Fırında Pancar Cipsi

Havaların da soğumasıyla, pancar, turp gibi kök sebzeler de raflarda ve tezgahlarda yerlerini almaya başlıyor. Benim en sevdiğim sebzelerden biri olan pancarı aslında pişirmeyi çok da sevdiğim söylenemez. Eldiven takmaktan nefret eden bir insan olduğum için her seferinde pespembe parmaklarla ertesi gün dolaşmak zorunda kalmak gerçekten çok sinir bozucu. 

Yine çok üşengeç olduğum bir gün, Palivor Çiftliği diye bir markanın "pancar cipsi" diye bir ürün çıkardığını gördüm ve denemek istedim. Çıtır çıtır, hafif tatlı bu kıtır yuvarlaklar çıt çıt dizi karşısında çok güzel gitti. Ben de minik bir pakete 13 lira vermektense bir dahaki sefere kendim denemeye karar verdim. İlk başta pazardan aldığım normal çiğ pancarları bir güzel soygum, ince bir mandolin yardımıyla dilimledim ama parmaklarım az önce de bahsettiğim üzere pespembe olunca bir daha uğraşmak istemedim. 

Sonraki sefer, sizin de fotoğraflarda göreceğiniz üzere, marketten hazır aldığım soyulmuş ve pişirilmiş pancarlarla denedim. Dürüst olmak gerekirse çiğ pancardan yaptığım daha çıtır ve lezzetli olmuştu. Bu nedenle size de parmaklarınızı boyama riskini almanızı ve çiğ pancar kullanmanızı tavsiye ederim. 

Patates cipsine sağlıklı bir alternatif arıyorsanız bunu denemenizi öneririm.

Crispy Zucchini Flowers

With some fallen caramelized leaves on the floor and slightly chilly summer evenings, September is finally here. Although summer is not actually my favorite season like everyone else's, I won't complain. This has been a great summer for me. 

To sum up I have travelled a lot. First we went to Izmir to organize a summer camp for economically disadvantaged children, then I went to Italy and fell in love with two incredible cities: Rome and Florence. I came back to Turkey and went to our tiny summer house in Canakkale, where I spent 6 weeks relaxing, swimming, reading and cooking with my grandmother. I later came back to Istanbul to get started on my university preparation program. Just before the bayram, I was lucky enough to visit Bodrum and now I am finally here, at my desk, in my cozy room ready to share some of my favorite recipes with you. 

This Crispy Zucchini Flowers is actually a copy-cat version of the one I tried back in Italy. We first stayed at Rome for 4 days but then took the train and went up to Florence. My parents and I chose to rent a tiny apartment near the center of the city. There was a tiny market at the corner and we cooked most of our lunches and dinners there. However one night, whilst I was Instagramming some of my favorite food bloggers I bumped into a post that recommended a fantastic restaurant where both locals and foodies from all around the world cannot leave Florence without having a bite here. Plus the restaurant was around the corner of the apartment that we stayed. So we couldn't miss this opportunity and decided to go there. 

The fantastic restaurant I mentioned earlier is called "Trattoria Za Za". It is almost always very crowded so I highly recommend you reserve a table in advance. We had the Florentine steak and it was perfect. However what really stunned us was the fried and extremely crispy zucchini flowers. From the moment I bit into the crispy fritters, I knew that I was going to try them back at home. 

(The restaurant also offers great pastas and I was quiet excited to try the gnocchi with truffles (actual real truffles instead of truffle oil) however when I realized that I haven't ever tried a 1 kg steak before I decided to share that with my parents. But if you have the chance please do try that one as well :)

So, when I was at the farmers market in Canakkale, I spotted an old lady selling a bouquet of zucchini flowers for 2 liras. What a bargain! I got a bunch and headed back to our tiny kitchen to bring Florence to our table. The zucchinis turned out to be AMAZING. The crispy outside of the zucchini flowers with the perfect spicy yoghurt dipping sauce will definitely be your next game day favorite. You can also serve this as an appetizer or a snack, either way you are guaranteed to have a fantastic dish. So here is the recipe for Crispy Zucchini Flowers, I hope you'll enjoy:

Super Easy 15 Minute Zoodles (Vegan)

Spring is finally here! Birds singing and the sun pouring down through our shades do not only mean that the trees will blossom and the tulips will color the streets. But it also informs that summer is on the way and if you are a foodie like me, the following two months will be the hardest for us. Summer and bikini season on the way signals you to start cutting off those high-calorie carbs and to include more veggies, more exercise and more water through out the day, which is definitely not easy. However, this is also the best time of the year with the freshest produce and vegetables. Thus no excuses for not being able to work with healthy ingredients. 

