I don’t know about the place you live in but nowadays we are experiencing an interesting summer time in İstanbul. You have to make sure that your sunglasses and umbrella are with you before you get out of the house and I assure you that both will be used alternately during the day.

Experiencing such a wet and relatively cool summer is something new for us who live in here and makes me question the existence of a lot spoken and over used global warming issue. I really doubt whether this part of the globe is warming or getting cooler contrarily.

Thanks lord the capricious weather did not affect the abundance of summer fruits in the market. Everywhere is full of fresh strawberries with breathtaking fragrances and many other members of berry family. By the moment I came across these beauties at the neighborhood market, I decided to prepare one of my favorite summer desserts without any hesitation. I was planning to share some details of the food scenery in Paris but this could wait for a week unlike these fresh strawberries which should immediately turn into a delectable memory on my palate.

Strawberries can stay fresh only for a few days in the refrigerator with the condition that they kept in the paper bag they were put at first. They should not be washed and their caps should not be removed till you serve them. Otherwise your beautiful red strawberries would absorb excess water leaving them with a fading flavor and a degrading texture.

Berry Family

Strange but true, strawberries are a member of rose family. Could that be the reason of romance attached to them? I do not know why but one of my friends in the office once told me that she would be deeply affected from a guy who sent her fresh and zestful strawberries rather than a box of expensive chocolate. Probably she would also love to see a note attached to strawberries “will you berry me?”

It will be unfair to look at this delicious fruit only from a romantic point of view. Though this is not widely known, a serving of 7-8 strawberries contains more vitamin C compared with a mid-sized orange. Besides strawberry is a rich source of potassium, fibre, antioxidants, and heart disease-fighting flavonoids. So here another myth, “Anything too delicious is detrimental for your health” is buried under solid facts.

As for my recipe, I can assure you that it will bring you to ecstasy with the first spoon you take. Slivered crunchy almonds on top create perfect contrast with smooth and soft texture of mascarpone cream. Raspberry purée is just so right to balance the overall sweetness of dessert and to elevate the taste of strawberries.

In short, this is a perfect summer dessert for a perfect summer night. Even if your summer is a bit rainy like mine, you can still be sure that a glass of this beauty will dissipate the clouds in your head.

Ingredients (makes 6 servings)

• 400 g (14,1 oz) mascarpone cheese
• 200ml (6,75 fl.oz) heavy cream, chilled at least 12 hours
• ½ cup confectioner’s sugar
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups strawberry, hulled and halved
• 1 cup raspberry purée (nothing added, plain raspberries just puréed in a food processor)
• ½ cup cranberry
• ⅔ cup slivered almond

Instructions

Chocolate Monster Cake

Last time I told you that I was going to tell about my vacation so here comes the first part. This will also help you figure out why the far-famed performer (calling her as just a singer will be unfair) Lady Gaga is placed at the right side of this incredibly delicious piece of Chocolate Monster Cake I call.

Going to Antwerp for Lady Gaga Concert

A couple of months ago, I miraculously managed to get two tickets to Lady Gaga’s “The Monster Ball Tour” which is said to be a phenomenal performance to be seen. Initially I aimed to buy tickets for the Paris stop but there was not even one ticket left both for two nights. The situation in Rome was the same but I was determined to buy the tickets even I need to check each and every country on the list. Finally I found two of the last tickets left (what’s more, each seat in a different row!) for the show in Antwerp.

Antwerp Shops

We flew to Paris first and from there headed for Antwerp with the car we rent just to make a change (what a brilliant idea!). Let me tell you one crucial thing at that point; do not make a change, never ever consider renting a car in Paris. I am serious. Even though I live in Istanbul which is also well known for its traffic jams, it rarely takes two hours to get in the nearest highway exit on a week day. I really do not want to remember this part of the trip, be hundred percent sure that train is the best choice.

Antwerp seems like an empty city!

To me, Antwerp seems like a deserted city; there are few people on the streets, in the restaurants, or anywhere you may think. I was asking myself “How come on earth, they will find enough people to fill the concert area for two consecutive nights?”. Then I made such a strange assumption that all of the city dwellers were resting at their homes to save their energy to dance with Lady Gaga that night.

Main Square in Antwerp

The common side of Belgian cities is that one day is well enough to discover the city and to see the basics. Unfortunately food is not varied compared to other sides of Belgium, waffle and mussels are again the most well known examples of local cuisine in Antwerp. I will give you an outstanding mussel recipe by the time I find fresh and quality mussels in the fish market to retest it. As for the waffle, you may check this post to find all about its history and a delectable recipe as a bonus.

No one's around but fashion is all around!

The city has more to offer when it comes to design and fashion industry. There are many local brands, hip stores and well known fashion labels like Dries Van Noten originated in here. It is a better idea to cruise around the central area and discover these nice stores. Diamond exchange market might be another attraction if you are inherited some diamonds from your beloved aunt.

