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Semolina sponge cake with syrupy orange slices; Portakalli Revani and New Online Turkish Cooking Class!

By on December 11, 2020 in Cakes and Desserts, Ozlem’s Turkish Table Cookery Book 0

We Turks love Revani, our deliciously moist semolina sponge cake in light syrup – a popular recipe from my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table and at my cookery classes too. Recently, I came across a lovely Olive oil clementine upside down cake by Martha cooks @marthacollison, where she added clementine slices to her cake. This inspired me to have a go for my version, using semolina and orange slices.

There are many versions of Revani and traditionally when made with orange, often the zest of orange and in some cases, orange juice is used in the recipe in Turkey. With my version here, I used thinly sliced oranges cooked in syrup, as well as the fresh orange juice in the cake batter. Grainy semolina and ground almond gave a light, moist texture to the cake and the syrupy orange slices over the top of the cake made it impressive enough to serve your guests, with a citrusy, refreshing taste.  I used a mixture of demerara and regular white sugar in the syrup. I like demerara’s crunchy taste and texture, and the darker colour demerara gives; you can use regular white sugar instead for the whole amount. Please to use freshly squeezed orange juice in the syrup, as it does make a difference.

This lovely, light and so easy to make Semolina cake with zesty orange slices, Portakalli Revani, can be a wonderful addition to your festive table, or to make any day special. Serve with Turkish thick (or regular) clotted cream, kaymak, crème fraiche or strained plain yoghurt,  warm or at room temperature. This cake will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container.

Semolina sponge cake with syrupy orange slices – Portakalli Revani
 
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This lovely, light and so easy to make semolina cake with zesty orange slices, Portakalli Revani, can be a wonderful addition to your festive table, or to make any day special. Serve with Turkish thick (or regular) clotted cream, kaymak, crème fraiche or strained plain yoghurt, warm or at room temperature. This cake will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
Author:
Recipe type: Desserts and cakes
Cuisine: Turkish cuisine
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 150g /5 ¼oz coarse semolina
  • 30g / 1oz ground almond
  • 170g / 6oz sugar
  • 5ml / 1tsp baking powder
  • 3 medium free range eggs, beaten
  • 225g / 8oz plain whole milk yoghurt
  • 60ml / 4tbsp light olive oil
  • For the syrup:
  • 1 medium orange, thinly sliced into round discs (skin on)
  • 100g/ 3 ½ oz demerara sugar
  • 150g/ 5 ¼ oz white sugar
  • 85ml/ 3fl oz freshly squeezed orange juice (from 1 large orange)
  • 285ml / 10fl oz water
  • Ground pistachio nuts or desiccated coconut to serve (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 180C / 350F
  2. Grease a 20cm round cake thin with a little olive oil and line with baking parchment.
  3. Make the syrup first. Squeeze the juice of one large orange and pour it through a sieve to get rid of the pulp. Combine the demerara sugar, regular sugar, orange juice and water in a medium to large pan. Stir and heat gently until the sugar is dissolved. Then add the orange slices and simmer gently for 30 minutes, until the orange slices softened.
  4. Use a slotted spoon to gently remove the slices and arrange them side by side in the prepared cake tin. Reserve the syrup and cool aside. You can prepare the syrup with the orange slices this way a day ahead of time.
  5. Beat the eggs and combine with the sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat and combine well for a few minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Then add the olive oil, yoghurt, semolina, ground almond and the baking powder and beat well. Combine well until you have a smooth batter. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake in the pre-heated oven for about 30-35 minutes, until the cake is golden brown. To check; insert a toothpick into the centre of the cake, if it comes out clean, that means the cake is cooked. If not, bake for another 3-5 minutes.
  6. Using a large spoon, drizzle the cooled syrup all over the hot semolina cake. Let the cake absorb the syrup and cool down for 10 minutes in the tin. Then carefully turn the cake out on a large flat circle serving plate. Gently remove the baking parchment to reveal the glossy top with glazed orange slices.
  7. Slice and enjoy warm or cold (I love mine warm), sprinkled with ground pistachios or desiccated coconut over if you like.Turkish thick (or regular) clotted cream, kaymak, crème fraiche or plain strained yoghurt goes well by the side. This cake keeps well for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
  8. Afiyet Olsun.

Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book and Apron as Foodie Gifts!

It’s the gift giving season; Signed copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book could make a lovely gift to a foodie, you can order a signed copy here, it is delivered worldwide including the US.

