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Celeriac with winter vegetables, cooked in olive oil – Zeytinyagli Kereviz

By Ozlem Warren on November 14, 2011 in Appetizers and Mezes, Vegetables Cooked in Olive Oil 6

Celeriac is a knobbly root closely related to celery, and has a wonderful flavor; a mix of aniseed, celery and parsley, and perhaps with the meaty bite of mushrooms. In Turkey, we like to poach the chunks of celeriac in olive oil & lemon sauce, with carrots, potatoes, onions and peas. This kind of cooking, called “Vegetables cooked in olive oil” or “Zeytinyaglis”, are very healthy and delicious.

I love this easy style of cooking and that you can prepare ahead of time. This lovely dish can accompany to fish, meat or and other vegetable courses, also it can be a wonderful starter. The lemon & olive oil sauce adds a wonderful, refreshing taste to celeriac. You can enjoy this course cold, at room temperature or slightly warm.

Celeriac. carrots and peas cooked in olive oil, with lemon and dill; Zeytinyagli Kereviz

Serves 2-4
Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 35 minutes

2-3 small celeriacs, peeled and cut into small chunks
30ml/2 tablespoons peas, fresh or frozen
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
1 small potato, peeled and diced
5 small shallots, peeled or 1 small onion, chopped
120ml/4 tablespoons olive oil
8 fl oz/1 cup water
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and sugar to taste
Fresh dill to garnish

To prevent discoloration during the preparation, keep the raw celeriac in a bowl of water with a squeeze of lemon juice. Cut each one into small chunks.

Cook the peas separately until tender and put to one side.

Drain the celeriac chunks and place in a heavy pan together with the other prepared vegetables. Add the olive oil, water, a little sugar (perhaps 1/2 teaspoon), season with salt. Give them all a good stir, cover and cook on a low to medium heat for about 25 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add the cooked peas and the juice of lemon, combine well. Check the seasoning and add more salt if needed.

Finally, add a little chopped dill, heat through and then remove from heat. Set aside to cool.

Serve the celeriac with vegetables warm at room temperature, with a little garnish of dill over and a wedge of lemon by the side.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Daughter-in-law's Spicy Lentil and Bulgur Soup (with quinoa) – Ezo Gelin Corbasi

By Ozlem Warren on November 7, 2011 in Soups, Uncategorised 16

Soups have a special place in Turkish cuisine and the meals mostly start with a soup. In Anatolia, it is very common to have soup to start the day, especially in winter. This spicy lentil soup is one of my favorites; rich in fiber and protein, very delicious and easy to make. At Waitrose supermarket the other day, I came across with bulgur wheat mixed with red and white quinoa. Quinoa is a grain like crop from South America, rich in protein, iron and potassium; another super food like the bulgur and lentils. I haven’t tried this nutty, wholesome grain before and gave it a try at my spicy lentil soup.

The result was a wonderfully tasty, nutty, wholesome soup, nutritious and affordable. This lentil soup is also a great example of how we add flavor to our dishes thru spices like dried mint and red pepper flakes. Named after the bride “Ezo” who managed to impress her in-laws with this heartwarming soup, it is so delicious and simple to make that you will want to make it all the time! It also freezes very well, so I recommend to make a big batch and freeze some for a heart and soul warming lunch or supper.

Serves 6
Preparation time – 15 minutes Cooking time – 40 minutes

290 gr/1 cup split red lentils, rinsed and drained
1 onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely diced
45 ml / 2 tablespoons coarse bulgur wheat and 1 tbsp red and white quinoa, rinsed and drained
Or just 3 tbsp coarse bulgur wheat, rinsed and drained
1.75 litres / 7 1/2 cups chicken stock or water
60 ml / 4 tablespoons tomato paste
30-45 ml / 2-3 tablespoons olive oil or butter
15 ml / 1 tablespoon dried mint
10 ml / 2 teaspoon red pepper flakes / paprika flakes
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Lemon wedges to serve

Put the lentils, bulgur wheat (and quinoa, if used), onion, carrot and the chicken stock (or water) together in a pan. Bring to boil and then on a low heat simmer, stirring occasionally for about 30 minutes or until the lentils and bulgur are tender. Then add the butter (or olive oil), the dried mint, the red pepper flakes and the tomato paste, mix well and simmer for another 10-15 minutes, until the soup has a creamy consistency. Add the lemon juice and more water if required, then season with salt and pepper.

Serve hot with lemon wedges and crusty bread aside.

Afiyet olsun and wish you all a good week ahead,

Ozlem

Anissa Helou's Middle Eastern cookery demostrations at the Leighton House Museum, London

By Ozlem Warren on November 7, 2011 in A Slice of England, Uncategorised 3

Last Thursday, I had the pleasure to attend the wonderful food writer and the cookery author Anissa Helou’s -www.anissas.com- Middle Eastern cookery demostrations at the Leighton House Museum, London. She kindly shared with us her extensive middle eastern ingredients and explained us how they are used in classic dishes. A very informative class, learned a great deal on especially Persian cuisine – it was also wonderful to sample the delicious Turkish dried apricots and sumac berries!- Anissa will continue to be the chef-in-residence at the Leighton House Museum on November 10th and 17th for more demonstrations on Middle Eastern cuisine. Delightful and very informative sessions, if you can make it. For more info, please visit http://www.nourfestival.co.uk/courses1.php