Tag Archives | Vegetarian

Balkabaklı Kestaneli Çorba; Pumpkin and Chestnut Soup

By Ozlem Warren on October 28, 2024 in Soups, Vegetarian recipes 2

It is the soup season, as we are fully in the autumn / fall. It is also the pumpkin season; this Balkabaklı Kestaneli Çorba, Pumpkin and Chestnut Soup, from my new book, SEBZE, Vegetarian recipes from my Turkish Kitchen, is a delicious and easy celebration of autumnal flavours.

Pumpkin (balkabağı) is enjoyed in savoury and sweet dishes in Türkiye. While it can be combined with yoghurt or with pomegranate molasses in the south for savoury meals (for example, Adesiye, at page 143, in SEBZE cookery book), it is cooked with chestnuts in the north. The city of Zonguldak in the Black Sea region grows some of the finest chestnuts and this soup is a Zonguldak specialty. The sweetness of the pumpkin and onions works beautifully with the earthy chestnuts. Locals would also add the region’s creamy manda sütü, water buffalo’s milk, to the soup – full-fat milk works well as a substitute although you can use single (light) cream for a creamier taste. You can use butternut squash instead of pumpkin, too.

Serve this delicious soup with Corn Bread, Mısır Ekmeği (page 50 in SEBZE). It is the gift giving season upon us; copies of SEBZE is available worldwide at this link and it can make a lovely foodie present.

I hope you enjoy this delicious soup, Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Balkabaklı Kestaneli Çorba; Pumpkin and Chestnut Soup

Pumpkin (balkabağı) is enjoyed in savoury and sweet dishes in Türkiye. While it can be combined with yoghurt or with pomegranate molasses in the south for savoury meals (for example, Adesiye, at page 143, in SEBZE cookery book), it is cooked with chestnuts in the north. The city of Zonguldak in the Black Sea region grows some of the finest chestnuts and this soup is a Zonguldak specialty. The sweetness of the pumpkin and onions works beautifully with the earthy chestnuts. Locals would also add the region’s creamy manda sütü, water buffalo’s milk, to the soup – full-fat milk works well as a substitute although you can use single (light) cream for a creamier taste. You can use butternut squash instead of pumpkin, too.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Vegetarian Soup

Cuisine: Turkish Cuisine

Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil or sunflower oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
825 g (1 lb 13 oz) deseeded and peeled pumpkin, sliced into 1 cm (½ in) chunks
255 g (9 oz) peeled, cooked chestnuts, quartered
510 ml (18 fl oz/generous 2 cups) vegetable stock
510 ml (18 fl oz/generous 2 cups) water
140 ml (5 fl oz/scant ⅔ cup) full-fat milk (or a plant-based alternative)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
handful of fresh parsley, chopped, to serve
For the sautéed chestnuts
80 g (3 oz) peeled, cooked chestnuts, diced into small bites
2 tablespoons olive oil or sunflower oil

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large, heavy saucepan over a medium heat, add the onions and sauté for 10 minutes until softened. Stir in the pumpkin pieces and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add the chestnuts, pour in the vegetable stock and water, then season with salt and pepper, and combine well. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 12–15 minutes until the pumpkin is cooked.
Purée the soup in a blender and pour back into the pan, add the milk and bring back to the boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Seasoning is important – check and add more salt and pepper to your taste.
For the sautéed chestnuts, heat the oil in a small sauté pan over a medium heat, add the chestnuts and sauté for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve the soup warm with the sautéed chestnuts and chopped parsley sprinkled over.
Serving suggestion: Serve with Mısır Ekmeği (page 50 in SEBZE cookery book) to complement this delicious soup.

