Oklava

by Selin Kiazim

  Lower the slices into the hot oil, ensuring they are well separated, and fry for 1–2 minutes, or until crisp and golden. Drain on kitchen paper and season with salt and the spice mixture.

  FAMILY KEBABS

  Even if I’ve just eaten dinner, the smell of kebabs makes me hungry again – it is probably my favourite meal. I’m not talking kebabs from your local takeaway, I’m talking about ones you will find, mostly on a Sunday, in pretty much every Turkish household.

  Eating kebabs is a big social occasion. When I was growing up, I remember being excited when I knew we were having kebabs, not only because I loved them but also because it meant that all my cousins would be coming round to play. Kebabs are cooked on a barbecue, and the ultimate barbecues are held on the beach. The beach is a 5-minute drive from where my grandparents live in Cyprus, and families gather there every weekend to have their own barbecue or order kebabs from one of the beach shacks. It’s a day of pure indulgence for me, consisting of sea, sunshine, sand and the smell of kebabs wafting from every direction. Here is what a typical barbecue at the Kiazim household consists of: Şeftali, Adana Köfte with Pitta Bread, Spicy Tomato Sauce and Yogurt, Lamb Shish, Lamb Chops, Chicken Pieces, my Mum’s Hummus and Pilav, Cyprus Potato Salad and Shepherd’s Salad.

  KEBAB MENU

  SEFTALI

  ADANA KÖFTE WITH PITTA BREAD, SPICY TOMATO SAUCE AND YOGURT

  LAMB SHISH

  LAMB CHOPS

  CHICKEN PIECES

  MUM’S HUMMUS

  MUM’S PILAV

  CYPRUS POTATO SALAD WITH ROMAINE LETTUCE, HERBS, SPRING ONIONS, LEMON & OLIVE OIL

  SHEPHERD’S SALAD

  LAMB SHISH

  In our household we often use lamb leg meat for shish, but you could also use shoulder, depending on how much the fat content worries you. Dice the lamb into about 2cm (¾in) cubes, trimming it of any sinew and excessive fat (although a few cubes of fat skewered along with the meat is a good thing). Marinate the lamb for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight, in good olive oil and dried oregano (preferably wild oregano, known as kekik in Turkish, which has a more perfumed flavour). Place the meat on skewers and cook over very hot charcoals, seasoning with fine salt as you go.

  LAMB CHOPS

  You can grill lamb cutlets, which are delicious, but I prefer to use middle-neck lamb chops, mainly because I like getting stuck in and trying to get all the bits of meat off the bone. You will need to ask your butcher to cut these for you. Grill the chops over hot coals, seasoning with fine salt as you go, and turning them regularly to ensure they cook evenly.

  CHICKEN PIECES

  Joint a chicken into 8–10 pieces through the bone (your butcher can do this for you). I prefer to leave the skin on. Marinate it in good olive oil, lemon and dried oregano for at least 4 hours. Cook over medium-hot coals, seasoning with fine salt as you go, and turning it regularly to make sure the chicken cooks evenly and doesn’t burn.

  ADANA KÖFTE WITH PITTA BREAD, SPICY TOMATO SAUCE & YOGURT

  This simple, classic kebab is named after the fifth largest city in Turkey. It works well as a meal in itself and is a favourite of my sister Sinem, who will sometimes light the barbecue mid-week just to make it. For an added bit of luxury, serve with Chilli Butter drizzled over the top.

  SERVES 6

  900g (2lb) minced lamb or beef

  100g (3½oz) lamb suet (optional), frozen and finely grated

  1 onion, finely chopped

  large bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped (a little stalk is good)

  15g (½oz) fine salt

  1 quantity Spicy Tomato Sauce, made without the bread

  6 heaped tablespoons Turkish or Greek yogurt

  6 pitta breads

  freshly ground black pepper

  Start by making the köfte. Combine the mince, suet, onion, parsley and salt. Add pepper to taste and knead well for 5–10 minutes. Divide into 85g (3oz) pieces and shape into small oval patties. Chill the köftes until needed.

