Braised Red Cabbage with Onion, Apples and Pomegranate Molasses (or Balsamic Vinegar)

Posted by Ozlem on Nov 1, 2011 in Uncategorized, Vegetables Cooked in Olive Oil | 6 comments

I love getting fresh, seasonal produce delivered to my door (even better if you can grow yourself, of course) and the surprise element of it. I try not to check what will be delivered in my veg box that week and enjoy getting a surprise. I can be quite traditional (and perhaps boring) going for the same/similar vegetables when I shop, so an unusual veg appearing in my box is inspiring and gets me out of my comfort zone.

I got organic red cabbage, lovely cooking apples and red onions last week- I don’t recall buying red cabbage before and it was nice to experiment with it. Thanks to the recipe provided by Abel&Cole; for inspiration, I came out with this recipe. Pomegranate molasses add a wonderful, sharp sweet and sour flavor to the cabbage, and a good balsamic vinegar does a wonderful job if you can’t get the pomegranate molasses. The marriage of caramelized red onions, Bramley apples and the red cabbage is just heavenly. Beautiful, vibrant colors and a sensational taste. We enjoyed it with grilled fish, grilled meat and as a side to pasta dishes. Easy, healthy and delicious, really worth trying. You can prepare ahead of time, and the leftovers can be frozen successfully, joy to the world:)

Serves 6-8
Prep time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 1 1/2 hrs

1 medium red cabbage, quartered, cored and thinly shredded
1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
3 cooking apples (like Bramley apples), peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1-2 tablespoons demerara sugar
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses thinned with 1/2 cup – 4 fl oz water
or
3-4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar with 3 tablespoons water
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350F/ 180°C

Mix all the ingredients in a large baking tray (make sure they are not higher than a finger deep) Loosely cover with foil.

Bake for about 70-90 mins. Check at about 60 minutes, stir and taste. Cover and cook for a further 20-30 minutes, until the cabbage is tender, juicy and sweet. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Once cool, the cabbage can be kept in fridge and reheated. It can also be frozen. This wonderful dish goes very nicely with grilled fish, sausages, roasts, fried eggs or with any sautéed vegetables.

Afiyet Olsun!

Cauliflower and Chestnut Mushrooms with Garlic, Olive Oil and Lemon Juice

Posted by Ozlem on Sep 19, 2011 in Uncategorized, Vegetables Cooked in Olive Oil | 2 comments

Here are two delicious, healthy and easy to prepare vegetable courses, that can save the mid week dinners. They would also be a great side dish for grilled meat, fish or pasta.

Cauliflower can be a little bland on its own, and cooking them with mushrooms in this recipe works really well; I love the crunchiness of the cauliflower along with the juicy, meaty texture of mushrooms. And once they’re dressed with olive oil&lemon; juice, they are simply irresistible. Few sprinkles of red pepper flakes (or paprika) spice it up really nicely too.

Serves 2-4
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes

1 small cauliflower, cut into florets
225gr/8oz chestnut mushrooms (or any kind of your choice)
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
A handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped (optional)
30-45ml/2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of I lemon
5-10ml/ 1-2 teaspoons ref pepper flakes (or paprika/chili flakes)
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Clean the mushrooms with a damp paper towel and cut into quarters. Steam or microwave the cauliflower florets for 3 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan and stir in the garlic and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper (salt really helps the mushrooms to release the moisture). Stir and sauté for 4-5 minutes, until the mushrooms soften up. Add the steamed/microwaved cauliflower florets and lemon juice, mix well. Let them cook for another 2-3 minutes. Stir in the parsley, if you are using (mushroom and parsley do really well), and give a good stir. Sprinkle the red pepper (or paprika or chilli flakes) over, mix well. Check the Seasoning and add more salt or ground pepper if needed.

Serve warm as a side dish to pasta, grilled meat or fish.

Afiyet Olsun!

