Salads

Watermelon and White Cheese (Feta) Salad; Karpuz, Peynir, Ekmek

By Ozlem Warren on July 26, 2015 in Appetizers and Mezes, Salads, Turkish Breakfast 12

Watermelon and Turkish white cheese (or feta) Salad; Karpuz, peynir, ekmek

Watermelon, or karpuz, as we call it in Turkish, is a much loved summer fruit and my daughter’s favorite. I remember as a child, cooling the watermelon at my grandmother’s little fountain in her courtyard in Antakya (and we children dipping in and out of the fountain to cool down, along with the watermelon). We would eagerly wait for our cool slice of watermelon, and that heavenly very first bite into the sweet, refreshing fruit – happy days.

This is a typical, refreshing and delicious salad we Turks love. A very simple one too, with only watermelon, Turkish beyaz peynir, white cheese (or feta cheese) and a few fresh mint leaves in it. Ripe, juicy and sweet watermelon doesn’t really require any other dressing in this salad and complement the mildly salty white cheese or feta cheese very well. We love this salad as part of our summer Turkish breakfast, for lunch or as a side to grills. With fresh Pide bread, ekmek by the side, this watermelon and feta salad is one of the highlights of summer for me.

Beautiful flowers in Bodrum, Turkey

I am passionate about healthy, delicious Turkish cuisine; over 90 authentic Turkish recipes are included at my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland. Signed copies now 30 % off for a limited time here and delivered worldwide including the US.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

5.0 from 1 reviews

Watermelon and White Cheese (Feta) Salad; Karpuz, Peynir, Ekmek

Watermelon, karpuz is a much loved summer fruit in Turkey and this watermelon and feta salad is one of the highlights of summer for me. Ripe, juicy and sweet watermelon doesn’t really require any other dressing in this salad and complement the mildly salty white cheese or feta cheese very well. We love this salad as part of our summer Turkish breakfast, for lunch or as a side to the grills.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Healthy Turkish Salads

Cuisine: Turkish Cuisine

Serves: 4

Ingredients

3 slices of medium, ripe and cool watermelon
200 gr / 7 oz. Turkish white cheese, beyaz peynir or feta cheese
Fresh mint leaves to decorate

Instructions

Keep the watermelon in the fridge for 2 hours to cool, prior to cutting.
Slice the watermelon and cut the skin. Take out the large seeds in the watermelon (smaller seeds don’t bother us and we leave, you can take them out if you prefer).
Cut the watermelon into about 1 in (2,5 cm) cubes or small wedges. Place the watermelon in a serving plate.
Drain the juice of the Turkish white cheese or feta cheese and cut into small cubes (again about 1 in/ 2,5 cm).
Gently toss the feta cheese and watermelon in the serving plate and garnish with fresh mint leaves.
Serve immediately with fresh Pide bread or pita bread slices by the side. This refreshing salad is delicious as part of Turkish style breakfast or lunch. You can also serve watermelon and feta salad with grilled fish, meat and vegetables.

Halloumi Salad with peppers and tomatoes – Hellim Peynirli Salata

By Ozlem Warren on September 8, 2014 in Appetizers and Mezes, Gluten-free recipes, Salads 13

Halloumi Cheese Salad with rocket, peppers, spring onions, tomatoes; a delicious treat.

I love the distinctive taste of the halloumi cheese or hellim peyniri as we call in Turkish, it is such a treat. Originated in Cyprus, halloumi is a semi hard cheese, made from the mixture of goat and sheep’s and sometimes cow milk. As it has a high melting point, it is wonderful when grilled or lightly sautéed; a real treat we enjoyed while we were at the Aegean coast of Turkey.

Halloumi is a popular cheese also in the Middle East, as well as in Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus. It is also good to see its increasing popularity in the UK and the US.

