We absolutely love Mucver in Turkish cuisine; vegetarian fritters with herbs and cheese. In the past I shared my Courgette/zucchini fritters, Kabak Mucveri as well as the Baked cauliflower with vegetables version, Firinda Karnabahar Mucveri recipes, as also in my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table. They are the perfect patties, great as a mezze; small bite size fritters are wonderful for entertaining too.
Make sure to chop the leeks finely and knead and soften with your hands, with salt.
This time, I experimented using leeks in the fritters. I added wholesome chickpea (gram) flour in the mixture, rather than plain flour this time. I have been enjoying the gram flour recently; it is a pulse flour made from ground chickpea, it is gluten-free, nutty, earthy tasting and packed with goodness. Great in these fritters too. Of course you can use plain flour here instead, if you wish. I also added grated carrots to these fritters, they gave a lovely natural sweetness and crunch.
These Leek fritters, Pirasa mucveri, turned out great. I also baked some in the oven as a variation (in a greased baking dish at 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 for about 35 minutes); they turned equally tasty and lighter in flavor. Enjoy them with a good squeeze of lemon and garlicy yoghurt by the side.
Afiyet Olsun,
Ozlem
- 200g/7oz (2 medium) carrots, grated
- 430g/15oz (3-4 medium leeks), trimmed, quartered and chopped finely
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 small bunch dill, finely chopped Handful of flat parsley, finely chopped
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 150g/5oz Turkish white cheese, beyaz peynir or feta cheese
- 75ml/5 tablespoons chickpea (gram) flour Or all-purpose/plain flour
- 5ml/1 teaspoon Turkish pul biber or chili flakes (optional)
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- Canola oil, groundnut oil or sunflower oil for shallow frying
- Wedges of lemon to serve
- Preheat the oven to 180 C/ 350 F (if you wish to bake the fritters)
- Place the finely chopped leeks in a large bowl. Sprinkle a good pinch of salt (1-2 tsp) over the leeks, and rub and mix with your hands. Please do this stage with your hands, rather than with a spoon, as mixing with your hands will soften the leeks.
- Grate the carrots. Take a couple of sheets of sturdy paper towel, place the grated carrots in it and gently squeeze out the excess moisture.
- Combine the grated carrots with the leeks in a large bowl. Transfer the gram flour (or plain flour, if you wish) to the large bowl and stir in the beaten eggs. Crumble the Turkish white cheese, beyaz peynir or feta cheese and combine in the large bowl. Add the chopped garlic, dill and parsley, season with salt and ground black pepper. Sprinkle the pul biber or red pepper flakes, if you enjoy a little heat. Combine well into a batter (take care not to add extra salt if your cheese is already salty).
- In a frying pan, heat enough groundnut, sunflower or canola oil to shallow fry. Using a tablespoon, drop the batter mix into the hot oil spoonful by spoonful, leaving space between each one. Fry over a medium heat for about 2-3 minutes each side until both sides are golden brown. Remove with a straining spoon and drain on an absorbent kitchen paper towel.
- Alternatively, if you would like a lighter flavor, you can bake your mucver in a preheated oven at 180C / 350F. If you choose this way, grease a baking dish with 1 tablespoon light olive oil or groundnut oil. Place spoonfuls of the batter on the baking tray, leaving about 1”/2.5cm space between each spoonful batter. Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes, until they are gold and getting crispy around the edges.
- For garlic yoghurt, crush a garlic clove with salt and finely chop. Combine the plain yoghurt and garlic and beat until smooth. Add salt to taste.
- Serve the fritters warm, at room temperature or cold with wedges of lemon and garlic yoghurt at the side.
- Afiyet Olsun.
Let’s Make Pide! Online (Zoom) Turkish Cookery Class – SOLD OUT
Saturday, February 27th, 2021
Vegetarian Pide, from Ozlem’s Turkish Table – join us to learn how to make it; image by Sian Irvine Photography
Date: Saturday, February 27th 2021
Time: 6pm-7.30pm (GMT)
Cost: 30 GBP (40 USD) per person
Please join us at my online (zoom) cookery class, where I will be demonstrating how to make the popular Pide; our Oval flatbreads with various toppings, on Saturday, February 27th, 6pm-7.30pm (GMT). I will demonstrate Pide with minced (ground) meat with vegetables topping, Kiymali Pide, as well as Vegetarian Pide with cheese, spinach, peppers. We will also do a variation, Karadeniz style, with a cracked egg on top. I will also demonstrate how to make our delicious Ezme dip with tomatoes, peppers, onions and herbs, to go with the Pide.
You will get plenty of ahead of time preparation tips, ideas for substitution and with stories from my homeland. Recording of the class will also be sent to the participants for limited viewing. The class would also make a wonderful gift for a foodie.
A recent review on Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book:
(thank you very much, Hannah, for your kind words):
“Thank you Ozlem, such a wonderful book. I have made many of the recipes already and my family loved them all. My daughter is so happy as they are just like Babannes.”
It is the best compliment hearing folks enjoy my recipes from my homeland, and they bring happy memories, my sincere thanks to everyone left a review on Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book. Signed copies are 25 % Off via GBPublishing at this link and delivered worldwide, including the US.
