Gluten-free recipes

Rice pilaf with chestnuts, pine nuts and currants – Kestaneli Ic Pilav

By Ozlem Warren on December 10, 2021 in Gluten-free recipes, Pilafs and Rice, Vegan / Plant based 0

This sophisticated rice pilaf dates back to the Ottoman Palace kitchens and is packed to the brim with flavour. I love the different textures and flavours this rice showcases with currants, pine nuts as well as fresh herbs. It’s been enjoyed in Istanbul, as well as in Anatolia; my mother would make it at special occasions and for the New Year’s Eve; traditionally cubed lamb liver would be added too, as I have it at my cookery book Ozlem’s Turkish Table. You can serve this dish on its own with a slice of lemon and Turkish pickles, tursu or with the Shepherd’s salad of cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes, Coban Salata, from my cookery book Ozlem’s Turkish Table, on the side. This special herby rice also traditionally used stuffing for turkey and chicken, to celebrate New Year’s Eve at home. You can also pair with my Baked aubergine/eggplant and chicken kebab, Patlicanli Firin Tavuk, from Ozlem’s Turkish Table.

Signed copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book, and this festive apron is available, via GB Publishing, at this link. if you like to order for a festive gift.

If you live in the US, Canada and Mexico, there is now lower rates of shipping at this link.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Rice pilaf with chestnuts, pine nuts and currants – Kestaneli Ic Pilav

This sophisticated rice pilaf dates back to the Ottoman Palace kitchens and is packed to the brim with flavour. I love the different textures and flavours this rice showcases with currants, pine nuts as well as fresh herbs. It’s been enjoyed in Istanbul, as well as in Anatolia; my mother would make it at special occasions and for the New Year’s Eve; traditionally cubed lamb liver would be added too, as I have it at my cookery book Ozlem’s Turkish Table. You can serve this dish on its own with a slice of lemon and Turkish pickles, tursu or with the Shepherd’s salad of cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes, Coban Salata, from my cookery book Ozlem’s Turkish Table, on the side.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Rice

Cuisine: Turkish cuisine

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

170g/6oz cooked chestnuts, chopped into small bite size pieces
30ml/2 tablespoons olive oil
15ml/1 tablespoon butter
30ml/2 tablespoons currants
45ml/3 tablespoons pine nuts
1 medium onion, finely chopped
10ml/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (add a little more if you like cinnamon)
350g/12oz long grain rice, rinsed and drained
750ml/1¼ pints hot water
1 small bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 small bunch of dill, finely chopped
Salt and ground black pepper
Wedges of lemon to serve

Instructions

Soak the currants in warm water for about 15 minutes. Then drain and set aside.
Heat the butter and the olive oil in a heavy, medium size pan over a medium heat. Stir in the onion and cook for about 4-5 minutes, until softened.
Add the pine nuts and stir; as they begin to turn golden, stir in the currants, chopped cooked chestnuts, cinnamon and the rinsed rice, combine well for a minute. Season with salt and ground black pepper. Pour in the hot water and bring to the boil. Then lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer gently for 15 minutes or until all the liquid have been absorbed. Turn off the heat; cover the pan with a clean kitchen towel and place the lid back on tightly. Leave to steam for 10 minutes.
Just before serving, stir in the chopped parsley and dill and combine gently. Serve with wedges of lemon by the side, Turkish pickled vegetables, Tursu or a zingy Shepherds salad.
Afiyet Olsun.

Leek fritters with cheese and herbs; Pirasa Mucveri

By Ozlem Warren on January 21, 2021 in Gluten-free recipes, Vegetables Cooked in Olive Oil 0

We absolutely love Mucver in Turkish cuisine; vegetarian fritters with herbs and cheese. In the past I shared my Courgette/zucchini fritters, Kabak Mucveri as well as the Baked cauliflower with vegetables version, Firinda Karnabahar Mucveri recipes, as also in my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table. They are the perfect patties, great as a mezze; small bite size fritters are wonderful for entertaining too.

Make sure to chop the leeks finely and knead and soften with your hands, with salt.

This time, I experimented using leeks in the fritters. I added wholesome chickpea (gram) flour in the mixture, rather than plain flour this time. I have been enjoying the gram flour recently; it is a pulse flour made from ground chickpea, it is gluten-free, nutty, earthy tasting and packed with goodness. Great in these fritters too. Of course you can use plain flour here instead, if you wish. I also added grated carrots to these fritters, they gave a lovely natural sweetness and crunch.

These Leek fritters, Pirasa mucveri, turned out great. I also baked some in the oven as a variation (in a greased baking dish at 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 for about 35 minutes); they turned equally tasty and lighter in flavor. Enjoy them with a good squeeze of lemon and garlicy yoghurt by the side.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Leek fritters with cheese and herbs; Pirasa Mucveri and Pide Online Cookery Class!