Dille & Kamille Shop in Antwerp

As for me, my favourite was the Dille&Kamille store with all its culinary supplies, simple but chic tableware, cutlery, home and garden accessories etc. It is one of the stores that provide you a peaceful atmosphere to spend hours in it and makes you want to buy each and every item you see for your house.

In front of Dille & Kamille Store

As the sun sets down, we put our tickets in our pockets and headed for our appointment with Lady Gaga that night. I was planning to take beautiful photos from the concert but unfortunately security people took my camera, on the grounds that it was too professional. So sad but not enough, second shock was on the way; our hardly found separate seats had the worst possible viewing angle (this explains why I was able to find them in the first place). We moved to a better place accepting the fact that we would be standing all night on top of our exhausted feet.

Chocolate Monster versus Fame Monster

No matter how hard were the conditions, Lady Gaga’s show was amazing. Let alone her fantastic performance as a singer, scene settings, choreography, costumes and theatrical details were awesome. It looks like the music world found its next revolutionary. Lady Gaga was already named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people of the year. If you have a chance to visit any of the countries included in her tour schedule, rush to buy your tickets (if not sold out already!).

Antwerp Street Painting

It was one of the best live performances I have ever seen up to now. Her recent song “Monster” inspired me to call this cake as Chocolate Monster due to its 250 gram dark chocolate content. It is a bit fancy, not fancier than a Gaga dress though, with its waved style chocolate coating on top and raspberry-chocolate cream filling inside. Once you prepare it, call your friends to share before you taste. Otherwise it is highly possible that you will turn into a selfish monster after the first piece and will keep it all for yourself. Eat responsibly!

Note:I never use photographs taken by other parties on this blog. However due to restrictions my camera was taken before the concert. That’s why I used Lady Gaga photos from her official website.

Chocolate Monster Cake

Ingredients (makes 8-10 servings)

For the cake

• 6 eggs
• 125 g (4,5 oz) plain flour
• 175 g (6 oz) sugar
• 85 g (3 oz) melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 50 g (1,75 oz) cocoa powder (a high quality one like Varlhona is preferred)

For the filling

• 450 g (15,8 oz) raspberries (washed and drained)
• 120 ml (4 fl.oz) heavy cream
• 150 g (5,3 oz) quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
• 2 tablespoon Kirsch (optional)

For the coating

• 100 g (3,5 oz) quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
• 40 g (1,4 oz) butter

Making of Chocolate Monster Cake

Instructions

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

It has been some time, I could not find the time and energy to write anything here mostly due to my daily (and nowadays nightly for the sake of a new project) job sucking my energy like an odd looking vampire coming out of horrible Twilight series without any romance attached to it (no offense, if this is the movie of your life). I had to recharge my batteries within a short break so that I could come up with brand new delicious stories for your pleasure and your taste buds (I really care about you, don’t I). Some of you may wonder what I have done during this break; soon I will tell you the delicious details of it, especially about my trip to the capital of culinary. But before that, I wanted to talk about a surprising coincidence happened recently.

Rhubarb

Personally I find it very interesting the sweet-sorrow taste of rhubarb but I have never came across with rhubarb in Istanbul since it is not known and consumed at all here. I was always looking for this strange looking fruit (I doubt whether it is a fruit or vegetable but anyhow) in different market places but even farmers were not familiar with it. So I lost all my hopes on pairing up the strawberry-rhubarb couple in my kitchen.

I was out of the office in the afternoon and suddenly realized a man behind a portable stall across the street which is not common since it is the busiest street in Istanbul. Guess what? His stall was full of rhubarb stalks made my eyes popped, I said “I must have been dreaming or he must be selling some magically grown gigantic asparagus” but no, they were all real, fresh rhubarbs lying in front of me. I rushed to buy my stalks and could not be happier that day with my bag full of them. The seller guy could not understand my overreaction and even surprised that I was familiar with the plant since It is only known in some eastern areas. There, mothers dip this fresh stalk in sugar and give it to their kids like a pacifier which is a good idea considering the rich amount of water it contains.

Rhubarb is an interesting plant with toxic leaves and conversely a stalk that is used for medical purposes (especially in traditional Chinese medicine). Its color changes from leafy green to rose-red. Generally it has a quite sorrow taste so most of the cases it is cooked with sugar or some other sweet fruits. Rhubarb is also known as “pie plant” since it is widely used in pies, tarts and crumbles. If not produced in a greenhouse, rhubarb is available for a short period of time before summer. In some areas rhubarb is accepted as the forerunner of spring. Stalks are ready to be consumed as soon as they are harvested and they should be firm and crunchy when they are fresh.

