One Week of Good Eats in Istanbul

No trip to Istanbul would be complete without eating Turkish food and lots of it.

Every day during my trip in July, I met friends for lunch and dinner. They treated me to all the Turkish foods that I miss such as kebabs, mezes galore, ahtapot, balkaymak, gözleme and künefe. I thought I would recap all the delicious foods that I ate into one long post for you. Maybe on your next trip to Istanbul you can visit some of the same restaurants in Istanbul that I did.

From the Old City to the Asian Side

My eating adventure in Istanbul started shortly after my friends, Nicole and Kartal, picked me up from the airport. I had visions of eating Turkish mezes and drinking raki so they took me to Giritli Restoran near Sultanahmet. They had me mesmerized by Giritli’s fixed-price menu that includes bottomless glasses of raki or local wine and mouth-watering mezes. I was overwhelmed by the unique mezes – typical of the Turks who once lived on the island of Crete – especially herb-covered olives with feta and the seaweed.

On Monday afternoon, we tried the infamous profiteroles at Inci Pastanesi’s new location on Mis Sokak. This old school pastry shop has been serving up cream puffs drowned in chocolate sauce for more than 70 years. I honestly don’t see what the fuss is about, but Inci was one of those things I had to try at least once.

On Tuesday morning, I specifically went to the Salı Pazarı (Tuesday Pazar) at 4Levent for the gözleme. This Turkish “quesadilla” with spinach and cheese filling is one of my favorites while my husband prefers the karışık (mixed) version.

After visiting the Museum of Innocence, my girlfriend and I grabbed an afternoon snack of fried mini sigara böreği at the laidback Şimdi Café located off Istiklal Caddesi. I smuggled some yufka back to Poland and plan to make my own sigara böreği at home someday.

For dinner, we went to Gelik in Etiler because it features a splendid meze selection (paid for by the weight) and delicious kebabs. Oddly, we were scolded by our server for not eating all our bread since it was iftar and we had apparently sinned against Allah. Oh well.

For a post-dinner cocktail and magnificent night view, Kartal took us to the fairly new Boaz Bar on the 34^th floor of the Le Meridien Hotel in Etiler. Not surprisingly, cocktails don’t come cheap at 30-35 tl each, but my company and the night views of a city that I love definitely made it worthwhile.

On Wednesday, I had my ridiculously good Turkish Breakfast by the Bosphorus washed down with copious glasses of çay at Kale Café. During the day, I spent time with my older girlfriends at a cute teahouse, Villa Park Çay Bahçesi, in Yeniköy, which is a wonderful place to watch the Bosphorus and gossip.

On Thursday, another girlfriend and I headed to the Grand Bazaar and stopped by my friends at Huzur Café (Yağlıkçılar Cad. In the Cebeci Han) for lunch. The patlıcan soslu and aclılı ezme were prepared just the way they should be, and my patlıcan kebab also was good.

I love these Ikat-pattered pillowcases and fabric that my friend purchased next door. 

On Friday night, Murat and his wife took me for another meze and balik dinner at Galatalı Balık in Suadiye on the Asian side. The three of us finished off a bottle of 70 cl of Yeni Raki. No wonder my head was a bit foggy in the morning, and I didn’t take any photos!

On Saturday morning, we entertained my friend’s two-and-a-half-year-old daughter by taking her to Tarihi Çınaraltı Aile Çay Bahçesi in Çenkelköy. This quaint, always packed teahouse allows you to bring your own food as long as you order çay and perhaps some menemen. Buy some Turkish börek from the corner store, eat and then feed the fish the leftover bread. After breakfast, we walked along the Bosphorus for awhile. I miss these gorgeous sea views!

After strolling past the Kuleli Military School, we decided to turn back. Murat said he would drive us all the way to Anadolu Kavağı because I had never been there. This tiny village, known for its fish restaurants and Byzantine-Genovese castle ruins, feels likes a world apart from the city. We found another seaside restaurant, ordered two rounds of the best midye tava (fried mussels) I’ve ever had in Turkey and watched the world go by.