  Heat a barbecue until the coals turn grey, then grill the köftes over medium-hot coals, seasoning with a little fine salt and turning them regularly. If you have a metal grill for sandwiching fish on the barbecue, I would recommend using that. If not, just be careful when turning them over.

  Grill the pitta breads on the barbecue and cut them into strips, then add some tomato sauce, pile on the köftes and top with yogurt.

  ŞEFTALI

  Şeftali was probably one of the first things I planned to put on the menu at Oklava, first because it’s a Cypriot kebab, and second because it’s my favourite! You must eat it with an onion salad, lavash or Turkish bread to absorb the juices, and lots of lemon. I have given specific measurements for the onion and parsley because for me it is very important to have the correct quantities, and every bunch of parsley or onion weighs a different amount.

  MAKES 18

  900g (2lb) minced beef

  450g (1lb) onion, finely chopped

  300g (10½oz) flat leaf parsley, finely chopped (a little stalk is good)

  15g (½oz) fine salt

  40g (1½oz) Turkish chilli flakes (pul biber)

  200g (7oz) lamb suet, frozen and finely grated

  2–3kg (4lb 8oz–61b 8oz) lamb caul fat, soaked in cold water with the juice of 1 lemon for 1 hour

  Mix together the beef, onion, parsley, salt, chilli flakes and lamb suet. Knead for 5–10 minutes, or until well combined. Divide the mixture into 85g (3oz) pieces and shape each one into a sausage about 7cm (2¾in) long.

  To wrap the şeftali, stretch a large piece of caul fat over a chopping board. Place a sausage on one corner of the board and cut the caul fat around it, leaving a 1.5cm (¾in) margin on 3 sides and leaving it at least 10cm (4in) long on the fourth side, Roll the caul fat around the sausage 1.5 times, tucking in the margins as you go. Repeat with the rest of the sausages.

  Thread the sausages onto 2 large skewers, weaving them in and out to prevent them unravelling. Alternatively, if you have metal grill for sandwiching fish on the barbecue, you can line them up in that. Cook over medium-hot coals, seasoning with a little fine salt during cooking, and turning them regularly.

  MUM’S HUMMUS

  Every Middle Eastern cook has their own recipe for making hummus and thinks theirs is the best. My mum’s isn’t fancy, but it’s what I grew up with, so to me it is the best. She would always get me to taste it while she was making it and ask me, ‘More garlic? More lemon?’ Feel free to be flexible with the recipe, adding more or less tahini, garlic, lemon, pul biber or olive oil as you wish. I like it pretty lemony and garlicky.

  SERVES 6 – 8

  800g (1lb 12oz) tinned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

  75g (2¾oz) tahini

  1-2 garlic cloves

  2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

  ½–1 teaspoon Turkish chilli flakes (pul biber)

  freshly squeezed juice of 1–2 lemons

  sumac, to garnish

  flat leaf parsley, chopped, to garnish

  fine salt, to taste

  Put the chickpeas, tahini, garlic, olive oil, chilli flakes and 2 tablespoons of water in a food processor and blend to a coarse purée. Add the lemon juice and check the seasoning.

  Place in your serving bowl and garnish with olive oil, sumac and parsley.

  MUM’S PILAV

  Many people find cooking rice tricky, but the two top tips I learnt from my mum work a treat every time: always rinse the rice really well, then follow the rule of two parts water to one part rice. Rice cooked like this was a staple in our household as it goes really well with stew-style dishes (known as yahni in Turkish).

  SERVES 6 – 8

  1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

  1 small white onion, chopped

  125g (4½oz) vermicelli pasta

  500g (1lb 2oz) long-grain rice, rinsed thoroughly in warm water

  1 litre (1¾ pints) boiling chicken or vegetable stock (I always follow the rule of 1 part ric
e to 2 parts liquid)

  fine salt

  Heat the oil in a medium saucepan, add the onion and cook for a few minutes, until softened. If the vermicelli pasta is in nests, break them into small pieces and add to the pan. Cook until slightly golden. Add the rice and stir to coat in the oil for 1 minute.

  Add the stock, season with salt, bring to the boil and give it one last stir. Turn the heat down to a low simmer, then cover and cook for about 15 minutes, or just until the water has evaporated. Remove from the heat and uncover, place a few sheets of kitchen paper over the top and put the lid back on. Leave to stand for 10 minutes before serving.

  SHEPHERD’S SALAD

  Known as çoban salata in Turkish, this salad goes well with every type of kebab as it is so refreshing and zingy. Sometimes when we’re short of time we will just make some lamb shish and stuff them into pitta bread with this salad – a perfect mid-week meal.

  SERVES 6 – 8

  4 plum tomatoes, cut into 1cm (½in) dice

  1 large onion, finely diced

  1 cucumber, cut into 1cm (½in) dice

  small bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

  freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon

  fine salt

  Put all the ingredients in a bowl, mix well and season with salt.

  CYPRUS POTATO SALAD WITH ROMAINE LETTUCE, HERBS, SPRING ONIONS, LEMON & OLIVE OIL

  Cyprus potatoes are some of the best in the world due to the incredible red soil they are grown in. They have a great flavour and a waxy consistency that works especially well for potato salads, so I would recommend trying to hunt them down for this recipe. If you can’t find them, use another variety of waxy potato.

  SERVES 6 – 8

  8 Cyprus potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled

  4 leaves Romaine lettuce, shredded

  5 spring onions, thinly sliced

  small bunch of flat leaf parsley, chopped (a little stalk is good)

  small bunch of coriander, chopped, with stalks

  small bunch of mint, leaves only, shredded

  freshly squeezed juice of 2 lemons

  100ml (3½fl oz) extra-virgin olive oil

  flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

  Put the whole potatoes into a large pan of cold salted water. Bring to a gentle simmer over a medium heat. Cook until just tender – about 30 minutes, depending on size. Once cooked, drain and leave to cool. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 2cm (¾in) dice. Mix all the ingredients together and season with salt and pepper.

  Tarama with fried mussels & mint oil

  Seafood vermicelli with mussels, hake & prawns

  Cuttlefish with baharat, peas & samphire

  Fried red mullet, pickled apricots & caper leaves

  Pistachio-crusted cod with preserved lemon butter sauce

  Sea bass with caramelized shallot purée & pomegranate dressing

  Pan-fried mackerel, black olive croute & tomato-pomegranate salad

  Monkfish, citrus, urfa chilli dressing & coriander

  TARAMA WITH FRIED MUSSELS & MINT OIL

  In Istanbul there are lots of street vendors selling little skewers of battered fried mussels served with tarator, a sauce made with walnuts. Proper tarama, as opposed to the neon pink stuff sold in supermarkets, is a thing of real beauty. I would recommend making it even if you don’t have time to make the whole dish. It’s wonderful served with warm flatbread, or even chargrilled toast.

  SERVES 2 – 4

  500g (1lb 2oz) mussels, cleaned and de-bearded

  plain flour, for dusting

  about 3 tablespoons water or beer

  sunflower oil, for frying

  1 quantity Mint Oil, for drizzling

  2 spring onions, finely sliced on the diagonal, to garnish

  FOR THE TARAMA

  55g (2oz) smoked cod’s roe, soaked in cold water for 2 hours

  ½ garlic clove

  freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon

  ½ slice white bread, crusts removed, soaked in water

  2 tablespoons water

  50ml (2fl oz) sunflower oil

  25ml (¾fl oz) olive oil

  flaky sea salt

  FOR THE BATTER

  1 large egg white

  300ml (10fl oz) cold beer or sparkling water

  175g (6oz) self-raising flour

  15g (½oz) nigella seeds

  fine salt

  First make the tarama: start by peeling off and discarding the skin from the cod’s roe. Put the roe in a small blender with the garlic, half the lemon juice, the soaked bread and the water. Blend until smooth. With the machine running, gradually add both the oils. (This process can also be done with hand-held electric beaters.) If the mixture gets too stiff, add a little warm water to bring it to the right consistency, then continue to add the oils. Taste to check the seasoning; add a little flaky salt if needed and more lemon juice if you wish. Set aside in the refrigerator.

