EATING A LA TURK

Rumour had reached me that the Turks cook good vegetarian food.  Therefore, I had decided to be vegetarian whilst here in Istanbul. HOWEVER, with the quantity of fresh fish & the fact that they use lamb meat a lot in their cooking (I am a Kiwi after all!), I decided to ignore that previous resolve, knowing I would be depriving myself of true culinary experiences!(  I have stuck to my no-alcohol discipline for this trip though!)

I have fallen in love with Turkish food, so it was with great anticipation that we attended a cooking lesson with Eveline & her team at 'Cooking A La Turka'. Together with two other Aussies, a couple of Brits and four Americans we became kitchen crew, helping to cook delicious traditional Turkish dishes, which would be served up to both ourselves & paying guests that evening!

 Our menu consisted of;
 *Lentil & Bulgur Wheat soup - where we first used the bell pepper paste that seems to go into every savoury dish here. It gives a wonderful depth of flavour.  We were also introduced to Turkish chilli flakes, which give a zing without a burn!
*Zucchini Fritters - this has the same effect as a sorbet, although served hot! The dried mint used gives a refreshing flavour that works beautifully with the Turkish equivalent of feta. These were so yummy no one would have been blamed for polishing off the whole batch!
*Eggplant braised in olive oil with onion & tomato - we have had a variation of this dish almost every day.. If there is one thing that the Turks are true champions in, its the Aubergine!  This dish is 'Imam Bayildi' which literally means 'the imam fainted with joy' (because it tasted so goo!) One of the aspects of this dish which makes the flavours sing, is the use of multiple complimentary herbs.  This smelt as good during preparation as it was eating it as a completed dish.
*Domades stuffed with minced meat - wherever we are in the world, we cannot help...rightly or wrongly...comparing what we are experiencing with what we already know and are familiar with.  That is the case with these Dolmades. They sound Greek, but these are so removed in flavour from Greek dolmades, that you would hardly know they are neighbours! A small sausage is made from a mixture of rice, herbs, bell pepper paste, tomato & a equal quantity of lamb mince & beef mince.  They are then wrapped tightly in vine leaves and steamed in a broth containing herb stems, tomato juice and water. They are served hot, with a dollop of yoghurt and tomatoes.  Trust me, they are God's gift to the taste buds!

 Semolina Sponge cakes with syrup - the turks do a great job with sweets!These arent as sickly sweet as some.  They begin life as little vanilla cookies with a hazelnut crowning them.  Then when cooked, boi ling syrup is poured over & the hot cookies begin to absorb the sweet fluid, making them puff up a bit like doughnuts! They were moreish!
*Greek Coffee - this coffee is an acquired taste, which  I have not quite acquired yet!!!!   I seem to be in the minority!  It was however, very interesting to see how it is made, a lot more time consuming than in  plunger!!

 It was hot work in a small kitchen & hard on the back for those of us with longer than average legs, but, I wouldnt have missed it for anything.  The experience will be one of the highlights of my trip. It wasnt just the learning how, that made it enjoyable, it was the discovering of new products & when to use them.  It was learning that meat is expensive for the average household here, hence so many dishes have meat   bulked up with vegetables.  It was the pleasure of learning alongside fellow travellers, all interesting delightful people.  It was the meeting of Eveline & her team & working alongside them.  The BIGGEST lesson of all, was just how much time & effort goes into making each of these relatively simple dishes.  Something we take for granted when  we order from a menu!



 We have tried something new everyday we have been here. Some of my favourites have been;
*Simits - a bagel like bread smothered in sesame seeds.  I have these for breakfast with homemade cherry jam
 *Baklava - very different from the Greek sweet of the same name.  Although we havent conducted our taste test on the various varieties available, yet, my favourite thus far is walnut.  They are smaller mixtures of pastry, nut & syrup, served in bite size squares, sometimes with a cream cheese type accompaniment.

*Turkish Delight - I think I mentioned in an earlier blog that we were taste testing 21 varieties.  We have completed that task & have   extended waistlines to prove it.  My favourite is still pomegranite with pistacio, although the cinnamon & the chocolate come in for top awards too!!!!!
*Yoghurt - These people do not restrict yoghurt use to just cereal at breakfast time! It is the base for sauces, dips and anything else they can think of!  Not as thick as Greek yoghurt, nor as acidic, it is as heavenly with honey in the morning, as it is mixed with garlic, oil and paste as a sauce over Turkish ravioli in the evening!

We are yet to try Turkish Doner Kabab.  This seems to only be available around lunchtimes and we havent been in the right place at the right time...yet!

 Well, it's that time again...dinnertime that is...dont know where we will eat tonight, but I have no doubt it will be VERY good!!