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Tag Archives | Supper Clubs

Ozlem’s Turkish Table-Winner of Gourmand World Cookery Book Award and Festive Ideas

I am delighted to share with great pleasure and honor that Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book has been awarded as the Winner of the prestigious Gourmand World Cookery Book Award, in the Food Heritage Category for Turkey! The Gourmand Awards are often compared by journalists to the “Oscars” and we are absolutely delighted; this prestigious award will help spreading the word on delicious, wholesome Turkish cuisine with a rich culinary heritage and more exciting events on the way! My very sincere thanks to all of you dear readers for your support for this special book, as well as to my publisher GB Publishing and Pinar UK for all their valuable support. Ozlem’s Turkish Table now qualify to compete for Best in the World 2020 in Food Heritage category.

Signed copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table now 20 % off for the festive season!

Delighted to let you know that the hardback signed copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table now 20 % off via GB Publishing at this link and  delivered worldwide incl USA, also available in kindle and other formats here. I can make a lovely gift to a foodie.

What I have been up to …

Teaching at Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Cookery School, Boston MA was a special highlight

It’s been a very special few months, teaching Turkish cookery at the Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Cookery School in Boston, in Fethiye, Kalkan – Turkey, Divertimenti Cookery School – London and in Surrey, UK.

I did two days of full master classes at the Milk Street and they have been very special – folks flown in from California, Seattle, North Caroline, Virgina for these classes, so very humbled and greatly enjoyed teaching and meeting everyone – my very sincere thanks to all.

Ozlem’s Turkish Table Cookery classes in Kalkan and Fethiye – Turkey

Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery demo and Turkish lunch at Villa Cennet Bahcesi, Kalkan

Teaching at Guru’s Place Cookery School, Kalkan – a lot of fun!

Always a pleasure to teach at Yakamoz Hotel – Fethiye

Enjoying our cookery class creations al fresco at Yakamoz Hotel, Oludeniz

As always, greatly enjoyed teaching Turkish cookery in Fethiye and Kalkan in October. Thank you very much to Fethiye Times, dear Lyn Ward for all your help for organising Fethiye and Kalkan classes and huge thanks to Yakamoz Hotel Oludeniz, Villa Cennet Bahcesi, Kalkan and Guru’s Place Kalkan Cookery School for having me and all the lovely folks joined us – greatly look forward to more classes together in 2020. We are working on my 2020 teaching schedule in Kalkan and Fethiye so stay tuned!

From our road trip at beautiful Kalkan with dear Lyn, from Fethiye Times

Festive Turkish meal ideas ..

Spicy bulgur and lentil soup, Ezo Gelin Corbasi

Spicy bulgur and lentil soup, Ezo Gelin Corbasi

With the festive season upon us, I love gathering with friends and family and sharing a bite and catch up. As it is a busy time of the year, it is worth thinking about what you will be serving and do some cooking ahead of time. Thankfully, Turkish food is great with ahead of time cooking and freezes well. For instance this delicious and wholesome Spicy bulgur and lentil soup, Ezo Gelin Corba (at page 47 from Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book); it is a meal itself for me especially for lunch and freezes so well. If you like to make it gluten-free, you can use quinoa instead of bulgur in the soup, as I have done here

Baked aubergine/eggplant kebab with yoghurt and spices – Patlicanli Kebap

This is a lovely, all in one tray home style kebab that you can prepare ahead of time and freeze for your guests. Aubergines/eggplants are double baked here, which intensify their flavour – it is so worth marinating the chicken in yoghurt and spices; it tenderises the chicken and add a lot of flavour. Here is my recipe link (also at page 201 at Ozlem’s Turkish Table)

Aubergine, lentils and peppers cooked in olive oil – Mercimekli Mualla 

Aubergines, lentils and peppers cooked in olive oil, Mercimekli Mualla, from , Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland

One of my all time vegetarian dishes cooked in olive oil, Zeytinyaglis from my home town Antakya, from my mother’s table; this dish can make a lovely main course for your vegetarian and vegan guests, also gluten-free. It tastes even better the next day so you can easily prepare ahead of time. Dried mint is the star spice here and works so well with green lentils and aubergine, so good. Here’s my recipe link – this lovely dish is also at Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book, page 151.

Leeks cooked in olive oil with vegetables – Zeytinyagli Pirasa

Leeks are native to Anatolia and this is a delicious and healthy way to enjoy leeks. It is traditionally served cold or at room temperature, with wedges of lemon aside; it makes a wonderful side dish keeps in fridge well for 2-3 days. Here’s my recipe link, also at page 159 of Ozlem’s Turkish Table.