We are also delighted to offer you this special Ozlem’s Turkish Table apron, just in time for the holiday gift giving season. It is special to my heart, as it is made in Turkey, with my hometown Antakya’s celebrated daphne leaves in the hand embroidered design – this lovely apron could also make a wonderful gift for; you can get yours at this link. Delivered worldwide including the US.

Ozlem’s Turkish Table online cookery class

 – Healthy Turkish food made easy –

Date : Saturday January 16th 2021

Time: 5.30pm – 7pm (GMT)

Cost: 30 GBP per person

Stuffed aubergines/eggplants – Karniyarik; a delicious main from Ozlem’s Turkish Table

Please join our small size online cookery class, where together we will make the Turkish classic, Stuffed aubegine/eggplant with minced/ground meat and vegetables, Karniyarik, as well as its vegan version with a filling of green lentils, tomatoes, onions in it, Mercimekli Karniyarik. We will also make the Cucumber and yoghurt, Cacik dip and finish off with Rice pilaf with pinenuts, currants and herbs, Ic Pilav. It will be a complete meal and you will get plenty of ahead of time preparation tips, ideas for substitution and with stories from my homeland.

The class would also make a wonderful gift for a foodie.

To join the class, please make your payment of 30 GBP here at the link below:


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My very best wishes to you all for the festive season and the New Year, in good health and happiness. Many thanks for joining me to enjoy and share my homeland’s delicious, wholesome Turkish cuisine.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

 

 

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Turkish Baked Rice Pudding! Ozlem Turkish Table Apron, TRT Interview and Online Classes

By on November 13, 2020 in Cakes and Desserts, Online Turkish Cookery Course, Ozlem’s Turkish Table Cookery Book 4

Turkish Baked Rice Pudding – Firin Sutlac

Milk based desserts have a special place in Turkish cuisine, like this Turkish Baked Rice Pudding, or Firin Sutlac, as we call in Turkish. We enjoy this comforting dessert, not only at the end of meals, but also as a day time treat. There are Pastanes, Patisseries, and  Muhallebici, Pudding Shops in Turkey, that serve this milk based dessert as well as other sweet treats. I have fond memories of stopping by our local muhallebici, pudding shop, to have enjoy our Firin Sutlac, with a glass of cay aside, with family and friends in Turkey.

Here’s my recreation of our creamy, comforting Firin Sutlac; it is a big hit with my family and friends,  I hope you enjoy it too. It  is lighter than you think, there is no butter in it and also gluten-free. Please use whole milk for a deliciously creamy taste, if you can. Traditional Turkish rice puddings are made with regular white granulated sugar but I used demerara sugar, as it is our preferred sugar in our home– hence my rice pudding is more golden in colour and less sweet than the regular Firin Sutlac. Even though Firin Sutlac is enjoyed cold in Turkey, I must say we love it warm. We also like to add crushed nuts and dried freeze berries on top; you can sprinkle ground cinnamon when serving too. My children like to have fresh berries with their Baked rice pudding; very tempting to have it for breakfast this way too!

5.0 from 1 reviews
Turkish Baked Rice pudding, Firin Sutlac
 
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Here’s my recreation of our creamy, comforting Turkish Rice Pudding, Firin Sutlac; it is a big hit with my family and friends, I hope you enjoy it too. It is lighter than you think, there is no butter in it and also gluten-free. Please use whole milk for a deliciously creamy taste, if you can. Traditional Turkish rice puddings are made with regular white granulated sugar but I used demerara sugar, as it is our preferred sugar in our home– hence my rice pudding is more golden in colour and less sweet than the regular Firin Sutlac. Even though Firin Sutlac is enjoyed cold in Turkey, I must say we love it warm. We also like to add crushed nuts and dried freeze berries on top; you can sprinkle ground cinnamon when serving too. My children like to have fresh berries with their Baked rice pudding; very tempting to have it for breakfast this way too!
Author:
Recipe type: Milk Pudding
Cuisine: Turkish cuisine
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 125g / 4⅜ oz short grain rice, rinsed
  • 450ml / 16fl oz whole milk (to cook the rice at the beginning)
  • 900ml / 32fl oz whole milk (to combine with the cooked rice and rest of ingredients)
  • 200g/ 7oz demerara sugar (you can use regular white granulated sugar, if preferred)
  • 5ml / 1tsp vanilla extract
  • 45ml/ 3tbsp cornstarch
  • 80ml/ 3fl oz whole milk (to mix with the cornstarch)
  • Crushed pistachios, walnuts and/or dried berries to decorate (optional)
  • Ground cinnamon to decorate (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 200 C / 400 F
  2. Combine the rinsed short grain rice and 450ml / 16fl oz whole milk, in a medium to large heavy pot. Stir and bring to boil over medium to low heat. Once it starts bubbling, turn the heat to low, cover and cook about 20 minutes, until all the moisture is absorbed. Make sure to check and stir occasionally so the rice won’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
  3. Now add 900ml / 32fl oz whole milk to the cooked rice, stir and bring to a simmer, cooking over low to medium heat.
  4. Stir in the vanilla extract and sugar, combine well.
  5. Mix the cornstarch with 80ml/ 3fl oz whole milk in a small bowl, making sure the starch blends with the milk and form a smooth paste. Add this to the rice mixture.
  6. Combine and simmer over low to medium heat, with constant stirring, for about 25 minutes. You will notice the sauce has thickened. Turn the heat off.
  7. Pour the rice pudding into oven proof individual ramekin pots, taking care not to overfill until the top as the pudding tends to rise while baking. Place the pots on large baking dish or tray. Fill the baking tray half way with water, to provide moisture for the rice pudding.
  8. Bake in the preheated oven (200 C/ 400 F) for about 25 minutes or until the tops have a nice brown coating. Please check half way and towards the end to make sure the browning is good for your taste (and every oven is different, so it is good to keep an eye on it especially towards the end.
  9. Carefully take out the rice pudding, Firin Sutlac, from the tray. We enjoy ours warm, sprinkled with crushed pistachio, walnuts and dried freeze strawberries. You can also sprinkle cinnamon on top. If you prefer the traditional way, cool them at room temperature and refrigerate 2 -3 hours and serve cold.
  10. Afiyet Olsun.

