Tag Archives | Turkish culture

Festive Offering for My Online Turkish Cookery Course – 50 % Off!

With the festive season upon us, I am delighted to share that I am offering my Online Turkish Cookery course 50% of its normal selling price (£13.50 instead of £27.00) , until 24th December. I truly hope this festive offering would be an inspirational gift to yourself or someone you know who may enjoy learning Turkish cookery with a selection of classical Turkish dishes.

My online Turkish cookery course covers step by step demonstrations of 4 classic Turkish recipes, including stuffed aubergines/eggplants (karniyarik), potato & bulgur rolls, spinach and feta filo pastry, Ispanakli Borek and Turkish Coffee

Festive Season is about taking the time to spend special moments with family and friends. Turkish culture is about coming together with friends and family to enjoy a delicious meal, share laughter and create cherished memories. I truly hope festive gift giving of my online Turkish cookery course may help reconnecting with our loved ones and sharing plates of wholesome, delicious Turkish food with those you care about.

Making Spinach and feta filo pastry, Ispanakli Borek at my online Turkish cookery course

Turkish cuisine is my passion and I feel very fortunate to be a part of this rich and welcoming Turkish culture. With my online Turkish cookery video, I aim to provide a window into the warm Turkish culture through the delicious, healthy, wholesome Turkish food with thousands of years of culinary heritage. Turkish food is a wonderful expression of the warm, generous Turkish culture has a strong emphasis on sharing, giving, hospitality, that I think is a very strong bond to connect us with our past. I hope that throughout the video, you can feel the warmth, welcoming nature, hospitality of Turkish cuisine, how it nurtures our body, as well as our soul. My special thanks goes to Mer-ka-bah, a wonderful online platform, offering holistic online courses to improve health and well being, for producing my online Turkish cookery course.

I demonstrate Spinach and cheese pie with filo pastry – Ispanakli, Peynirli Borek with step by step instructions at my online Turkish cookery course

Here are the 2 Free Previews of the course for you to get a flavor of what my online Turkish cookery course is all about. First one is Meet the Presenter and the second one is Why Should I Do the Course, explaining the course structure, what you can learn from the course and the recipes I demonstrate. I demonstrate Karniyarik (Stuffed eggplants with ground meat and vegetables), Spinach & filo tray bake pastry (Ispanakli Borek), Bulgur & Potato rolls with pomegranate molasses sauce, Patatesli, Bulgurlu Kofte and Turkish Coffee. I also hope you enjoy the wonderful background Turkish music composed for us and my photos from my travels in Turkey throughout the course; fascinating sites, markets, glorious seasonal produce, gathering with friends to enjoy the Turkish food, as we do it rather well in Turkey : )

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 part of my online Turkish cookery course too

Here is how it works; once you purchase my online Turkish cookery course and create a user name and password, your course will sit in your “My mer-ka-bah” folder. You can then access and revisit with your username and password whenever you like. You can follow the Chapter order or pick and choose whichever chapter you would like to watch in your own time, whether it is Adding Flavor; 5 Key Spices Chapter or Ispanakli Borek; Spinach and Feta tray bake filo pastry recipe Demonstration; or any other – choice is all yours! Once purchased, the course is yours indefinitely. You can watch the course unlimited times, you can pause and come back later. This video is what I cover and more at my Turkish cookery classes and I hope it inspires and you enjoy it. Please also note that the course is interactive; you can leave me messages at the comment section, I would love to hear from you.

You will be learning how to make the perfect cup of Turkish coffee at my online Turkish cookery course

Happiness is a meal shared… What better way to celebrate this festive season than to connect with your loved ones over a special meal? I hope my festive gift offering of my online Turkish cookery course inspires you to create and enjoy memorable meals with family and friends.

My best wishes & Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

My Online Turkish Cookery Course with Turkish Recipes – Live Now!

By Ozlem Warren on February 3, 2015 in Online Turkish Cookery Course, Turkish Cooking Classes 16

I have been teaching Turkish cookery internationally over 8 years and have often been asked to do an Online Turkish Cookery Course from readers all round the world. So for lovers of Turkish cuisine, here comes my Online Turkish Cookery Course or ‘My virtual Turkish cookery class!”

