Ozlem's Turkish Table | Turkish CuisineOzlem's Turkish Table

Baked Potatoes with Onions, Tomatoes and Olives – Zeytinli Patates Bastısı

By Ozlem Warren on April 16, 2025 in Vegetarian recipes 0

Image taken during SEBZE photo shoots with Sam A Harris and Esther Clark

This delightful and easy potato bake, from my new book SEBZE, Vegetarian recipes from my Turkish kitchen, makes use of the bastı method, a layered cooking technique dating back to the Ottoman period. Meat and vegetables are traditionally first sautéed then layered and gently pressed into a round dish. Turkish food writer Sahrap Soysal notes that this technique is also referred to as oturtma. This humble, great-value dish is very moreish, perfect for buffets as well as easy weekday meals. Leftovers are delicious enjoyed cold the next day, too.

I hope you enjoy making this dish; if you like to get a copy of my cookery book, SEBZE, copies can be ordered worldwide here.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem x

Baked Potatoes with Onions, Tomatoes and Olives - Zeytinli Patates Bastısı

This delightful potato bake makes use of the bastı method, a layered cooking technique dating back to the Ottoman period. Meat and vegetables are traditionally first sautéed then layered and gently pressed into a round dish. Turkish food writer Sahrap Soysal notes that this technique is also referred to as oturtma. This humble, great-value dish is very moreish, perfect for buffets as well as easy weekday meals. Leftovers are delicious enjoyed cold the next day, too.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Vegetarian

Cuisine: Turkish cuisine, Mediterranean

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra as needed
3 medium or 2 large onions, quartered and thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
650 g (1 lb 7 oz) roasting potatoes, cut into 3 cm (1 in) discs, 1 cm (½ in) thick
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon pul biber
60 g (2 oz/1/3 cup) good-quality black olives (Turkish or kalamata), pitted and quartered
3 medium, ripe tomatoes, halved, then sliced 5 mm (¼ in) thick
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, to serve

Instructions

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large, wide pan over a medium heat, add the onions and sauté for 10 minutes until softened and starting to caramelise. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/400°F/gas 6.
Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the same pan (or perhaps a little more if needed), add the potatoes and sauté over medium heat for 5–6 minutes. Stir the onions back into the pan, season with salt, pepper, dried oregano and pul biber, combine well and remove from the heat.
Spread half of the potato and onions in the base of a 25 cm (10 in) baking dish. Layer half of the olives and sliced tomatoes over and gently press. Spread the remaining potato and onions over, with a final layer of olives and tomatoes on top, and gently press. Drizzle a little olive oil over, season with salt and pepper, and bake for 40–45 minutes until fully cooked and charred at the edges.
Scatter the chopped parsley over and serve warm or at room temperature.

Acuka; Spiced walnut and red pepper paste dip

By Ozlem Warren on April 8, 2025 in Vegan / Plant based, Vegetarian recipes 0

Acuka is a popular and a very moreish breakfast spread across the country; you may come across at cafes and various breakfast houses, kahvaltı evi in İstanbul too. It is a derivative of the Georgian – Abkhazian dip known as ‘Adjika or Ajika’. The Turkish version includes tomato paste as well as the pepper paste, with many variations made across the country. There are similarities with muhammara (or cevizli biber, as we call at my hometown Antakya in the southeast), though garlic is not included in our version of muhammara. This power dip is so easy to make, packed full of flavour and goodness. Red pepper paste, biber salçası is widely available at Turkish and Middle Eastern stores these days, you can make your own at my recipe in my cookery book SEBZE too. Enjoy acuka as part of your Turkish style brunch, or serve as meze aside to grills, casseroles and pasta. Try it as part of the Kahvaltı Tabağı, Turkish syle breakfast or brunch – it is great as a sandwich filler too.

Prepare ahead: I keep a tub of acuka in my fridge regularly, as it stays well in the fridge, covered for 3-4 days. Also use up other nuts, such as chopped hazelnuts in hand too.

Acuka; Spiced walnut and red pepper paste dip

Acuka is a popular and a very moreish breakfast spread across the country; you may come across at cafes and various breakfast houses, kahvaltı evi in İstanbul too. It is a derivative of the Georgian - Abkhazian dip known as ‘Adjika or Ajika’. The Turkish version includes tomato paste as well as the pepper paste, with many variations made across the country. There are similarities with muhammara (or cevizli biber, as we call at my hometown Antakya in the southeast), though garlic is not included in our version of muhammara. This power dip is so easy to make, packed full of flavour and goodness. Red pepper paste, biber salçası is widely available at Turkish and Middle Eastern stores these days, you can make your own at my recipe in my book SEBZE too. Enjoy acuka as part of your Turkish style brunch, or serve as meze aside to grills, casseroles and pasta. Try it as part of the Kahvaltı Tabağı, Turkish syle breakfast or brunch - it is great as a sandwicc filler too

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Healthy dips

Cuisine: Turkish cuisine, Eastern Mediterranean

Serves: 8

Ingredients

185g/ 6 ½ oz shelled walnuts
3 medium garlic cloves, grated
3 tbsp double concentrated tomato paste
3 tbsp Turkish red pepper paste, biber salçası
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp ground cumin
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp crushed walnuts to serve
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil to serve
Sprinkle of pul biber to serve – optional

Instructions

Blitz the walnuts in food processor, until they are about half pinenut size, take care not to grind too much, as it is nice to feel their texture in acuka. Place in a medium mixing bowl and combine with the tomato and pepper paste, grated garlic, extra virgin olive oil, cumin and dried oregano.
Combine well with a spoon, to achieve a chunky paste. Season with salt and ground black pepper to your taste, bearing mind that the pepper paste is quite salty too.
Spread over a serving plate, sprinkle 1 tbsp crushed walnuts in the middle and drizzle extra virgin olive oil to serve, along with sprinkle of pul biber if you wish.

