Tag Archives | healty Turkish vegetarian mezzes

Baked Cauliflower with feta, dill, onions; Karnabahar Mucveri

By Ozlem Warren on April 6, 2015 in Appetizers and Mezes 34

Baked Cauliflower with feta, dill, onions; Firinda Karnabahar Mucveri

Inspired by the delicious Zucchini/courgette fritters with feta; Mucver, as we call it in Turkish, this time I made this wonderful dish using cauliflowers. Rather than frying, I baked the cauliflower florets flavored with feta, dill, onions in the oven. The result has been equally delicious and lighter in flavor, served with a refreshing wedge of lemon aside.

I love cauliflower’s firm texture and you can flavor it easily with herbs, olive oil and lemon juice. During our Culinary tour to Turkey a few years ago, we made the cauliflower fritters with feta and dill at our Aegean style cookery class in Sirince; they were scrumptious with garlic yoghurt aside. Here is also my YouTube video on how to make this lovely Baked cauliflower dish:

Stir in the chopped red onions, spring (green onions), parsley, dill, olive oil and the crumbled feta cheese to the bowl with the cauliflower florets.

Stir in the chopped red onions, spring (green onions), parsley, dill, olive oil and the crumbled feta cheese to the bowl along with the cauliflower florets.

I am happy to report that baking rather than frying works very well in this dish. It is easier, lighter and still packed with flavor. Dill, parsley, spring onions, red onions pack a punch and flavor the cauliflowers very nicely, along with feta cheese. You can add some red pepper flakes to the mixture for a pleasant heat, if you like. There’s also no need to cook the cauliflowers beforehand.

You can serve this baked cauliflower florets with Cacik dip of yoghurt with cucumber and garlic or the Shepherd’s Salad; it would make a delicious lunch or light supper with crusty bread and wedge of lemon aside. Baked Cauliflower with feta, dill, onions, Firinda Karnabahar Mucveri would also accompany grills well – delicious hot or cold.

Baked Cauliflower with feta, dill, onions; Firinda Karnabahar Mucveri

If you enjoy wonderful hot and cold mezes, vegetables cooked in olive oil like this dish and more, I have included a large variety of vegetarian courses in my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland. Signed copies are now 25 % OFF at this link and delivered worldwide including the US, for a limited time. We also have this seasonal Ozlem’s Turkish Table apron, with the embroidery of my hometown Antakya’s celebrated daphne leaves in the design. It can make a lovely gift, if you like to order here.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

4.8 from 13 reviews

Baked Cauliflower with feta, dill, onions; Karnabahar Mucveri

An utterly delicious vegetarian Turkish appetizer, featuring cauliflowers, flavored with feta cheese, onions, dill, parsley. Baking works very well here, the result is a lovely, light vegetarian dish; delicious hot or cold.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Vegetarian Turkish Appetizers

Cuisine: Turkish Cuisine

Serves: 6

Ingredients

1 medium cauliflower (about 850 gr), cut into small florets
180 gr / 6 ½ oz. feta cheese, drained and crumbled
4 tbsp. / 60 ml all purpose (plain flour) – use gluten-free flour for gluten-free version
3 medium eggs, beaten
½ red onion, finely chopped
3 spring (green) onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Small bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Small bunch of fresh dill, finely chopped
30 ml/ 2 tbsp. olive oil
10 ml/ 2 tsp. red pepper flakes or chili flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Wedges of lemon to serve
22 cm x 22 cm (7”x7”) baking dish recommended

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F
Cut the cauliflower in small florets, wash and drain the excess water in a colander/sieve.
Beat the eggs in a small bowl.
Place the drained cauliflower florets in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the chopped red onions, garlic, spring (green onions), parsley, dill, olive oil and the crumbled feta cheese to the bowl.
Season with salt, ground black peppers and chili (red pepper flakes). Using your hands, combine all the ingredients. At this stage, you can check the seasoning – add more salt or peppers to your taste.
Stir in the beaten egg and flour to the cauliflower mixture and combine well.
Grease your baking dish with 15 ml/ 1 tbsp. olive oil and pour in the mixture to the baking dish.
Bake in the preheated oven (180 C / 350 F) for 25 – 30 minutes, until the cauliflower florets have a nice light brown color on top.
Slice and serve hot with a wedge of lemon and crusty bread aside. Cacik dip of yoghurt with diced cucumber and garlic or Shepherd’s salad with tomatoes, cucumbers and spring onion in lemon juice and olive oil dressing would go well with this delicious dish.

