Hellimli Sebzeli Kebap (eggplant, zucchini and halloumi bake)
A recipe from Sebze by Özlem Warren
Welcome to To Vegetables, With Love, a celebration of a vegetable life, less ordinary. Find archived recipes on my recipe index.
My book Tenderheart is available from Books are Magic, Kitchen, Arts and Letters, Book Larder, Bold Fork Books and also here or here.
Today is the first post from a new series where I’ll share recipes from favourite cookbooks. I had intended to make this a summer only series but I now think I’ll continue throughout the year.
I cook, every day. Most of the time, my time in the kitchen is devoted to developing new recipes (work) or relying on favourites that allow me to get dinner on the table quickly (family). So when I get the chance to cook from another’s cookbook, to immerse myself in their world and flavours, to walk in their shoes, to eat what they eat, it feels like an everyday luxury.
A little while back, I got a copy of Sebze by Özlem Warren. On first flick, I fell deeply in love. I have always adored Turkey. In our Twenties, my husband and I traveled through Istanbul, and then onto Gallipoli, Ephesus City in Selcuk and then onto seaside Kaş. It is the trip we still talk about as our favourite, pre-kids. The Turkish people were so kind, and even friendlier when they heard we were Australian. The food was fresh and joyously vegetable focussed. I still dream about the silky cubes of eggplant draped in tart yoghurt.
Sebze felt familiar but also incredibly exciting, both an escape and home. What I look for in a cookbook nowadays is to be moved. Sebze delivered.
Sebze is full of the food I want to eat. Hearty, vegetable heavy, tasty. I have particular affection for the chapter named Zeytinyagli, vegetables cooked in olive oil. Such a rich, romantic visual.
This week, I am honored to share a recipe from Sebze, with permission from Özlem and her publisher Hardie Grant. It is one particularly great to use up all the summer produce right now - eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers (capsicum) cooked in a tomato sauce and layered with salty halloumi. We devoured this, I probably should have made two ;) Watch Özlem making it here. I hope you love it as much as we did.
COOK / EAT / SHARE
A couple of new recipes this week on NYT Cooking. Peach, cucumber and mozzarella salad with gochujang vinaigrette is the epitome of opposites attract - the floral, fruity peaches goes sooooo well with gochujang. The early feedback is overwhelmingly in agreement.
Charred corn, chickpea, rocket, lime crema. All good things. Eat it on it’s own or wrap it up in a tortilla.
🥦 My cookbook, Tenderheart is for cooking vegetables, all year round. Pick up your copy here. It is also mostly vegan (or vegan-izable) and gluten-free adaptable.
THIS WEEK’S RECIPE
Hellimli Sebzeli Kebap (Eggplant, zucchini and halloumi bake)
© To vegetables, With Love, excerpted with permission from Sebze by Özlem Warren, published by Hardie Grant Publishing, April 2024, RRP $40.00
This recipe and headnote are in the words of Özlem Warren.
I am often asked for a vegetarian alternative to my popular Aubergine Kebab with Meatballs and so I came up with this delicious version, which is a huge hit with my family (not all kebabs are skewered; some are layered on a tray and baked, like this one). I love the firm texture and robust, salty taste of Cypriot halloumi (hellim). Even though it is not traditional kebab fare, we do use halloumi in the modern Turkish kitchen. Here, the meaty, naturally sweet aubergines (eggplant) melt in the mouth and the firm, salty halloumi works perfectly, keeping its shape and texture, as it has a high melting point. - Özlem Warren.
Serves 4-6
2 medium, long aubergines (eggplant), trimmed and sliced into 1 1/2 cm (½ in) discs
1 medium courgetti (zucchini), trimmed and sliced into 1 ½ cm (½ in) discs
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 green (bell) pepper (capsicum), trimmed, deseeded, cut lengthways in wedges and sliced into 1 cm (½ in) strips
350 g (12 oz) halloumi, drained, patted dry and cut into slices 1 cm (½ in) thick
1 medium tomato, sliced into 1 cm (½ in) discs
85 ml (3 fl oz/scant 6 tablespoons) water
For the Sauce
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons double concentrated tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried mint
1 teaspoon pul biber
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C/425°F/gas 7.
Spread the aubergine and courgetti slices over a large tray, sprinkle with a little salt and set aside for 10 minutes. Gently pat the aubergine and courgette slices with paper towels to squeeze out their excess moisture, then transfer to a large lipped baking sheet. Pour over 3 tablespoons of olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and use your hands to ensure everything is well coated. Arrange in one layer, then bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and turn the vegetables around. Stir in the peppers and gently coat with the remaining olive oil and bake for a further 10 minutes until charred at the edges and softened.
Meanwhile, pat the halloumi slices with a paper towel to ensure they are well dried, and set aside.
For the sauce, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl, season with salt and pepper, and mix well. Brush the sauce over both sides of the baked vegetables.
In a 20 cm (8 in) baking dish, stack the vegetables upright, side by side, alternating between aubergines and courgettes, and tucking the halloumi and fresh tomato slices in between, ensuring they all stay upright quite tightly. Gently insert the peppers in between the vegetable and halloumi slices. Pour the water into the remaining sauce to loosen and combine well, then drizzle over the dish. Cover and bake for 25 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 12–15 minutes, or until the halloumi slices are golden. Serve immediately.
To Vegetables, With Love is my love letter to vegetables and it is a joy to bring you a new recipe every week. Thank you to everyone who subscribes, especially to paid subscribers who make this work possible.
Yum! What is pul biber? I don’t have the book yet :)
it is so mesmerizing to learn about vegetable dishes I have literally never ever heard of before - looks and sounds divine!!