Tag Archives | Ozlem’s Turkish Table

Sautéed Liver with Red Onion, Parsley and Sumac Salad; Ciger Tava

By Ozlem Warren on March 30, 2015 in Appetizers and Mezes 32

Turkish Style Sauteed Liver with Red Onion, Parsley and Sumaz Piyaz Salad; Ciger Tava or Arnavut Cigeri

I was delighted to spot calf’s liver at my butcher the other day and decided to make our popular dish, Ciger Tava, Sautéed Liver, served with red onions, parsley and sumac piyaz salad. Also known as Arnavut Cigeri in Turkey, this is an easy and delicious way to enjoy liver flavored with red pepper flakes, accompanied by sumac flavored red onion & parsley salad. With a squeeze of lemon over, it is great to see even those who may pass liver normally, enjoy this way of preparing.

I used calf’s liver as it was available but try also lamb’s liver if you can get it; utterly delicious prepared this way and a hugely popular mezze at home. We enjoyed it as a main course, accompanied by these delicious Potato and Bulgur rolls with pomegranate molasses, Patatesli, Bulgurlu Kofte aside.

Delicious and easy sauteed liver with red onion, parsley and sumac salad; Ciger Tava

Tip: The trick with cooking liver is that it needs to be stir fried quickly for a few minutes each side so it browns slightly and gets crispy outside but stays moist and soft inside. So please prepare your red onion, parsley and sumac salad first and then cook the liver so that you can serve straight after cooking over the salad, with a wedge of lemon aside.

We have a rich meze tradition in Turkish cuisine with a healthy, wide range choices of salads, dips, mezzes, vegetables cooked in olive to share with family and friends, including this Sauteed liver dish – all included in my cookery book. Ozlem’s Turkish Table, available to order (with a prompt delivery) at this link.

Ozlem’s Turkish Table Cookery Book, available to order at this link

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

4.9 from 7 reviews

Sautéed Liver with Red Onion, Parsley and Sumac Salad; Ciger Tava

Sauteed liver Turkish style, Ciger Tava or Arnavut Cigeri, as it is also known, is an easy and delicious way to enjoy liver with red pepper flakes. Sumac flavored red onion & parsley piyaz salad accompanies the sauteed liver very well; serve with a wedge of lemon aside, for an extra zing, flavor and freshness.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Turkish mezzes with liver

Cuisine: Turkish Cuisine

Serves: 4

Ingredients

500 gr/ 1 ¼ lb. fresh lamb’s or calf’s liver
60 ml / 4 tbsp. light olive oil
45 ml/ 3 tbsp. all-purpose (plain) flour
10 ml/ 2 tsp. red pepper flakes or chili flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the red onion, parsley and sumac piyaz salad:
1 large red onion, cut in half lengthways and thinly sliced
Handful of flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
10 ml/ 2 tsp. ground sumac
1 lemon cut in wedges

Instructions

Make the piyaz salad first. Slice the red onion and rub 1-2 tsp salt (preferable sea salt) into the onion slices; this will soften the onions and make them more palatable. Stir in the chopped parsley, ground sumac and black pepper, combine well. Spread the piyaz salad on a serving dish and set aside.
Slice the liver into chunky bites or stripes (removing skin or ducts).
Spread the flour on a tray and stir in the red pepper flakes, salt and ground black pepper, mix well. Toss the sliced liver into the flour mixture and make sure all liver pieces have a light coating of the flour mixture.
Heat the olive oil is a wide, heavy pan. In the meantime, place absorbent kitchen paper towel on a clean tray.
Toss in the liver into the hot pan with olive oil and sauté on high heat for about 2-3 minutes each side. The liver pieces will become crispy and have a light brown coating outside but still will be moist and soft inside. Once cooked, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper towel.
Serve immediately over the bed of red onion, parsley and sumac salad. We like to serve with a wedge of lemon and squeeze the lemon juicer over the liver while eating; it gives a lovely refreshing taste to the liver and complements the red onion salad well.

Notes

The trick with cooking liver is that it needs to be stir fried quickly for a few minutes each side so it browns slightly and gets crispy outside but stays moist and soft inside. So please prepare your red onion, parsley and sumac salad first and then cook the liver so that you can serve straight after cooking with a wedge of lemon.

Potato, red onion, pepper and olive bake with cumin and chili flakes

By Ozlem Warren on October 27, 2014 in Appetizers and Mezes, Gluten-free recipes, Vegetables Cooked in Olive Oil 17

Baked potatoes, peppers, red onion and olives with cumin and red pepper flakes

Merhaba to you all; this week, I would like to share this favorite easy, delicious all in one vegetarian course – Spiced potatoes, onions, pepper and olives baked in olive oil. Touch of warm, pungent cumin and spicy Turkish red pepper flakes add a lot of flavor to the vegetables here, especially to the humble potato, transforming their taste to a new level. The sweetness of peppers and red onions also give a lovely contrast to juicy, salty olives and complement one another really well. As always, it is all about using a few good, seasonal ingredients and you have a delicious, wholesome dish in hand in less than 1 hour.

Combine the spices and the seasoning with the vegetables and olives, giving them a good mix, before baking

You can serve this comforting, gluten-free course as a side to grills or as part of a mezze spread. It can be also be a delicious, light main course on its own with the Cacik dip of cucumber, yoghurt with dried mint and some crusty bread aside. You can also bake this dish ahead of time and give it a gentle reheat in the oven just before serving. Try to get good quality olives; Turkish, Italian, Spanish or Greek Kalamata olives all work well and really make a difference.

Turkish cuisine is healthy, delicious and packed full of easy, wholesome vegetarian options like this recipe. I am passionate about my homeland’s scrumptious Turkish cuisine; over 90 authentic Turkish recipes are included at my Gourmand award winner cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland. Signed copies are available at this link and delivered worldwide.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

5.0 from 2 reviews

Potato, red onion, pepper and olive bake with cumin and chili flakes

Hope you enjoy this delicious all in one vegetarian course - Spiced potatoes, onions, pepper and olives baked in olive oil. Touch of warm, pungent cumin and spicy red pepper flakes add a lot of flavor to the vegetables here, especially to the humble potato, transforming their taste to a new level. You can serve this lovely, gluten-free course as a side to grills or as part of a mezze spread.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Vegetables baked in olive oil with spices

Cuisine: Turkish Cuisine

Serves: 6

Ingredients

1kg / 2.2 lb. medium potatoes, quartered
2 medium red onions, cut in half and thinly sliced
2 red bell pepper (or pointy pepper), deseeded, quartered and thinly sliced
12- 14 good quality black olives, pitted and halved
15 ml/ 3 tsp. ground cumin
10 ml / 2 tsp. Turkish red pepper flakes or chili flakes (you can use more for a spicier taste)
30 ml / 2 tbsp. olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200 C/ 400 F
Put the quartered potatoes in a large enough pan with plenty of cold water.
Parboil or partially cook the potatoes for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a pan and stir in the sliced red onions and peppers. Sautee for 5 minutes, until they start to soften up, turn the heat off.
Grease the baking tray with a good drizzle (about 2 tbsp.) of olive oil. Combine the parboiled potatoes, sautéed red onions, peppers and the pitted black olives in the tray. Include any remaining olive oil in the pan of the sautéed red onions and peppers to the baking tray.
Stir in the ground cumin and red pepper flakes over the vegetables. Season with salt and ground black pepper.
Using your hands, combine the spices and the seasoning with the vegetables and olives, giving them a good mix.
Bake for 35 minutes at 200 C/ 400 F and serve hot.

Turkish Flat Breads with Spinach, Feta and Peppers; Peynirli Pide

By Ozlem Warren on September 1, 2014 in Appetizers and Mezes, Savory Pastries, Turkish Street Food 30

Turkish flatbreads with feta, spinach, onion and peppers; Peynirli ve Sebzeli Pide

Pide is one of the most popular snacks and our slow cooked “fast food” in Turkey. In Rural Anatolia and at my home town Antakya, locals would prepare the filling and take it to their local bakery, firin to be baked as these delicious flat breads with toppings. There are also “Pideci” Turkish flat bread shops that solely bake and serve these flat breads. Great value, delicious and nutritious, we can’t get enough of pides.

Feta cheese, onions, spinach and peppers make a delicious vegetarian topping for the Pide, Turkish flat breads with toppings.