Patties with Potato, Bulgur, Onion and Parsley – Patatesli, Bulgurlu Kofte

By Ozlem Warren on January 7, 2011 in Appetizers and Mezes, Ozlem’s Turkish Table Cookery Book 19

Bulgur and potato patties, bulgurlu, patatesli kofte; delicious to dip into sauces

These patties are healthy, moist, easy to make and delicious; you just can’t stop eating them. They look similar to the bulgur and lentil patties I made previously(recipe in the blog, under appetizers and mezes), they have a different texture though, softer and more moist.You can serve them as a starter meze on a bed of lettuce leaves to wrap, or with bowl of olive oil and pomegranate molasses (or some sharp balsamic vinegar) by the side to dip in. In Southern Turkey, it is common to dip these patties to the sauce of stew and casseroles. I recently served them by the side of the aubergine, shallots and meat stew and they went down very well, disappeared very quickly 🙂

You can prepare them a day in advance, the flavors get even better the next day. Turkish hot pepper paste, biber salcasi, add a wonderful flavor to the patties; you can make your own hot pepper paste here , if you like. Add more red pepper flakes if you like it more spicy. Traditionally, fine bulgur is used in these patties; if you can’t find fine bulgur, you can use coarse bulgur, which is widely available in supermarkets; in that case, double the hot water amount and cook the course bulgur first in hot water as per the package.

Signed copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table book, available to order at this link

We use seasonal produce, bulgur, whole grains, legumes and pulses a lot in Turkish cuisine, and flavour with natural condiments such as olive oil, pomegranate molasses, southern Turkish way. This recipe and many more wholesome, authentic recipes included in my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland; signed copies available at this link, delivered worldwide including US and Canada.

Serves 8 -10
Preparation time : 15-20 minutes Cooking time : 25 minutes

175gr/6oz/1 cup fine bulgur, rinsed and drained
4 medium potatoes, skinned and quartered
45-60ml/3-4 tablespoon olive oil
3 spring onions, finely chopped
Handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 tablespoon red pepper paste (optional)
1 – 2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoon/10ml ground cumin
120ml/ 4fl oz hot water
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Bowl of cold water to wet your hands

Extra virgin olive oil and pomegranate molasses (or sharp balsamic vinegar) to serve

In a large bowl, combine the bulgur, red pepper paste, biber salcasi (or red pepper flakes) and spring onion, mix well with using your hands. This will help the paste or the spice to really blend in with the bulgur and the spring onions. Add the hot water on the mixture and give a good stir. Leave it aside for about 15 minutes and stir once in a while so that all the water would be absorbed.

Boil the potatoes in salted water until cooked, drain the water. Mash the potatoes in a separate bowl with cumin. Add the olive oil, salt and ground pepper and knead the potatoes with your hands really well, until they are smooth and elastic. Stir in the potatoes with the bulgur mixture, and add the parsley, mix well with your hands. Check the seasoning and add more salt if needed. Have the bowl of water ready by your side. Wet your hands with the water and take a walnut size from the mixture and shape like patties using your hands. Place them side by side on a serving dish.

Put some extra virgin olive oil and pomegranate molasses (or sharp balsamic vinegar) on a small bowl and serve the patties with them for dipping. The patties are also wonderful served on a bed of lettuce leaves.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Runner (green) beans cooked in olive oil; Zeytinyagli Taze Fasulye

By Ozlem Warren on May 27, 2010 in Appetizers and Mezes, Vegetables Cooked in Olive Oil 5

Green beans or runner beans cooked in olive oil with vegetables; Zeytinyagli Taze Fasulye

I was delighted to spot some lovely runner beans in my local market the other day; they are packed with flavor and freshness and we like to cook them in olive oil with onions and tomatoes.

This is such an easy, delicious and healthy vegetarian course that you can serve as a starter or an accompaniment to grilled meat. Green beans cooked this way are a great national favorite. Enjoyed by the urban and rural families alike, there are varying theories of how to achieve the best result. Traditionally, zeytinyagli dishes (vegetables cooked in olive oil) are prepared in advance and served at room temperature, as a meze or vegetable course. French, runner and dwarf beans are all suitable to be prepared this way. Once cooked, you can store in the fridge for a good 2-3 days, great for entertaining and festivities too.

Green beans cooked this way is delicious when combined with bulgur, rice or quiona too, as in this Bulgur pilaf with green beans recipe, at my new book, SEBZE, Vegetarian recipes from my Turkish kitchen. You can get a copy of SEBZE here, worldwide.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Serves 4 – 6
Preparation time – 15 minutes Cooking time – 40 minutes

500 gr / 1.1 lb runner (green) beans, trimmed and cut into 3 pieces
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
45 ml /3 tablespoon olive oil
400 gr / 14 oz canned diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoon sugar
Salt and black pepper to taste
lemon wedges to serve

Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil for a couple of minutes. Add the beans and canned tomatoes and cook for another 1 or 2 minutes. Pour over the water, add the sugar, season with salt and pepper. Bring the liquid to the boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for about 35 minutes. Check the seasoning and add more salt if needed. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool in the pan. İn Turkish cooking, it is important for the the vegetables cooked in oil to cool and rest in the pan it is cooked for the flavors to blend well.

Transfer to a serving dish and serve with wedges of lemon to squeeze over.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem