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Turkish cuisine provides healthy, hearty, delicious food for family and friends.
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My Turkish Cookery Classes in Feb,Texas-USA Open For Signing Up!

Greetings and Happy New Year to you all!

I am delighted to let you know that my upcoming Turkish Cookery Classes with Central Market Cooking Schools in Austin, San Antonio and Houston, Texas in February 2015 are now open for registration! Below are the links for signing up for each class; they tend to sell out quickly so if you would like to join us, please kindly book your spot. I am greatly looking forward to returning to Central Market Cooking Schools and hopefully see you there.

Lamb stew over smoked eggplant and yoghurt puree, served with roasted vegetables, Ali Nazik Kebab in the menu

Lamb stew over smoked eggplant and yoghurt puree, served with roasted vegetables, Ali Nazik Kebab in the menu

Central Market Cooking School also offers discounts for signing up until 7th January, if you’d like to take up this good offer.

Central Market Cooking School, Turkish Cookery Classes – Demonstration Style
February 2015 (in Houston, Austin, San Antonio)

From Hearty Red Lentil Soup to Baklava in Milky Syrup, Sutlu Nuriye;

Delights of Turkish Cuisine Made Easy

I am delighted to return to Central Market Cooking School in February 2015 to teach fine examples of Turkish cuisine, which reflects a rich cultural and historical heritage. With an emphasis on seasonal freshness, and delicately flavoring with spices, healthy Turkish food is a feast to all your senses and easy to recreate. Please join us, to learn artful use of spices and prepare these delicious recipes, focusing on Southern Turkish cuisine. Below is the schedule and links to sign up for my Turkish cookery classes:

Monday, February 16th, 6.30 pm – Central Market Cooking School in San Antonio – TX

Wednesday, February 18th, 6.30 pm – Central Market Cooking School in Austin – TX

Friday, February 20th, 6.30 pm – Central Market Cooking School in Houston – TX

Signing up for the classes started through Central Market Cooking School website, as of 1st January 2015 – please save the dates and I hope you can join us!

Spicy bulgur and lentil soup, Ezo Gelin Corba is in the menu

Spicy bulgur and lentil soup, Ezo Gelin Corba is in the menu

The menu includes:

• Hearty red lentils and bulgur soup with dried mint and red pepper flakes, Ezo Gelin Corba

• Turkish flat breads with crumbled feta, pepper paste, zahtar and sesame seeds; Biberli Ekmek

• Lamb (or beef) stew over smoked eggplant and yoghurt puree, served with roasted vegetables, Ali Nazik Kebab

• Pilaf rice with chickpeas and sautéed onions; Nohutlu Pilav

• Baklava with a delicious and lighter twist; filo pastry with hazelnuts in milky syrup; Sutlu Nuriye

• Turkish Coffee and Turkish Delight

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My very best wishes to you all for the New Year, in good health, good food and company. I look forward to sharing many more Turkish recipes here and as always, would be delighted to have your company to enjoy.

Selamlar, Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

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Potato, red onion, pepper and olive bake with cumin and chili flakes

Baked potatoes, peppers, red onion and olives with cumin and red pepper flakes

Baked potatoes, peppers, red onion and olives with cumin and  red pepper flakes

Merhaba to you all; this week, I would like to share this favorite easy, delicious all in one vegetarian course – Spiced potatoes, onions, pepper and olives baked in olive oil. Touch of warm, pungent cumin and spicy Turkish red pepper flakes add a lot of flavor to the vegetables here, especially to the humble potato, transforming their taste to a new level. The sweetness of peppers and red onions also give a lovely contrast to juicy, salty olives and complement one another really well. As always, it is all about using a few good, seasonal ingredients and you have a delicious, wholesome dish in hand in less than 1 hour.

Combine the spices and the seasoning with the vegetables and olives, giving them a good mix, before baking

Combine the spices and the seasoning with the vegetables and olives, giving them a good mix, before baking

You can serve this comforting, gluten-free course as a side to grills or as part of a mezze spread. It can be also be a delicious, light main course on its own with the Cacik dip of cucumber, yoghurt with dried mint and some crusty bread aside. You can also bake this dish ahead of time and give it a gentle reheat in the oven just before serving. Try to get good quality olives; Turkish, Italian, Spanish or Greek Kalamata olives all work well and really make a difference.

