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Author Archive | Ozlem Warren

Roasted Aubergine with Tomatoes, Herbs and Cheese and Latest News

By on June 24, 2020 in Turkish cookery book, Turkish Street Food, Vegetables Cooked in Olive Oil, youtube videos 4

Merhaba dear All,

It gives me a great pleasure to share my dear friend Sibel Pinto’s special recipe, Roasted aubergine/eggplant with tomatoes, herbs and chees, Patlican Yelpaze. Sibel is a chef-instructor, founder of ‘Action Kashkarikas Wasteless Kitchen Mission’, anti-foodwaste activist, Gourmand Cookbooks Award winning author of ‘The Evolution of Sephardic Cuisine in Turkey.’  Sibel does a lot of very valuable work to promote Food Waste Awareness around the world, please follow her on Instagram at @chef_sibelpinto and her website, kashkarikas.com , if you like to know more about her work.

We have done an Instagram Live with Sibel a few weeks ago and she kindly demonstrated this delicious Roasted aubergine, tomatoes, herbs and cheese recipe to us. This recipe dates back to her Sephardic roots, a legacy from her grandmother Elisa’s kitchen; many thanks Sibel’cim for sharing with us.

I love the ease of this recipe and it is Mediterranean on a plate. Buffalo mozarella really works well here (our favourite) with its creamy texture. It was lovely with Turkish beyaz peynir, or feta cheese too. Marinating the aubergine generously with herbs, garlic, olive oil is important and adds such a lot of flavour. Here’s Sibel’s recipe if you like to make at home:

ROASTED AUBERGINE With TOMATOES, HERBS AND CHEESE – PATLICAN YELPAZE

 INGREDIENTS

  • 1 aubergine, eggplant
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 60ml/ 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 100-150 gr mozzarella cheese, cut into slices
  • 2 large tomatoes, halved and cut into thin slices (or several cherry tomatoes, cut in half)
  • 15ml/1 tablespoon dried mint
  • 15ml/1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 5ml/1 teaspoon Turkish red pepper flakes, pul biber
  • Parsley/basil (chopped roughly)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.
  • Prepare the sauce: Mix the olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic, mint, oregano and red pepper flakes.
  • Cut the aubergine into thin (about 1/2 cm) slices, but not all the way through, leave it attached to the stem.
  • Cover your baking dish with baking paper and place the aubergine on a baking pan.
  • Coat and brush every slice on both sides generously with the sauce.
  • Place the cheese and tomato slices between each aubergine slice.
  • Cover with foil and bake for 40-45 minutes. Then uncover and cook around 10 – 15 minutes (and a bit more if your aubergine is big), until the cheese melts deliciously.
  • Once cooked, sprinkle with basil/parsley and serve warm.

Baked potato with cumin, red peppers and onions, from Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book, image credit: Sian Irvine Photography

Shepherd’s Salad with sumac, from Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book, image by Sian Irvine Photography

It’s been very hot recently, we enjoyed this  delicious Roasted aubergine, Patlican Yelpaze, with Shepherd’s Salad with sumac, Baked potato with cumin, red peppers and onions and Cacik dip with cucumber and yoghurt by the side, it was lovely meal.

Stuffed Anatolian Flatbreads – Gozleme is at Ozlem’s Turkish Table YouTube Channel!

Stuffed Anatolian Flatbreads, Gozleme, is one of the most popular street food in Turkey and it is easy to make it at home. It is now at Ozlem’s Turkish Table YouTube channel and it’s been a big hit, here is the link if you like to have a go too:

Signed Hardback copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table – 30 % Off until July 3rd 2020

One of the most special things about writing Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book has been witnessing how much joy it has brought to over 5,000 Turkish food lovers around the world. My sincere thanks to each and everyone for your kind feedback and writing a review on Amazon. If you have a copy of Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book and can kindly write a review here, we would greatly appreciate it.

Here’s the latest 5 star review on Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book, with many thanks to Leah 1709:

“Passion for Turkish Cuisine: This is a wonderful book, full of excellent tips and suggestions as well as alternative ingredients and suggestions to try. You can definitely feel the love Özlem has for her homeland and the passion she has for the cuisine. This book was one of the best gifts I have received and I love trying the recipes. More people should try Turkish cuisine…. Delicious”

Signed hardback copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book is 30 % off via GBPublishing at this link, until July 3rd 2020. It is delivered worldwide, including the USA. The offer has been our way of helping out food lovers with home cooking, especially during the Covid 19 lock down. Many thanks for all your kind words and sharing your delicious creations with us.

