Tag Archives | Turkish recipes

Poached Dried Apricots in Light Syrup with Kaymak

By Ozlem Warren on July 11, 2025 in SEBZE, Vegetarian recipes 0

This delicious Kuru Kayısı Tatlısı, Poached Dried Apricots in Light Syrup with Clotted Cream , from my book SEBZE is a light, delicious and easy dessert for entertaining. Turkiye is one of the largest producers of apricots, kayısı. They are grown in abundance during the summer months, and some of the yearly harvest is dried in the sun to be enjoyed all year round. Malatya, a city in southeast Turkiye, is particularly famous for the quality of its dried apricots, which are exported all over the world. When I was a child, we lived in Elazığ, a town next to Malatya and my father would bring home cases of juicy apricots after work. We would eagerly wait for my father’s return and the apricots would soon disappear. Poaching dried apricots in light syrup brings out their beautiful fragrance and they are luscious served with cream.

Prepare ahead: You can poach the dried apricots in syrup 1–2 days ahead. Once cool, keep in a container, covered, in the refrigerator.

Variation and leftovers: Instead of clotted cream, you can stuff the dried apricots with 85 g (3 oz/2/3 cup) chopped walnuts for a plant-based feast. Leftovers can be enjoyed for breakfast or you can serve the leftover syrup as a light sherbet drink, with ice cubes and fresh mint in small glasses.

Here’s my recipe from my book SEBZE; if you are after delicious, easy, wholesome vegetarian Turkish recipes, there are 85 scrumptious recipes are on offer in SEBZE, along with stunning photography, stories, heritage – you can get a copy here worldwide.

Afiyet olsun,

Ozlem x

Poached Dried Apricots in Light Syrup with Kaymak

This is a light, delicious and easy dessert for entertaining. Turkey is one of the largest producers of apricots, kayısı. They are grown in abundance during the summer months, and some of the yearly harvest is dried in the sun to be enjoyed all year round. Malatya, a city in southeast Turkey, is particularly famous for the quality of its dried apricots, which are exported all over the world. When I was a child, we lived in Elazığ, a town next to Malatya and my father would bring home cases of juicy apricots after work. We would eagerly wait for my father’s return and the apricots would soon disappear. Poaching dried apricots in light syrup brings out their beautiful fragrance and they are luscious served with cream.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Easy Desserts

Cuisine: Turkish cuisine

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

150 g (5 oz/2/3 cup) granulated sugar
450 ml (15 fl oz/1¾ cups) hot water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
250 g (9 oz) soft dried apricots
130 g (4½ oz/½ cup) Turkish thick cream (kaymak) or clotted cream (or plant-based clotted cream)
2 tablespoons crushed pistachios

Instructions

Combine the sugar and hot water in a medium pan and bring to the boil. Stir constantly until the sugar dissolves, then reduce to a simmer. Pour in the lemon juice and add the dried apricots, and poach for 20 minutes over a low–medium heat. The apricots will plump up and the syrup will thicken, infused with the apricots’ beautiful fragrance. Leave to cool.
Once cool, gently open the split of the apricot and fill each with about ⅓ teaspoon kaymak or clotted cream. Place the stuffed apricots on a serving dish, spoon the syrup around them and sprinkle with crushed pistachios to serve.

Collard Greens Soup with Borlotti Beans; Karalahana Çorbası

By Ozlem Warren on September 11, 2024 in Gluten-free recipes, SEBZE, Soups, Vegetarian recipes 4

Karalahana Çorbası image, from SEBZE; taken during photo shoots with Sam A Harris

The autumn/fall season is in the air and we started to turn to wholesome, nourishing soups.

