Özlem Warren - Sebze: Vegetarian Recipes from My Turkish Kitchen

29 Aug

Written By Antony

Özlem Warren is an award winning Turkish food writer and cookery teacher. She frequently travels to teach Turkish cookery in the USA, Türkiye, and Jordan. Her recipes and articles are published in major newspapers and magazines, including the Waitrose Food Magazine, Waitrose Weekend, delicious. magazine, Food and Travel, Olive magazine, The New York Times Cooking, Milk Street Magazine, Hurriyet Daily News and Sabah Daily. Her debut book, Özlem’s Turkish Table, won Gourmand's Best in the World award in Food Heritage in 2020. Özlem’s new cookery book is SEBZE, Vegetarian recipes from my Turkish kitchen. Özlem shares her recipes, events and travels on her Instagram page.

Who taught you to cook, and what’s the first thing you learned to make?

My dear mum Gulcin and grandma Nazime – I would help them out making dolmas (stuffed vegetables and leaves.

2. Name one or two of your most treasured food memories?

I think again, it’s the dolma-making ritual. It was such a wonderful family and friend-centred event when I was a child. Family members would gather around a big table – some would prep the filling, some would scoop out the veg or prepare the leaves, and another one would make teas and coffees for everyone. I loved the dolma-making ritual!

3. What are the best dishes your Mum or Dad cooked, and why?

They made everything from the heart and with such generosity. My dad’s specialty was sautéed potatoes with spring onions and eggs and I loved my mother’s muhammara dip, which was always on our table on special occasions – both recipes are in my new book SEBZE to pass on to readers.

4. Who would your dream dinner guest/s be (alive, or not) and what classic Turkish dinner would you cook for them?

I am a huge fan of food writers Diana Henry, Nigella Lawson and Claudia Roden. I would cook them arrays of meze, some zeytinyağlı – vegetables cooked in olive oil – , our puffy flat breads, a few börek and some sweet treats, perhaps my pistachio shortbread cookies and poached dried apricots with clotted cream. A Turkish feast to be enjoyed with cookery royalty!

5. What are the ingredients or flavours you could not live without?

Lemon; I’m a huge lemon fan. Good sea salt, good olive oil and pul biber (Aleppo pepper), which adds a delicious, moderate heat.

6. Name a useful tip, trick or hack in the kitchen?

Go hands-on; rub sumac into sliced red onions with your hands to soften and infuse, it makes such a difference!

7. What do you cook when you just can’t be bothered or when time is short?

Oh, I love eggs! Turkish style poached eggs with garlicky yoghurt and pul biber oil, called Çılbır, are so easy and so delicious.

8. What’s your ultimate food treat?

A really nice dark chocolate, ideally with Gaziantep pistachios in it.

9. What’s one of the most memorable things you’ve ever eaten, and where did you eat it?

At a restaurant called Sultan Sofrasi, in my hometown Antakya, when I was a teenager. Arrays of meze, puffy breads, salads with pomegranate molasses dressing, silky hummus; all enjoyed with my grandparents and family under the olive and pomegranate trees. Heavenly.

10. Congrats on your book Sebze…. we love it! Tell us the most fun part of writing a cookbook… and the least fun part?

Thank you! I loved bringing the regional Turkish specialties to life and seeing the book come alive during the photo shoots in London and location shoots with my family in Türkiye – so special! The constant editing of recipes and making sure we didn’t miss out anything is quite laborious! But also important and rewarding too.

11. What would you most like people to know about Turkish cuisine?

It is healthy, accessible and so delicious – also that it comes with thousands of years of heritage.

12. I’m a first-time visitor to Turkey and I’m interested in the cuisine. Where would you recommend I go in the country and why?

Ah, hard question. I suppose İstanbul is a good start, as it hosts such a melting pot of diverse regional flavours. But I’d say, do venture to the south of the country for spicy, succulent kebabs and mezes, or go to the Black Sea region to try mouth-watering pides, rice pudding, cornmeal crepes called kaygana, and more.

13. Also, for the first-time visitor to İstanbul, what quintessential 5 dishes would you recommend they try while they are there?

Try the street food – simit, rice with chickpeas, gözleme – try no frills Esnaf Lokantasi to enjoy local flavours and a slice of local life. You’ll find dolmas, zeytinyağlı dishes (vegetables are cooked in olive oil), the best baklava and turşu (pickles) galore!