Turkish Vegetarian! Sebze by Özlem Warren
A Cookbook Collab
London: Hardie Grant Books, 2024
My Quick Take: This cookbook was a pleasure to cook from, with straightforward and tasty recipes.
***
In the spring, my regular cookbook collab companions Dawn and Dave cooked from Anatolia with me, a beautiful tome full of Turkish recipes that offered more involved recipes that were at times amazing and sometimes didn’t work out quite so well. Fun, nonetheless! For our current cookbook adventure, we decided we weren’t done with Turkish food just yet, and selected a vegetarian cookbook. Sebze, by southern Turkish author Özlem Warren. Raised in Turkey, she now lives in the UK after she married her husband Angus, though she lived and taught Turkish cuisine in the US for a few years.
“Sebze” means vegetable in Turkish. Warren says, “Seasonal produce has been a focal part of Turkish cuisine, along with legumes and wholegrains, for centuries. Paying tribute to our glorious, varied fresh produce, Sebze is a bountiful collection of scrumptious, practical and diverse vegetarian recipes.” She’s been influenced by several principles that are evident in the book: The Mediterranean diet for health, the principles of sustainability and zero waste and making good use of leftovers, preparing dishes ahead of time, and the ability to freeze leftovers. These are all ideas that are close to my and Dawn’s heart.
Chef Warren also has a website, Özlem’s Turkish Table!
Trish: Dawn, I guess we just weren’t ready to move away from our exploration of Turkish cooking yet, so we decided on Sebze, this 2024 vegetarian cookbook. I was pleased that we’d have more vegetable forward recipes to choose from. What drew you to this cookbook in particular?
Dawn: We’d found a “torshi,” sauerkraut and pickled onions–as well as other pickling options–in previous cookbooks and I wanted to explore what other recipes were out there. Apparently, Turks eat pickled side dishes at most meals. It wasn’t the season for pickled eggplant but when my garden eggplant is ripe, I plan to try that recipe from the Sebze cookbook.
Trish: I’m loving making pickles and fermented foods too! What was your overall cooking experience like with Sebze? Did you find the recipes doable? Difficult?
Dawn: I loved this cookbook and have requested it from the library for a third time now. The recipes were straightforward and the ingredient list was not too extensive. I am excited about trying another half dozen or so dishes, such as Kabakli Kol Boregi (filo pie with zucchini, feta and dill), Gelin Corbasi (bulger and lentil soup), Nar Eksili Beet (beetroot with walnuts and pomegranate molasses) and Zeytinili Mantar Sote (sautéed garlic mushrooms with peppers and olives) just to name a few.
Trish: Even though I usually try an “out there,” complicated recipe for most cookbook reviews, for this dinner party, I decided to play it a bit safe. I chose recipes I thought were achievable in a shorter period of time, as I’ve been busy. I also found myself drawn to recipes I’d be able to make ahead of time, so as to minimise cooking on the day of our get-together. How about you?
Dawn: It was about the palate for me and what I had available in my pantry. I was excited about the flavours I could put together: The squash and chestnut soup (Balkabakli Kestane Corbasi); the walnut and red pepper paste dip; and the dried apricots in light syrup and clotted cream (Kuru Kayisi Tatlusi). Yum!
Trish: Between the two of us, we chose seven recipes for our Sebze dinner party.
***
The Recipes
Trish:
Havuç ve Kabak (Garliky Courgettes and Carrots with Walnuts in Yoghurt)
I had a plethora of zucchini (courgettes) from my garden so this recipe appealed, and I loved the idea of incorporating so many veggies into the yoghurt for a meze dip. After a bit of grating and chopping, the aroma of garlic and carrot sizzling in the frying pan and chopped fresh dill filling the kitchen, I mixed all together and drizzled some olive oil on to serve. This was easy, refreshing and very tasty. I served it with pita bread and vegetables, and it was a hit. “This is a delightful, wholesome, versatile meze,” writes Warren, and she’s exactly right. It kept well in the fridge, and subbed in for salad dressing and a sandwich spread. Dave contributed, “Another delicious spread. I could eat it all day.” High praise.
