Tag Archives | gluten-free

Baked Turkish mini meatballs, koftes in pepper and tomato sauce

By Ozlem Warren on August 7, 2014 in Appetizers and Mezes, Casseroles and Stews, Gluten-free recipes, Roasts and Kebaps 27

We Turks love our koftes, Turkish homemade meatballs. A childhood favorite, they get ready in almost no time and the delicious aroma greets you as soon as you are in the kitchen.

Mini Turkish meatballs, koftes; a delicious appetizer or a main course with rice aside.

I recently made these baked mini koftes, meatballs for a friend, who follows a gluten free diet. They were delicious and moist in pepper and tomato sauce, also healthy, as being baked. You can serve them as a mezze, starter or bigger portions can make a lovely main course over some rice, pasta and steamed vegetables aside. Cacik dip of cucumber and yoghurt would complement these mini koftes very well too.

We recently had these lovely mini meatballs over pasta. As a variation, I combined 150gr spinach leaves to the tomato and pepper sauce at the last 3 minutes of cooking the sauce. We served the finished Baked meatballs with vegetables over pasta, it was delicious.

This lovely meatballs in peppery sauce recipe and many others are included at my Turkish cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland, Signed hardback copies at this link, delivered worldwide.

If you live in the USA , Mexico and Canada, you can order a hardback copy with lower shipping rates here.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

5.0 from 3 reviews

Baked Turkish mini meatballs, koftes in pepper and tomato sauce

These delicious Turkish mini meatballs, koftes are a real crowd pleaser. The pepper and tomato sauce make them moister; they are also gluten-free and healthy, as they are baked.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Appetizers, Mezzes

Cuisine: Turkish Cuisine

Serves: 6

Ingredients

225gr/ 8oz ground beef
225gr/8oz ground lamb
1 medium onion, grated
2 eggs
1 bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
400 gr/14 oz. can of chopped tomatoes
30 ml/ 2 tbsp. olive oil
8 fl oz./1 cup water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Small bowl of water with a drizzle of olive oil aside to shape the koftes

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180 C/ 350 F
In a large bowl, combine the grated onions, eggs and parsley and knead well. That will help soften the onions and blend the ingredients homogeneously.
Stir in the ground meat, season with salt (about 1 – 2 tsp.) and ground black pepper to your taste. Knead for a good 3-5 minutes with your hands, until the mixture becomes elastic and mixed well.
Cover this ground meat mixture with a cling film and rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a heavy pan and stir in the garlic and bell peppers. Sauté for 5 minutes, while stirring often.
Pour in the chopped tomatoes and 8 fl oz./ 1 cup of water. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir, cover and simmer on medium to low heat for 10 minutes. Then turn the heat off.
Take out the ground meat mixture from the fridge to shape meatballs. Have a small bowl of water with a drizzle of olive oil near you.
Wet your hands and take a small walnut size of the meat mixture and roll into a ball. Place the meatballs in a baking tray ready cook side by side and continue until all the meat mixture is shaped into mini koftes, meatballs.
Bake the mini koftes in the pre heated oven (180 C / 350 F) for 25 minutes, they will start to get a nice golden brown coating.
Transfer the baked mini koftes in a large baking dish and pour in the pepper and tomato sauce around them, giving a gentle mix.
Bake the mini koftes in tomato and pepper sauce for a further 15 minutes. The sauce will thicken, the flavors blend in and meatballs will have a wonderful coating.
Serve hot with plain rice and Cacik dip of cucumber, yoghurt and mint if you like.

Tavuk Guvec; Turkish Chicken and Vegetable Stew in Earthenware Pot

By Ozlem Warren on June 2, 2014 in Casseroles and Stews 22

Turkish chicken and vegetable stew in earthenware pot; Tavuk Guvec

My parents are visiting from Istanbul and they brought me a wonderful guvec pot, the traditional earthenware pot, that is used for cooking chicken, meat or vegetable based dishes. This is slow cooking at its best; the flavors of the seasonal produce and choice of meat mingle and simmer over 2 hours and the earthenware guvec pot brings out its distinctive flavor. At the end of the cooking you get a delicious, melt-in- the mouth, tender stew of vegetables and meat, so worth the wait.

My treasured guvec pot, earthenware pot, came all the way from Istanbul

A little history for guvec, excerpted from “The Oxford Companion to Food” by Alan Davidson, kindly shared by My Traveling Joys; “Gyuvech is the Bulgarian name for a kind of earthenware casserole or the dish cooked in it. The name comes from the Turkish word güveç, which has the same meaning. The casserole is fairly shallow with a large surface area allowing for maximum evaporation. It comes round or oval. These vessels are found all over the Balkans are used for cooking almost anything of a savory nature, including fish as well as meat, poultry, and game dishes.” In Rural Anatolia, the guvec pots can be sealed and buried in the ashes of the fire to cook slowly overnight. It is also common for the locals in Anatolia to take their guvec pot to be baked at the bakery.