Our Turkish waiters, in true fashion, entertained my friends’ daughter by letting her hold (strangle) fish while we relaxed.

"But daddy, I want to eat the fishy!" Sophie exclaimed. 

To cap off my one week in Istanbul, we ate some of the best kebab I had at a nondescript, sort of divey café in Bostancı called Adana Öz Asmaaltı Kebap, which received stellar reviews by Istanbul Eats. We ordered Adana kebab, ciğer (liver) and çöp şiş (tiny nuggets of roasted lamb). Even though we were stuffed, Murat surprised me by ordering my favorite Turkish dessert - künefe. Good friends and good food, that’s all a girl needs.

After eating like this for a week in Istanbul, you easily can see why I gained a kilo on this trip! But it was worth every calorie!

What are your must-eat Turkish foods in Turkey?

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Perhaps Poland’s Smallest Castle in Opinogóra

Day Trip from Warsaw

As we drove along the small country roads, we were surrounded by corn and wheat fields and familiar-looking threshing and harvesting equipment.

This could have been a scene from my homeland in Nebraska, but instead we were about 100 kilometers north of Warsaw in the middle of Poland. Yes, Dorothy, you’re not in Nebraska anymore.

After visiting the medieval Castle of the Dukes of Mazovia (Zamek Książąt Mazowieckich) in Ciechanów, we continued on our Polish adventure to find the “Little Castle in Opinogóra.”  Opinogóra, a tiny village of 630 residents, is located 8 km north of Ciechanów and doesn’t look like it’s seen many English-speaking tourists.

However, we easily found the neo-Gothic building we were looking for because of its tall and distinct weathervane. The “castle” originally was built between 1828-1843 for Zygmunt Krasiński (1812-1859), who is considered one of the three great Polish romantic poets. The building is called a castle because of its slender tower and brick walls which gives an appearance of a castle.

According to the information sheet we were given, Krasiński’s father, General Wincenty Krasiński, a commander of the Light Horse Guards of Emperor Napoleon, had the castle built because he wanted his son to return to Poland from political exile in Switzerland and get married. In 1811, Napoleon granted the Opinogóra estate together with the title of Count as a reward for the general’s loyalty. After the defeat of Napoleon, strangely enough, General Krasiński became a loyal subject of Tsar Alexander I, who acknowledged Krasiński’s title and the right to the estate.

Inside the castle, there is a small exhibit featuring memorabilia and paintings of the Krasiński family. Take note of the Turkish looking carpet as soon as you walk in.

The castle, which was destroyed during World War I, stayed in the Krasiński family until 1940 when the last Count died and later became a state farm in Soviet-occupied Poland. In the 1950s, rebuilding of the castle finally began thanks to the Society of Friends of the Ciechanowska Land project. The project was completed in 1961 and a newly reconstructed mansion behind the castle was opened as the Museum of Romanticism with exhibits featuring Polish Romanticism and the Napoleonic era. On the second Sunday of every month, the museum hosts a concert and poetry reading.

One of the museum's paintings featuring one the many battles against the Tatars.

A monument dedicated to Zygmunt Krasiński.

We would not have visited Opinogóra had we not already been in the area. We took a quick stroll through the grounds and visited the museum in less than 45 minutes. I thought the castle was pretty to look at from the outside and would be lovely for wedding photos.

My husband and I typically shrugged our shoulders and said, “Hey, it’s an adventure, right?” You never know what you will discover until you get out there. That’s part of the fun. We plan to see as much of Poland as we can while we are living here.

Stay tuned for more Polish adventures.

Location:

Opinogóra Castle and Museum of Romanticism (Muzeum Romantyzmu)

Zygmunta Krasińskiego 9

Opinogóra, Poland

Phone: +48 23 671 7025

Website: http://www.muzeumromantyzmu.pl/

Admission: 10 PLN

Hours: May-Sept. 10 a.m.-18:00; Oct.-April 8 a.m.-16:00

Click this link for more history about Opinogóra.

