Busy Times, Polish Chanterelle Mushrooms in Risotto

Whenever we return from a trip, it always takes a couple of days to recover, do laundry and simply catch up on everyday things.

Our recent trip to the Białowieża National Park (Białowieski Park Narodowy), located in eastern Poland, was an amazing, magical place. We saw a couple of bison, two boar and a fox in the wild. I took nearly 500 photos in two days so I have much to share with you soon.

In the meantime, I’ve had a busy week preparing for some upcoming baking classes with a local cooking program called CookUp Studio in Warsaw. My first class is tomorrow, which is sold out with 16 participants.

However, there’s still time to sign up for my next class on Wednesday, Nov. 5, which will feature American Sweet Potato Pie and Mini Pecan or Walnut Tarts. These are two of my favorite recipes for the Thanksgiving holiday. (Please check the studio’s website to sign up for my next class.)

Besides baking, I usually end up cooking something for dinner as well. One of my recent dinners featured the Polish chanterelle mushrooms (kurek or kurka in Polish). On the blog’s Facebook page, I had asked readers what I should make with the lovely batch of kurek. If I had Turkish yufka, a mushroom börek would have been a great idea!

I settled on using one of my old, but favorite recipes for risotto, cooked the chanterelle mushrooms in white wine and stirred the mushrooms into the risotto later. I served this hearty, fall risotto with garlic-yogurt marinated chicken breasts. It was a delicious dinner!

Remember as you’re cooking the mushrooms, it’s okay to enjoy some of the white wine for yourself like I did! A little wine for the mushrooms and a little for your glass!

Smacznego!

Polish Chanterelle Mushrooms in Risotto

Ingredients:

2          T.         olive oil

1          ea.        medium yellow onion, cut into small dice

1          cup       Arborio rice (approx. 210 grams)

2-3       cups     chicken stock (approx. 480-720 ml.)

1       T.            butter

½         c.         grated Parmesan cheese (more to taste)

To taste           salt and pepper

Garnish:           fresh Italian parsley, chopped

2          T.         butter

½                     medium onion, cut into small dice

16        oz.       Chanterelle mushrooms (about 500 grams), cleaned and trimmed

1          cup      dry white wine such as a Chardonnay (240 ml.)

2          ea.        bay leaves

A few sprigs of fresh thyme

To taste           salt and pepper

1. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 10 minutes.

2. Then, add the rice and stir with a wooden spoon until toasted and opaque, about 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Add a 4-ounce ladle of the stock to the risotto and cook. Continually stir this mixture until the liquid is absorbed. Add more stock. Stir again. Repeat this procedure until all the stock is fully absorbed.

4. Cook the rice until it is tender and creamy, but a tad al dente, about 20-30 minutes. As the risotto cooks, just taste a bite of it. If it seems too al dente, add more stock and keep cooking and stirring.

5. Lastly, stir in the butter and cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Pull the pan off the heat if you are still finishing the mushrooms.

6. While the risotto is cooking, heat a second saucepan for the mushrooms. Add the 2 Tablespooons of butter. Once melted and hot, add the onion and sauté until translucent.

7. Then, add the mushrooms, thyme and bay leaf into the pan. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released their moisture and turned golden brown.

8. Next, add the white wine and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed. (Pour yourself a glass of white wine too!)

9. Lastly, fold the mushrooms, removing the thyme and bay leaf stems, into the finished risotto. Add as much chopped, fresh parsley as you like. Season with more salt and pepper as needed.

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Making a Turkish Feast at Home in Warsaw

It only seems appropriate that I post about Turkish food today as I’m headed to Istanbul this afternoon.

I know it’s only been two months since my last visit when I enjoyed my Breakfast by the Bosphorus, but I simply cannot stay away! Like a first love, Istanbul completely stole my heart when we lived there, and I miss my friends.

Funny enough, I probably have cooked more Turkish food at our home here in Warsaw than I even did in Istanbul. I no longer can call up Ali Baba and get a quick dinner delivery or stop by the kebab vendor down the street. If I want Turkish food, I best make it myself.

