A Seasonal Cook in Turkey

Soğanlı Çıtır Börek or Flaky Filo Pastries with Onion and Parsley

2012-02-29T21:53:00.001+02:00

flaky filo pastries with onion and parsley

Börek- apart from sigara böreği - is something I have resolutely stayed away from all the years I’ve lived here and now I wonder why.

Well, I do know why: they are so delicious, we’d put on kilos! But they are so much part of the Turkish cuisine especially at teatime – remember, teatime here is taken very seriously with both savoury and sweet goodies always on the table – and I know that TT’s dream food is a slice of warm, flaky börek with a glass of çay. This is indeed the way to a Turkish sevgili's heart!

Didem's börek

But what is börek?

It’s layers of yufka or filo pastry filled most commonly with cheese, meat or spinach. This one is slightly unusual as the filling is made with onion. You can ring the changes according to the way you cut and roll the yufka. Börek, usually baked in the oven on an oven tray or tepsi, is perfect for a hungry crowd and

Ayşe B's börek

much easier and quicker than making a quiche! Traditionally, housewives used to’open’ the pastry themselves but nowadays we buy our yufka from a special yufkacı if we are lucky enough to have one in the neighbourhood. Failing that, it’s sold in packets in supermarkets but it definitely won’t be as good.

this is how yufka comes when you buy it
from the local yufkacı

Börek is not strictly confined to Turkey: it’s very popular in the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire stretching widely from North Africa to the Balkans. Different regions in today’s Turkey all enjoy their own special form of this delectable savoury pastry and when you are out and about, you will see places devoted solely to selling it. So easy if you don’t feel like making it yourself ....but you will once you see how easy it is!

a very modest but typical börek place in Pangaltı, Istanbul

Ingredients for Soğanlı Çıtır Börek/Flaky Filo Pastries with Onion and Parsley

Serves 6-8

3 yufka (Turkish yufka measures 60cm/2ft in diameter) Filo can be used as a substitute but not in single layers as it is so much finer

100g/3 ½ oz melted butter

2 tbsp sunflower oil

For the filling:

1 kg onions

½ bunch parsley/maydonoz (this means a really good handful ie a lot)

Salt & Pepper

Flaked red pepper/ pul biber

To glaze:

1 egg yolk

Sesame seeds/susam OR nigella/çörekotu

Method

· Pre-heat oven to 180°C/350°F.

· Peel the onions and chop in the food processor. Don’t totally pulverise them.

it's a lot of onion!

· Melt the butter in a pan and gently sauté the onions until soft. Season with the salt, pepper and flaked red pepper and mix. Remove from the heat. Add the chopped parsley and leave to cool.

adding the seasoning

· Take the first yufka and brush with the combined butter and sunflower oil. Spread the cooled onion mix all the way to the edges and then roll evenly into a long shape. Continue in the same way with the other sheets of yufka. Cut into pieces roughly 3 fingers wide.

spreading the onion mix on the yufka

..and rolling it up

· Grease an oven tray or line with greaseproof paper. Place the börek on it and brush with the beaten egg yolk. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds or nigella. Bake until nicely browned. Don’t be afraid of over-cooking them! They’re very sturdy.

glazed and ready for baking

I promise you will absolutely love these! Really! Perfect as a little starter or even with drinks. You can cut them bigger or smaller as you wish, don’t forget.

fresh out of the oven and smelling divine

You can’t help but love’em!

Afiyet olsun!

su böreği: literally water börek, a classic

Cherry Choc Muffins

2012-02-25T20:35:00.000+02:00

There are two IWI book clubs in Istanbul: one holds its meetings in a cafe while the other has them in a different member’s house every month. I belong to the second one. We like the more intimate atmosphere a private home generates!

lemon coconut biscuits, cherry choc muffins, zesty carrot&ginger cake

So last week it was at my place. I was pleased as I hadn’t seen everyone since Australia but also because I had this recipe up my sleeve just waiting to be tried out. We serve tea and coffee and a few bits and pieces to eat, you see. I thought cherry choc would be just the thing for a grey winter’s day outside and a warm cheery gathering inside.

Ingredients for Cherry Choc Muffins

From BBC Good Food Magazine

Makes 16

250g/9oz unsalted butter

185g/6 ½ oz caster sugar (in Turkey use regular toz şeker)

4 medium eggs

250g/9oz plain flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder/kabartma tozu

A splash of milk

200g/7oz dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces (I used choc chips since we can get them here now)

425g/15oz can pitted Morello cherries, drained (mine were in a jar – vişne in Turkish)

Method

· In a mixer using the blade attachment, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix for 4 mins. Add the flour, baking powder and milk, and mix for a further 4 mins on slow, then mix in the chocolate.

the silky batter

· Heat oven to 200°C/350°F/gas 6. Cut 16 squares of baking parchment big enough to act as cases for the holes of your muffin tins. Using a piping bag or a spoon, fill the muffin cases with the mixture.

the filled cases minus the cherries

and here, with the cherries pushed into each one

· When all the cases are filled, share the cherries equally between the muffins, pushing them into the mixture as you go. Bake for 25 mins, then serve warm or cold.

ready for the oven

Warm is better!!

Afiyet olsun!

Comment

How do you like the new-look muffin cases? I first noticed Nigella using them but failed to track them down when I was last in John Lewis’.

baked cherry choc muffins

But there they were, on the supermarket shelf in Dungog, a charming little place of 2000 inhabitants about 1 ½ hours away from Sydney where I was visiting friends from Istanbul. I was amazed and bought them without more ado!

Of course you can easily make them yourself as the recipe describes! Or use regular ones.

Casserole of Lamb with Quince and Cinnamon or Kuzu ve Ayva Yahnisi

2012-02-21T21:18:00.000+02:00

This casserole or yahni is quite simply the most fabulous combination of flavours you can possibly imagine: tender kuzu cooked gently with aromatic spices and quince or ayva, is quite simply exquisite.

lamb with quince and cinnamon

It’s February and quinces are still with us here in Turkey but if you can’t get them, dried apricots or prunes, or even Granny Smith apples can be used.

peeling the quinces and keeping in water with lemon juice

This recipe is an old Turkish one harking back to the writings of Islamic mystics whom we know today as whirling dervishes. I have made this dish twice now using Angie Mitchell’s recipe: both times the meat was fantastic but the quinces were still a bit hard at the end of the cooking time. So I have just been looking through some similar recipes on the internet and found that indeed they all suggest various methods of cooking them before adding to the casserole which I heartily recommend you do. I will give one alternative here.

before adding the quinces

Ingredients for Lamb with Quince and Cinnamon/Kuzu ve Ayva Yahnisi

The original recipe from Secrets of the Turkish Kitchen
by Angie Mitchell

Serves 4-6

1kg/2.2lbs boned lamb, cut into large cubes

2 quinces/ayva

Squeeze of lemon juice

3 tbsp butter/oil

10 pearl onions/shallots, peeled (I used 3 regular onions, chopped, the second time but pearl onions are better)

4 garlic cloves, crushed with salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp cloves

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 cup hot water

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

½ cup of parsley, chopped

1 tbsp honey

Method

· Pre-heat oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.

· Peel the quinces, remove the cores, and cut into 8 segments. Immediately put them in cold water with a squeeze of lemon juice to prevent discolouration.

· In a large pan, heat the butter or oil. Brown the lamb, remove and put to one side.

browning the meat

· Add the onions and garlic and cook for a few minutes until they start to soften. Stir in the spices and return the meat to the pan. Stir well to ensure the meat is well coated. Add the tomato paste and the water, season with salt and pepper and simmer for 30 mins.

adding the spices

adding the tomato paste to the water

everything in the pan except for the parsely and quince

· Stir in the parsley and then transfer to an ovenproof dish. Drain the quince, lay the segments on top and drizzle with honey.

stirring in the parsley

· Place in the pre-heated oven for 30 mins and cook until the quince segments are nicely caramelised. (In my experience, this didn’t work so see below).

· Serve hot from the oven with rice or bulgur.

Afiyet olsun!

Now, here is an alternative way of cooking the quinces adapted to this amount of lamb, from yummly.com:

v Melt 4 tbsp butter in a frying pan. Add quinces (washed, peeled, cut into 8) and cook over high heat until caramelized. Turn pieces from time to time.

v Add sugar (4 tbsp brown sugar), a good pinch of ground cloves (optional), and 1 tsp cinnamon. Stir once and place on top of the lamb in the pan. Cover.

v Simmer gently for 30 mins till the lamb is tender. Don’t stir, this will damage the quinces.