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Mini Muffins Made with Wild Polish Blueberries

It’s just too hot to cook.

This week is the hottest week yet we’ve experienced in Warsaw with near record highs of 33 and 35C (91-95 F). Living without AC like most Poles means sleeping is quite uncomfortable, so we’re hightailing it to a hotel for the next two nights. Yesterday, I even leisurely strolled the aisles in a grocery store for nearly an hour because it was the coolest place I could find.

But last week, when temperatures weren’t near as hot, I baked a batch of mini muffins with Polish wild blueberries for hubby to take to work for our Turkish friend’s final week in Poland.

Wild blueberries have been in season for nearly two months, and I cannot get enough of them! They are much smaller than cultivated varieties and have a distinct, almost winey, sweet flavor. I’ve eaten handfuls of the wild blueberries just by themselves as well in cereal, yogurt and in my Independence Day Berry Cobbler. I even made a batch of blueberry-ginger jam and blueberry cheesecake ice cream.

Sadly, the wild blueberries at Hala Mirowska seem to be disappearing, and normal-sized blueberries have replaced them. Luckily, I stashed away a kilo or two of the wild blueberries in the freezer so I can make another batch of these muffins when our Istanbul friends arrive next month.

These muffins are a combination of lemon-poppy seed and blueberry – a perfect pairing! Hope you enjoy them as much as our friend, Ozerk, did!

Smacznego! (Bon appétit in Polish)

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Mini Muffins with Wild Polish Blueberries

Yields: 48 mini muffins

Ingredients:

1 ¾      c.         all-purpose flour

½         c.         granulated sugar

2          tsp.      baking powder

¼         tsp.      salt

1          ea.        lemon zest, freshly grated

1          tsp.      poppy seeds

1          ea.        large egg, beaten

¾         c.         milk

¼         c.         sunflower or vegetable oil

1          c.         fresh or frozen wild blueberries

1.         Preheat your oven to 375F/190C. Also, line mini muffin pans with paper baking cups.

2.         In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, lemon zest and poppy seeds.

3.         Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients.

4.         In a second bowl, mix together the egg, milk and oil. Add this mixture into the well of the previous bowl. Using a rubber spatula, stir just until moistened. Batter will be slightly lumpy.

5.         Lastly, fold in the wild blueberries. If you are using frozen, I like to toss them with a little flour to help prevent them from sticking together.

6.         Using a spoon, fill the paper cups about 2/3s of the way full. Bake for about 10 minutes or until lightly golden on top. Optional: sprinkle a bit of raw sugar on top of the muffins before baking.

7.         Of course, you also can bake these muffins in standard-sized baking cups. Just increase the baking time by five minutes or bake the muffins until lightly golden on top. 

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Stopping for Şelalesi in Turkey

Manavgat - Although there are several waterfalls near Antalya, we only had time to stop at one.

Our first stop on our road trip included a visit to the waterfalls in Manavgat, Turkey. This coastal city has become a tourism magnet in recent years, given its close proximity to the ancient Greek-Roman ruins in Side.

Once you turn off the main road, just follow the brown signs that read Manavgat Şelalesi. As often is the case, you may wonder if you are heading in the right direction, but soon you will see the large otopark on the right-hand side of the road.

After you pay the minimal admission fee, you must walk pass many stores hawking Turkish souvenirs. We were only interested in taking a few photos and then continuing on our journey. However, if we had time, we easily could have relaxed at one of the restaurants or the çay bahçesi (tea gardens) that offer great views of the waterfall.

While the waterfalls are pretty, they are not impressive. The water flows over the rocks in several locations to create a small drop-off.

However, I would recommend stopping here if you are in the area to see Side or heading to Alanya.

We used our new tripod so we could get a photo of us together by the falls.

Location
Manavgat Şelalesi: about 2-3 km north of the city

Admission: 3 TL
Note: Several tourism companies offer canoe and white-water rafting trips on the Manavgat River.