Kisir (Spicy Bulgur Wheat Salad with Pomegranate Molasses)
“...we would wrap Kisir in young vine leaves. It is more than a bulgur salad for us; it is our memories, our heritage.” Despite Warren’s words here, I find bulgur salads a staple–a filler of sorts–but not too exciting. It’s so easy to cook with, though, that it tempts me every time. This recipe was simple in the extreme: bulgur, tomatoes, herbs and spices with a tomato/red pepper paste base, topped with pomegranate seeds for serving. I made sure to salt it adequately and that made it better. I liked the addition of the pomegranate seeds but others didn’t. It proved a good staple, as I and other dinner guests agreed, even if it wasn’t very showy and tended towards bland.
Fistikli Un Kurabiyesi (Turkish Shortbread Cookies with Pistachio)
To me, shortbread equals Christmas. I was interested to see the different culture around this cookie in Turkey: “These delicious, crumbly shortbread cookies are a national favourite.” I’m always happy to try a new shortbread recipe, and I knew they could be made well ahead of our dinner party. Basic butter, flour and icing sugar came together as expected, and the addition of chopped pistachios was excellent. Alan and I loved these (and they freeze so well!), but little did I know that Dave and Dawn are not shortbread fans. So you’ll like these a lot…if you like shortbread! (Dave: Yup no comment on the cookies!)
Dawn and Dave:
Balkabakli Kestane Çorbasi (Pumpkin and Chestnut Soup)
This soup was surprisingly delicious and simple to make. When we saw the recipe asked for chestnuts we were pleased, as we had a bag of fresh foil-wrapped chestnuts in our pantry and a bag of frozen roasted butternut squash (a suggested alternative to pumpkin in the recipe). The only other ingredients in the soup were sauteed onions, a homemade broth, and coconut cream. We will definitely make this blended soup again as it was rich and creamy. Dave notes that the soup was very flavourful and hearty, especially with the chestnut added.
Muhammara/Cevizli Biber (Walnut and Red Pepper Paste Dip)
This was a delicious nutty dip. With only a few ingredients needed and a perfect way to use up stale bread, this dip will be a regular item in our household. The tomato paste made it pop with flavour! Tasty and filling!
Patlicanli Rulo Börek (Filo Rolls with Aubergine, Pepper and Onion)
Ok so this is a funny story. As I mentioned earlier, we chose recipes from this cookbook based on what ingredients we had on hand. I made a very big mistake with this recipe, as I thought I had a roll of frozen filo in my freezer but it turned out to be frozen puff pastry! A very different ingredient…so once I realized this, we bought frozen filo. Unfortunately filo is supposed to thaw in the fridge for 12 hours. So I am curious if we made this dish again if it would have been better, as I was working with subpar filo! The stuffing included eggplant, red peppers, onions and tomato paste. A delicious combination but the execution of the appetizer was undesirable!
Kuru Kayisi Tatlisi (Poached Dried Apricots in Light Syrup with Clotted Cream)
This is a very simple but elegant dessert. I have made it again since. Although the clotted cream is expensive to buy it is an essential ingredient in this easy to make dessert. Of note, Trish loved it, and Alan didn’t like it very much. This dessert was Dave's favourite recipe (“I ate it until I was stuffed”). So lots of disparate opinions.
***
Between the four of us, we all had different favourite dishes but would agree that Warren’s recipes were generally straightforward and easy to prepare and worked out as promised, with some great flavours. There was no dish that we didn’t really like. I think my favourite recipe was the yogurt meze, which I will absolutely make again. It was Alan’s favourite too, though the Walnut and Red Pepper Dip meze was a close second for him. For Dawn and Dave, we loved the chestnut soup as it was so rich and creamy, and the clotted cream and apricot dessert.
Cooking from Sebze was a pleasure! I think we all liked the fact that it is vegetarian, and that gave us so many recipes to choose from. As a pescitarian, this means that Sebze has great longevity for me as there will be so many recipes I can try. Healthy and flavourful, we’d recommend this cookbook to start your vegetarian Turkish cooking adventure.
