I thought I was never going to write a post like this but the more I read the more obliged I feel to. I am going to tell you about perfect hummus. I mean it. I know, the originality of my intention is zero - who has not posted a hummus recipe or two with claiming reasonable perfection? Hummus is not longer viewed as an exotic dish coming from the Middle East but a simple fix of the ingredients readily available to a modern day home cook. Maybe that explains the whole deal of the wanna-be-hummus recipes out there which do not get you anywhere close to the real deal. Unlike the one I am going to share.
April 2013
I am not kind of person who will eat the very same food over and over again and will get happy beyond reason. Unless that food is the fish cakes (balık köftesi) prepared by the chef of my most favorite fish restaurant in Istanbul. Sometimes as I am waiting for the shuttle from Kadıköy to depart for the Harem bus station where I will get on a bus to Sapanca I am popping in the place, and they know my order already - a plate of köfte made of Black Sea salmon.
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I confess: I used to misunderstand the Prince’s Islands. I felt nothing but exclusion every time I went: in winter the islands abandoned by holidayers are the place of the world’s solitude and the only signs of life can be discovered at the small taverns where phaeton drivers are drinking their days away. When days got warmer I felt as much solitude in the crowds invading the islands to stay for the whole summer, a weekend or just a few hours. But then my friend Marina moved to Büyükada, the largest of the islands and after visiting her a couple of times I started grasping the island life and ways to enjoy it.
When traveling I am always looking forward to my breakfasts. I could never quite buy into the idea of Asian morning meal with a spicy stew kicking off the day. Nor I am a huge fan of the European “coffee and pastry” concept. That’s why Turkey is a safe heaven for me: Turkish breakfast is a full-fledged meal with its own “breakfast only” items. In fact the Turkish breakfast idea is so powerful that you can substitute any meal of a day with breakfast (but not the other way around).
Our Antakya trip started here in Istanbul with my first attempts to make künefe, a syrupy dessert of dough strands (kadaif) arranged in two layers and cheese sandwiched in between. I could not find a definitive recipe: here they used more cheese, there kadaif dominated, here they cooked the sweet on the stovetop, there - in the oven. It became apparent that the only way to find out was to travel to the source, the area of Turkey where künefe is coming from - Antakya.
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I wanted to talk to you about Turkish breads. Not yet it seems. I had an unfortunate attempt at the chickpea leaven bread when you crash chickpeas, mix them with water and let them sit covered until a dense froth appears on the surface of the starter and the natural yeast forms. It took 3 days instead of 1, so I am trying with fresher chickpeas next time. I also bought a book I was chasing for a long time “Ekmek” (Bread): it was published in a humble series of single-topic brochures with some of the most substantial texts and recipes I have seen on the Turkish bookshelves. I opened the book and - what a scandal! - the author talks European-style sourdough. Really, this country needs more pride about its food and - very urgently - about its bread! So meanwhile I continue meticulously study Hamelman’s Bread. I got the courage to play with the recipe and present one today. Enter potato bread with roasted onions. [click to continue…]