Turkish cuisine is my passion and I feel very fortunate to be a part of this rich and welcoming Turkish culture. With my online Turkish cookery video, I aim to provide a window into the warm Turkish culture through the delicious, healthy, wholesome Turkish food with thousands of years of culinary heritage. Turkish food is a wonderful expression of the warm, generous Turkish culture has a strong emphasis on sharing, giving, hospitality, that I think is a very strong bond to connect us with our past. I hope that throughout the video, you can feel the warmth, welcoming nature, hospitality of Turkish cuisine, how it nurtures our body, as well as our soul.

We produced this Turkish cookery course, with thanks to Mer-ka-bah, a wonderful online platform, offering holistic online courses to improve health and wellbeing; from Healthy Eating to Mindfulness Meditation and many more. I was delighted when Mer-ka-bah approached me to prepare an online Turkish cookery course, as part of their Cultural Heritage Programs. Mer-ka-bah online courses provides accessibility (you can watch the courses in your home, while on the road or desktop) and flexibility (anytime that suits you; as little as 10 minutes a day or the whole course, you can pause and come back as you wish) and yours to keep (once purchased, you own the course and can revisit whenever you’d like, with your user name and password.

Here are the 2 Free Previews of the course for you to get a flavor of what my online Turkish cookery course is all about. First one is Meet the Presenter and the second one is Why Should I Do the Course, explaining the course structure, what you can learn from the course and the recipes I demonstrate. I demonstrate this Karniyarik (Stuffed eggplants with ground meat and vegetables), Spinach & filo traybake pastry (Ispanakli Borek) and more recipes at my online Turkish cookery course.

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

My Online Turkish Cookery Course is about 1 hour 50 minutes and divided into different modules, covering Turkish culinary history, Importance of being connected with our roots, Seasonality, Use of Spices, Turkish serving traditions, as well as 4 classic Turkish recipes I demonstrate (Stuffed eggplants with ground meat & vegetables, Karniyarik; Spinach and feta filo pastry, Ispanakli Borek; Bulgur & Potato rolls with pomegranate molasses sauce, Patatesli, Bulgurlu Kofte and Turkish Coffee). I also hope you enjoy the wonderful background Turkish music composed for us and my photos from my travels in Turkey throughout the course; fascinating sites, markets, glorious seasonal produce, gathering with friends to enjoy the Turkish food, as we do it rather well in Turkey : )

I am also delighted that we have a special introductory offer of 19 GBP / $ 28.56 for my online Turkish cookery course at the moment. I hope it helps to learn more about the wonderful Turkish cuisine and Turkish culture.

Spinach and feta traybake filo pastry, Ispanakli Borek, is amongst the recipes I demonstrate at my online Turkish cookery course.

Here is how it works; once you purchase my online Turkish cookery course and create a user name and password, your course will sit in your “My mer-ka-bah” folder. You can then access and revisit with your username and password whenever you like. You can follow the Chapter order or pick and choose whichever chapter you would like to watch, whether it is Adding Flavor; 5 Key Spices Chapter or Ispanakli Borek; Spinach and Feta tray bake filo pastry recipe Demonstration; or any other – choice is all yours! Once purchased, the course is yours indefinitely. You can watch the course unlimited times, you can pause and come back later. This video is what I cover and more at my Turkish cookery classes and I hope it inspires and you enjoy it. Please also note that the course is interactive; you can leave me messages at the comment section, I would love to hear from you.

This course may also make a wonderful gift to yourself or someone who enjoys Turkish cuisine, interested in travels to Turkey and would like to know more about Turkish cuisine. I very much hope the course inspires you to learn more about Turkish cuisine and you enjoy it.

I would also greatly appreciate if you can share with friends and family; many thanks in advance.

Afiyet Olsun to you all!

