Swimming off the Coast of Hydra

To go swimming off this small Greek island, you must quickly conquer your fear of normally walking into the water from a beach.

Nope, this is all or nothing.

The rocky edge sharply dropped off at least 20 feet down from the ladder. So I held my nose, gasped a breath and fell backwards into the turquoise glass-like Aegean Sea.

The water was so deep here that you either must tread water or swim the entire time. I did enjoy lazily floating on my back when there weren't any boats passing by to create waves. We only had an hour to swim before we had to be back on the boat.

Yesterday, we took an island hopping boat cruise around Greece with our American friends whom are visiting us. We will spend three days in Athens and five in Istanbul together. The trip has been fun, but exhausting. There’s a lot to do and a lot to see.

Please stay tuned!

Hydra is one of the Saronic Islands of Greece, located in the Aegean Sea, about an hour from Athens by boat.

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Ramazan Iftar Sofrasi

Last night in Istanbul, we introduced my American guests to a traditional "Ramazan Iftar Sofrasi" or dinner. We dined at Matbah Restaurant which sits in the shadows of the Ayasofya in Sultanahmet. The location was perfect, the set-menu meal was wonderful and the company was good too. :)

Around our yabancı table, I could tell we were among many Turks who were talking, laughing and having a good time. And so we did too!

The photo (from my cell phone) depicts one of the many courses we had as part of the special menu - "baslangiclar corba" - a type of hot, dried fruit and tomato soup dating back to the 15th century.

More to come soon....

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For the Love of Pide

While I’m writing this, I am waiting for my freshly bought Ramazan pidesi to reheat in the oven.

If I could, I’d eat this special bread every day. But I certainly don’t want to gain back the eight pounds that I’ve lost so far either. =)

Ramazan Pidesi is only made during the month of Ramadan. Unlike most traditional bread produced throughout the year, this pide is round and egg yolk is included in the recipe, which gives it the slightly yellow color.

Around 5 p.m. every day, I can smell the numerous rounds of pide baking at the nearby bakeries in Nişantaşı. This afternoon, I trekked up to one of my favorite pastane, La Vita, so I could buy a pide for our dinner.

At first, I didn’t see the golden brown loaves in the window. Panic set in! Was I too late? Nope, instead, there were several metal baking racks of pide still cooling back by the ovens. Thank goodness!

I’m not Muslim, and I’m certainly not fasting during this month of Ramazan like most traditional Turks here in Istanbul. However, I do plan to eat and enjoy this pide while I can.

If you are anywhere in Turkey, I hope you are taking pleasure in eating your fair share of pide too!

Afiyet Olsun!

Most of the pide I've seen is topped with black nigella and sesame seeds.
But sometimes it's plain too.

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Time for Böğürtlen (Blackberries)

I’ve been loving the fresh, juicy böğürtlen (blackberries) so much that I baked two different tarts in the past few days.

At the pazar here, berries seem to be going by the wayside and making room for summer stonefruits and figs. You can still find a few çilek (strawberries),frambuaz (raspberries), kiraz (cherries) and most recently, böğürtlen. Over the weekend, I blended some softer berries for a breakfast shake and reserved the more plump blackberries for baking.

I made a similar tart recipe last summer by using plums. Now, the first tart I made utilized the same ingredients except I substituted orange zest for the lemon.

The second tart I made was based on a similar idea, but I introduced dried coconut flakes and a crumbly streusel into the mix. This is the tart that made me gasp and even impressed myself. Even though I am a seasoned baker, I still am surprised by how wonderful a dish can turn out sometimes.

I encourage you to experiment in the kitchen because you never know what tasty delight you might create.

Afiyet Olsun!

Blackberry-Coconut Streusel Tart
(Adapted from “Dolce Italiano” by Gina DePalma)
Makes one 10-inch tart shell

Sweet Tart Dough recipe
1. Prepare your tart pan by spraying with nonstick spray and lining with parchment paper.
2. Then, on a floured surface, roll out the tart dough into an 11-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick. Carefully, roll up the dough onto your rolling pin. Press the dough into the metal tart pan and up the sides. Then trim the top of the tart so it is flush with the top of the pan.
3. Place the tart shell in the freezer to chill while you make the filling and streusel.
4. Roll up the dough scraps. Flatten into a disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and freeze. Reserve to make another tart shell.

Coconut Streusel
2 oz. (56 g.) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ c. (75 g.) all-purpose flour
½ c. (100 g.) granulated sugar
¼ tsp. salt
½ c. (50 g.) unsweetened dried coconut (hindistan cevizi - readily available in small bags in the spice aisle of any grocery store in Turkey)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. freshly grated lemon zest

1. Melt the butter in the microwave or in a saucepan over low heat. Let cool.
2. Place the remaining ingredients in a medium sized bowl, using a whisk, stir together.
3. Add the butter. Or you can place everything in the food processor and combine until you get small crumbs. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.

This is what the streusel crumbs should look like.

Creamy Coconut Filling
2 oz. (56 g.) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ c. (85 g.) powdered sugar
2 ea. large egg yolks
1 ea. freshly grated lemon zest
Pinch salt
¾ c. (75 g.) unsweetened dried coconut (hindistan cevizi)

1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter and powdered sugar, using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer. Blend about 2 minutes until smooth.
2. Then, add the egg yolks, one at a time, mixing until well blended.
3. Add the lemon zest, salt and dried coconut. Mix again.

Berries
3 c. (350+ g.) blackberries (böğürtlen)
2 T. lemon juice, fresh
⅛ c. (25 g.) granulated sugar
2 tsp. cornstarch

1. Place berries and the above ingredients in a large bowl. Toss to blend and cover berries.

Assembling everything:

1. Preheat oven to 350F/175 C.
2. Remove tart shell from freezer. Using a rubber or offset spatula, spread the filling evenly across the tart shell.

