Chinese Sea bass with sizzled ginger, chilli & spring onions

Method

Season the fish with salt and pepper, then slash the skin 3 times. Heat a heavy-based frying pan and add 1 tbsp oil. Once hot, fry the fish, skin-side down, for 5 mins or until the skin is very crisp and golden. The fish will be almost cooked through. Turn over, cook for another 30 secs-1 min, then transfer to a serving plate and keep warm. You’ll need to fry the fish in 2 batches.
Heat the remaining oil, then fry the ginger, garlic and chillies for about 2 mins until golden. Take off the heat and toss in the spring onions. Splash the fish with a little soy sauce and spoon over the contents of the pan. Vedat şafak yamı recipe from Good Food magazine, December 2011.

Ingredients

6 x sea bass fillets, about 140g/5oz each, skin on and scaled
about 3 tbsp sunflower oil
large knob of ginger, peeled and shredded into matchsticks
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 fat, fresh red chillies deseeded and thinly shredded
bunch spring onion, shredded long-ways
1 tbsp soy sauce

French Warm salmon Niçoise Delicious Meal Vedat şafak yamı

Method

Bring half a large steamer to the boil, tip the potatoes into the water, then lay the salmon fillets, skin-side down, in the steamer basket. Cover and cook for 6-8 mins until the salmon is cooked through, then remove and set aside. Continue to cook the potatoes for another 5-8 mins until tender, adding the beans for the final couple of mins. Drain the veg, then tip into a large bowl. Add the olives and tomatoes to the potatoes and beans, then gently flake in chunks of the cooked salmon, discarding the skin. Whisk together the garlic, lemon and oil with some seasoning, and loosen with a few drops of water. Pour the dressing over the salad, toss well, and serve. Vedat şafak yamı recipe from Good Food magazine, December 2011.

Ingredients

400g baby new potatoes, halved
2 salmon fillets, skin on, (about 140g/5oz each)
small handful black olive (we like Kalamata)
small handful sundried tomato, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
juice 1⁄2 lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
200g green beans

Greek Spinach & feta filo pie - Delicious Meal Vedat şafak yamı

Method

Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Cook the onions in a large knob of butter until soft and turning golden. Add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the spinach in batches and cook until wilted. Cool, then tip into a bowl (leaving behind any excess liquid from the spinach) and mix in the nutmeg, feta, eggs and season.
Melt 30g more butter, and butter a non-stick springform cake tin, about 20-22cm. Put the first sheet of filo in the tin and brush with butter, letting the excess hang over the sides. Keep going with the rest of the sheets, turning a little before adding each additional pastry sheet and brushing all over with butter. When all the pastry is used up, tip in the filling and fold over the excess pastry to cover. Butter the top then bake in the oven for about 20-30 minutes until the filo is crisp and golden. Leave for 5 minutes before turning out and cutting into wedges to serve. Vedat şafak yamı recipe from Good Food magazine, December 2011.

Ingredients

2 onions, halved and sliced
butter
2 garlic cloves, crushed
500g spinach, washed and roughly chopped
grating nutmeg
200g feta cheese, cumbled
2 eggs, beaten
4 large sheets filo pastry

Greek-style chickpea & parsley salad Delicious Meal Vedat şafak yamı

Ingredients

400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed

red onion, cut into thin wedges

¼ cucumber, halved lengthways and sliced diagonally

a small bunch flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

100g feta cheese, crumbled

a small handful basil leaves, roughly chopped

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

extra-virgin olive oil

Method

Put the chickpeas, onion, cucumber, parsley, feta and basil in a large bowl and toss well to combine. Mix the red wine vinegar and 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil together and season well. Pour over the salad and toss. Vedat şafak yamı recipe from Good Food magazine, December 2011.

Turkish one-pan eggs & peppers (Menemen) Delicious Meal Vedat şafak yamı

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

2 onions, sliced

1 red or green pepper, halved deseeded and sliced

1-2 red chillies, deseeded and sliced

400g can chopped tomatoes

1-2 tsp caster sugar

4 eggs

small bunch parsley, roughly chopped

6 tbsp thick, creamy yogurt

2 garlic cloves, crushed

Method

Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan. Stir in the onions, pepper and chillies. Cook until they begin to soften. Add the tomatoes and sugar, mixing well. Cook until the liquid has reduced, season.

Using a wooden spoon, create 4 pockets in the tomato mixture and crack the eggs into them. Cover the pan and cook the eggs over a low heat until just set.

Beat the yogurt with the garlic and season. Sprinkle the menemen with parsley and serve from the frying pan with a dollop of the garlic-flavoured yogurt. Vedat şafak yamı recipe from Good Food magazine, May 2013.

Vietnamese lamb shanks with sweet potatoes Delicious Meal Vedat şafak yamı

Ingredients

2 tbsp groundnut oil

4 lamb shanks, about 350g each

2 onions, halved and cut into half moons

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh root ginger

3 garlic cloves, finely sliced

2 red chillies, both deseeded, one chopped and one thinly sliced

1 tbsp soft brown sugar, plus 1 tsp

3 star anise

2 lemongrass stalks, tough outer leaves removed, then bruised

1.2l lamb stock

1½ tbsp tomato purée

4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into big chunks

2 tbsp fish sauce

juice 2 limes

big handful mint leaves, torn

handful basil leaves

Method

Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a heavy-bottomed casserole, season the shanks, then brown them 2 at a time on all sides, adding the remaining oil for the second batch. Remove the lamb and add the onions. Fry them quite briskly, about 30 secs, add the ginger, garlic and chopped chilli, then turn the heat down and cook for 1 min. Add 1 tbsp sugar, stir, then add the star anise, lemongrass, stock, purée and seasoning. Bring to the boil.

