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. Source ..read more

Merhaba dear All, It’s not long now for the worldwide publication of my new cookery book, SEBZE, Vegetarian recipes from my Turkish kitchen in April 2024 and I am giddy with excitement to share this special book with you all. You can pre-order your copy here, and we would greatly appreciated, as pre-orders help new books greatly. SEBZE, Vegetarian Recipes From My Turkish Kitchen There are… Source ..read more

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… Source ..read more

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... Source ..read more

This is another easy, delicious, nutritious one pan dish, perfect for week day meals – leftovers make a lovely lunch or another supper the next day. Türlü is a popular stew of meat and vegetables at home, traditionally cooked on the stovetop, and sometime baked. Green beans, potatoes and peppers are lovely here though you can use other veg in hand – beets, squash, carrots, leeks can be fantastic... Source ..read more

This is a delicious, easy, comforting pasta bake that you can prepare ahead. Dried mint adds a refreshing touch; I used medium cheddar, though you can use any melting cheese you like – I love grated halloumi here too. I try to squeeze in vegetables into my pasta bakes and bountiful courgettes work well here; feel free to use other vegetables in hand too. Serve this delicious pata bake with a... Source ..read more

We Turks love köfte, our meatballs and we have so many variations. This Dalyan Köfte is a showstopper, and surprisingly easy to make. I remember my mother making it at special occasions when I was a child. It is in the shape of a substantial meatloaf with boiled eggs in it, garnished with peas and carrots in tomato sauce. It makes a lovely meal with mashed potatoes aside; some folks enjoy it with... Source ..read more

Dear All, As you are aware, Southeast Turkey and Syria has been very severely effected by the recent earthquake on February 6th – over 20,000 lives have been lost and still counting, an unimaginable pain. It hit home too, as my hometown Antakya – Hatay is totally destroyed, so very heartbreaking. My immediate family in Istanbul is thankfully fine but we unfortunately lost some extended family and... Source ..read more

Bitter almond cookies, Acıbadem kurabiyesi I absolutely adore our crispy outside, chewy inside acıbadem kurabiyesi. Its origins dates back to 19th century Ottoman Palace kitchens and the traditional recipe includes a small amount of bitter almonds, hence give its name. Our world famous almonds from Datça region in southwest corner of Turkey is also traditionally used in these cookies. Source ..read more

Beyti Kebab is one of the much loved traditional Turkish kebabs in Turkey- succulent Beyti kofte, rolled over thin wrap, served with a delicious tomato sauce and garlicky yoghurt on top. It is easy to make Beyti Kebab at your home and so delicious. Traditionally minced/ground lamb is used, though you can use half and half minced beef and lamb as I do here or just minced/ground beef if you prefer... Source ..read more