I hope you enjoy these delicious Leek fritters, Pirasa mucveri. I added wholesome chickpea (gram) flour in the mixture, rather than plain flour. I have been enjoying the gram flour recently; it is a pulse flour made from ground chickpea, it is gluten-free, nutty, earthy tasting and packed with goodness. Great in these fritters too. Of course you can use plain flour here instead, if you wish. I also added grated carrots to these fritters, they added a lovely natural sweetness and crunch. Enjoy them with a good squeeze of lemon and garlicy yoghurt by the side.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Vegetarian

Cuisine: Turkish cuisine

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

200g/7oz (2 medium) carrots, grated
430g/15oz (3-4 medium leeks), trimmed, quartered and chopped finely
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small bunch dill, finely chopped Handful of flat parsley, finely chopped
3 eggs, beaten
150g/5oz Turkish white cheese, beyaz peynir or feta cheese
75ml/5 tablespoons chickpea (gram) flour Or all-purpose/plain flour
5ml/1 teaspoon Turkish pul biber or chili flakes (optional)
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Canola oil, groundnut oil or sunflower oil for shallow frying
Wedges of lemon to serve

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180 C/ 350 F (if you wish to bake the fritters)
Place the finely chopped leeks in a large bowl. Sprinkle a good pinch of salt (1-2 tsp) over the leeks, and rub and mix with your hands. Please do this stage with your hands, rather than with a spoon, as mixing with your hands will soften the leeks.
Grate the carrots. Take a couple of sheets of sturdy paper towel, place the grated carrots in it and gently squeeze out the excess moisture.
Combine the grated carrots with the leeks in a large bowl. Transfer the gram flour (or plain flour, if you wish) to the large bowl and stir in the beaten eggs. Crumble the Turkish white cheese, beyaz peynir or feta cheese and combine in the large bowl. Add the chopped garlic, dill and parsley, season with salt and ground black pepper. Sprinkle the pul biber or red pepper flakes, if you enjoy a little heat. Combine well into a batter (take care not to add extra salt if your cheese is already salty).
In a frying pan, heat enough groundnut, sunflower or canola oil to shallow fry. Using a tablespoon, drop the batter mix into the hot oil spoonful by spoonful, leaving space between each one. Fry over a medium heat for about 2-3 minutes each side until both sides are golden brown. Remove with a straining spoon and drain on an absorbent kitchen paper towel.
Alternatively, if you would like a lighter flavor, you can bake your mucver in a preheated oven at 180C / 350F. If you choose this way, grease a baking dish with 1 tablespoon light olive oil or groundnut oil. Place spoonfuls of the batter on the baking tray, leaving about 1”/2.5cm space between each spoonful batter. Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes, until they are gold and getting crispy around the edges.
For garlic yoghurt, crush a garlic clove with salt and finely chop. Combine the plain yoghurt and garlic and beat until smooth. Add salt to taste.
Serve the fritters warm, at room temperature or cold with wedges of lemon and garlic yoghurt at the side.
Afiyet Olsun.

Let’s Make Pide! Online (Zoom) Turkish Cookery Class – SOLD OUT

Saturday, February 27th, 2021

Vegetarian Pide, from Ozlem’s Turkish Table – join us to learn how to make it; image by Sian Irvine Photography

Date: Saturday, February 27th 2021

Time: 6pm-7.30pm (GMT)

Cost: 30 GBP (40 USD) per person

Please join us at my online (zoom) cookery class, where I will be demonstrating how to make the popular Pide; our Oval flatbreads with various toppings, on Saturday, February 27th, 6pm-7.30pm (GMT). I will demonstrate Pide with minced (ground) meat with vegetables topping, Kiymali Pide, as well as Vegetarian Pide with cheese, spinach, peppers. We will also do a variation, Karadeniz style, with a cracked egg on top. I will also demonstrate how to make our delicious Ezme dip with tomatoes, peppers, onions and herbs, to go with the Pide.

You will get plenty of ahead of time preparation tips, ideas for substitution and with stories from my homeland. Recording of the class will also be sent to the participants for limited viewing. The class would also make a wonderful gift for a foodie.

A recent review on Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book:

(thank you very much, Hannah, for your kind words):

“Thank you Ozlem, such a wonderful book. I have made many of the recipes already and my family loved them all. My daughter is so happy as they are just like Babannes.”

It is the best compliment hearing folks enjoy my recipes from my homeland, and they bring happy memories, my sincere thanks to everyone left a review on Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book. Signed copies are 25 % Off via GBPublishing at this link and delivered worldwide, including the US.

Baked beetroots, celeriac, carrots and green lentils with pomegranate molasses

By Ozlem Warren on December 28, 2020 in Gluten-free recipes, Ozlem’s Turkish Table Cookery Book, Turkish Cooking Classes, Vegan / Plant based, Vegetables Cooked in Olive Oil 0

We love beetroots – pancar -, celeriac – kereviz – and carrots – havuc – in Turkish cuisine. Root vegetables, and vegetables in general feature a lot in healthy, delicious Turkish cooking, based on seasonal produce. With my roots going back to southern Turkey, Antakya, our natural condiment pomegranate molasses, nar eksisi, is used widely in our meals too. From Kisir, Spicy bulgur wheat salad with pomegranate molasses to Stuffed courgette/zucchini with chickpeas , ground meat in pomegranate sauce and more, this delicious, tangy sauce is much loved in our kitchen, very healthy too. You can make your own pomegranate molasses with my recipe here, if you’d like.