Sure, Warsaw is full of döner kebab vendors all over the city, but it’s definitely not the same. I don’t want some strange tomato or yogurt sauce in my döner.

I’ve always loved Turkish mezes! So a few weeks ago, I invited a new couple over for dinner and decided to make kabak yoğurtlu (zucchini with yogurt), patlıcan salatası (roasted eggplant with yogurt) and Turkish shakshuka/şakşuka (fried eggplant with tomatoes and yogurt). Luckily, I’ve found several brands of thick Greek yogurt here that works quite well to substitute for Turkish yogurt.

Here are my meze dishes of  patlıcan salatası and kabak yoğurtlu.

I turned to three of my favorite Turkish food bloggers for my recipes and inspiration – Claudia of A Seasonal Cook in Turkey, Ilke of Ilke’s Kitchen and Ozlem of Ozlem’s Turkish Table. Luckily, I’ve met all of these lovely ladies in person when I lived in Istanbul and love reading their blogs from afar. I highly recommend checking them out for delicious Turkish recipes!

I used a combination of recipes for the shakshuka/şakşuka from Ozlem and Claudia. Check out both recipes here: Fried aubergine eggplant, courgette and peppers with tomato sauce and Shakshuka Aubergine Meze.

Be sure to serve plenty of bread with this meze as you'll want to eat every last drop of it!

We can find decent eggplant here in Poland so I’ve used Claudia’s recipe several times now to make my own patlıcan salatası. So simple and so delicious! I use a mortar to crush my garlic with salt before mixing in with my yogurt.

My market haul to make to make this Turkish meal at home.

For the third meze, I used Ilke’s recipe for kabak yoğurtlu. This is another simple, but delicious recipe.

For a salad course, I made this summery Turkish tomato-pomegranate salad called gavurdağı salad. I realize we also tried this yummy salad when we were on our southeast Turkey road trip last year in Gaziantep.

Finally, for our main course, I made stuffed peppers Turkish-style…otherwise known as biber dolması, which is my version. I’ve made these dolmas so many times now that it’s easy enough to make vegetarian versions as well as differently spiced ones depending on what I have at home.

Looks like no matter, where I live, I’ll always find a way to make some of my favorite Turkish recipes too.

Smacznego!

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Hearty Homemade Noodles & Chicken Soup

Since it’s been cold and snowing here this week, I decided to dig back to my Midwestern roots for an old-fashioned recipe.

My Aunt Eva in Nebraska always makes these hearty noodles and serves them in a rich chicken broth-based soup. The result is similar to a chicken and dumpling recipe probably heralding back to our German roots on the farm.

My aunt shared this recipe with me years ago, and it’s followed me every time I’ve moved from NYC to Washington D.C. to Baltimore and now to Istanbul. I think everyone needs one of these family recipes that you can pull out whenever you want a taste of home.

While I was cooking the soup, I took a photo on my cell phone to tease my husband with his upcoming dinner at home. I’m not sure if it was the snow or the soup that made him come home early that night!

This recipe is definitely a crowd pleaser and one that will warm you up when it’s cold outside.

Afiyet olsun!

Perfect comfort food - homemade noodles and chicken soup!

Homemade Noodles

Serves 6-8 people.

5          Tablespoons    cold water

2          cups                 all-purpose flour

2          ea.                    Large eggs

2          tsp.                  sunflower or vegetable oil

1          Tablespoon      salt

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together. I used a hand blender for part of it. Then, knead the dough together by hand for a couple minutes, until you have a smooth ball of dough. If the dough seems dry, add a splash of water. If the dough seems too wet, add a little flour.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for one hour. (While the dough is resting, work on the soup ingredients.)

Divide the dough in half. Liberally dust your counter with flour. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough fairly thin.

Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into thin strips to make your noodles. Mine were about ½-inch wide by 2-3-inches in length.

Make sure your soup is up to a rolling boil at this point and drop in the noodles a few at a time. If you drop in the noodles too fast, they can clump up together.

Continue rolling out the rest of the dough the same way and drop into the soup as well.

