Tag Archives | Turkish cookery class

Ozlem’s Turkish Table-Winner of Gourmand World Cookery Book Award and Festive Ideas

By Ozlem Warren on December 20, 2019 in Ozlem’s Turkish Table Cookery Book, Supper Clubs, Turkish Festive Dishes 0

I am delighted to share with great pleasure and honor that Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book has been awarded as the Winner of the prestigious Gourmand World Cookery Book Award, in the Food Heritage Category for Turkey! The Gourmand Awards are often compared by journalists to the “Oscars” and we are absolutely delighted; this prestigious award will help spreading the word on delicious, wholesome Turkish cuisine with a rich culinary heritage and more exciting events on the way! My very sincere thanks to all of you dear readers for your support for this special book, as well as to my publisher GB Publishing and Pinar UK for all their valuable support. Ozlem’s Turkish Table now qualify to compete for Best in the World 2020 in Food Heritage category.

Signed copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table now 20 % off for the festive season!

Delighted to let you know that the hardback signed copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table now 20 % off via GB Publishing at this link and delivered worldwide incl USA, also available in kindle and other formats here. I can make a lovely gift to a foodie.

What I have been up to …

Teaching at Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Cookery School, Boston MA was a special highlight

It’s been a very special few months, teaching Turkish cookery at the Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Cookery School in Boston, in Fethiye, Kalkan – Turkey, Divertimenti Cookery School – London and in Surrey, UK.

I did two days of full master classes at the Milk Street and they have been very special – folks flown in from California, Seattle, North Caroline, Virgina for these classes, so very humbled and greatly enjoyed teaching and meeting everyone – my very sincere thanks to all.

Ozlem’s Turkish Table Cookery classes in Kalkan and Fethiye – Turkey

Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery demo and Turkish lunch at Villa Cennet Bahcesi, Kalkan

Teaching at Guru’s Place Cookery School, Kalkan – a lot of fun!

Always a pleasure to teach at Yakamoz Hotel – Fethiye

Enjoying our cookery class creations al fresco at Yakamoz Hotel, Oludeniz

As always, greatly enjoyed teaching Turkish cookery in Fethiye and Kalkan in October. Thank you very much to Fethiye Times, dear Lyn Ward for all your help for organising Fethiye and Kalkan classes and huge thanks to Yakamoz Hotel Oludeniz, Villa Cennet Bahcesi, Kalkan and Guru’s Place Kalkan Cookery School for having me and all the lovely folks joined us – greatly look forward to more classes together in 2020. We are working on my 2020 teaching schedule in Kalkan and Fethiye so stay tuned!

From our road trip at beautiful Kalkan with dear Lyn, from Fethiye Times

Festive Turkish meal ideas ..

Spicy bulgur and lentil soup, Ezo Gelin Corbasi

Spicy bulgur and lentil soup, Ezo Gelin Corbasi

With the festive season upon us, I love gathering with friends and family and sharing a bite and catch up. As it is a busy time of the year, it is worth thinking about what you will be serving and do some cooking ahead of time. Thankfully, Turkish food is great with ahead of time cooking and freezes well. For instance this delicious and wholesome Spicy bulgur and lentil soup, Ezo Gelin Corba (at page 47 from Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book); it is a meal itself for me especially for lunch and freezes so well. If you like to make it gluten-free, you can use quinoa instead of bulgur in the soup, as I have done here

Baked aubergine/eggplant kebab with yoghurt and spices – Patlicanli Kebap

This is a lovely, all in one tray home style kebab that you can prepare ahead of time and freeze for your guests. Aubergines/eggplants are double baked here, which intensify their flavour – it is so worth marinating the chicken in yoghurt and spices; it tenderises the chicken and add a lot of flavour. Here is my recipe link (also at page 201 at Ozlem’s Turkish Table)

Aubergine, lentils and peppers cooked in olive oil – Mercimekli Mualla

Aubergines, lentils and peppers cooked in olive oil, Mercimekli Mualla, from , Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland

One of my all time vegetarian dishes cooked in olive oil, Zeytinyaglis from my home town Antakya, from my mother’s table; this dish can make a lovely main course for your vegetarian and vegan guests, also gluten-free. It tastes even better the next day so you can easily prepare ahead of time. Dried mint is the star spice here and works so well with green lentils and aubergine, so good. Here’s my recipe link – this lovely dish is also at Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book, page 151.

