Tag Archives | Turkish cookery classes

12th June; Hands On Turkish Cookery Class at Abinger Cookery School!

By Ozlem Warren on May 1, 2015 in Turkish Cooking Classes 9

I am delighted to partner up with the wonderful Abinger Cookery School in Surrey Hills – England, to teach a feast of Turkish recipes on Friday, 12th June 2015. This will be a hands on style Turkish cookery course, as some readers requested, from 9.30 am to 4 pm on 12th June. We shall prepare the delicious Turkish dishes together all throughout the day and enjoy eating them (as well as taking some back home) at the Abinger Cookery School’s beautiful grounds. It will be a day of feasting and learning all about wonderful, delicious Turkish cuisine; from Turkish flat breads with feta, spinach, onion and peppers to Courgette fritters with feta and dill, served with garlic yoghurt, from Stuffed aubergines with minced meat and vegetables to Baklava, Turkish coffee and many more. The class will also be packed with information on Turkish culinary heritage, Turkish ingredients and where to source them, artful use of spices, ideas for substitution and more. Below is the details of our course – hope you can join us to discover and learn exciting Turkish flavors.

I demonstrate Karniyarik recipe, Stuffed eggplants with ground meat and vegetables, during my online Turkish cookery course

Karniyarik, Stuffed eggplants with ground meat and vegetables, is a part of my hands on Turkish Cookery Course at Abinger Cookery School

Place: Abinger Cookery School; Guildford Road, Abinger Hammer, Dorking, Surrey, RH5 6RZ (telephone: 01306 730470)
Date: Friday, 12th June 2015
Time: 9.30 am to 4 pm (please kindly be at the Abinger Cookery School by 9.15 am)
Cost: £ 135 per person (This hands on style day class includes all printed recipes, all ingredients, my tuition, generous servings of the food at the venue. You will also be taking the food you prepared back home.) For booking, please kindly get in touch with Abinger Cookery School at 01306 730470 or Contact them at this link.

Courgette fritters with feta and dill; a delicious vegetarian course we will have a go at our class

Courgette fritters with feta and dill; a delicious vegetarian course we will have a go at our hands on Turkish cookery class

Menu:

1) Turkish flat breads with feta, spinach, onion and peppers; Peynirli ve Sebzeli Pide – a delicious and popular flat bread with scrumptious topping, a real crowd pleaser

2) Gavurdagi Salad of ripe tomatoes, onions, walnuts and pomegranate molasses – So delicious, healthy and gluten – free!

3) Courgette fritters with feta and dill, served with garlic yoghurt; Mucver – a very popular and delicious vegetarian mezze at home

4) Stuffed aubergines with minced meat and vegetables; Karniyarik * –a classic example of Turkish cuisine, showcasing our much loved ingredient, aubergine. (* We are happy to offer the vegetarian option of the stuffed aubergines if requested ahead of time.)

5) Bulgur wheat pilaf with onions, tomatoes and peppers; Sebzeli Bulgur Pilavi – a delicious, wholesome pilaf, a meal itself

6) Yoghurt and cucumber dip with dried mint, Cacik dip

7) Baklava with walnuts; we will learn to make the real thing- much lighter and delicious!

8) Turkish coffee

Peynirli pide, Turkish flat breads with cheese, spinach and pepper topping is at our Turkish cookery course

Peynirli pide, Turkish flat breads with cheese, spinach and pepper topping is at our hands on Turkish cookery course

Places are limited and the class tends to sell out quickly, so if you would like to join us please click here to contact Abinger Cooking School to book the course and registration.

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

We will learn how to make home made baklava with walnuts during our Turkish cookery course; delicious with a lighter, fragrant syrup

Sometimes, all we need is a little encouragement and guidance to try out new, exciting flavors. You will be amazed to see how easy, delicious and wholesome each course are and will be able to recreate these dishes easily at home for friends and family after the course. As a native and seasoned traveler in Turkey, I will also be delighted to answer any questions you may have on Turkish cuisine or visiting Turkey.

Hope to have a chance to enjoy Turkish cuisine together, Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Inspiring flavors at our Turkish Cookery Course in Amman, Jordan

By Ozlem Warren on March 24, 2015 in Turkish Cooking Classes 10

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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 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

Personalised doner or shawarma kebab, impressive presentation

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

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.

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

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!

Turkish vegetarian rose ravioli with filo pastry; Mantarli Gul Manti

By Ozlem Warren on October 13, 2014 in Appetizers and Mezes, Savory Pastries, Turkish Festive Dishes 11

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

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.

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.

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

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: Ozlem Warren

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

Preheat oven to 350 F / 180 C
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.
Bring the yoghurt to room temperature by taking out the fridge and set aside in a warm spot in the kitchen.
Clean the mushrooms with a damp paper towel and chop finely.
Sauté the chopped onions with some olive oil for a couple of minutes, until soft.
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.
Season with salt and pepper, add the parsley and mix well. Set aside to cool.
Grease a baking tray with 1 tbsp. olive oil.
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.
Take out two rectangular filo pastry sheets on a dry surface (cover the rest of the filo pastry with damp towel).
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.
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.
Brush the gul manti with a little olive oil and place them on a greased tray. Repeat this with all rectangles.
Bake in the oven for about 20 – 25 minutes or until golden.
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.
For the garlic yoghurt; whisk together the yoghurt and the crushed garlic in a bowl until smooth and creamy.
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.
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.
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)