Ozlem

Wholesome Turkish Cuisine, use of spices and Hospitality above all

By Ozlem Warren on September 29, 2014 in Farmers Market in England, Turkish Spices 21

Elmbridge Food Festival at Painshill Park, Surrey – England

Talking about Turkish cuisine and culinary heritage at the demo theatre, Elmbridge Food Festival

I was delighted to be one of the guest speakers at the Elmbridge Food Festival at the Painshill Park’s, the beautiful 18th century landscape garden, Surrey – England last weekend. The festival showcased the local produce, artisanal bakery as well as ethnic cuisines in Surrey. It was a gorgeous weekend with sun upon us and a well-attended enthusiastic crowd at the demo theatre.

So much to talk about (now that I was given a mic and a crowd!); Turkish hospitality, importance of seasonality, use of spices and more

Fresh fruit and vegetables galore at the markets, pazar, in Turkey

It was a great opportunity to talk about delicious, wholesome Turkish cuisine and that it is beyond kebabs (as much as we love them). Turkish cuisine is based on fresh, seasonal produce. We are a lucky nation blessed with four seasons and abundance of seasonal fruit and vegetables regularly on display at farmer’s markets, pazar. In addition to fresh produce, wholesome grains like bulgur, legumes, dried fruits and nuts also feature frequently in Turkish cuisine. Here is some more information on Turkish cuisine and culinary traditions, if you like.

My sweet models displaying dried bell peppers and eggplants!

The dried bell peppers, eggplants (aubergines) and baby okra attracted a lot of attention (thanks to my sweet helpers!) during the food festival. This is a mainly southern Turkish tradition; the excess produce of meaty peppers, aubergines (eggplants) and baby okra are dried under the hot sun in the summer at the southern part of Turkey. The flesh and seeds of the eggplants and pepper are taken out and left for drying at the regions of Antakya and Gaziantep. They will end up having a rich, concentrated flavor and delicious when stuffed with ground meat and aromatic rice, as in these stuffed dried eggplants and peppers, kuru patlican ve biber dolmasi.

Hummus, flavored with red pepper flakes infused olive oil

The fresh produce, grains and legumes are also flavored with artful use of spices in Turkish cuisine. For instance, we use pungent, warm cumin often. Combined with chickpeas and tahini, cumin is the spice that makes hummus taste like hummus. Cumin is wonderful on lamb and beef; with chickpeas, lentils, cabbage, eggplant and cooked tomato; or combined with spices like dried mint, paprika, cilantro (coriander) and saffron. It’s also perfect with garlic or fennel.

Ezo Gelin Corba, Turkish red lentil and bulgur soup, flavored with dried mint and red pepper flakes.

How about the hearty Red lentils and bulgur soup, Ezo Gelin Corba? This spicy red lentil soup is one of my favorites; rich in fiber and protein and flavored with the refreshing dried mint and smoky, spicy Turkish red pepper flakes or chili flakes. It is a very satisfying, heartwarming meal itself with some crusty bread aside. You can read more about spices used in Turkish cuisine here; they are a wholesome way of adding flavors naturally.

Turkish Delights, Lokum

We finished our talk with the Turkish Delights, Lokum, one of Turkey’s hallmarks. The real thing is much more fragrant, less sweet and packed with flavor, compared to the ones I came across abroad. Therefore I decided to make my own Turkish delight and demonstrated in one of of Turkish cookery classes. You’d be pleasantly surprised to see it is easier than you think, though bear in mind that home made lokum will be softer than the commercial ones but packed with flavor. Here’s my home made Turkish delight recipe, if you’d like to try out.

Serving Turkish Delights at the Elmbridge Food Festival

One of the highlights of my talk at the food festival was the hospitality, generosity of Turkish cuisine and culture. Hospitality is a big part of Turkish culture and you can feel it everyday life all around. I vividly remember friends and extended family members knocking the door of my Grandmother’s 400 year old house in Antakya spontaneously and happily welcomed to the dinner table. We would all sit around her courtyard dinner table under the fig tree and have a feast of senses with arrays of wonderful mezzes, abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables cooked in olive oil (Zeytinyaglilar), succulent kebabs and many more. You will be offered tea or Turkish coffee in the banks, shops, wherever you go with a smile. Turkish saying “Basimin ustunde yerin var” (“I would place you above my head”) I think sums the Turkish hospitality very well. We Turks place our guests at the top of our heads and would be delighted to share our food with them, even it is some fresh bread and cheese.