Salads

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

Bulgur Wheat Salad with Red Onion and Vegetables – Kirmizi Soganli Kisir

By Ozlem Warren on February 2, 2011 in Appetizers and Mezes, Salads 2

This is a lighter version of the spicy Kisir, bulgur wheat salad I posted earlier. The use of red onions and lemon and olive oil dressing make the salad wonderfully refreshing. And it is a bowl of health, packed with fiber and vitamins, thanks to the vegetables and bulgur. It can be rolled into balls and served nestling in crunchy lettuce leaves. This dish is perfect for buffets or as part of a barbecue spread.

Serves 4 – 6
Preparation time: 25 minutes

175gr/ 6oz/1cup bulgur
8fl oz/ 1cup hot water
15ml/1 tablespoon tomato paste
5ml/1 teaspoon paprika flakes
Juice of 1 lemon
60ml/4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
3 spring/ green onions, finely chopped
3 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
Handful of finely chopped flat leaf parsley
1 teaspoon salt
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Lettuce leaves to serve

Mix the bulgur wheat, salt, ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, tomato paste, and onion and knead thoroughly. Pour the hot water over this mixture and stir, then leave to stand for about 15 minutes. It should absorb all the water by the end of this period. The bulgur should be of a dry consistency.

Add the lemon juice with the extra virgin olive oil and knead well again. Stir in tomatoes, spring/green onion and the parsley and combine thoroughly. Please check the seasoning and add more salt or spices to your taste.

Serve as a salad in a bowl garnished with lettuce leaves. Alternatively, take spoonfuls of the mixture and with wet hands roll into balls the size of walnuts. Refrigerate until required. This dish can be prepared a couple of days in advance and can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days. As a matter of fact, it tastes even better a day or two later it’s made!

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Note: Bulgur wheat unlike cracked wheat, is a grain made from the cooked wheat berries which have the bran removed, and are then dried and pounded. There are two varieties generally available, fine and coarse. Because it is precooked, it only requires a minimal amount of cooking to reconstitute itself.

Crumbled White Cheese or Feta Salad with Spices; Cokelek Salatasi

By Ozlem Warren on November 3, 2010 in Salads, Turkish Breakfast 13

Cokelek Salatasi- crumbled feta with spices, tomato, cucumber and onions

Cokelek Salatasi- crumbled white cheese, lor peynir or feta with spices, tomato, cucumber and onions

This is such a satisfying, delicious and healthy salad. The cumin and red pepper flakes amazingly transform the humble Turkish white cheese (or if it’s not available, Greek feta cheese). In my hometown, Antakya (Antioch), this special crumbled dried white cheese mixed with cumin, red pepper flakes and oregano is called Kuru Cokelek (also known as Surk) and readily available. Well, I can’t get Kuru Cokelek at the moment, though pleased to say that the crumbled feta with these spices work just as good, highly recommended. If you are in Turkey, you can also make this salad with the creamy lor peynir; its mild taste goes well with this salad.

This easy salad is a wonderful treat for lunch or weekend brunch with some pita bread. My heartfelt thanks goes to my mother, who made this salad to us almost daily and injected us the love of food.

Turkish cuisine is packed with delicious, wholesome choices and based on seasonal produce; this delicious salad and over 90 authentic recipes are included in my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table – you can order at Amazon now or you can get a Signed copy here (distributed worldwide, including USA). Signed copies are also 20 % off at this link until end July 2019, delivered worldwide.

Serves 2

Preparation time: 10 – 15 minutes

½ small yellow or red onion, finely diced
2 medium tomatoes, finely diced
¼ of long cucumber or ½ small cucumber, finely diced
Handful of flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
110gr/40z Cokelek or lor peynir, as available in Turkey (or Greek feta cheese as an alternative),
5 ml/1 teaspoon ground cumin
5 ml/1 teaspoon red pepper (or paprika) flakes
5 ml/1 teaspoon dried oregano
30 ml/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
5 ml/1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt and ground pepper to taste

Pita bread wedges to serve

In a bowl, mix the Turkish white cheese, lor peynir (or Greek feta cheese), onion, cumin, oregano and red pepper flakes with your hands. This will soften the onion and infuse the spices to the feta and onion. Add the tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, olive oil and lemon juice, and mix well. Check the seasoning and add salt and black pepper to your taste.

Serve with pita bread wedges.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem