ISBN-13: 9781912031948 / Angielski / Twarda / 2019 / 304 str.
With a tribute to Southern Turkish Cuisine Foreword by Ghillie Basan "My very warm welcome to you - Hosgeldiniz" This book is Ozlem's tribute to the wonderful diverse cuisine of Turkey and a celebration of her Southern Turkish roots with local regional recipes from her home town, Antioch, Antakya. She hopes these recipes will take you on a Turkish journey - to learn, taste and enjoy the delicious foods of her homeland and most importantly you feel the warmth and sharing spirit of Turkish culture. Turkish cuisine is based on seasonal fresh produce. It is healthy, delicious, affordable and easy to make. She shows you how to recreate these wonderful recipes in your own home, wherever you are in the world. Her dishes are flavoured naturally with: olive oil, lemon juice, nuts, spices, as well as condiments like pomegranate molasses and nar eksisi. Turkish cuisine also offers plenty options for vegetarian, gluten-free and vegan diets. Living abroad, it can be difficult to access speciality ingredients, so I she also offers substitute and/or alternatives wherever she can. She hopes her recipes inspire you to recreate them in your own kitchen and that they can bring you fond memories of your time in Turkey or any special moments shared with loved ones. Her roots - Ancient Antioch, Antakya Her family's roots date back to ancient Antioch, Antakya, located in the southern part of Turkey, near the Syrian border. This book is a special tribute to Antakya and southern Turkish cuisine, as her cooking has been inspired by this special land. Her parents, Orhan and Gulcin, were both born in Antakya and she spent many happy childhood holidays in this ancient city, playing in the courtyard of her grandmother's 450 year old stone home, under the fig and walnut trees. Her dad's father, Ahmet, was a soap maker (my father's surname "Sabuncu", means "soap maker") making the city's landmark olive oil soaps. Her mother's father, Suphi, was a food merchant, trading fresh and dried produce within the city as well as with Syria. She grew up with the abundance of fresh produce as her grandpa would share cases of figs, aubergines, tomatoes with family and friends at the family home in Antioch. Love of good food and sharing has been instilled in her since childhood and she grew up with the generosity of her parents and extended family. Her mother and grandma would cook lunch and dinner every day and everyone would be welcomed to their table. Her grandma would leave an extra plate or two on the table as someone would always turn up at mealtimes and they would be warmly welcomed to the dining table. They would all sit around her courtyard dinner table under the fig tree and have a feast of senses with arrays of wonderful mezzes (small plates of appetizers), an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables cooked in olive oil (Zeytinyaglilar), succulent kebabs and many more. The Turkish saying "Basimin ustunde yerin var" ("I would place you at the top of my head") sums up the Turkish hospitality perfectly. For Turks guests are the most important people. Turks place their guests at the top of the table and they are always delighted to share whatever food they have. A typical Turkish table: Turkish cuisine is based on fresh, seasonal produce. It is family friendly, healthy and easy to prepare. Preparing dishes is a personal choice and it is perfectly fine to tweak a recipe to reflect your taste as well as making use of what you have in your cupboard. When tackling a new recipe, say stuffed vegetables, it always starts with a phone call to my Ozlem's mother.Her mum talks about how she makes it, and Ozlem tells her about the ingredients she can get (for instance instead of pointy red peppers, it could be bell peppers for), and things she may be able to substitute with another. They remember how they would all gather at preparing the filling for dolma, her dad getting the vegetables from the market a