I think this sounds good. What do you think? Note: the dish is NOT put in the oven in this recipe.

Comments

I noticed in my trawls on the internet, that pomegranate juice or molasses was frequently mentioned. So if you are feeling adventurous, you could try this (I haven’t yet): instead of the tomato paste + 1 cup water, substitute the same amount of pomegranate juice/nar suyu, OR pomegranate molasses/nar ekşisi ie dilute 4 tsp with water to make the same amount as specified in the recipe. Could be yummy. Let me know.

I also noticed that garlic wasn’t used if pomegranate was.

Some Salad Ideas for Radishes or Turp

2012-02-15T16:23:00.002+02:00

Are you a radish buff?

I have been on a mission ever since I experimented recently with those turnips. This week it’s radishes or turp in Turkish. Here in Turkey they are a feature of the winter markets and are in a class of their own.

a colourful market display

By far and away my favourite is the big red one: crisp, not too spicy, and good with dips. My favourite treatment is to simply peel it and then grate a little with vivid red cabbage and bright orange carrot on a bed of fresh salad greens. This makes for a vibrant, healthy salad which is then drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice. Great with fish or meat.

my favourite winter salad: red radish, carrot and red cabbage

Now, still using the big reds, you can do something different: take one and chop it up neatly into tiny pieces:

like this

Mix with pomegranate molasses/ nar ekşişi, flaked red pepper/pul biber, sumac/sumak, parsley and some jewel-red pomegranate seeds with a little olive oil. This is inspired by a similar salad I had at Çiya, the renowned Kadıköy restaurant in Istanbul that specialises in food from south-eastern Turkey.

with the sumac and red pepper flakes

radish salad with pomegranate and parsley

Now for the devilish black radishes: these look very dramatic but be careful, they can be eyewateringly spicy. Here is a very unusual way of preparing them: again, peel and grate. Add salt, lemon juice, garlic, black pepper (omit if very spicy) AND the surprise ingredient, tahini/ tahin, a rich, buttery paste made from crushed sesame seeds. This was explained to me by Beyhan, our friend from Biber Evi, the boutique hotel in Assos, when we had lunch the day before I flew to Australia.

black radish salad with tahini

There is one last type of radish, the so-called çin turbu/Chinese radish or daikon radish, the long thin white one, but honestly I don't think it's very interesting.

Tell me how you eat your radishes - I would love to hear!

Afiyet olsun!

Mahlepli Simit - Sesame-coated Simits Baked With Fragrant Mahlep

2012-02-11T11:28:00.002+02:00

this Kadıköy simitçi is here rain or shine

I know what simits are: they look like this and are sold on every street corner. The Turks’ answer to hunger pangs on the go!

But what about mahlep? This I didn’t know. Was it similar to sahlep, a root or bulb of some sort? Well, ....

sweet-smelling sesame-coated simits baked with mahlep

It was my friend Oya who told me about these simits that she had recently featured on her own cooking website. She said I really must try them so I did! I asked her where to find mahlep and she said that any supermarket would have it with all the other spices, and she was right!

There in my small local Migros, there it was, right there! How come I had never noticed it before?

the St Lucie Cherry

I have since discovered that mahlep (or mahlab in the original Arabic) is a fragrant spice made from the seeds of the St Lucie Cherry, a very dark, very sour cherry which appears on the mahlep tree in late summer. It has been used for centuries throughout the Middle East to give an aromatic flavour to pastries of all sorts: the cherry stones are cracked to extract the tiny seed kernel which is ground to a powder before use. The flavour is something like a combination of bitter almond and cherry.

Mahlep can be found in speciality markets abroad especially during the holiday season. Greek stores may carry it (mahlepi). They use it in Christmas vasilopita and Easter tsoureki. You can also order it online from www.penzeys.com - a site that looks very interesting. But the good news is that you can substitute any of the following which are much more common:

Ground fennel seeds/toz rezene tohumu

Ground cardamom/toz kakule

Ground almonds/toz badem

OR grind one 2-inch/5cm cinnamon stick/tarçin çubuğu with 3 cloves/karanfil and 1 bay leaf/defne yaprağı

Ingredients for Mahlepli Simit

Makes 20-25

250g/1 packet/9oz butter

4 cups flour + 1 packet Baking Powder( 10 g or approx 3 tsp NOT packed)

1tbsp mahlep (yemek kaşığı)

1 tsp salt (çay kaşığı)

2 tbsp vinegar (çorba kaşıgı)

½ cup olive oil

½ cup yogurt

2 egg yolks

Sesame seeds, to sprinkle

Method

· Pre-heat oven to 180°C/350°F.

· Place the mahlep, salt and sugar, the sieved flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Add the butter cut into small pieces and rub into the flour mixture with your fingertips.

rubbing in the butter

· Add the vinegar, olive oil and yogurt and mix to a soft dough. Cover and place in the fridge for 1 hour.

adding all the other ingredients

· Remove. Take small pieces and roll them in your hands into long rounded shapes. Bring the ends together to form a ring (simit). Place on an ungreased baking tray.

· Brush with the beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

· Bake until risen and golden. Best served warm with tea!

warm and fragrant, fresh out of the oven

Afiyet olsun!

Comments

As you can see, I have included the Turkish spoon measurements in brackets because this was an original Turkish recipe. The word for spoon in Turkish is kaşık but when it is preceded by another noun, the special genitive occurs: kaşığı.This is probably a good place to explain a little about Turkish spoons:

You may think a spoon is a spoon but no. Theirs are different!

a) The obvious one is a teaspoon: a Turkish teaspoon is much smaller than our English teaspoon: exactly half to be precise – 2 ml. (Ours is about 5 ml).

b) One yemek kaşığı = one tablespoon = 15 ml

c) Çorba kaşığı actually means a soup spoon but not as we know it. So a çorba kaşığı is the same as one of our tablespoons = 15 ml

In Turkey soup is eaten with a yemek kaşığı – our regular old tablespoon.

d) One tatlı kaşığı literally means a dessert spoon but it’s different: it’s the same as our teaspoon = 5ml

This isn’t really as confusing as it may look! Just if you are curious.

Izmir Köfte - casserole of meatballs, potatoes, tomatoes and peppers

2012-02-06T23:02:00.001+02:00

it's all a question of ingredients

Up until just a few days ago, Istanbul was in the grip of severe snow with crippling below zero temperatures. I am just back from summer in Oz so the contrast has been sharp. Something really Turkish and comforting for those cold snowy days really appealed.

Of course there are many recipes for köfte,not only Turkish, but I do like this one because it is a hearty meal in itself and an authentic Aegean family favourite. I love the idea of not only the meatballs but the potatoes, tomatoes and green peppers all cooked together as one complete dish. This is my favourite kind of dish actually: one that can be prepared and cooked in advance everything in together. Invariably the tastes improve as they mingle and one night in the fridge enhances them even more.

İzmir köfte

You don’t have to have snow to make it! In fact, making this dish in summer would be tastier as the tomatoes would be so much better..

I was very chuffed as TT said it was the best İzmir Köfte he had ever tasted – and he should know as he is from İzmir!

Ingredients for İzmir Köfte
from 'Secrets of the Turkish Kitchen'
by Angie Mitchell

Serves 4-6

450g/1lb minced beef or lamb

1 medium onion, grated

3 slices of stale bread, soaked in water and squeezed dry

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried mint

1 cup finely chopped parsley

1 tsp salt

Freshly ground black pepper

½ cup plain white flour

Sunflower oil for frying

And the rest:

6 potatoes, sliced

1 green bell pepper, deseeded and sliced

3 tomatoes, sliced

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp butter

Method

· Discard the crusts of the bread and crumble the rest into a bowl. Add all the köfte ingredients except the flour and oil and only half of the chopped parsley. Knead well until the mixture resembles a soft dough. With wet hands take a piece the size of a large walnut and roll into a large finger shape about 2.5cm/1in. Thick. Continue until all the mixture is used. The meatballs can now be covered and stored in the fridge until required.

adding the beaten egg to the rest of the ingredients

rolling into finger shapes

· Lightly fry the potato slices until they start to go translucent and golden. Drain on absorbent kitchen paper.

· Roll the prepared meatballs in the flour. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and fry them on both sides until crisp and lightly browned. Drain on absorbent kitchen paper.

all floured and ready for frying

· Using some of the butter, grease an oven dish. Create layers with the potatoes, meatballs, and sliced tomatoes. Top with the sliced green papper and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

layering it up

· Dilute the tomato paste in a cup of hot water and pour over the top. Dot the top with the remaining butter, cover and bake in a moderate oven for 30 mins or until the potatoes are soft and the sauce has thickened.

· Serve hot, garnished with the remaining parsley

perfect for supper tonight: moist and tender İzmir Köfte!

Afiyet olsun!

Cream of Turnip Soup/Şalgam Çorbası ........Turnip Juice/Şalgam Suyu

2012-02-02T13:16:00.000+02:00

cream of turnip soup garnished with dried mint and served with crusty bread

innocuous-looking turnips

I think my one and only association with turnips was when I was 4 and could read The Three Little Pigs. Didn’t those piggies boil some turnips in their big black cauldron which the wolf fell into with a mighty splash to make a mouthwatering feast?

Turnips – şalgam (pron: shull-gum) in Turkish - are not something that I would normally turn to, I must confess, but here in Turkey if you go to the outdoor markets at this time of year, you can’t help but notice the heaps of root vegetables that probably you’ve never thought twice about in your life. Some of them are turnips.

February is a dull time of the year for the local markets here in Istanbul. I haven’t managed to stagger round to my local one in Selami Çeşme since I got back from Sydney. Put it down to a combination of jetlag and heavy snow. At the same time I have resisted going to my smart new upmarket Makro Supermarket where everything will be available but wrapped pristinely in copious amounts of clingfilm and plastic boxes. What ‘s the point of living in Turkey if we don’t buy the fresh produce?

Anyway, on with the turnips!

firm and white - surprisingly attractive

My inspiration was from Cornucopia (Issue 43), the beautiful magazine which describes itself as ‘Turkey for Connoisseurs’ , where there is a whole article by Berrin Torolsan devoted to radishes and turnips! Yes! So with enthusiasm I thought I would try this soup. To my surprise, turnips are snow white once peeled; they make a velvety elegant soup with a mellow flavour. Next time I will experiment by adding different roots such as carrots or beetroot for extra taste. Avoid celeriac as it would overpower the mild turnip.

Ingredients for Cream of Turnip Soup/Şalgam Çorbası

Serves 4

2 or 3 small turnips/şalgam

1 medium onion

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp sugar

2 cups stock (optional) or water

Salt

1 tbsp rice (rinsed)

Milk

Dried or fresh mint to garnish

Method

· Trim, peel and roughly chop the turnips and onion.

· Heat the butter in a soup pan. Add the turnips and onion with the sugar and stir-fry. Taking care they don’t burn, keep stirring the vegetables until they begin to caramelise and turn golden brown at the edges.

looks great, doesn't it?

· Pour 2 cups of cold water or stock if using, into the pan. Add the rice, season and leave, covered, to simmer over a gentle heat for about 20 mins. When the vegetables are cooked and the rice grains have expanded and are soft, remove from the heat.

· Use your stick blender to mix. Pass through a sieve to remove any remaining lumps. At this stage the soup will still be fairly thick. Dilute to the desired consistency by adding milk.

· Stirring, reheat the soup without letting it come to the boil, and taste to adjust the seasoning. It should have a slightly sweet, chestnut edge.

· Serve hot with a small knob of butter in each bowl, if you like, and sprinkle with dried or fresh mint.

cream of turnip soup ready to eat

Afiyet olsun!

ruby-red turnip juice

Now, if you’re feeling adventurous, how about some şalgam suyu or turnip juice? It’s very different and that’s putting it mildly. It’s a southern Turkey speciality from Adana where it’s served with the famous kebabs. The deep ruby colour is fabulous and comes from the dark, deep-purple carrots which are only available in the southern parts of Anatolia. These, along with turnips, one slice of stale bread and salt and a little citric acid are covered with liquid that has been brought to the boil and left for a week or 10 days. You’ll probably hate this drink first time round but then it grows on you. A most particular taste!

I’m not even going to give the recipe as I don’t envisage anyone making it at home. Where would we get those carrots, for a start? It’s the kind of drink to order when you are at a kebapcı or a traditional Turkish restaurant – who knows, you may love it!

The photo on the right was taken at the delightfully traditional Zeyrekhane in Zeyrek, Istanbul, where my friend Elizabeth bravely ordered it!

Sharing Friendly Links

2012-01-30T18:00:00.000+02:00

While I was Down Under, it was quite difficult for me to access my blog, let alone write or comment. But a couple of weeks ago, I discovered that my good friend Linda who writes the wonderful blog Ayak’s Turkish Delight had passed on this award to me. Thank you for this, dear Ayak. I had to put it on the back burner however before I could pass it on myself.

here it is

But now here I am back in a very cold and snowy Istanbul so it’s the perfect moment for me to continue: this award is given to those whose blogs are a ‘good read’ which Linda’s certainly is. I like that criterion!

This award is being passed around the blogosphere so that we can discover other blogs that we may not have noticed before, in particular those that have less than 200 followers. I have to choose 5 blogs to receive this award and the following are just a few of the blogs I enjoy.

Those receiving the award should feel no obligation to pass it on but please put the award on your sidebar. Should you wish to give it to 5 of your favourite blogs, then please do a post linking back to the person who gave it to you and inform the people whose blogs you have chosen.

I love Turkey-related blogs and I think the following are all good reads:

Sue’s Turkish Adventures

Levantine Musings

Up the Hill and Round the Bend

MyTurkish Joys

These blogs are all written by people that I know now or knew before, when they lived in Istanbul.

But I also want to include Meditation- Cradling the Crying Child which is my sister’s blog and not at all connected with Turkey!

I think sharing links to other blogs is a great idea otherwise how will we know what's out there? Thanks, Ayak!

We Visit Sydney Fish Market

2012-01-27T00:47:00.001+02:00

not very prepossessing from the outside

In Istanbul we love our fish but the variety available in Sydney is astounding.

Two very old very dear friends came down from Melbourne to spend the weekend here with me. Ingrid organized a fabulous programme for us but especially for me knowing I was interested in anything foodie.

the local fishing boats owned by an old Italian family

So she said they would pick me up on Monday morning at 6 am to go to the Fish Market not only to see the day’s catch but to witness the auction. In fact they were early and my cousin hissed at me at quarter to, your friends are here! But I was more or less ready and off we set in her mother’s trusty car.

Ingrid had booked us in for a tour so indeed after paying a fee of 20 AUD and donning our obligatory orange safety jackets, we were divided into 2 small groups and our very personable young guide Portia proceeded to give us all sorts of diverse info about the market and the proceedings there. Unfortunately no photos were allowed once inside the inner sanctum.

On any given day around 100 types of fish are caught and sold; all in all, about 400 types pass through these fishy portals. The scene was electric: a huge well-lit hall full of boxes crammed with fish both big and small, different types of crustaceans, and of course the buyers. They were seated on bleachers to the right in front of 3 huge screens which displayed the nameof the fish being auctioned along with the amounts and prices. They use the Dutch system of auctioning which is what is used in Holland with the tulips apparently: a top price is given and bids follow from that but going down not up. It must be quite an art to get the fish at the right price!
We learnt how to tell male crabs from female by turning them over and examining the ‘plate’ there! The males have a V marking – V for Viagra as our guide told us - easy when you know! It seems female ones are sweeter. If female crabs are found to be full of eggs, they all have to be thrown back in the sea.

most definitely male!

how fresh are these??

There was one variety of big fish called a mahi: apparently this is the only fish that mates for life. Imagine that. These fish like to swim together and will often swim in a shoal around a boat. They are often mistaken for dolphin but of course dolphin aren’t eaten while these are.
Of course there were the big tuna beloved by the Japanese community for sashimi. These are graded into A, B+, B, B- according to how firm the flesh is as well as how red it is too. The darker the better. This depends on the age and overall health of the fish. Believe me, it was all fascinating!

Just outside the main hall, we saw workers busy skinning and de-boning the absolutely delicious-looking salmon and also shucking oysters. There was Camelia, a delightful Asian worker, shucking away and apparently she shucks between 2500-3000 oysters per day and gets a good salary for it.
All those on the tour were given a $5 voucher. Since we were 3, we put them together and got a dozen oysters which along with some fresh bread that we bought there too, we took home to Ingrid’s mum for a late breakfast!

6 of these

plus 6 of these ...

....made a great brunch!

as Ingrid would agree!

Trout With Clout

2012-01-21T14:18:00.002+02:00

sizzling away on the barbie

Except it was salmon. And we all know that salmon is a winner everywhere.

The salmon obtainable here in Sydney is simply delicious: the slices are not only thicker, but somehow more moist and succulent than what we get in Istanbul. At least this salmon was. In this recipe it was kept in a simple marinade from a very attractive Australian cookbook called NORTHERN beaches cooks, a book put together by a group of parents to celebrate the silver jubilee of Northern Beaches Christian School. The original recipe is indeed for trout but salmon is an easy substitute.

A word on barbecues: here in Australia they all seem to be state of the art and work on gas. Nothing that is lit with a match and then fanned to the right degree of glowing charcoal! So anything is possible. Apparently they go the full hog and barbecue even the Christmas turkey!

here is the salmon cooked to perfection

I am still in Sydney and the delicious meals with the cousins continue. This one was prepared by cousin Rosemary and it was my kind of feast. She goes in for lots of veggies roasted in the oven, always a popular choice. She organized us all to peel and chop which, with G&T in hand, we were only too happy to do.

mushrooms, aubergine, garlic, pumpkin, and sweet potato chopped and ready for the oven

All you do is place the vegetables on oven trays according to how long they will take to cook. A little olive oil is needed to drizzle over although I noticed Rosemary used the healthier option of a spray. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and put in the oven at 180°C/350°F. At home I would sprinkle with dried kekik or thyme.

here are all those veggies

Rosemary’s Salmon

Serves 4

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce (I’m not sure whether this is available in Istanbul or not but I suspect it is)

1 tsp sesame oil

1 garlic clove, crushed

4x 200g trout/alabalik or salmon/somon fillets, skin on (but here it was removed)

Method

· Mix together soy, oyster sauce, sesame oil and garlic.

· Spoon marinade evenly over both sides of the fish fillets. Cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight if time permits.

· Heat a grill or barbecue plate on high heat. Cook the fillets skin side down for 2-3 mins. Turn and cook a further 1-2 mins or until cooked to your liking. Remove to a platter and serve immediately.

there were also green beans on the side

as well as a salsa made by my aunt

afiyet olsun!

I can't resist showing you the cat named Claude!

and another picture of beautiful Sydney from a vantage point near Rosemary's house

Mukalla - a Dish from Antakya: Chard & Sweet Red Pepper Stir Fry

2012-01-17T00:45:00.001+02:00

beautiful sturdy pazi or chard leaves, washed and trimmed

Yesterday my uncle got out the dictionary to check what exactly chard was! Seems it may not be an Aussie staple after all but it certainly is for us who live in Turkey and a mighty seasonal one at that.

I am on my aunt’s computer here in Sydney so no Turkish characters: chard is pazi but no dot on the i but I can’t write that. I also can't access my photos from where I am so it's all a bit convoluted. By the way, a bunch of chard is actually half a kilo or a pound - I had a query as to exactly how much a bunch was so I weighed my bunch last time.

I love the colour combination of this dish and I think the large red peppers work better than the local ones because they are thicker and have that delicious sweet taste. Originally hailing from Antakya – Antioch for us - this dish couldn’t be easier or quicker to make. It makes a good accompaniment for meat or on its own with yogurt. I saw the recipe in Jale Balci's book about Antakyan cuisine but I have adapted it slightly- only in terms of the explanation not the ingredients or method.

Ingredients

Serves 4

I bunch chard/pazi (500g or 1 lb)

1 onion, chopped into half-moon shapes

1 tsp red pepper flakes/pul biber

1 red pepper/kirmizi biber, diced

Salt

4 tbsp olive oil

Method

· Wash the chard and reserve the stems. Dice these into small pieces and reserve.

they look like celery, don't they?

· Heat the olive oil in a pan and gently fry the onions. Add the chard stems and diced red pepper and cook for 5-7 mins. Season with salt.

· Add the chard leaves and red pepper flakes and continue cooking till the tougher chard stems have cooked.

sprinkle with the red pepper flakes

· Serve immediately with yogurt if using.

Afiyet olsun!

I buy my pazi from a little guy who displays his wares on the pavement near my house

Aussie Hospitality

2012-01-10T12:53:00.000+02:00

Here I am in a little place called Glen Innes somewhere north of Newcastle. That's Australia, not England! All the places nearby have a Celtic ring to their names: Ben Lomond, Glencoe, Dundee and Balmoral! There's even an annual Celtic festival!

view from my cousin's place in Glen Innes

One of my numerous Australian cousins lives here with her husband and four kids and I am visiting for a few days. The scenery is stunning and such a contrast to Istanbul. Where are the people? the cars? Here it is green with rolling hills, spacious and quiet except for the birds and cicadas.

This evening Jill went to town and cooked a first class meal. They’re all very competent in the kitchen, my cousins. Despite the fact it was about 31 degrees today, it was a roast dinner and pork in honour of me! She put her shoulder of pork in the oven this morning on a high heat and then turned it down low for basically the rest of the day.

The smell was tantalizing as it slowly roasted with its accompaniment of apples and onions. We were out and about but gradually the aroma drew us in.They eat early here but I was ready.

The menu included a delicious mixed salad with lettuce, tomatoes, green pepper, snow peas, white cheese, and black olives:

Jill excelled herself with all sorts of side dishes including my favourite baked pumpkin with rosemary, roast potatoes, cauliflower au gratin, and a mixed vegetable stir-fry with a curry tang.

cauliflower au gratin

As for the meat, it was so tender,it virtually fell apart upon carving. The joy of having melt-in-your mouth pork with homemade gravy not to mention the crackling is indescribable when you haven't had it for a long time!

roast shoulder of pork cooked to perfection

a delicious plate of roast dinner at Jill's

I should add that Jill herself is a vegetarian.

Red Pepper, Goat's Cheese and Walnut Pinwheels

2012-01-06T05:10:00.000+02:00

red pepper, goat's cheese and walnut pinwheels

Yes, this shape is familiar: the Christmas Buns I made recently looked like this.

These are unabashedly savoury and fit the bill for a delicious canapé that once you have the three ingredients plus the puff pastry are quick and easy to make. I love the ingredients: red peppers, goat’s cheese, and chopped walnuts! Mmm. Roll them all up in the pastry and bake in the oven . Serve warm. A tray of glasses accompanied by the clink of bottles with a selection of different nibbles is always a welcome sight and this canapé makes a tasty and attractive addition.

Now a word about frozen puff pastry: we didn’t have it here for years and years and years . Frozen goods have only just made their appearance here, very slowly actually as Turkish housewives are so used to buying fresh that they have had to become accustomed to the concept. I was told that the puff pastry wasn’t actually very good so this was my first attempt at using it although having said that I did use it very successfully for sausage rolls recently.

There were two types of Superfresh frozen puff pastry and I bought the tereyağlı which means with butter. I thought this a little strange as I though puff pastry by definition was made with copious amounts of butter. My first attempt was to make palmiers with the same ingredients as the pinwheels.

this is the shape for palmiers - you roll both sides
towards
the middle and then slice

Perhaps I didn’t roll it out enough but I assumed it would be all ready to go. It did roll beautifully but didn’t puff up enough in the oven. So with the remaining pastry and red peppers, cheese and walnuts, I decided to try again and make these pinwheels. This time I rolled the pastry thinner and it seemed to work pretty well. You do need a hot oven.

Ingredients

500g frozen puff pastry

4-5 prepared grilled/közlenmiş sweet red peppers, chopped

the chopped red peppers

A good handful of walnuts, chopped

Soft goat’s cheese/keçi peyniri – I used half a log which spread easily

Method

Pre-heat oven to 350°F/180°C.

Bring the puff pastry to room temperature and gently knead into a ball. Flour your surface and your rolling pin and sprinkle a little on top of your ball of pastry.
Roll out gently, not pushing down but out, to a large rectangle.
Spread the goat's cheese all over the pastry, and then scatter the chopped red pepper all over. Follow with the chopped walnuts.

pastry spread with goat's cheese, red pepper and walnuts

rolling the pastry with all the ingredients

Starting from the long side, gently roll all the way to the other. Firm the roll a little with your hands and then slice evenly and place on a greased baking sheet. Place in the hot oven and bake till lightly browned and risen.
Serve immediately.

afiyet olsun!