My Best wishes and Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

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Spiced Bulgur balls with leafy greens, peppers, onions-Bulgurlu Kofte

By on June 11, 2020 in Regional Signature Dishes; Mains, Sides and Desserts 4

 

Merhaba Dear All,

I hope this note finds you all well. We have been enjoying this delicious vegan bulgur balls, Bulgur Koftesi, with sautéed greens, onions, peppers, and I wanted to share with you too. Bulgur is a main staple in southern Turkish cuisine and enjoyed in multiple ways –such as in salads as in Kisir, Spicy Bulgur Wheat Salad in bulgur patties as in Oruk, our version of baked kibbeh, in pilafs and more. This delicious bulgur kofte is from southern Turkey; in Antakya, the sauce is mainly made with spinach or pazi, similar to Swiss chard and garlic. In my version, I included sautéed onions and peppers to the mix too; their natural sweetness really complemented the cumin spiced bulgur balls, along with the greens. Spinach, Swiss chard or spring greens would work well here as alternatives. With the freshness from squeeze of lemon and a delicious heat from pul biber or red pepper flakes, it is a lovely meal. You can serve as meze or as a main with cucumber and yoghurt dip aside. These Baked potatoes with olives, peppers and red onions can be a nice accompaniment too. If you prefer not to use red pepper paste, you can use concentrated tomato paste, though the red pepper paste does add a deliciously rich flavor. You can also make your own red pepper paste, biber salcasi, with my recipe here.

Bulgur is a nutty grain and these bulgur balls are not soft, they are quite sturdy. Rolling them in smaller balls and coating them with olive oil once they boiled, help to keep them moist. If you like to have them in a more juicy sauce, you may like to try this delicious rich tomato sauce with aubergines, as I have done at my Bulgur balls in aubergine and tomato sauce, Patlicanli Eksi Asi recipe here, to go with these bulgur balls too.  I hope you enjoy this delicious, vegan Bulgur balls, Bulgurlu Kofte, great for preparing ahead of time too.

5.0 from 1 reviews
Spiced Bulgur balls with leafy greens, peppers, onions - Bulgurlu Kofte
 
Print
I hope you enjoy this delicious vegan bulgur balls, Bulgur Koftesi, with sautéed leafy greens, onions, peppers, from my southern Turkish roots. in Antakya, the sauce is mainly made with spinach or pazi, similar to Swiss chard and garlic. In my version, I included sautéed onions and red peppers to the mix too; their natural sweetness really complemented the cumin spiced bulgur balls, along with the greens. Spinach, Swiss chard or spring greens would work well here as alternatives. With the freshness from squeeze of lemon and a delicious heat from pul biber or red pepper flakes, it is a lovely meal. You can serve as mezze or as a main with cucumber and yoghurt dip aside. Bulgur is a nutty grain and these bulgur balls are not soft, they are quite sturdy. Rolling them in smaller balls and coating them with olive oil once they boiled, help to keep them moist. If you like to have them in a more juicy sauce, you may like to try this delicious rich tomato sauce with aubergines, as I have done at my Bulgur balls in aubergine and tomato sauce, Patlicanli Eksi Asi recipe at my blog, to go with these bulgur balls too. Afiyet Olsun.
Author:
Recipe type: Vegan, Bulgur Balls
Cuisine: Turkish cuisine
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
  • For the bulgur balls:
  • 170gr/6oz fine bulgur
  • 45ml/3 tbsp all - purpose plain flour
  • 15ml /1 tbsp Turkish red pepper paste / biber salcasi
  • 10 ml / 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 115ml/ 4fl oz hot water
  • Salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • Bowl of warm water with a drizzle of olive oil to shape the bulgur balls
  • For the vegetable sauce:
  • 3 tbsp/ 45ml olive oil
  • 1 small onion, quartered and thinly sliced
  • 310gr/ 11oz Swiss chard, spinach or spring greens, coarsely chopped (please remove any hard stalks)
  • 1 red pepper, deseeded, quartered and thinly sliced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • ½ teaspoon of pul biber, Turkish red pepper flakes – optional-
  • Salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • Wedges of lemon to serve
Instructions
  1. First prepare your bulgur balls. In a large bowl, combine the fine bulgur, flour, cumin, red pepper paste. Season with salt and ground black pepper to your taste (bear in mind that the red pepper paste is quite salty). Pour in the hot water over the mixture and combine well.
  2. Wet your hands with the warm water bowl with a drizzle of olive oil, and knead the bulgur mixture with your hands for 5 minutes, wetting your hands a few times. You will reach a smooth elastic bulgur dough at the end.
  3. Again wet your hands and take a cherry size bulgur dough and shape as a little ball. Have a wide plate or tray near you and place the bulgur balls you have made from the bulgur mixture.
  4. Have boiling water in a large pot, stir in a pinch of salt. Gently drop the bulgur balls in to the pan and let it cook, uncovered, on a medium heat, for 8 minutes or so. Take out the cooked bulgur balls with a slotted spoon and place on a large plate. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons olive oil over them and gently shake the plate so that they would have a nice olive oil coating. Set aside until the vegetable sauce is ready (you can make your bulgur balls ahead of time and keep in the fridge too).
  5. Pour in the 3 tbsp olive oil in a wide pan. Stir in the sliced onions and peppers and saute over medium to high heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped leafy greens (please remove the hard stalk for the Swiss chard and spring greens) and garlic and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often. Season with salt and ground pepper to your taste. If you like, sprinkle Turkish red pepper flakes, pul biber and combine well.
  6. Gently stir in the cooked bulgur balls to the vegetable mixture and combine well over medium heat for 2 minutes, or until the bulgur balls warmed up. Serve warm, with wedges of lemon by the side to squeeze over.
  7. Afiyet Olsun.

