Recipes    

Turkish cuisine provides healthy, hearty, delicious food for family and friends.
Find out more

Cookery Classes

I teach Turkish cooking classes in England,Turkey & USA, hope you can join us!,
Find Out More

Tag Archives | Turkish cookery classes

Inspiring flavors at our Turkish Cookery Course in Amman, Jordan

My Turkish cookery course at the JA University, Amman - Jordan

My Turkish cookery course at the JA University, Amman – Jordan

I have just returned from an amazing trip to Amman, Jordan; I was in Amman last week to teach a 5 day Turkish cookery course at JA University, a wonderful experience from the start to the end, very kindly organised by Panthera Jordan with a much appreciated support by the Turkish Embassy in Amman, Jordan. There has been so many highlights from our course, here I wanted to share a few with you.

Spinach and feta filo pastry, Ispanakli borek, was a big hit at our Turkish cookery course

Spinach and feta filo pastry, Ispanakli borek, was a big hit at our Turkish cookery course

Making kisir, spicy bulgur wheat salad with pomegranate molasses during our Turkish cookery class

Making kisir, spicy bulgur wheat salad with pomegranate molasses during our Turkish cookery class

Antakya's tray bake kebab with vegetables, Tepsi Kebabi

Antakya’s tray bake kebab with vegetables, Tepsi Kebabi

During our 5 day course, we covered 22 recipes; from Spinach and feta filo pastry, Ispanakli Borek and pastries to salads, vegetables cooked in olive oil, Zeytinyaglis to mezzes, to kebabs to desserts and drinks. It was great to hear the participants very much enjoyed the freshness of our dishes, based on seasonality, ease of making and lightness in flavor as well as being wholesome. They expressed they loved the vegetarian courses we made as much as the meat based dishes. I aimed to try to show them what is cooked and enjoyed in Turkish homes as well as some classic Turkish dishes; from Mucver – Zucchini fritter with feta and dill to Ispanakli borek to Patlicanli Mualla, Eggplants, lentils and peppers cooked in olive oil to Revani to Caramalised dried apricots with walnuts – Kuru Kayisi Tatlisi and more so they get a broader perspective of wholesome, delicious Turkish cuisine, beyond our much loved kebabs.

Mucver; Zucchini/courgette fritters with feta and dill

Mucver; Zucchini/courgette fritters with feta and dill

Showing the class the "Sweating of the eggplants/aubergines" and importance of getting rid of the bitter juices from eggplants

Showing the class the “Sweating of the eggplants/aubergines” and importance of getting rid of the bitter juices from eggplants

Baked  caramalised dried apricots with walnuts, Cevizli Kuru Kayisi Tatlisi, a wholesome, delicious and easy dessert

Baked caramalised dried apricots with walnuts, Cevizli Kuru Kayisi Tatlisi, a wholesome, delicious and easy dessert

Teaching at the Jordan Applied University, JAU was very special; seeing the students’ as well as other participants – houseviwes, keen foodies, chefs from restaurants and hotels, as well as JAU students -enthusiasm and interest for the Turkish cusine, as the young chefs of the future. It really was a pleasure to have a chance to teach the delicious, wholesome, refreshing Turkish flavors to them and hearing they were inspired to enthusiastically make them straight after the class, showing me the photos of their creations.

Talented young chefs in JAU attending my Turkish cookery course

Talented young chefs in JAU attending my Turkish cookery course

Making and sharing Pide, Turkish flat breads, a special highlight from our Turkish cookery course in Jordan

Making and sharing Pide, Turkish flat breads, a special highlight from our Turkish cookery course in Jordan

Home made Pide, Turkish flat bread with sesame and nigella seeds from our Turkish cookery course in Jordan

Home made Pide, Turkish flat bread with sesame and nigella seeds from our Turkish cookery course in Jordan

Making the Turkish pide bread was a special highlight from the class; bread is a major staple in Jordan too and it was interesting to compare notes of our flat bread and theirs. Fresh from the oven, it was much enjoyed.

Our lighter baklava with walnuts, fragrant with lemon juice in syrup also hit the spot well. Baklava at home, in Turkey is much lighter than its versions abroad and glad to see it is received very well.