Pide can be made in various toppings; some favorite toppings are ground meat & onion (here is recipe for the Turkish flat breads with ground meat and onion, Kiymali Pide),Turkish kasar (cheddar) cheese, feta cheese & spinach, cheese and pastrami (Turkish dried beef), cheese and Turkish spicy sauage (sucuk). Sometimes an egg or two can be cracked over pide towards the end of baking too, as in some examples of Karadeniz Pidesi a specialty of a pide prepared in the Black Sea region.

This pide recipe and many more are included at my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland, along with stunning photography and personal stories. Signed copies are available at this link and delivered worldwide including the USA.

Sade Peynirli pide; pide with mild cheddar cheese – one of the many we enjoyed while in Bodrum

We do enjoy this combination of spinach, feta, onions and pepper; sautéed onions and pepper add a delicious sweetness. There is also a gentle but lovely heat from the Turkish red pepper paste, biber salcasi (optional), for a delicious balance. You can also use grated mozarella or mild cheddar cheese instead of feta cheese. I hope you enjoy this vegetarian Turkish specialty, our version of pizza, packed with flavor and have a chance to recreate at home.

Turkish vegetarian flat breads with feta cheese, peppers, onion and spinach, Peynirli, Sebzeli Pide

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

4.0 from 4 reviews

Turkish Flat Breads with Spinach, Feta and Peppers; Peynirli Pide

I hope you enjoy this delicious, easy to recreate Turkish flat breads with vegetarian toppings; Peynirli ve Sebzeli Pide. They are the ultimate snack and our "to go" food, our version of "Pizza". Spinach, feta cheese, onions, peppers and a hint of red pepper paste make a delicious, healthy vegetarian topping; a real crowd pleaser.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Turkish flat breads with vegetarian toppings

Cuisine: Turkish Cuisine

Serves: 8 (makes 2 pides)

Ingredients

For the dough:
300 gr/ 10½ oz + 2 tbsp. all-purpose plain flour
14 gr/4 tsp. dried yeast (2 packs of 7gr dried yeast)
1tsp sugar
1tsp sea salt
8 fl. oz. /1 cup warm water
45ml/3 tbsp. olive oil
For the topping:
1 medium onion, finely chopped
200 gr/7 oz. spinach leaves, washed and pat dried
200gr/ 7 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
1 red bell pepper, deseeded and cut in half lengthways and thinly sliced
15 ml/ 1 tbsp. Turkish red pepper paste (optional; you can use ½ tsp. if you prefer less spicy or omit)
15 ml/ 1 tbsp. olive oil
Salt (optional, as feta cheese maybe quite salty too) and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 egg + 15 ml/ 1 tbsp. olive oil to brush the pide

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180 C/ 350 F
Stir in the dried yeast and sugar in a small bowl and pour in ½ cup warm water. Dissolve the yeast in water, mixing with your fingers. Set aside for the yeast mixture to get frothy for 5 minutes.
Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and pour in 2 tbsp. olive oil and the yeast mixture. Pour in the remaining ½ warm water to the flour mixture. Using your hands, draw in the flour from the sides and work the mixture into a dough. Knead for 3 -5 minutes, until you reach a soft, smooth dough. The dough gets sticky as you knead, so pour the remaining 1 tbsp. olive oil and stir in additional 2 tbsp. flour to help shape into a soft dough.
Place the dough in large bowl and cover with a cling film. Leave it in a warm place for minimum 1 hour; it will be doubled in size.
In the meantime, prepare your filling. Heat 15ml/1tbsp. olive oil in a wide heavy pan and stir in the onions and peppers. Sauté the onions and peppers for 3-5 minutes over medium heat, until they start to soften. Turn the heat off and stir in the spinach, red pepper paste (if using) and feta cheese, combine well. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper; the topping is ready.
Once the dough is risen, place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough for a minute then divide the dough into two pieces and roll into two balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough balls into 2 oval shapes of 20 cm x 40 cm (about 8”x16”), with ½ cm (0.2”) thickness.
Line a large baking tray with baking paper and place the 2 oval flat bread dough on the tray.
Spread the filling evenly over the 2 flat breads, leaving 2 cm at the edges as a border with no filling (I’ve found it’s easier to spread the filling while the oval dough is in the tray). Fold in the sides to act as border to keep the filling intact. Squeeze the oval dough at each end to make it pointy.
Beat an egg in a small bowl and mix it with 1 tbsp. olive oil. Brush the edges of dough with this mixture. Bake for 25 minutes, until the pides golden brown and crispy at the edges.
Once cool, cut into slices and serve.