Donde esta la comida Mexicana in Istanbul?

Today what I love about living in Istanbul:

Beautiful 70 F weather. I took a 10-minute ferry boat ride across the Bosphorus - suddenly crossing from the European side to the Asian side of the city. I could have stayed on the boat all day. However, I had plans. I met up with a group of American women and had a lovely potluck lunch with them.

Later in the day, I took the ferry boat back. Admired the city’s nighttime skyline with all its twinkling lights. Watched the lights of the first bridge change from yellow to green and to blue.

For once, I slowly walked home so I could take in all that I could from the day. I stopped at the outdoor fish market  in Beşiktaş and bought a levrek (sea bass) for dinner. The fish, drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with fresh lemons, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper, is roasting in the oven.

Ahhh….this is why I love living by the sea!

Now onto what I miss:

I miss plates full of homemade spicy pork tamales with pico de gallo served on the side.

I miss eating pollo en mole rojo with its intense dark chocolaty, smoky flavors.

I miss the gooey, so-not-good-for-you cheese enchiladas.

I miss ordering tacos de puerco al pastor from the tiny, family-owned restaurant down the street from our house in Baltimore.

Although I really enjoy the food in Turkey, I can’t help but miss some of my favorite things from back in the states.

Mexican food is one of those things I miss.

There are only a handful of Mexican restaurant in the whole entire metropolitan city of Istanbul. Oh sure, a few restaurants offer fajitas or nachos on their menus. Others have tried to replicate guacamole and offer it as an appetizer, but it’s never the thick, chunky style that I like. One time it was soupy. Another time it just lacked in flavor.

But then, we heard about El Torito, founded in 1954 in Encino, Calif., from one of my husband’s colleagues. The restaurant, located at Nispetiye Cad. No. 12, Etiler, has three locations in the city. According to the company’s website, El Torito currently is the largest Mexican restaurant brand in California in terms of number of restaurants and operates franchise locations in Japan, Turkey and the Middle East.

Last weekend, we decided to check it out. The menu features the traditional Tex-Mex fare of burritos, tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, etc.

To start, we ordered guacamole. The menu said the guacamole was prepared tableside, but it wasn’t.

However, the funny thing is that the guacamole was served with nacho cheese Doritos instead of tortilla chips! The guacamole, made with either jarred or canned jalapenos, was the best we’ve tried in Istanbul.

Jason ordered a huge combination platter. I think it contained a beef taco, a chicken burrito, a cheese enchilada and a chicken enchilada.

I ordered the chicken enchiladas. They were cheesy and delicious!

Of course, we had to order a margarita to go with our dinner.

The margarita was the only downside of our dinner. It was way too sour – almost like it was made with lemon juice instead of lime juice. Yuck! We find most restaurants rarely use limes because they cost much more than lemons here.

If you need a Mexican food fix in Istanbul, El Torito will fit the bill. We were satisfied and overly stuffed.

Next month, I can’t wait to eat my beloved Mexican food back in the states. I think I’ll stock up on some Latin-inspired cooking supplies too.

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Autumnal Afternoon Spent in Belgrade Forest

The afternoon air filled with wisps of campfire smoke. Three generations of family members sat around a fire grilling their traditional kebaps, long, green peppers and tomatoes.

Across the lake, a lone man was throwing a fishing line – sans pole - into the water, hoping to catch something for dinner.

The forest’s wide trail was surrounded by a kaleidoscope of colors turning from leaf green to various shades of my kitchen spices such as cinnamon, ginger, paprika, saffron and turmeric.

On Sunday, we were lucky enough to get out of the hectic city and drive to Belgrade Forest, located in Sarıyer, the northernmost district of Istanbul.

As much as I love living in a big city, sometimes you just want to escape from it all. You want to be away from the endless traffic, the honking horns, people yelling, the busy storefronts and cafes. You want a little slice of solitude. That is difficult to find when you live in a city of 13 million to 17 million, depending on which statistics you read.