Pouring cold syrup over piping our hot, lighter baklava

Pouring cold syrup over piping our hot, lighter baklava

My home made baklava with walnuts; delicious with a lighter, fragrant syrup

My home made baklava with walnuts; delicious with a lighter, fragrant syrup

I was delighted to see that the salads and vegetarian courses were very popular during our course. Zeytinyaglis, Vegetables Cooked in Olive Oil is a wholesome, delicious category in Turkish cuisine and a favorite with us. We made Antakya’s aubergines/eggplants cooked with lentils, onions and peppers in olive oil, Patlicanli Mercimekli Mualla during our Turkish Cookery course. Marriage of lentils with eggplants and vegetables are heavenly in this dish and dried mint gives a delicious, refreshing finish – a personal favorite, became hugely popular at the class.

Eggplants/aubergines cooked with lentils, peppers and onions in olive oil - Patlicanli, Mercimekli Mualla

Eggplants/aubergines cooked with lentils, peppers and onions in olive oil – Patlicanli, Mercimekli Mualla

Turkish oval flat breads with ground meat and vegetables topping, Kiymali Pide was another highlight from our course. My version includes a lot of onions and peppers, a lovely juicy topping, if you’d like to have a go too.

Kiymali Pide; Turkish oval flat breads with ground meat and vegetables topping

Kiymali Pide; Turkish oval flat breads with ground meat and vegetables topping

Simit, sesame encrusted bread rings is the ultimate street food in Turkey and it was wonderful to recreate this much loved snack during our course in Amman and we all enjoyed the results!

Making Simit, sesame - encrusted bread rings, during our Turkish cookery course in Amman.

Making Simit, sesame – encrusted bread rings, during our Turkish cookery course in Amman.

Here comes our Simit, sesame encrusted bread rings!

Here comes our Simit, sesame encrusted bread rings!

Memorable food scene from Amman, Jordan:

Jordanians are a very hospitable nation, everyone has been so kind, generous with hospitality high on the agenda. My huge special thanks to especially dear Suhair Kilani and the Panthera Jordan team for their amazing hospitality. Thanks to them, I got to experience the Jordanian food scene at its best.

The atmospheric Rajeen Restaurant in Amman with fabulous mezzes

The atmospheric Rajeen Restaurant in Amman with fabulous mezzes

The traditional Jordanian meal we had at the Rajeen Restaurant in Amman was very special, the atmosphere was unforgettable. I really enjoyed the food and the variety of the mezzes. Their hummus is much creamier than ours and we found the secret – they add strained yoghurt to their hummus, a delicious addition. I loved the Fattoush salad with toasted bread and sumac dressing, packed with flavor, could have eaten just that all night.

Deliciously creamy hummus and fattoush salad, huge favorites

Deliciously creamy hummus and fattoush salad, huge favorites

Personalised doner or shawarma kebab, impressive presentation

Personalised doner or shawarma kebab, impressive presentation

Could you believe this beautifully painted piece of work is a hand wash basin?

Could you believe this beautifully painted piece of work is a hand wash basin?

Dear Suhair and her husband Ma’en also very kindly took me some fabulous local eatries like this local Kunefe shop, it was well worth queuing for an amazing kunefe!

Delicious kunefe in Amman, Jordan

Delicious kunefe in Amman, Jordan

Back to our course, after teaching and sharing 22 delicious Turkish recipes, we gave our participants Certificate of Attendance. We were delighted to have Mrs Onal, wife of Turkish Ambassador, Mr Onal for Jordan with us. My sincere thanks again to dear Suhair Kilani for organising our course in Amman, Jordan, all Panthera Jordan Team, JA University and the Turkish Embassy in Jordan for all their support.

Giving attendees their Certificate after our course, with Mrs Onal from Turkish Embassy in Amman - Jordan.

Giving attendees their Certificate after our course, with Mrs Onal from Turkish Embassy in Amman – Jordan.

Group photo at the end of our 5 day Turkish cookery course in Amman, Jordan.

Group photo at the end of our 5 day Turkish cookery course in Amman, Jordan.

 Our Turkish cookery course in Amman aired on TRT!

