You can also use a mandolin for this (watch your fingers). You can’t use a food processor because you’d have to cut the eggplant in half and the pieces would be too short.
Now comes the thing you have to do to take the bitterness out of the eggplant. Please don’t skip this step because if you do and the eggplant is bitter, it really ruins the whole dish. To my knowledge, there is no way to really know how/if the eggplant is bitter prior to cooking and eating it. If you or someone you know has this information, please share it with me in the comments!
So the way to do this is to place the eggplant pieces in a colander and sprinkle them very generously with salt. Don’t worry- you’re not going to eat all that salt later. Move the pieces around with your hands to make sure all pieces are getting salted. Put a plate on top and a pitcher of water or something heavy on top of the plate to weigh them all down firmly. What is not shown in this photo is that you should have something underneath the colander because juices from the eggplant will come out of the bottom. I probably did that after I took the picture.
*By the way, my aunt in Sicily taught me this method over 20 years ago so she deserves the credit for teaching me this, which is now more of a well-known fact but that was way before anyone ever seemed to want to cook for themselves, and before cooking became trendy again- she was on to something.
You need to let the weighing down happen for at least 30 minutes. Sometimes I let it go way longer, but depending on the amount of eggplant that should be enough time for the three I cut for this recipe. Once the time is up, you’ll see that the eggplant pieces have ‘sweat’ out some water (i.e. bitter flavor) and you must dry them all up with a paper towel or cotton towel, to be more eco-friendly. This is a very important step, otherwise oil will be spewing at you when you cook them, PLUS what would have been the point of doing all that sweating if it isn’t wiped off?
Cooking chemistry makes so much sense when you think about it….
So, while you’re waiting for the eggplant sweating to happen, you can make your cheese mixture. This is where things got tricky for me because the original recipe calls for using ricotta cheese (for which I have a homemade recipe in the My Halal Kitchen cookbook, if you didn’t already know). In my world, things have changed a bit and the type of food ingredients I used to get aren’t as inexpensive or as easily accessible as they were in the U.S. when every local Trader Joe’s store had what I wanted and if they didn’t, someone else did (although usually of a lesser quality). Here in Turkey, things like Parmesan and ricotta cheeses are considered foreign, as they are imported and are a bit more expensive than locally made products. You can often find close equivalents, too, for both, which I have.
In this case, I used something called Suzme Peynir. Suzme means “strained” (i.e. thicker) and the word is used for yogurt as well as cheeses; and peynir means “cheese” and refers to all kinds of cheeses. There are several brands of suzme peynir available in all grocery stores and it’s favored because it’s soft, thick and goes well with anything you put on the table for the famed Turkish breakfast (kahvalti). I often use it as a topping for stewed vegetables and even pasta because it’s so nice and creamy. That also makes it the perfect candidate for a ricotta substitute- so then it hit me to use it in this dish.
Whether using ricotta or suzme peynir, add chopped parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Set aside (refrigerated) until ready to add to the eggplants.
Once the eggplants have finished sweating and are ready to saute, be very sure they are dry, piece by piece. Use a pastry brush or silicone brush to swipe each side of each piece of eggplant with the olive oil (that’s what the 1 cup is for). Do this instead of adding oil to the pan and frying. It’s less messy and they cook and brown more easily this way.
Once they’re doing being swiped with oil, heat the saute pan and proceed to brown each piece on each side. Set the finished pieces aside on a paper towel-lined plate to drain out any excess oil.
Once finished cooking all the pieces, they’re ready to be stuffed. Place each eggplant piece round side towards you and put a dollop of the cheese mixture on the end.
Roll up and away from you.
Roll until you can’t roll anymore, making sure they’re nice and tight. Use toothpicks to hold them in place.
If you don’t want to bake these, you can prepare your serving dish by pouring some of the finished tomato sauce (hot or room temperature or even cold) on the bottom of the serving dish, and place each roll on the plate.
If you plan on baking these, place each one (without the toothpick) on a baking pan or sheet and cook for 20 minutes at 300 degrees F. 
These really are delicious hot or cold and I’ve had them both ways, sometimes straight out of the fridge because they’re that tempting. I do prefer baking them first because it really does set the cheese, but you don’t have to do that if time doesn’t allow or you simply prefer it that way. It is versatile enough. 
Bismillah and Buon Appetito!
