Break the winter blues and join us for a fun Turkish Cooking Class!

Posted by Ozlem on Jan 27, 2012 in Turkish Cooking Classes | 2 comments

I am delighted to share with you that I will be restarting my Turkish cooking classes soon. I am very passionate about my homeland’s cuisine and taught Turkish cooking classes in the US over 5 years (privately and thru Central Market Cooking Schools in Austin, San Antonio and Houston); they have all been received very well so far. Turkish cuisine is healthy, delicious, and easy to prepare.  I have two classes scheduled in Surrey, England; on Saturday, 25^th February, from 10 am to 12 noon, and on Sunday, 11th March, from 2.30pm-4.30pm at Oatlands Village Hall. It would be a great pleasure to have your company

We have a wonderful menu lined up; Warm homemade hummus with olive oil&red pepper flakes, served with pita bread; Bulgur wheat salad with vegetables, olive oil and pomegranate molasses, served over lettuce leaf;   Stuffed aubergine with ground meat, onion and tomato sauce (I can also do a vegetarian version of this if requested ahead of time); diced cucumber and yoghurt dip with dried mint. 

The details of the Turkish cooking classes are available at my blog, under Cooking Classes.If you can’t join us, all these recipes are available at my blog,  just a click away! Hope you give them a go sometime.

Happy Cooking!

Celeriac Salad with Walnuts, Olive oil & Lemon and Pomegranate Dressing

Posted by Ozlem on Jan 22, 2012 in Salads | 6 comments

Celeriac, the knobbly root vegetable closely related to celery, is widely available in winter. It has a wonderful flavor; a mix of aniseed, celery and parsley. Celeriac has plenty of health benefits too; it is very low in calories, has very good source of vitamin K, vitamin B, phosphorus and anti-oxidants. There are plenty good reasons to include the humble celeriac into your daily diet!:)

Celeriac with Walnuts and Olive Oil & Lemon Dressing

Here is a delicious and easy way to enjoy celeriac. This is a very refreshing salad my mother makes in Turkey; it is wonderful for lunch or as an appetizer, or a part of a buffet. Walnuts add a nice crunch and more health benefits to this lovely salad.

How about decorating the salad with jewel like wonderful pomegranates? I just got them from the market yesterday; it is a power fruit packed with antioxidants, proven to boost fertility, increase your immunity against diseases like swine flu, and prevent many types of cancer. It has a lovely sweet & savor flavor that would complement the celeriac wonderfully. Many reasons to include pomegranate in your diet!

Serves 2                        Preparation time: 15 minutes

Half of a Celeriac (approximately 140gr), thinly cut or shredded

Juice of 1/2 lemon (and a little extra to rub the celeriac)

Handful of walnut halves, coarsely crushed

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 tablespoon plain yoghurt or mayonnaise

Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

Sprigs of parsley to decorate

Pomegranate seeds to decorate (optional)

 Cut off the ends of celeriac. Cut the celeriac in half, peel and remove the middle part. Rub the both half with a little lemon juice to prevent discoloring. Thinly cut or shred one half of the celeriac (you may double the recipe or use the other half for the recipe Celeriac cooked in olive oil with vegetables )

 In a bowl, combine the shredded raw celeriac with the juice of 1/2 lemon, sea salt and ground black pepper. Using your hands (if you like), work the lemon juice and seasoning into celeriac. Stir in the plain yoghurt (or mayonnaise), olive oil and the crushed walnuts, mix well. Check the seasoning and add more salt or black pepper if you prefer.

Decorate the celeriac salad with sprigs of parsley or pomegranate seeds if you like and serve as part of lunch or dinner, with plenty of crusty bread.

I posted another celeriac recipe earlier, Celeriac with winter vegetables, cooked in olive oil where we poach the chunks of celeriac in olive oil & lemon sauce, with carrots, potatoes, onions and peas. This kind of cooking, called “Vegetables cooked in olive oil” or “Zeytinyaglis” in Turkish cuisine is very healthy and delicious. You may like to check out that recipe too. Hope you enjoy it!

Afiyet Olsun! Wishing you all a good week ahead,

Ozlem

Nuria’s Pesto Sauce

Posted by Ozlem on Jan 16, 2012 in Sauces | 1 comment

You can keep the pesto sauce in the fridge, sealed with a lid, for good 3-4 days. The fresh pesto sauce is great on pasta, grilled fish and roasted vegetables. Pesto sauce is easy to make and it tastes so much nicer and fresher when you make from scratch, hope you may give it a go.