Leeks cooked in olive oil with vegetables – Zeytinyagli Pirasa

Leeks are native to Anatolia and this is a delicious and healthy way to enjoy leeks. It is traditionally served cold or at room temperature, with wedges of lemon aside; it makes a wonderful side dish keeps in fridge well for 2-3 days. Here’s my recipe link, also at page 159 of Ozlem’s Turkish Table.

Rice pilaf with pine nuts, cinnamon, dill and currants

This sophisticated rice pilaf dates back to the Ottoman Palace kitchens and is packed with flavour. I love the different textures and flavours this rice showcases with currants, pine nuts, fresh herbs and warm spices like cinnamon. You can add lamb’s liver as in my recipe at page 225 at Ozlem’s Turkish Table, or opt out and keep it vegetarian, as we did at my recent Supper club at Aromas, Weybridge. It is certainly festive and a big hit with our guests. You can serve it with refreshing Shepherd’s Salad with cucumber, pepper and tomato with a touch a sumac.

Spicy bulgur wheat salad with pomegranate molasses – Kisir

Our welcome salad in Antakya, Spicy bulgur wheat salad with pomegranate molasses, Kisir, always features in our festive table. I love this wholesome salad – it is a bowl of health and so entertaining friendly, as it tastes even better the next day, great for prepping ahead of time. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds over for a festive decoration. Here’s my recipe link, also at page 81 of Ozlem’s Turkish Table.

Antakya style flat breads with crumbly cokelek or feta, za’atar and red pepper paste – Biberli Ekmek

Our savoury flat breads are easy to make and complement soups, mains, side dishes beautifully. This delicious flat bread with za’atar topping, Biberli Ekmek, is a specialty from my home town Antakya and always bring back fond memories. It is fantastic to bake ahead of time and freeze. You can then reheat at 180C/350F for 5-8 minutes, ready for your guests. Here’s my recipe link, also at page 137 of Ozlem’s Turkish Table.

Baked Candied Pumpkin dessert with walnuts – Kabak Tatlisi

Candied pumpkin dessert with walnuts and clotted cream; Kabak Tatlisi

I love the fruity desserts in Turkish cuisine – they are delicious, light and easy to prepare, as in this seasonal Candied Pumpkin dessert with walnuts. Baked in its own juice with sugar, this light but full flavoured pumpkin dessert is best served with crushed walnuts and kaymak, our Turkish thick cream made from water buffalo milk. If you can’t find kaymak, regular clotted cream would work well too. You can prepare this delicious dessert 2-3 days ahead of time. Here’s my recipe link, also at Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book, page 275.

I hope you enjoy the festive Turkish food ideas here and they inspire – there is also a whole chapter of Suggested Menus at page 291 at Ozlem’s Turkish Table May you have a wonderful festive season, in good health, happiness, with friends and family.

Upcoming Events

Ozlem’s Turkish Table Vegetarian Feast and Cookery Demonstration at

Oso Art Centre, Barnes

Thursday January 23^rd from 7.30 pm

Please join us at the Oso Art Centre in Barnes on Thursday, January 23rd 2020 from 7.30pm, as Ozlem Warren will serve a feast of vegetarian Turkish dishes from her award winning cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table and demonstrate how to make the popular Spicy Bulgur Wheat Salad with pomegranate molasses, Kisir and Traybake filo pastry with cheese and spinach. Ozlem will also give tips on how to make the below vegetarian dishes she will be serving.

We will be serving Spicy bulgur and lentil soup with dried mint and Aleppo pepper, Hummus with cumin and red pepper flakes, Aubergine and lentils cooked in olive oil, Baked potato, olives, red pepper and onions with cumin, Baked cauliflower with cheese, spring onion and herbs, Spicy bulgur wheat salad with pomegranate molasses, Traybake filo pastry with cheese and spinach, Zesty semolina sponge cake, Revani.