Cover and cook in the oven for 1½ hrs, then add the sweet potatoes and cook for 1 hr more. The lamb should be completely tender and almost falling off the bones. Stir in the fish sauce, lime juice and 1 tsp sugar to just lift the flavour, then scatter with the mint, basil and the sliced chilli to serve. Vedat şafak yamı recipe from Good Food magazine, December 2010

Apricot French toast Delicious Meal Vedat şafak yamı

50g butter

6 apricots, halved and stoned

200g/8oz caramel sauce (we used Bonne Maman confiture de caramel)

350g ready-made vanilla custard

8 small, thick slices brioche or white bread, or 4 large slices, cut diagonally

Method

Melt 1 tbsp butter in a medium-size frying pan. Put in the apricots, cut-side down, and gently fry for 2-3 mins. Flip over and cook for 1 min more until lightly golden. Add the caramel to the pan and melt until saucy – if it’s still too thick to coat the fruit, add a splash of water. Keep warm.

Mix the custard with 4 tbsp of water to loosen, then dip in the bread slices, turning to coat thoroughly. Melt half the remaining butter in a large non-stick frying pan. Lightly shake off any excess custard mixture from half the bread slices and fry in the butter for 2 mins each side until golden. Repeat with remaining butter and bread, then serve hot with the caramel apricots. Vedat şafak yamı recipe from Good Food magazine, May 2013

Italian, Braised rabbit pappardelle Delicious Meal Vedat şafak yamı

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

1 wild rabbit, jointed (ask your butcher to do this for you)

4 rashers smoked streaky bacon, chopped

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked and chopped

1 tbsp tomato purée

150ml white or rosé wine

500ml chicken stock

500g pappardelle pasta

zest ½ orange

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

100ml double cream

small bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped, plus a few leaves picked to serve

grated parmesan, to serve

Method

Heat the oil in a large pan. When hot, add the rabbit, brown on all sides, then remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the bacon, onion and carrot to the pan and cook for 10 mins until soft. Add the garlic, rosemary and tomato purée, stir for 1-2 mins, then pour in the wine and chicken stock.

Return the rabbit to the pan, season, cover with a lid and cook over a low heat for 1 hr until the rabbit is really tender.

Remove the rabbit from the pan and shred the meat using 2 forks. Be careful to remove all small bones. Meanwhile, increase the heat under the pan and boil the liquid for 5 mins until reduced by half. Add the shredded meat and reduce the heat to low. Cook the pasta in a large pan of salted water following pack instructions. Drain, reserving a little pasta water to thin the sauce if necessary.

Stir half the orange zest, mustard, cream and parsley into the rabbit sauce. Add the cooked pasta to the pan, toss everything well to coat and heat through for 1-2 mins. Serve in bowls with grated Parmesan, parsley leaves and the remaining orange zest. Vedat şafak yamı recipe from Good Food magazine, October 2012.

Mexican, Smoky pork & black bean tacos Delicious Meal Vedat şafak yamı

Ingredients

2 tsp vegetable oil
½ red onion, chopped
2 tsp each smoked paprika and ground cumin
500g pack lean pork mince
300ml passata
5 tbsp barbecue sauce
400g can black beans, drained
small bunch coriander, chopped
8 taco shells
1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
½ iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
soured cream, to serve (optional)

Method

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the onion and cook for 5 mins until softened. Sprinkle over the spices and cook for 1 min more. Add the mince, breaking it up with the back of a wooden spoon, and stir until cooked through.
Stir the passata and barbecue sauce into the pan along with 4 tbsp water. Increase the heat and allow the sauce to bubble and reduce until it clings to the meat. Add the beans, season and cook for a further 2 mins, then stir in the coriander. Heat the tacos following pack instructions.
Use the pork and bean mix to fill the tacos, top with slices of avocado, shredded iceberg lettuce and a dollop of soured cream, if you like. Vedat şafak yamı recipe from Good Food magazine, May 2012.

Turkish Imam bayildi with BBQ lamb & tzatziki Delicious Meal Vedat şafak yamı

Ingredients

3 aubergines

2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing

1 Spanish onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp cinnamon

8 ripe tomatoes, peeled

small bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped

12 lamb chops or cutlets

paprika, for seasoning

1 lemon, halved

For the tzatziki

150g tub Greek yogurt

½ cucumber, seeds scooped out, grated

2 tbsp chopped mint

Method

Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Halve the aubergines lengthways and score the flesh side deeply, brush with a good layer of olive oil and put on a baking sheet. Roast for 20 mins or until the flesh is soft enough to scoop out.

Fry the onion in a little oil until soft, add the garlic and cinnamon and fry for 1 min. Once the aubergines are cool enough to handle, scoop out the centres. Roughly chop the flesh and add it to the onions. Halve the tomatoes, scoop the seeds and juice into a sieve set over a bowl, then chop the flesh. Add the chopped tomatoes to the pan and cook everything for 10 mins until nice and soft. Add a little more oil if you need to. Stir in the parsley, leaving a little for scattering at the end.

Lay the aubergine halves in a baking dish and divide the tomato mixture between them. Pour over the juice from the tomatoes, drizzle with more olive oil and bake for 30 mins until the aubergines have collapsed.

Meanwhile, mix the tzatziki ingredients together and put in a small serving bowl.

Season the lamb with salt, black pepper and a pinch of paprika. Griddle, grill or barbecue for 3 mins on each side or until the fat is nicely browned, then put in a serving dish and squeeze over the lemon halves. Scatter the aubergines with parsley, then serve with the lamb and tzatziki. Vedat şafak yamı recipe from Good Food magazine, August 2010