Turkish style rice pilaf with orzo or vermicelli – Sehriyeli Pirinc Pilavı

By Ozlem Warren on December 13, 2023 in Pilafs and Rice 2

Pilaf, or pilav as we call, is an important dish for us, Turks. It accompanies almost every Turkish meal, including our casseroles, meatballs. The iconic Turkish bean stew, kuru fasulye is always served with pilav, the combination referred as “kuru fasulye – pilav”. Combined with chickpeas, Nohutlu Pilav is another delicious variation and a much loved street food- a meal in itself with pickles, tursu aside.

Turks are passionate about making pilav. Proper Turkish pilav needs to be grainy, “tane tane pilav” as we say, and mastering to make it properly is a real test, traditionally, for a Turkish lady before marriage. Rinsing then soaking the rice in warm water is an important stage, as it helps to get rid of excess starch and make the rice grainy. We also use either chopped vermicelli like tel sehriye or orzo like arpa sehriye which is sautéed in our rice, which adds additional texture and flavour. Short grain baldo rice is the preferred choice in Turkiye, though I prefer the more widely available long grain rice. Make sure to let your rice rest for 10 minutes, covered with sturdy paper towel and lid, before serving – paper towel will absorb any excess moisture and make your rice grainy, “tane tane.”

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Turkish style rice pilaf with orzo or vermicelli – Sehriyeli Pirinc Pilavı

Pilaf, or pilav as we call, is an important dish for us, Turks. It accompanies almost every Turkish meal, including our casseroles, meatballs. The iconic Turkish bean stew, kuru fasulye is always served with pilav, the combination referred as “kuru fasulye - pilav”. Combined with chickpeas, Nohutlu Pilav is another delicious variation and a much loved street food- a meal in itself with pickles, tursu aside. Turks are passionate about making pilav. Proper Turkish pilav needs to be grainy, “tane tane pilav” as we say, and mastering to make it properly is a real test, traditionally, for a Turkish lady before marriage. Rinsing then soaking the rice in warm water is an important stage, as it helps to get rid of excess starch and make the rice grainy. We also use either chopped vermicelli like tel sehriye or orzo like arpa sehriye which is sautéed in our rice, which adds additional texture and flavour. Short grain baldo rice is the preferred choice in Turkiye, though I prefer the more widely available long grain rice. Make sure to let your rice rest for 10 minutes, covered with sturdy paper towel and lid, before serving – paper towel will absorb any excess moisture and make your rice grainy, “tane tane.” Afiyet Olsun.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Pilaf, vegetarian, vegan

Cuisine: Turkish cuisine

Ingredients

200g long grain rice
2tbsp olive oil
3tbsp orzo (or tel sehriye, chopped vermicelli)
420ml hot water
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Place the rice in a strainer and rinse under running warm water, until the water runs clear. Then place the rice in a bowl and cover with warm water with a pinch of salt and set aside for 15 minutes – this will help get rid of the excess starch.
Pour in the olive oil in a medium size pot and stir in the orzo or tel sehriye, vermicelli, sauté over medium to high heat for 3-4 minutes, until it starts to turn dark golden. Drain the excess water in the rice bowl using a strainer and stir the rice into the pot. Stir and combine for 1 – 1 ½ minutes, so that the rice grains coat with the oil too.
Stir in hot water, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix to combine. Cover, bring the pot to the boil, and then turn the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes, covered; during this cooking time, do not stir the rice. Turn the heat off once the rice is cooked and water is absorbed. Now place 2 sturdy paper towels or clean tea towel over the pot and put the lid back on to seal, and leave to rest for 12-15 minutes. The paper towels will absorb any excess moisture and make your rice grainy, “tane tane pilav”, as we say in Turkish. Fluff the rice with a fork, check the seasoning and add more salt or pepper to your paste and serve. We love pilav rice with pickles, tursu and a dollop of yoghurt aside, as well as along with casseroles.

