Regional Signature Dishes; Mains, Sides and Desserts

Homemade Cezerye; Caramalised Carrot Paste Delight with Nuts

Cezerye; Caramalised carrot paste with nuts

Have you ever tried the delicious Cezerye dessert? A specialty from Mersin region at southern Turkey, Cezerye is a delicious confectionery made of carrots, nuts and sugar, coated with desiccated coconut flakes. They are utterly delicious, healthy and also known to be an aphrodisiac.

Spread the cooked carrot & nut paste evenly and tightly, making sure they stay intact.

With my roots going back to southern Turkey, Antakya, I grew up sampling the very best Cezerye from the nearby Mersin region. Such a delicious and healthy snack, it was always available whenever we wanted some for a treat, therefore I haven’t really thought of making them when I was home. But living abroad and not having an access to these scrumptious treats make you brave enough to have a go at them, like making homemade Turkish Delights. I am delighted to report you that compared to making Turkish Delights, Cezerye is so much easier to make, lighter and equally delicious. They are traditionally made with hazelnuts; I used walnuts for my Cezerye recipe and they were delicious. My children absolutely loved them!

I am passionate about healthy, delicious Turkish cuisine, and wholesome desserts like this Cezerye; over 90 authentic Turkish recipes are included at my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland. Signed copies are available at this link, if interested, and delivered worldwide.

Cezerye; delicious carrot paste with walnuts from Mersin, Turkey.

Carrots have never been sweeter; hope you can have a go and treat yourself, family and friends with these delicious carrot delights. Cezerye keeps well in an air tight container for a week.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

4.9 from 8 reviews

Homemade Cezerye; Caramalised Carrot Paste Delight with Nuts

A delicious and healthy caramalised carrot paste & walnuts dessert from Mersin, Turkey. I hope you can have a go and treat yourself, family and friends with these delicious carrot delights. Cezerye keeps well in an air tight container for a week.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Turkish desserts

Cuisine: Turkish Cuisine

Serves: 6

Ingredients

3 medium to large carrots (app. 400 gr), cleaned and grated
200 gr / 7 oz. / 1 cup white sugar (or 1¼ cup brown sugar)
50 gr / 2 oz. walnuts, chopped into small pieces
8 fl. oz./1 cup water
50 gr/ 2 oz./1/3 cup desiccated coconut flakes to decorate
Bowl of water to shape cezerye squares or balls

Instructions

Place the grated carrots, ½ cup water and sugar in a wide, heavy pan.
Cook over medium heat, uncovered, stirring often. Cook this way for about 30 minutes or until all the liquid evaporated.
Stir in the rest of the ½ cup water and cook again on medium heat, stirring continuously (carrots also release their own juice, therefore I prefer to add the liquid a step at a time so that the carrots won’t become mushy).
Cook the carrots until all the juice evaporated and they are softened, this should take another 30 minutes. Using your stirring spoon, mash the cooked carrots to turn into a thick, chunky paste. At this point, they should also thicken, start to caramalise and get sticky (you can take a little bit between your fingers to test whether it sticks or not). Turn the heat off.
Stir in the chopped walnuts to the carrot paste and mix well. Again using your stirring spoon, blend them all well and turn into a thick paste.
Cover a small rectangular dish or tray with parchment paper. Spread the carrot paste evenly and tightly, making sure they stay intact, with a height of 1,5 cm (0.6”).
Cover with a cling film and rest the mixture to settle for 2 hours in fridge.
After 2 hours, start shaping the carrot paste. Have a bowl of water near you. Wet your hands, take a dessert spoonful and shape into small round balls. Or wet your knife and cut into small squares.
Spread the desiccated coconut flakes on a dry surface and coat the carrot balls and squares with the flakes to coat all over.
Cezerye is ready to serve. Cezerye keeps well in an air tight container for a week.

Poached anchovies or Anchovy Stew with vegetables; Hamsi Buğulama

By Ozlem Warren on April 7, 2014 in Appetizers and Mezes, Regional Signature Dishes; Mains, Sides and Desserts, Seafood 11

Poached anchovies or anchovy stew with vegetables; Hamsi Bugulama

I was delighted to get some fresh anchovy fillets, hamsi, as we call in Turkish at my local market a few weeks ago. This small, oily fish, caught from October in Turkey, is much loved and a big part of the Turkish cuisine, especially at the Black Sea coast. There are many recipes celebrating anchovy at Turkey’s Black Sea region, from fried anchovies, hamsi tava, to anchovies poached in vine leaves, from anchovy bread to hamsi pilavi, delicious rice with pine nuts and currants, encased in anchovy fillets. Anchovy, hamsi lovers apparently even make anchovy jam at the Black Sea region!

