Tag Archives | Turkish vegetarian feast

My new cookbook, SEBZE, Vegetarian recipes from my Turkish kitchen – on Pre-order Now!

By Ozlem Warren on January 17, 2024 in SEBZE 2

My new cookery book, SEBZE, Vegetarian recipes from my Turkish kitchen, is now available to pre-order worldwide Here!

Gorgeous cover design by Nic and Lou

My heart bursts with joy to announce that after over 2 years of work (and many years of dreaming about it), my new cookery book, SEBZE, Vegetarian Recipes from My Turkish Kitchen, will be published by Hardie Grant Publishing on April 9th in the USA, April 11th in the UK (& in Türkiye via Amazon Turkiye), April 5th in Australia. SEBZE is now available to pre-order HERE!

SEBZE, meaning “vegetables” in Turkish, is a celebration of vegetarian Turkish cuisine, with 85 practical and delicious vegetarian recipes (including scrumptious desserts) from the heart of my homeland, Türkiye (Turkey) along with stunning food and location photography by the very talented Sam A Harris, my stories and tips as a cookery teacher. SEBZE is now on pre-order worldwide, order link here (the link will take you to the relevant website to your location, for ordering). Pre-orders are very important for the success of a cookery book, hence I would be very grateful to your kind order.

Antalya style bean salad with tahini sauce, Tahinli piyaz from SEBZE Photo by Sam A Harris

I have long wanted to write SEBZE, to showcase the many different ways we enjoy seasonal vegetables, legumes and whole grains in my homeland, as living abroad over 20 years, I’ve seen how Turkish cuisine is mostly associated with kebabs. I believe the recipes in SEBZE will not only please vegetarians, but anyone, like me, who would like fresh and achievable vegetable-centered ideas to include in their cooking. I hope the readers will embark on a culinary journey to my homeland, to discover our delightful, practical, vegetarian recipes, along with scrumptious sweets. I am delighted to share a few taster images from SEBZE with you here.

What to expect in SEBZE? Showcasing diverse culinary heritage and warm spirit of Turkish culture, expect to indulge in popular Turkish classics, along with lesser-known regional specialties, from gözleme to mezes, street food (yes, simit!), All day breakfast, hearty casseroles, boreks, pickles, pilafs, vibrant salads, wholesome soups, healthy vegetables cooked in olive oil (Zeytinyağlı) and so much more. You will be glad to know there are scrumptious cookies, cakes and desserts in SEBZE too, from the milk-based Fırın Sütlaç to the luscious Pumpkin and walnut baklava, my take on the much loved classic, fruit based treats and many more. Recipes that are easy, flexible, good value, seasonal and sustainable – not to mention utterly delicious.

Çılbır, Turkish style poached eggs with garlicky yoghurt from SEBZE, image credit Sam A Harris

I tried to offer recipes that complement one another in SEBZE; most recipes include prep ahead tips, freezing options and variations for gluten-free and plant-based diets. Turkish cuisine is a no waste kitchen, so there are ideas for leftovers such as Baked bread with egg and vegetables; Fırında Yumurtalı, Sebzeli Ekmek, Easy, herby pan börek; Otlu tava böreği and many more. The recipes are both with metric and imperial measurements. Whether you are vegetarian or simply looking for fresh, vegetable-, grains- and pulses-centered ideas to include in your diet, there will be something for you in SEBZE.

Zeytinyağlı biber dolması, stuffed peppers with aromatic rice from SEBZE. Image credit Sam A Harris

I am also very excited to share some lesser known regional specialties such as this show stopper Tray bake Mantı with spiced chickpeas, Nohutlu Tepsi Mantı in SEBZE. You would be glad to know it is easy to make and can be prepared ahead too.

Tray bake Mantı with spiced chickpeas, Nohutlu Tepsi Mantı from SEBZE. Image credit Sam A Harris

How about this scrumptious Baked aubergines, courgettes, peppers with tomato sauce; Turkish Şakşuka with Home made pul biber and oregano chips? They are huge part of my childhood, accompanied by my mother’s Muhammara, all in SEBZE.

Turkish Saksuka with pul biber and oregano chips, from SEBZE. Image credit Sam A Harris

Tray bake börek with onions, potato, mineral water, Patatesli sodalı börek from SEBZE – Image credit to Sam A Harris

There are so many talented, kind folks helped made SEBZE happen. I can’t thank enough to my literary agent Milly Reilly, the Hardie Grant Publishing team for all their support. Huge thanks to the photographer extraordionaire Sam Harris who not only shot Sebze in London along with the amazing team and food stylist Esther Clark, but he also travelled to Turkiye with me for our location shoots in Istanbul and Antakya – at the beautiful Meric Ciftligi, with my family, aunties, and uncles, which were so special to me. I am so grateful for these amazing shoots, showcasing my homeland and heritage. My very sincere thanks also to Diana Henry for her most kind words on the cover, along with Sabrina Ghayour, Joe Woodhouse, Jenny Linford, Ghillie Basan, Rosemary Gill for their generous quotes for SEBZE and everyone so kind to support this special book.