Last, but not least, TRT, Turkish National TV crew came to our Turkish cookery course in Amman for an interview with us on the last day. Icing on the cake, it was lovely to express how well Turkish home style cooking is received in Amman and hearing from the JAU students that they very much enjoyed the course and it was inspirational. Here’s the link to our TRT interview

IMG_4603

It was a wonderful series of Turkish course to remember, I very much look forward to returning for more Turkish cookery classes, many thanks Amman, Jordan!

 

Continue Reading

Turkish vegetarian rose ravioli with filo pastry; Mantarli Gul Manti

Turkish vegetarian rose ravioli with filo pastry; mushrooms make a delicious filling.

Turkish vegetarian rose ravioli with filo pastry; mushrooms make a delicious filling.

The traditional manti, Turkish dumplings or ravioli, was a central dish in the 15th century Ottoman cuisine. A very popular dish, it was cooked in imperial kitchens and was eaten by Sultan Mehmet II almost daily. This version of manti, traditionally made with “yufka”, the fresh pastry sheets, is a popular one at home and was a big hit at our Turkish cookery class last Saturday. These mantis are also named as “Sosyete Mantisi” or Gul Manti / Gul Boregi, as they look like the shape of rose.

Baked Turkish rose ravioli with filo pastry and mushroom filling; Mantarli Gul Manti or Gul Boregi

Baked Turkish rose ravioli with filo pastry and mushroom filling; Mantarli Gul Manti or Gul Boregi

Gul Manti is traditionally made with ground meat and onion filling. We made a vegetarian version during our class, using chestnut mushrooms, onions, garlic and tomato; it proved to be a delicious vegetarian filling and we all enjoyed it.

Spread 1 ½  tablespoon of the mushroom mixture in a line the middle of the filo pastry.

Spread 1 ½ tablespoon of the mushroom mixture in a line the middle of the filo pastry.

Roll the pastry like a cigar. Seal the ends of the pastry with a little water.

Roll the pastry like a cigar. Seal the ends of the pastry with a little water.

Then, starting from one end, roll the cigar shape into a rose shape.

Then, starting from one end, roll the cigar shape into a rose shape.

Seal the ends of the pastry well with a little water.

Seal the ends of the pastry well with a little water.

Rose ravioli, gul manti, may seem a little awkward to make but they look so attractive that the extra effort is worthwhile. Please bear in mind that filo pastry dries out quickly and may become difficult to work with. To prevent this, keep the pastry sheets under a damp dish towel and only take out one at a time. Above is a step by step photo of how to fold and bend the filo pastry into the rose shape. If the pastry breaks as you fold/bend, please don’t worry. Keep a bowl of water by your side and seal all the broken parts with water and patch with a little pastry. It will all work just fine at the end.

Baked Turkish rose ravioli with mushrooms, gul manti; we served bulgur and potato patties aside at our Turkish cookery class

Baked Turkish rose ravioli with mushrooms, gul manti; we served bulgur and potato patties aside at our Turkish cookery class

With the garlicky yoghurt and red pepper flakes infused olive oil drizzled over, these rose raviolis with mushroom filling make an impressive, delicious course. We served them with bulgur and potato patties, bulgurlu, patatesli kofte with pomegranate molasses aside, they complemented each other well.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Turkish vegetarian rose ravioli with filo pastry; Mantarli Gul Manti
 