Splendid Sydney

2012-01-03T23:23:00.001+02:00

The iconic bridge, the traditional ferry... Sydney Harbour yesterday at noon or so and I am really here! And yes, we did go to see the famous fireworks on New Year's Eve!

on the ferry to Taronga Zoo yesterday

panoramic view across the bay from the zoo

My much-anticipated, long-awaited visit to friends and family has begun!

How do you know you are Down Under? When you wake up to an amazing dawn chorus with all sorts of amazing trills, tweets and whistles and you rush to your window to catch a glimpse of a kookaburra or two or maybe a colourful parakeet flying over eucalyptus trees and you think you are in the middle of the bush. When you see creatures at Taronga Zoo that only exist on this continent: extraordinary things like quolls and quokkas and then koalas and wombats and even a platypus!

Istanbul feels a million light years away and as for Christmas - hard to believe we celebrated it just over a week ago!

A new adventure today: we set off up the coast to Maitland for a family wedding!

Simple Yet Stylish: a Smoked Salmon Starter

2011-12-30T10:33:00.000+02:00

smoked salmon on a bed of green leaves

Christmas is all about tradition, and some things like the Christmas menu never change.

The main course is a foregone conclusion but what about the starter? What do you do?

I do sometimes think about having something different but in the end, I really do believe that some lightly dressed salad leaves with cucumber and tomatoes draped with a slice of smoked salmon to make it special, is the best. It looks elegant, everybody loves it, and best of all, it can be prepared in advance. No need to change!

The festivities are not over so you may like the idea of starting yet another party dinner with this: all you need is a packet or two of smoked salmon, some lettuce – I favour marul/romaine as I love the crispness of the leaves and the way they hold their shape – mixed with some different types for both colour and texture contrast. Roka/rocket is also good. I slice them fairly thinly.

preparing the ingredients including spring onions too beforehand

I buy the small çengel-type cucumbers, probably known as Lebanese abroad, as they are firm and not watery like other varieties. I wash them but apart from trimming the ends, don’t peel them. Get out the mandolin slicer and slice them paper thin. That dark green skin looks decorative.

Christmas lunch with the salmon in place

Buy the kokteyl domates or little cherry tomatoes: at this time of year they taste much better than the other sorts. But apart from anything else, halved, sometimes quartered if a little big, they look pretty. I’m a great one for appearance! I like to use dereotu or dill for this very reason: those delicate green feathery fronds add an elegant touch to any salad, especially lightly sprinkled round the edge of each plate.

afiyet olsun!

In the kitchen beforehand, then, I get out my huge wooden salad bowl a couple of hours before we are due to eat, put the washed and dried salad leaves in it and cover with a slightly damp tea cloth. Whatever you do, don’t add any dressing until the last minute as the whole lot will go soggy. I don’t add any of the other ingredients either.

Rather, I prepare them, place them on single plates and cover with clingfilm to await further developments. I wash and chop the dill finely and do the same. I take the jar of capers out of the fridge and set out the individual plates I am going to use. You could use little quail eggs or black olives too.

dividing the salad ingredients and the smoked salmon onto individual plates

I also prepare the salad dressing in a jam jar so I can give it a good shake before using. I usually make a vinaigrette with olive oil, lemon juice and French mustard, well-seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper. However, this year, I didn’t. I actually used a ready-made dressing! This is something I NEVER do but we recently had dinner with friends and the salad there was beautifully seasoned. I asked what the dressing was and lo and behold, it was one of those little Knorr packets, this one was basil or fesleğen, simplicity itself. And of course being Turkish, she gave me several to take home with me. Well, folks, this may be the beginning of the end, but I highly recommend this ready-made dressing!

When the time comes, I am all ready: into the kitchen, a vigourous shake of the dressing in its jar so that all the ingredients are well mixed, and pour it over the lettuce leaves. Mix them well then divide up and serve on each plate.

Take your other ingredients and arrange them decoratively on top and finish with the slice of smoked salmon. A little drizzle of extra olive oil may be a good idea here as well as another grind of black pepper as it looks good. After adding the final touch of the chopped dill, away to the table they go!

Quince - Ayva - Crumble Tart

2011-12-26T22:31:00.009+02:00

Quince Crumble Tart - from BBC Good Food magazine

Apple crumble? Plum crumble? How about an aromatic rich quince crumble then? Here’s a familiar concept with a twist – a crumble on a tart base.

here's what you need for this recipe: 3 ayvas and 1 lemon

Here in Turkey you see the ubiquitous ayva tatlısı or quince dessert everywhere in winter, served as it always is with kaymak or buffalo cream. It’s delicious but oh so predictable which is why I pounce on new quince recipes.

fabulous quinces at my local market last week

I asked TT what ekmek ayvası meant and he said it referred to a type that can easily be eaten raw. Literally it means bread quince. I tried it, it can!

Always read a new recipe through to make sure you understand the steps and that you have all the ingredients. How often have I been caught out because I didn’t do exactly that! Cooking isn’t difficult if you are prepared and have the right equipment to hand. If a recipe calls for eggs, take them out of the fridge beforehand to come to room temperature. Same with butter.

Making a crumble topping is easy and more to the point, quick.

it's a question of adding and rubbing in the ingredients

Making pastry is also not difficult but I know that not everybody thinks that way. All it needs is for somebody to show you and then to persevere and make some yourself. Once you know how, you are all set and a vast array of culinary delights,both sweet and savoury, opens up before you!

Quinces are a bit of a chore to peel but the reward is that they cook easily and become a sweet aromatic soft mass with no trouble at all.

Ingredients for Quince Crumble Tart

Serves 8

For the quince purée

1kg/2lb 4oz quinces, cored and roughly chopped (I used 3)

175g/6oz caster sugar (I use regular toz şeker)

Zest and juice ½ lemon

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tbsp cornflour

For the pastry

140g/5oz butter, diced

200g/7oz plain flour

50g/2oz ground almonds/toz badem

75g/2 ½ oz caster sugar

Zest 1 lemon

1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk

For the crumble topping

100g/4oz plain flour

75g/2 ½ oz rolled oats/yulaf ezmesi

75g/2 ½oz caster sugar

140g/5oz butter, diced

Method

· To make the quince purée, put the quinces into a large pan with 350ml water. Cover with a lid and simmer for 1 hr or until the quinces change colour and are pulpy. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, then whizz with a stick blender until smooth. Pass the quince purée through a sieve into a clean pan and stir in the sugar, lemon zest and juice, and cinnamon. Cook the purée until it is reduced by one-third, then mix the cornflour with a little water and stir into the purée until it’s thick. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. (TIP: I made this purée the day before).

here is the purée in the tin: it's so easy ....

· Heat oven to 160°C/140°C fan/gas 3. To make the pastry, rub the butter into the flour and almonds. Add the sugar and zest, then the egg and the egg yolk. Bring everything together, wrap in cling film and chill for 15 mins.

· Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to line a 22cm tart tin. Place in the tin, trim the edges of the pastry if required, and chill for 15 mins. Line the pastry with baking parchment and baking, then bake blind for 20 mins. Remove the beans and paper, then cook for a further 15 mins until the base is biscuity. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

· Increase oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Meanwhile, to make the crumble topping, mix the flour, oats and sugar with a pinch of salt, then rub in the butter until you have an uneven crumbly mix.

· To assemble the tart, pour the quince purée into the tart shell so it comes just below the top, sprinkle over the crumble topping and cook for 25 – 30 mins or until the crumble is golden and the quince is bubbling around the edges. Serve warm with cream or custard if you like.

quince crumble tart

Afiyet olsun!

If you like quince, why don't you try:

Quince dessert/ayva tatlısı

quince jam/ayva reçeli

Celeriac and quince in orange and olive oil/Ayva ve portakallı zeytinyağlı kereviz

It's Christmas! Mince Pie Time Again ..........

2011-12-23T22:05:00.000+02:00

my courdon bleu mince pies

It has all been such a rush and here we are right at the point of Christmas itself. Here in Turkey we have to work at it a bit as the rest of the world around us is oblivious to the approach of our most special day in the whole calendar. But we do our best ....

In practical terms this means decorating the house, getting out the tree, writing cards furiously, and of course spending time in the kitchen and creating those aromas that spell only one thing: CHRISTMAS!