Layer the vegetables that need longer cooking period towards the bottom of the guvec pot.

This guvec is a wonderful way to use up any seasonal vegetable you have and the meat of your choice if you like. I used runner beans, eggplant, potatoes, zucchini, onions and peppers, they worked really well. When the tomatoes are in season, you can replace the chopped canned tomatoes with the fresh ones; the flavors will be even more amazing. When cooking in the clay pot, bear in mind to layer the vegetables that need longer cooking period towards the bottom of the pot. Once cooked, turn the heat off and let the Guvec rest in the earthenware pot for 30 minutes. The flavors blend and settle deliciously and the earthenware pot will keep warm for a long time.

Potato and bulgur rolls; delicious dipped into the juices of Tavuk Guvec

Potato and bulgur patties; delicious dipped into the juices of Tavuk Guvec

You may also use the cooked potatoes in this guvec pot to make this delicious Patatesli, bulgur kofte; potato and bulgur patties We love dipping these rolls into the delicious juices of the guvec. I love the all in one pot casseroles and “tencere yemekleri” in Turkish cuisine; they are wholesome, easy and healthy meals and great for entertaining and many options included at my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland. Signed hardback copies available at this link and delivered worldwide including US and Canada.

Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book, signed copies available at this link

Delicious Tavuk Guvec, Turkish chicken and vegetable stew in earthenware pot

I hope you enjoy this delicious, tender and healthy guvec It is a bountiful dish and a great crowd pleaser, the leftovers also freeze well. If you don’t have a clay / earthenware pot, a cast iron casserole dish, a heavy ramekin dish or a heavy based pot like Le Creuset would work too. For a vegetarian version, simply omit the meat. Mushrooms would work really well here instead of meat.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

5.0 from 3 reviews

Tavuk Guvec; Turkish Chicken and Vegetable Stew in Earthenware Pot

I hope you enjoy this delicious, tender and healthy Tavuk Guvec, slowly cooked in a traditional earthenware guvec pot. It is a bountiful dish and a great crowd pleaser, the leftovers also freeze well. If you don’t have a clay / earthenware pot, a cast iron casserole dish, a heavy ramekin dish or a heavy based pot like Le Creuset would work too. For a vegetarian version, simply omit the meat. Mushrooms would work really well here instead of meat for a vegetarian version.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Turkish Chicken Casserole in Earthenware Pot

Cuisine: Turkish Cuisine

Serves: 8

Ingredients

450gr / 1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into 3 -4 chunks
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
3 medium potatoes, skinned, quartered
1 green and 1 red bell (or pointy) pepper, coarsely chopped
250 gr fresh runner (or French, dwarf) beans, trimmed and cut in three parts
2 small or 1 large zucchini, sliced
1 eggplant (aubergine), quartered and cut in small chunks
1 can of 400 gr/14 oz. chopped tomatoes
15ml /1 tbsp. red pepper paste (optional)
15 ml/ 1 tbsp. tomato paste
2 lb. / 4 cups of water
30 ml/ 2 tbsp. olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste
Red pepper flakes to serve
Dollops of plain yoghurt to serve

Instructions

Spread the eggplant slices over a tray and sprinkle salt over them. After 15 minutes, dry the eggplants with paper towel to get rid of its bitter juices.
Heat the olive oil in the pot and stir in chicken pieces and onion. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and red pepper paste and sauté for another 3 minutes.
Now, start layering the vegetables, bearing in mind to layer the vegetables that need longer cooking period towards the bottom of the pan.
Layer the potato slices over the chicken, then the runner beans.
Next layer the bell peppers, courgettes and aubergine (eggplant).
Stir in the chopped tomatoes and water.
Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, as well as red pepper flakes if you like more heat.
Do not stir the guvec pot; cover and start cooking at medium heat, until it starts to bubble.
Once bubbling, turn the heat to low and simmer and gently cook for 2 hours, covered.
Once cooked, turn the heat off and let the Guvec rest in the earthenware pot for 30 minutes. The flavors blend and settle deliciously. Check the seasoning and add more salt and ground black pepper if needed.
You can serve Tavuk guvec with these flavorful potato & bulgur patties and a dollop of plain yoghurt aside.