I like serving grilled or cooked halloumi with a plain, crunchy salad; it makes an easy, delicious starter or accompanies main courses well. Halloumi cheese has a distinctive, quite salty and rich taste and pairs well with sweet bell peppers, spring (green) onions and juicy tomatoes. Rocket, watercress, spinach all work well in this salad. A simple dressing of zesty lemon juice, oregano and olive oil is all you need as a dressing. You may also wish to sprinkle some red pepper flakes, Turkish pul biber over, if you fancy a spicy kick. Then close your eyes and imagine yourself at the Aegean or Mediterranean; it does the trick for me and tickles our taste buds every time.

Cook the halloumi 1 -2 minutes each side until nicely browned; serve immediately over the salad.

Tip: The trick with the halloumi cheese is that you need to serve it as soon as it is grilled or cooked; while the cheese is warm and crispy outside and soft and juicy inside. If you wait longer, it will start to get harder and you will start to lose the texture and flavors. Therefore, make sure to get your salad ready first before cooking the halloumi cheese and serve straight.

Gumusluk, over looking Tavsan Adasi, Bodrum – Turkey

I hope you enjoy this easy (and gluten-free) grilled halloumi salad, packed with flavor. And I hope it helps hanging on to that summer feeling, that sunny outlook, no matter the weather.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

5.0 from 1 reviews

Halloumi Salad with peppers and tomatoes – Hellim Peynirli Salata

I hope you enjoy this easy, delicious and gluten - free salad with cooked Halloumi Cheese. Halloumi cheese is packed with flavor and as it has a high melting point, it is wonderful when grilled or lightly sauteed. Enjoy it over this simple salad with juicy tomatoes and sweet peppers. The salad makes a great appetizer or accompanies main courses well.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Healthy and easy Mediterranean Salads with Halloumi Cheese

Cuisine: Turkish Cuisine

Serves: 2

Ingredients

110 gr/ 4 oz. halloumi cheese, drained and pat dried with paper towel
110 gr/ 4 oz. rocket, watercress or spinach leaves
½ red bell (or pointy) pepper, ½ yellow or green bell pepper, deseeded, quartered and thinly sliced
2 spring (green) onions, trimmed, washed and finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
15 ml/ 1 tbsp. olive oil (to cook the halloumi cheese)
For dressing:
30ml/ 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (you can use a little less if you prefer)
Juice of ½ lemon
10 ml/ 2 tsp. dried oregano
5 ml / 1 tsp. Turkish red pepper flakes, pul biber or chili flakes (optional)
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Crusty bread to serve

Instructions

Place the rocket, spinach leaves or watercress (or a combination) in a large bowl.
Mix in the sliced peppers, chopped spring (green) onions and tomatoes, combine well.
Add the extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, dried oregano, salt and ground black pepper to taste. Toss well to combine everything thoroughly. Set aside until the halloumi is ready.
Drain the juices of the halloumi cheese and pat dry gently with a paper towel. Cut the cheese into 6-8 small chunky slices.
Pour in 1 tbsp. olive oil in a heavy pan over high heat.
Once the pan is hot, add the halloumi slices and cook 1 -2 minutes each side until nicely browned.
Place the cooked halloumi over the salad and sprinkle with red pepper flakes or chili flakes if you like.
Serve immediately with crusty bread.

Notes

The trick with the halloumi cheese is that you need to serve it as soon as it is grilled or cooked; while the cheese is warm and crispy outside and soft and juicy inside. If you wait longer, it will start to get harder and you will start to lose the texture and flavors. Therefore, make sure to get your salad ready first before cooking the halloumi cheese and serve straight.

Baba ghanoush or Abagannuc; burnt eggplant salad with lemon, olive oil

By Ozlem Warren on July 14, 2014 in Appetizers and Mezes, Regional Signature Dishes; Mains, Sides and Desserts, Salads 34

Baba ghanoush; Abagannuc; burnt eggplant, tomatoes and peppers in garlic, olive oil and pomegranate molasses

Baba ghanoush or Abagannuc; burnt eggplant, tomatoes and peppers in garlic, olive oil and pomegranate molasses

This delicious salad or dip, Abagannuc or Baba ghanoush, is very popular in Antakya and Southern Turkish cuisine and one of our family favorites. It has many variations throughout the Middle East, where tahini maybe added or plain yoghurt and what to include or not include may invite heated debates! No matter how the finishing touch will be, the essence of this salad remains the same; the aubergines are traditionally cooked over open fire or over the burner to get the smoky flavor. The skin of aubergines and peppers burn and their flesh becomes soft, sweet and tender.

