Recipe: Roast aubergine with goat’s cheese & toasted flatbread

Punchy flavours and plenty of crunch – you won’t even notice you’re eating a superhealthy salad! Serves 2 Ingredients 2 aubergines, thinly sliced lengthways 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 12 cherry tomatoes, halved 1 Middle Eastern flatbread or pitta 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar Handful mint leaves 2 shallots, 1 finely chopped, the other thinly sliced 1 red chilli, finely chopped 50g goat’s cheese, crumbled Handful […]

Recipe: Walnut and Red Pepper Paste Dip, Muhammara or Cevizli Biber

This is one of my favorite mezes of all time; it is very easy to make and very, very more-ish, you just can’t stop eating it. It is one of my mother’s recipes from her historic hometown Antakya (Antioch) and whenever I make it, I feel like I am home – Ozlem Warren. Preparation time: 15 […]

Recipe: Hummus –  the quintessential Middle Eastern dip

Hummus is an Eastern Mediterranean dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic that makes a wonderful snack or appetizer. Ingredients 400g drained well-cooked or canned chickpeas (drain and thoroughly rinse canned chickpeas). 1 tbsp tahini (sesame) paste 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1/4 cup olive oil […]

Recipe: Chickpeas with winter vegetables and saffron

This Turkish recipe is a wintry version of turlu turlu, a version of ratatouille with chickpeas. Ingredients Method The original recipe uses aubergines, courgettes and peppers instead of root vegetables. Recipe courtesy of Delicious Magazine.

Recipe: Potato Salad (Patates Salatası)

A light and delicious potato salad – Turkish style… There’s a place on the table for potatoes at any time of the year. During the summer, potato salad makes a great addition to a meze table. The Turkish version is healthy, tasty and full of Mediterranean flavours. Potato Salad (Patates Salatası) Serves 4-6 Ingredients 500g […]

Cooking with Ozlem -Sautéed carrots and courgette/zucchini with walnuts in yoghurt

“This is a much-loved meze at home; the sweetness of sautéed carrots and courgette/zucchini works so well in garlicky yoghurt with dill. I added chopped gherkins, our tursu here (capers would work well too) here for a touch of tanginess and crunchy walnuts for added texture and flavour. A delicious dip that you can serve […]

Beet & Carrot Slaw with Garlicky Labneh

This sweet, tart and creamy jewel-toned slaw is filled with freshly shredded beets and carrots and tangy labneh. It can be served as a veggie starter or as part of a meze spread. Beet & Carrot Slaw with Garlicky Labneh Ingredients Serves 6 1 cup labneh or plain full-fat Greek yoghurt  1 small garlic clove, […]