Sebze - A Cookery Book

 

 We leave a drab, misty Finsbury Park and less than an hour later we are sipping coffee in a the elegant Oatlands Park Hotel, built on the site of Henry VIII's hunting lodge, in Surrey.  A great way to start Christmas Eve in the UK, thanks to Özlem and Angus Warren.  Özlem and I 'met' as bloggers and  whereas I am happy to just write a post here or there, Özlem has forged ahead teaching, lecturing, writing magazine articles (or mostly having articles written about her ) and producing two wonderful cookery books.   We haven't met up since Covid so when I checked the map and saw that a Christmas Eve supper was only half an hour from the Warren household, I added on a trip to Weybridge to catch up.   I now have my own copy of SEBZE, and a few others were gifted. I would have ordered more but for Ryanair baggage regulations. 

My copy was soon put into action using a recipe for Rice Pilaf with chestnuts, apricots and herb, to go with chicken as my contribution to a New Year's Eve dinner and the dish received a thumbs up.  By now I would have tried out a few more recipes had I not got ill.   Trips to England  come with pros and cons - it's lovely to see friends and family but for once I'd like to avoid the viruses.   

Ozlem's page - Ozlem's Turkish Table  

THE Cookery Book to have on your shelf

As most of you know I make my living working as a professional cook. I no longer work full time but I still manage to get paid occasionally to provide good food.  There is a misconception that 'good' cooks don't need cookery books and I admit to only using two or three recipes in any cookery book I buy. But one book that is just about to be published will be in both my kitchens and on my bedside table (yes I've ordered 3 to start with) and will be well thumbed, slightly oily and no doubt splashed with tomato and pomegranate juice in no time; the sign of the best recipe collections.  I discovered Özlem Warren through her blog, Özlem's Turkish Table and have been lucky enough to meet her and her family on her trips to Bodrum. I have used her recipes extensively and they have got me out of several professional holes when I just couldn't come up with a menu idea.  If you are going to buy one cookery book in the next 12 months, please buy this one. If you think you can't cook - definitely buy it - you can prove yourself wrong.  Healthy, tasty, honest food with zingy flavours is all any of us want to cook and if it looks spectacular too, we can all take a bow.

Click http://ozlemsturkishtable.com/2017/11/ozlems-turkish-table-cookery-book-available-for-pre-order-now/  to pre order at 10% discount. 

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