So, if you are like me and you want to cut down some of those cookies, pastas, chocolate etc, this  zucchini noodle (zoodle) recipe will be your to go meal. It does not only take 4 ingredients to prepare but also results in a very easy and an even more healthier dish. Plus, this recipe is perfect for my vegan friends out there :)

Spiralizers are very popular nowadays and if you are planning on investing on one, you can buy this from Crate and Barrell. But today I am going to use a different slicer, a mandarin to be more specific by a brand called Gefu. I bought it to make chips etc. but with attachable plates, you can cut fries and very thin strips. So I am going to use the strip plate to make my zoodles. There are of course other ways to prepare zoodles, such as a vegetable peeler for fettuchini shaped zoodles or a julienne peeler for spaghetti zoodles. I have also seen a blogger (Top with Cinnamon) use a box grater placed sideways to cut the zucchini into spaghetti. 

As you might have noticed, there are multiple ways to make zucchini noodles. You can also try other vegetables like carrots or eggplants with the same recipe. So, here is the recipe for Super Easy and Super Healthy Vegan 15 Minute Zoodles: 

Kısır, The Turkish Bulgur Salad

Kısır is an all time favorite dish whether it is a leftover from your mother's tea party or a side dish for a picnic. It is a cold side dish that you can easily alter according to your own likes and dislikes. In a traditional Turkish kısır, there are plenty of cucumbers and tomatoes. But as you know I hate tomatoes and also not a big fan of cucumbers. This is why I do not like to add them but you can if you want to. Sky is the limit, you can try with whatever ingredient you want to, just be brave. 

Kısır is actually a women's favorite dish to prepare especially for tea parties. It is easy and quick to prepare, requires cheap ingredients that you always have in your pantry, is delicious and extremely healthy. I know that "quinoa" is the new trend right now but believe me bulgur is just as healthy and much more cheaper (in Turkey).  

image-facts from: google.com

My mother is known as the master of kısır by our family and friends. Every time she is invited to a party whether it is a birthday party or a tea party, her friends ask her to bring some. But like many Turkish moms, she does not have a recipe that she follows step by step, she just uses her eyes and hands to measure. With this method, the recipe might seem very hard to follow if you are not personally there watching her while she cooks. 

So, I went into the kitchen and watched her every step. I did my best to give you the exact measurements. I hope you will like the outcome, enjoy. 

Homemade Ricotta and Spinach Ravioli

Since I was a little kid I, pasta used to be my favorite dish: all different kinds; boxed pasta, tri-colored pasta, homemade pasta... I loved every kind and I still do. But my favorite is the homemade one. My grandmother used to prepare pasta in summer and dried it so that we could use it through autumn. I did not want to cook the pasta because I wanted the pasta to last forever since it was sooo delicious. 

A couple of months ago, I bought a pasta machine for a really good deal but unfortunately it doesn't work properly anymore. So, my father bought a pasta rolling set for my stand mixer which I have been loving it since the first time I used it. 

Today I am going to share a ravioli recipe that was inspired from a restaurant called "Carluccio's". Whenever I go there, I order the classic ravioli and I just love it. I wanted to try that at home for a while and this weekend was the perfect time. 

Ravioli is not hard to make but it takes some time. However as much as time and effort you put in, the dish will get more and more delicious. So, I highly recommend that you spare some time on weekend to cook some ravioli. Plus it is a great cause to get your friends and family in the kitchen and help you. They can easily cut the ravioli for you while you are working on other batches. 

I hope you'll enjoy these raviolis and I can guarantee that you will because mine were gone in 10 minutes. Here is the recipe: 

Easter Bread

This recipe was meant to go on Easter but unfortunately my computer had a problem with iMovie. I had to put a tiny video clip to go with this recipe because the kneading part is a little bit different than other recipes. In order to get the perfect airy consistency, you need to fold the dough in a particular way that the air is incorporated in the dough. This is why I couldn't post the recipe without the video and it took me a while to fix iMovie. 