Serves 2-3 people

(Makes about 4fl oz/125 ml / 1/2 cup pesto sauce)

Preparation time:15-20 minutes

45gr/1 1/2oz /1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves

4 tablespoon pine nuts (3 tablespoon to blend, 1 tablespoon to stay as whole)

1-2 cloves of garlic

3fl oz/80ml/1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

125gr/1/4lb parmesan (parmegiano reggiano) cheese, cut in small chunks

Sea salt to taste

Juice of 1/2 lemon – optional-

Dry roast the pine nuts in a small pan for 3-5 minutes, until they turn golden. Make sure to keep an eye on the pine nuts and stir frequently, as they can burn quickly. Remove from the heat.

In a food processor or blender, process the basil, 3 tablespoons of roasted pine nuts, parmesan, garlic and sea salt (about 1/2 teaspoon), for a few seconds, until they all blend and still a little coarse (I like the coarser texture of the mixture rather than smooth). Then with the motor running, pour in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream, until all blends into a thick sauce. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the juice of lemon (if you like a little tangy taste to it). Taste and adjust the seasoning. Place the remaining roasted pine nuts over the sauce.

Enjoy the pesto sauce over grilled fish, roasted vegetables or over your favorite pasta.

Afiyet Olsun!

Fascinating Istanbul and Grand Turkey Tour 2012 – Special Easter Break – Registration Continues

Posted by Ozlem on Jan 3, 2012 in Fascinating Turkey, Uncategorized | 6 comments

Happy New Year! I wish you all a happy, healthy New Year with opportunities to explore exciting destinations.
I wanted to remind you my exciting Fascinating Istanbul and Grand Turkey Tour 2012 – I would be happy to email you the tour brochure, if you are interested in, just let me know your email address at the comments section, thank you.

The tour will be from April 2nd thru April 12th 2012 and I will have the pleasure to host this wonderful tour. It will be very special to be in Turkey during the Easter period, with visits to the Hagia Sophia Museum, which once was the largest church in the world prior St Peter’s in Rome (the photo above is the entrance of Hagia Sophia), Hagia Triada Monastery in the charming Princess Islands,

The fascinating ancient city of Ephesus; the best preserved ancient classical city at the Eastern Mediterranean and

a visit to The Virgin Mary’s House, where we will attend the Morning Mass on Easter Sunday.

We will not only enjoy the wonderful Turkish cuisine, but we will also learn how to make it, including a baklava class:)

We will visit the Spice Market to stock up wonderful spices like cumin, red pepper flakes, oregano and many more, that is essential in Turkish cooking,

We will view world famous Turkish rugs, take a demo on how they are made and if you like, treat yourself to one these wonderful treasures:)

Above all, wonderful Turkish hospitality to be enjoyed over delicious kebab or a glass of cay (tea). If you like to join us to explore the fascinating land of Turkey through a local’s perpective, please let me know -Tour is limited to 15 participants.
It would be a pleasure to explore Turkey together!

Happy travels,
Ozlem

Strasbourg Treats & Happy New Year!

Posted by Ozlem on Dec 30, 2011 in Uncategorized | 2 comments

Greetings to you all! I wanted to share a few more festive moments from Strasbourg before we say farewell to 2011. Strasbourg is known as the ‘Capitale de Noel” and it really is true. The town looks very festive with wonderful decorations and lovely Christmas markets.

This is the one part of the traditional Christmas market; it is very atmospheric next to the grand church in the old town. There are French, German, Swiss stalls selling ornaments, gluewine, chocolates -which you can’t get enough!!-, hot chocolates and many more:)



Roasted chestnuts are sold on vagon stalls all around the town; it really reminded me of my childhood and eating them from street stalls in Istanbul; the smell of roasted chestnuts are divine.

Can you ever have enough chocolate, especially at this part of the world? Guess not. We have been on a diet of chocolate, wine and all treats, happy days. These piggy cochons, chestnut dessert and all chocolates have been very welcome:)

Judith kindly treated us to Kugelhopf, a specialty of Alsace, northeastern part of France. It looks very pretty with roasted almonds at top, and dust of icing sugar. It is part bread, part cake, quite smilar to brioche but not as rich. We enjoyed it over breakfast with some jam. It is wonderful even next day when sliced and toasted.



As we say farewell to 2011, my best wishes to you all for a happy, healthy New Year. I do look forward to sharing many more delicious moments in 2012:)

Happy New Year !

Ozlem

Bon jour Strasbourg; City of (pretty) Lights!

Posted by Ozlem on Dec 22, 2011 in Uncategorized | 2 comments

Bon jour and festive greetings to you all from Strasbourg, France!

Strasbourg is a beautiful town, and indeed very festive at this time of the year; the city is decorated beautifully with very pretty decorations. Almost every shop has a decoration of its own, so lovely to look at.

This cafe has a “bonbon candy, presents” theme with their decoration, you feeling like reaching out to try one!

The Crocodile Restaurant, of course had a great big crocodie hanging amongst the pretty decorations:)

The main square and la petit France, where wonderful Christmas markets are tastefully decorated in every corner. Here is “Office de Tourisme”, decorated with gingerman, so tempting to have a little bite!