Turkish cuisine is healthy, delicious and packed full of easy, wholesome vegetarian options like this recipe. I am passionate about my homeland’s scrumptious Turkish cuisine; over 90 authentic Turkish recipes are included at my Gourmand award winner cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland. Signed copies are available at this link and delivered worldwide.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

5.0 from 1 reviews
Potato, red onion, pepper and olive bake with cumin and chili flakes
 
Hope you enjoy this delicious all in one vegetarian course - Spiced potatoes, onions, pepper and olives baked in olive oil. Touch of warm, pungent cumin and spicy red pepper flakes add a lot of flavor to the vegetables here, especially to the humble potato, transforming their taste to a new level. You can serve this lovely, gluten-free course as a side to grills or as part of a mezze spread.
Author:
Recipe type: Vegetables baked in olive oil with spices
Cuisine: Turkish Cuisine
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1kg / 2.2 lb. medium potatoes, quartered
  • 2 medium red onions, cut in half and thinly sliced
  • 2 red bell pepper (or pointy pepper), deseeded, quartered and thinly sliced
  • 12- 14 good quality black olives, pitted and halved
  • 15 ml/ 3 tsp. ground cumin
  • 10 ml / 2 tsp. Turkish red pepper flakes or chili flakes (you can use more for a spicier taste)
  • 30 ml / 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 200 C/ 400 F
  2. Put the quartered potatoes in a large enough pan with plenty of cold water.
  3. Parboil or partially cook the potatoes for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
  4. Heat the olive oil in a pan and stir in the sliced red onions and peppers. Sautee for 5 minutes, until they start to soften up, turn the heat off.
  5. Grease the baking tray with a good drizzle (about 2 tbsp.) of olive oil. Combine the parboiled potatoes, sautéed red onions, peppers and the pitted black olives in the tray. Include any remaining olive oil in the pan of the sautéed red onions and peppers to the baking tray.
  6. Stir in the ground cumin and red pepper flakes over the vegetables. Season with salt and ground black pepper.
  7. Using your hands, combine the spices and the seasoning with the vegetables and olives, giving them a good mix.
  8. Bake for 35 minutes at 200 C/ 400 F and serve hot.

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Aubergines stuffed with onion, garlic and tomatoes in olive oil; Imam Bayildi

Imam Bayildi; eggplants, aubergines, stuffed with onions, garlic and tomatoes and poached in olive oil; just melt in the mouth

Imam Bayildi; eggplants, aubergines, stuffed with onions, garlic and tomatoes and poached in olive oil; just melt in the mouth

Patlican, eggplants or aubergines are one of the most popular vegetables (actually fruit, as it has seeds in it) in Turkey; we must have over 200 recipes showcasing our beloved patlican, eggplant. I love this classic Turkish dish, Imam Bayildi or “Imam Fainted”, one of the most popular eggplant dishes at home. Legend says  “Imam Fainted” either due to the shock or the pleasure at the quantity of the olive oil used in this dish! No doubt, eggplant loves olive oil and tastes so good in this Imam Bayildi.

Imam Bayildi; this delicious stuffed eggplants in olive oil is lovely vegetarian course, enjoyed at room temperature or cold

Imam Bayildi; this delicious stuffed eggplants in olive oil is lovely vegetarian course, enjoyed at room temperature or cold

The aubergines are gently poached in this dish with a generous mixture of onions, tomatoes and garlic. This dish is in the category of Vegetables cooked in olive oil, Zeytinyaglis in Turkish cuisine, where the vegetables are poached in olive oil and little water and served either cold or room temperature with a slice of lemon aside. It is delicious and refreshing for hot summer days, just melts in the mouth.

You can prepare Imam Bayildi ahead of time and the left overs can keep in fridge for 2-3 days. I used a little less olive oil here and added dried mint to the filling; the result was a light, utterly delicious and refreshing vegetarian course.