Signed copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book will be available to buy at the evening (25 GBP per copy). We will also run a raffle amongst the guests at the evening and one lucky winner will get a signed copy of Ozlem’s Turkish Table!

Tickets can be purchased at this link and it can make a lovely festive gift to a foodie!

Friday, February 28th, 7.30pm – Turkish Vegetarian Feast Supper Club and Cookery Workshop at Aromas

Weybridge, Surrey

Kick start the new year to learn a new skill, making savoury filo pie with a variety of fillings, at our Turkish Vegetarian Feast Supper Club and Workshop at Aromas, Weybridge on Friday, Feb 28th evening from 7.30 pm We will serve you some scrumptious healthy Turkish and Mediterranean vegetarian dishes as below, and moreover, you will get to make a vegetarian savory filo pie, our Turkish borek, at our workshop and you will take your pie/borek back home. We believe healthy food can also be very delicious and we will show you how – new inspirations in the new year, healthy food made easy!

We will serve delicious vegetarian courses and Ozlem will give you tips on how to make them.

Savory filo pie/borek with vegetarian fillings workshop during the night!:

And during the night, at our workshop, you will also get to make your savory filo pie with a variety of fillings to choose – you will get to take your savoury pie / borek back home!

This exciting event is likely to sell out to please book your spot soon at this link soon!

It can also make a lovely present for a foodie for the festive season (gift certificates available).

We look forward to welcoming you at Aromas on February 28th at our exciting event!

My very best wishes to you all for the festive season; and my sincere thanks for all your support and kind words for Ozlem’s Turkish Table – 65 – 5 star reviews on Amazon UK – ; it gives me so much happiness hearing you enjoy my recipes and it helps you to connect to this special land and remember, recreate fond memories.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Ozlem’s Turkish Table; pumpkin recipes, book fair, cookery class

By Ozlem Warren on October 20, 2017 in Regional Signature Dishes; Mains, Sides and Desserts, Turkish cookery book, Turkish Cooking Classes 12

Merhaba dear All,

Beautiful still life from Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book coming up, by Sian Irvine Photography

Exciting times ahead, as we are almost there to start the pre-order for my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland, as of early November, please stay tuned! With a special tribute to my southern Turkish roots and family stories, this book has been lovingly written and prepared with beautiful images by Sian Irvine Photography, I really can’t wait to share with you all.

Here are a few special events coming up as well as delicious autumn/fall flavours, showcasing pumpkin and squash, I hope you enjoy it:

Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland is at Riverhouse Barn Book Fair, October 28th

One of the still life shots with my family photos, from my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland, coming up. Image credit: Sian Irvine Photography

I am delighted to be participating the Riverhouse Barn Book Fair in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England on Saturday, October 28th at 12 noon with GB Publishing. Together with other authors, I will be introducing my upcoming cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland and introducing southern Turkish cuisine, my roots, Antakya- Antioch, with Turkish delights for everyone! Hope you can join us for a wonderful literary themed weekend.

A Turkish Festive Table cookery class with Ozlem Warren, Divertimenti Cookery School – London, Hands On Masterclass – Saturday, December 2nd

Radish salad with tahini sauce, image credit: Sian Irvine photography

Antakya’s traybake kebab, tepsi kebabi, will be a part of our cookery class on Dec. 2nd at Divertimenti cookery school. Image credit: Sian Irvine Photography

Please join us on Saturday, December 2nd, from 11 am to 2.30 pm for a festive class, as I will be sharing Southern Turkish specialties from my upcoming cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland. With a tribute to my roots, you will prepare authentic Southern Turkish flavours as you cook alongside with us. Recipes include ‘Tahini Bread Rolls with Sesame Seeds’, ‘Muhammara’ (Walnut and red pepper paste dip), ‘Leafy Greens with Peppers, Pine nuts and Aleppo Pepper Flakes’, ‘Radish Salad with Tahini Sauce’, ‘Tepsi Kebabi’ (Traybake kebab with roasted vegetables), ‘Kunefe – Kadayifi’ (Pastry strands with melted cheese in light syrup) and Turkish coffee.

