Merhaba dear All,
I hope you are all well. I had a very busy and exciting May and more exciting classes and projects are work in progress. I hope you enjoy reading what I have been up to and keep on cooking delicious, wholesome Turkish food.
Waitrose Magazine, May 2022 feature – Rose pastry with minced meat – Sosyete Mantisi
I was delighted to be featured at the Waitrose Food Magazine, May 2022 issue, with my Beef rose pastries with garlicky yoghurt, Sosyete Mantisi recipe. Over a two page spread, I talked about the very special place savoury pastries and boreks have in Turkish cuisine – some of my favorite things to enjoy with family and friends. If you have missed the magazine, you can read online here at page 58 and 59. I do hope you can give this delicious rose pastries a go – they look elegant and great for entertaining too.
Turkish cuisine week at the Turkish Embassy, London
We celebrated Turkish cuisine week at the Turkish Embassy in London on May 26th and it was an honor to present wholesome Turkish cuisine to our guests. The Turkish cuisine week, celebrated globally via Turkish Embassies around the world, aimed to showcase not only our hundreds years old rich culinary heritage, but also the healthy, wholesome Turkish cuisine with zero waste and sustainable practices. After my presentation, Turkish Embassy’s resident chef Ali Usta served delicious examples of Turkish cuisine to our guests – from mezes to vegetables cooked in olive oil, casseroles to borek and desserts, it was a Turkish feast.
One of the things I tried to highlight at my presentation was that nothing is wasted in Turkish cuisine. For example, let’s take the Circassian chicken – Cerkez Tavugu with walnut sauce recipe. We traditionally use whole chicken here, use the broth to make soup and pilaf and use up stale/left over bread to make the walnut sauce. I hope you can give this delicious recipe a go.
Circassian Chicken with walnut sauce, Cerkez Tavugu,
The Kew Gardens Cookbook
The month of May also witnessed the launch of the brilliant The Kew Gardens Cookbook. I am a big fan of the Kew Gardens and I was delighted to be able to contribute to this important book, with my Baked cauliflower, red onions and feta – Karnabahar Mucveri recipe. All proceeds from the sale of this wonderful book supports the important research Kew Gardens does for sustainability and beyond; you can get a copy at this link.
Turkish cookery classes in Fethiye – Turkey
It was lovely to be back to Fethiye – Turkey, to teach a series of hands on cookery classes in early May – thank you very much all joined our classes in Blossom Hill Uzumlu, GP Kalkan Cookery School and at Yakamoz Hotel Oludeniz. We cooked up a feast from Aubergine and meatball kebabs to Kunefe, Filo triangles with cheese and spinach, muska boregi and more. My sincere thanks to Pinar Foods UK and Fethiye Times for all their support at our events.
Turkish Summer Barbecue Online Class with Ozlem Warren
Milk Street Cooking School, Sunday July 17th – 1pm EST
Do hope you can join us at my online cookery class with Milk Street on July 17th – it will be a Turkish summer BBQ feast with Pistachio lamb kebabs and Smoked aubergine/eggplant salad – you can see details below – registration at this link – hope to see you at the class!
About this event
If there’s one dish that could be the culinary mascot of Turkey, it’s the kebab. Guest chef Özlem Warren, author of “Özlem’s Turkish Table,” knows that Turks love meat—but also knows they can’t say no to a great vegetable. We’ll start with a traditional kebab from the Gaziantep region of Turkey that combines ground lamb, pistachios, parsley and aromatics. You’ll get tips on how to prepare your kebabs for cooking on the grill or at the stovetop. You’ll learn the science behind mixing and the importance of chilling ground meat mixtures before cooking—both lessons that you can apply to many future kebabs, meatballs and more. To accompany the kebabs, we’ll make a platter of roasted vegetables and a batch of smoky eggplant salad. Traditionally, you would smoke your eggplant over an open fire, but Özlem will walk you through an indoor-friendly version of this technique. Blended with dried mint, tangy yogurt and a glug of good olive oil, this dish is as good as part of a vegetarian meze spread as it is served alongside a platter of kebabs. Join us to learn how to give your meat—and your vegetables—the Turkish treatment.
Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book at Milk Street Online Store
Readers in the US; I am delighted that the wonderful Milk Street Online store carries hardback copies of my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table. You can order a copy at this link.
