Cheese and Olive Cake with Sesame Seeds (Susamlı, Peynirli ve Zeytinli Kek)

 

This is my new homesickness and feel-good cake!

1 cup yogurt

3/4 cup olive or sunflower oil

3 eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup feta/white cheese

1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1 cup pitted and chopped black olives 

1/2 or more chopped parsley

2-3 tbsp sesame seeds

2-3 tbsp nigella seeds 

 

-Whisk eggs, oil and yogurt together.

-Add in 2 or 3 parts flour along with salt and baking powder. Mix and make sure there are no lumps left.

-Fold in feta/white cheese, parsley, olives, and half of mozzarella cheese. 

-Pour the batter in a greased or lined 9 inch cake pan or a square one. 

-Sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella on top. Generously sprinkle sesame and/or nigella seeds. 

-Bake in a preheated oven at 380-390F for 50-60 minutes or until a knife poked in the middle comes out clean. 

-Rest for 15 minutes on a rack to cool down and then gobble up. 

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Mushroom and Green Olive Salad (Yeşil Zeytinli Mantar Salatası)

 

Back in the day when I used to live in Ankara, on my way home I used to stop by a well-known supermarket right by my house for its extensive salad bar; and the mushroom and olive salad was my favorite. I had it as a side for dinner or on its own for lunch. With all the fresh herbes and acidity coming from green olives and pickles, it clicked all the right boxes for my sour loving taste buds. I learned some tips on how to make it from the supermarket chef and since then it's been a staple for me. 

Nothing is set here; you can use more or less of any ingredient.

for 4 as a side/ for 2 as a main dish

2 cups of sliced mushroom
1 cup of sliced pitted green olives, not the canned olives

1/2 cup corn

1/2 cup finely chopped pickles

1-2 red sweet pepper, finely chopped

4 green onions, finely chopped

1/3 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped

1/8 cup fresh mint, finely chopped

juice of 1 lemon

3-4 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

salt 

-Mix 3 cups of water and juice of half lemon in a saucepan and boil the chopped mushrooms for 5 minutes. (lemon juice will prevent the mushroom from darkening, so you need to put the mushrooms in the lemony water as you chop) Drain well and let cool down.

-Mix everything in a bowl.

-Salt to your taste and add other half of the lemon juice and olive oil. 

-Drizzle the balsamic vinegar on top and serve. 

It goes well as a side for grilled meat or veggies or as a lunch on its own.  

   

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