Ozlem at Meric Ciftligi – Altinouzu, Antakya, from SEBZE. Image credit Sam A Harris

Fıstıklı Un Kurabiyesi, Turkish shortbread cookies with pistachio from SEBZE. Image credit Sam A Harris

It’s been an absolute privilege to write SEBZE and my heart bursts with pride. If you are keen to get a copy and if you can pre-order here, I would greatly appreciate it, as pre-orders help so much to a new book (amazon takes the payment for pre-orders when it is dispatched). My huge, sincere thanks, çok teşekkür ederim – can’t wait for you to meet SEBZE !

SEBZE, Vegetarian recipes from my Turkish kitchen, available to pre-order HERE

Afiyet Olsun,

Özlem

Turkish Vegetarian Feast; Ideas from our Turkish Cookery Class

By Ozlem Warren on March 15, 2016 in Appetizers and Mezes, Turkish Cooking Classes 10

Merhaba All,

Talking about Turkish culinary heritage at Divertimenti Cookery School, London

We had a delicious Turkish cookery class at the Divertimenti Cookery School in London last Sunday. It was wonderful to be hands on with 9 enthusiastic participants and create a Turkish feast. Here are some photos and recipes we made at our class, I hope they inspire you too.

Ezo Gelin Corba, Spicy Bulgur and Lentil Soup

Ezo Gelin corba, spicy bulgur and lentil soup flavored with dried mint and red pepper flakes, was one of the highlights of the class, everyone really enjoyed it and pleasantly surprised how easy it was. A wholesome, delicious soup you can prepare ahead of time and left overs freeze beautifully too.

Turkish flat breads with crumbled feta, red pepper paste, za’atar mix

Biberli Ekmek, southern Turkish style flat breads with crumbled feta, za’atar and red pepper paste, was another easy recipe we did at the class. These flat breads take me back to my childhood in Antakya immediately, as my mother and grandma used to prepare the topping for the flat breads and we would take it to our local bakery to bake. Za’atar here is a delicious, aromatic blend of spice mix, including wild oregano, ground cumin, sesame seeds, crushed pistachio, crushed chickpeas and many more, utterly delicious.

Karides Guvec; baked prawn and vegetables casserole with grated cheese, from our Turkish cookery class

Baked vegetables casserole with chickpeas and grated cheese

We then had a go at the popular Karides Guvec, Prawn casserole with vegetables and grated cheese. A favorite starter at fish restaurants at home, it also makes a wonderful, easy to make main course. If you are not keen on prawns, you can take out and add cooked chickpeas to the mixture instead, as we did for an alternative version. Ground cumin goes well with chickpeas, as well as red pepper flakes for a delicious heat.

Potato and bulgur rolls, patatesli, bulgurlu kofte, with olive oil and pomegranate sauce

These gorgeous potato and bulgur rolls, Patatesli, bulgurlu kofte, with spring onions and red pepper flakes were another highlight. You can make them ahead of time and they are delicious dipped into olive oil & pomegranate molasses sauce.

Revani, semolina sponge cake, light and fragrant with lemon juice and lemon zest.

Moist, delicious semolina sponge cake in light syrup, Revani, was our dessert. I love the lightness semolina gives to this dessert, also fragrant with lemon juice and lemon zest, so easy to make, here’s my Revani recipe.

Turkish coffee and its best accompaniment, Turkish Delight

Last but not least, we finished off with Turkish coffee, a perfect end to a Turkish meal, along with Turkish Delight. Turkish coffee is more than a drink for us Turks; we take time to pause and enjoy a delicious sip with a friend or to reflect. Here’s how to make Turkish coffee and its rituals, hope you enjoy it.

Enjoying the delicious Turkish feast we prepared together at the Divertimenti Cookery School

We then set down and enjoyed the fruits of our labor together, it was a great team effort! Due to popular demand, my Turkish vegetarian class will be repeated at the Divertimenti Cookery School in London on Saturday, April 30th, from 11 am to 2.30 pm. Here’s my cookery class details if you’d like to join us.

My best wishes and Afiyet Olsun to you all,

Ozlem