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Turkish cuisine provides healthy, hearty, delicious food for family and friends.
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Ozlem’s Turkish Table Cookery Book

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. 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:
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
  1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6
  2. Put the prepared vegetables on a large baking tray. Drizzle with 4 tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt and ground black pepper.
  3. Cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Once baked, combine the cooked green lentils with the baked vegetables.
  7. 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.
  8. Pour the sauce over the baked vegetables and green lentils and combine gently.
  9. Place the baked vegetables and lentils on a serving plate. Scatter over the chopped parsley and serve immediately.
  10. 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 Turkish 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.

Turkish Breakfast spread from Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book; photo credit: Sian Irvine Food Photography

My very best wishes to you all for the New Year, in good health, happiness and delicious food.

Mutlu Yillar, Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

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Semolina sponge cake with syrupy orange slices; Portakalli Revani and New Online Turkish Cooking Class!

We Turks love Revani, our deliciously moist semolina sponge cake in light syrup – a popular recipe from my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table and at my cookery classes too. Recently, I came across a lovely Olive oil clementine upside down cake by Martha cooks @marthacollison, where she added clementine slices to her cake. This inspired me to have a go for my version, using semolina and orange slices.

There are many versions of Revani and traditionally when made with orange, often the zest of orange and in some cases, orange juice is used in the recipe in Turkey. With my version here, I used thinly sliced oranges cooked in syrup, as well as the fresh orange juice in the cake batter. Grainy semolina and ground almond gave a light, moist texture to the cake and the syrupy orange slices over the top of the cake made it impressive enough to serve your guests, with a citrusy, refreshing taste.  I used a mixture of demerara and regular white sugar in the syrup. I like demerara’s crunchy taste and texture, and the darker colour demerara gives; you can use regular white sugar instead for the whole amount. Please to use freshly squeezed orange juice in the syrup, as it does make a difference.

This lovely, light and so easy to make Semolina cake with zesty orange slices, Portakalli Revani, can be a wonderful addition to your festive table, or to make any day special. Serve with Turkish thick (or regular) clotted cream, kaymak, crème fraiche or strained plain yoghurt,  warm or at room temperature. This cake will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container.


5.0 from 2 reviews
Semolina sponge cake with syrupy orange slices – Portakalli Revani
 
This lovely, light and so easy to make semolina cake with zesty orange slices, Portakalli Revani, can be a wonderful addition to your festive table, or to make any day special. Serve with Turkish thick (or regular) clotted cream, kaymak, crème fraiche or strained plain yoghurt, warm or at room temperature. This cake will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
Author:
Recipe type: Desserts and cakes
Cuisine: Turkish cuisine
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 150g /5 ¼oz coarse semolina
  • 30g / 1oz ground almond
  • 170g / 6oz sugar
  • 5ml / 1tsp baking powder
  • 3 medium free range eggs, beaten
  • 225g / 8oz plain whole milk yoghurt
  • 60ml / 4tbsp light olive oil
  • For the syrup:
  • 1 medium orange, thinly sliced into round discs (skin on)
  • 100g/ 3 ½ oz demerara sugar
  • 150g/ 5 ¼ oz white sugar
  • 85ml/ 3fl oz freshly squeezed orange juice (from 1 large orange)
  • 285ml / 10fl oz water
  • Ground pistachio nuts or desiccated coconut to serve (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 180C / 350F
  2. Grease a 20cm round cake thin with a little olive oil and line with baking parchment.
  3. Make the syrup first. Squeeze the juice of one large orange and pour it through a sieve to get rid of the pulp. Combine the demerara sugar, regular sugar, orange juice and water in a medium to large pan. Stir and heat gently until the sugar is dissolved. Then add the orange slices and simmer gently for 30 minutes, until the orange slices softened.
  4. Use a slotted spoon to gently remove the slices and arrange them side by side in the prepared cake tin. Reserve the syrup and cool aside. You can prepare the syrup with the orange slices this way a day ahead of time.
  5. Beat the eggs and combine with the sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat and combine well for a few minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Then add the olive oil, yoghurt, semolina, ground almond and the baking powder and beat well. Combine well until you have a smooth batter. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake in the pre-heated oven for about 30-35 minutes, until the cake is golden brown. To check; insert a toothpick into the centre of the cake, if it comes out clean, that means the cake is cooked. If not, bake for another 3-5 minutes.
  6. Using a large spoon, drizzle the cooled syrup all over the hot semolina cake. Let the cake absorb the syrup and cool down for 10 minutes in the tin. Then carefully turn the cake out on a large flat circle serving plate. Gently remove the baking parchment to reveal the glossy top with glazed orange slices.
  7. Slice and enjoy warm or cold (I love mine warm), sprinkled with ground pistachios or desiccated coconut over if you like.Turkish thick (or regular) clotted cream, kaymak, crème fraiche or plain strained yoghurt goes well by the side. This cake keeps well for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
  8. Afiyet Olsun.

Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book and Apron as Foodie Gifts!

It’s the gift giving season; Signed copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book could make a lovely gift to a foodie, you can order a signed copy here, it is delivered worldwide including the US.

We are also delighted to offer you this special Ozlem’s Turkish Table apron, just in time for the holiday gift giving season. 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.

Ozlem’s Turkish Table online cookery class

 – Healthy Turkish food made easy –

Date : Saturday January 16th 2021

Time: 5.30pm – 7pm (GMT)

Cost: 30 GBP per person

Stuffed aubergines/eggplants – Karniyarik; a delicious main from Ozlem’s Turkish Table

Please join our small size online cookery class, where together we will make the Turkish classic, Stuffed aubegine/eggplant with minced/ground meat and vegetables, Karniyarik, as well as its vegan version with a filling of green lentils, tomatoes, onions in it, Mercimekli Karniyarik. We will also make the Cucumber and yoghurt, Cacik dip and finish off with Rice pilaf with pinenuts, currants and herbs, Ic Pilav. It will be a complete meal and you will get plenty of ahead of time preparation tips, ideas for substitution and with stories from my homeland.

 

My very best wishes to you all for the festive season and the New Year, in good health and happiness. Many thanks for joining me to enjoy and share my homeland’s delicious, wholesome Turkish cuisine.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

 

 

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Turkish Baked Rice Pudding – Firin Sutlac

Turkish Baked Rice Pudding – Firin Sutlac

Milk based desserts have a special place in Turkish cuisine, like this Turkish Baked Rice Pudding, or Firin Sutlac, as we call in Turkish. We enjoy this comforting dessert, not only at the end of meals, but also as a day time treat. There are Pastanes, Patisseries, and  Muhallebici, Pudding Shops in Turkey, that serve this milk based dessert as well as other sweet treats. I have fond memories of stopping by our local muhallebici, pudding shop, to have enjoy our Firin Sutlac, with a glass of cay aside, with family and friends in Turkey.

Here’s my recreation of our creamy, comforting Firin Sutlac; it is a big hit with my family and friends,  I hope you enjoy it too. It  is lighter than you think, there is no butter in it and also gluten-free. Please use whole milk for a deliciously creamy taste, if you can. Traditional Turkish rice puddings are made with regular white granulated sugar but I used demerara sugar, as it is our preferred sugar in our home– hence my rice pudding is more golden in colour and less sweet than the regular Firin Sutlac. Even though Firin Sutlac is enjoyed cold in Turkey, I must say we love it warm. We also like to add crushed nuts and dried freeze berries on top; you can sprinkle ground cinnamon when serving too. My children like to have fresh berries with their Baked rice pudding; very tempting to have it for breakfast this way too!

