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Baked Potatoes with Onions, Tomatoes and Olives – Zeytinli Patates Bastısı

By Ozlem Warren on April 16, 2025 in Vegetarian recipes 0

Image taken during SEBZE photo shoots with Sam A Harris and Esther Clark

This delightful and easy potato bake, from my new book SEBZE, Vegetarian recipes from my Turkish kitchen, makes use of the bastı method, a layered cooking technique dating back to the Ottoman period. Meat and vegetables are traditionally first sautéed then layered and gently pressed into a round dish. Turkish food writer Sahrap Soysal notes that this technique is also referred to as oturtma. This humble, great-value dish is very moreish, perfect for buffets as well as easy weekday meals. Leftovers are delicious enjoyed cold the next day, too.

I hope you enjoy making this dish; if you like to get a copy of my cookery book, SEBZE, copies can be ordered worldwide here.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem x

Baked Potatoes with Onions, Tomatoes and Olives - Zeytinli Patates Bastısı

This delightful potato bake makes use of the bastı method, a layered cooking technique dating back to the Ottoman period. Meat and vegetables are traditionally first sautéed then layered and gently pressed into a round dish. Turkish food writer Sahrap Soysal notes that this technique is also referred to as oturtma. This humble, great-value dish is very moreish, perfect for buffets as well as easy weekday meals. Leftovers are delicious enjoyed cold the next day, too.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Vegetarian

Cuisine: Turkish cuisine, Mediterranean

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra as needed
3 medium or 2 large onions, quartered and thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
650 g (1 lb 7 oz) roasting potatoes, cut into 3 cm (1 in) discs, 1 cm (½ in) thick
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon pul biber
60 g (2 oz/1/3 cup) good-quality black olives (Turkish or kalamata), pitted and quartered
3 medium, ripe tomatoes, halved, then sliced 5 mm (¼ in) thick
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, to serve

Instructions

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large, wide pan over a medium heat, add the onions and sauté for 10 minutes until softened and starting to caramelise. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/400°F/gas 6.
Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the same pan (or perhaps a little more if needed), add the potatoes and sauté over medium heat for 5–6 minutes. Stir the onions back into the pan, season with salt, pepper, dried oregano and pul biber, combine well and remove from the heat.
Spread half of the potato and onions in the base of a 25 cm (10 in) baking dish. Layer half of the olives and sliced tomatoes over and gently press. Spread the remaining potato and onions over, with a final layer of olives and tomatoes on top, and gently press. Drizzle a little olive oil over, season with salt and pepper, and bake for 40–45 minutes until fully cooked and charred at the edges.
Scatter the chopped parsley over and serve warm or at room temperature.

Acuka; Spiced walnut and red pepper paste dip

By Ozlem Warren on April 8, 2025 in Vegan / Plant based, Vegetarian recipes 0

Acuka is a popular and a very moreish breakfast spread across the country; you may come across at cafes and various breakfast houses, kahvaltı evi in İstanbul too. It is a derivative of the Georgian – Abkhazian dip known as ‘Adjika or Ajika’. The Turkish version includes tomato paste as well as the pepper paste, with many variations made across the country. There are similarities with muhammara (or cevizli biber, as we call at my hometown Antakya in the southeast), though garlic is not included in our version of muhammara. This power dip is so easy to make, packed full of flavour and goodness. Red pepper paste, biber salçası is widely available at Turkish and Middle Eastern stores these days, you can make your own at my recipe in my cookery book SEBZE too. Enjoy acuka as part of your Turkish style brunch, or serve as meze aside to grills, casseroles and pasta. Try it as part of the Kahvaltı Tabağı, Turkish syle breakfast or brunch – it is great as a sandwich filler too.

Prepare ahead: I keep a tub of acuka in my fridge regularly, as it stays well in the fridge, covered for 3-4 days. Also use up other nuts, such as chopped hazelnuts in hand too.

Acuka; Spiced walnut and red pepper paste dip

Acuka is a popular and a very moreish breakfast spread across the country; you may come across at cafes and various breakfast houses, kahvaltı evi in İstanbul too. It is a derivative of the Georgian - Abkhazian dip known as ‘Adjika or Ajika’. The Turkish version includes tomato paste as well as the pepper paste, with many variations made across the country. There are similarities with muhammara (or cevizli biber, as we call at my hometown Antakya in the southeast), though garlic is not included in our version of muhammara. This power dip is so easy to make, packed full of flavour and goodness. Red pepper paste, biber salçası is widely available at Turkish and Middle Eastern stores these days, you can make your own at my recipe in my book SEBZE too. Enjoy acuka as part of your Turkish style brunch, or serve as meze aside to grills, casseroles and pasta. Try it as part of the Kahvaltı Tabağı, Turkish syle breakfast or brunch - it is great as a sandwicc filler too

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Healthy dips

Cuisine: Turkish cuisine, Eastern Mediterranean

Serves: 8

Ingredients

185g/ 6 ½ oz shelled walnuts
3 medium garlic cloves, grated
3 tbsp double concentrated tomato paste
3 tbsp Turkish red pepper paste, biber salçası
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp ground cumin
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp crushed walnuts to serve
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil to serve
Sprinkle of pul biber to serve – optional

Instructions

Blitz the walnuts in food processor, until they are about half pinenut size, take care not to grind too much, as it is nice to feel their texture in acuka. Place in a medium mixing bowl and combine with the tomato and pepper paste, grated garlic, extra virgin olive oil, cumin and dried oregano.
Combine well with a spoon, to achieve a chunky paste. Season with salt and ground black pepper to your taste, bearing mind that the pepper paste is quite salty too.
Spread over a serving plate, sprinkle 1 tbsp crushed walnuts in the middle and drizzle extra virgin olive oil to serve, along with sprinkle of pul biber if you wish.

Kaygana Crêpes with Parsley and Spring Onions

By Ozlem Warren on March 3, 2025 in Vegetarian recipes, Vegetarian recipes 0

Pancake day is round the corner, and I wanted to remind you our delicious, savoury Kaygana crepes, from my new book SEBZE, Vegetarian recipes from my Turkish kitchen.

These fragrant, savoury crêpes are a popular breakfast, especially in the Black Sea region and the northeastern part of Turkey. It’s a cross between an omelette and a Western-style crêpe and each region, almost each house, has their own version. In the Black Sea region chopped anchovy might be added; some may have it less eggy, some may add more herbs, garlic or spring onions (scallions). In the city of Trabzon, traditionally kaygana can be made using water instead of milk; plain (wheat) flour could be substituted with corn (maize) flour, too. We absolutely love these crepes with my Kuru İncir Reçeli (dried fig jam) from SEBZE, with thin slices of mature Cheddar (or Turkish kaşar cheese) on the side if you like.

SEBZE, Vegetarian Recipes From My Turkish Kitchen

Here is my recipe; you can get a copy of my book SEBZE here worldwide, too.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Kaygana Crêpes with Parsley and Spring Onions

These fragrant, savoury crêpes are a popular breakfast, especially in the Black Sea region and the northeastern part of Turkey. It’s a cross between an omelette and a Western-style crêpe and each region, almost each house, has their own version. In the Black Sea region chopped anchovy might be added; some may have it less eggy, some may add more herbs, garlic or spring onions (scallions). In the city of Trabzon, traditionally kaygana can be made using water instead of milk; plain (wheat) flour could be substituted with corn (maize) flour, too.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Vegetarian crepes

Cuisine: Turkish cuisine

Serves: 5

Ingredients

255 ml (8½ fl oz/1 cup) full-fat milk
165 g (5½ oz/11/3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
4 medium eggs, beaten
small handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
3 spring onions (scallions), trimmed and finely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

Instructions

Combine the milk and flour in a large mixing bowl and whisk until you reach a smooth consistency. Pour in the beaten eggs and whisk again until well combined. Stir in the chopped parsley and spring onions, season with salt and pepper and combine well.
Brush a wide, non-stick, 25 cm (10 in) frying pan (skillet) with the melted butter and heat over medium–high heat. Pour a ladle of the kaygana batter into the pan and swirl it around so the bottom of the pan is evenly coated in a thin layer. Cook over a high heat for about 45 seconds–1 minute on one side until golden. Use a wide spatula to flip the crêpe over and cook the other side for 30–45 seconds, until darkish golden blobs appear. Transfer to a serving plate.
Cook the rest of the kaygana this way, brushing the pan with melted butter each time. Roll the crêpes into individual rolls and place side by side on a serving plate.