Beetroot Salad with Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil Dressing

Posted by Ozlem on Sep 19, 2011 in Uncategorized, Vegetables Cooked in Olive Oil | 0 comments

I got some wonderful beetroots in my vegetable box last week. I haven’t cooked with them myself before though I love their taste. They are delicious when boiled, roasted or even raw, when grated or sliced thinly.

Beetroots can be boiled or steamed for 20-60 minutes, depending on its size. Once cooked, their skin will just slip off (or you can peel the skin like I did before boiling).
One tip though, beetroot bleeds and will stain your hands. You can avoid this by wearing gloves or remove the stains with lemon.

The sweetness of the beetroot complements the tanginess of balsamic vinegar so well. Very refreshing, easy and a healthy vegetable course, highly recommended!

Serves 2-4
Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 35 minutes (for this recipe)

225gr/8oz beetroot
60gr/2oz rocket (or salad leaves) washed and pat dried
30ml/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
30ml/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
A squeeze of lemon juice
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Wash the beetroots and cut off the tops. Peel the skin (or you can peel it once cooked) and cut into chunks. Boil them in plenty of water for about 35 minutes (depending on its size, it could be a little longer). It is cooked when you pierce it easily with a skewer.

To make the dressing, combine the extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Season with salt and ground black pepper and mix well.

Mix the rocket (or salad leaves of your choice) with the cooked beetroot in a serving dish. Pour the dressing over the top and mix well.

Afiyet Olsun!

Baby Artichokes Cooked in Olive Oil with Broad Beans and Carrots

Posted by Ozlem on Jun 20, 2011 in Uncategorized, Vegetables Cooked in Olive Oil | 6 comments

We Turks love to poach globe artichokes in olive oil with broad beans and carrots (and potatoes, if preferred). This style of cooking in Turkish cuisine is called “vegetables cooked in olive oil”, and we enjoy them at room temperature or cold. Dressed with olive oil and lemon juice, they are not only very healthy but a joy to eat during summer time and can be kept in fridge 2-3 days.

When I got some wonderful fresh broad beans in my vegetable box last week, I got very excited dreaming about poached globe artichokes with broad beans, a traditional way to enjoy them. However I couldn’t get fresh globe artichokes, though I could find poached baby artichokes in olive oil (coming all the way from Puglia) being sold at the deli counter. So this recipe has a little twist to the traditional one though still taste as delicious and indeed much easier if you are short of time. You should be able to find them at good delis or specialty stores. If you are lucky to get fresh baby artichokes, I included a recipe to trim and poach them in olive oil.

Serves 4-6
Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time : 20 minutes

225gr/8oz poached baby artichokes in olive oil
90gr/6oz fresh broad beans
1 small cooked carrot, diced
Juice of 1 lemon
30ml/2 tablespoons olive oil
15ml/1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
Salt to taste

To prepare the broad beans, split them down the seam at the side using your thumb nail, then push out the beans with the pad of your thumb. Put the beans in a large pan of water and bring to boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and refresh under cold running water, then peel off the skins.

In a wide plate, mix the already poached baby artichokes, broad beans and carrots. Drizzle the olive oil and stir in the lemon juice, combine well. Season with salt and add the dill, mix well.

You can serve this delicious vegetable course as a starter or by the side of grilled meat or fish.

Afiyet Olsun!

Note: If you are using fresh artichokes, here is how to trim and poach them:
Pull off and discard the tough outer leaves of the baby artichokes. Keep removing leaves until the leaves remaining are mostly kid-glove soft and so light green they could be called yellow. Cut off and discard dark and medium green tops of remaining leaves.
Cut off and discard stem end. Using sharp paring knife, cut off and discard and remaining dark or medium green parts along the sides. You now have successfully trimmed a baby artichoke. To keep it from oxidizing and turning an unattractive dark brown, rub them with lemon juice. To poach; place the artichokes in a heavy pan. Mix together 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 2 fl oz water and juice of 1 lemon and pour over the artichokes. Cover the pan and poach the artichokes gently for about 20 minutes or until tender.

