Ozlem’s Turkish Table | Page 97 | Turkish CuisineOzlem's Turkish Table

Grilled Sardines in vine leaves with Tomatoes, Peppers; Sebzeli Sardalya

By Ozlem Warren on June 6, 2011 in Seafood 8

Grilled (or chargrilled) sardines are very popular at home, especially in summer time. It is also common to grill the sardines wrapped in vine leaves – the tangy taste of vine leaves work well with the distinctive flavor of sardines (You can buy preserved vine leaves in jars in supermarkets or Middle Eastern / Mediterranean stores).

I like to grill sardines with cherry tomatoes and bell peppers; their juicy, sweet flavor complements the strong taste of sardines well. Make sure to serve the sardines with wedges of lemon to squeeze over and perhaps with some boiled new potatoes for a complete meal.

Baked Sardines in vine leaves, with tomatoes and peppers; firinda sebzeli sardalya

Serves 4 – 5
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes

250gr/10oz sardines (12 pieces), scaled, gutted and washed
1 green, red or yellow bell pepper (or mixture), cut in half and sliced in long strips
10-12 cherry tomatoes, halved
Juice of 1/2 lemon
12 preserved vine leaves
30 ml/2tablespoon olive oil
5ml/1teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Wedges of lemon to serve
Handful of fresh dill, coarsely chopped to decorate

Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the bell peppers for 3-4 minutes. Toss the tomatoes into the pan and mix them well. Season with salt and pepper, and add the red pepper flakes. Combine well and turn the heat off.

Spread the vine leaves out on a flat surface and place a sardine on each leaf. Wrap each sardine loosely in the leaf like a cigar. Brush each leaf with a little olive oil and place seam side down.

Place the sardines on a baking tray. Spread the tomato and bell pepper mixture amongst the sardines. Squeeze half a lemon over the mixture.

Preheat the grill on a moderate heat. Place the tray under the grill for about 14 minutes, turning over every 2 minutes, until the vine leaves are charred. Once cooked, sprinkle the fresh dill all over and serve hot, with wedges of lemon by the side.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Lamb Kebab with Peas, Carrots and Onions, Wrapped In Puff Pastry – Talas Boregi

By Ozlem Warren on May 31, 2011 in Appetizers and Mezes, Savory Pastries 5

Talas borek; lamb chunks with vegetables, wrapped in puff pastry

The spread of the Ottoman Empire into Europe resulted in influences from different cuisines. For instance, the use of puff pastry in this kebab reflects a French influence in the Ottoman and today’s Turkish cuisine.

These delicious pastry parcels are lovely served as an appetizer (the miniature versions would also make great finger food for dinner parties, like the little one made by my daughter :). You can also serve them as a main course with some steamed vegetables by the side. (I like Ghillie Basan’s way of serving the cooking liquid of as a sauce by the side too). The cucumber & yoghurt dip with mint, Cacik, would be also a great accompaniment.I hope you have a go at them sometime; they are easy to make, impressive and delicious!

Serves 4-6
Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 35 minutes

225gr/1/2lb lamb, cut into small cubes
1 onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely diced
60gr/2oz peas
10ml/2teaspoons tomato paste
15ml/1 tablespoon olive oil
5ml/1teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
4fl oz/ 1/2 cup water

345gr/12oz puff pastry, thawed
1 egg yolk, beaten

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

Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan. Add the onions and cook for 2-3 minutes, until they are softened. Add the lamb and cook for further 3-4 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the carrots, peas and tomato paste, mix well. Season with salt and pepper and add the red pepper flakes. Pour in the water and give it a good mix. Reduce the heat, cover and cook for about 20 minutes. Drain and reserve the liquid of the meat mixture to be used as a sauce later. Leave the meat mixture to cool.

If the puff pastry is frozen, please take out of the freezer 2 hours before using and bring it to the room temperature. If it is kept in the fridge, take out the puff pastry 20 minutes before using and remove its carton. Just before using, take off the outer plastic wrap and unroll the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll out the pastry into a thin sheet of a rectangle. Cut out squares, about 13cmx13cm (4x4in).

Place a little of the meat mixture in the center of each square and fold over the edges to form a packet.

Place the packets, seam-side down, in the baking tray. Brush the egg yolk over the pastries and bake them in the oven for about 35 minutes or until puffed up and golden brown.

Warm up the reserved liquid of the meat mixture and serve as a sauce by the side of the kebabs in puff pastry. You can also serve them with steamed vegetables and some Cacik (yoghurt, cucumber and mint dip) as a main course.

Talas borek; lamb and vegetables wrapped in puff pastry; easy and delicious

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Seasonal, organic produce, delivered by your door & Chard recipe

By Ozlem Warren on May 24, 2011 in A Slice of England, Uncategorised 2

I got a leaflet thru my door the other week, a company, Abel&Cole;, offering organic fruit and veg delivered to my door. I did hear about this though haven’t had a chance to try before, so decided to give it a go. As much as I would love to make it to the Farmer’s Market every week, I can’t always do that, so thought, this is great; Farmer’s Market comes to me. It is a great value and feels good that it is a fair deal to the farmers too.

Last Thursday, our first box of organic fruit and vegetables arrived and it was a happy sight! Wonderful, seasonal organic produce; Swiss chards, portobello mushrooms, bananas, lovely carrots and bell pepper, apple, onions, potatoes and more. I liked the fact that you are delivered whatever fruit and veg seasonal at the moment, and there is a surprise element to it. I can get the same or similar veg over and over again when shopping, and this has been a welcoming change – take chards, never really got into them before, but now that it was in my box, I was excited to try a new thing.

For the chards; I simply sautéed some garlic with olive oil, chopped the chard coarsely and added to the pan. I sautéed the chard for about 4-5 minutes, until wilted but still has had a bite to it. Seasoned with salt and pepper and squeezed half a lemon over it. Finally, I added a few sprinkles of red pepper flakes and served as a side dish. It was utterly delicious and I am won over 🙂

I am already looking forward to my next box!

Happy Cooking and Afiyet Olsun,