Baked Zucchini (courgette) halves with vegetables and chickpeas (garbanzo beans) -Nohutlu Kabak Dolmasi

By Ozlem Warren on February 10, 2014 in Gluten-free recipes, Regional Signature Dishes; Mains, Sides and Desserts, Vegetables Cooked in Olive Oil 20

I previously made the delicious stuffed zucchini halves with ground meat, vegetables and chickpeas or garbanzo beans, inspired by my home town, Antioch’s (Antakya) cuisine. I was asked for a vegetarian version of this dish during my Turkish cookery class past Saturday and there came this delicious dish. The meaty mushrooms, onions, peppers made a scrumptious filling and worked so well with chickpeas. With a touch of heat by the Turkish hot pepper paste, biber salcasi & Turkish red pepper flakes and the refreshing dried mint, we had an at least equally delicious vegetarian stuffed zucchini that we all very much enjoyed.

Stuffed zucchini with onions, mushrooms, pepper and chickpeas, in tomato sauce

I also used a little pomegranate molasses, nar eksisi, to add a delicious sweet & sour taste to the zucchini halves. Pomegranate molasses is used a lot especially in Southern Turkish cuisine in salad dressings like in this Gavurdagi Salad of tomatoes, onions and walnuts or in bulgur wheat salad, kisir; a little bit of it adds a great punch.

You can prepare this healthy dish ahead of time and the leftovers freeze beautifully. Please save the flesh of the zucchini or courgettes that you scooped out. They are delicious & wholesome cooked with onions, tomatoes & dried mint in this bulgur pilaf .

Serves 4-6

Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 50-55 minutes

3 chunky zucchini/courgette

200gr/7oz chestnut mushrooms, wiped clean and finely chopped

1 green bell pepper, finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, crushed and finely chopped

200gr/7oz (1/2 can of) chopped tomatoes

200gr/7oz (1/2 can of) cooked chickpeas, rinsed

15ml/1 tbsp. pomegranate molasses, nar eksisi (optional)

30ml/2tablespoons olive oil

240ml/8fl oz./ 1cup water

15ml/1 tbsp. tomato paste

5 ml / 1 tsp. Turkish red pepper paste – optional-

10ml/2 tsp. dried mint

5ml/1 tsp. red pepper flakes

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

To serve:

120ml/8fl oz. plain yoghurt

1-2 garlic cloves, crushed with salt and finely chopped

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

Carefully scoop out some of the flesh to create a cavity that is large enough to stuff

Cut the zucchini in half and then in lengthways. Using a dessert spoon, carefully scoop out some of the flesh to create a cavity that is large enough to stuff the filling (Please save the flesh of the zucchini that you scooped out. They are delicious cooked in bulgur pilaf). Mix 2 tbsp. water with the pomegranate molasses (if using) and wash the inside of the courgettes with this mixture; this adds a delicious sweet & sour taste to the zucchini.

Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) combined with vegetables make a delicious filling

Heat the oil in a heavy pan. Stir in the onions and garlic and cook until light golden. Add the mushrooms, bell pepper and hot pepper paste (if using). Season with salt and pepper and sauté for about 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and the cooked chickpeas, mix well. Add the red pepper flakes and the dried mint, combine well. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes. Turn the heat off; the filling is ready.

Take a spoonful of the filling and stuff the zucchini halves.

Grease a baking tray with 1 tbsp. olive oil and place the scooped zucchini. Take a spoonful of the filling and stuff the zucchini halves, taking care not to over fill them. Dilute the tomato paste with the water and pour on the tray. Cover and bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes. After this, uncover and bake for a further 10 minutes for a lightly brown finish.

While the zucchini halves are baking, prepare your garlic yoghurt. In a bowl, mix the plain yoghurt with the chopped garlic. Serve the stuffed zucchini hot, with the garlic yoghurt by the side. You can make this wonderful bulgur pilaf using the flesh of the zucchini we scooped out; they complement each very nicely and you get a complete meal.

Baked zucchini halves with vegetables & chickpeas; great with garlic yoghurt aside

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Istanbul is Calling!

Turkish tea, Cay, Simit and Istanbul’s Bosphorus; a heavenly combination

Indeed Istanbul is calling and I can hardly wait! I will be in Istanbul next week, the city that makes my heart beats fast, a feast to all senses. Greatly looking forward to seeing family, friends and feeling the beat of this fascinating city.

The very atmospheric Spice Market, Misir Carsisi, Istanbul – feast to all senses

I also very much look forward to sharing delicious Turkish cuisine with food lovers at my Turkish cookery class on Wednesday, 19^th February at the Istanbul Culinary Institute. I will be in touch soon with delicious memories from home!

With my best wishes, Selamlar,

Ozlem