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DIY Red Currant Polish Vodka

Two things that I have in abundance right now are summer berries and Polish vodka.

The stalls at Hala Mirowska (the local farmer’s market) in Warsaw are flooded with red, white and black currants, strawberries, blueberries, green gooseberries, raspberries and cherries. I haven’t been doing as much baking as I should, but I have frozen tons of blueberries and made one batch of wild blueberry-ginger jam.

And thanks to the Poles, vodka – really good vodka – is cheaper than peanuts. A 1 liter bottle of Zubrovka vodka costs about 30 zl ($10 USD).

Since we like our summer drinks, I’ve been playing around with fruit-infused vodkas. In June, when rhubarb was plentiful, I made a batch of rhubarb-thyme vodka and one of rhubarb-strawberry-vanilla vodka. Both vodkas were super refreshing when mixed with tonic water and a splash of lime juice. (I meant to post the recipes, but now rhubarb season sadly is over.)

This weekend, I decided to experiment with red currants. I found dozens and dozens of recipes out there for red currant vodka. Some recipes called for the addition of simple syrup and others required waiting a month for the infusion.

I created my own recipe of sorts after looking around at other recipes. Since the red currants are tart, I muddled them with granulated sugar to kickstart the infusion process.

Now, comes the most difficult part – waiting two weeks until we can sample my red currant vodka!

Next on the summer berry list is making homemade crème de cassis from this recipe.

Smacznego! (Bon appétit in Polish)

Red Currant Polish Vodka

500      ml.                               Zubrovka vodka (or your vodka of choice)

200      g.         (1 ¼ cups)       red currants, rinsed and picked off the stems

100      g.         (1/2 cup)          granulated sugar

1. In a 1-liter cleaned and sterilized jar, combine the sugar and red currants. Muddle or mash together a bit.

2. Top with vodka.

3. Close the lid tightly and keep vodka in a dark, cool place for at least 2 weeks or until the color has left the red currants. Take the jar out and shake it every few days. After two weeks, you can start tasting the vodka to see if it is to your liking.

4. When the taste is to your liking, strain the vodka through cheesecloth or paper towels into a clean jar or bottle. You may need to strain twice to remove the berry sediment. You also can run the strained vodka through a coffee filter to produce a clearer vodka.

5. Now, you are ready to make a new cocktail with your red currant vodka, or you can steal some inspiration from the Absolut Kurant recipes.

6. I like to store my fruit-infused vodka in the refrigerator.

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Varsovians Honor Warsaw Uprising 69th Anniversary

At 5 p.m. yesterday in Warsaw, thousands of Varsovians stopped what they were doing for one minute.

Traffic froze in the middle of the streets.

Sirens wailed throughout the city.

Almost 5 p.m. on August 1, 2013, at the Palace of Culture in Warsaw.
Here is my short video clip of the 5 p.m. memorial in Warsaw.

Yesterday marked the 69^th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising, which broke out at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 1, 1944. The day’s code name was “W-Hour” as in Wolność, which means freedom in Polish. Every year, Warsaw pays tribute to the Polish insurgents that fought in the battle against the Nazis. The insurgents had wanted to liberate the capital city from the Hitler’s occupation before the Soviet Army arrived.

National flags were hung on every street. Hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of red candles were lit in front of memorials and monuments, which mark the blood of the murdered residents of the city in 1944.

Memorial flowers and candles left at the Warsaw Uprising Monument at Plac Krasińskich.

The Warsaw Uprising was anticipated to last for a few days, but lasted over 2 months. In the end, more than 18,000 insurgents died and 25,000 were wounded while more than 150,000 civilians were killed. (Read more about the History of the Warsaw Uprising here.)

Yesterday, as I watched young and old Varsovians light candles around the city, my eyes started to water. I couldn’t help but tear up. I was witnessing an important and very moving moment in my new city. I imagine several of the elderly men and women I saw had lived through and managed to survive the Warsaw Uprising.

These are courageous men and women.