  Heat a large pan over a high heat. When the pan is very hot, add the mussels and water (or beer) and cover with a lid. Cook the mussels for a few minutes, or until all the shells have opened. Discard any unopened shells.

  Drain the mussels (reserve the liquor if you like, to make a lovely sauce for another fish dish) and leave them to cool. Once cool enough to handle, pick all the meat out and reserve it.

  To make the batter, whisk the egg white to fairly stiff peaks. In another bowl, gradually whisk the beer into the flour to form a smooth batter. Fold in the egg whites and nigella seeds, and season with a little fine salt.

  Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 180°C (350°F). Alternatively, place a deep frying pan over a high heat and add a 2cm (¾in) depth of sunflower oil. When it is hot enough, a small cube of bread added to the oil should sizzle immediately.

  Dust the mussels in the plain flour, then place in the batter. (You can thread the mussels on skewers to make them a little easier to cook, if you like.) Using a slotted spoon, lift them out one at a time and lower them carefully into the hot oil. Fry for about 1 minute, or until golden brown all over. Remove and drain on kitchen paper, and season with fine salt.

  To serve, spoon some tarama onto a plate and place a few mussels on top. Drizzle with mint oil and sprinkle over the spring onion.

  SEAFOOD VERMICELLI WITH MUSSELS, HAKE & PRAWNS

  Shredded vermicelli is called şehriye in Turkish. It is often cooked with rice for an extra nutty flavour, or in soups. Here I have made it into a complete dish, taking inspiration from the Spanish dish fideuà. You can mix and match whichever fish and shellfish you like, and even include some chicken or rabbit if you want. If you have time, do make your own fish stock – this gives depth to the dish, so it needs to be packed full of flavour.

  SERVES 4

  12 shell-on raw tiger prawns

  300ml (10fl oz) fish stock

  150ml (5fl oz) extra-virgin olive oil

  1 onion, diced

  1 carrot, diced

  2 celery sticks, diced

  3 sprigs of thyme, leaves only

  ½ teaspoon finely grated nutmeg

  1 teaspoon ground coriander

  1–2 red chillies, sliced and seeds retained

  1 teaspoon tomato purée

  1 tablespoon sweet pepper paste (tatli biber salçasi)

  4 garlic cloves, finely grated

  125ml (4fl oz) red wine

  100g (3½fl oz) tomato passata

  200g (7oz) vermicelli, broken into small pieces

  500g (1lb 2oz) mussels, cleaned and de-bearded

  300g (10½fl oz) hake fillet (or any white fish), cleaned and cut into 4cm (1½in) cubes

  small bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely shredded

  1 lemon, cut into wedges

  flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

  Start by peeling the prawns: you can leave the heads on if you wish. Mix the shells with the fish stock in a pan and bring to a gentle simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse.

  Heat the oil in
a large pan over a medium heat, add the onion, carrot, celery and thyme and cook gently for about 20 minutes, or until very soft. Add the spices, chilli, tomato purée, sweet pepper paste and garlic and continue to cook for 5 minutes.

  Increase the heat to high and add the red wine. Bubble to reduce by half, then add the passata and strain in the fish stock. Season with salt and pepper. Turn down to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes.

  Now stir in the vermicelli, mussels, hake and prawns. Cover with a lid and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the vermicelli is soft, the mussels have opened (discard any that haven’t), the prawns have turned pink and the hake is opaque. Taste to check the seasoning, sprinkle over the parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

  CUTTLEFISH WITH BAHARAT, PEAS & SAMPHIRE

  Just after finishing college, a few of my friends and I went to Spain for a celebratory trip to visit a friend whose family own a campsite. One evening, my friend’s mum cooked us a selection of dishes, including sepia, or cuttlefish. At the time I had no idea what sepia was and she couldn’t really explain it to me, but she did say that she had cooked it with peas and cinnamon. It was so yummy that I made a note of it. It wasn’t until years and years later that I referred back to that notebook and, knowing more about food at this point, realized it was cuttlefish. So here is my version of that dish.