Rice pilaf with pine nuts, cinnamon, dill and currants

This sophisticated rice pilaf dates back to the Ottoman Palace kitchens and is packed with flavour. I love the different textures and flavours this rice showcases with currants, pine nuts, fresh herbs and warm spices like cinnamon. You can add lamb’s liver as in my recipe at page 225 at Ozlem’s Turkish Table, or opt out and keep it vegetarian, as we did at my recent Supper club at Aromas, Weybridge. It is certainly festive and a big hit with our guests. You can serve it with refreshing Shepherd’s Salad with cucumber, pepper and tomato with a touch a sumac.

Spicy bulgur wheat salad with pomegranate molasses – Kisir 

Our welcome salad in Antakya, Spicy bulgur wheat salad with pomegranate molasses, Kisir, always features in our festive table. I love this wholesome salad – it is a bowl of health and so entertaining friendly, as it tastes even better the next day, great for prepping ahead of time. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds over for a festive decoration. Here’s my recipe link, also at page 81 of Ozlem’s Turkish Table.

Antakya style flat breads with crumbly cokelek or feta, za’atar and red pepper paste – Biberli Ekmek 

Our savoury flat breads are easy to make and complement soups, mains, side dishes beautifully. This delicious flat bread with za’atar topping, Biberli Ekmek, is a specialty from my home town Antakya and always bring back fond memories. It is fantastic to bake ahead of time and freeze. You can then reheat at 180C/350F for 5-8 minutes, ready for your guests. Here’s my recipe link, also at page 137 of Ozlem’s Turkish Table.

Baked Candied Pumpkin dessert with walnuts – Kabak Tatlisi 

Candied pumpkin dessert with walnuts and clotted cream; Kabak Tatlisi

I love the fruity desserts in Turkish cuisine – they are delicious, light and easy to prepare, as in this seasonal Candied Pumpkin dessert with walnuts. Baked in its own juice with sugar, this light but full flavoured pumpkin dessert is best served with crushed walnuts and kaymak, our Turkish thick cream made from water buffalo milk. If you can’t find kaymak, regular clotted cream would work well too. You can prepare this delicious dessert 2-3 days ahead of time. Here’s my recipe link, also at Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book, page 275.

I hope you enjoy the festive Turkish food ideas here and they inspire – there is also a whole chapter of Suggested Menus at page 291 at Ozlem’s Turkish Table    May you have a wonderful festive season, in good health, happiness, with friends and family.

Upcoming Events

Ozlem’s Turkish Table Vegetarian Feast and Cookery Demonstration at 

Oso Art Centre, Barnes

Thursday  January 23rd  from 7.30 pm

Please join us at the Oso Art Centre in Barnes on Thursday, January 23rd 2020 from 7.30pm, as Ozlem Warren will serve a feast of vegetarian Turkish dishes from her award winning cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table and demonstrate how to make the popular Spicy Bulgur Wheat Salad with pomegranate molasses, Kisir and Traybake filo pastry with cheese and spinach.  Ozlem will also give tips on how to make the below vegetarian dishes she will be serving.

We will be serving Spicy bulgur and lentil soup with dried mint and Aleppo pepper, Hummus with cumin and red pepper flakes, Aubergine and lentils cooked in olive oil, Baked potato, olives, red pepper and onions with cumin, Baked cauliflower with cheese, spring onion and herbs, Spicy bulgur wheat salad with pomegranate molasses, Traybake filo pastry with cheese and spinach, Zesty semolina sponge cake, Revani.

Signed copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book will be available to buy at the evening (25 GBP per copy). We will also run a raffle amongst the guests at the evening and one lucky winner will get a signed copy of Ozlem’s Turkish Table!

Tickets can be purchased at this link and it can make a lovely festive gift to a foodie!

Friday, February 28th, 7.30pm – Turkish Vegetarian Feast Supper Club and Cookery Workshop at Aromas

 Weybridge, Surrey

Kick start the new year to learn a new skill, making savoury filo pie with a variety of fillings, at our Turkish Vegetarian Feast Supper Club and Workshop at Aromas, Weybridge on Friday, Feb 28th evening from 7.30 pm  We will serve you some scrumptious healthy Turkish and Mediterranean vegetarian dishes as below, and moreover, you will get to make a vegetarian savory filo pie, our Turkish borek, at our workshop and you will take your pie/borek back home. We believe healthy food can also be very delicious and we will show you how – new inspirations in the new year, healthy food made easy!

We will serve delicious vegetarian courses and Ozlem will give you tips on how to make them.