If we get back to the topic, Happy late-Easter everyone, 
I do not celebrate Easter but I love to bake things for my friends who do.
In middle school, one of my best friends' mother used to bake this in easter season. We loved the soft and sweet easter bread and enjoyed every crumb. I got the recipe from her mother but I did not have the chance to bake it own my own until I started a course in MSA, the culinary arts academy, during my winter break in MSA. I learned a lot and this recipe was one of them.

This time of the year, you can easily find easter bread also known as "paskalya çöreği" on the shelves of every single bakery in town with different variations but I like mine with mahlep (mahaleb) and topped with almond flakes. I believe that mahlep gives it a unique fragrant and a sweet taste. I hope you'll like this recipe:

Arancini, Fried Rice Balls

Winter is one of my favorite seasons but I sometimes miss summer as well. The weather is crazy here in Istanbul nowadays. The snow storms are not leaving the city for the rest of the week and even though I love winter, the weather makes me miss the warm summer days. That is why I am going to share a recipe that I first tasted last summer and have been wanting to cook for a really long time. 

I tasted this arancini last summer in Carluccio's which is an Italian restaurant here in Istanbul. I fell in love with the creamy and crispy rice balls and wanted to try them. But whenever I cooked a risotto at home I couldn't resist and I ate it the way it is. That is why I never had any leftovers for risotto and I was very lazy to prepare a risotto from scratch just for this recipe. 

Having some leftovers took approximately a couple of months and I was finally able to cook some arancini. I loved the home cooked version better because the arancini I had in the restaurant was a little bit greasy. I served mine with some green salad on the side and it was absolutely delicious. They were so yummy on their own, they did not need any marinara sauce on the side. However if you are not like me and if you love a great tomato sauce then go for it. 

So, here is the recipe for a great alternative for a risotto: 

Spinach and Cheese Muffins

I bought this amazing cookbook a couple of weeks ago: The Hummingbird Bakery Cookcook. I have never been to the famous bakery in itself however the baked goods in the book look absolutely stunning. There are both savoury and sweet recipes in the book: cupcakes, muffins, pies, brownies, cookies, etc. 

As you know, I am not a person who has sweet teeth. I usually prefer savory things. Even though the sweet treats looked delicious, I wanted to bake something more unusual so I went for  the Spinach and Cheese muffins as my first recipe from the cookbook. 
The outcome was perfect. The consistency of the batter is a little bit thick but the texture of the finished warm muffin is soft and fluffy. 

Since winter is upon our door, spinach is a great vegetable to use in your kitchen. If you want to spice up your daily diet with a little bit more veggies and if you want to try some unusual things, these muffins are perfect for you. Here is the recipe for Spinach and cheese muffins, I hope you'll like them. 

Creamy Pumpkin Soup with Chips

A couple of years ago, I hated pumpkin from the bottom of my heart. My aunt and my grandmother used to cook pumpkin dessert with walnuts for our holidays. But I wasn't just into it. 

But one day, my parent and I went to Sapanca, a town in here in Turkey. Sapanca is one of my favorite places to go in autumn because the lake and the trees there are amazing during fall season. Here are some photos from Sapanca. 

Potato Pancakes

Living in a city with 14.2 millions of people comes with some extreme challenges. Many people have to wake up before sunset and start driving if they do not want to spend their entire mornings in the  traffic rush. This year, I have to wake up at 6 o'clock to go to school but I am used to it because since 1st grade I have been getting up very early in the morning. That is why it is not a big deal for me to skip breakfast. 

I know that skipping the most important meal of the day is extremely unhealthy. But I do not have enough time. However just because I am not having breakfast at home doesn't mean that I do not have breakfast at all. When I arrive to school I pick up a grilled cheese or a yoghurt and have my breakfast when I arrive to school. 

Weekends therefore are really important for me because weekend is the only time where I can properly have a breakfast with my family. But I am very picky when it comes to breakfast. For example, I do not like the classic white bread, I prefer whole-wheat. Also, I do not like scrambled eggs, I prefer omelettes. 

In a classic Turkish breakfast, you can find tomatoes, green peppers, olives, feta cheese, eggs, sucuk (a spicy Turkish sausage), a variety of savoy baked goods like poğaça or börek, honey, jam and the classic Turkish tea, which I also do not like. So, I prefer to prepare some things that will fit my taste palette and will be a healthy option in the morning. 

Today I am going to share a recipe that is a great alternative if you have some leftover mashed potatoes. I did not have any leftovers but come on, boiling some potatoes is never that difficult. I woke up this morning craving some pancakes, but then I realised that I actually wasn't in the mood for a sweet pancake. So, I decided to go with this version. I was very amazed with the outcome so, I hope you'll like time. They might not look like a perfect pancake, but I assure you that they taste amazing. These pancakes will be a great option for your Sunday Brunch. So, here is the recipe;

Lemon Cake

I am not a person who loves sour and fruity flavours. I have a more intense palette. But this lemon recipe proves me wrong every single time. It is my aunt's recipe and everyone who has a bite from these cakes begs her for the recipe. So, today I am going to share her most famous recipe: Lemon Cake. 

I baked this cake for a bake sale at our school so I used cupcake liners instead of a big cake pan. 

Gnocchi with Basil

I am a person who loves to cook and especially with fresh ingredients. But I am going to be honest. Not everyone has the time to make a dough, roll it then cut it, let it rest and then finally boil the pasta. I know that the taste of homemade pasta is much more delicious than the store-bought version. But who am I kidding. Sometimes you just have to prepare a dinner in 10 minutes. 

So, that is how I had my first gnocchi, it was store bought. 

Normally when I go to an Italian restaurant, I either order pizza or risotto. And if I like what I had, I try more interesting things when I go there the second time. But I've never had gnocchi in a restaurant. To be honest, I was not sure what it was. When I learned that gnocchi was a potato dumpling, it was unusual for me. I found potatoes and pasta dough a little bit odd because why add more carbs if you have enough in a bowl of pasta? 

But after a while I decided to cook myself some gnocchi. I was extremely curious. Even though the gnocchi was from a supermarket, they were amazing. When I took a bite, I was sure that it wasn't just a dumpling. The gnocchi was fluffy, smooth, creamy and delicious. And now gnocchi is one of my favorite Italian food. So, I decided to cook the homemade version for you. Hope you'll enjoy :)

Vanilla Pudding with Crispy Kadayıf

During summer, one of my go to desserts is a basic pudding. It is fresh, refreshing and a good alternative for ice cream. But it is highly possible of us to get bored if we cook the same pudding over and over again. So, I go this recipe from my aunt. It is a vanilla pudding. But it is a little bit fancier because it is topped with kadayıf. 

Kadayıf is actually a Turkish dessert but it is also the name of the main ingredient in the dish is also called "Kadayıf". Kadayıf is basically a kind of shredded dough. Here in Turkey it is normally served with pistachios and a syrup. But I believe that a syrup-based dessert is kind of heavy for summer. So, I do not cook the classic "Kadayıf" during summer.

One thing to keep in mind: You can keep this recipe for 3-4 days but the kadayıf will get softer and softer each day. So, it is better to eat it on the first day. And believe me it probably will be finished on the first day.

This recipe is also like a cheesecake but without the cream cheese and double crusted. So, we can also call this one a fake-cheesecake :). 

Celery Root Coleslaw and Veggie Rice

When it comes to side dishes I am very picky. I am not a fan of just serving everything with fried or mashed potatoes. When I serve a protein based dish I feel like I need to have two side dishes to accompany that: one salad and one starch. 

My favourite starch-based side dish is rice. But this is a more yummy and a colourful rice because it has carrots and peas in it. When I was a kid I also used to eat this as a meal with some yoghurt on the side. We Turkish people love to eat food with yoghurt, because our yoghurt is a little bit different than the yoghurt you eat for breakfast. It is similar to the Greek yoghurt but not exactly the same. So you can use Greek yoghurt for our fake coleslaw recipe. 

When I was a kid my mother used to cook the celery root with potatoes and tried to show the dish as a boiled potato dish. But I was smart enough to understand that there were not only boiled potatoes. And to be honest, I hated the feeling of having a bite thinking that it is potato but tasting something completely different. But as I grew up I got used to the bitter taste of the celery root and it is one of my favourite dishes as a salad, I still don't like the version with potatoes because of the bad memories. But the salad version is actually super healthy and delicious. 

So, here is the recipe for two of my favourite side dishes: veggie rice and celery root coleslaw. You can serve these with steak, chicken or with anything that you think will go great with. 