Each pattiserie and bakery is so inviting with smells of cinnamon, chocolate and many more and buzzing every time of the day

Each stall at the Christmas market reflects Strasbourg’s heritage and closeness to France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

But best bit for my children has been the Merry-go-round in the middle of the market, such fun and happiness it brings, whatever the age!

Wishing you all a happy, fun filled festive season, look forward to sharing many more delicious bites in the New Year!

Ozlem

Sizzling Chicken Kebab and Roasted Vegetables on pide (pitta) bread

Posted by Ozlem on Dec 12, 2011 in Uncategorized | 5 comments

Have you ever had the wonderful sizzling kebabs in Turkey? There is a kebab house at every corner at home, and the smells, sights are always very inviting. Family and friends gather around Ocakbasi, to witness and enjoy Asci (Chef) preparing and grilling succulent meats, vegetables, making pide (pitta) bread for hours; a ritual I love and miss very much. So I thought to recreate this wonderful dish at home- and you would be pleased to know that it is very easy to tackle. You can prepare most of the stages ahead of time, which makes the dish a great choice for entertaining. The kebab looks impressive, tastes wonderful and you can ensemble the final dish the day of your party – so the host gets to enjoy the company too! You can replace chicken with any other meat of your choice, or for a vegetarian option, mushrooms, eggplants, courgettes all work very well.

Christmas Eve is traditionally a Turkish dinner night -on demand- with our (extended) family, and I will be cooking this dish for our family to enjoy together in Strasbourg. I hope you can have a go sometime and enjoy in good company.

Serves 4 – 6
Preparation time: 40 minutes Cooking time: 45 – 50 minutes

2 eggplants (aubergine)
6-8 small bell peppers (green, orange, yellow or red) or 3 big ones, cut in chunks
3-4 tablespoons olive oil for roasting the vegetables
1-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes – optional-
2 large naan breads or 4 small pitta breads cut into chunky stripes
225gr/8oz natural plain yoghurt
Handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped for garnish

For the tomato sauce:
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
400gr/14oz can of chopped tomatoes
30ml/2tablespoons olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

For marinating the chicken:
385gr/13 1/2oz chicken breast, cut in small chunks
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
30ml/2 tablespoon natural plain yoghurt
15ml/1 tablespoon olive oil
15ml/1 tablespoon tomato paste and 10ml/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
OR
15ml / 1 tablespoon red pepper paste
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 180C/350 F

First marinate the chicken. In a large bowl, combine the chicken pieces with the marination ingredients listed above and mix well. Cover and keep in the fridge at least for 30 minutes. This marination adds a wonderful flavor to the chicken and make the chicken breast tenderer. You can also prepare this marination a day in advance and keep in the fridge, covered.

For the tomato sauce, heat the olive oil in a pan. Add the garlic and onion and cook until they begin to color. Stir in the chopped tomotoes, mix well. Cook uncovered on medium to low heat for about 15-20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat. You can prepare the tomato sauce a day in advance and keep in the fridge, covered.

On the day of your party, you can do the rest of the cooking. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the eggplants (aubergines) lengthways in stripes like a zebra. Slice the eggplants lengthways, about ½ inch thick. Then cut each slice into three parts. Sprinkle some salt over them and leave for about 15 minutes. Squeeze out their moisture with paper towel.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and add the marinated chicken breast. Sauté for about 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. This will give a nice brown coloring to the meat and seal the juices to keep them moist. Season with salt and black pepper and turn the heat off.

On a baking tray, spread the eggplant slices and the colorful peppers. Drizzle the olive oil over them and season with salt and black pepper (you can also sprinkle red pepper flakes over them for extra heat). Coat all the pieces with olive oil and seasoning and roast in the oven for about 30-35 minutes, until they are chargrilled around the edges.

At the same time of the vegetables roasting, place the chicken pieces and the marination sauce around them on a wide baking dish and roast for about 35 minutes, until they are chargrilled.

Just before serving, place the pitta or naan bread on a baking tray and warm them up for about 5-8 minutes. Take a wide serving dish and warm in the oven for a few minutes.

Now it is time to ensemble the kebab. Place the stripes of the warm pitta (or naan) bread on your serving dish as a flat base. Spoon the tomato sauce over the bread and spread. Arrange the chicken kebabs and the roasted vegetables over the tomato sauce. Garnish with the chopped parsley and serve hot, with dollops of the remaining sauce and yoghurt by the side.

Afiyet Olsun!

And my best wishes for the festive season, and for a happy, healthy, delicious new year, in good company:) I hope we all can manage to pause and saveur the moment. We will be in Strasbourg next week, so look forward to it – hope to say hello from there!