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![Knowing How to Cook is Empowering]()
by Yvonne Maffei | Jul 12, 2019 | Thoughts on Food
This little dish of Pasta with Bechamel Sauce represents the exact reason why cooking for oneself is not only an act of self-care, but also an experience of empowerment. Why? Because it embodies the art of knowing how to survive and thrive on less- less money, less stuff (i.e. ingredients), fewer cooking tools & gadgets, and more time for the things you actually want to do.
Since I’ve been in Turkey, I’ve had to learn to manage high prices for things that are relatively cheap back in the US (in this case, Parmesan). I’ve also had to substitute for ingredients I simply can’t find very easily (also, Parmesan). I have to stretch fresh seasonal vegetables from one market day to the next or until they come up in my garden because they are way pricier and not nearly as good quality in the larger grocery stores. This is simply not the case in the U.S., as you can still find great looking and tasting organic food products in many reputable grocers nowadays- but that sometimes makes it more tempting to overstuff your fridge with fresh things that will quickly go to waste before you can use them up. Instead, knowing how to cook has saved me from spending money on eating out, eating food I don’t enjoy, or even snacking instead of having a proper meal; and instead using my self-taught cooking skills to be creative and a master of stretching the food budget while never sacrificing on taste. Now that is empowering.
So what happened here and why the big deal over Béchamel? Typically, any type of French sauce is considered difficult, but they’re really not once you’ve practiced them. Béchamel is the first types of French sauces one anyone would learn in culinary school because it uses basic ingredients we always have on hand (flour + butter) and the sauce is used as a base in soufflés and added to dishes to either stretch them and/or give them more flavor. In fact, once you master it you can basically get even more creative with the dishes you serve it on, too. It requires a little bit of juggling ingredients in that you have to get the roux (flour + butter) mixture just right and you have to whisk the butter in vigorously and quickly so that the flour doesn’t clump your sauce, but you get the hang of it once you practice- just like any other skill.
I was very limited on ingredients at home and was actually craving pasta Alfredo, but without the Parmesan that I didn’t have, I was able to make Béchamel, so that’s what I did- without a recipe, because it’s already in my head.
I’m not an Executive Chef at a fancy restaurant; I’m a home cook just like you, which means you can do this, too. Wouldn’t you feel like your very own Master Chef at home if you made something like this for yourself, without fuss? It’s doable, I promise you.
Both recipes and easy instructions for making Alfredo and Béchamel can be found in the My Halal Kitchen cookbook and only require a few essential base ingredients: flour, butter, milk, salt, black pepper. Red pepper flakes on top make it more Turkish, but you can leave those out and add some fresh herbs or nothing at all. It’s your dish, so you do you.
You can get the My Halal Kitchen cookbook here.
![Aegean Lentil Pasta]()
by Yvonne Maffei | Jul 8, 2019 | Gluten-Free, Lunch, Summer, Turkish, Vegetarian
As many of you readers of my blog and followers on social media know already, I’ve been in Turkey for several months exploring the cuisine and the sights of the southern Turquoise Coast. It’s a beautiful place with some majestic scenery and a tradition of down to earth local foods that combine the Aegean with the Mediterranean cultures, as where I am in Fethiye-Mugla is literally the place where both waters meet.
The thing is, that being here has given me an entirely new appreciation for my own Sicilian heritage. The island of Sicily is not far from here- a straight shot west basically- and has a similar, albeit dryer, climate. So it’s no surprise that the ingredients here are quite similar to those I grew up with, showing up in delicious Sicilian recipes centuries old that must have been created out of sheer availability of local and seasonal foodstuffs.
My grandmother used to make a dish called lenticchie, which is basically a soup with lentils and small pasta like ditalini. I wasn’t the biggest fan of it because the lentils always seemed to go mushy all over the pasta and I’m particular about the texture of my pasta, as well as the taste. It takes a lot for me to eat it without real tomato sauce…
Nevertheless, I grew up and reminisced about everything my grandmother made and wanted to try my hand at it all just so that I could be surrounded by the smell of her cooking again.
As such, we all develop our own tastes and techniques for recipes- at least that’s what I always do no matter the origin of the recipe. I don’t stress about making things exactly the way someone else made certain dishes; instead I go upon my own intuition and let the smell and taste of the food guide me towards what I’d be satisfied to eat.