The noodles will need to cook for 15-20 minutes in the soup.

Note: If you have leftovers, you will need to add more chicken stock or water to the soup. The noodles really absorb any liquid once left to sit for awhile.

Chicken Soup Base

Ingredients:

2          T.                     sunflower or vegetable oil

3-4       ea.                    Carrots, peeled and diced small

2          ea.                    Medium onions, diced small

2          cups                 celery or leeks, diced small (I had a lot of celery to use up.)

1          ea.                    large potato, diced small

2          ea.                    Chicken breasts, chopped small

1-2       teaspoons        dried thyme

4-5       ea.                    bay leaves

To taste                       salt and pepper

2.5       quarts              chicken stock or water (If you use water, drop in 2-3 chicken flavored bouillon cubes.)

In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, add the oil. When hot, add the carrots, onions and celery or leeks. Saute’ for a couple minutes until the vegetables are soft.

Then add the potatoes and chicken. While stirring, cook the ingredients for a few minutes.

Add the spices and cover everything with the chicken stock or water. Add lid. Bring soup up to a rolling boil before you drop in the noodles.

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Exploring Banklar Caddesi & Salt Galata in Istanbul

Not every street in Istanbul is picturesque.

But there are many streets that tourists often overlook because they’re too busy looking for the main sites such as the Blue Mosque, Ayasofya and the Galata Tower.

Lucky me, I live here as an expat and can take my time exploring the winding, cobblestone streets as often as I want. There’s plenty to see if you are willing to look around with fresh eyes.

Over the weekend, we took the historic Tünel tram from Beyoğlu down to Karaköy (surprisingly hubby’s first time on the tram). We had to walk back uphill one block so we could get to our destination - Salt Galata located on the often missed Banklar Caddesi (also known as Voyvoda Cad.).

Banklar Caddesi in Istanbul is fairly quiet on Sundays.

At first glance, this street may not look like much, but look again at the imposing buildings and their grand architecture and you’ll notice they date back to the late 1800s and early 1900s when the Pera neighborhood was in its heyday. Most of these buildings once housed the city’s big banks, hence the street’s nickname.

The front facade of the former Ottoman Bank, now home to Salt Galata.

You’ll still find the Istanbul branch of the Turkish Republic Bank, the former Ottoman Bank, which now is home to Salt Galata, and a couple other banks such as HSBC and Vakifbank.

Notice the old Ottoman sign above the HSBC nameplate.

The Turkish Republic Bank building on Banklar Caddesi.

Before I talk about the main building here, look on the right-hand side of the street for some fancy, curvy steps that look out of place in this neighborhood.

You can take the Kamondo Steps if you want to reach the Galata Tower.

The Kamondo Steps, built in the 1880s, were paid for by a Jewish banking family to provide a shortcut for their children to get to school. I’ve walked up and down these steps, leading to the Galata Tower, many times and didn’t know their significance. Now, I know thanks to author Pat Yale of Istanbul: The Ultimate Guide and her website Turkey From The Inside.

After exploring Banklar Caddessi, we headed indoors to Salt Galata, a cultural institution, exhibit space and restaurant, that once housed the head office for the Ottoman Bank from 1892 to 1999, which was purchased by Garanti Bank. In 2009, the building was closed for restoration work and reopened in late 2011 as Salt Galata.

The large building, designed by French-Ottoman architect Alexandre Vallaury, was the first “modern bank” building of the period in Istanbul. The front façade, on Voyvoda Street and facing the western districts of Galata and Pera, reflected a neo-classical or neo-Renaissance style, consistent with most European bank buildings in the 19^th century. However, the rear façade, looming over the backstreets of lower Galata and facing the Golden Horn, bore traces of neo-Orientalist style for which Vallaury had often shown great interest. This conscious contrast between the two facades spoke of the position of the bank between the East and West. Vallaury also designed the Pera Palas Hotel.

On the building’s lower level, you’ll find a permanent exhibit of the Ottoman Bank Museum which includes bank notes, banking documents, old photographs, customer files and personnel files. You can even wander through several of the old bank vaults and peruse banking documents. My banker husband was able to geek out in his elements!

