Sunday Family Brunch - Turkish Simit & Feta Cheese Mix

Another weekend passes by stuck in the house. We stopped counting the days, It doesn’t matter if it is a weekday or a weekend. You feel brain dead. You miss outside, you miss restaurants, parks, beaches and the most you miss having a good brunch.

So why don’t I help you get yourself together and make this weekend fun by throwing yourself this amazing Levant brunch for you and your family.

Brunch is always a good idea”. What sounds better than having the opportunity to mix two of your favorite meals together: breakfast and lunch? However, Brunch is more than just a meal. It is a common belief that the optimistic environment and timing could enhance happiness, improve attitudes, and clear out any tension that has built up throughout the week.

It could be fun for kids too, you can build their self-esteem by encouraging them to share their experiences and perceptions of what is happening in the world and why they think they have been staying home for so long.

Recalling exciting memories and sharing funny jokes and memes could also spice up your brunch.

So Today I will be sharing two recipes: Turkish Simit (inspired by Manal Massoud one of my favorite food blog accounts on Instagram) and my very own feta cheese mix!

For the Turkish Simit:

Ingredients:

- 3 cups of flour

- 1 tablespoon of instant yeast

- 1 teaspoon of salt

- 3 tablespoon of vegetable oil

- 1 cup of warm water

For the coating:

- 2 tablespoon of pomegranate molasses

- Sesame

Directions:

- Start by mixing all dry ingredients together, then add the oil and water

- Start mixing the ingredients and knead it till you get a non sticky dough with a smooth texture

- Cover the dough with a dry towel and put it away in a dark place for an hour ( you can place it in your closet or the laundry room if you want)

- After the hour passes, recall the dough, cut in in 8 equal pieces to form equal round formed balls.

- Take the ball and start rolling it with your fingers to form one long piece of dough (See image below)

- After forming the dough, take both end of the dough and join them so you can start braiding them as shown in the picture below

- After braiding the dough, join the ends to form an empty circle and place it on the side.

- Repeat for all the eight dough balls you have

- For the coating, spread the pomegranate molasses on the simit then sprinkle the sesame on top.

- Tip: Add oil in the base on the baking pan or sprinkle some flour so the simit won't stick while baking.

- Cover the Simit with a dry towel for an hour for the yeast magic to work again.

- Enter the Simit inside a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 20 minutes.

- After, check the oven if you see the simit still didn't bake properly leave them for extra 5 minutes (it depends on your oven, if its a slow or well heated oven). Turn on for a few minutes the top burner to add that gold color to the simit.

For the Feta Cheese Ingredients:

- 1/2 block of Feta Cheese (200 grams)

- 1 green bell pepper

- 2 tomatoes

- 1 red bell pepper

- 1 table spoon of Zaatar (Arabic Thyme Powder)

- 1/2 cup of olive oil

Directions:

- In a bowl, smash the feta cheese with a fork

- Chop the tomatoes, red and green bell pepper into fine pieces

- Add the chopped vegetables into the feta

- Sprinkle the thyme and add the oil

- Mix till you get a smooth uniform texture, if you feel that the feta cheese is not easy to mix, then add more olive oil to easy it.

- Sprinkle with some cherry tomatoes and mint leaves

Additional Dishes to Add to your brunch:

- Labneh with olive oil

- Grilled Halloumi

- Home Made Manakish (This is a recipe I will share with you soon)

- Makdous (Stuffed Eggplants with red bell pepper and nuts - authentic levant dish)

- Omelette

- Plate of Fresh Vegetables

Bon Appétit!