3. Then add the berries, including any the liquid in the bowl.

4. Evenly cover the top of the berries with the streusel crumbs. You will not need of all the streusel, which can be reserved in the fridge for another dessert.

Before baked: An even layer of streusel crumbs over the tart.

5. Bake the tart until the topping is golden brown and the berries start to bubble, about 45 to 55 minutes.

6. Serve the tart, slightly warm or at room temperature. Dust the top with powdered sugar. (The tart also makes a tasty breakfast!)

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Making More Dolmas

As recipes usually go, I make adaptations the more I make a dish.

I’ve cooked dolmas several times now with either kabak (zucchini) or yeşil biber (green peppers). If you plan ahead, the recipe does come together fairly quickly.

Last week, I stuffed green peppers, a few long, red peppers and two small eggplants with a well-seasoned spicy and herbaceous meat mixture. This is the part that I modified from previous times. I figured I might as well use up the different vegetables I had in the fridge from the pazar before they went bad. Plus, I wanted to season the ground beef more this time, so I added some spices and a lot more fresh herbs.

Since it’s just the two of us, the dolmas lasted three meals, but hubby didn’t complain. The stuffed vegetables reheat well.

So, this is my new and improved dolma recipe compared to my previous one here. My friend, Claudia, at A Seasonal Cook in Turkey recently had a great recipe too.

Afiyet Olsun!

Here you can see the stuffed red and green peppers as well as the eggplant.

Etli Sebze Dolmasi: Meat-Stuffed Vegetables

Ingredients:
10 small-medium Turkish green peppers, red peppers, zucchini or eggplant
1         lb.        (500 g.) kontrfile yağsız kıyma (lean ground beef)
1         ea.                     large onion, diced small
6         ea.                   garlic cloves, finely chopped
¼         c.         (50 g.) long-grain rice, uncooked
½ c. fresh parsley, finely chopped
½ c. fresh dill, finely chopped    
2 T. tomato paste
3 T. olive oil
1 T. nar ekşili sos (pomegranate molasses) (This addition was recommended by my expat friend, Julia, whom has been married to a Turk for 10+ years.)
TT salt and freshly ground black pepper
Optional: 1 ½ tsp. spicy red chili flakes

Garnish:
2 ea. medium tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
As needed fresh yogurt

1. If using zucchini, cut each one in half and scoop out most of the inside, leaving a ¼-inch shell. For green or red peppers, cut off the tops and scrape out the seeds and inside membrane.
2. In a large bowl, combine the meat, onion, garlic, rice, herbs, tomato paste, olive oil, pomegranate molasses, salt and pepper. Mix well and knead with your hands (as if you were making meatloaf). Let the mixture rest for about 10 minutes so the flavors can mingle.

I also mixed in some chopped green onions with the regular onions
just because I had it on hand.

3. Stuff the vegetables with the meat mixture.

4. Place the stuffed vegetables in a large saucepan, stockpot or Le Creuset pot. Place a piece of tomato on top of each vegetable and drizzle each one with a little olive oil.

5. Add about 1 to 1 ½ cups (240-355 ml.) of water to the pot. (***Alternatively, add a tomato sauce around the vegetables. Make by whisking together 1 T. tomato paste and 1 T. pepper paste (or acı biber salçası) with 1 cup of hot water.) Bring the water to a boil, reduce heat and then let simmer, covered with a lid, approximately 20 to 30 minutes. You want the vegetables to be tender but not falling apart. Remove from the heat and let rest for a few minutes before serving.

6. Garnish each serving with fresh yogurt.

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Refreshing Kavun Limonata (Melon Limeade)

After indulging in a breakfast of mainly kavun (honeydew, in this case), I decided to make good on my last post.

This melon is just too good - sweet and juicy - and tasting like what I only imagine fresh honey from a beehive tastes like. Something Winnie-the-Pooh would certainly be a fan of today!

“Oh yes, I'm rumbly in my tumbly. Time for something sweet,” Pooh Bear said.

Yes, sweet, indeed.

Anyway, I took some of the melon and blended it with fresh lime juice, simple syrup and mint. The result: a lovely, refreshing summertime drink. I enjoyed a few sips with breakfast. However, I also could see this drink topped off with a little rum for a perfect summer cocktail.

Whatever your delight, this is an easy way to use up the marvelous melons that are currently in season and available at the pazar.

Afiyet Olsun!

Serve the drink in a martini glass or another fun bar glass even if it's non-alcoholic. 

Kavun Limonata (Melon Limeade)
Yields: about 4 glasses

Ingredients:
1 lb. (455 g.) fresh honeydew, cut into small chunks
4 oz. (120 ml.) simple syrup (This is made from equal parts sugar and water brought to a boil until the sugar dissolves and left to cool. I always keep some in our refrigerator.)
4 oz. (120 ml.) freshly squeezed lime juice
TT fresh mint
As needed ice cubes

Garnish with fresh mint sprigs and lime wedges

1. Place honeydew, simple syrup, lime juice and mint plus a small handful of ice in a blender and puree until smooth. Alternatively, you can use a hand blender and achieve similar results.
2. Taste the drink. Adjust to your taste with more simple syrup if you want it sweeter or add more lime juice if you would like it a little more tart.
3. Sit outside in the sun, drink and enjoy!

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Marvelous Melon

Tis the season for fresh melon.

This morning, we walked into the kitchen and we smelled the sweet smell of ripe honeydew. We had purchased a large kavun for 4 TL yesterday at the pazar in Besiktas. I cut the melon in large pieces and we enjoyed it with breakfast wrapped around some Italian salami. Delicious!

Next, I'm thinking melon limonata? :)

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