Tag Archives | cookery book

Ozlem’s Turkish Table Cookery Book – available for Pre-order Now!

By Ozlem Warren on November 8, 2017 in Ozlem’s Turkish Table Cookery Book 21

Merhaba dear All;

My cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table; Recipes from My Homeland – front cover

With huge excitement to let you know that my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland, is now available for pre-order at this link!

You can now pre-order your copy at this link with 10 % Pre-Order Special discount. To redeem this discount, please enter the promo code Pre-Order Special when it says “Enter a promo code” on the left side of your shopping cart. If you are interested, I would be grateful if you can kindly pre-order, as it will help me to determine the number of books to print, my sincere thanks to you in advance. I can hardly wait for my book to reach to you and I do hope to meet you at one of the many book events we will be doing.

You can now pre-order my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table not only with Paypal (direct or debit/credit card via Paypal) but also directly with your Debit or Credit Card , as well as Paying Offline, with a Bank transfer, to the account specified at this link. Please kindly enter the promo code Pre-Order Special when it says “Enter a promo code” on the left side of your shopping cart to get your 10% discount. If paying Offline, please kindly include the Ref: GBPShop-your last name.

Pre-orders will have the first priority of distribution worldwide in early March, prior the release of the book in early April 2018.

This book has been my dream in making; through my Turkish cookery classes and recipes I have shared with you in my blog, I have been writing this book for over 10 years. My sincere thanks goes to my family for all their support and GB Publishing for believing in me and all the wonderful team at GB Publishing and everyone, who worked hard to make it happen. Special thanks goes to dear Sian Irvine Photography for the amazing images she captured throughout the book.

This book is my tribute to the diverse, scrumptious Turkish cuisine and it is a celebration of my southern Turkish roots with regional recipes especially from my home town of Antakya, which is now a UNESCO approved World City of Gastronomy, I am very proud to see. My cooking has, and continues to be, inspired by this magical land and its people. Let me take you on a Turkish culinary journey with my book – to learn, taste and enjoy for yourself the delicious foods of my homeland and along the way I hope you will feel the warmth and generous spirit of our Turkish culture.

Ozlem’s Turkish Table; Recipes from My Homeland is a compilation of my favourite classic Turkish recipes as well as regional specialities from southern Turkey, with their exhilarating aromas, smells and colours. They have been lovingly prepared and passed down to me from my mother and grandmother. I share the recipes in this book with you in the hope that you will cook, enjoy and in turn, invite others to your own table to share a Turkish meal together.

Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland cookery book – back cover

As you see at the back cover of my book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table (please disregard the text on the back cover, as it is work in progress), this book covers the diverse, wholesome Turkish cuisine. From hot & cold mezes (dips, salads, pastries) to vegetables cooked in olive oil, bulgur, legume and grain based dishes to southern Turkish specialities, meat, poultry, fish and desserts, there are scrumptious recipes to wet your apetite. All recipes are well tested with easy to follow instructions, with plenty of choices for vegetarian, gluten-free and vegan diets. Living abroad, I know how important it is to access ingredients; Turkish cuisine is based on seasonal produce, flavored with artful use of herbs, spices, olive oil (as well as natural condiments like pomegranate molasses, which is widely available now and I have a recipe for it in my book) and my book showcases that. Wherever needed, I offer alternatives and substitution.

A beautiful still life shot from my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, with my family photos

This book is also a love letter to my homeland and a special tribute to my parents, Gulcin and Orhan and my grandparents, for instilling the love of good food and importance of sharing, generosity and hospitality to us; pillars of Turkish culture. There are personal stories and black and white family photos in the book, which are very dear to me and special to share with you all.

Another special touch from the book for me is the prominent cookery author, dear Ghillie Basan‘s foreword in the book. Ghillie’s wonderful Turkish cookery books and workshops have been a huge inspiration for me and she has been a role model; I am honored to have her beautiful words in my book.

Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book can be pre-ordered through this link and will be shipped worldwide. Pre-orders will have the first priority and will be distributed as of late February/early March 2018. General release day of the book will be April 2018.