Join our Instagram Live – Friday, June 12th, 6pm UK time!

I am delighted to be hosting this delicious Instagram LIVE on Friday, June 12th at 6pm UK time, from my Ozlem’s Turkish Table Instagram account. We will be doing a joint cookalong with dear Sibel Pinto, showcasing delightful aubergine dishes from our cuisines. I will be making Antakya’s Mercimekli Mualla, Aubergines, lentils, peppers cooked in olive oil from my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table and  Sibel will be making her Mediterranean style roasted aubergine with olive oil, tomatoes, herbs and cheese, Yelpaze Patlican, from her Sephardic roots, not to be missed! Do hope to have you with us.

Ozlem’s Turkish Table on YouTube!

I have been sharing a lot of videos for Turkish recipes over the YouTube; many thanks for all your wonderful feedback! Here is one of the recent ones, Stuffed aubergine with minced/ground meat, onions, vegetables – Karniyarik, hope you enjoy it:

I hope you enjoy the post and it inspires. Signed hardback copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book is now 30 % Off at this link, for a limited time, and delivered worldwide including the USA. You can also see the ebook, kindle options too.

Stay well, Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

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Spiced Bulgur balls with greens, peppers, onions – Bulgurlu Kofte

By on June 11, 2020 in Regional Signature Dishes; Mains, Sides and Desserts 0

 

Merhaba Dear All,

I hope this note finds you all well. We have been enjoying this delicious vegan bulgur balls, Bulgur Koftesi, with sautéed greens, onions, peppers, and I wanted to share with you too. Bulgur is a main staple in southern Turkish cuisine and enjoyed in multiple ways –such as in salads as in Kisir, Spicy Bulgur Wheat Salad in bulgur patties as in Oruk, our version of baked kibbeh, in pilafs and more. This delicious bulgur kofte is from southern Turkey; in Antakya, the sauce is mainly made with spinach or pazi, similar to Swiss chard and garlic. In my version, I included sautéed onions and peppers to the mix too; their natural sweetness really complemented the cumin spiced bulgur balls, along with the greens. Spinach, Swiss chard or spring greens would work well here as alternatives. With the freshness from squeeze of lemon and a delicious heat from pul biber or red pepper flakes, it is a lovely meal. You can serve as meze or as a main with cucumber and yoghurt dip aside. These Baked potatoes with olives, peppers and red onions can be a nice accompaniment too. If you prefer not to use red pepper paste, you can use concentrated tomato paste, though the red pepper paste does add a deliciously rich flavor. You can also make your own red pepper paste, biber salcasi, with my recipe here.

Bulgur is a nutty grain and these bulgur balls are not soft, they are quite sturdy. Rolling them in smaller balls and coating them with olive oil once they boiled, help to keep them moist. If you like to have them in a more juicy sauce, you may like to try this delicious rich tomato sauce with aubergines, as I have done at my Bulgur balls in aubergine and tomato sauce, Patlicanli Eksi Asi recipe here, to go with these bulgur balls too.  I hope you enjoy this delicious, vegan Bulgur balls, Bulgurlu Kofte, great for preparing ahead of time too.

Spiced Bulgur balls with greens, peppers, onions - Bulgurlu Kofte
 
Print
I hope you enjoy this delicious vegan bulgur balls, Bulgur Koftesi, with sautéed greens, onions, peppers, from my southern Turkish roots. in Antakya, the sauce is mainly made with spinach or pazi, similar to Swiss chard and garlic. In my version, I included sautéed onions and red peppers to the mix too; their natural sweetness really complemented the cumin spiced bulgur balls, along with the greens. Spinach, Swiss chard or spring greens would work well here as alternatives. With the freshness from squeeze of lemon and a delicious heat from pul biber or red pepper flakes, it is a lovely meal. You can serve as mezze or as a main with cucumber and yoghurt dip aside. Bulgur is a nutty grain and these bulgur balls are not soft, they are quite sturdy. Rolling them in smaller balls and coating them with olive oil once they boiled, help to keep them moist. If you like to have them in a more juicy sauce, you may like to try this delicious rich tomato sauce with aubergines, as I have done at my Bulgur balls in aubergine and tomato sauce, Patlicanli Eksi Asi recipe at my blog, to go with these bulgur balls too. Afiyet Olsun.
Author:
Recipe type: Vegan, Bulgur Balls
Cuisine: Turkish cuisine
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
  • For the bulgur balls:
  • 170gr/6oz fine bulgur
  • 45ml/3 tbsp all - purpose plain flour
  • 15ml /1 tbsp Turkish red pepper paste / biber salcasi
  • 10 ml / 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 115ml/ 4fl oz hot water
  • Salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • Bowl of warm water with a drizzle of olive oil to shape the bulgur balls
  • For the vegetable sauce:
  • 3 tbsp/ 45ml olive oil
  • 1 small onion, quartered and thinly sliced
  • 310gr/ 11oz Swiss chard, spinach or spring greens, coarsely chopped (please remove any hard stalks)
  • 1 red pepper, deseeded, quartered and thinly sliced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, finely choppee
  • ½ teaspoon of pul biber, Turkish red pepper flakes – optional-
  • Salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • Wedges of lemon to serve
Instructions
  1. First prepare your bulgur balls. In a large bowl, combine the fine bulgur, flour, cumin, red pepper paste. Season with salt and ground black pepper to your taste (bear in mind that the red pepper paste is quite salty). Pour in the hot water over the mixture and combine well.
  2. Wet your hands with the warm water bowl with a drizzle of olive oil, and knead the bulgur mixture with your hands for 5 minutes, wetting your hands a few times. You will reach a smooth elastic bulgur dough at the end.
  3. Again wet your hands and take a large cherry size bulgur dough and shape as a little ball. Have a wide plate or tray near you and place the bulgur balls you have made from the bulgur mixture.
  4. Have boiling water in a large pot, stir in a pinch of salt. Gently drop the bulgur balls in to the pan and let it cook, uncovered, on a medium heat, for 8 minutes or so. Take out the cooked bulgur balls with a slotted spoon and place on a large plate. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons olive oil over them and gently shake the plate so that they would have a nice olive oil coating. Set aside until the vegetable sauce is ready (you can make your bulgur balls ahead of time and keep in the fridge too).
  5. Pour in the 3 tbsp olive oil in a wide pan. Stir in the sliced onions and peppers and saute over medium to high heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped greens (please remove the hard stalk for the Swiss chard and spring greens) and garlic and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often. Season with salt and ground pepper to your taste. If you like, sprinkle Turkish red pepper flakes, pul biber and combine well.
  6. Gently stir in the cooked bulgur balls to the vegetable mixture and combine well over medium heat for 2 minutes, or until the bulgur balls warmed up. Serve warm, with wedges of lemon by the side to squeeze over.
  7. Afiyet Olsun.

Join our Instagram Live – Friday, June 12th, 6pm UK time!

I am delighted to be hosting this delicious Instagram LIVE on Friday, June 12th at 6pm UK time, from my Ozlem’s Turkish Table Instagram account. We will be doing a joint cookalong with dear Sibel Pinto, showcasing delightful aubergine dishes from our cuisines. I will be making Antakya’s Mercimekli Mualla, Aubergines, lentils, peppers cooked in olive oil from my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table and  Sibel will be making her Mediterranean style roasted aubergine with olive oil, tomatoes, herbs and cheese, Yelpaze Patlican, from her Sephardic roots, not to be missed! Do hope to have you with us.

Ozlem’s Turkish Table on YouTube!

I have been sharing a lot of videos for Turkish recipes over the YouTube; many thanks for all your wonderful feedback! Here is one of the recent ones, Stuffed aubergine with minced/ground meat, onions, vegetables – Karniyarik, hope you enjoy it:

I hope you enjoy the post and it inspires. Signed hardback copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book is now 30 % Off at this link, for a limited time, and delivered worldwide including the USA. You can also see the ebook, kindle options too.

Stay well, Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Continue Reading