Vegetarian Manti, Turkish dumplings with sautéed onions, chickpeas and spices

By Ozlem Warren on February 8, 2021 in Regional Signature Dishes; Mains, Sides and Desserts, Vegetarian recipes, Vegetarian recipes 13

We absolutely adore manti; one of my favourite foods growing up in Turkey. I not only love the taste but the whole ritual of manti making; when I was a child, my mother would prepare the dough, cut into small squares and my father, sister, anyone around would help making these tiny dumplings. And with huge excitement, we would pour in the garlicky yoghurt and that delicious spices infused warm olive oil over to top of our manti and tuck in immediately, such special memories.

Making manti is a bit of a labor of love, but so very satisfying, delicious and I find it soothing. I previously made the traditional manti with ground/minced meat filling and recently, I made this vegetarian version with sautéed onions and chickpeas, a popular variation especially enjoyed in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It was a great success and my family loved it. Sautéed onions add a delicious natural sweetness and moisture to the earthy chickpeas. Warm, pungent cumin is made for chickpeas, and with a lovely heat from pul biber, they make a great vegetarian filling. I made these manti dumplings a bit bigger than my previous manti, hence easier to make and equally tasty. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

Baked dried apricots with walnuts, from Ozlem’s Turkish Table, image credit: Sian Irvine Photography

Why not serve manti with this light and delicious dessert, Dried baked apricots with walnuts, from my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table? Lovely vegan and gluten-free treat, that is so easy to make too. Signed copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book is available at this link and delivered worldwide. Manti is not at my current cookery book, but I hope you enjoy over 90 authentic recipes in there.

4.7 from 3 reviews

Vegetarian Manti with sautéed onions, chickpeas and spices

Here is my vegetarian manti, Turkish dumplings, with sautéed onions and chickpeas, a popular variation especially enjoyed in Central Anatolia, Turkey. Sautéed onions add a delicious natural sweetness and moisture to the earthy chickpeas. Warm, pungent cumin is made for chickpeas, and with a lovely heat from pul biber, they make a great vegetarian filling. I made these manti dumplings a bit bigger than my previous manti, hence easier to make and equally tasty. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Vegetarian Manti

Cuisine: Turkish cuisine

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Dough ingredients:
300g/10 ½ oz. all-purpose plain flour (plus a little extra for rolling)
1 egg, beaten
115ml /4fl.oz water
30ml/2tbsp olive oil
5ml/1tsp sea salt
For the filling:
1 onion, very finely chopped
30ml/2tbsp olive oil (to sauté the onions)
400g/14oz cooked (can of) chickpeas, rinsed
Small bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
30ml/2tbsp olive oil (to knead the filling mixture)
10ml/2tsp ground cumin
5ml/1tsp pul biber or red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the garlic yoghurt:
400g/14oz thick and creamy plain yoghurt
1 -2 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
Salt to taste
For the sauce:
15ml/1 tbsp. Turkish hot pepper paste, biber salcasi or tomato paste
60ml/4 tbsp. olive oil
10 ml/2 tsp. dried spearmint, kuru nane
5 ml/1 tsp. (or more) ground sumac (optional)
5 ml/ 1 tsp. (or more) Turkish red pepper flakes, chili flakes, pul biber

