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Turkish Breakfast

Crumbled White Cheese or Feta Salad with Spices; Cokelek Salatasi

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

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Eggs with Spinach and Onion – Ispanakli Yumurta

Ispanakli Yumurta; Eggs with spinach and onions; delicious for a weekend brunch or a lovely lunch

I have two small children and they love eggs. They are Ok with spinach though they need something else next to it that is more attractive. Eggs work well in that respect and they also get to have two vegetables, onion and spinach with a good appetite.

This is a very delicious, easy and healthy recipe and works as a treat for a weekend brunch or everyday lunch. A dollop of plain yoghurt by the side really complements this dish. As a variety, you can add some grated cheese of your choice over the egg & spinach, just a couple of minutes before you turn the heat off.

Serves 2
Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes

400gr/14oz fresh spinach leaves, washed
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 medium eggs
30ml/2tablespoon olive oil
Salt and ground pepper to taste
½ teaspoon cumin – optional-
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes – optional-

A dollop of plain yoghurt and crusty bread to serve

Heat the olive oil in a shallow pan and sauté the onions for 3-5 minutes, until they are softened. Add the spinach and let it wilt gently for 1-2 minutes, with giving a gently stir. Season with salt and pepper.

Make two hollows in the spinach mixture and drop the eggs. Cook until the whites are firm but the yolks remain soft. Sprinkle ground cumin and red pepper flakes over the eggs (if you are using). Serve immediately with plenty of crusty bread and a dollop of yoghurt by the side.

Eggs with spinach and onions; with red pepper flakes, pul biber over the top, it is a delicious treat.

Eggs with spinach and onions; with red pepper flakes, pul biber over the top, it is a delicious treat.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

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Baked bread with egg, cheese, tomatoes and spring (green) onions

This is a wonderful and easy bake for the weekend brunch or everyday lunch. As a child, I used love the smell of the baked melted cheese happily married with the egg and tomato & spring onions on bread, now my children can’t get enough of it! Big bonus; even the pickiest children wouldn’t mind the tomatoes and onions baked in the mixture:)

Serves 3-4
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 20-25 minutes

4 eggs, beaten
2 medium tomatoes, finely diced
2 spring (green onions), finely chopped
100 gr/3 1/2 oz shredded cheddar or mozzarella (or crumbled beyaz peynir or feta)
15 ml/ 1 tablespoon olive oil
6 slices of medium sized bread
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Pul biber or red pepper flakes for sprinkle for serving (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180 C/ 350 F

Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, spring (green) onions, cheese and olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper and combine well.

Place the slices of bread over non-stick baking paper on the baking tray. Spread the mixture evenly on each slice and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, until the mixture starts turning to golden color.

Serve hot with pul biber or red pepper flakes sprinkled over if you like. Shepherd Salad of chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers in sumac and olive oil sauce goes well by the side.

Turkish cuisine is wholesome, easy and packed with healthy, delicious recipes. I compiled my recipes at my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland – with stunning photos and stories from my homeland. Signed copies are available at this link and delivered worldwide including the US.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

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