This Aegean Lentil Pasta recipe is just that. Years of formulating my own taste preferences and an appreciation for what’s not just seasonal and local, but what’s available in my own kitchen in an effort not to waste what’s already there. In this case, it was many of the Turkish kitchen basics: onion, garlic, tomato, red pepper paste, lentils, olive oil and key spices like Turkish thyme and ground red pepper.
I think what helps me to get the texture of the lentils just how I like them is to cook them ahead and separate from any of the other ingredients. That way, I keep a watchful eye and boil them just until they get how I like them- cooked, but not mushy. Depending upon how much you’re cooking, in a typical dish that feeds 4 people, this should take about 20 minutes.
Once the lentils are cooked, strain and set aside.
In a medium to large deep pan or deep-bottom sauce pan, warm the olive oil and then add the chopped tomatoes, onions and garlic all at once.
Once the onions have gone translucent, add the thyme, salt, black pepper and ground red pepper. Also add the cooked and strained lentils.
Next comes the addition of water and the red pepper paste, which you should be able to find at Mediterranean markets or even sometimes at World Market. If you’re in a Turkish market (whether in Turkey or abroad, you can find a large jar of the Ipek brand, and it’s called in Turkish “Biber Salçası” (literally, “Pepper Sauce”). This brand also has a halal mark on it, though I am not deeply familiar with it so I can’t say more than that about it or their certification.
You need to add the water before the red pepper paste in order to thoroughly whisk or combine the paste into the liquid mixture. It gives it that nice red color and deep, earthy flavor. I’ve only ever been used to using tomato sauce or paste in this recipe before, but the red pepper really has converted me into making it with this flavor profile instead–and it makes it very Aegean, and very Turkish.
At this stage, I also add some fresh parsley– not too much, because I’ll add it at the end, too, but just some for flavor. 
Next, once the water comes to a boil, add the ditalini pasta. Please don’t use large noodles or anything larger than the largest size of ditalini available- it really sort of ruins the proportions of this dish and you probably won’t enjoy eating it. There’s a reason why the small ditalini pasta is used here, and it’s not just tasty, but also pleasurable.
Because the pasta has to cook, you’ll need to cover the pan at this point and let it cook for the customary 10-12 minutes it normally takes to get done. This is not the time for al dente pasta here, please. I don’t use a whole bag or box of pasta, either. I just sprinkle the amount I want- about 1/2 cup or about half the amount or less than the lentils. 
Once the pasta cooks, you may still have a lot of liquid in the pan. At this point, you can either 1) enjoy this dish as a soup (that’s how my grandmother served it); or 2) let most of the liquid cook out until you reach the desired consistency and serve it as a pasta.
I chose the latter for a couple of reasons. First, it’s too hot to drink soup right now; and second, I just really loved the way this turned out once most of the liquids evaporated- it was super easy to eat with a spoon. On top, just add a drizzle of olive oil, chopped fresh parsley and if you have a good fresh Parmesan or dried goat cheese, go for it. I didn’t have any cheese, but it’s the one thing I know for sure was missing. Otherwise, it’s a completely vegan meal.
Bismillah & Afiyet Olsun!
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![Hearty Beef & Turkey Sandwiches with Homemade Mayo-Chili Pepper and Mustard-Wasabi Spreads]()
by Yvonne Maffei | Jan 14, 2018 | Sandwiches & Burgers
One of the first types of food creations I ever made as a young cook were sandwiches. I was a bit of a latch-key kid around junior high school time, which was a wonderful experience in the sense that my parents left me all the tools I needed to make a no-cook after-school snack, and it left me total freedom to create whatever I wanted with with what they allowed me to use: good bread, lunch meats, and a variety of condiments. I began sandwiches for myself that I like so much that I asked my also made them for my parents, who encouraged me to keep experimenting, and also to any friends who came home with me after school. I think it was then that I realized I wanted nurture people with food for a living.
Once I started eating halal (many, many years later), I realized there was little to no chance I’d be making these same type of sandwiches I grew up making, for a very long time- or at least until someone would come up with the idea of making the variety of deli meats I knew, only of course as dhabiha halal varieties. Most of the stores I shopped in to get my halal meats didn’t have anything close to varieties like corned beef or roast beef, for example. The most familiar thing I saw was smoked turkey– which excited me, but at the same time left me disappointed by the lack of labels to understand where it was coming from and who could be contacted about the source of the meat.
Fast forward to many more years later and we get to today, here and now, where I am happy to say that I feel so excited to be able to have something as simple and good and halal as a brand that is new to me and perhaps now new to you: Deli Halal. They offer wholesome halal meats, certified by Halal Transactions of Omaha and are quite the tasty, delicious type of deli meats that bring me straight back to the sandwich-making days of my youth.
For example, their Classic Roast Beef is exactly like how I remember the real thing should taste. Deli meats should, in my opinion, taste like meat and not salt. It was especially hard to find something like Beef Pastrami or Corned Beef made with halal meats. They also have Beef Salami and Turkey Breast, both of which are excellent in the recipes for sandwiches I’ve come up with that follows.
They’re easy to make and without any actual cooking (for the cold sandwiches), your kids can help make them, too. I prefer these as hot sandwiches, however, and they can be warmed in a skillet or a toaster oven. Versatility in recipes makes them more appealing, so that’s what I love about these.
I’ve made two different types of sandwiches, with overlapping ingredients so they’ll be used up quite rapidly and give you no reason to hang on to ingredients you won’t eventually use.
Mayonnaise and mustard (both of which I’ve provide homemade recipes for in the My Halal Kitchen cookbook, but store-bought is fine, too); fresh ginger, fresh garlic, sea salt or Himalayan pink salt, ground black pepper, chili flakes, wasabi powder and freshly grated cabbage.
For the meats I chose the Beef Pastrami and Corned Beef, as well as the Turkey Breast from Deli Halal.
I also used two types of cheeses that I thought would go really well in these sandwiches, and once warmed with melted Swiss or Dill Havarti cheese, when combined with the sauces I’ve created, the taste is…just…above and beyond having an ordinary sandwich.
Well, that’s my opinion, at least.
Let me show you how to make the dressings and pull it all together. 
One combination is- Mayo-Chili Pepper Spread with Turkey Breast and Swiss Cheese – mayonnaise, fresh ginger, fresh garlic, chili flakes (I use the Turkish varieties like Urfa biber or an Aleppo pepper are fantastic), plus sea salt or Himalayan salt, to taste. 
Simply combine them well and set aside until you’re ready to use. Refrigerate if it will be some time before using.
The other dressing- Mustard-Wasabi Spread with either Corned Beef or Beef Pastrami with the Dill Havarti Cheese -is super simple, too: plain mayonnaise, mustard (any kind you like), fresh ginger, fresh garlic, ground pepper, sea salt or Himalayan pink salt, and wasabi powder (a very small amount).
Whip it all up with a spoon, et voila- done.
Next, you can simply spread each of the spreads onto the bread of your choosing. I should be clear that I don’t mix the spreads together on one sandwich (the photo below is just me simply warming up bread for two separate sandwiches). 
I prefer the Mayo-Chili Pepper Spread with Turkey Breast and Swiss Cheese; and the Mustard-Wasabi Spread with either Corned Beef or Beef Pastrami with the Dill Havarti Cheese. Those are my favorite combinations, but do as you like in experimenting with what makes your taste buds happy.
I put the bread of my choosing- in this case, a rustic sourdough- in a cast iron pan with a tiny bit of butter just to brown the bread. I spread the dressing on top of each piece, then add the cheese, then the meat, and the cabbage on the Beef Pastrami or Corned Beef sandwich. 
I love how nicely browned and toasty just a little butter makes the bread.
Then I remove the one-sided sandwiches stacked with their meat and cheese onto a plate and put the second sizes on the pan to brown them, too. You can add more butter if you like, but it’s not necessary. 
Turns out, these can end up being some pretty large sandwiches, if you use large pieces of bread like I did here. 
So I cut them in half, making them easy to eat and perfect for lunches on the go. 
Wrap them in parchment paper to keep them nice and crispy, then wrap in foil or a plastic sandwich bag for easy transport in lunch bags. 
I also like them because they’re not super messy- at all. Very important details for taking lunches on the go. 
If it were summer, I would easily take these on a picnic day out.
Wouldn’t you?
To learn more about Deli Halal’s products and where you can find them in your area, go to their Store Locator page here, follow their Instagram page @delihalal, their Facebook page here and share your thoughts, photos and recipe creations by tagging them, tagging us (@myhalalkitchen) and using the hashtag #spreadthehalal
This post was sponsored by Deli Halal. All recipe creations, opinions and feedback about this product are my own.
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