Tırnaklı Pide Ekmek; Finger-dented flatbreads

By Ozlem Warren on March 6, 2025 in Turkish Breakfast 2

These round (and sometimes oval) finger dented, Tırnaklı Pide Ekmek is a national favourite. Also known as Ramazan pidesi, it is the traditional bread we eat to break the fast during Ramadan. Happy memories of queuing at the bakery, fırın, to get our freshly baked, warm pide ekmek for our iftar, the meal we eat to break the fast during Ramadan. Most bakeries in Istanbul pretty much offer Tırnaklı Pide Ekmek all year around these days. It is a lovely bread to accompany breakfast, meze, grills, soups, casseroles, and easier than you think to make at home.

Prepare ahead and freeze: Though it tastes best on the day, you can make Tırnaklı Pide Ekmek a day ahead and wrap with a clean kitchen cloth to keep fresh and moist. You can cut the pide ekmek in quarters, wrap with foil and freeze too.

I also love our easy, puffy bread, balon ekmek, fantastic to serve with meze, casseroles, grills. You can find my easy puffy bread, balok ekmek recipe, at my new book SEBZE.

I hope you enjoy my Tırnaklı Pide Ekmek recipe, Ramadan Mubarak if you are observing and Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem x

4.0 from 1 reviews

Tırnaklı Pide Ekmek; Finger-dented flatbreads

These round (and sometimes oval) finger dented, Tırnaklı Pide Ekmek is a national favourite. Also known as Ramazan pidesi, it is the traditional bread we eat to break the fast during Ramadan. Happy memories of queuing at the bakery, fırın, to get our freshly baked, warm pide ekmek for our iftar, the meal we eat to break the fast during Ramadan. Most bakeries in Istanbul pretty much offer Tırnaklı Pide Ekmek all year around these days. It is a lovely bread to accompany breakfast, meze, grills, soups, casseroles, and easier than you think to make at home. Prepare ahead and freeze: Though it tastes best on the day, you can make Tırnaklı Pide Ekmek a day ahead and wrap with a clean kitchen cloth to keep fresh and moist. You can cut the pide ekmek in quarters, wrap with foil and freeze too.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Flat Bread

Cuisine: Turkish cuisine

Serves: Makes 2 pide ekmek

Ingredients

500g / 1lb 1.6oz all-purpose plain flour (plus extra for shaping)
1 ½ tsp salt
11g/0.4 oz dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
170ml/6fl oz luke warm water
155ml/5 ½ fl oz luke warm milk
for shaping:
3 tbsp room temperature water
3 tsp all-purpose plain flour
for brushing and topping::
1 tbsp whole milk yoghurt
1 egg yolk, beaten
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp nigella seeds
2 tsp maize flour, cornmeal or polenta, to dust the trays

Instructions

Combine the yeast, luke warm water and sugar in a small bowl and mix to dissolve. Cover with cling film and set aside for 10 minutes to get frothy.
Sift the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Pour in the yeast mixture, olive oil, salt and lukewarm milk. Using your hands, turn the mixture into a soft, sticky dough. Place the dough into a lightly floured, dry, clean surface. Knead for 5 minutes, adding a little more flour if needed, to achieve a soft, elastic and smooth dough. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with cling film or damp cloth and leave to rest in a warm place for about 1 hour, until doubled its size.
Place baking papers on 2 large trays and sprinkle 1 tsp maize flour, cornmeal or polenta on each tray; this will help crisp the bottom of the tırnaklı pide ekmek. Preheat fan oven to 200C/220C/430F.
For shaping, combine the flour and water in a small bowl, mix well until smooth. For brushing, combine the yoghurt, beaten egg yolk and olive oil in another bowl, mix and set aside.
Once doubled, punch the dough down, knead for 1-2 minutes on a lightly floured surface and divide into two equal pieces. Turn each dough piece into a ball, placing one in the bowl with cling film over. Flatten the other dough ball with your hands and stretch into a 25cm diameter round circle, about 1 cm thick. Place the dough circle over the prepared tray. Dip your fingertips into the flour and water mixture and indent the dough about 2 ½ cm inwards, creating a thick, circular lip around the edges. Dip your finger tips to the water and flour mixture again and indent the dough making vertical and horizontal indentations, about 4 cm apart, making diamond shapes. Repeat this process for the remaining dough, placing and shaping on the other prepared tray. Loosely cover both trays with cling film and rest for another 25-30 minutes for another rise.
Then remove the cling film, and gently brush and coat the surface of both breads with the yoghurt, egg & olive oil mixture, taking care not to press hard. Once the both tırnaklı pide ekmek surfaces coated, dip your fingers into the yoghurt mixture and press through the finger indentations on the breads again, making them visible; they will help the diamond shapes pop up. Sprinkle each tırnaklı pide ekmek with 1 tbsp sesame seeds and ½ tsp nigella seeds and bake in the preheated oven for 16-18 minutes (rotating the trays half way, for even baking, if needed), until golden with light brown patches. Take the trays out of the oven and place tırnaklı pide ekmek on top of one another and wrap them with a clean, dry kitchen cloth, to keep warm and moist. Slice to serve warm or at room temperature.