Price : £115

Participation is limited, please kindly book through Divertimenti Cookery School at this link

Leafy greens with pine nuts, pepper and onions, a delicious course at our Dec. 2nd cookery class, at Divertimenti

What I have been cooking lately…

Candied pumpkin dessert with walnuts, southern Turkish Style – Cevizli Kabak Tatlisi

Candied pumpkin dessert with walnuts; Cevizli Kabak Tatlisi

We all have pumpkins in our minds at this time of the year; I love its natural sweetness and comforting, luscious flavor. This scrumptious candied pumpkin dessert is popular in Turkey and it is so very easy to make. Pumpkin is baked here in its very own juice with sugar and the result is an exquisite dessert with the full flavor of pumpkin, also fancy enough to share with family and friends.

This lovely light dessert, Kabak Tatlisi, is wonderful served with crushed walnuts. In Turkey, it is also served with our thick clotted cream, kaymak. If you can’t get kaymak, clotted cream also complements this dessert well. Here’s the link to my candied pumpkin dessert with walnuts, Cevizli Kabak Tatlisi.

Bulgur meatballs with squash and chickpeas, in yoghurt and mint sauce

Bulgur meatballs with squash and chickpeas in yoghurt and dried mint sauce

Stews with yoghurt has a special place in southern Turkish cuisine. I recently re-created Gaziantep’s Stew with bulgur meatballs, in yoghurt and mint sauce – Yogurtlu, bulgurlu kofte -. The traditional recipe also has lamb in it, in my version I omitted the extra meat and added the seasonal squash to the dish. The chickpeas worked really well in the stew too; not only very healthy, but brought a different texture and wonderful flavor. The dish turned out to be a very satisfying and substantial meal yet surprisingly light. Here’s my recipe for the Bulgur meatballs with squash and chickpeas, in yoghurt and mint sauce, I hope you enjoy it.

Happy autumn/fall and Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

From Pistachio Lamb Kebabs to Baklava; Our Turkish Feast in Austin, Texas

By Ozlem Warren on August 4, 2013 in Appetizers and Mezes, Roasts and Kebaps, Turkish Cooking Classes 22

Greetings from Austin, Texas!

Getting the eggplants for our Turkish cooking class at Central Market – Austin; love the fresh produce there.

We had a delightful and full class of Turkish food lovers at my Turkish cooking class at the Central Market Cooking School, Austin, Texas. It was a very special time to reconnect with dear foodies who used to come to my classes there, as well as meeting new Turkish food lovers, I am grateful to be able to return to this wonderful cooking school and their company.

CM Chef Cindy and others kindly helped feed 40 Turkish food lovers at the class

We had 40 -full class!- Turkish food lovers at the class and a small army of CM Chefs; Cindy, Giovanni and Kelly helped us get the our Turkish feast ready.

Talking about dried eggplants; we use them a lot especially in Southern Turkish cuisine

Turkish Cuisine is based on seasonality and we use a lot of fresh, seasonal produce. When a vegetable or fruit is not in season (like peppers, aubergines, okra etc) we dry them to use when they are not in season. Here we have been talking about dried eggplants and different recipes to use them in (stuffed dried eggplants are especially delicious).

Talking about Turkish culinary history and regional cuisines in Turkey during our class

Turks were Nomads who used to live a tribal life in Central Asia prior settling in today’s Turkey, and in those days, their diet was based on meat and dairy. Many folks found learning about the Turkish culinary history quite fascinating.

Here I would like to share our menu at my Turkish Cookery Class with Central Market, showcasing flavorful Southern Turkish Cuisine. All these recipes are designed for you to be able to recreate easily at your home. I hope you can get to try and enjoy them :

Walnut, Olive Oil and Red Pepper Paste Dip; Cevizli Biber

Cevizli Biber; Walnut and red pepper paste dip with olive oil.