The forest, covering almost 5,500 hectares, stretches out around Bahçeköy just inland from Büyükdere. According to an article in Time Out Istanbul:

“It takes its rather unlikely name from the fact that back in the 16th century it was resettled with Serbians after Süleyman the Magnificent occupied their country in 1521 and decided that they would make the perfect supervisors for the network of forest aqueducts and reservoirs on which Istanbul depended for its water supply. 

The small village actually called Belgrade became a fashionable escape from the high heat of summer in the 18th century, and Lady Mary Wortley Montagu was just one of the foreigners who took refuge there. She went on to wax lyrical about its beauties in her letters home. It “perfectly answers the description of the Elysian Fields,” she wrote, little imagining that one day the village would be no more.”

Although it took us an hour to travel from our apartment to the forest, we were rewarded with a beautiful Indian summer afternoon. We decided to walk on the 6 kilometer (about 3.72 miles) trail that wanders through the forest and around a large lake in the middle. The forest was busier than I had imagined. I guess other families had the same idea we did.

About the halfway mark, we decided to find a grassy knoll and enjoy our goodies we had in our backpack. I had packed two kinds of cheese, sesame seed crackers, a bit of Italian salami, a ripe plum and a bottle of Angora, a local dry, white wine. Sipping Turkish wine out of a backpack because we're classy like that!

This was nothing like our previous hiking experience in Cappadocia. No way! We just were enjoying each other’s company and the splendid afternoon and relaxing.

We are quite fortunate we don’t have to travel too far to enjoy the beauty of nature. The Belgrade Forest is just on our doorstep.

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Luscious Lemon Dessert

What do you do when life gives you a bowl full of lemons?

I had a bowl full of Meyer Lemons, which recently served as a centerpiece at a dinner party I hosted at our apartment. Now, the lemons were sitting abandoned in a bottom drawer in the fridge.

My first thought was to make a tangy lemon curd tart topped with a glossy Italian meringue. I love lemon curd! Another idea was to bake lemon poppy seed cake – also a favorite homemade treat. But I couldn’t recall seeing poppy seeds at the nearby markets.

I decided I would make a recipe with the simple ingredients I had on hand – Meyer Lemon Pound Cake.

Back in culinary school, I learned this type of loaf cake earned its name because a recipe required one pound each of butter, sugar, flour and eggs, plus a flavoring like vanilla or lemon. Recipes have evolved over the years to include leavening agents such as baking powder and baking soda, sour cream and a myriad of flavorings such as chocolate, espresso, coconut, nuts, dried fruit, etc.

While you can still follow the original method, making a pound cake is fairly simple. A few tips to keep in mind: Remember to have the ingredients at room temperature so they will mix properly. Cream the butter and sugar very well. Slowly add the eggs. Then, add the sifted flour and the desired flavoring.

If you follow these simple steps, you soon will be eating a fine-textured, very lemony piece of pound cake.

I like the pound cake warm, with steam emitting from the center as I cut into the loaf. I’ll also eat it at room temperature or cold. I’m not picky.

However, my husband prefers to dab a bit more butter on his warm slice before he eats it. I told him “do you realize how much butter is already in there?” He just nodded and smiled.

I still have a bunch of lemons left. This week, I’m going to bake a few more test batches of the lemon pound cake until its perfect. I’ll round up some other taste testers to see what they think.

Afiyet Olsun!

Meyer Lemon Pound Cake

(Adapted from “The Dessert Bible” by Christopher Kimball)

Ingredients:

8          oz.       (250 g.)            unsalted butter at room temperature

1 ½      c.         (350 g.)            granulated sugar or vanilla sugar*

3          ea.                                zest of Meyer Lemons, finely grated

5          ea.                                large eggs at room temperature**

1 ¾      c.         (260 g.)            Turkish all-purpose flour (use only 1 2/3 c. if in the U.S.)

2          T.                                 Meyer Lemon juice

Glaze:

As needed                               powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F/175 C.

2. Grease or pan-spray a standard metal loaf pan. Set aside.

3. Place the butter into a metal mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer beat the butter until smooth and creamy.

4. Gradually add the sugar and beat until the butter turns almost white and is very fluffy, about three to five minutes.

5. Next, add the lemon zest. Then, add the eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated. The batter should look smooth.

5. Add the sifted flour in three parts, folding it into the batter with a large rubber spatula, making sure the batter is well mixed.

6. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake for 1 hour. The top will split open and be nicely browned. Insert a toothpick or metal cake tester to see if the cake is done. If not, continue baking and check every five minutes. (My cake needed to bake 10 more minutes.)

7. When cake is done, run a knife around the edges and turn out onto a metal cooling rack. Let cool for about 1 hour before adding the glaze.

To make the glaze:

Add approximately, 1 cup of powdered sugar into a small mixing bowl. Then, slowly drizzle in lemon juice and whisk until the glaze is thoroughly combined. Adjust the consistency of the glaze by adding more sugar or more juice as needed. Pour over the top of the pound cake after it has cooled.

* I make my own vanilla sugar by grinding dried, leftover vanilla beans with granulated sugar in the food processor. Sift to remove the larger pieces. You can substitute vanilla sugar in most baking recipes.

**If the eggs are not at room temperature, place them in a bowl of hot water until they feel warm. Cold eggs could make the batter look grainy and separated.

Also, feel free to substitute the Meyer lemons with regular lemons in the recipe.

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Day 3: Exploring Cappadocia, Turkey

The local mosque’s morning call to prayer woke us up extra early at approximately 5 a.m. on Sunday. The prayer sounded like it was coming out of a loudspeaker next door. It wasn’t, but the still air must have carried the noise easily.

We tried to go back to sleep. An hour later, signs of dawn were starting to appear. I decided to get up quickly so I could see the hot air balloons taking off into the morning sky. Jason was still trying to sleep.

I bundled myself up in warm layers and grabbed the camera. I went up to our hotel’s terrace to take photos of the balloons just starting to climb into the sky.

Although we would have enjoyed taking a ride, the cost was too expensive - 150 Euros ($210 USD) per person. With two more trips planned in the next two months and Christmas gifts to buy, we decided to pass this time.

By 7 a.m., the Cappadocian sky was filled with numerous hot air balloons. It was an amazing sight to watch!

After another traditional Turkish breakfast, Jason and I checked out of the hotel and drove southward to the underground city of Kaymaklı. Along the way, we stopped back at the Göreme Panoramic View Point to buy some souvenirs and a pair of knitted gloves I had eyed yesterday.

Kaymaklı, open to the public in 1964, is one of several underground cities in Cappadocia. This city is the widest one and once housed between 2,000 and 5,000 people – with the highest population being during war time. It covers an area of approximately 4 km² / 1.5 square miles. Early Christians took refuge here, creating a whole system of tunnels, wells, ventilation shafts, sleeping quarters, storage rooms, a large kitchen, stables and more. Even the surrounding fields and village houses were connected to the large underground city by long tunnels.

Map of the underground city
  

Since we weren’t in a large tour group, we decided to hire a personal guide to explain the history of Kaymaklı. Our guide, Mustafa whom was recommended by our hotel, spoke very good English and was full of history. The cost of 40 Turkish liras was well spent. We never would have learned as much about the city if we had toured it solo. 


The city consists of 8 underground floors; only 4 of them are open to the public today, and low, narrow and sloping passages. The winding and numerous tunnels were meant to confuse the enemies and help provide escape for the city’s inhabitants, Mustafa told us.

Storage areas for wine, olive oil and water.

The central kitchen where they could have a fire below in the pit and cook in large pots.

Grain and dry storage areas.

Next, we headed toward the town of Ürgüp – 39 kilometers (about 24 miles) northeast from Kaymaklı.  We stopped along the way to take several photos of the fairy chimneys.

Our main purpose for driving to Ürgüp was to stop at Cappadocia’s largest winery – Turasan Winery. The winery, one of six in the area, was established in 1943 by H. Turasan and now is being run by third-generation family members. After paying 10 lira per person, we were given a personal tour of the factory and learned about their wine production, followed by a wine tasting. I felt we received better service one on one than being in a large tour group like we saw coming and going there. We tasted one white wine called Emir, made from all local grapes, and three red wines, including a fabulous 2008 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot that won a gold medal in Turkey. Luckily, we can easily find Turasan wines here in Istanbul.

Now, I was hungry. We drove into the center of Ürgüp and parked the car. We decided to walk around a bit to see where we wanted to eat. We stumbled upon a nut and spice store called Naturel Kuruyemiş, Cumhuriyet Meydani No: 28. This store was full of spices, nuts, dried fruits, “lokum” (Turkish Delight) and more. I was in heaven! We bought some nuts, chocolate covered dried apricots and pomegranate “lokum” that contained hazelnuts and pistachios. The owner was very friendly and patient as I tried to speak some Turkish with him.

On the left, you can see large slabs of the colorful "lokum."

Just around the corner, we spied a restaurant, Teras Café, which featured a lot of outdoor seating so we could take advantage of the wonderful sunshine. We both ordered a simple meal of tavuk şiş kebap and an Efes beer.

After lunch, we drove from Ürgüp to the village of Çavuşin, where we could park and access the Rose Valley trail for some more hiking. The sky was a gorgeous, bright blue and reflected off the rose colored rocks in the valley. We hiked up and down amongst the rocks and along a streambed for about two hours. We had a great afternoon!

The local "taxi" near the trail.

Jason hiked down to the edge so I could take this photo.

We saw several grape vines like this one along the trail.

Inside this cave you can see the remnants of another ancient church.

Now, we had some time to kill before we headed back to Kayseri for our evening flight to Istanbul. We decided to stop in nearby Avanos at a pottery store I had seen when we drove through on Friday. We were given a pottery wheel demonstration at Kapadokya Seramik, a fourth-generation family business. The store consists of four display rooms filled with beautiful, handmade pottery items. Of course, we got sucked into buying several pieces, but some will be for Christmas presents.

Then, we headed back east about an hour to Kayseri. We found our car rental place, but still had some time to grab a light dinner before we headed to the airport. We stopped at Hacibaba, Sivas Caddessi 13/A, and ordered red lentil soup, a minced meat pide and a strange soup that I didn’t know. Jason wanted to be adventurous and I told him “good luck.” The soup turned out to be a traditional tripe soup that is very salty and a bit sour thanks to the addition of vinegar and lemon juice. I took one bite and that was enough for me. Jason finished about half of it. Well, you never know unless you try.

As always, all good things must come to end. We had an amazing time exploring Cappadocia during our three days. I’d highly recommend this trip to anyone who visits Turkey.

Hot air balloon ride in the late afternoon over Rose Valley.

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Day 2: Exploring Cappadocia, Turkey & Ihlara Valley

We woke up to a cold and dreary Saturday morning in Göreme. Temperatures started out in the upper 30s F, so we dressed in several layers of warm clothing.

After showering and getting ready, we enjoyed an open buffet of many Turkish breakfast items in the Kelebek Hotel. I partook in the traditional breakfast and ate black and green olives, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers, three kinds of Turkish cheese, bread and a mandarin orange.

Fully nourished, Jason and I headed outside to join a group for the “Explore and Hike Tour” we had arranged through Heritage Travel, which is also owned by the Kelebek Hotel. After an initial bus mixup, we met the group at Göreme Panoramic View Point, just southeast of the village. We quickly took a few photos of the landscape and then returned to the bus.

We had about an hour drive ahead of us to reach our first hiking destination in the Ihlara Valley. Our friendly tour guide told us about the history of Cappadocia and gave us a geography lesson on Turkey along the way. He told us the current spelling of Cappadocia translates to “land of beautiful horses.” However, the earliest record of the area, dating from the late 6th century BC, states the old Persian name was Katpatuka.

I enjoyed just being able to look outside and enjoy the passing scenery. It was harvest time in Cappadocia. The farmers were out in full force harvesting their potatoes and pumpkins. We passed several tractors and horse-drawn wagons on the road; I almost felt like I was back in Nebraska.

At approximately 11 a.m., our group of 14 started the highlight of our day, a 7 km (approx. 4 miles) hike in the spectacular Ihlara Valley, which boasts the deepest gorge in Asia Minor. Our hike would take us along the Melendiz River, which has carved an impressive canyon through the valley over time. This valley was once home to monks who instructed Christianity in cave churches – similar to the dwellings we had seen the previous day in the Göreme Open Air Museum.

We climbed down several flights of stairs and then we had to maneuver down several large boulders to get down to the lush valley’s floor. The distance from the top to the floor is about 150 meters or 500 feet. Several women in our group were not wearing appropriate hiking shoes (ie: high heels) and slowed us down several times. Seriously?

During our two-hour hike following the river, we passed many ancient cave dwellings, Russian olive trees, green moss, poplar trees in their full autumnal splendor, wild raspberry bushes, and several Byzantine rock chapels decorated with frescoes. The river paints the valley beautiful shades of red, green and brown in autumn. It was a peaceful trek filled with moments of conversation among the group here and there.

Another interesting thing we saw was the ancient pigeon houses. The cave dwellers carved these houses into the rocks. Our guide told us the pigeons served three functions: as a messenger for communication, the droppings were used as fertilizer for crops and the egg shells were crushed and mixed to make the plaster for the cave walls.

About the halfway point, we stopped to check out the small Agacalti Kilisesi (The Church under the Tree). Although there are several churches in the valley, this one has the best preserved painted frescoes.

We ended the hiking portion of the tour near the Belisirma village, where we had lunch in a quaint riverside restaurant. Obviously, this restaurant sees tour groups all the time. Our server brought out a large tray with several platters that we could choose from and took the group’s order. Jason and I both selected the et güveç (meat casserole) served with bulgur. This was the first time I actually ate traditional güveç, which was a hearty dish served in a clay baking dish.

We also were served Turkish red lentil soup, a salad and fresh mandarin oranges for dessert.

After lunch, we got back on the bus, drove a little ways and stopped at the biggest rock-cut monastery in Cappadocia called the Selime Monastery and Cathedral. The site dates back to the 13^th century when monks carved out the large church, living quarters, a large kitchen and stables for animals.

The monastery was my husband’s favorite site. Once again, the views were breathtaking! We were able to climb through the caves on our own for about 20 minutes. It was not always an easy climb, but it was worth it to see this fascinating piece of world history.

Our next destination was the former Greek village of Güzelyurt, where Greeks lived until the 1923 population exchange between Turkey and Greece. Here, we stopped to visit one of the oldest churches in Cappadocia – Güzelyurt Analipsis Church – which had been converted into a mosque.

The old pulpit was saved in this church in Güzelyurt.

On the way back to Göreme, we made one final stop in Uçhisar to take pictures of Pigeon Valley, aptly named for the many pigeon houses or dovecotes carved into the cliffs. By this point, I was exhausted and had fallen asleep for a little while during the drive.

An evil eye tree in Cappadocia.

After our long tour, we rushed back to the hotel for our first hamam (Turkish bath) experience followed by an intense anti-stress massage. The bath was interesting and relaxing. You can read more about this Turkish tradition here.

We relaxed back in our room with a cocktail and played a few rounds of pounce, a solitaire-like card game. For dinner, we decided to stay in and eat at the hotel. It was almost 9 p.m. and the place was empty. We assumed everyone had eaten at the hotel the previous night because of the rain and were out exploring the town instead.

We ordered two Turkish mezes to start – çacık yogurt dip and eggplant salad. For entrees, we ordered  tavuk köfte and roasted lamb shank. The food was simple, but delicious.

With full bellies, we crashed in our room and fell asleep early since we had more hiking planned for Sunday in Cappadocia.

Nighttime view of Göreme from our hotel in Cappadocia, Turkey.

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