Son Cem was due in from London late Tuesday night so the whole morning was spent cooking all those things that I know he likes. This involved two kilos – yes really! – of zeytinyağli barbunya/ beans in olive oil. I had frozen 3 kilos of borlotti beans at the end of the summer, shelled, in plastic bags, so there they were all ready to haul out. I realise they are not at all Christmassy but he misses them .... A huge pan of mercimek/red lentil soup. 18 mincepies. 18 chewy oatmeal raisin cookies. I thought that would keep him going till the next day!

If you click on the highlighted texts here, you will find my past posts with the recipes for the following: give them a go, I'm sure you'll love them just as much as Son Cem does!

mince pies

barbunya beans in olive oil

lentil soup/mercimek çorbası

thick, chewy oatmeal raisin cookies - from the wonderful blog Smitten Kitchen

It is hard to believe that here we are almost at the end of another year but we are:

Merry Christmas to you all from this Seasonal Cook in Istanbul!

Hamsi / Turkish Anchovies

2011-12-18T21:06:00.000+02:00

hundreds and hundreds of wonderful hamsi in Kadıköy çarşı

Mmm, I really like these and I’m willing to bet you do too!

Winter is the time of plenty for hamsi (pron: hum/see) or anchovy here in Istanbul. They are mostly fished in the frigid waters of the Black Sea from October on and are readily available in their beautiful silvery grey multitudes from all local fishmongers here. At source so to speak, little Black Sea towns like Amasra and Sinop will be serving almost nothing else during the season which is now.

another fish stall in Kadıköy

You really want to buy them already gutted because there is no denying that it’s a pain if you have to prepare them yourself.

.....like this

It may be more romantic to buy them from an old guy like this one but it's a lot more work!

an old balıkçı in Üsküdar selling hamsi beside the wall of the ancient hamam

If your fishmonger isn’t rushed off his feet, he will do it for you with pleasure but on a busy Saturday morning with throngs of shoppers clamouring for their fish, forget it. Hamsi are very cheap: 5 or 10 lira a kilo. You need a kilo for 4 people, I reckon.

Basically, as with all small fish, fried or tava is best. The hamsi are dipped in flour or cornmeal and simply fried in oil – any oil but not olive.Grilled is nice but trickier to do because the fish are so small they slip through the bars of the grill. Baked in the oven is also nice.

But you can’t beat fried.

You can either fry them whole after flouring, heads and all, and eat them with gusto with your fingers, or what you can do is put two prepared hamsi together, sprinkled with flour so they stick together, and fry in a little oil.

...like this

You can then have them as a sandwich in crusty fresh bread:

with a traditional side of red onions with parsley and sumac.

slice and then squeeze the red onion with your hand in order to release the juices

Or, if you don't want to fry your hamsi, you can spread them out in a single layer on a baking tray, season with salt and pepper, add some lemon slices, a couple of bay leaves, and perhaps a sprinkle of kekik/dried thyme, and then the tiniest drizzle of olive oil just to moisten, and bake in a pre-heated oven for about 20-25 mins at 180C/350F.

my idea of slimming hamsi

served with a simple mixed salad: rocket/roka and marul with grated carrot and radish/turp

For we lucky people who live in Istanbul, here is a marvellous link that I discovered today: it's from Istanbul Eats and gives their favourite places in the city to eat hamsi. I can't wait to eat my way through them!

Afiyet olsun!

Tender Braised Leeks

2011-12-14T21:04:00.000+02:00

tender braised leeks with green olives and parsley

I love leeks - pırasa in Turkish - and when I saw the picture of this dish in a BBC Good Food magazine, complete with sliced green olives and chopped parsley, I knew I wanted to make it. Of course used as I am to Turkish zeytinyağli dishes, I found the amount of olive oil specified in the recipe quite laughable so I increased it. This is actually the second time I make these leeks. The first time I did use white wine as we were having guests but today, just for the two of us, I thought I’m not going to open a bottle of wine just for this, so I just used water.The leeks still tasted great.

leeks in the pazar or market

Olives are never a problem for us as we always have a huge supply of both black and green, thanks to Mehmet and Hatice in Assos. The greens are particularly delicious and much tastier than the black ones and they both taste and look appetising. Here they are optional but I recommend using them along with the parsley. I also have a never-ending supply of thyme or kekik from the village but it’s dried, of course. So that’s what I use rather than rush out to buy a little plastic box from the supermarket at vast expense.

Ingredients for Tender Braised Leeks

Serves 4

6-8 leeks/pırasa

1 tsp olive oil (I used 2 tbsp)

2 tsp coriander seeds/kişniş

3 fresh thyme sprigs OR use 2 good pinches dried kekik

2 bay leaves/ defne yapraği

125ml/4 fl oz white wine OR water

1 garlic clove with the skin on, *bashed (I used 3)

Pinch caster sugar

85g/3oz green olives, very roughly chopped (optional)

Large handful chopped flat-leaf parsley/maydonoz, to serve (optional

Method

Trim the darkest green part off the leeks and strip away the first two layers. If they are English leeks, cut in half lengthways, but keep attached at the root. If they are Turkish leeks, cut as in the picture. Wash under cold running water and set aside.

Tip all the other ingredients, except the olives and parsley, into a wide shallow pan with 200ml water, some cracked pepper and a sprinkling of salt.

Slip the leeks into the pan, cover and place over a low heat. Gently simmer for 20 mins, turning them occasionally until very tender - a knife blade should slip in easily. Leave to cool until just warm, then stir through the parsley and olives, if you like.

ready to serve: tender braised leeks

Serve the leeks as they are with crusty bread or with roast chicken or fish.This makes a really nice side dish!

Afiyet olsun!

* bashed: this is how Jamie does it and it is very effective: simply take your garlic clove and hit it firmly with something hard like a rolling pin. The skin will shoot off all by itself, thus simplifying the task immeasurably!

Christmas Buns

2011-12-10T20:20:00.001+02:00

one Christmas Bun, glazed and drizzled

This is the first time I have ever in my life used yeast.

Yes, the first time ever. I feel as if I missed the boat because of course I should have been using it for years. But yet, no. Don’t forget, when I came to Turkey in the 70s, there was no internet, no TV with cooking programmes, no English bookshops with English cookbooks and noone around me cooking with yeast!

But I do remember feeling sad when we would return to Turkey after spending the summer in the UK with my parents. The children would have been eating currant buns, Chelsea buns, Bath buns ...and thoroughly enjoying them. I remember vowing to learn how to make them once I returned to Ankara where we were living then but just not knowing how to go about it.

So let’s fast forward ....... here we are in a Turkey that is virtually unrecognizable in culinary terms with so many more items available on the supermarket shelves. Items that resonate with me like Gold Blend, chocolate chips, mincemeat, Golden Syrup, and pineapple rings. Now in the supermarkets we have maya or yeast in little packets clearly marked as to type and quantity. All I had to do was take my courage in both hands and buy it! It was that simple.

This is my very first attempt to bake with yeast and I am certainly not saying there is no room for improvement. But it was exciting, really exciting. Waiting for the dough to rise. Wonder of wonders, it did! And the smell was just as it was supposed to be: doughy, yeasty, warm, and redolent with promise!

So certainly not seasonal in the sense of Turkish seasonal but rather English seasonal: Christmassy with the dried cranberries and apricots, the aroma of cinnamon wafting through the kitchen, a forerunner of the approaching holiday. From this month's issue of BBC Good Food Magazine,

here is the recipe:

Ingredients for Christmas Buns

Makes approx 9

500g/ 1lb1 1/2 oz strong white flour, plus extra for dusting (I use Sinangil)

7g sachet/ 1packet fast-action dried yeast/kuru maya

300ml/ 10 fl oz milk

40g/1 1/2 oz unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

1 egg

Vegetable oil for greasing

FOR THE FILLING

25g/1oz unsalted butter, melted

75g/3oz soft brown sugar (if you don’t have it, use granulated sugar with a little pekmez)

2 tsp ground cinnamon/ toz tarçin

100g/3 1/2 oz dried cranberries/yaban mersini

100g/3 1/2 oz chopped dried apricots/ kuru kayısı

the exact amount you will need

FOR THE GLAZE

50g/ 2 oz caster sugar ( I used regular toz şeker)

FOR THE LEMON ICING

Zest 1 lemon

200g/ 7 oz icing sugar/pudra şekeri

Method

· Put the flour and 1 tsp salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the yeast. Meanwhile, warm the milk and butter in a pan until the butter melts and the mixture is lukewarm. Add the milk mixture and egg to the flour mixture and stir until the contents come together as a soft dough (add extra flour if you need to).