When the dust settled after the Uprising, more than 85 percent of the city had been destroyed by the Nazis. This poignant video, City of Ruins, shows what the city of Warsaw looked like in 1945.

The city was devastated.

You can still see parts of war-riddled Warsaw, such as the ruins of the Bank of Poland, built between 1907-1911 and bombed by Nazi planes in 1944. It was a Polish stronghold during the Uprising.

Hundreds of bullet holes riddle the walls of the ruins of the Bank of Poland in Warsaw. 

Yesterday, young and old honored those who lost their lives during the Uprising.

I was there.

The Little Insurgent Monument, located on Podwale Street by the old city walls, commemorates the scouts and the younger participants, the children, of the Warsaw Uprising. This monument was unveiled on Oct. 1, 1981 and made by resident Jerzy Jarnuszkiewicz. 

Residents of Warsaw near the Royal Castle plaza yesterday.

Even children participated in re-enactments of the Warsaw Uprising.

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Odd Things from Turkey I bring to Poland

I used to stuff my suitcases with all kinds of pork and foreign cheeses whenever we traveled and returned to Istanbul.

Remember this old post: OddThings from America I bring to Turkey?

Funny enough, I now live in the land of pork in Poland. I swear there are more kinds of pork products here than I have ever seen in life including bacon flavored potato chips!

Although I have ready access to all the pork I could ever want, there are many things I still miss from my life in Turkey. Two weeks ago, when I returned to Istanbul for a one-week visit, I came prepared with a long shopping list.

Here's an overview photo of all the things I brought back from Turkey to Poland.

On day one, I visited Bilge, my favorite spice girl at Ucuzcular in the MısırÇarşısı (Spice Bazaar). I bought almond flour, ground cinnamon and cumin, dried thyme, pomegranate lokum (Turkish delight), 10 vanilla beans, Turkish pistachios and nar ekşisi (sour pomegranate sauce). I still have many unopen Turkish spices from our recent move. Soon, I’ll make my own vanilla extract using Polish vodka. I’m sure I could find some of the other items here in Warsaw, but it wouldn’t be quite the same.

Photo of Bilge and me in her shop courtesy of Bilge. Thank you!

On my second day in Istanbul, I visited the 4Levent pazar and bought three inexpensive refills for my nazar incense diffuser. One stall sells the freshest scents such as lilyum (lily), beyaz yasemin (white jasmine) and deniz ferahlığı (sea breeze) from a company called Wickerist. Again, I easily could find incenses elsewhere, but I really like these.

At the Grand Bazaar, I only had a small list that included ceramic trivets and small serving bowls. Well, as you know I also splurged on a Kurdish-made kilim I mentioned on this post: WhyI still Love Istanbul & You Should Too. On my way out, I noticed one of my regular stall holders had started selling the cutest ikat-patterned slippers; and since I actually found a pair in my gigantic size, I had to buy them for only 60 tl.

Here are a couple other odd items from Turkey I brought to Poland:

• A box of Turkish çay – for those days when I don’t want to make a whole pot of tea for myself.
•  
• Handwoven Turkish hand towels from Jennifer’s Hamam – because I had to get colors to match my new bathrooms at our apartment.
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• 3 sheets of yufka – because I miss eating Turkish börek and want to make my own.
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• Biber salsacı – I love using this Turkish pepper paste to coat vegetables with and roast them as Ozlem of Ozlem’s Turkish Table taught me in our cooking classes together.
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• Üzüm Pekmezi – I used to use this grape molasses to make my own brown sugar for baking. However, üzüm pekmezi is often mixed with tahini and served as part of a traditional Turkish breakfast too. Please visit Kerry over at Earth Laughs in Flowers for her article about Üzüm Pekmezi.
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• Turkish olive oil soaps – I love this kind of soap! What more can I say!

And if I could pack my friends from Istanbul into my suitcase too I would.

Now, it’s your turn: What Turkish items do you bring back to your home country? Or what odd things do you pack in your suitcase to bring back home? 

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