Fragrant anchovy rice with pine nuts and currants, Hamsi Pilavi

I simply love poaching this delicious, strongly flavored anchovy fillets with layers of vegetables in a little water and olive oil. This method of cooking is called “bugulama” (steamed) in Turkish cuisine; not only healthy but also delicately brings out the flavors of each component here. Tomatoes, potatoes, onions add a lovely flavor in their own juice and balance strong taste of anchovies. Slices of lemon and parsley also add a delicious, refreshing taste; all in one pot, healthy dish, packed with flavor. Any small fish or fillets of white fish, as well as sardines would also work well in this dish. You may be able to get your anchovies gutted and cleaned by your fishmonger or buy as fillets.

Poached anchovies with vegetables. Hamsi Bugulama

You can enjoy this poached anchovies with vegetables or anchovy stew as a mezze to share, or a main course.

Afiyet olsun,

Ozlem

5.0 from 1 reviews

Poached anchovies or Anchovy Stew with vegetables; Hamsi Buğulama

Poached anchovies with vegetables, Hamsi Bugulama, is a specialty from the Black Sea region of Turkey. Tomatoes, potatoes, onions add a lovely flavor in their own juice and balance the strong taste of anchovies. Slices of lemon and parsley also add a delicious,refreshing taste; all in one pot, healthy dish, packed with flavor.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: A seafood specialty with anchovies, from Turkey's Black Sea Region

Cuisine: Turkish Cuisine

Serves: 4

Ingredients

450gr/1 lb. anchovies (or sardines or a fish of your choice), scaled, gutted, head & tail removed
2 medium potatoes, cut in half and thinly sliced
2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
3 spring (green) onions, finely chopped
1 lemon, thinly sliced
Handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
45 ml/ 3 tbsp. olive oil
4 fl. oz. / ½ cup water
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Turkish red pepper flakes or chili flakes to taste (optional)

Instructions

Combine the onions, spring onions, parsley and 2 tbsp. olive oil in a large bowl. Season with salt, ground black pepper and red pepper flakes (if using). Knead well with your hands to infuse the spices to the onion; this will also soften them and release their juice.
Parboil (partially cook) the potatoes in a pan of boiling water for 5 – 7 minutes then drain the water.
Stir in the parboiled potatoes to the onion mixture and combine well.
Layer the onions and potatoes on a wide, heavy pan.
Lay the anchovy fillets (or the fish of your choice) evenly on top of onions and potatoes.
Next layer the slices of tomatoes and lemon over the fish. Season with salt and ground black pepper to your taste.
Drizzle 1 tbsp. olive oil over and pour in the water to the pan.
Cover and start cooking over medium heat until it starts to bubble. Then lower the heat and cook for 15 -20 minutes (depending on the size of the fish), or until fish and vegetables are cooked.
Serve hot with some crusty bread aside if you like.

Stuffed Dried Eggplant and Pepper Dolma; Kuru Patlican Dolmasi

By Ozlem Warren on March 31, 2014 in Appetizers and Mezes, Regional Signature Dishes; Mains, Sides and Desserts 36

Dried eggplants and peppers, stuffed with ground meat and aromatic rice; kuru patlican dolmasi

Have you ever had stuffed dried eggplants or peppers, kuru patlican ve biber dolmasi, in Turkey? Or ever wondered what to do with those dried eggplants beautifully displayed hanging at food stores? You are in real treat if you can get hold of them, as not only they are wonderful as a decoration (and a talking point, as I use them at my Turkish cookery classes), these dried vegetables (actually fruits, as they have seeds in them) are also scrumptious when stuffed. You are most likely served kuru patlican dolmasi, stuffed dried eggplants as a mezze at kebab houses in Turkey. You may also enjoy them at esnaf lokantalari, traditional, local Turkish restaurants, or specialty eateries like Ciya restaurant in Kadikoy, Istanbul, where they serve some of the best examples of Turkish regional cuisine.

Dried eggplants and peppers at Turkish food stores in Istanbul.

Turkish cuisine is based on seasonal, fresh produce and we as a country, are blessed with a wide variety of fruit and vegetables in every season. When eggplants and peppers (as well as baby okra and many others) are in abundance, some of the harvest is dried out to be used out of season. For instance, the fleshes of the eggplants (aubergines) are scooped out and the shells are tied together with a piece of string. These strings of eggplant shells are than dried out in the sun, accumulating a rich, concentrated flavor of the eggplants. You can buy these strings of dried eggplants and peppers at Turkish & Middle Eastern stores abroad.