New! Ozlem Turkish Table Apron on Sale and Special Offer

I am absolutely delighted to share with you that we designed this special Ozlem’s Turkish Table apron, just in time for the holiday gift giving season. It is special to my heart, as it is made in Turkey, with my hometown Antakya’s celebrated daphne leaves in the hand embroidered design – this lovely apron would make a wonderful gift for the festive season, you can get yours at this link. Delivered worldwide including the US.
We also have a special offer for Ozlem’s Turkish Table readers;  for a limited time, to  you can get a  signed copy of Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book bundled with this apron at a special price of £27.99. This special offer ends on 21th November 2020, if you like to get yours here is the link. Delivered worldwide including the US.
Signed hard back copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book are also 25 % Off, via GB Publishing, as a little gift from us to you, can be ordered at this link and delivered worldwide. I hope it helps bring many memorable Turkish feasts to your table.

Ozlem’s Turkish Table Interview with TRT Radio 1 (Turkish National Radio 1)

It’s been an honor to be interviewed by the Turkish National Radio, TRT Radyo 1, at the Gunebakan Program today, talking about Turkish cuisine abroad. A special moment for me, talking in Turkish, at my homeland’s national radio channel. As we talked during the interview, our  recipes are  valuable means to share our thousands years of our culinary heritage with the world and pass on to the next generations. Also living abroad, I well know how precious our food is to connect us to our homeland, our memories and bring our stories to life. It is such a privilege to share my homeland Turkey’s amazing culinary heritage, traditions, recipes, hospitality, through these precious opportunities and my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland. My sincere thanks goes to GB Publishing and Pinar Foods UK for helping me spread the word on wholesome, delicious Turkish cuisine.
Here is the link to our interview with TRT Radio 1, I hope you enjoy it:

 I am absolutely delighted  to be teaching another  joint live cookery class with dear friend, author and passionate food blogger, Peri Avari  owner of the wonderful blog Peri’s Spice Ladle on Friday, November 20th, 9 am PT (5 pm UK) .We will be teaching festive dishes with Turkish favorites and global Indian specialties for your holiday servings, including the popular Filo Triangles with vegetarian fillings, Muska Boregi. Our menu includes:

    • Muska Boregi, vegetarian savory filo triangles, ideal appetizer for holiday meals.

    • Nar eksili, cevizli salata, watercress salad with sumac, onions, walnuts and pomegranate molasses, adds freshness to your celebration servings.

    • Aloo Gobi Casserole, a festive baked twist on a popular Indian favorite made with potatoes, cauliflower and a topping of Panko breadcrumbs.

    • Pine-nut Coconut Basmati Rice, bring in a touch of Indian ethnicity with a simple side of nutty rice.

    • During the class, we will give recipe tips, ideas for variations, ahead of time prepping and of course share stories from our homelands. Do hope you can join us at this special class to make the home cooking more festive. Here is the registation link for our online cookery class on November 20th; it is open worldwide.

    • Please also check my cookery class page for new classes and events coming up, including my Turkish Meze Feast Online Cooking Class on Dec 5th, with Milk Street Cooking School.

    • I wish you all a wonderful holiday season, in good health and happiness, Afiyet Olsun,

    • Ozlem

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Bulgur pilaf with freekeh, aubergine, tomatoes – Firikli Sebzeli Bulgur Pilavi

By on September 4, 2020 in Ozlem’s Turkish Table Cookery Book, Regional Signature Dishes; Mains, Sides and Desserts 8

I love freekeh’s nutty, smoky flavor – it used to feature at lot at my grandmother’s table in Antakya; she would combine freekeh with seasonal vegetables, meat or sometimes just with bulgur and fresh butter, which always tasted heavenly.

This dish is popular in southern Turkish cuisine, using the season’s bountiful tomatoes and aubergines / eggplant or patlican. The meaty aubergines and juicy tomatoes are a great match here with the wholegrains – a fantastic, all in one pot plant based dish. Locals in southern Turkey use the glorious, ripe tomatoes in this dish; I opted to use a good quality chopped can tomatoes as living abroad, it is not always easy to get ripe, sun kissed tomatoes. I did however use some sliced fresh tomatoes – as ripe as I could find- to decorate the top of this lovely dish, and it added extra freshness and flavour.

Some backround information on freekeh. Firik, (as in Turkish) or Freekeh (sometimes spelled frikeh)  or farik is a cereal  food made from green drum wheat that goes through a roasting process in its production.  Firik is a popular and ancient grain used Middle Eastern & Southern Turkish cuisine and also popular in Levantine, Egyptian, Arabian Peninsula and North African cuisine. The wheat is harvested while the grains are yellow and the seeds are still soft; it is then piled and sun-dried. The piles are then carefully set on fire so only the straw and chaff burn and not the seeds. It is the high moisture content of the seeds that prevents them from burning. The now roasted wheat undergoes further thrashing and sun-drying to make the flavor, texture, and color uniform. It is this thrashing or rubbing process of the grains that gives this food its name, farīk or “rubbed.” The seeds are now cracked into smaller pieces so they look like a green bulgur.

This delicious, ancient grain freekeh is a similar food made from barley and it is also mentioned in the Bible. Freekeh is also considered as a superfood, as in the category of the healthy grains such as quinoa and farro. Freekeh has at least four times as much fiber  as some other comparable grains, consisting mostly of insoluble fiber. It also has a low glycemic index so is suitable for managing diabetes. You can get freekeh in Middle Eastern or specialty food stores abroad, though it is widely available in Turkey. Bulgur is now widely available in supermarkets, so great to see. If you like to use a gluten-free option, you can replace bulgur with quinoa.

This is a bountiful dish and can easily feed 6 people or more. It also tastes great the next day and freezes well, so perfect for family meals or entertaining too. I also made another version of this Bulgur pilaf with aubergines, at my cookery book Ozlem’s Turkish Table (page 213), adding small chunks of meat there, if you fancy that version too. If you prefer not to use freekeh, you can omit and replace it with more bulgur here if you like. Signed copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book is available at this link here and delivered worldwide, including the USA and Canada. You can also see ebook and other options here.

I hope you enjoy this delicious plant based recipe, Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

4.7 from 3 reviews
Bulgur pilaf with freekeh, aubergine, tomatoes – Firikli Sebzeli Bulgur Pilavi
 
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This dish is popular in southern Turkish cuisine, using the season’s bountiful tomatoes and aubergines / eggplant or patlican. The meaty aubergines and juicy tomatoes are a great match here with the wholegrains - a fantastic, all in one pot plant based dish. Locals in southern Turkey use the glorious, ripe tomatoes in this dish; I opted to use a good quality chopped can tomatoes as living abroad, it is not always easy to get ripe, sun kissed tomatoes. I did however use some sliced fresh tomatoes – as ripe as I could find- to decorate the top of this lovely dish, and it added extra freshness and flavour.
Author:
Recipe type: Vegetarian, Vegan
Cuisine: Turkish
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 350g/12oz coarse bulgur, rinsed and drained
  • 110g/4oz freekeh, rinsed and drained
  • 3 medium aubergines, quartered and sliced in 1cm chunks
  • 2 medium onions, finely diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely diced
  • 3 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
  • ½ tbsp. Turkish red pepper paste, biber salcasi
  • 15ml/1tbsp concentrated tomato paste
  • 400g/14oz (1 can of) chopped tomatoes in juice
  • 60ml/ 2fl oz olive oil – for baking the aubergines –
  • 30ml/2tbsp olive oil – for cooking-
  • 900ml / 1.6 pints hot water
  • 5ml/1tsp Turkish red pepper flakes, pul biber
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped – to decorate
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F
  2. First prepare the eggplants (aubergines). Cut the aubergine in quarters and then slice into 1cm with pieces. Layer the aubergine pieces on a tray and sprinkle salt over them, leave them aside for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, dry the aubergines with kitchen or paper towel thoroughly.
  3. Spread the aubergine slices in a baking tray and pour in the 60ml/2floz olive oil over them. Using your hands, make sure that all aubergine slices have a nice coating of the olive oil. Bake for about 30 - 35 minutes in the preheated oven at 200C / 400F. Aubergines will start to get crispy around the edges, a nice color and soften up (you can alternatively sauté your aubergines on a pan with olive oil, though I find the baking easier and healthier).
  4. Heat the 2tbsp/30ml olive oil in a heavy, wide pan and sauté the onions for 2-3 minutes, until soft and they begin to color. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, red pepper paste, can of chopped tomatoes, Turkish red pepper flakes, pul biber and combine well.
  5. Toss the sautéed aubergines to the pan and gently combine.
  6. Now stir in the rinsed bulgur and freekeh to the pan and mix well. Pour in the hot water and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, combine well. Reduce the heat to low for simmering.
  7. Place the tomato slices over the top, cover and cook for 30 minutes, until the liquid is evaporated and the grains are cooked (add a little more hot water if needed). Check the seasoning and add more salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste. Turn the heat off. I like to rest the dish and settle the flavours for 10 minutes before serving.
  8. Serve with refreshing Shepherd’s Salad, Coban Salatasi and/or Cacik dip with cucumber and yoghurt aside.

Hands On Turkish Cookery Classes and events with Ozlem Warren in Fethiye and Kalkan, Turkey!

October 20th and 21st, 2020

I am so delighted to be returning to Fethiye – Turkey, for a series of Hands on Turkish cookery classes and events and do hope you can make one of these, if you are nearby Fethiye.

Hands on Turkish cookery class on Tuesday, October 20th, 9.30am – 1pm at Yakamoz Hotel – Fethiye

Baklava; image from Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book, by Sian Irvine Photography

Please join us for a scrumptious hands on Turkish cookery class (including how to make home made baklava!) on Tuesday, October 20th, 9.30am – 1pm at Yakamoz Hotel – Fethiye,  where we will cook a delicious menu from Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book together and then sit down and enjoy our creations at the Yakamoz Hotel’s beautiful grounds. Participation is limited, please visit my Cookery Classes page for all the details and registration.

If you like to join us at this fun and friendly hands on cookery class, please call Mehmet Yakamoz at +90 533 336 76 10 or email at yakamozone@hotmail.com to reserve your spot, participation is limited.

Turkish Style Lunch and Ozlem’s cookery demo and talk at Yakamoz Hotel, Fethiye 

Tuesday, October 20th; 1.30pm – 4pm

Potato and bulgur patties with pomegranate molasses, from my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table

Please join us for a scrumptions Turkish style lunch at Yakamoz Hotel, on Tuesday, October 20th; 1.30pm – 4pm. Ozlem Warren, author of Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book will be with us too, to give a talk on Turkish cuisine and demonstrate how to make Potato and bulgur patties with pomegranate molasses and will sign her cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, if anyone would like to get a copy.

Ozlem’s Turkish Table book signing at Fethiye!

If you like to join us at this exciting event,  please call Mehmet Yakamoz at +90 533 336 76 10 or email at yakamozone@hotmail.com to reserve your spot, participation is limited. Please visit my Cookery Classes page for more information.

Ozlem’s Turkish Table Hands on Classes at Guru’s Place Cookery School, Kalkan – 

Wednesday, October 21st, 9.45am – 2pm

“Ozlem Warren, International cookery teacher and the author of Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book, is delighted to be visiting Guru’s Place Cookery School in Kalkan, on Wednesday, October 21st, 9.45am – 2pm, to co-teach hands-on cookery classes, with Huseyin Kayir, owner of the Guru’s Place Cookery School, Kalkan. We will cook together delicious Turkish recipes from Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book and then we will all sit down and enjoy our cooking, with a glass of wine. If you’d like to join the class, please kindly book your place and get in touch with Guru’s Place Cookery School at gurusplace@hotmail.com or call +905363311016. Participation is limited. Please visit my Cookery Classes page for full details of the class.

Baked zucchini with feta, spring onions and dill, Firinda Mucver

Do hope to be able to enjoy Turkish cuisine together with you in Fethiye in October, Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

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