Salads

Pastry triangles with leeks, onions & cheese – and more delicious brunch ideas

By Ozlem Warren on April 12, 2012 in Appetizers and Mezes, Salads, Turkish Breakfast 19

Fresh and dried fruits are amongst the breakfast spread in Turkey

Life evolves around food in Turkey, and it all starts with breakfast. Our traditional breakfast includes fresh and dried fruit, wonderful olives, feta and cheddar cheese, eggs done in different ways, pastries and many more. We also like to have sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, as well as dried fruits and nuts with yoghurt and honey. In rural parts of Anatolia, this hearty lentil soup may well be the main event for breakfast. Although now, with the modern pace of life we mostly turn to cereal boxes during the weekdays, it is at the weekends that we indulge ourselves to a delicious brunch, Turkish style.

Olives, dried fruit, nuts, grains and honey are also a part of Turkish brunch

My sister and family have been visiting us during the Easter break, and we enjoyed one of these delicious brunch moments. Here is the part of the brunch spread we had and I wanted to share. This delicious pastry with leeks, onions and cheese (you can omit cheese if preferred) is very easy to make and the sweetness of onions and leeks really work well with a touch of heat from the red pepper flakes. I like to add some grated mozzarella cheese to the mixture; for a stronger flavor you may enjoy adding strong cheddar cheese or some grated parmesan. I used ready rolled short crust pastry; you may also use ready puff pastry.

Pastry triangles with leeks, onions and cheese

There are more ideas in this post for a delicious brunch or lunch. They all tempt us at home to gather around the table, slow down and enjoy a delicious bite together – I very much hope you enjoy yours too.

Serves 6 – 8

Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 20-25 minutes

1 large or 2 medium leeks, finely sliced

1 medium onion, finely chopped

400gr/14oz short crust pastry *, ready rolled

125gr/4oz grated mozzarella (or a cheese of your choice)

5ml/1tsp red pepper flakes (or more if you like!)

10ml/1tbsp olive oil

1 egg, beaten

10ml/1tbsp nigella seeds

* Thawing the pastry: If the ready pastry is frozen, take it out 2 hours before using to bring it to the room temperature. If the pastry is in the fridge, it needs to stay at the room temperature for 60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F

Sauted onions and leeks with red pepper flakes

Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan and sauté leeks and onions for about 8 minutes, until they soften. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle the red pepper flakes. Mix well and set aside to cool.

Once cool, add the grated cheese to the mixture and combine well.

Place a spoonful of the mixture in the middle of the pastry squares

Fold over the pastry to form triangles and press the edges firmly to seal.

Place the triangle pastries in the greased baking tray. Brush the pastries with the egg mixture and sprinkle the nigella seeds over them. Bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes, until they turn golden brown.

Baked leek, cheese and onion pastry triangles

This pastry is delicious as a hot snack and goes down very well with this refreshing crumbled feta cheese with tomatoes, cucumbers and spring onion salad.

Crumbled feta cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers and spring onion salad with olive oil dressing

No Turkish brunch is complete without eggs, and how would you like yours? Here is the ever popular fried eggs with Turkish spicy sausages, sucuk (made of dried cured beef with garlic, cumin and red pepper flakes).

Ultimate Turkish breakfast; eggs with spicy Turkish sausages, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, sesame coated pastry rings, simit and Turkish tea - cay

If you rather prefer a vegetarian version, here is the Turkish style delicious and healthy eggs with spinach and onion.

I hope all these inspire you to knock up something delicious for brunch next time.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

MarkeTurk; Online Turkish Supermarket

I have just come across another wonderful source to get Turkish ingredients in the UK. MarkeTurk, the online Turkish Supermarket, is an excellent source to get extensive Turkish ingredients including spices, legumes, red pepper paste, dairy products, pastries, fruit and vegetable and many more.

They offer a quality and reliable service; if you place your order before 4pm you get your shopping delivered to your door step the same day at the time slot you choose.

If ordering from the US, the Turkish online store Tulumba.com offers a great variety of Turkish ingredients and food items.

Celeriac Salad with Walnuts, Olive oil & Lemon and Pomegranate Dressing

By Ozlem Warren on January 22, 2012 in Salads 8

Celeriac, the knobbly root vegetable closely related to celery, is widely available in winter. It has a wonderful flavor; a mix of aniseed, celery and parsley. Celeriac has plenty of health benefits too; it is very low in calories, has very good source of vitamin K, vitamin B, phosphorus and anti-oxidants. There are plenty good reasons to include the humble celeriac into your daily diet!:)

Celeriac with Walnuts and Olive Oil & Lemon Dressing

Here is a delicious and easy way to enjoy celeriac. This is a very refreshing salad my mother makes in Turkey; it is wonderful for lunch or as an appetizer, or a part of a buffet. Walnuts add a nice crunch and more health benefits to this lovely salad.

How about decorating the salad with jewel like wonderful pomegranates? I just got them from the market yesterday; it is a power fruit packed with antioxidants, proven to boost fertility, increase your immunity against diseases like swine flu, and prevent many types of cancer. It has a lovely sweet & savor flavor that would complement the celeriac wonderfully. Many reasons to include pomegranate in your diet!

Serves 2 Preparation time: 15 minutes

Half of a Celeriac (approximately 140gr), thinly cut or shredded

Juice of 1/2 lemon (and a little extra to rub the celeriac)

Handful of walnut halves, coarsely crushed

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 tablespoon plain yoghurt or mayonnaise

Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

Sprigs of parsley to decorate

Pomegranate seeds to decorate (optional)

Cut off the ends of celeriac. Cut the celeriac in half, peel and remove the middle part. Rub the both half with a little lemon juice to prevent discoloring. Thinly cut or shred one half of the celeriac (you may double the recipe or use the other half for the recipe Celeriac cooked in olive oil with vegetables )

In a bowl, combine the shredded raw celeriac with the juice of 1/2 lemon, sea salt and ground black pepper. Using your hands (if you like), work the lemon juice and seasoning into celeriac. Stir in the plain yoghurt (or mayonnaise), olive oil and the crushed walnuts, mix well. Check the seasoning and add more salt or black pepper if you prefer.

Decorate the celeriac salad with sprigs of parsley or pomegranate seeds if you like and serve as part of lunch or dinner, with plenty of crusty bread.

I posted another celeriac recipe earlier, Celeriac with winter vegetables, cooked in olive oil where we poach the chunks of celeriac in olive oil & lemon sauce, with carrots, potatoes, onions and peas. This kind of cooking, called “Vegetables cooked in olive oil” or “Zeytinyaglis” in Turkish cuisine is very healthy and delicious. You may like to check out that recipe too. Hope you enjoy it!

: Celeriac and winter vegetables, cooked in olive oil

Afiyet Olsun! Wishing you all a good week ahead,

Ozlem

Broad (Fava) Beans Salad in Two Ways; in olive oil and garlic yoghurt

By Ozlem Warren on April 26, 2011 in Appetizers and Mezes, Salads 7

Broad beans with peppers, spring onion, dill in olive oil sauce

Broad beans with poached egg and garlic yoghurt

Broad Beans (Fava Beans) with bell peppers, olive oil, dill and lemon juice – Fava Salatasi

Here are two delicious ideas to enjoy broad beans, and I am sure the taste will be at least doubled if you can get the fresh ones. Combination of dill, lemon juice and olive oil is a favorite way of flavoring broad beans at home. Hope you can get to try sometime.

Broad beans are a great source of protein and carbohydrates, as well as vitamins A, B1 and B2. In the US, they’re known as fava beans. This delicious and easy salad would be a great appetizer or light lunch served with crusty bread and perhaps with some olives.

Serves 2 Preparation time: 20 minutes

175gr/6oz tender broad beans (in water) or even better, fresh broad beans

2 spring (green) onions, finely chopped

1/4 red bell pepper, finely chopped

Juice of 1/2 lemon 10ml/2 teaspoon fresh dill, coarsely chopped

15ml/1tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

5ml/1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

If using tender broad beans in water, empty the contents in a colander. Put the broad beans in a pan with fresh water and simmer gently for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the water and set the broad beans aside.

If using fresh broad beans, they should be podded, unless they are very young and tender. Put the beans in a pan, cover with boiling water, return to the boil and cook for about 10 – 15 minutes. Then drain, empty into cold water, slit each pod along its seam and run your thumb along the furry inside to push the beans out.

In a serving bowl, combine the broad beans with the rest of the ingredients except the balsamic vinegar and mix well. Make sure to season well with salt and pepper and drizzle the balsamic vinegar over.

Serve with some crusty or pita bread; green and black kalamata olives go well with this salad.

Afiyet Olsun!

Tender Broad Beans with Garlic and Yoghurt Sauce and Poached Eggs – Cilbir Yumurta ve Sarimsak Yogurtlu Fava Salatasi

This is another exciting way of enjoying broad (fava) beans, which I recently experimented. It is quite common to serve poached egg with garlic yoghurt at home and this combination has gone really well with the broad beans. This dish would make a lovely lunch with some pita bread or a delicious meze (appetizer).

Serves 2 Preparation time: 15-20 minutes

175gr/6oz tender broad beans (in water) or even better, fresh broad beans

10ml/2teaspoons fresh dill, coarsely chopped

5ml/1teaspoon red pepper flakes

10ml/2teaspoons juice of lemon

15ml/1tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 free range eggs

30ml/2tablespoons white wine vinegar

For garlic yoghurt:

2 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped

90ml/6 tablespoons plain natural yoghurt

Salt and pepper to taste

Sprigs of dill and red pepper flakes to decorate

In a bowl, combine the broad beans with dill, red pepper flakes, lemon juice and olive oil. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper, mix well. Divide the salad into two individual serving plates.

In a small bowl, beat the yoghurt with garlic and seasoning. Spoon this into two serving plates and spread over the broad beans mixture.

Fill a small pan with water, add the vinegar (this will help sealing the egg whites) and bring to a boil. Stir the water to create a whirlpool and crack in the first egg.

As the egg spins and the white sets around the yolk, stir the water ready for the next one. Poach each egg for 2-3 minutes so that the yolk remains soft.

Lift the eggs out of the water with a slotted spoon and place them over the garlic yoghurt spread.

Sprinkle red pepper flakes over and a few sprigs of dill. Serve immediately with some nice bread to mop up the salad’s delicious juices.

Afiyet Olsun, Ozlem