· Tip the dough onto a well-floured surface. Knead for 5 mins, adding more flour if necessary, until the dough is smooth, elastic and no longer sticky.

· Lightly oil a bowl with the vegetable oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn until covered in oil. Cover the bowl with cling film and set aside in a warm place for 1 hr or until doubled in size. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.

before and after

· For the filling, knock the dough back to its original size and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll it into a 1 cm-thick rectangle. Brush all over with the melted butter, then sprinkle over the sugar, cinnamon and fruit.

· Roll up the dough into a tight cylinder, cut into 9 x 4cm slices and position on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a little space between. Cover with a tea towel and set aside to rise for 30 mins.

· Heat oven to 190°C/170°C fan/gas 5. Bake the buns for 20-25 mins or until risen and golden brown. Meanwhile, melt the glaze sugar with 4 tbsp water until syrupy.

· Remove from oven and glaze. Set aside to cool on a wire rack. Once cool, mix the zest and icing sugar with about 2 tbsp water to drizzle over the buns. Serve.

the icing sugar and lemon zest

and here they are: Christmas Buns!

Make sure you eat them the same day as they don't keep.

Enjoy!

PS If you have any tips to share with me about using yeast, I would love to hear them!

My Garlicky Crunchies with Flaked Red Pepper

2011-12-07T18:53:00.003+02:00

This is a great idea: you will love it! We did. It’s a kind of Middle Eastern version of garlic bread but crispy, crunchy and light.

here they are: my garlicky crunchies with flaked red pepper, courtesy of Oya's Cuisine

Deliciously garlicky with a hint of spicy chili. Just right for drinks or with soup. Perfect to offer your friends with tea at 5 o’clock before a slice of cake.

I made these crunchies for friends the other night and served them instead of bread with tomato soup made with those beautiful big fat juicy Çanakkale tomatoes I bottled this summer in Assos. It was an irresistible combination and I was glad that I’d used all three sheets of lavaş in my packet as they all disappeared.

What exactly is lavaş (lavash)?

It‘s a soft thin flatbread apparently the most widely eaten type of bread in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran. In English it is also known as cracker bread but I think that nowadays we are all familiar with the name lavash. Here in Turkey it is most commonly used with kebabs to make dürüm wraps. It is readily available in packets in the supermarkets. Make sure you keep it wrapped if you want to keep it pliable as it will dry out and become hard and brittle if you leave it exposed to the air.

Ingredients for My Garlicky Crunchies with Flaked Red Pepper

3 lavaş/lavash

3 tbsp soft butter (room temperature)

2 tbsp or to taste flaked red pepper/ pul biberi

2 big cloves garlic or to taste, crushed

3 tbsp grated parmesan or eski kaşar peyniri

Method

· Pre-heat oven to 180°C/350°F.

· Place the butter in a bowl and mash with a fork to make sure it’s soft. Add all the other ingredients and mash till well blended.

spreading the softened buttery mixture over the lavaş

· Using a knife, spread the mixture over a sheet of lavaş making sure to spread all the way to the edges. With a knife or pizza cutter (preferable), cut into triangles. Actually, the shape and size are up to you. They don’t have to be uniform.

cutting the lavaş

· Place in a single layer on a baking tray and put in the middle of your pre-heated oven. Cook for 5-7 minutes. Keep your eye on them as they can easily burn. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

cooling on the rack

Tips

The ingredients are extremely flexible in terms of quantity. You don’t have to be exact here. The recipe specifies 3 lavaş but everything depends on their size. I wouldn't worry about it. Adapt as you go.

The possibilities are endless for further versions: how about dried thyme/kekik or cumin/kimyon scattered with sesame/susam seeds or nigella/çörekotu?

Afiyet olsun!

Try these the next time you have visitors round!

Sahlep: A Wonderful Turkish Winter Beverage

2011-12-03T22:25:00.001+02:00

sahlep served with a piece of lokum on the side

Sahlep is very special, very Turkish and its season is limited. You can only find it in the winter months, officially between October and April.

What is sahlep (or salep)?

It is a hot milky drink made improbably enough from the flour obtained by grinding the dried tubers of the orchid genus ORCHIS found in Kahramanmaraş province in the south of Turkey, and also the Black Sea provinces especially Kastamonu.

Sahlep was a popular beverage throughout the Ottoman Empire when it was sold in the streets from large copper jugs over braziers with the customers warming themselves at the same time around that brazier. What a wonderful picture that conjures up.

Traditionally it has the reputation here for curing digestive problems and gum disease as well as increasing resistance against coughs and colds. Due to the shape of the tubers, aprodisiac qualities have also been attributed to it!

In fact sahlep was even popular in England in the 17th and 18th Centuries when it was called ‘saloop’ and served with bread and butter! The powder was thickened with water and flavoured with orange flower or rose water. Nowadays it is made with milk topped with cinnamon and what a lovely warming hot drink it is.

However the sahlep powder is amazingly expensive. I tracked it down when I was in Kadıköy, an old traditional area right on my doorstep. It is only sold in shops that sell Turkish coffee and at what a price! 250 TL per kilo! This is almost £88 or $137 per kilo. Extortionate.

sahlep powder on sale at Mehmet Efendi's in Kadıköy

But this reflects the fact that so many orchid tubers are used to produce this powder. In fact the decline in the population of wild orchids has resulted in a ban on the exportation of true sahlep.

So much of the sahlep you may see around contains artificial flavourings. It is available commercially in packets from supermarkets but has preservatives. I doubt very much that you will be able to obtain it abroad. Here you can buy a steaming cup on the ferries that cross the Bosphorus but I don’t think it will be the authentic sahlep. It’ll be a nice enough milky drink thickened probably with cornstarch and sprinkled with cinnamon on top but it won’t be made from ground orchids.

the traditional sahlep urn with çaydanlıks behind for tea

But I was on a mission when I was in Kadıköy: I asked first of all in Mehmet Efendi where I could actually drink the gerçek sahlep ie the genuine article, and was directed to a little café round the corner. I found it. It only serves Turkish coffee, çay, and sahlep! Just my kind of place. I loved it: Yavuz Bey Kurukahveci right in the heart of the çarşi as the local market area is known, a concentration of amazing little shops in a criss-cross of tiny streets. Absolutely worth the visit.

I took his picture .....

You can also find the real sahlep at traditional milk pudding shops throughout Istanbul like Sütiş, Zeynel and Saray Muhallebecisi. They are all great. You can find sahlep powder in the Spice Bazaar/Mısır Çarşısı in Istanbul and probably other traditional places.

.... he took mine

Here is an authentic recipe for sahlep:

Serves 2

1 tsp sahlep powder

2 tsp sugar

Pinch of cinnamon/tarçin (pron: tar/chin) OR a cinnamon stick

1 ½ cups cold milk

Cinnamon for dusting

Method

· Place all ingredients in a pan. Bring gently to the boil, whisking continuously, for 2 – 3 minutes. It will gradually thicken.

· Pour into two cups and dust with cinnamon. Serve immediately.

go to Yavuz Bey Kurukahveci in Kadıköy to have a delicious sahlep

Afiyet olsun!

Celeriac with Quince in Orange and Lemon Juice

2011-11-30T21:56:00.000+02:00

If someone asked you which items are in season right now, the chances are you would say celeriac, quinces and oranges. Or of course you could say carrots, leeks, and turnips!

seasonal veg from the market

But this is the season par excellence for celeriac or kereviz. I love it, that strange knobbly root vegetable that has the smell of celery but is so very different. I had never seen it before I came to Turkey. At this time of year most Turkish households will have zeytinyağlı kereviz in the fridge but here is a new recipe for a different take on an old favourite and it comes via my friend Oya.