This Hearty Karalahana Çorbası, Collard Greens Soup with Borlotti Beans and Sweetcorn, from my new book SEBZE, Vegetarian recipes from my Turkish kitchen, encapsulates the staple ingredients in Black Sea cuisine, with many variations within the region. This version is inspired by my travels; I was served it at Sümer restaurant on the way to Maçka, near Trabzon. Made with the region’s delicious butter, the sweetness of the corn is a delightful match to the slightly bitter greens (karalahana). You can enjoy this chunky, good-value soup with Corn Bead, Mısır Ekmeği (at SEBZE, page 50,) as the locals do.

SEBZE, Vegetarian Recipes From My Turkish Kitchen

We have many gluten-free recipes in Turkish cuisine, like this soup, and many of them featured in my new book SEBZE (or ideas to turn recipes to gluten-free, when applicable). You can make this soup ahead of time – the flavours settle and taste even better the next day.

Quicker option: This soup is best made with dried borlotti beans. If pressed for time, you can use 2 x 400 g (14 oz) cans of good-quality, pre-cooked and rinsed beans instead. Fold the beans into the soup before adding the maize/corn flour to the pot.

I am delighted to share this delicious soup with you here, from SEBZE cookery book. You can get a copy here, world wide.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

5.0 from 1 reviews

Collard Greens Soup with Borlotti Beans; Karalahana Çorbası

Hearty Karalahana Çorbası encapsulates the staple ingredients in Black Sea cuisine, with many variations within the region. This version, from my new cookery book SEBZE, Vegetarian recipes from my Turkish kitchen, is inspired by my travels; I was served it at Sümer restaurant on the way to Maçka, near Trabzon. Made with the region’s delicious butter, the sweetness of the corn is a delightful match to the slightly bitter greens (karalahana). You can enjoy this chunky, good-value soup with Corn Bead, Mısır Ekmeği (from SEBZE, page 50) as the locals do. Quicker option: This soup is best made with dried borlotti beans. If pressed for time, you can use 2 x 400 g (14 oz) cans of good-quality, pre-cooked and rinsed beans instead. Fold the beans into the soup before adding the maize/corn flour to the pot.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Vegetarian recipes

Cuisine: Turkish Cuisine

Serves: 6

Ingredients

170 g (6 oz/generous ¾ cup) dried borlotti beans
2 tablespoons melted butter (or olive oil for a vegan option)
2 medium onions, finely chopped
85 g (3 oz/1/3 cup) double concentrated tomato paste
225 g (8 oz/generous 1 cup) sweetcorn kernels (cut from 2 medium cobs)
225 g (8 oz) collard greens, washed, rough stems removed and coarsely chopped
1.475 litres (52 fl oz/6 cups) hot water
30 g (1 oz/¼ cup) fine cornmeal or maize flour (also known as corn flour – not cornflour/cornstarch)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the pul biber sauce
3 tablespoons melted butter (or olive oil)
1 tablespoon pul biber / Aleppo pepper (use less or more to your taste)

Instructions

Soak the dried borlotti beans overnight or for 8 hours in plenty of cold water.
The next day, drain the beans, place in a large saucepan and cover with hot water. Bring to the boil, then cook over a medium heat for 20 minutes. Stir often and skim off any foam forming on the top with a spoon. Drain in a colander and refresh under cold running water (to retain colour and texture) and set aside in a bowl. They will be partially cooked and still firm, with a bite to them.
Heat the butter (or olive oil) in a large pan over a medium–high heat, add the onions and sauté for 7 minutes, stirring often to soften. Stir in the tomato paste, sweetcorn and the beans, and combine well. Add the collard greens and the measured hot water and bring to the boil. Gently mix – the collard greens will start to wilt. Season with salt and pepper, then cover, reduce the heat to medium–low and cook for 15 minutes, gently mixing a few times.
Place the fine cornmeal/maize flour in a small bowl and add 3 ladlefuls of the soup liquid. Mix with a spoon until the flour is dissolved and the mixture smooth. Pour into the pan and gently combine well. Cover and simmer for a further 10 minutes. This is a chunky soup but if it appears to be too thick for you, add a little more water and combine well.
For the sauce, heat the butter (or olive oil) in a small pan and stir in the pul biber. Gently infuse for 30–45 seconds over a low heat.
Pour the pul biber sauce over the soup and check the seasoning. Serve immediately while hot.

