Vegetables Cooked in Olive Oil

Cauliflower and Chestnut Mushrooms with Garlic, Olive Oil and Lemon Juice

By Ozlem Warren on September 19, 2011 in Uncategorised, Vegetables Cooked in Olive Oil 1

Here are two delicious, healthy and easy to prepare vegetable courses, that can save the mid week dinners. They would also be a great side dish for grilled meat, fish or pasta.

Cauliflower can be a little bland on its own, and cooking them with mushrooms in this recipe works really well; I love the crunchiness of the cauliflower along with the juicy, meaty texture of mushrooms. And once they’re dressed with olive oil&lemon; juice, they are simply irresistible. Few sprinkles of red pepper flakes (or paprika) spice it up really nicely too.

Serves 2-4
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes

1 small cauliflower, cut into florets
225gr/8oz chestnut mushrooms (or any kind of your choice)
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
A handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped (optional)
30-45ml/2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of I lemon
5-10ml/ 1-2 teaspoons ref pepper flakes (or paprika/chili flakes)
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Clean the mushrooms with a damp paper towel and cut into quarters. Steam or microwave the cauliflower florets for 3 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan and stir in the garlic and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper (salt really helps the mushrooms to release the moisture). Stir and sauté for 4-5 minutes, until the mushrooms soften up. Add the steamed/microwaved cauliflower florets and lemon juice, mix well. Let them cook for another 2-3 minutes. Stir in the parsley, if you are using (mushroom and parsley do really well), and give a good stir. Sprinkle the red pepper (or paprika or chilli flakes) over, mix well. Check the Seasoning and add more salt or ground pepper if needed.

Serve warm as a side dish to pasta, grilled meat or fish.

Afiyet Olsun!

Beetroot Salad with Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil Dressing

By Ozlem Warren on September 19, 2011 in Uncategorised, Vegetables Cooked in Olive Oil 4

I got some wonderful beetroots in my vegetable box last week. I haven’t cooked with them myself before though I love their taste. They are delicious when boiled, roasted or even raw, when grated or sliced thinly.

Beetroots can be boiled or steamed for 20-60 minutes, depending on its size. Once cooked, their skin will just slip off (or you can peel the skin like I did before boiling).
One tip though, beetroot bleeds and will stain your hands. You can avoid this by wearing gloves or remove the stains with lemon.

The sweetness of the beetroot complements the tanginess of balsamic vinegar so well. Very refreshing, easy and a healthy vegetable course, highly recommended!

Serves 2-4
Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 35 minutes (for this recipe)

225gr/8oz beetroot
60gr/2oz rocket (or salad leaves) washed and pat dried
30ml/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
30ml/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
A squeeze of lemon juice
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Wash the beetroots and cut off the tops. Peel the skin (or you can peel it once cooked) and cut into chunks. Boil them in plenty of water for about 35 minutes (depending on its size, it could be a little longer). It is cooked when you pierce it easily with a skewer.

To make the dressing, combine the extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Season with salt and ground black pepper and mix well.

Mix the rocket (or salad leaves of your choice) with the cooked beetroot in a serving dish. Pour the dressing over the top and mix well.

Afiyet Olsun!

Leftovers Supper – Eggs with Potatoes, Bell Peppers and Spring Onions – Patatesli, Biberli Sahan Yumurta

By Ozlem Warren on July 4, 2011 in Turkish Breakfast, Vegetables Cooked in Olive Oil 4

Do you do leftovers suppers? We do it quite often and must say I really enjoy it. Not only you finish up all the bits and bobs remaining, but also it is easy to prepare and can turn to delicious suppers. I usually have a few boiled leftover potatoes, the odd bell pepper or courgette (zucchini) waiting for their turn to be finished. And me being an egg lover, vegetables usually end up marrying with eggs.

This supper is super easy to prepare and you can use any vegetable in your fridge that needs finishing; mushroom, onions, peppers, courgettes all work very well. I especially love to add potato and sprinkle some cumin over them; the light smoky flavor of cumin is magical on sautéed potatoes, combined with eggs. Another good example of how you can add wonderful flavors to dishes using spices. With some green salad (or garlicky yoghurt) and crusty bread by the side, this is quite a perfect leftovers dinner for me or a lovely brunch treat.

Eggs with potatoes, bell peppers and spring onions; a little cumin and red pepper flakes add a lot of flavor here.

Serves 1-2
Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 8 minutes

2 free range medium eggs
1/4 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
2 spring (green) onions, coarsely chopped
1-2 small boiled potatoes, coarsely chopped
15ml/1 tablespoon olive oil
5ml/1 teaspoon ground cumin
5ml/1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Green Salad (of lettuce, cucumbers, radishes and anything else you fancy) to serve by the side
Fresh crusty bread to serve by the side

Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan and stir in the chopped boiled potatoes and bell peppers. Sprinkle half of the ground cumin and red pepper flakes over them and season with salt and black pepper. Stir and sauté for about 3-4 minutes over medium heat and let the spices infuse on the vegetables. Stir in the spring (green) onions and cook for another minute.

Create two holes in the pan with sautéed vegetables around and crack the eggs there. Cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat, until the egg white is set and egg yolk is still runny (you can cook a little more if you like your eggs well done). Sprinkle the left over cumin and red pepper flakes over the eggs, and season with salt and pepper.

How about serving this lovely leftovers supper with some fresh green salad? Just coarsely chop the lettuce, radishes, cucumbers and tomatoes (or any salad needs finishing in your fridge!), drizzle some extra virgin olive oil and squeeze of lemon over, season with salt and pepper. You are ready to go!