I love quince and think it is highly undervalued here as the primary use seems to be for ayva tatlısı /quince dessert ie baked in the oven and served with kaymak or buffalo cream. I love it, yes, but it is so much more versatile than that. Awkward to peel but so easy to cook with an aroma that will fill your house with delight.

the finished dish of celeriac cooked with quince in orange and lemon juice

This recipe combines celeriac and quince which are then gently cooked in orange juice and lemon. Both tastes and textures complement each other and the beautiful green of the chopped dill to garnish the dish makes this celeriac dish the perfect zeytinyağlı to round off a meal.

it's cooked in the juice of 2 oranges like this

Ingredients for Celeriac with Quince and Orange/Ayva ve Portakallı Zeytinyağlı Kereviz

Serves 6 – 8

celeriac with quince

2 large celeriac/kereviz (850 g)

2 carrots

1 large quince/ayva (pron: eye/vah)

2 onions, chopped

½ cup olive oil

Juice of 2 – 3 oranges

1 dessert spoon sugar

1 tsp salt

Juice of 1 lemon + ½ a lemon to make the acidulated water

2-3 cloves garlic, chopped

Parsley or dill, to garnish

Method

· Peel the celeriac and slice. Put into a bowl of acidulated water (water with the juice of ½ lemon). This is to keep the celeriac from discolouring.

halve the slices if too large

· Halve and then quarter the quince. Peel and remove core. Cut into rough chunks and add to the acidulated water.

chopping the quince and carrots

· Peel the carrots and cut into batons.

· Chop the onions, place in the pan with the olive oil, sugar and salt. Cook till soft and transparent. Add the carrots and garlic and mix gently.

like this ...

· Add the quince and celeriac, then the orange juice and lemon juice. Cover with the lid and bring to a fast boil. Then lower the heat and cook gently for 40 mins. When the carrots are done, the dish is ready. Leave to cool in the pan.

adding the juice to the pan

· Arrange in a shallow dish and garnish with either chopped parsley or dill. Serve at room temperature.

close-up of the finished dish

afiyet olsun!

If you like celeriac, have a look at these:

Celeriac Carpaccio

Two More Celeriac Recipes

Minced Beef with Mint and Parsley: a Dish from Antakya

2011-11-26T10:33:00.004+02:00

minced beef with mint and parsley baked in the oven

I am slightly disappointed with my newly-acquired cookbook Antakya – City and Cuisine.

The pictures are fabulous but the recipes leave a lot to be desired in terms of detail or rather lack of. If I were a novice cook, I would be confused.

So you have to rely on me!

the mint, parsley, red pepper and garlic ready to go

Today I had some of my huge bunch of mint to use up and also one stray red pepper, the long thin kind not the bell pepper kind. I didn’t want to have to consign it to the bin. I also wanted to make something with mince meat and I knew that many of the recipes in my new cookbook incorporated it so I had a quick flip-through.

you need a lot of parsley

Sure enough, there was something with all my ingredients so I thought why not? A nice new taste from Antakya. I love using fresh local produce and this was certainly a recipe like that: lots of mint and parsley, and I mean lots, plus one red pepper! Perfect! And I had paid a visit to my friendly local butcher so I had some lovely-looking kıyma/mince to hand. This recipe is certainly not difficult and the result is delicious: it's one big herby köfte!

Ingredients for Minced Beef with Mint and Parsley

Serves 4 – 6

500g/ ½ lb minced beef/dana kıyması

1 bunch parsley/maydonoz

½ bunch fresh mint/nane

1 red pepper/kırmızı biber

5 garlic cloves

1 tsp cumin/kimyon

Salt and black pepper to taste

I tomato, quartered, 1 thin green pepper (optional)

Method

· Pre-heat oven to 180°C/ 350°F.

from this ....

....to this

· Roughly chop the parsley, mint, red pepper and garlic and then put in the food processor. Mix well. In a bowl, add to the mince meat and knead with your hands until thoroughly mixed. Add cumin and seasoning to taste.

· Oil the baking tray or round tin (approx 24 cm/ 9 -10 inches) that you are going to use and with your hands spread the meat mixture evenly in it.

ready to go in the oven

· Place the quartered tomato and long thin green pepper on top of the mixture if using.

· Sprinkle a little water over the top and cook for 30 mins in the pre-heated oven.

a minced beef dish from Antakya/Antioch

Serve with a pilaf of either rice or bulgur and you will have a delicious family supper.

Afiyet olsun!

Fungus Foray in the Belgrade Forest

2011-11-22T10:18:00.000+02:00

Another great autumnal Sunday in Istanbul.

This time we were in the company of someone who not only knew all about the Ottoman waterworks and settlements in the Belgrade Forest - a huge natural forest on the European side of Istanbul going north towards the Black Sea - but also about the considerable mushroom life that exists there. An unlikely combination but irresistible!

the second of the three 18th century Ottoman dams we saw

An early start from Arnavutköy in our comfortable bus took us to Bahçeköy where we stopped for breakfast at Tarihi Bilice Borekçisi, a very well-known place offering amazing börek. Ours were filled with either cheese or mince and little black currants/kuşüzümü. This was served with glasses of çay, just the thing to fortify us for the day ahead as lunch wasn’t on the agenda till much later. We had a lot of walking to do, five kilometres to be exact!

freshly-made: hot and tasty

The weather was almost ideal: no rain, no wind, not too cold. We were the only people about. Our guide who is an expert on the history of the forest and its settlements, confidently led us along woody forest paths thick with crisp autumnal leaves and was amazingly knowledgeable about everything we saw. He knew exactly which tree to look under, which pile of leaves to disturb and which rotten stump to look more closely at to find mushrooms; he even knew their Latin names.

all sorts of fungi

Since my own foray to the Kastamonu Market where those startling orange çintar mushrooms were so plentiful, mushrooms are now on my radar. I realise I know more or less nothing about them. Did you know that they have no nutrition whatsoever? And that there are so many varieties in colours ranging from tawny brown to pale purple, yellow and creamy beige? We also learnt that what we see above ground is only a fraction of the system underground and that mushrooms are essential to the ecology of forest life. Another fascinating fact: mushrooms are not a Moslem thing which explains why you hardly see any interesting varieties around. The people are wary of wild mushrooms.

But then so am I.

I bought a different type last weekend from the same market, washed and trimmed them at home, and then just for the hell of it, nibbled a little piece of one: it was vile, I spat it out! So bitter! I threw the lot in the bin but who knows, the bitterness might have cooked away if I had been brave enough.

look at this beauty

Our guide told us that in fact he never buys his mushrooms from the markets as the villagers don’t really know about them. They often boil them to get rid of any bitterness but I can’t imagine that’s very good for taste or consistency. The way they’re handled is very important: only ever collect them in baskets not plastic bags!

the only people we met: some villagers collecting mushrooms

the pretty delicate pleats are known as gills

autumn in the Belgrade Forest

If you're interested in doing similar day trips within Istanbul or longer ones to other places of historical and archaeological interest both inside and outside Turkey, contact:

ARIT (American Research Institute Turkey) on (0212) 257 8111.

Our guide for the day was Gencer Emiroğlu.

Annual DOBAG Rug Sale in Istanbul

2011-11-18T16:31:00.000+02:00

For those of us who live in Istanbul, one of the highlights of the year is the DOBAG rug sale which always coincides with the Christmas Bazaar at the Alman Lisesi round the corner. The other day I was asked if I could put a reminder on my blog about it and as we are keen supporters of this project, I of course said yes!

DOBAG is a Turkish acronym for the Natural Dye Research and Development Project.

These carpets are the result of an idea initiated some 30 years ago by Dr Harald Böhmer, a chemistry teacher at Marmara University at that time. The aim was ‘to preserve and facilitate the production of traditional Turkish carpets within the context of Turkish village life’ and he succeeded admirably. Only natural dyes are used and the resultant colours glow like jewels. The carpets are renowned for their glorious blues, reds, and greens; the pile is thick and luxurious.

They are woven in villages surrounding two centres, Ayvacık and Manisa. We are very familiar with the Ayvacık centre as it is close to Assos where we go in the summer. We know the people and I have visited the villages to see where the looms are located and met some of the women who do the weaving. We always attend this sale and invariably end up buying one or two. Last year we actually bought five so perhaps we should keep away this year!

WHEN: Saturday 26th November from 9.30 – 16.30 and Sunday 27th from 12.00 – 16.00.

WHERE: the Crimean Church ( go down the street beside the Swedish Consulate and down and left from the German High School at the Tünel end of İstiklal Caddesi, Beyoğlu). There is a handy metro stop there.

For more information, contact Linda Robinson on yapmaya@yahoo.com

Click here to read more about the DOBAG Rug project.