Casseroles and Stews

Baked Chicken Casserole with Vegetables; Firinda Sebzeli Tavuk

By Ozlem Warren on May 12, 2010 in Casseroles and Stews 7

Baked Chicken Casserole with Vegetables, Sebzeli firin tavuk

In Turkey, we use a lot of fresh vegetables – usage of frozen vegetable and fruit is minimal. With this abundance, you can create endless casseroles with adding meat or keeping it vegetarian.

This recipe appears a lot in our home; it is so easy to make, healthy and very delicious too. You can add or replace your favorite vegetables of the season; peas, eggplants and zucchini work well too. I like to double the recipe and freeze the half, as it freezes so well. You can make it a complete meal with plain rice a side and a dollop of plain yoghurt.

Please remember; Turkish cooking is all about using fresh produce and flavoring the dishes with artful use of spices. It is wonderfully amazing to see that you can have healthy food without compromising the taste, thanks to the spices. Make your casserole as fiery as you would like with more red pepper flakes! Afiyet Olsun!

Serves 4 – 6

Preparation time: 35 minutes Cooking time: 40-45 minutes

450 gr/1 lb chicken breasts(cut in chunks) and thighs
2 onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
450 gr/1 lb potatoes, cut in half and sliced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 medium carrot, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon red pepper paste (or tomato paste)
45 ml/3 tablespoons olive oil
400 gr/14 oz can chopped tomato
240 ml/8 oz/1 cup water
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon (or more!) red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 180 C/350F/Gas mark 4

In your casserole dish marinate the vegetables with olive oil, chopped tomatoes, red pepper paste (or tomato paste), salt, pepper, oregano and red pepper flakes. Make sure all the vegetables are well coated with the olive oil, paste and spices using your hands.

Add the meat and blend well with the marinated vegetables. You can add a little more pinch of salt if you like. Cover and let the flavors blend for about 15 minutes in the fridge.

Add the water to the marination, mix well. Bake in the oven uncovered. Half way through baking (after about 20 minutes), take the casserole out of the oven and give a gentle mix; this will give a chance for the vegetables and the meat to golden brown evenly. Put the casserole back in the oven and cook for further 20 minutes or until nicely golden brown on top.

Serve warm with plain rice and a dollop of natural plain yoghurt by the side.

Tips: You can marinate the meat with the vegetables in the morning or even a day in advance; cover and leave it in the fridge for the flavors to blend even more.

Baked courgette with chickpeas and minced/ground meat -Etli Nohutlu Kabak

By Ozlem Warren on April 23, 2010 in Casseroles and Stews 2

This is a lovely, comforting meal that my mother used to cook for us almost weekly in Istanbul. It is very easy to make, delicious and healthy. I like to serve it with plain rice with a dollop of plain yoghurt by the side. I usually make it ahead of time during the day and give a gentle reheat before we eat – knowing the dinner is ready in between the school run is a good feeling! This dish also freezes well.

You can add any seasonal vegetables to this dish, squash, celeriac, sweet potatoes, peas work well too. I add a can of cooked chickpeas here, which makes it more substantial and adds another layer of flavour and texture. Omit meat for the vegetarian option; you can use chopped mushroom here as a meat substitute.

I am passionate about healthy, delicious Turkish cuisine; signed copies of my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table is now 25 % off at this link and delivered worldwide, including the US, if you’re interested.

Serves 4 -6

450 gr/ 1 lb Courgette/Zucchini, sliced (if large, please cut length ways and slice)
250 gr / 9 oz ground lamb or beef
110 gr / 4 oz potatoes cut into bite size chunks

110 gr/ 4 oz carrots, cut into small chunks
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
15 ml/ 1 tablespoon tomato puree
400 gr/ 14oz chopped tomatoes in tomato juice (1 can/tin)

400 gr/14oz can of cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 tablespoons olive oil
8 fl oz / 1 cup water
Salt and ground pepper to taste
10ml/2 teaspoons Turkish pul biber / red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 200C/400F

Spread the sliced courgette, carrots and potatoes on a baking tray. Drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil, season with salt and pepper and combine well. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 – 25 minutes. Then take the tray out and bring the oven temperature to 180C/350F.

Heat the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil in a heavy pan. Stir in the onions and sauté until transparent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in the ground/minced meat and saute for further 3 minutes. Add the tomato puree, the chopped tomatoes in can and the water, mixing well. Cover and cook in medium heat for about 10 minutes. Stir in the cooked chickpeas and the red pepper flakes, pul biber giving a gentle stir. Season with salt and pepper and cook further 5 minutes over medium heat.

Place the par baked courgettes, carrots and potatoes on a baking dish. Stir in the meat sauce and gently combine well. Bake for further 25 – 30 minutes.

Serve warm with plain rice and a dollop of plain yoghurt by the side.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Turkish Cassoulet – Sausage and White Bean Stew – Sucuklu Kuru Fasulye

By Ozlem Warren on April 13, 2010 in Casseroles and Stews, Uncategorised 14

This delicious traditional stew is very popular at Turkish homes, and as well as in our traditional restaurants, lokantas. It is lovely when cooked with Pastirma, Turkish Pastrami, dried cured beef with a special spicy coating too. This is the Turkish version of the French Cassoulet, the sausage, meat and white beans stew, though much lighter and easier to prepare. You can replace the sausage here with any other sausage (chorizo works well) or meat of your choice. For a vegetarian option, simply omit the meat.
You can cook this stew ahead of time, even a day in advance. It freezes very well too.

Serves 4 – 6

Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 55 minutes (+ 20 minutes for partial
cooking for the dried beans)

2 cup / 340 gr Cannellini dried white beans or
Pre-cooked Cannellini beans in can, drained
1 medium yellow onion, finely sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 oz / 225 gr Turkish sausage, sliced in quarters
14 oz/ 400 gr Can of chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
1/2 tablespoon red pepper paste (optional)
6 cups / 3 pints of water
1 teaspoon Kosher salt/ Maldon sea salt flakes
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Soak the dried beans in plenty of water overnight. Next day, drain the water and boil the dried beans in fresh water for about 20 minutes, covered. Drain the water and set the partially cooked white beans aside (If you are using precooked white beans, simply drain the juice and rinse the beans under cold water.)

Sauté the onion with the olive oil until soft. Add the sausages and sauté for another minute or so. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, (and the red pepper paste if using) and mix well. Then add the white beans and water, mixing gently so that the beans won’t break. Season with salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Cover and cook in medium heat for about 50 minutes, or until the beans are cooked (cooking time should be about 20 minutes if precooked beans in can are used).

Serve hot with plain rice by the side.