‘Sebze’, which translates to “vegetables” in English, is a 100% vegetarian cookbook, focused exclusively on the cuisine of cooking instructor Özlem Warren’s homeland. Its 85 recipes dive into regional specialties that embrace the heart of Turkish cooking: simple ingredients prepared with your hands and plenty of love.
Vegetarian Turkish All the Way
Özlem Warren, a cooking teacher who has lived in the United States and now lives in the United Kingdom, takes us on a journey through her homeland with her second cookbook, Sebze. “Vegetables” in Englsh, Sebze is devoted entirely to the vegetarian dishes essential to Turkish cooking. Raised in Antakya in southern Turkey (it’s to the north of Lebanon and to the west of Syria), Warren is a passionate teacher of Turkish flavors, guiding us page by page through the flavors of her homeland. Though Turkey is a historical crossroads of cultures – where east and west meet, as it were – Warren keeps her flavor focus on Turkey. A Mediterranean cookbook this is not. It is a whole-hearted embrace of Turkey in its veggie-centric glory.
The book’s vibe is casual and friendly. Recipes feature chatty headnotes – I suspect these are taken directly from Warren’s recipe introductions to her cooking classes. The first chapter is dedicated to Breads and Savory Bakes with recipes for pans of glutenfull börek and cornbread made only with cornmeal (it’s gluten-free). There are chapters dedicated to street food and salads, meze and pickles, salads and pastas. Make a trip to the farmers’ market and your local Mediterranean grocery store and dig in.
Recipes I Made
As I am gluten-free, many of the recipes in the bread section were out of reach. Using pre-cut butternut squash and vacuum-sealed chestnuts from Spain, I made Balkabakh Kestane Çorbasi, or Pumpkin and Chestnut Soup (p. 76), a lovely “transition to fall” dish that I plan to make again as a holiday appetizer. Like all of Warren’s recipes, it was easy (with a few supermarket shortcuts), simple, delicious and soul-warming. I swapped quinoa for bulgur in Spicy Bulgur and Lentil Soup (p. 83) with no ill effect. I did not have any dried mint and skipped the homemade infused oil, substituting the Asian chile oil instead. No problem here. The pomegranate molasses drizzled over beets (p. 92) made an easy side dish, one that featured the California walnuts I have in my fridge. Though Warren does not say to roast them, I did, as my family prefers the toasty flavor. Muhammara (p. 97) uses up stale bread (or use bread crumbs) – gluten-free crumbs worked just fine here, too. Stuffed Peppers with Aromatic Rice (p. 140) reminded me of childhood – my Mom always used green peppers as Warren does.
Who Would Like This Cookbook
Warren’s book requires no fancy tools or ingredients and none of the recipes are complicated or layered. The focus is on fresh ingredients turned into dishes made with love. She does ask you to cook with your sense and sensibility, something every cook can access. Home cooks, dig in!
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Interested in cookbooks from countries around the Black Sea? Take a look at my review of Caroline Eden’s Black Sea.