Eggplant Parmesan

When I think of summer I think of the warm sunshine, the clear sea and new friendships. Italian cuisine seems to be my new best friend. Maybe because the cuisine is similar to ours or maybe because I just enjoy cooking and eating Italian dishes. I just like everything that is Mediterranean and fresh during summer. I have been cooking risottos, pastas and many others but Eggplant Parmesan seems to be one of my favorites so far. It is also a great vegetarian recipe that both carnivores and your vegetarian friends will enjoy. 

I will be going to Çanakkale which is in the region of Turkey close to the Mediterranean. It is actually in the Aegean region, where lots and lots of vegetables and olive oil is consumed. Çanakkale is where our summer house is and where my grandparent are spending their summer. When I visit there we will probably have some barbecues as a family tradition. But what I am looking forward the most is learning new family recipes from my grandmother. She is the best cook I know. I mean this lady can cook everything delicious. And she has tiny handy secrets when things go wrong in the kitchen. So I will be sharing my "cooking vacation experiences" when I go there. I think it is also the time for you to get to know "mantı" which is my favourite dish in this planet. Not because I have been to other planets but because it is soooo delicious. More details on that later. 

So, if we come to Eggplant Parmesan, You know that I absolutely love eggplant, in every form. And one day I saw this  dish on the menu of an Italian restaurant. However it wasn't like I expected. The eggplants were dry and cold plus the tomato sauce was very greasy. So I said, why not try this at home. Here is the recipe for a delicious Eggplant Parmesan: 

Asparagus Risotto

Asparagus is probably my favorite vegetable. If it is not my favorite it is probably sharing the first place with eggplant. Eggplant is pretty awesome as well but all of the flash lights are facing towards asparagus today. I just love the creamy and the fibrous texture of a vivid and fresh asparagus. The only sad thing is that you can only eat them in April or May. I am not talking about the canned version here. You know, the ones that swim in salty water, the ones that probably look like asparagus but is completely different as taste from the fresh asparagus. 

The first time I had asparagus was when my mom cooked it after she came from a trip to Germany in spring. I didn't know that it was very popular in Germany. I also didn't know that kind of a vegetable existed. She just boiled them and then gave it a toss with butter and some lemon juice in a pan. It was yummy. So you can also cook the asparagus this way. 

Weird fact: In Turkish asparagus literally means "birds don't land". It means that birds do not land on this vegetable. Maybe it is too spiky for birds to land on. Or maybe because of something that we have no idea about. 

I always cook the asparagus like my mom does. But I was bored and bored of the same style and I was craving for a creamy risotto. So I thought why not? I had absolutely no idea about the outcome of the dish but it turned out to be pretty amazing. So here is the recipe for a creamy asparagus risotto. 

Homemade Flaky Biscuits

The first time I tasted a biscuit was in a KFC restaurant when I was a kid. I normally do not eat bread with food like the other Turkish people. But I really liked the taste of this flaky biscuit because it was not like a normal bread. It is soft in the inside and crispy on the outside. 

I always waited to go to a KFC restaurant to eat that delicious biscuit but now I don't have wait to go there. To be honest I am not a huge fan of their chicken. I prefer to cook my own fried chicken at home which is definitely more healthier for sure. I can bake these biscuits at home anytime since I am pretty satisfied with the outcome of the homemade version of biscuits.  

The recipe requires a pastry cutter however I don't have that so I used a whisk and some knives instead. The recipe is also the recipe for a basic biscuit. But I think that you can add various cheeses or any other ingredient to add to it's taste. I know I will add some cheese the next time I bake them. 

Nom Nom Nom, My Guilty Pleasure: Mac n Cheese

Mac N' Cheese. 

Does it really need any more explanation? It is an all-time favorite. Cheese, Pasta and Deliciousness packed all together in one bowl. (Wow that sounded like a commercial)  I am obsessed with this meal as you can understand from my effort in describing which sounds like an advertisement. Whenever I want something creamy and whenever I want to have it for a meal, I cannot think anything rather than a plate of creamy Mac N' Cheese.