Kozmatik from home; a steel base with holes on it, a genius idea to cook/char grill the vegetables without much of a mess!

In Turkey, a very simple gadget called “Kozmatik” is used to cook the aubergines over the burner. It has a steel base with holes on it, a genius idea to cook the vegetables without much of a mess!

Leave the peeled eggplant fleshin the colander to drain its bitter juices.

You can cook the aubergines a day ahead of time; just add ½ juice of lemon after mashing and combine well, that will help to retain its color. Cover and keep in the fridge until you make the salad. I also added a drizzle of pomegranate molasses as a dressing in this version; the smoky flavor of aubergines and peppers worked really well with pomegranate molasses. When in season, pomegranate seeds would also be lovely over this salad.

Abagannuc or baba ghanoush goes very well as part of a mezze spread or with any grills. I also love this dip on crackers or toasted bread with a nice sharp cheese or feta cheese aside.

Abagannuc or baba ghannoush, a delicious smoky eggplant salad with a drizzle of pomegranate molasses.

I hope you enjoy our version of Abagannuc or baba ghannoush, packed with flavor. Its plant based version. Mutabbal with garlicky tahini sauce, along with the Begendi sauce of smoked aubergines/eggplant with bechamel sauce are at my new book SEBZE, Vegetarian recipes from my Turkish kitchen. You can get a copy of SEBZE here.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

5.0 from 6 reviews

Baba ghanoush-Abagannuc; burnt eggplant salad with garlic, olive oil

Abagannuc or baba ghanoush is a popular mezze or salad in southern Turkish cuisine, where eggplants are char grilled to get a delicious, smoky flavor. It has different versions throughout the Middle East. We'd like to add a little pomegranate molasses in our version for a tangy, sweet flavor. This salad / dip goes very well as part of a mezze spread or with any grills. I also love this dip on crackers or toasted bread with a nice sharp cheese or feta cheese aside.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Turkish Mezzes, Salads

Cuisine: Regional Turkish Cuisine

Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 medium aubergines / eggplants
1 pointy red pepper or bell pepper
3 small, ripe tomatoes
1 clove of garlic, crushed with salt and finely chopped
Juice of ½ lemon
30ml/2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
A drizzle (about 10ml/2 tsp) pomegranate molasses to decorate (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to serve

Instructions

Line the base of your burners with a foil to protect, keeping only the burners exposed.
Place the eggplants or aubergines and pepper directly over the burner on medium heat and roast for about 15 - 20 minutes, turning occasionally. (You can roast the tomatoes on a barbeque or on the oven at 200 C for about 20-25 minutes, as it can get quite messy over the burner.)
If you prefer not to have the smoky flavor, you can also score the aubergines with a knife in few places and bake on a baking tray for 50 – 60 minutes. In this case, turn them around every 20 minutes or so that they would cook evenly. Pepper would need about 35-40 minutes to cook in the oven and chargrill.
If you are cooking over the burner, use metal tongs to turn the aubergines and pepper around so that all sides would cook evenly and the skin is nicely chargrilled. Cook until the skin is burnt and the flesh is soft.
Remove the cooked aubergines, tomatoes and the pepper to a colander to allow them to cool. Once cool, peel and discard their burnt skin and leave them in the colander to drain aubergine’s bitter juices. I like to gently squeeze the aubergine flesh to drain as much water as possible.
Chop the flesh of the aubergine, pepper and tomatoes coarsely and mash them with a fork.
Place the flesh in a bowl and stir in the chopped garlic, lemon juice and the extra virgin olive oil, combine well. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
When serving, drizzle with pomegranate molasses over (if you prefer to) and give a gentle mix; its tangy flavor works really well with the smoked aubergine and peppers.