I find that the simplest dishes often take me the longest to nail down. Take fava, a Turkish spread of dry broad beans. You will find it in every decent meze set in the restaurants and delis of Istanbul and along the Aegean coast. Fava is velvety, smooth and satisfying. It is so good that I can eat it every day. I mean it. I will not think twice about ordering fava at a restaurant even though I cooked it at home just the day before.
Fava Bean Spread with Dill Pesto
Fresh Fava Beans Braised in Olive Oil
Every spring in Turkey I set aside time to get to know the seasonal vegetables I still consider foreign: artichokes, fresh fava beans, asparagus, unripe almonds, green plums, blessed whistle and such. I find the spring guys tricky: they either play hard to get (think peeling artichokes or shelling fava beans) or require extra work to unleash their flavor (think unripe almonds). This year I have made a significant progress with artichokes. I eat them every week, and I have learned to peel them myself, a big achievement for an Istanbullite: every greengrocer happily offers peeled artichokes, and dedicated artichoke carts roam around the city neighborhoods in season.
Moroccan Spinach Salad (and Fez Cooking Class)
When I travel I love taking cooking classes: besides broadening my culinary picture of the world I enjoy connecting with my colleagues in other geographies. I attended a cooking class in Marrakesh four years ago to learn the basics of Moroccan cooking, key ingredients and techniques. The biggest revelation of the class was the amount of labor that goes into cooking couscous. Yes, cooking couscous, an ingredient considered instant in the West. I don’t know what shocked me more - the fact that couscous takes one and a half hours to prepare or the innocent ignorance of people who choose to believe that it does not require cooking at all. In our globalized kitchens we easily forget to credit the people who originated a certain food, and so we miss an opportunity to learn from them.
Antakya Herb Fritters
Now and then I wonder what if I run out of recipes, tips and most importantly - stories to share with you. Turkish recipes, Russian recipes, recipes of other delicious foods, bread baking, Istanbul food shopping, eating in Istanbul and everything else I blog about: could these topics be indefinite? What if one day I exhaust my creativity by telling you everything I know?
Pumpkin Baked in Greek Vinaigrette (Sinkonta)
Yes, pumpkin is in town. The huge round type that you buy in wedges carved out with a gigantic saw, cleared off the seeds and peeled. I always admire the pumpkin guys (and in season you will see a few at any weekly market in Istanbul) who are on a mission to make this fabulous vegetable more accessible and less intimidating for the home cooks.
Stunning Courgette Flowers Stuffed with Cheese and Herbs
When on holiday all I need is peace, space, good food and inspiring people. That’s why when choosing where to stay I prefer small family-run hotels with thoughtfully done rooms, enthusiastic owners and lovingly prepared breakfast. What could be better? Only a vacation house - your own or rented from a nice host. I found Sara’s house almost immediately when I was looking through the listings in the Aegean region where we were heading out with Özgür, my visiting parents and sister, and at once I knew we had to stay there. Our whole trip was planned in a way to make it to Köyceğiz by the time Sara had her house available.
Red Lentil Patties
What happens when I go to the countryside these days? Not much. I switch on the autopilot mode and get plenty of sleep, eat, play with the dogs, read, hang out, occasionally set up a table for a meal, wash up afterwards and generally act a visiting relative rather a tiresome member of my family undertaking various garden and kitchen projects under the fearless leadership of my mother-in-law. I migrate into the autopilot mode naturally as I find myself at a safe place where unconditional love and good food are awaiting for me.