This is one of my favorite mezes of all time; it is very easy to make and very, very more-ish, you just can’t stop eating them. It is one of my mother’s recipes from her historic hometown Antakya (Antioch) and whenever I make it, I feel like I am home.

Prerparing the Walnut & Red Pepper Paste dip, Cevizli Biber, for the Class

Tahini bread or pita bread would go really well with this delicious dip/spread. You can keep the dip covered in the fridge for 3-4 days. Middle Eastern stores or specialty stores usually carry the red pepper paste, so as Turkish online supermarket, Tulumba.com in the US. If you like to make your own hot red pepper paste, here is my recipe. Click here for the Walnut and red pepper paste with olive oil dip recipe.

Smoked eggplant salad with garlic yoghurt and mint – Patlicanli Yogurtlama

Smoked eggplant salad with garlic yoghurt and dried mint; Patlicanli Yogurtlama

This is a lovely refreshing smoked eggplant salad again from southern Turkey, Antakya, this time with garlic yoghurt and mint. It goes very well with grilled meats, or just with some nice crusty bread as an appetizer. This salad or mezze is perfect for hot summer days and can be kept in fridge for a couple of days. Here is the smoked eggplant with garlic and yoghurt recipe.

Lamb Kebabs with Pistachios on Flat Bread in Cherry & Tomato Sauce

Pistachio lamb kebabs in cherry & tomato sauce; delicious treats for all

Making the pistachio lamb kebabs with CM Chef Giovanni at Central Market Cooking School in Austin

These pistachio lamb kebabs in cherry and tomato sauce are easy to recreate in your home, delicious and look impressive. Children love them as well as the adults, so they are great for entertaining. Having pistachio nuts in kebabs is a Southern Turkish specialty; I love the rich nutty flavor the pistachios add to the kebabs. They kebabs are wonderful when chargrilled in summer time, but equally delicious grilled or baked in the oven. With flat breads as the base and roasted vegetables by the side, this succulent kebab is a real crowd pleaser, and can make any day special. Here is my recipe for the pistachio lamb kebabs.

Baklava with Pistachios and Walnuts – Fistikli ve Cevizli Baklava

Home made baklava with walnuts and pistachios

An Ottoman legacy, baklava is one of the greatest creations from the pastry chefs at the Topkapi Palace. Generally, baklava is enjoyed as a mid-morning sweet snack with a cup of Turkish coffee, or as a mid-afternoon treat with a glass of tea or after lunch or dinner. There is no bad time for a good piece of baklava! The real thing shouldn’t be very sweet and heavy; on the contrary it should be light enough to tempt you to eat a small plateful. Making baklava at home is surprisingly easier than you think; and I like the fact that you can adjust the sweetness of the syrup to your taste. Here is my baklava recipe, if you’d like to have a go.

Deliciously Frothy Turkish Coffee,Turk Kahvesi – More Than a Drink

Delicious frothy, aromatic Turkish Coffee, Turk Kahvesi

Making Turkish coffee for 40 participants at the class; we had a small production line!:)

Have you ever tried the deliciously frothy Turkish coffee? It is one of the most popular traditional drinks at home in Turkey and I love the whole ritual, the experience of it. In Turkish, we have a saying “Bir fincan kahvenin kirk yil hatiri vardir” which means “The memory of a good cup of Turkish coffee lasts 40 years”. Turkish coffee is a drink of friendship; you are offered this traditional, aromatic drink wherever you go in Turkey; when visiting friends and family, in the shops, while waiting in the bank, in hairdressers.. We take time to pause and enjoy this special drink with a friend or family or sometimes simply reflect with every precious sip. A glass of water and Turkish Delights by the side complete the Turkish coffee ritual. Here is step by step instructions for how to make Turkish coffee at home.

As always, it is the people what makes a place special. I was very grateful to have the company of dear friends, Turkish food lovers and enthusiasts at the class. Thank you all for your company and making me feel at home!

I hope these recipes and photos may inspire to have a go and try these delicious, easy recipes. Let me know if you have any questions, it is always good to hear from you and I would be delighted to help out.

Afiyet Olsun!

Ozlem