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F
First make the dough. Sift the flour and salt into a wide bowl and make a well in the middle. Pour in the beaten egg and the water and using your hands, draw the flour into the liquid and mix to dough. Pour in the olive oil and knead the dough for about 5-8 minutes, until it is smooth and elastic. Manti dough needs to be quite hard; cover the dough with a cling film or kitchen towel and leave to rest in a cold place or in the fridge for 30 minutes.
In a separate bowl, beat the yoghurt with the garlic and season with salt to your taste. Cover and set aside to bring to room temperature.
While the dough is resting, make the filling. Finely chop the onion. Heat the 30ml/2tbsp olive oil in a heavy, wide pan and stir in the onions. Sauté for 8 minutes over medium heat, stirring often. Season with salt and ground black pepper and mix well. Stir in the chopped parsley and combine well, turn the heat off to cool.
Place the cooked and rinsed chickpeas in a large bowl. Mash them with a potato masher (I like to go hands on and mash and knead with my hands but if you find this labour intensive, you can mash in a food processor too). Stir in the cooled sautéed onions, 30ml/2 tbsp olive oil, cumin, pul biber or red pepper flakes. Season with salt and ground black pepper (this filling needs good seasoning, and its being vegetarian, you can taste the filling and adjust the seasoning to your taste). With clean hands, knead the mixture for a couple of minutes and combine well. The filling is ready.
Cut the dough into 3 balls. Working one piece of dough at a time (and cover the rest of the dough balls with a cling film in the meantime so they don’t dry out), roll the dough as thinly as you can into a sheet, on a lightly floured surface. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into small squares (roughly 4cm/1 ½ in). Spoon a teaspoon of the filling, rounded at a size of a chickpea into the middle of each square. Pinch the opposite corners to form a little a little pouch and press the seams together to seal firmly. Make sure to lightly flour your hands if handling the dough becomes sticky, so that you can seal the manti well.
Repeat with the rest of the dough and place the stuffed dumplings in a greased oven proof dish, stacking them next to one another in one layer. Bake uncovered for 8 - 10 minutes, until the manti, dumplings start to get a light golden colour. Take them out of the oven and let the manti cool. You can freeze some of this baked manti at this point, in a sealed bag for up to 3 weeks.
Pour the hot water and pinch of salt to a large pan and bring to the boil. Place the baked dumplings gently to the boiling water and simmer for about 8- 10 minutes, until they are cooked. Once cooked, drain the water and return the manti to the pan. Drizzle a little oil over them so that they don’t stick together.
While manti is cooking, prepare your sauce. Heat the oil in a wide pan and add the hot pepper paste, biber salcasi or the tomato paste. Stir in pul biber or red pepper flakes, dried mint and sumac, combine well and simmer for 1-2 minutes.
Arrange manti on a serving dish and spoon the garlic yogurt over them. Then drizzle spices infused olive oil with the tomato/red pepper paste sauce over the garlic yoghurt. You can decorate with extra red pepper flakes, dried mint and sumac and serve immediately.
Afiyet Olsun.

Ozlem’s Simit and Turkish Breakfast Online (Zoom) Cookery Class

Saturday, March 27th, 2021, 6 pm – 8 pm (GMT) – SOLD OUT

Thank you so much for your keen interest for my Simit and Turkish Breakfast zoom class – as March 20th class Sold Out so quickly, I am doing another Simit and Turkish breakfast zoom class on Saturday, March 27th.

Turkish breakfast, kahvalti, is my favourite meal and I am so very much looking forward to recreating some of my Turkish breakfast favourites at my zoom cookery class on Saturday, March 27th, 2021, 6 pm – 8 pm (GMT). This class will feature our iconic street food, Simit, Sesame encrusted bread rings – it is so much fun making simit at home, and I will show you how. This class menu also includes a delicious Olive Salad with pomegranate molasses from my hometown Antakya, Zeyting Ufeleme, Eggs with Spinach and Onion, Ispanakli Yumurta and Dried fig jam – all these will wonderfully complement our Simit and Turkish breakfast.

Date: Saturday, March 27th 2021

Time: 6pm- 8pm (GMT)

Cost: 35 GBP per person

This is a slightly longer class, as the Simit dough will need to prove and we will make in total 4 recipes for our Turkish breakfast feast.

You will get plenty of ahead of time preparation tips, ideas for substitution and with stories from my homeland. Recording of the class will also be sent to the participants for limited viewing. The class would also make a wonderful gift for a foodie.

Upon registration, you will get a confirmation email. The zoom link to join the class, recipe pack and ingredients list will be emailed a week before the class. Please note that no refund will be issued.

Do hope you can join us to make this delicious Turkish breakfast feast and take a virtual culinary journey to Turkey!

For private group classes, please email ozlem@ozlemsturkishtable.com, I look forward to cooking together.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem