Ozlem's Turkish Table | Page 119 | Turkish CuisineOzlem's Turkish Table

What is your color ?

By Ozlem Warren on June 11, 2010 in A Slice of England, Uncategorised 0

My good friend Katherine studies colors and advices on which colors would work for you, taking into account of your skin color, eye color, complexion. She very kindly looked into “my colors”; it was a wonderfully informative, great as well as enjoyable experience. After checking loads of colors on me, it turned out that I am an “Autumn” woman, and my colour characteristics are muted, deep and warm. Now I have a wonderful swatch colour wallet, that I can check out what works for me best – and thank goodness, many of the colours are the ones I already like and have been using, and need to think seriously about some old favorites!- What a great investment I thought, knowing which colours would look best on you and avoid expensive shopping mistakes! Have you thought about your colours? Here is Katherine’s email if you’d like to know more; katherine.green@virgin.net

And here are a couple of my favorite colours from the garden at the moment! I am not a natural gardener; having lived in big cities and apartments most of my life, I couldn’t go more than enjoying my mothers beautiful pot plants. Being in England now though, it is impossible not to get mesmerised and be inspired by the beautiful gardens and array of flowers – I had been an addict on Chelsea Flower Show and not missing the Gardeners World now!- The children gave presents of a little geranium plant and sunflower seeds in spring, and we eagerly waited for them to grow. And just recently, “they popped!” as my daughter said. We now have a lovely geranium plant with gorgeous leaves and beautiful flowers and a lovely array of sunshine, a smiling sunflower in the backgarden. Hope these inspire many more to come!

Turkish Meatballs and vegetables casserole; Izmir Kofte, my way

By Ozlem Warren on June 9, 2010 in Casseroles and Stews 36

This is a popular meatball and vegetable casserole (not only with the children but with the adults too!) that can either be cooked on the stove top or baked in the oven. It makes a complete and hearty main course served with plain white rice or a slice of crusty bread. This is Izmir Kofte my way, as I like to add some more vegetables. You can add as much red pepper flakes as you would like for a spicier flavor.

I usually double the recipe and freeze some, as it freezes very well.

Serves 4-6
Preparation time :30 minutes Cooking time : 45 -50 minutes

For the kofte (meatballs):

450 gr /1 lb ground lamb or beef, or a mixture (I like to use 10 % fat)
1 medium onion, grated
2 slices of stale bread, soaked in water and squeezed dry
1 egg, beaten
1 bunch finely chopped Italian parsley
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper

A bowl of water for kneading kofte / wetting hands

And the rest:

450 gr / 1 lb medium potatoes, sliced like thin apple quadrants
1 green bell pepper, deseeded and sliced
1 medium carrot, coarsely sliced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
400 gr /14 oz (1 can of) chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
240 ml / 1 cup water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 180 C / 350 F

Discard the crusts of the bread, soak in the water and squeeze dry. Then crumble them into a large bowl. Add all the kofte ingredients except the meat and knead well. This will soften the onions and enable the spices to blend in the mixture evenly. Add the ground meat and knead well again until the mixture resembles a soft dough. With wet hands take a piece the size of a large walnut and roll into a large finger shape about 1 inch thick. Continue until all the mixture is used. The meatballs can now be covered and stored in the fridge until required.

In a large oven dish, create layers with the vegetables and the meatballs. Add the chopped tomatoes, water and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Bake in the oven for about 45 – 50 minutes or until the potatoes are soft and the sauce has thickened.

Serve hot, with plain rice or some crusty bread by the side.

My cookery book Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland, covers over 90 authentic Turkish recipes, including delicious casseroles like this and many more, with my personal stories and stunning photos. Signed copies now 25 % Off and can be ordered here at this link if interested, it is delivered worldwide.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Cherry & Almond Clafoutis – Visneli, Bademli Tatli

By Ozlem Warren on June 6, 2010 in Cakes and Desserts, Uncategorised 0

In the summer time Turkey’s orchards yield an abundant range of mouthwatering fruits. Cherries are amongst them; they are native to Anatolia and plentiful. We eat them in abundance as fresh fruit, make wonderful cherry jams out of them and put them in cakes and puddings. I adopted this lovely, fruity, easy to make pudding from the cookery book River Cottage Everyday, by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, one of my favorite chefs in England. I added almonds to this classic French pudding, and the outcome took me to my childhood, the very welcoming smells of lovely cherry cakes and puddings after coming back from school, a very happy sight! It goes very well with coffee and tea or served as a dessert.

I like to stone the cherries, as the pudding is be heavily consumed by small children. You’re welcome not to stone them if you’d like and make the most of the juices.

Serves 6

Preparation time: 15-20 minutes Cooking Time: 40 minutes

425 gr / 15 oz cherries, stalks removed and stoned
50 gr / 1 3/4 ounce plain flour
30 ml / 2 tablespoon almond flakes
A pinch of sea salt
100 gr / 3 1/2 ounces caster sugar
3 medium eggs, lightly beaten
240 ml / 8 fl oz whole milk
Icing sugar for dusting (optional)

Preheat oven to 180 C/ 350 F / Gas Mark 4

Lightly butter a 25 cm (10″) round baking dish or a 25×20 cm (10″x8″) rectangular one. Spread the cherries out in a single layer in the baking dish.

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and stir in the almond flakes and sugar. Make a well in the centre and add the beaten eggs. Gradually draw in the flour from the sides, mixing well. Then beat in the milk, a little at a time, to form a smooth batter.

Pour the batter over the cherries and bake in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes, until golden and puffed up. This pudding is best eaten warm though still enjoyable when cold. You can dust with icing sugar before serving if you like. Serve it plain, or with some vanilla ice cream or clotted cream.

Afiyet Olsun!