Vegetables Cooked in Olive Oil

Beetroot with Olives, Toasted Hazelnuts and Pul Biber Oil

By Ozlem Warren on July 14, 2026 in Appetizers and Mezes, ISTANBUL cookery book, Vegetarian recipes, Vegetarian recipes 2

I am excited to share with you, one of my favourite recipes at my new cook book, ISTANBUL – it is Beetroot with Olives, Toasted Hazelnuts and Pul Biber Oil, Zeytinli, Fındıklı, Pul Biber Soslu Pancar. Everyone I serve love this, even dear Nigella Lawson is a fan.

Beets with toasted hazelnuts, olives, pul biber oil from Istanbul cookery book, image by Sam A Harris

We love pancar (beetroot) and great big bunches of it can be found in our pazar (farmers markets) in İstanbul. The modern eateries and cafés of the city also serve it in salads, usually cooked and then dressed in oil and vinegar, but sometimes grated and mixed with yoghurt too. Inspired by this, I combined cooked beetroot with briny green olives and crunchy, toasted hazelnuts, ingredients that bring layers of flavour and texture to this easy meze. The nar ekşisi (pomegranate molasses) in the dressing adds a natural sweet-and-sourness that goes well with the beetroot, complementing both the cooling yoghurt and the heat of the pul biber oil. You can replace the hazelnuts with your choice of nuts, if you wish.

Prepare ahead This is a great one to make ahead, as the flavours develop as it sits. You can make it a day ahead and keep in the refrigerator, covered. Drizzle the pul biber oil just before serving.

I hope you enjoy my recipe, from ISTANBUL cookery book. Over 85 delicious, easy to make flavours from Istanbul included in the book (over 50 of them vegetarian too), along with stunning design and photography. You can get a copy here

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem x

Beetroot with Olives, Toasted Hazelnuts and Pul Biber Oil

We love pancar (beetroot) and great big bunches of it can be found in our pazar (farmers markets) in İstanbul. The modern eateries and cafés of the city also serve it in salads, usually cooked and then dressed in oil and vinegar, but sometimes grated and mixed with yoghurt too. Inspired by this, I combined cooked beetroot with briny green olives and crunchy, toasted hazelnuts, ingredients that bring layers of flavour and texture to this easy meze. The nar ekşisi (pomegranate molasses) in the dressing adds a natural sweet-and-sourness that goes well with the beetroot, complementing both the cooling yoghurt and the heat of the pul biber oil. You can replace the hazelnuts with your choice of nuts, if you wish.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Vegetarian Meze

Cuisine: Turkish Cuisine

Serves: 6

Ingredients

650 g (1 lb 7 oz) beetroot (beets) - raw or pre-cooked-
4 spring onions (scallions), trimmed and finely chopped 85 g (3 oz) stoned (pitted) green olives, halved
55 g (2 oz) shelled hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
small handful parsley, finely chopped
For the garlic yoghurt:
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
170 g (6 oz) full fat Turkish or Greek yoghurt (use a plant-based version, if preferred)
For the dressing:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
30 ml (1 fl oz) nar ekşisi (pomegranate molasses)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
For the pul biber oil:
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon pul biber (Aleppo pepper)
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Take the yoghurt out of the refrigerator about 45 minutes before serving to bring to room temperature. Stir in the garlic, season with salt and set aside.
If you prefer to cook your beetroot, wash, trim and pat dry. Wrap each beetroot in foil (first cutting small beetroot in half lengthways and large ones into quarters), place on a baking tray (pan) and bake in an oven preheated to 200˚C fan/220˚C (425˚F) for about an hour. Allow to cool before carefully peeling the skin and cutting into 5 mm (1/4 in) thick slices.
If using pre-cooked beetroot, drain the excess juice from the package, halve any large beetroot, then cut into 5 mm (1/4 in) thick slices.
Place the beetroot in a bowl, add the spring onions and olives and combine well.
Toast the hazelnuts in a small, dry pan set over a medium heat for 2½ –3 minutes, until they start to turn golden, stirring often. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Pour the extra virgin olive oil, pomegranate molasses and lemon juice into a small bowl, season with salt and pepper and give everything a good mix with a small spoon.
Pour the olive oil into a small pan, stir in the pul biber (Aleppo pepper) and allow to infuse over a low heat for about 45 seconds.
Stir most of the toasted hazelnuts into the beetroot mixture, reserving some for garnish. Pour over the dressing, combine well, then spoon onto a wide serving dish and top with dollops of the yoghurt, swirling it to reveal the lovely shades of pink and red. Sprinkle with the reserved hazelnuts and the parsley, and drizzle over the pul biber oil.

Kaygana Crêpes with Parsley and Spring Onions

By Ozlem Warren on March 3, 2025 in Vegetarian recipes, Vegetarian recipes 0

Pancake day is round the corner, and I wanted to remind you our delicious, savoury Kaygana crepes, from my new book SEBZE, Vegetarian recipes from my Turkish kitchen.

These fragrant, savoury crêpes are a popular breakfast, especially in the Black Sea region and the northeastern part of Turkey. It’s a cross between an omelette and a Western-style crêpe and each region, almost each house, has their own version. In the Black Sea region chopped anchovy might be added; some may have it less eggy, some may add more herbs, garlic or spring onions (scallions). In the city of Trabzon, traditionally kaygana can be made using water instead of milk; plain (wheat) flour could be substituted with corn (maize) flour, too. We absolutely love these crepes with my Kuru İncir Reçeli (dried fig jam) from SEBZE, with thin slices of mature Cheddar (or Turkish kaşar cheese) on the side if you like.

