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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

Braised Red Cabbage with Onion, Apples and Pomegranate Molasses (or Balsamic Vinegar)

By Ozlem Warren on November 1, 2011 in Uncategorised, Vegetables Cooked in Olive Oil 7

I love getting fresh, seasonal produce delivered to my door (even better if you can grow yourself, of course) and the surprise element of it. I try not to check what will be delivered in my veg box that week and enjoy getting a surprise. I can be quite traditional (and perhaps boring) going for the same/similar vegetables when I shop, so an unusual veg appearing in my box is inspiring and gets me out of my comfort zone.

I got organic red cabbage, lovely cooking apples and red onions last week- I don’t recall buying red cabbage before and it was nice to experiment with it. Thanks to the recipe provided by Abel&Cole; for inspiration, I came out with this recipe. Pomegranate molasses add a wonderful, sharp sweet and sour flavor to the cabbage, and a good balsamic vinegar does a wonderful job if you can’t get the pomegranate molasses. The marriage of caramelized red onions, Bramley apples and the red cabbage is just heavenly. Beautiful, vibrant colors and a sensational taste. We enjoyed it with grilled fish, grilled meat and as a side to pasta dishes. Easy, healthy and delicious, really worth trying. You can prepare ahead of time, and the leftovers can be frozen successfully, joy to the world:)

Serves 6-8
Prep time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 1 1/2 hrs

1 medium red cabbage, quartered, cored and thinly shredded
1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
3 cooking apples (like Bramley apples), peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1-2 tablespoons demerara sugar
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses thinned with 1/2 cup – 4 fl oz water
or
3-4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar with 3 tablespoons water
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350F/ 180°C

Mix all the ingredients in a large baking tray (make sure they are not higher than a finger deep) Loosely cover with foil.

Bake for about 70-90 mins. Check at about 60 minutes, stir and taste. Cover and cook for a further 20-30 minutes, until the cabbage is tender, juicy and sweet. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Once cool, the cabbage can be kept in fridge and reheated. It can also be frozen. This wonderful dish goes very nicely with grilled fish, sausages, roasts, fried eggs or with any sautéed vegetables.

Afiyet Olsun!