I am passionate about my homeland’s  healthy, delicious Turkish cuisine; over 90 authentic Turkish recipes are included at my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland. Hardback copies are now 20 % off at this link with reduced shipping rates to the US, Canada and Mexico.

Serves 4

2 large (and slim, if possible) eggplants/aubergines

1 large onion, halved and finely sliced

3 tomatoes, finely chopped

3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

60ml/4 tablespoons olive oil

Juice of ½ lemon

10ml/2 teaspoon sugar

5ml/1 teaspoon dried mint

Salt and black ground pepper to taste

Light olive oil (or canola oil) to shallow fry the eggplants/aubergines

Extra wedges of lemon to serve

 

Using a vegetable peeler, peel the aubergines lengthways in zebra stripes.

Using a vegetable peeler, peel the aubergines lengthways in zebra stripes.

Using a vegetable peeler, peel the aubergines length ways in zebra stripes, then cut the eggplants / aubergines in half lengthways. In each half of eggplant, cut a deep split length ways without cutting through to the skin on the opposite side and leaving 1/2″-13 mm- uncut at either end. Sprinkle salt (this will help the moisture come out) over the eggplants and leave for about 10-15 minutes to leach out the moisture and bitter juices of eggplants. After that, thoroughly drain and pat dry the eggplants with paper towel to get rid of this moisture, otherwise they will be soggy.

 Place the sauteed eggplants on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Place the sauteed eggplants on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Heat about 1cm/1/2in light olive oil or canola oil in a deep sided pan. Place the eggplants in the oil and shallow fry quickly on both sides until they are softened and have a light brown color, for about 3-5 minutes. Place paper towel on a tray and transfer these eggplants there; the paper towel will absorb the excess olive oil.

Dried mint brings a refreshing flavor to the filling of the eggplants.

Dried mint brings a refreshing flavor to the filling of the eggplants.

Now let’s prepare the filling. Stir in the sliced onions and garlic in a bowl, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, dried mint, salt and ground black pepper to taste. Knead this mixture with your hands for the dried mint and seasoning to blend well (this will also help the onions to soften). Stir in the tomatoes and parsley to the mixture and combine well.

Lift the eggplants to a chopping board and open up the split in the middle to create pockets. Spoon the mixture into these eggplant pockets, packing it in tightly so that all of the filling is used up (if you have any left over filling, I would simply cook them in the same pan next to these eggplant pockets).

Spoon the filling mixture into the eggplant pockets.

Spoon the filling mixture into the eggplant pockets.

Place the stuffed eggplants side by side in a wide, heavy pan. Mix the remaining olive oil with ½ cup water, lemon juice and sugar and pour it over the eggplants.

Cover the pan with a lid and place over a medium heat to get the oil hot and create some steam. Once the cooking liquid is hot, cook the eggplants for about 45-50 minutes. Once cooked, they should be soft and tender, with a little of cooking liquid left in the bottom of the pan.

Leave Imam Bayildi; stuffed eggplants in olive oil to cool and rest in the pan after cooking.

Leave Imam Bayildi; stuffed eggplants in olive oil to cool and rest in the pan after cooking.

Leave the eggplants to cool and rest in the pan for the flavors to settle, then carefully transfer them to a serving dish and spoon the oil from the pan over the eggplants. Serve at room temperature or cold, with a wedge of lemon aside and extra garnish of parsley over them.

Imam Bayildi; eggplants, aubergines, stuffed with onions, garlic and tomatoes and poached in olive oil; just melt in the mouth

Imam Bayildi; eggplants, aubergines, stuffed with onions, garlic and tomatoes and poached in olive oil; a delicious vegetarian course, just melts in the mouth

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Tips for buying eggplants: Although these days eggplants are available all year around, July, August and September are their prime time.  When buying, choose eggplants with smooth, shiny skin, heavy for their size, and having no blemishes, tan patches, or bruises. Wrinkled, loose skin is an indication of age, and the fruit will be more bitter. Smaller eggplants have fewer seeds, thinner skin, and tend to be sweeter, tenderer and less bitter.

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