Oklava: Recipes from a Turkish Cypriot kitchen Hardcover – September 5, 2017

OKLAVA is the name of the author's London restaurant, but this is not a book of recipes better prepared by professionals in a commercial kitchen. This collection is a celebration of traditional dishes from Cyprus where Selin Kiazim's culinary DNA is firmly rooted. Cypriot cuisine is a wonderful Mediterranean island melange of Greek, Turkish, and Middle Eastern flavors and ingredients. The food is fresh, simple, and delicious, not overwrought. The gorgeous accompanying photographs stimulate both the appetite and the imagination.I have a great many Middle Eastern cookbooks, but this one is not a repetition of any of them. There is a chapter of recipes using fish and seafood, but being in landlocked Tennessee doesn't keep me from experimenting and substituting the protein and adapting the sauce, or preparation method to my needs. Lamb can be easily substituted with beef. I am a big fan of sumac, that wonderfully deep red and lemony-tasting spice. If you live in a small town as I do, everything is easily available online. Penzey's is one of my favorite suppliers, but there are many good ones.The recipes are arranged in the following chapters:--Salads & Snacks (14 recipes, including a brunch menu with recipes) Fresh, herbal, and colorful salads and meze components.--Savory Bakes (11 recipes, including breads and savory pastries)--Meat (25 recipes, including fowl, lamb, beef, veal, rabbit. Also hummus, pilaf, and 2 special salad accompaniments) I'll be making these with beef, pork, chicken, and turkey, which is what I have ready to hand.--Seafood (8 recipes) These are of course salt-water fish, but I'll be using some catfish and tilapia to try these, which are readily available to me, or go for frozen. Where there's a will, there's a way.--Vegetables & Grains (12 recipes) Slow-cooked white beans with tomato, lemon, and olive oil are calling my name, Barbecued sweet corn with butter, garlic, sumac, and za'atar reminds me strikingly of roasted Mexican street corn but with different spices.--Drinks (11 recipes, with and without alcohol) Real Turkish tea, raki, Turkish coffee, and a Turkish Bloody Mary I can't wait to try.--Dressings, Bits & Dips (20 recipes) Fabulous dressings, relishes, and a recipe for preserved lemons.--Sweet Things (14 recipes) Traditional cakes, pastries, lovely baked fruits, custard-filled filo pastry, rice pudding brulee. All things yummy.The photographs are inspiring, and instructional where needed. She lists ingredients in both metric and imperial weights and measures, so anyone can use the recipes easily. The Kindle organization is excellent: lots of links within recipes, chapter headings, the entire index in fact. You can also browse by ingredient, if you wish.I've rarely seen a cookbook by a professional chef that is so understandable and accessible to the average home cook. I have not yet cooked from any of the recipes, but I have so many collections from this part of the world and am so fondly familiar with the broad strokes of Middle Eastern/Mediterranean cooking that I'm very comfortable recommending this book. It is beautifully done with an introduction to every recipe, which I love. I'm reading straight through, like a novel, while making mental notes about what I will try first: Cicassian Chicken, Black Olive and Pepper Tapenade, or will it be a beautiful round of Spinach & Feta Borek (lovely filo pie)? So hard to choose when everything looks and sounds so good.

As a British born Turkish Cypriot this book is exactly what I was missing..recipes from home that brought everything back to me. I don't live in the UK any more but will definitely visit Selin's restaurant the next time I am there.

Brilliant book, brings the restaurant to life.

This is a beautiful book of Turkish-Cypriot recipes. The fusion of Greek and Middle Eastern flavors makes for some wonderful flavor profiles and the recipes range from decadently delicious, like a smoked bacon and medjool date sandwich, to fresh and light, like the tomato-pomegranate salad with parsley. The dessert section is a standout in particular, and there are even a couple of mixed drink recipes for entertaining (the medjool date, espresso, and fennel martini is a must try). A unique cookbook offering, and the photography is a treat.

It is a great e-book but kindle loaning is not enabled so I can't just let my friend borrow it for a while...

Book was never produced

Everything in this book seems to be a massive effort for the British domestic cook. I have no doubt that the ingredients used , and the methods, are everyday affairs in Turkey, or can be obtained by a London based Turkish Cypriot chef quite easily, but even on-line Turkish supermarkets stock very little. To be honest, reading it was a bit of a chore, and I can't see myself trying to adapt many of these recipes.

I have been waiting for this moment for so long: finally T H E B O O K has arrived! I have had the pleasure & luck of working as part of the Oklava front of house team when this 'delicious' restaurant opened its doors back in 2015! Watching Selin in action behind the pass was always so inspirational. My personal attempts at a home-made replica of her fabulous dishes so far have never been extremely successful: none of them has come out as tasty and yummy as Selin's "art-work" on the plate....Well, I am sure this book now will help me getting closer to my goal =) =) And now, excuse me ladies & gentlemen, but there is a book waiting for me......Oklava, page 1.

Complex recipes. These are restaurant style recipes, each one containing several elements. I would have difficulty finding some of the ingredients, even though I live in a cosmopolitan part of London. However I would use the book for ideas of how to cook some vegetables or cuts of meat. Recipes are dairy- heavy

Amazing book. I like that the recipes are not overly complicated but are packed with taste and flavour. I've made a number of meals from this book and have had positive comments every time. It now holds one of my husband's favourite recipes. Also incredibly healthy. Would definitely recommend. It's my go to book.

Went to this restaurant in London and bought this book as a present for my girlfriend so we could try and recreate some dishes. The food was amazing so hopefully we can come somewhere close to that