Jason checking out the thick customer files in the old bank vaults.

Interestingly, a majority of the bank’s early customers were foreigners from France, Germany and Greece. Ottoman artist Osman Hamdi Bey also was a bank customer.

Though I may not have enjoyed the museum’s collection of pie charts and banking documents as much as my husband, I still did like learning about another piece of Istanbul’s infinite history. In particular, I liked looking at the old photographs and seeing the changes in fashion and the men’s mustaches.

Looking at these photos you'd think a men were required to have mustaches in the early 1900s in Istanbul!

After dorking around the banking exhibit, we headed upstairs for a late lunch at Ca’d’Oro. The restaurant’s second floor offers all-window seating and some great views over the Golden Horn to the Suleymaniye Mosque. The restaurant features an international-Mediterranean menu as well as breakfast in the mornings.

Our view from Ca'd'Oro restaurant at Salt Galata.

We decided to go with the homemade pasta menu options as well as some wine followed by dessert. There were only three or four tables while we were there so the service was fairly spotty, but we did have a table right by the window.

Butternut squash ravioli with a sage-brown butter sauce - 20tl.

Homemade pasta with a rich lamb ragu - 25 tl - with a glass of Turkish rose wine.

However, our pasta was arguably the best pasta I’ve ever had in Istanbul. Tender, al dente pasta with fresh, homemade sauces. My browned butter sauce was to die for and reminded me of pasta I’ve enjoyed back in NYC!

Last January, I enjoyed a girls’ lunch at Ca’d’Oro and remembered having some of the best international desserts I’ve ever eaten in Istanbul. I learned the pastry chef is either from France or Italy, but can’t remember which country. Anyway, I give high marks to the desserts as well, and that compliment doesn’t come lightly from this professional pastry chef!

Sticky toffee pudding cake - yum!

If you’re in Istanbul, take the time to stroll through some of the less touristy streets like this one. You never know what you may discover.

And remember to save room for dessert!

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Turkish Aubergine Rice/Patlıcanlı Iç Pilav

For whatever reason, I have avoided cooking with eggplant for the most part lately.

But then, I discovered a new reason to enjoy eggplant. I was perusing my own cookbook library when I found a recipe for Patlıcanlı Iç Pilav (Turkish Aubergine Rice) that sounded interesting.

In "Secrets of the Turkish Kitchen" by Angie Mitchell, she describes this as one of 40 special eggplant dishes from the Ottoman palace kitchens. Apparently, the sultans couldn't get enough of this vegetable originating from southeast Asia.

With the Turks fondness for patlıcan, I thought there would be at least 100 different recipes. And maybe there are because every dish is up to the cook's own interpretation as well.

Well, this aromatic rice pilaf won us both over!

The cinnamon, allspice, dried currants and fresh herbs make for a flavorful and interesting dish. There's a pinch of sugar that makes the dish slightly sweet too. I paired the pilaf with a batch of traditional Turkish köfte thanks to Claudia's recipe at A Seasonal Cook in Turkey.

If you're bored with plain white rice for dinner, then you must try this Ottoman-style pilaf.

What's your favorite way to cook with aubergine, eggplant or patlıcan?

Afiyet olsun!

A delicious side dish of Turkish Aubergine Rice (Patlıcanlı Iç Pilav). 

Turkish Aubergine Rice/Patlıcanlı Iç Pilav

(Adapted from "Secrets of the Turkish Kitchen" by Angie Mitchell)

Ingredients:

1          c.         (190 g.)            long-grain rice (Baldo pilav)

1          T.                                 dried currants (kuş üzümü)

3-4       small                            long aubergines or eggplant

4          T.                                 olive oil

2          T.                                 pine nuts (çamfıstığı)

1          ea.                                medium onion, finely chopped

1          tsp.                              salt

1/2       tsp.                              sugar

1/2       tsp.                              ground cinnamon

1/2       tsp.                              ground allspice

1          ea.                                large tomato, seeds removed and chopped

