Recipes    

Turkish cuisine provides healthy, hearty, delicious food for family and friends.
Find out more

Cookery Classes

I teach Turkish cooking classes in England,Turkey & USA, hope you can join us!,
Find Out More

Author Archive | Ozlem Warren

Hellos from Istanbul! – Istanbul'dan Merhaba!







A magical trip to the city of Istanbul; even though I lived there for over 30 years, Istanbul still makes my heart beat fast, everytime I go. The colours, smells of spices, hospitality of its people, this city of many civilizations is a place not to be missed.

We were there at the Republic Day, and it was lovely to see the city covered with Turkish flags. A must stop is Hamdi Restaurant over looking the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus and Old Istanbul, a feast to all your senses. Conveniently located by the Spice Market, it is a great spot to taste wonderful kebaps and mezes and enjoy the views.

While you are there, make sure to visit Spice Market; the colours, the smells will mesmerise you! Great place to stock up wonderful spices, dried peppers and eggplants, Turkish Delight and many more.

More Istanbul photos and recipes will follow soon – Turkish style pumpkin desert is cmoing up next, Happy past Halloween!

Continue Reading

My 2011 Grand Turkey Tour – please join us!


One of the things I very much enjoy doing is culinary and cultural tours to my homeland, Turkey and sharing the amazing culture, cuisine and history Turkey offers. I have another tour coming up in 2011. The tour will be from July 25th 2011 to Aug. 4th 2011 and covers Istanbul, Gallipoli (Dardanelles), Pergamum, Troy, Ephesus (including the Temple of Artemis, the Church of St. John and the House of Virgin Mary) Antioch (Antakya, my home town!:) and many more amazing sites. I am especially excited as we included Antioch, my home town to the itinerary, where my cooking has been inspired and have many happy memories there. We will also take wonderful Turkish cooking classes (and see the making of the baklava!) and sample the amazing Turkish cuisine.

The tour is limited to 15 participants and we already have 8 folks singed up. If you would like to explore fascinating Turkey through a local’s perpective with the comfort of a small group, please let me know. You can also view my previous Turkey tour photos, by clicking on “My culinary and cultural tour to Turkey, 2009”.

I will be in Istanbul next week and look forward to be in touch with you with fascinating photos and news from Istanbul.

Happy travels!

Continue Reading

Eggs with Spinach and Onion – Ispanakli Yumurta

Ispanakli Yumurta; Eggs with spinach and onions; delicious for a weekend brunch or a lovely lunch

I have two small children and they love eggs. They are Ok with spinach though they need something else next to it that is more attractive. Eggs work well in that respect and they also get to have two vegetables, onion and spinach with a good appetite.

This is a very delicious, easy and healthy recipe and works as a treat for a weekend brunch or everyday lunch. A dollop of plain yoghurt by the side really complements this dish. As a variety, you can add some grated cheese of your choice over the egg & spinach, just a couple of minutes before you turn the heat off.

Serves 2
Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes

400gr/14oz fresh spinach leaves, washed
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 medium eggs
30ml/2tablespoon olive oil
Salt and ground pepper to taste
½ teaspoon cumin – optional-
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes – optional-

A dollop of plain yoghurt and crusty bread to serve

Heat the olive oil in a shallow pan and sauté the onions for 3-5 minutes, until they are softened. Add the spinach and let it wilt gently for 1-2 minutes, with giving a gently stir. Season with salt and pepper.

Make two hollows in the spinach mixture and drop the eggs. Cook until the whites are firm but the yolks remain soft. Sprinkle ground cumin and red pepper flakes over the eggs (if you are using). Serve immediately with plenty of crusty bread and a dollop of yoghurt by the side.

Eggs with spinach and onions; with red pepper flakes, pul biber over the top, it is a delicious treat.

Eggs with spinach and onions; with red pepper flakes, pul biber over the top, it is a delicious treat.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Continue Reading