SEBZE, Vegetarian Recipes From My Turkish Kitchen

Here is my recipe; you can get a copy of my book SEBZE here worldwide, too.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Kaygana Crêpes with Parsley and Spring Onions

These fragrant, savoury crêpes are a popular breakfast, especially in the Black Sea region and the northeastern part of Turkey. It’s a cross between an omelette and a Western-style crêpe and each region, almost each house, has their own version. In the Black Sea region chopped anchovy might be added; some may have it less eggy, some may add more herbs, garlic or spring onions (scallions). In the city of Trabzon, traditionally kaygana can be made using water instead of milk; plain (wheat) flour could be substituted with corn (maize) flour, too.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Vegetarian crepes

Cuisine: Turkish cuisine

Serves: 5

Ingredients

255 ml (8½ fl oz/1 cup) full-fat milk
165 g (5½ oz/11/3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
4 medium eggs, beaten
small handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
3 spring onions (scallions), trimmed and finely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

Instructions

Combine the milk and flour in a large mixing bowl and whisk until you reach a smooth consistency. Pour in the beaten eggs and whisk again until well combined. Stir in the chopped parsley and spring onions, season with salt and pepper and combine well.
Brush a wide, non-stick, 25 cm (10 in) frying pan (skillet) with the melted butter and heat over medium–high heat. Pour a ladle of the kaygana batter into the pan and swirl it around so the bottom of the pan is evenly coated in a thin layer. Cook over a high heat for about 45 seconds–1 minute on one side until golden. Use a wide spatula to flip the crêpe over and cook the other side for 30–45 seconds, until darkish golden blobs appear. Transfer to a serving plate.
Cook the rest of the kaygana this way, brushing the pan with melted butter each time. Roll the crêpes into individual rolls and place side by side on a serving plate.

Chard Cooked in Olive Oil with Veg and Rice; Zeytinyağlı Pazı

By Ozlem Warren on April 16, 2024 in SEBZE, Vegetables Cooked in Olive Oil 0

Merhaba dear All,

I wanted to share one of my favourite recipes from my new book, SEBZE, Vegetarian recipes from my Turkish kitchen. This Chard Cooked in Olive Oil with Onion, Peppers and Rice, Zeytinyağlı Pazı, is a lovely and easy dish to enjoy pazı (chard), grown mostly in the northwest, Black Sea, Marmara, Aegean and the Mediterranean regions. Its gently tart flavour is delicious here. These large leaves are also used for making pazı sarması, rolled chard leaves with aromatic rice and sometimes with fresh Turkish curd cheese (lor peyniri). My family also loves this dish hot on cold days, with a dollop of yoghurt and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil over.

Prepare ahead and variations: This dish is great to prepare ahead – in fact, leftovers taste even better the next day as the flavours develop, a characteristic of zeytinyağlı dishes. You can use spinach or large leafy collard greens instead of chard. You can also use bulgur (not gluten-free) or quinoa (gluten-free) instead of rice.

Serving suggestions: Serve crusty bread or my gluten-free Corn Bread from SEBZE cookery book on the side to mop up the delicious juices, if you like. You can order a copy of SEBZE worldwide here.

SEBZE, Vegetarian Recipes From My Turkish Kitchen, order here

Afiyet olsun and my sincere thanks for your support,

Ozlem xx

Chard Cooked in Olive Oil with Veg and Rice; Zeytinyağlı Pazı

This is a lovely and easy dish to enjoy pazı (chard), grown mostly in the northwest, Black Sea, Marmara, Aegean and the Mediterranean regions. Its gently tart flavour is delicious here. These large leaves are also used for making pazı sarması, rolled chard leaves with aromatic rice and sometimes with fresh Turkish curd cheese (lor peyniri). My family also loves this dish hot on cold days, with a dollop of yoghurt and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil over. Prepare ahead and variations: This dish is great to prepare ahead – in fact, leftovers taste even better the next day as the flavours develop, a characteristic of zeytinyağlı dishes. You can use spinach or large leafy collard greens instead of chard. You can also use bulgur (not gluten-free) or quinoa (gluten-free) instead of rice. Serving suggestions: Serve crusty bread or my gluten-free Corn Bread from SEBZE cookery book on the side to mop up the delicious juices, if you like.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Vegetarian recipes

Cuisine: Turkish cuisine

Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red or yellow onion, finely chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (use more if you like it spicy)
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon double concentrated tomato paste
230 g (8 oz) tin chopped tomatoes
450g (1 lb) chard, cleaned, halved lengthways and roughly chopped into 1 cm (½ in) pieces
85 g (3 oz/scant ½ cup) long-grain rice, rinsed
460 ml (16 fl oz/scant 2 cups) hot water
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
To serve (optional)
plain yoghurt (or plant-based alternative)
drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large, wide saucepan over a medium–high heat, add the onion and sauté for 3–4 minutes until starting to soften. Add the chilli, garlic, tomato paste and chopped tomatoes to the pan (save the tin for later), combine well and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the chopped chard and gently combine and wilt over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes. Add the rinsed rice and combine well.
Rinse the chopped tomato tin with some of the hot water and pour all the liquid into the pan, season with salt and pepper, give it a good stir, then cover and cook for 20–25 minutes over a low–medium heat until the rice and vegetables are cooked. Turn the heat off and leave to rest for 10 minutes, covered.
When the weather is warm, we traditionally eat this dish cold or at room temperature. On cold days, we enjoy it hot with a dollop of yoghurt and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil over.