I’m an island baby – my parents were born on the north side of Cyprus and I’ve got sunshine running through my veins – so I spend all of the autumn and winter looking forward to sunnier days. This summer heartache is somewhat soothed, however, by comforting dishes from back home, such as today’s güveç (stew) and fried cod, both of which are hearty and bracing, but also have at least a small hint of warmer times in the lemon, chilli and olives. Both work equally well as a dinner with friends as a meal to eat while wrapped up in a blanket on the couch.
Semolina-crusted fried cod with coriander and chilli ezme (pictured above)
Ezme means “to crush” in Turkish. It’s a salsa-like accompaniment to many a meal, including meats from the mangal (Turkish barbecue) and fish but, sometimes, it’s so good it’s the star of the show.
Prep 15-20 min
Cook 20 min
Serves 4
For the ezme
1 green bell pepper
1-2 green finger chillies, to taste
75g coriander (including stems), finely chopped
2 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
70ml extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon
Flaky sea salt, to taste
For the cod
50g fine semolina
50g plain flour
Fine salt, to taste
4 skinless cod fillets, about 120g each
Sunflower oil, for frying
1 tbsp sumac
1 tbsp dried oregano
To serve
1 lemon, cut into wedges
Buttered rice or potato wedges
First, make the ezme. Grill the green pepper and chillies under a hot grill, turning often, until blistered all over, then put in a bowl and cover. Once the peppers are cool enough to handle, scrape off most of the blackened skin – don’t worry about getting it every last bit off, because it adds another layer of flavour. Cut open the peeled pepper and chillies, and remove the pith and seeds (if you like lots of heat, leave the chilli seeds in). Finely chop the pepper and chilli flesh, put it in a medium bowl, then add all the other ezme ingredients and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly.
Mix the semolina and flour in a wide, shallow bowl. Season each piece of fish lightly with salt, then dredge in the semolina mix until very well coated all over. Put the fish aside for five minutes, then give it another good coating of the semolina mix.
Half-fill a large frying pan with sunflower oil and put it on a medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, carefully lay in each piece of fish, leave to cook for two to three minutes, until golden and crisp underneath, then flip over and repeat on the other side.
Use a slotted spoon or spatula to lift the fish on to a large plate lined with kitchen paper to drain, then season with fine salt, sumac and oregano.
Serve each portion of fish with a big dollop of ezme, some lemon wedges on the side and buttered rice or potato wedges.
Roots and brassicas güveç
Güveç is named after the clay pot it’s cooked in, and you’ll find iterations of this stew all across the eastern Mediterranean and Balkans. It’s low-and-slow-type cooking that works just as well with meat and fish as it does vegetables.
Prep 15-20 min
Cook 55 min
Serves 4
100ml extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp ground fennel seeds
120g Turkish sweet pepper paste, or tomato puree
2 tbsp red-wine vinegar
6 mild long Turkish peppers, stalks, pith and seeds removed and discarded, flesh finely sliced
3 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
80g good-quality black olives, pitted and roughly chopped
2 large carrots, trimmed, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks
1 small celeriac, trimmed, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks
1 small cauliflower, trimmed and cut into 2cm chunks
½ hispi cabbage, cut into 2cm chunks
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Put the oil in a large saucepan on a medium-high heat, then cook the garlic for a minute or so, until it’s just starting to brown. Immediately add the fennel, pepper paste and vinegar, cook, stirring, for two minutes, then take off the heat and leave to cool for five minutes.
Add the sliced peppers, spring onions and olives to the cooled güveç mix, then add the carrots, celeriac, cauliflower and hispi, and stir so everything gets well coated. Decant the güveç into a baking dish, cover with foil, then bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 15 minutes, or until browned on top.
Take out of the oven, leave to rest for a few minutes, then serve with crusty bread and a zingy chopped salad.
Selin Kiazim is a consultant chef who recently created the menu for Leydi, Hyde hotel, London EC4