Introducing Ozlem’s Turkish Table at Riverhouse Barn Book Fair

I hope my book introduces you to the many foods of Turkey and especially southern Turkish cuisine. May it inspire you to create, cook, and experiment, but most of all – enjoy the magnificent cuisine of my beautiful homeland, Turkey.

Afiyet Olsun ve Cok Tesekkurler,

Ozlem

Baked Sea Bass with Vegetables; Sebzeli Firin Levrek

By Ozlem Warren on April 2, 2016 in Seafood 16

Baked Sea Bass with Vegetables in Foil; Sebzeli Firin Levrek

This delicious baked sea bass makes a complete meal with all the fresh vegetables in it, and it is so easy to make. I cooked the sea bass and the vegetables in olive oil, lemon juice and a little water and covered in foil. This healthy way of cooking retains all the wonderful juices of the fish and vegetables and makes the flesh tender. The result has been a refreshing, utterly delicious supper, easy to prepare. You can use any other white flesh fish of your choice.

Turkish cuisine has a long and rich tradition of incorporating hot and cold mezes, fish and seafood, regional, delicious dips and salads, variety of vegetarian, vegan and gluten free courses. They have all been included at my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table; Signed copies are delivered worldwide including USA and Canada and, it is available at this link.

I hope you enjoy this easy, delicious recipe, Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Baked sea bass with vegetables, Sebzeli Firin Levrek

5.0 from 4 reviews

Baked Sea Bass with Vegetables; Sebzeli Firin Levrek

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Healthy fish meals with vegetables

Cuisine: Turkish

Serves: 4

Ingredients

4 fillets of sea bass – or a white flesh fish of your choice-
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, crushed and finely chopped
3 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
2 - 3 medium potatoes, par boiled for 10 minutes
Juice of ½ lemon
2 fl oz. / ¼ cup water (or fish stock)
60 ml / 4 tbsp. olive oil
5ml/1 tsp red pepper flakes – optional
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Handful of flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped – to decorate
Lemon wedges to serve

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / Gas 4
Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a large, heavy pan. Stir in the chopped onions and cook until soft, for 3 -4 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and tomatoes and cook over medium to low heat for 3 minutes. Pour in the water or fish stock, lemon juice and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook gently for another 2 minutes on low heat and leave to cool.
Par boil the potatoes in boiling water for 10 minutes, then drain the water and leave to cool. Once it is cool enough to handle, cut in half and slice thinly.
Grease a baking dish with the remaining 2 tbsp. olive oil and place the fish fillets and potato slices in the dish, coat them with the olive oil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Spread the tomato and onion mixture over the fish fillets and place the potato slices alongside the fish. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for about 20 - 25 minutes (Please check the recommended cooking time for the fish of your choice on the packaging).
Once cooked, take the foil out and sprinkle chopped parsley and red pepper flakes over the fish. Serve immediately with wedges of lemon by the side.
Afiyet Olsun.

Notes

Please check the recommended cooking time for the fish of your choice on the packaging.

Home Style Iskender Kebab in Tomato Sauce, Pita Bread and Yoghurt

By Ozlem Warren on December 14, 2015 in Regional Signature Dishes; Mains, Sides and Desserts, Roasts and Kebaps 70

Home Style Iskender Kebab in tomato sauce with pita bread and yoghurt

I have long wanted to recreate the delicious Iskender Kebab, Iskender Kebabi at home; thin slices of lamb or beef in tomato based sauce, served over pide bread with yoghurt and grilled vegetables by the side. It is one of the most delicious kebabs you can have in Turkey and it is a joy to be able to recreate at home.

Traditional doner maker in Istanbul, making chicken (tavuk) doner

Doner maker, donerci, in Istanbul, making chicken (tavuk) doner on a vertical rotisserie

Living abroad, Iskender Kebab is one of the special treats I dearly miss. This delicious kebab is a specialty of Bursa region in Turkey and I remember many foodie trips I made to Bursa to enjoy the genuine Iskender Kebap. Iskender Kebab is made with doner kebab, which requires a vertical rotisserie where layers of thinly sliced lamb, beef, veal – or chicken – stacked together. Traditionally, minced meat is used to stick the slices of the meat.

Home made Iskender Kebab; easier than you think and most delicious.

I don’t have a vertical rotisserie but managed to make a very close by Iskender Kebab at home, greatly enjoyed by family and friends. Thin slices of rib eye steak or lamb or beef tenderloin work very well here. Marinating the meat in onion juice, olive oil and spices is really worth the effort to tenderize the meat and add a lot of flavor. With pide bread, pide ekmek as a base, delicious tomato sauce poured over the meat, grilled tomatoes, peppers and yoghurt by the side, home style Iskender Kebab makes a very special meal to share with family and friends. My thanks goes to the brilliant book Anatolia; Adventures in Turkish Cooking, for the inspiration to have a go at making Iskender Kebab at home.

Home style Iskender Kebab; delicious over pita bread with yoghurt and grilled vegetables aside.

My cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, is packed with over 90 authentic Turkish recipes and stunning photography – Signed hardback copies now 25 % OFF and delivered worldwide including US, at this link (please not thar Iskender Kebab is not included in this book).

I hope you enjoy making Iskender Kebab at home with my recipe, it is easier than you think and most delicious.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

4.9 from 18 reviews

Home Style Iskender Kebap in Tomato Sauce, Pita Bread and Yoghurt

Iskender Kebab is one of the most popular kebabs at home and a specialty of Bursa region. You can make this delicious Iskender Kebap at home; thin slices of lamb or beef in tomato based sauce, served over pide bread with yoghurt and grilled vegetables by the side. It is easier than you think and most delicious, afiyet olsun!

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Turkish Style Kebabs to make at home

Cuisine: Turkish

Serves: 6

Ingredients

For the meat marinate:
2 lbs. rib eye steak or lamb or beef tenderloin
2 large onions, grated
45 ml / 3 tbsp. olive oil
10 ml/ 2 tsp. dried oregano
10 ml/ 2 tsp. red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the tomato sauce:
30 ml / 2 tbsp. concentrated tomato paste
15 ml/ 1 tbsp. red pepper paste (optional; you can use extra 1 tbsp. tomato paste and red pepper flakes to your taste instead too)
30 ml/ 2 tbsp. olive oil
16 fl oz. / 2 cups water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
2 green pointy or bell peppers, deseeded and sliced
Thinly sliced pide ekmek or plain pita bread – 6 pieces, to serve
500 gr / 2 cups plain yoghurt to serve

Instructions

Prepare the meat marination a day ahead of time of cooking.
Grate the onions or place them in a food processor and process until liquid. Squeeze all the onion juice into a non-metallic bowl and discard any remaining onion pulp.
Slice the meat thinly (you can ask your butcher to this for you too) and then pound each slice with the back of a wooden spoon (or with a meat tenderizer). We aim to achieve the slices about 5 cm (2”) x 4 cm (1.5”) in size.
Combine the onion juice, oregano, red pepper flakes, olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper in a large bowl. Stir in the meat slices and coat each piece with this marination. Cover the bowl with a cling film and marinate overnight in the fridge.
To make the tomato sauce, pour in the olive oil in a sauce pan over the medium heat. Stir in the tomato paste, red pepper paste (if using) and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and combine well. Add the water then bring to the boil. Then gently simmer for 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F
Slice the pide or pita bread in 3 cm x 3 cm (about 1”) squares and place on a tray. Warm in the oven for 5 minutes.
Drizzle a little olive oil on a skillet and cook the meat slices on high heat; for about 2 minutes each side (take care not to overcook). Also sauté the sliced tomatoes and peppers at the other side of the skillet, until they start to charcoal at edges.
Once everything is cooked, plate your Iskender Kebap. Place the warm pide / pita bread slices on each plate. Spread the cooked slices of the meat over the pide bread and pour over the tomato sauce. Place the sautéed tomatoes and peppers at one side and a dollop of plain yoghurt at the other side. Serve immediately. This recipe serves 4 -6 generously.
Afiyet Olsun.