Ozlem's blog is a joy to read as she truly loves the food of her country and loves to prepare and share her food with anyone - even a backwoods canadian like myself. a lot of the meals that i share here on this blog have come straight from the recipes that she shares on her blog.
but i still can't get around aubergine (eggplant) - i have tried and tried to like it!
she is considering publishing a book and i can't think of a better cookbook to have in my library! being that she is an internationally-renowned cooking instructor, she has set up a survey on her blog to get feedback from friends all over the world as to what her cookbook should contain.
the survey takes only a minute to fill out. i filled out my survey and i hope that any of you serious-minded, food-loving friends will do the same.
it may seem strange that i am posting about Ozlem's survey on a prepping blog...but she creates the most lovely dishes that i would feel bad if i didn't post about it. food is integral to our well-being and food is something i am very passionate about. as is Ozlem.
if you are inclined - the survey is here.
and even if you are not inclined, check out her cooking blog. the food she prepares is very inspiring, healthy and beautiful....the pictures that she takes are worth a million words!
this is beautiful Ozlem:
check out her blog. fill out her survey. you will be glad that you did!
I love eating Turkish food and I am fortunate to have a Turkish restaurant 20 miles down the road. (I used to live less than a mile from it prior to moving here.) But I must admit, I'm not a very good cook of Turkish food. Perhaps I need to invest in a good Turkish cookbook.
ReplyDeleteKymber, I used to hate eggplant so bad it would make me gag... until a friend from Italy introduced me to Pickled eggplant. The idea is to remove all the bitter taste. That is done by liberally salting thin slices of eggplant for about 4 hours. Then rinsing to remove salt and bitter brine. Then blanch in vinegar and water for about a minute and cool and dry. Then you can it in mason jars with your preferred spices and cover in olive oil. It looses all its mushiness and assumes the consistency of meat and is delicious. Here is the general idea:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.pbs.org/food/recipes/pickled-eggplant/
greetings from Michael in Maine
Dear Kymber, how so very kind of you to write this beautiful piece on my cookery book/ survey/ blog, I am so touch and can;t really express enough how much this means to me; thank you from the bottom of my heart! I am ever grateful to the blogging world to meet such special food lovers like you,my sincere thanks to you again. I do hope I can hand deliver the cookery book to you and we enjoy a delicious Turkish nosh :) cok tesekkurlerimle, Ozlem xxx
ReplyDeleteI've grown very fond of the warm spices and flavors found in Middle Eastern and North African cuisine and I bet I would like her recipes. (I have pomegranate molasses in my pantry!)
ReplyDeleteI was never a big fan of eggplant until I tried some 'eggplant caviar" a friend made. You'll find many recipes for it if you google it, but just to be safe... I'm waiting for my friend to share hers with me. :)
Kymber, have you tried substituting zucchini for the eggplant? I cannot stomach eggplant most of the time. I grow it because it has beautiful flowers & give away the fruit. I love to cook Iranian food & it calls for a lot of eggplant & I use the zukes instead. Your food is beautiful to behold the way you plate it.
ReplyDeleteStay warm & dry. Sandy
Well, I've never visited her blog but NOW I have and saved it and am looking back through it. Also filling out the survey. Thanks for the heads up!!!
ReplyDeleteWe are fortunate to have a Turkish Restaurant in town. I love it. Delicious and very filling. And Turkish coffee is a treat!
ReplyDeleteKymber, thought I would throw in my two cents worth. Thanks for the nice letter today. I appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteAs I mentioned in my email, I worked in Turkey quite a bit. Mostly in Izmir and Dyarbakir, but I also spent time in Istanbul and Ankara. The food was really, really good.