Blanched, rehydrated dried eggplants and peppers

In order stuff the dried eggplants and peppers, you need to blanch them for 3 minutes in boiling water to rehydrate, until they start to soften up but still retain their bite. You then need to give them a “cold bath” in a pan of cold water, so that they retain their vibrant color and texture.

Kuru Patlican ve biber dolmasi; stuffed dried pepper and eggplants

As for the filling, I love the addition of fragrant dried mint, tangy pomegranate molasses and the rich pepper paste, biber salcasi (if you don’t have red pepper paste, you can add a delicious heat with red pepper flakes) to the stuffing mixture, as we do in southern Turkish cooking. They complement the dried eggplants and peppers beautifully, and the aromas take me right back to my hometown, Antakya. Bulgur can also be used instead of rice, as in Gaziantep cuisine and it is delicious. You can also omit the meat for a vegetarian course, and can add more onions and herbs to the filling.

I hope you can get some of these dried peppers and eggplants and enjoy these delicious dolmas. They make a great food for entertaining, a real crowd pleaser – dolmas do disappear very quickly, so I advise making a few extra! This recipe and many other delicious Turkish recipes included at my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland, signed copies available to order at this link.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

4.7 from 3 reviews

Dried eggplant and pepper dolma with ground meat and spiced rice

I hope you enjoy these dried eggplants and peppers, stuffed with ground meat, aromatic rice, pomegranate molasses and spices, a Southern Turkish specialty. Afiyet Olsun!

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Regional Turkish Cuisine

Serves: 6

Ingredients

12 dried eggplant shells & 15 dried small bell pepper shells, string removed
1 large onion, grated or finely chopped
200gr/7 oz. / 1 cup long grain rice, rinsed
400gr/14 oz. ground (minced) beef – or ground meat of your choice -
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
15ml/1 tbsp. Turkish red pepper paste (biber salcasi) – optional
15ml/ 1 tbsp. tomato paste
30 ml/ 2 tbsp. pomegranate molasses (or a good balsamic vinegar, for substitute)
15ml/1 tbsp. olive oil (for the filling)
5ml/1 tsp. ground cumin
10ml/2 tsp. dried mint
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped, as a cap (optional)
30 ml/ 2 tbsp. olive oil (for cooking)
500ml/ 16 fl oz. / 2 cups (or a little less) water for cooking
Garlicky plain yoghurt to serve
Turkish red pepper flakes to serve

Instructions

Cut the strings of the dried eggplants and peppers and place on a large pan of boiling water. Blanch them for 3 minutes to rehydrate. Afterwards, gently place them on another pan with cold water for 2 minutes, to give them a “cold bath”; this will help them to retain their color and texture and not to break apart. Then gently place the hydrated dried peppers and eggplants in a sieve/colander, ready to be stuffed.
Place the onions, garlic, pepper paste (if using), tomato paste, parsley, 1 tbsp. olive oil and spices in a large bowl. Season with salt and black ground pepper to your taste. Knead this mixture with your hands for a minute, making sure all blended well (this stage also helps to soften the onions). Stir in the ground meat, rice and pomegranate molasses to the bowl and mix well. Filling is ready.
Get a wide, heavy pan for cooking and pour in the 2 tbsp. olive oil (it would be ideal to place the stuffed peppers/eggplants side by side in one layer). Spoon the filling mixture carefully into each pepper and eggplant, pressing gently for the filling to settle in. Make sure to leave about 1cm (0.4”) space at top for the rice to cook and expand. You can seal the tops with a piece of tomato as a cap or you may press the edges together for a gentle close. Place them up right, side by side, packed tightly.
Pour in about 2 cups of water (or a little less) over and around the stuffed peppers and eggplants. The water should cover half length of the stuffed vegetables. Bring the liquid to the boil then reduce heat, cover and cook gently for 30 – 35 minutes or until the filling is cooked.
Serve hot with Turkish red pepper flakes sprinkled over them, if you like. Thick plain yoghurt with a little crushed garlic goes very well with these stuffed eggplants and peppers. Cacik dip of cucumber, yoghurt and mint would complement these dolmas very nicely too.

Notes

You can use bulgur instead of rice. For a gluten-free option, you can use whole grain basmati rice.
You can omit ground meat for a vegetarian option. I suggest including more onions and herbs instead with extra olive oil for the vegetarian option.