I recently baked beetroots, celeriac and carrots with red onions, and then mixed with cooked green lentils, served with a simple sauce of pomegranate molasses, olive oil and lemon juice. It turned out to be a light, healthy vegetarian course, packed with flavor. It works great with grills, pasta or as a delicious vegetarian meal on its own. Leftovers can be kept in fridge 2-3 days too. Here is also another Baked beetroot with pomegranate molasses and walnuts recipe, if you like to try out this one too.

I hope you enjoy making this delicious plant based dish, celebrating seasonal root vegetables and wholesome green lentils.

Baked beetroots, celeriac, carrots and green lentils with pomegranate molasses

We love beetroots – pancar -, celeriac – kereviz - and carrots – havuc – in Turkish cuisine. Root vegetables, and vegetables in general feature a lot in healthy, delicious Turkish cooking, based on seasonal produce. I recently baked beetroots, celeriac and carrots with red onions, and then mixed with cooked green lentils, served with a simple sauce of pomegranate molasses, olive oil and lemon juice. It turned out to be a light, healthy vegetarian course, packed with flavor. It works great with grills, pasta or as a delicious vegetarian meal on its own. Leftovers can be kept in fridge 2-3 days too.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Plant based / Vegan

Cuisine: Turkish cuisine

Serves: 6

Ingredients

690g/1lb 8oz -6 medium raw beetroots, peeled, cut into small chunks
630g/1lb 6oz -1 medium celeriac, peeled and cut into small chunks
600g/1lb 5oz baby carrots, washed, topped and halved lengthways (or large carrots, cut in small chunks)
1 large red onion, peeled, cut into small wedges
140g/5oz green lentils, rinsed
60ml/4tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the pomegranate molasses sauce:
30ml/2tbsp pomegranate molasses
15ml/1tbsp water
60ml/6tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ juice of lemon
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Handful of flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped – to serve

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6
Put the prepared vegetables on a large baking tray. Drizzle with 4 tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt and ground black pepper.
Cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes.
While the vegetables are baking, cook the green lentils. Place the rinsed green lentils on a medium pan. Pour in hot water and boil for 25 minutes over medium heat. Stir once in a while so the lentils won’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Once cooked, drain and rinse over cold water over colander/sieve. Set the cooked green lentils aside in a bowl.
After 35 minutes of roasting, check the vegetables and gently mix. Remove the foil and roast for a further 15 minutes, until tender and starting to colour at the edges.
Once baked, combine the cooked green lentils with the baked vegetables.
For the pomegranate molasses sauce; mix the pomegranate molasses, nar eksisi, with water, lemon juice and the extra virgin olive oil in a small bowl. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Pour the sauce over the baked vegetables and green lentils and combine gently.
Place the baked vegetables and lentils on a serving plate. Scatter over the chopped parsley and serve immediately.
Afiyet Olsun.

New Online Cookery Classes

Ozlem’s Turkish Table ~ Peri’s Spice Ladle – Healthy Lentils and Beans Virtual Cooking Class ; Friday January 8th 2021

Please join us to kick start the New Year at virtual cooking session on Friday, January 8th across time zones (9a Pacific Time, that’s 5p UK time) as we will be teaching healthy, plant-forward, family-friendly lentil and beans dishes from the Turkish and Indian cuisines. Prominent food writer and amazing cookery instructor Perinaz Avari is passionate about her native Parsi and Indian food, as I am about wholesome Turkish Cuisine. We would be delighted to have you with us at this delicous, wholesome, comforting class.

Please kindly see the class details and register at this link to join the class, we look forward to cooking together and taking you to a culinary journey to our homelands.

Please visit my Cookery Classes page for more upcoming Turkish cookery classes.

Signed copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book and Apron

My sincere thanks to you all for your amazing response and support for Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book this year. This special book has been my way of celebrating my southern Turkish roots, passing down my mother and grandmother’s delicious, wholesome recipes as well as popular, authentic Turkish recipes to food lovers. It sold over 7,000 copies worldwide, won Gourmands Best in the World Award in Food Heritage category. I am delighted to share that its 4th print run now on its way. My very sincere thanks to GB Publishing and Pinar Foods UK and to you dear readers, for your amazing support. It’s been very special to share my homeland’s delicious, healthy recipes with you all and I can’t wait to keep on sharing even more.

Signed copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book are available at this link here, it is delivered worldwide including the US. We are also delighted to offer you this special Ozlem’s Turki sh Table apron. It is special to my heart, as it is made in Turkey, with my hometown Antakya’s celebrated daphne leaves in the hand embroidered design – this lovely apron could also make a wonderful gift for; you can get yours at this link. Delivered worldwide including the US.