Monday, September 20, 2010

Pork – it may be the other white meat in the U.S., but it’s not widely available in Turkey.

When you do find pork products, it’s often a little pricey. For example, a 120 gram package of skinny bacon at a nearby gourmet grocery store costs 22.50 lira (approximately 4 ounces for $15).

Oh how I miss it. Grilled pork chops, pulled BBQ pork on buns, Kansas City-style BBQ sauce on falling-off-the-bones pork ribs, slowly roasted pork shanks, pork belly sandwiches - that’s what I miss from the U.S.
This weekend I craved bacon.

One of my favorite things on the weekends used to be bacon and eggs. Just simple over easy eggs, a couple strips of crispy bacon and whole wheat toast. Plus, I missed that my husband would make this once-a-week breakfast treat for me.

So craving bacon, I knew of a charming cafe in Nişantaşı where last month I devoured a crispy bacon and grilled aubergine sandwich for lunch.

Delicatessen serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The cafe reminds me a little bit of Balthazar in Soho in New York City, especially since it offers croissants served with Nutella.

After perusing the menu, I ordered the Eggs Benedict with Prosciutto cotto. My husband wanted the sahanda yumurta with sucuk – basically sunny side up eggs with a spicy sausage, similar to Spanish chorizo – and a bloody Mary.
Sahanda yumurta ve sucuk
Our brunch arrived. Mine was a large, slice of wheat bread topped with the Prosciutto cotto, two perfectly poached eggs and a very rich Hollandaise. Mmmmm. Next time, I’ll try and ask for a bottle of Tabasco to cut down on the sauce’s acidity a bit. My husband’s dish was good too, and it was the first time we tried the spicy sucuk.

Eggs Benedict ve Prosciutto cotto


We didn’t eat bacon that day, but it was close enough for me.

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8 comments:

Sheryl Sparks said...

Oh this is wonderful! I added you to my iGoogle page so I will be able to follow you closely and maybe even pick-up a tip or two about cooking in Istanbul! I am so glad we found each other! I am sorry your personal things haven't been released -- soon, I hope! See you in a couple of weeks. Sheryl

Unknown said...

Finally! A blog I can relish. This is going to fun. I'm sure some of those chefs would love to have their picture taken as well. I'm with Sheryl about learning a tip or two. Meanwhile, I'll live vicariously through your exciting new life.

Unknown said...

I can't wait to follow your journey through the joys of food! I expect a delightfully Turkish inspired meal this December! Love you!

Jason said...

Congrats on your first post honey. Like everyone else, we have high expectations for the blogs to come!! If you keep it up, maybe you'll get some of those bacon and eggs even here in Turkey. ;-)

christopherg. said...

half woman half amazing!. we miss u much. can't wait for more pics.

Ang said...

I love reading what you write. You are an amazing chef and I am so happy you are getting back to your first love. I am so proud of you and will be following closely. xo

Unknown said...

In contrast, I live in the land of pork. How many different types of bacon would you like? Would you like some pork sausage with your bacon? The magical animal reaches its apotheosis in England!

Joy said...

Yes, please send us pork! I hope to stash some bacon in my suitcase during the holidays back home. =)