Tag Archives | vegan recipes

Shepherd’s Salad with Sumac – Sumakli Coban Salata

By Ozlem Warren on October 13, 2010 in Appetizers and Mezes, Salads 8

Shepherd’s Salad with tangy sumac, delicious and refreshing

An easy, utterly delicious and healthy salad that complements main courses, it is also great to have for lunch with some cheese and crusty bread. The simple dressing of olive oil, lemon juice and seasoning is just right. Sprinkle some tangy sumac over the salad for extra zing and flavor.

Serves 4

Preparation time : 10 minutes

Half of a large cucumber, about 160 gr/5 ½ oz, cut in quarters and sliced
2-3 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
3 spring (green) onions, finely chopped
Handful of flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
30 ml/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon

5ml/1tsp. ground sumac
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix the cucumbers, tomatoes, spring onions and the parsley in a bowl. Add the olive oil and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper and mix well. Sprinkle ground sumac over for an extra zing and flavor.

I am passionate about my homeland’s delicious, healthy Turkish cuisine. Signed hardback copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book is now 30 % Off at this link, for a limited time and delivered worldwide including the USA. You can also see the ebook, kindle options too.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Ezo Gelin Corba; Turkish Spicy Red Lentil and Bulgur Soup

By Ozlem Warren on September 7, 2010 in Soups 71

Ezo Gelin Corbasi; Spicy Turkish lentil & bulgur soup with dried mint and red pepper flakes; wholesome and delicious

Soups have a special place in Turkish cuisine and the meals mostly start with them. In Anatolia, it is very common to have soup to start the day, especially in winter. This spicy lentil soup is one of my favorites; rich in fiber and protein, very delicious and easy to make. It is also a great example of how we add flavor to our dishes thru spices. Named after the bride “Ezo” who managed to impress her in-laws with this heartwarming soup, this soup is so delicious and simple to make that you will want to make it all the time! It also freezes very well, so I recommend to make a big batch and freeze some for a heart and soul warming lunch or supper.

Note: Red pepper paste, biber salcasi, adds a wonderful, rich flavour to the soup. You can make your own red pepper paste, biber salcasi, with my recipe here.

Ezo Gelin Corba and many other authentic, wholesome vegetarian Turkish recipes are included at my new cookery book, SEBZE, Vegetarian recipes from my Turkish kitchen. You can order a copy here worldwide.

Serves 6
Preparation time – 15 minutes Cooking time – 40 minutes

290 gr/1 cup split red lentils, rinsed and drained
1 onion, finely chopped
45 gr / 3 tablespoons coarse bulgur wheat, rinsed and drained
1.75 litres / 7 1/2 cups water
60 g / 2 oz tomato paste

40 g / 1 1/2 oz Turkish hot red pepper paste, biber salcasi
30ml /2 tablespoons olive oil

15ml/1 tablespoon dried mint

Juice of 1 lemon

To Serve:
10 ml / 2 tsp dried mint
5 ml / 1 tsp pul biber, red pepper flakes / paprika flakes

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Lemon wedges to serve

Heat the olive oil in a heavy, medium-sized pot and stir in the onions. Cook over a medium heat for about 4 minutes, stirring often, this will soften the onions. Add the lentils and the water. Cover and bring the pot to the boil. Cook over a medium to low heat for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the bulgur, tomato paste, red pepper paste and dried mint, season with salt and ground black pepper. Cover and cook for another 15 minutes, until the bulgur is cooked. Add some more water if the soup appears to be too thick. Pour in the lemon juice and mix well.

To serve, pour 2 tbsp olive oil in a small pan and stir in the dried mint and pul biber / red pepper flakes. Stir and gently cook over a low heat for about 40 seconds. Pour in this sauce into the soup and combine well.

Serve hot with lemon wedges by the side.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Fasulye Piyazi – Turkish bean salad with vegetables

By Ozlem Warren on July 8, 2010 in Salads 9

Bean salad with onions, tomatoes, olives and boiled eggs - Fasulye piyazl

Bean salad with onions, tomatoes, olives and boiled eggs – Fasulye piyazi

I love this tasty, nourishing Turkish bean salad, Fasulye Piyazi. At home, traditionally we serve fasulye piyazi with grilled meatballs, koftes. There are traditional restaurants, lokantas, at home that solely serve Turkish style meatballs, fasulye piyaz and pickled cucumber and peppers. This salad is also a great alternative for lunch, as I like to have, served with some nice crusty bread or in can be a part of a meze spread or accompany grills as a side.

I like to use both black and green olives, the Greek or Spanish olives work well if you can’t find Turkish olives.

Turkish cuisine is based on seasonal produce and very healthy; we have a wide variety of salads (including this bean salad), hot and cold mezzes, vegetables cooked in olive oil and they are all featured at my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland; signed copies are now 25 % OFF at this link, if you’d like to grab yours. I am also delighted to share with you that we also designed this lovely Ozlem’s Turkish Table apron. It is special to my heart, as it is made in Turkey, with my hometown Antakya’s celebrated daphne leaves in the hand embroidered design – you can get yours at this link. Delivered worldwide including the US.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Serves 4-6
Preparation time: 10 – 15 minutes

2×400 gr/2 (14 oz) cans of precooked cannellini beans
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
3 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
45-60 ml/3-4 tablespoon olives, halved and stones removed
2 hardboiled eggs, quartered
A handful of flat leaf (Italian) parsley, chopped
5 ml/1 teaspoon salt
30 ml/ 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
5 ml/1 teaspoon ground sumac – optional-
1/2 teaspoon paprika flakes – optional –
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the cooked beans in a bowl, after draining its juice and rinsing over warm water. Work salt and sumac into the onion slices with your hands really well. This will soften the onions and make them more palatable. Add the onion, chopped tomatoes, half of the olives, parsley and paprika flakes into the bowl. Wisk together the extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice and pour over this mixture.

Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and combine well. Arrange on a serving plate and garnish with the eggs and remaining olives.

Serve immediately or refrigerate until required.

Afiyet Olsun!

Note: If you prefer to use the dried beans, you need to soak them in water overnight. Then drain the beans and put in a pan with plenty of fresh water. Cook about 60 minutes or until tender, adding salt toward the end of cooking time. Drain and set aside in a bowl, to be used in this salad.