2          c.         (475 ml.)          hot water

1/2       c.                                 fresh parsley, mint and dill, combined together and roughly chopped

To taste                                   salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a medium-sized bowl, soak the rice and currants in hot salted water for 30 minutes. Then, rinse under cold water, drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, peel the eggplant in alternate vertical stripes from the stem to the base. Cut off the stalk. Submerge and soak the eggplant in salted water for 30 minutes, drain and squeeze dry. (This step helps to remove the bitterness from the eggplant). Cut into small cubes about 1/2-inch wide.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté the eggplant, with a pinch of salt and sugar, until they are softened. Remove the eggplant with a slotted spoon, and set aside on a paper towel to absorb any extra oil.

In the same pan, sauté the pine nuts and the onion with the remaining olive oil, until the pine nuts are golden and the onion has softened. Add the drained rice and currants, stirring to ensure the grains are evenly coated. Add the salt, sugar, spices, tomato and 2 cups of hot water.

Bring the rice to a boil, stirring once and cover with a lid. Cook on medium heat about 10 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Do not stir! Turn down the heat to lowest setting and cook for 3-5 more minutes.

Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the eggplant and cover the top of the pan with a kitchen towel or paper towels and replace the lid. The rice will continue cooking in the steam and the towels will help absorb any extra moisture.

Let stand, covered, for 20 minutes before serving. Then, season the pilaf with salt and pepper; add the chopped herbs and stir to incorporate all the ingredients. Fluff the rice with a fork.

Serve immediately.

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Fava Bean, Spring Garlic Pasta - Smells Like Spring

My first time cooking with taze bakla (fresh fava beans) was disappointing here in Istanbul.

Similar to those moments when I spot a beautiful dessert or pastry at a pastane, but when I eat it, the dessert is dry, crumbly, too sweet and just plain not good.

At first, I was ecstatic to try the taze bakla I bought at the Saturday pazar in Beşiktaş. These fuzzy green bean-like pods were definitely fresh and a sign of spring! I'm awfully tired of seeing all the root vegetables at the pazar in Istanbul.

But shelling these small bakla is just like shelling spring peas! Maybe even worse!

Each pod contained 4 or 5 miniscule fava beans. So I only yielded 60 grams (about half a cup) out of the half kilo I purchased.

Well, at least I had a delicious plan for these prized fava beans.

My lettuce vendor had thrown in a bunch of spring garlic (yeni sarımsak (new garlic) as he referred to it) that smelled sweet and sharp. This was a real treat as spring garlic is only around for a few weeks. (See: last year's Spring Garlic Soup recipe.)

Fava beans and a bunch of spring garlic, which could be mistaken for scallions. 

So the fresh fava beans and spring garlic make for a simple, spring-flavored pasta. For once, my recipe only contains a handful of ingredients and is just a bit of this and that.

I also added some leftover Italian mortadella from our Bologna trip that was begging to be used. Hey, my love of pork won me over.

Who could resist a bite of this garlicky pasta with loads of Parmesan cheese, mortadella
 and basil?

Afiyet Olsun!

Fava Bean, Spring Garlic Pasta (Bakla ve Makarna)

Ingredients:

1-2       T.                                 olive oil

300      g.         (10.5 oz.)         package of fresh pasta like fettuccine

Handful                                   taze bakla (fresh fava beans)

1                      bunch              spring garlic, chopped

To taste                                   salt and pepper

As needed                               Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Handful                                   fresh basil, julienned

Optional:         handful of diced mortadella or some pancetta

In a large pot, bring the water to a boil. Drop in the fresh pasta and fava beans. Cook until al dente - about 3 minutes. Strain immediately, but save some of the pasta water.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the olive oil. Sauté the spring garlic and pork, if using, for a few minutes.

Then, in the large pot used for the pasta, combine the spring garlic, pork, pasta, fava beans and some of the pasta water. Throw in a knob of butter for some added richness. Season with salt and pepper. Stir and taste again. Add more pasta water as needed to make a light sauce.

Garnish the pasta with lots of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and basil. (I couldn't resist trying a giant forkful of the pasta right out of the pot!)