Savory filo pie/borek with vegetarian fillings workshop during the night!:

And during the night, at our workshop, you will also get to make your savory filo pie with a variety of fillings to choose – you will get to take your savoury pie / borek back home!
This exciting event is likely to sell out to please book your spot soon at this link soon!
It can also make a lovely present for a foodie for the festive season (gift certificates available).
We look forward to welcoming you at Aromas on February 28th at our exciting event!
  • My very best wishes to you all for the festive season; and my sincere thanks for all your support and kind words for Ozlem’s Turkish Table – 65  – 5 star reviews on Amazon UK – ; it gives me so much happiness hearing you enjoy my recipes and it helps you to connect to this special land and remember, recreate fond memories.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

 

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Baked beetroot with walnuts and pomegranate molasses

I hope you enjoy this delicious and wholesome Baked beetroot salad with walnuts and pomegranate molasses , so easy too.  We love beetroot, pancar, as we call in Turkish and I have been making this delicious baked beetroots with garlic, walnuts, pomegranate molasses dish a lot recently. It makes a wonderful meze, also accompanies pasta, rice and grills beautifully. Baking the beets brings out its natural, delicious sweetness; it is also vegan and gluten free, and so easy to make. Here’s my recipe, if you’d like to give it a go. It keeps well in the fridge, covered, 2-3 days.

As a variation, you can serve it over labne or strained yoghurt too.


5.0 from 2 reviews
Baked beetroot with walnuts and pomegranate molasses
 
We love beetroot, pancar, as we call in Turkish and I have been making this delicious baked beetroots with garlic, walnuts, pomegranate molasses dish a lot recently. It makes a wonderful meze, also accompanies pasta, rice and grills beautifully. It is also vegan and gluten free, and so easy to make. Here’s my recipe, if you’d like to give it a go.
Author:
Recipe type: Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-free meze
Cuisine: Turkish cuisine
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 500gr/1.2oz beetroot, peeled and cut into bitesize chunks
  • 30ml/2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 85gr/3oz walnuts, chopped
  • 15ml/1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
  • 30ml/2 tbsp pomegranate seeds to decorate
  • Sprigs of flat leaf parsley to decorate
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 200 C/ 400 F
  2. Pour in the olive oil on a baking tray and stir in the beetroot, cut into bitesize chunks and chopped garlic to the tray. Coat them with the olive oil, season with salt and ground black pepper. Then roast in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes.
  3. Once cooked, let the beetroot & garlic cool in the tray, then transfer into a serving plate.
  4. Stir in the chopped walnuts and the pomegranate molasses, combine well.
  5. Decorate with pomegranate seeds and sprigs of parsley and serve.
  6. Afiyet Olsun.
I am passionate about delicious, wholesome Turkish cuisine and it is a pleasure to share authentic Turkish recipes from my southern Turkish roots. Over 90 authentic Turkish recipes are included at my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table. Signed copies now 25 % off for a limited period from this link, and it is delivered worldwide, including the US (please kindly note that my recent recipe of Baked beetroot here, is not included at my current cookery book).

I hope you enjoy it, Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

 

 

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Ozlem’s Turkish Table at Edinburgh Book Fest, Coming to Texas and more

Merhaba all,

Our magical Turkish Supper Club at Power’s Weybridge – next one is on Aug. 17th

It’s been a very exciting few months of teaching Turkish cookery, sharing recipes from Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book at our supper clubs and planning new events. I am very excited to share with you some really exciting events coming up, including being a featured author at the world’s biggest book festival, Edinburgh International Book Festival on Aug. 24th, as well as returning to Central Market Cooking Schools in TX between November 7-10th! I am utterly delighted and can’t wait to meet Turkish food lovers in one of these events below, and I hope to see you at one of the events.

Contents Page, Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book, signed copies available at this link

Also delighted to report that over 1,000 copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book reached to Turkish food lovers around the world; my sincere thanks to you all for all your support and spreading the word. My special thanks also goes to Pinar Foods UK and GB Publishing for all their valuable support.  I love hearing how folks enjoy recreating recipes from the book, and their creations. Signed copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book is still available for a limited period at this link, if you’d like to get it for yourself or give a a gift.

Here are so exciting events coming up; I hope you can join us in one of these and we enjoy Turkish cuisine together.

Turkish Meze Class with Ozlem Warren

Hands On Masterclass, Sunday 22nd July, 12:00 – 3:30pm

Divertimenti Cookery School, London

Our Turkish meze class coming up on July 22nd, at Divertimenti, London

Join Ozlem Warren to recreate a scrumptious meze feast from her homeland, with recipes from her newly released cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland. You will be making the much loved ‘Baba Ghanoush’ (Smoked aubergine, pepper and tomatoes with pomegranate molasses), ‘Filo Triangles with Spinach and White cheese, Beyaz Peynir – with thanks to Pinar Food UK-, ‘Muhammara’ (Red pepper paste and walnut dip), ‘Circassian Chicken in Garlic, Walnut and Coriander Sauce, ‘Poached Dried Figs in Light Syrup’ and completing the meal with ‘Rakı’, a Turkish aniseed based drink which is the traditional accompaniment to the meze spread in Turkey.

Booking at Divertimenti Cookery School at this link

Turkish Cookery Course at Amoun College, Amman – Jordan,

July 9th and 10th, 2018

I am delighted to be returning to Amman, Jordan to teach a 2 day Turkish Cookery Course on July 9th and 10th 2018.  We will be covering a feast of classic Turkish recipes during our course. My special thanks to Mrs Suhair Kilani, la Panthera for organising our course, I greatly look forward to sharing delicious Turkish cuisine with food lovers in Amman. For the details of the course and registration, please email Marketing@panhtera-jo.com to reserve your spot, as the participation is limited. I hope you can join us at this rare opportunity to learn classic Turkish recipes.

Ozlem’s Turkish Table at the International Edinburgh Book Festival!

What a true honor to be a part of this world’s biggest book festival, the International Edinburgh Book Festival, with my cookery book Ozlem’s Turkish Table, on Aug. 24th, Friday, 2.30pm – 3.15pm, with the Afternoon Tea with Ozlem Warren event. Even more special is that Ghillie Basan will be conducting the interview, I am a huge fan of her and can’t thank her enough for all her support. Do hope you can join us as we will talk about Antakya, southern Turkish cuisine, recipe tips and more! Booking at this link please, hope to see you there!

A Turkish Summer Feast Supper Club, Power’s Weybridge – Friday, Aug. 17th, 2018

Please join us for a delicious evening of Turkish food and stories from my homeland on Aug 17th, Friday evening, as of 7.30pm at Power’s Weybridge. Pistachio lamb kebabs as well as many vegetarian choices and baklava on offer, as well as my tips on recipes and stories, booking at Power’s Weybridge please – and promises to sell out again soon!

 Returning Central Market Cooking Schools, TX – USA on Nov. 7 – 10th, 2018!

Absolutely delighted to be returning to Central Market Cooking Schools on Nov 7th through 10th to teach a series of cookery classes, this time with my book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table – do hope you can join us! I lived in Austin over 5 years and tought at this wonderful cookery school as a guest chef so I am really excited to return, it will be very special classes. Registration at Central Market Cooking School opens online on 1st October, and classes likely to sell out qucikly, so please save the dates. Here are my teaching dates and venues at Central Market Cooking Schools:

Central Market Houston on Nov. 7th; Austin on Nov. 8th; Dallas on Nov 9th; San Antonio on Nov 10th.

What I have been cooking lately..

Leafy greens with onions, peppers and pine nuts, from Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book

We have been enjoying more vegetables with the sunnier weather and this Leafy greens with onions, peppers and pine nuts, from Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book (page 153),  inspired from Antakya, fits the bill perfectly. There is leafy vegetable called zilk in Antakya, similar to Swiss chard and locals use either zilk or spinach to make this recipe; you can use kale instead too. Bulgur or lentils are often added to make it more substantial. In my version, I included sweet, red bell peppers and pine nuts instead of bulgur. Adding a splash of fresh lemon juice or a little heat from red pepper flakes, you can serve this warm or cold, as in our Zeytinyaglis, Vegetables cooked in olive oil. Here’s also the link for my recipe in my blog.

Scrumptious Turkish bean salad with onions, olives, eggs

We love this tasty, easy and nourishing Turkish bean salad with olives and eggs, Fasulye Piyazi. It is the traditional accompaniment to Turkish meatballs, our kofte, but I love it as it is for lunch or as a light supper with pide bread and some hummus. It is also vegan and gluten-free so caters for a wide range of dietary needs. This lovely salad is on page 90 at the Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book, if you have it. Here’s also the link to my recipe in my blog.

One of the happy Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book owner, posting this lovely photo

“Thank you so much for producing this wonderful book; I spent many happy holidays in Turkey and I love Turkish cuisine. It’s a joy to be able to recreate the dishes with your recipes and share with my family – your book is a treasure and I love my signed copy! This was a recent feedback from the Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book owner. I hoped my book would inspire folks to enjoy Turkish cuisine and bring happy memories of their visit to Turkey, so these kind feedback means the world to me. Signed copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book is still available for a limited period at this link, if you’d like to get a copy.

Many thanks and Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

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