Mac N' Cheese is a classic American comfort food. To be honest Mac N' Cheese is not popular in Turkey. As you know we Turkish people love to eat meat. And we are not a fan of the Cheddar cheese. We like "white cheese" which is salted and kind of like feta. But the closest cheese to cheddar cheese is "kaşar (kashar) cheese". But no we don't use it in pasta. We eat cheese for breakfast not with pasta. Usually. That's why cheese and pasta are not very compatible in our culture. However I love it. 

As much as I love the easy Mac N' Cheese (you know the ones in the box), I prefer to cook my own. Not because it is very hard to find them here in Turkey (just kidding it is also a reason) but because it is much healthier to cook my own. I know that 5 minute pasta sounds tempting however when you cook your own it is definitely more fun than just stirring a mixture in a box or a can. I never ever buy things that I can cook myself at home. For example; chicken broth or soup or even frozen pizza. That's not my thing. I am the type that always prefers the homemade. Maybe that’s why I love cooking so much.

Mushroom Risotto

Thursday was my parents' 19th Anniversary. And I wanted to do something special for them. As you can imagine, I decided to cook.

I am an Italian cuisine fan. The homemade pasta, pizza and risotto are my favourites. The best dish that I can cook as an Italian dish is; risotto. That's why I decided to cook them a mushroom risotto.

Ingredients: 

Makes 3-4 portions:

• 200 g. mushrooms
• Juice of a half lemon
• 1/3 cups (75 g.) butter
• 2 tbsp. basil, chopped
• 4 cups (900 ml) chicken broth; preferably homemade
• 2 tbsp. (30 ml.) olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped into small cubes
• 1 1/2 cups (275 g.) arborio rice
• 1/2 cups (100 ml.) white wine
• Salt and freshly grounded black pepper
• 3 tbsp. (45 grams) grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Clean the mushrooms with a wet towel and take of the dirt on it. Slice them into thing pieces and put them in a bowl. Squeeze the half of the lemon (the lemon prevents the mushroom from getting dark). Meanwhile, melt the 1/3 of the butter in a pan. Then add the mushrooms in it and cook the mushrooms until they are brown. When the mushrooms are cooked, take them to a plate. 
2. Pour the chicken broth to a pot. Heat it and bring a boil.
3. In the pan that you cooked the mushrooms, add the rest of the butter and melt it. Then add the onions and cook the onions until they are "transparent". Do not caramelise. Add the rice and stir the rice with the onions so that the rice can be coated with oil. Then add the sautéed mushrooms to the rice. 
4. Pour in the wine and cook it until the fluid is fully absorbed. 
5. Pour in a ladle of chicken stock and cook until the rice absorbs the whole fluid. Continue this until there is no more stock left. 
6. Finally, add the chopped basil, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. The cheese will give the risotto a creamy texture. 
7. Serve the dish with extra Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. 

Enjoy :)

Spanish Style

Today, I was organising my photos and then I was in this album called "Barcelona 2012". I was really shocked to find this folder because we were looking for these photos everywhere. I can easily say that Barcelona was one of the best I've seen. The dynamic people, amazing cuisine and the fantastic architecture were one of the couple of reasons. But my favourite was the cuisine, as you can imagine. Tapas and paella were incredibly delicious.
As I've said when I was looking at these photos from last year and I saw this amazing "patatas bravas" (a type of tapas). Maybe because that I was really hungry I just looked at it for about 2-3 minutes. So, I just went to youtube and found this video : 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=vzyzlkouXsM

I used this exact recipe and it looked like this:

However, I changed some ingredients. For example, I put 2 tbsp. of greek yoghurt instead of just putting mayonnaise in the sauce. I think that yoghurt makes the dish lighter and definitely more healthy than mayo. 
Also, I did not put tomato paste in the sauce. I don't know why but I just didn't want to. 

Although the potatoes were delicious, they were not as crispy as they were in the video. I guess that's because of the type of the potatoes. 

But I was definitely in love with the sauce. 

Note: You will see this plate a lot in the upcoming posts because I love this plate and it's pattern and it is the only plate set that has all 12 plates in it. Others are broken, old or cracked. 

Dish #2: Fried peppers 

This is a very easy and simple dish. And it is one of my mom's favourite dish. 
You just take some couple of green peppers like this and you take of the top. Then you deep fry them until they are soft. Easy, huh?

I didn't realize this before but this dish looks like "Pimientos de Padron". It is also a tapas dish. 

When we were eating these I felt like I was in Spain again. It felt good and they were really yummy.