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Wild Rice Soup with Sucuk

A few weeks ago, I was inspired by a fellow blogger's soup recipe, but finding some of the ingredients took awhile.

Joyce, a fantastic and  prolific cook over at October Farm, made a delicious-looking Wild Rice Soup recipe.

Of course, she used ham - an ingredient I don't have here in Istanbul. I substituted  Turkish sucuk. This garlicky, spicy cured "sausage" is an excellent substitute for ham, Andouille sausage, pepperoni and Italian sausage even though it's made from beef not pork. It's not the same, but I make it work.

Wild rice is another thing I went on a Foodie Treasure Hunt for around the city. I settled for a box of wild black rice I found at my local Macro Center. This rice is the same brand I used to make my Spicy Black Bean and Ground Beef One-Pot Soup awhile back.

Then, I waited to go to my Saturday  pazar in Beşiktaş to find istiridye mantarı (oyster mushrooms). These mushrooms are so beautiful and fresh right now! I bought 1 kilo for 10 TL (about $5.65).

These Turkish oyster mushrooms got roughed up a bit in the bag on our walk home, but still tasted  wonderful!

Unlike the U.S., I can't just drive to one giant super store and buy all my groceries at once. Sometimes, it is an inconvenience, but generally I try to treat it as a culinary adventure. At the pazar, I find the freshest produce AND at the best prices. Sometimes, I haggle to get a better price too. And the sellers can tell me where the product came from in Turkey. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Finally, I had all my ingredients, and I was ready to make my own version of Wild Rice Soup with Sucuk. The soup was hearty and satisfying, but the black rice turned the soup a very dark, ugly color.

But I'm sure you will enjoy the spicy sucuk, the earthy mushrooms, sautéed veggies and wild rice all combined in one bowl like we did.

Afiyet olsun!

My wild rice soup with sucuk

Where to shop:

·                     Macro Center: Abdi Ipekci Cad. No: 24/26, Nişantaşı, Istanbul (Look for Sezon Venere Nero Pirinc in a black box next to the other dried beans and bulgur.)

·                     Great spices and dried teas - Ucuzcular Baharat, Mısır Çarşısı, No. 51, Eminönü, Istanbul

Wild Rice Soup with Sucuk
Serves: 10

Ingredients:
1          T.                     corn or vegetable oil

2          c.                     wild rice or black rice

1          tsp.                  salt

5          c.                     water

2          T.                     corn or vegetable oil

2          T.                     butter

1          ea.                    large onion, diced small

5-6       ea.                    celery stalks, chopped small (about 2 c.) Substitute leeks if you can't find celery.

5-6       ea.                    carrots, chopped small (about 2 c.)

As needed                   salt and freshly ground black pepper

4          ea.                    bay leaves

1          tsp.                  turmeric

2          c.                     sucuk or ham, diced small (I used one 270-gram link of dana sucuk)

3          c.                     istiridye mantarı (oyster mushrooms), rinsed and roughly chopped

1/2       c.                     parsley, roughly chopped

5          T.                     flour

2          qts.                  chicken stock

1          ea.                   container Knorr tavuk suyu (condensed chicken stock) 

1          c.                     whole milk

In a medium-sized pot, heat the first amount of oil and then add the rice. Cook for about five minutes until the rice starts to emit a nutty-like aroma. Then add the water and salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut and prep all your vegetables and meat.

Then, in an 8-12 quart pot, heat the oil and butter together. Add the onion, celery and carrots. Sautée for several minutes until the vegetables soften. Add the bay leaves, turmeric salt and pepper.

Then add the sucuk. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring now and then.

Then, add the mushrooms, parsley and the flour. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes to cook out the starchy flavor.

Add the rice and any leftover water in the pot as well as the chicken stock and 1 container of Knorr condensed chicken stock. (I've never used this before, but Joyce did to add a richer flavor to her soup.)

Bring the soup to a boil and then let it simmer for about 30 minutes. The soup will slightly thicken from the roux. At the end, add the milk. Taste the soup and adjust any seasonings as needed.

Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with a mixed salad.

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