Zeytinyagli Pirasa – Leeks, Carrots and Rice Cooked with Olive Oil

Posted by Ozlem on Jun 16, 2010 in Uncategorized, Vegetables Cooked in Olive Oil | 0 comments

Leeks are around all through the year these days and they are native to Anatolia, along with carrots. This “Zeytinyagli”(vegetables cooked in oil) recipe is wonderfully refreshing and comforting in hot summer days too. Traditionally, we like to cook zeytinyagli dishes ahead of time, and allow the dish to cool and rest in its pan for the flavors to blend well.

The recipe is very easy to make, delicious and healthy. You can keep in the fridge up to 3 days (flavors blend even better the next day!) and we serve them cold or room temperature. This recipe made a wonderful lunch for me with some crusty bread and squeeze of lemon by the side. You can serve as an appetizer, meze or as a side dish to accompany main dishes.

Serves 4 – 6
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 35 minutes

500 gr/1.1 lb fresh leeks, washed and sliced diagonally into bite size pieces
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
15 ml/1 tablespoon long grain rice, washed and drained
60 ml/2 fl oz/1/4 cup olive oil
240 ml /8 fl oz / 1 cup hot water
5 ml/1 teaspoon salt
5 ml/1 teaspoon caster sugar
Juice of 1 lemon

Chopped fresh dill for garnish (optional)
Lemon wedges to squeeze over

In a wide, heavy pan, gently heat the olive oil and sauté the onions and carrots for 5 minutes. Add the leeks and stir occasionally, taking care so they don’t scorch. When the vegetables start to soften, add the rice, hot water, lemon juice, salt and sugar.

Cover and cook gently over low heat for about 20 minutes or until the rice and vegetables are tender and the cooking liquid is absorbed. Avoid stirring during cooking, as this will disturb starch in the grains of rice.

Remove from the heat, cover with an absorbent kitchen cloth or paper towel and replace the lid. This will help to absorb any excess moisture. Set aside to cool.

Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle with chopped dill if you would like. Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over and some crusty bread by the side.

Afiyet Olsun!

Runner (green) beans, onions and tomatoes cooked in olive oil – Zeytinyagli Taze Fasulye

Posted by Ozlem on May 27, 2010 in Uncategorized, Vegetables Cooked in Olive Oil | 0 comments

I was delighted to spot some lovely runner beans in my local market the other day; they are packed with flavor and freshness and we like to cook them in olive oil with onions and tomatoes.

This is such an easy, delicious and healthy vegetarian course that you can serve as a starter or an accompaniment to grilled meat. Green beans cooked this way are a great national favorite. Enjoyed by the urban and rural families alike, there are varying theories of how to achieve the best result. Traditionally, zeytinyagli dishes (vegetables cooked in olive oil) are prepared in advance and served at room temperature, as a meze or vegetable course. French, runner and dwarf beans are all suitable to be prepared this way. Once cooked, you can store in the fridge for a good 2-3 days.

Serves 4 – 6
Preparation time – 15 minutes Cooking time – 40 minutes

500 gr / 1.1 lb runner (green) beans, trimmed and cut into 3 pieces
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
45 ml /3 tablespoon olive oil
400 gr / 14 oz canned diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoon sugar
Salt and black pepper to taste
lemon wedges to serve

Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil for a couple of minutes. Add the beans and canned tomatoes and cook for another 1 or 2 minutes. Pour over the water, add the sugar, season with salt and pepper. Bring the liquid to the boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for about 35 minutes. Check the seasoning and add more salt if needed. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool in the pan. İn Turkish cooking, it is important for the the vegetables cooked in oil to cool and rest in the pan it is cooked for the flavors to blend well.

Transfer to a serving dish and serve with wedges of lemon to squeeze over.