5.0 from 1 reviews
Turkish Baked Rice pudding, Firin Sutlac
 
Here’s my recreation of our creamy, comforting Turkish Rice Pudding, Firin Sutlac; it is a big hit with my family and friends, I hope you enjoy it too. It is lighter than you think, there is no butter in it and also gluten-free. Please use whole milk for a deliciously creamy taste, if you can. Traditional Turkish rice puddings are made with regular white granulated sugar but I used demerara sugar, as it is our preferred sugar in our home– hence my rice pudding is more golden in colour and less sweet than the regular Firin Sutlac. Even though Firin Sutlac is enjoyed cold in Turkey, I must say we love it warm. We also like to add crushed nuts and dried freeze berries on top; you can sprinkle ground cinnamon when serving too. My children like to have fresh berries with their Baked rice pudding; very tempting to have it for breakfast this way too!
Author:
Recipe type: Milk Pudding
Cuisine: Turkish cuisine
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 125g / 4⅜ oz short grain rice, rinsed
  • 450ml / 16fl oz whole milk (to cook the rice at the beginning)
  • 900ml / 32fl oz whole milk (to combine with the cooked rice and rest of ingredients)
  • 160g/ 5.6 oz demerara sugar (you can use regular white granulated sugar, if preferred)
  • 5ml / 1tsp vanilla extract
  • 45ml/ 3tbsp cornstarch
  • 80ml/ 3fl oz whole milk (to mix with the cornstarch)
  • Crushed pistachios, walnuts and/or dried berries to decorate (optional)
  • Ground cinnamon to decorate (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 200 C / 400 F
  2. Combine the rinsed short grain rice and 450ml / 16fl oz whole milk, in a medium to large heavy pot. Stir and bring to boil over medium to low heat. Once it starts bubbling, turn the heat to low, cover and cook about 20 minutes, until all the moisture is absorbed. Make sure to check and stir occasionally so the rice won’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
  3. Now add 900ml / 32fl oz whole milk to the cooked rice, stir and bring to a simmer, cooking over low to medium heat.
  4. Stir in the vanilla extract and sugar, combine well.
  5. Mix the cornstarch with 80ml/ 3fl oz whole milk in a small bowl, making sure the starch blends with the milk and form a smooth paste. Add this to the rice mixture.
  6. Combine and simmer over low to medium heat, with constant stirring, for about 25 minutes. You will notice the sauce has thickened. Turn the heat off.
  7. Pour the rice pudding into oven proof individual ramekin pots, taking care not to overfill until the top as the pudding tends to rise while baking. Place the pots on large baking dish or tray. Fill the baking tray half way with water, to provide moisture for the rice pudding.
  8. Bake in the preheated oven (200 C/ 400 F) for about 25 minutes or until the tops have a nice brown coating. Please check half way and towards the end to make sure the browning is good for your taste (and every oven is different, so it is good to keep an eye on it especially towards the end.
  9. Carefully take out the rice pudding, Firin Sutlac, from the tray. We enjoy ours warm, sprinkled with crushed pistachio, walnuts and dried freeze strawberries. You can also sprinkle cinnamon on top. If you prefer the traditional way, cool them at room temperature and refrigerate 2 -3 hours and serve cold.
  10. Afiyet Olsun.

New! Ozlem Turkish Table Apron on Sale and Special Offer

I am absolutely delighted to share with you that we designed this special Ozlem’s Turkish Table apron, lt 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 would make a wonderful gift for a foodie, you can get yours at this link. Delivered worldwide including the US.
Signed hard back copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book are also 20 % Off, via GB Publishing, as a little gift from us to you, can be ordered at this link and delivered worldwide. I hope it helps bring many memorable Turkish feasts to your table (please kindly note the Turkish rice pudding is not included at this book).

Ozlem’s Turkish Table Interview with TRT Radio 1 (Turkish National Radio 1)

It’s been an honor to be interviewed by the Turkish National Radio, TRT Radyo 1, at the Gunebakan Program today, talking about Turkish cuisine abroad. A special moment for me, talking in Turkish, at my homeland’s national radio channel. As we talked during the interview, our  recipes are  valuable means to share our thousands years of our culinary heritage with the world and pass on to the next generations. Also living abroad, I well know how precious our food is to connect us to our homeland, our memories and bring our stories to life. It is such a privilege to share my homeland Turkey’s amazing culinary heritage, traditions, recipes, hospitality, through these precious opportunities and my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland. My sincere thanks goes to GB Publishing and Pinar Foods UK for helping me spread the word on wholesome, delicious Turkish cuisine.
Here is the link to our interview with TRT Radio 1, I hope you enjoy it:

 I am absolutely delighted  to be teaching another  joint live cookery class with dear friend, author and passionate food blogger, Peri Avari  owner of the wonderful blog Peri’s Spice Ladle on Friday, November 20th, 9 am PT (5 pm UK) .We will be teaching festive dishes with Turkish favorites and global Indian specialties for your holiday servings, including the popular Filo Triangles with vegetarian fillings, Muska Boregi. Our menu includes:

    • Muska Boregi, vegetarian savory filo triangles, ideal appetizer for holiday meals.

    • Nar eksili, cevizli salata, watercress salad with sumac, onions, walnuts and pomegranate molasses, adds freshness to your celebration servings.

    • Aloo Gobi Casserole, a festive baked twist on a popular Indian favorite made with potatoes, cauliflower and a topping of Panko breadcrumbs.

    • Pine-nut Coconut Basmati Rice, bring in a touch of Indian ethnicity with a simple side of nutty rice.

    • During the class, we will give recipe tips, ideas for variations, ahead of time prepping and of course share stories from our homelands. Do hope you can join us at this special class to make the home cooking more festive. Here is the registation link for our online cookery class on November 20th; it is open worldwide.

    • Please also check my cookery class page for new classes and events coming up, including my Turkish Meze Feast Online Cooking Class on Dec 5th, with Milk Street Cooking School.
    • I wish you all a wonderful holiday season, in good health and happiness, Afiyet Olsun,

    • Ozlem

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