With the garlicky yoghurt and red pepper flakes infused olive oil drizzled over, these vegetarian Turkish rose raviolis (or Gul Manti / Gul Boregi) with mushroom filling make an impressive, delicious course. Filo pastry is used here, please follow the instructions so that they won't get dried. Afiyet Olsun!
Author:
Recipe type: Savory Pastries
Cuisine: Turkish cuisine
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
  • 260 gr / 9 oz. filo pastry sheets, thawed
  • 225 gr / 8 oz. chestnut mushrooms, cleaned and chopped finely
  • 1 onion, very finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 3 small to medium tomatoes, finely diced
  • 1 bunch or ½ cup Italian flat leaf parsley, freshly chopped
  • 30 ml/ 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • Salt and freshly grounded black pepper
  • 4 fl oz. / ½ cup vegetable stock
  • For garlic yoghurt:
  • 260 gr / 9 oz. natural plain yoghurt, brought to room temp.
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed with salt
  • For red pepper infused sauce:
  • 30 ml/ 2 tbsp. butter or olive oil
  • 5-10 ml/ 1-2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • Dried mint to sprinkle over to finish the rose ravioli
  • Small bowl of cold water aside to shape and seal the rose ravioli
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F / 180 C
  2. For best results, thaw the frozen filo pastry in the fridge overnight and bring it to the room temperature30 minutes before using. That enables the filo thaw completely. If it is fresh as in the UK, you only need to bring the filo to the room temperature 30 minutes before using.
  3. Bring the yoghurt to room temperature by taking out the fridge and set aside in a warm spot in the kitchen.
  4. Clean the mushrooms with a damp paper towel and chop finely.
  5. Sauté the chopped onions with some olive oil for a couple of minutes, until soft.
  6. Add the mushrooms and the garlic, cook for 3-4 minutes, until softened and most of the liquid is evaporated. Stir in the tomatoes and gently cook for another 3 – 5 minutes, until most of the juice is evaporated.
  7. Season with salt and pepper, add the parsley and mix well. Set aside to cool.
  8. Grease a baking tray with 1 tbsp. olive oil.
  9. On a dry surface, place the filo pastry sheets on top of one another and cut in half horizontally to form rectangles. Place damp paper towel over them to keep moist. Have a bowl of water near you.
  10. Take out two rectangular filo pastry sheets on a dry surface (cover the rest of the filo pastry with damp towel).
  11. Spread 1 ½ tablespoon of the mushroom mixture in a line the middle and roll like a cigar. Seal the ends of the pastry with a little water.
  12. Then, starting from one end, roll the cigar shape into a rose shape sealing the end again with a little water. Make sure you seal all the openings/cracks with a little water. If any bigger cracks appear, you can patch it with a little pastry, sealing with water again, it works.
  13. Brush the gul manti with a little olive oil and place them on a greased tray. Repeat this with all rectangles.
  14. Bake in the oven for about 20 – 25 minutes or until golden.
  15. Take the gul manti out of the oven once they are golden brown. Then place a dessert spoonful of stock on each hot manti and put in the oven for another 5 minutes to soak up the stock. The finished rose mantis should be nice and crispy outside and moist inside.
  16. For the garlic yoghurt; whisk together the yoghurt and the crushed garlic in a bowl until smooth and creamy.
  17. For the red pepper infused sauce; melt the butter (or gently heat the olive oil) in a small pan. Add the red pepper flakes and mix well.
  18. Place the hot rose ravioli (gul manti) on a serving dish. Pour the garlic yoghurt over it first then dribble the peppery sauce over the garlic yoghurt.
  19. Finish the dish by sprinkling dried mint over it and serve immediately.
Notes
1) Filo pastry dries out very quickly and becomes unworkable. To prevent this, keep the pastry sheets under a damp dish towel or paper tpwel and only take out one at a time. Any leftover pastry can be rolled up, sealed in a freezer bag and kept in the freezer.
2) You can freeze the baked gul mantis, rose ravioli. They can be successfully reheated on a greased tray (at 350 F /180C for about 15 minutes)

Continue Reading

Baked Zucchini (courgette) halves with vegetables and chickpeas (garbanzo beans) -Nohutlu Kabak Dolmasi

I previously made the delicious stuffed zucchini halves with ground meat, vegetables and chickpeas or garbanzo beans, inspired by my home town, Antioch’s (Antakya) cuisine. I was asked for a vegetarian version of this dish during my Turkish cookery class past Saturday and there came this delicious dish. The meaty mushrooms, onions, peppers made a scrumptious filling and worked so well with chickpeas. With a touch of heat by the Turkish hot pepper paste, biber salcasi & Turkish red pepper flakes and the refreshing dried mint, we had an at least equally delicious vegetarian stuffed zucchini that we all very much enjoyed.

Stuffed zucchini with onions, mushrooms, pepper and chickpeas, in tomato sauce

Stuffed zucchini with onions, mushrooms, pepper and chickpeas, in tomato sauce

I also used a little pomegranate molasses, nar eksisi, to add a delicious sweet & sour taste to the zucchini halves. Pomegranate molasses is used a lot especially in Southern Turkish cuisine in salad dressings like in this Gavurdagi Salad of tomatoes, onions and walnuts or in bulgur wheat salad, kisir; a little bit of it adds a great punch.