London: Hardie Grant Books, 2024
My Quick Take: This cookbook was a pleasure to cook from, with straightforward and tasty recipes.
***
In the spring, my regular cookbook collab companions Dawn and Dave cooked from Anatolia with me, a beautiful tome full of Turkish recipes that offered more involved recipes that were at times amazing and sometimes didn’t work out quite so well. Fun, nonetheless! For our current cookbook adventure, we decided we weren’t done with Turkish food just yet, and selected a vegetarian cookbook. Sebze, by southern Turkish author Özlem Warren. Raised in Turkey, she now lives in the UK after she married her husband Angus, though she lived and taught Turkish cuisine in the US for a few years.
“Sebze” means vegetable in Turkish. Warren says, “Seasonal produce has been a focal part of Turkish cuisine, along with legumes and wholegrains, for centuries. Paying tribute to our glorious, varied fresh produce, Sebze is a bountiful collection of scrumptious, practical and diverse vegetarian recipes.” She’s been influenced by several principles that are evident in the book: The Mediterranean diet for health, the principles of sustainability and zero waste and making good use of leftovers, preparing dishes ahead of time, and the ability to freeze leftovers. These are all ideas that are close to my and Dawn’s heart.
Chef Warren also has a website, Özlem’s Turkish Table!
Trish: Dawn, I guess we just weren’t ready to move away from our exploration of Turkish cooking yet, so we decided on Sebze, this 2024 vegetarian cookbook. I was pleased that we’d have more vegetable forward recipes to choose from. What drew you to this cookbook in particular?
Dawn: We’d found a “torshi,” sauerkraut and pickled onions–as well as other pickling options–in previous cookbooks and I wanted to explore what other recipes were out there. Apparently, Turks eat pickled side dishes at most meals. It wasn’t the season for pickled eggplant but when my garden eggplant is ripe, I plan to try that recipe from the Sebze cookbook.
Trish: I’m loving making pickles and fermented foods too! What was your overall cooking experience like with Sebze? Did you find the recipes doable? Difficult?
Dawn: I loved this cookbook and have requested it from the library for a third time now. The recipes were straightforward and the ingredient list was not too extensive. I am excited about trying another half dozen or so dishes, such as Kabakli Kol Boregi (filo pie with zucchini, feta and dill), Gelin Corbasi (bulger and lentil soup), Nar Eksili Beet (beetroot with walnuts and pomegranate molasses) and Zeytinili Mantar Sote (sautéed garlic mushrooms with peppers and olives) just to name a few.
Trish: Even though I usually try an “out there,” complicated recipe for most cookbook reviews, for this dinner party, I decided to play it a bit safe. I chose recipes I thought were achievable in a shorter period of time, as I’ve been busy. I also found myself drawn to recipes I’d be able to make ahead of time, so as to minimise cooking on the day of our get-together. How about you?
Dawn: It was about the palate for me and what I had available in my pantry. I was excited about the flavours I could put together: The squash and chestnut soup (Balkabakli Kestane Corbasi); the walnut and red pepper paste dip; and the dried apricots in light syrup and clotted cream (Kuru Kayisi Tatlusi). Yum!
Trish: Between the two of us, we chose seven recipes for our Sebze dinner party.
***
The Recipes
Trish:
 |
| All photos Trish Bowering |
Havuç ve Kabak (Garliky Courgettes and Carrots with Walnuts in Yoghurt)
I had a plethora of zucchini (courgettes) from my garden so this recipe appealed, and I loved the idea of incorporating so many veggies into the yoghurt for a meze dip. After a bit of grating and chopping, the aroma of garlic and carrot sizzling in the frying pan and chopped fresh dill filling the kitchen, I mixed all together and drizzled some olive oil on to serve. This was easy, refreshing and very tasty. I served it with pita bread and vegetables, and it was a hit. “This is a delightful, wholesome, versatile meze,” writes Warren, and she’s exactly right. It kept well in the fridge, and subbed in for salad dressing and a sandwich spread. Dave contributed, “Another delicious spread. I could eat it all day.” High praise.
Kisir (Spicy Bulgur Wheat Salad with Pomegranate Molasses)
“...we would wrap Kisir in young vine leaves. It is more than a bulgur salad for us; it is our memories, our heritage.” Despite Warren’s words here, I find bulgur salads a staple–a filler of sorts–but not too exciting. It’s so easy to cook with, though, that it tempts me every time. This recipe was simple in the extreme: bulgur, tomatoes, herbs and spices with a tomato/red pepper paste base, topped with pomegranate seeds for serving. I made sure to salt it adequately and that made it better. I liked the addition of the pomegranate seeds but others didn’t. It proved a good staple, as I and other dinner guests agreed, even if it wasn’t very showy and tended towards bland.
Fistikli Un Kurabiyesi (Turkish Shortbread Cookies with Pistachio)
To me, shortbread equals Christmas. I was interested to see the different culture around this cookie in Turkey: “These delicious, crumbly shortbread cookies are a national favourite.” I’m always happy to try a new shortbread recipe, and I knew they could be made well ahead of our dinner party. Basic butter, flour and icing sugar came together as expected, and the addition of chopped pistachios was excellent. Alan and I loved these (and they freeze so well!), but little did I know that Dave and Dawn are not shortbread fans. So you’ll like these a lot…if you like shortbread! (Dave: Yup no comment on the cookies!)
Dawn and Dave:
Balkabakli Kestane Çorbasi (Pumpkin and Chestnut Soup)
This soup was surprisingly delicious and simple to make. When we saw the recipe asked for chestnuts we were pleased, as we had a bag of fresh foil-wrapped chestnuts in our pantry and a bag of frozen roasted butternut squash (a suggested alternative to pumpkin in the recipe). The only other ingredients in the soup were sauteed onions, a homemade broth, and coconut cream. We will definitely make this blended soup again as it was rich and creamy. Dave notes that the soup was very flavourful and hearty, especially with the chestnut added.
Muhammara/Cevizli Biber (Walnut and Red Pepper Paste Dip)
This was a delicious nutty dip. With only a few ingredients needed and a perfect way to use up stale bread, this dip will be a regular item in our household. The tomato paste made it pop with flavour! Tasty and filling!
Patlicanli Rulo Börek (Filo Rolls with Aubergine, Pepper and Onion)
Ok so this is a funny story. As I mentioned earlier, we chose recipes from this cookbook based on what ingredients we had on hand. I made a very big mistake with this recipe, as I thought I had a roll of frozen filo in my freezer but it turned out to be frozen puff pastry! A very different ingredient…so once I realized this, we bought frozen filo. Unfortunately filo is supposed to thaw in the fridge for 12 hours. So I am curious if we made this dish again if it would have been better, as I was working with subpar filo! The stuffing included eggplant, red peppers, onions and tomato paste. A delicious combination but the execution of the appetizer was undesirable!
Kuru Kayisi Tatlisi (Poached Dried Apricots in Light Syrup with Clotted Cream)
This is a very simple but elegant dessert. I have made it again since. Although the clotted cream is expensive to buy it is an essential ingredient in this easy to make dessert. Of note, Trish loved it, and Alan didn’t like it very much. This dessert was Dave's favourite recipe (“I ate it until I was stuffed”). So lots of disparate opinions.
***
Between the four of us, we all had different favourite dishes but would agree that Warren’s recipes were generally straightforward and easy to prepare and worked out as promised, with some great flavours. There was no dish that we didn’t really like. I think my favourite recipe was the yogurt meze, which I will absolutely make again. It was Alan’s favourite too, though the Walnut and Red Pepper Dip meze was a close second for him. For Dawn and Dave, we loved the chestnut soup as it was so rich and creamy, and the clotted cream and apricot dessert.
Cooking from Sebze was a pleasure! I think we all liked the fact that it is vegetarian, and that gave us so many recipes to choose from. As a pescitarian, this means that Sebze has great longevity for me as there will be so many recipes I can try. Healthy and flavourful, we’d recommend this cookbook to start your vegetarian Turkish cooking adventure.
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