Chard Cooked in Olive Oil with Veg and Rice; Zeytinyağlı Pazı

By Ozlem Warren on April 16, 2024 in SEBZE, Vegetables Cooked in Olive Oil 0

Merhaba dear All,

I wanted to share one of my favourite recipes from my new book, SEBZE, Vegetarian recipes from my Turkish kitchen. This Chard Cooked in Olive Oil with Onion, Peppers and Rice, Zeytinyağlı Pazı, is a lovely and easy dish to enjoy pazı (chard), grown mostly in the northwest, Black Sea, Marmara, Aegean and the Mediterranean regions. Its gently tart flavour is delicious here. These large leaves are also used for making pazı sarması, rolled chard leaves with aromatic rice and sometimes with fresh Turkish curd cheese (lor peyniri). My family also loves this dish hot on cold days, with a dollop of yoghurt and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil over.

Prepare ahead and variations: This dish is great to prepare ahead – in fact, leftovers taste even better the next day as the flavours develop, a characteristic of zeytinyağlı dishes. You can use spinach or large leafy collard greens instead of chard. You can also use bulgur (not gluten-free) or quinoa (gluten-free) instead of rice.

Serving suggestions: Serve crusty bread or my gluten-free Corn Bread from SEBZE cookery book on the side to mop up the delicious juices, if you like. You can order a copy of SEBZE worldwide here.

SEBZE, Vegetarian Recipes From My Turkish Kitchen, order here

Afiyet olsun and my sincere thanks for your support,

Ozlem xx

Chard Cooked in Olive Oil with Veg and Rice; Zeytinyağlı Pazı

This is a lovely and easy dish to enjoy pazı (chard), grown mostly in the northwest, Black Sea, Marmara, Aegean and the Mediterranean regions. Its gently tart flavour is delicious here. These large leaves are also used for making pazı sarması, rolled chard leaves with aromatic rice and sometimes with fresh Turkish curd cheese (lor peyniri). My family also loves this dish hot on cold days, with a dollop of yoghurt and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil over. Prepare ahead and variations: This dish is great to prepare ahead – in fact, leftovers taste even better the next day as the flavours develop, a characteristic of zeytinyağlı dishes. You can use spinach or large leafy collard greens instead of chard. You can also use bulgur (not gluten-free) or quinoa (gluten-free) instead of rice. Serving suggestions: Serve crusty bread or my gluten-free Corn Bread from SEBZE cookery book on the side to mop up the delicious juices, if you like.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Vegetarian recipes

Cuisine: Turkish cuisine

Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red or yellow onion, finely chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (use more if you like it spicy)
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon double concentrated tomato paste
230 g (8 oz) tin chopped tomatoes
450g (1 lb) chard, cleaned, halved lengthways and roughly chopped into 1 cm (½ in) pieces
85 g (3 oz/scant ½ cup) long-grain rice, rinsed
460 ml (16 fl oz/scant 2 cups) hot water
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
To serve (optional)
plain yoghurt (or plant-based alternative)
drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large, wide saucepan over a medium–high heat, add the onion and sauté for 3–4 minutes until starting to soften. Add the chilli, garlic, tomato paste and chopped tomatoes to the pan (save the tin for later), combine well and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the chopped chard and gently combine and wilt over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes. Add the rinsed rice and combine well.
Rinse the chopped tomato tin with some of the hot water and pour all the liquid into the pan, season with salt and pepper, give it a good stir, then cover and cook for 20–25 minutes over a low–medium heat until the rice and vegetables are cooked. Turn the heat off and leave to rest for 10 minutes, covered.
When the weather is warm, we traditionally eat this dish cold or at room temperature. On cold days, we enjoy it hot with a dollop of yoghurt and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil over.