You can prepare this healthy dish ahead of time and the leftovers freeze beautifully. Please save the flesh of the zucchini or courgettes that you scooped out. They are delicious & wholesome cooked with onions, tomatoes & dried mint in this bulgur pilaf .

Serves 4-6

Preparation time: 20 minutes                                                Cooking time: 50-55 minutes

3 chunky zucchini/courgette

200gr/7oz chestnut mushrooms, wiped clean and finely chopped

1 green bell pepper, finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, crushed and finely chopped

200gr/7oz (1/2 can of) chopped tomatoes

200gr/7oz (1/2 can of) cooked chickpeas, rinsed

15ml/1 tbsp. pomegranate molasses, nar eksisi (optional)

30ml/2tablespoons olive oil

240ml/8fl oz./ 1cup water

15ml/1 tbsp. tomato paste

5 ml / 1 tsp. Turkish red pepper paste – optional-

10ml/2 tsp. dried mint

5ml/1 tsp. red pepper flakes

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

To serve:

120ml/8fl oz. plain yoghurt

1-2 garlic cloves, crushed with salt and finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 180 C/350 F/Gas 4

carefully scoop out some of the flesh to create a cavity that is large enough to stuff

Carefully scoop out some of the flesh to create a cavity that is large enough to stuff

Cut the zucchini in half and then in lengthways. Using a dessert spoon, carefully scoop out some of the flesh to create a cavity that is large enough to stuff the filling (Please save the flesh of the zucchini that you scooped out. They are delicious cooked in bulgur pilaf). Mix 2 tbsp. water with the pomegranate molasses (if using) and wash the inside of the courgettes with this mixture; this adds a delicious sweet & sour taste to the zucchini.

Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) combined with vegetables make a delicious filling

Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) combined with vegetables make a delicious filling

Heat the oil in a heavy pan. Stir in the onions and garlic and cook until light golden. Add the mushrooms, bell pepper and hot pepper paste (if using). Season with salt and pepper and sauté for about 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and the cooked chickpeas, mix well. Add the red pepper flakes and the dried mint, combine well. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes. Turn the heat off; the filling is ready.

Take a spoonful of the filling and stuff the zucchini halves.

Take a spoonful of the filling and stuff the zucchini halves.

Grease a baking tray with 1 tbsp. olive oil and place the scooped zucchini. Take a spoonful of the filling and stuff the zucchini halves, taking care not to over fill them. Dilute the tomato paste with the water and pour on the tray. Cover and bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes. After this, uncover and bake for a further 10 minutes for a lightly brown finish.

While the zucchini halves are baking, prepare your garlic yoghurt. In a bowl, mix the plain yoghurt with the chopped garlic. Serve the stuffed zucchini hot, with the garlic yoghurt by the side. You can make this wonderful bulgur pilaf using the flesh of the zucchini we scooped out; they complement each very nicely and you get a complete meal.

Baked zucchini halves with vegetables & chickpeas; great with garlic yoghurt aside

Baked zucchini halves with vegetables & chickpeas; great with garlic yoghurt aside

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Istanbul is Calling!

Turkish tea, Cay, Simit and Istanbul's Bosphorus; a heavenly combination

Turkish tea, Cay, Simit and Istanbul’s Bosphorus; a heavenly combination

Indeed Istanbul is calling and I can hardly wait! I will be in Istanbul next week, the city that makes my heart beats fast, a feast to all senses. Greatly looking forward to seeing family, friends and feeling the beat of this fascinating city.

The very atmospheric Spice Market, Misir Carsisi, Istanbul - feast to all senses

The very atmospheric Spice Market, Misir Carsisi, Istanbul – feast to all senses

I also very much look forward to sharing delicious Turkish cuisine with food lovers at my Turkish cookery class on Wednesday, 19th February at the Istanbul Culinary Institute. I will be in touch soon with delicious memories from home!

With my best wishes, Selamlar,

Ozlem

Continue Reading