No need to mention that I run into the kitchen to prepare a strawberry-rhubarb crumble like the one I ate long before. This was a meant-to-be-together couple and I felt really lucky to bring them together for such a sweet purpose. I realized one more time that life is full of surprises each and every day. Sometimes we find the most unexpected things right by our side and our eyes should be wide open not to miss them when we are close.

Ingredients (makes 8 servings)
For the topping

• 100 g (3,5 oz) melted butter
• 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
• 90 g (3,2 oz) brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

For the filling

• 4 cups strawberries (hulled and quartered)
• 1 ½ cups trimmed rhubarb, sliced into ¾ inch pieces
• 60 g (2 oz) sugar
• 3 tablespoon cornstarch
• Juice of one lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)

Instructions

Have you ever find yourself in a situation which you have plenty of something but do not know what to do with it? I am not talking about work to be done or your overflowing “to do” list but a more tangible or let me say “edible” stuff. I felt this way some weeks before when my sister came up with a whole big honey comb sent by one of her grateful patients who was a beekeeper. Comb was full of insanely delicious wildflower honey derived from the nectar of many types of flowers with intense flavor. It was the purest honey I have ever tasted up to now and good part is that I had lots of it.

You can distinguish a high quality honey by its consistency and taste. A good quality honey should have less water content making it denser. Most common test is to pour a small amount of honey into a glass of water and observe what happens. If it dissolves easily in water than your honey is most probably diluted but if it settles at the bottom and form a lump it has a higher chance to be pure. A genuine honey has a more distinct taste compared to the ones blended with corn syrup or other artificial sweeteners. As for the color; there are three categories: light, amber and dark. The darker it gets the more mineral content it has; however color is not a direct indicator of quality. Some producers add molasses to make honey look darker but anyone with a fair gustatory sense might easily tell the difference.

Sitting in front of a big chunk of wildflower honey, I started to think about recipes that might be done with it and suddenly the taste of a toothsome dessert revived on my palate, fritters in honey syrup.

This is a traditional recipe from Aegean side of Turkey; however you’ll come across with its variations in Greece and Middle East too. It is a doughnut like dessert called “Lokma” in Turkish which means “bite”. In Greece they call it as Lokmades. Even though the batter looks like simple yeast dough, ending up with the right consistency to form a sphere like shape in the frying pan is quite difficult. I prepared the same batter with different amount of ingredients six times and one thing was common among all, they all failed! I was about to give up and carry on with some other dessert but I couldn’t help giving one last chance. Voilà! Being stubborn like a goat finally rewarded at my seventh attempt; incredibly delicious fritters with crispy outer shells and soft inner parts as they were supposed to be.

If you do not have the right recipe in hand (my version turned out to be a good one after all my research and development efforts) most probably you will end up with a puffy and soft fritters soaked in frying oil but do not worry I won’t let you fail.

First of all, you should be very careful about not overmixing the batter. If you overmix, gluten will develop in the batter and you will end up with bread like fibred texture and a soft outer shell, with almost no crispness. Another important point is to make your syrup ready and to cool it down to room temperature before you start frying.

For the syrup I used honey and sugar combination and also add cardamom seeds, a few cloves and another must have: cinnamon stick, to end up with an enriched flavor. Normally syrup should be plain but I am so happy with the result that I can honestly claim that this is an improved version of a traditional dessert. So get ready to spice up!

Ingredients (makes 8 servings)
For the batter

• 200ml (6.76 fl. oz) warm water
• 280g (9.87 oz) all purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons liquid vegetable oil + 2cups for frying
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon instant dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon confectioners’ sugar
• A pinch of salt

For the syrup

• 1 ⅓ cup water
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup good quality honey
• Zest of one lemon
• 10 cardamom seeds
• 2 cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks

Instructions

Click here for a full screen slideshow of this post’s pictures

Recently I read a lot of posts welcoming the long awaited spring in other countries and started to feel blue for the gloomy and mostly cloudy weather surrounding the Istanbul sky. Regardless of where we live, we all had a difficult winter passed with financial recessions, personal depressions, work environment pressures, relationship complications, you name it. All we need is to feel the sunshine on our tired shoulders carrying more than we could handle nowadays.

Eventually, last weekend we enjoyed a pleasant weather outside with the sun up on the sky, “what a joy!” I said to myself. At the end grumpy, old winter with white-grey hair packed all its stuff -cold weather, early darkening days, faded colors- and walked out the door, leaving the place for the new tenant, a teenager with a colorful outfit.

While this replacement was taking place, we discovered a beautiful arboretum in a few miles away from our place and to my surprise Japanese community living in Turkey was preparing to celebrate the cherry blossom festival there.

Cherry blossom –originally called Sakura in Japanese- is the representative of spring besides being a symbol of good fortune and affection. They have been prominent in Japanese art, anime, film, music, painting, poem and all sorts of goods ranging from kimono to dinnerware.

Cherry blossoms also symbolize the transience of life because of their extreme beauty and quick death. Falling blossoms are considered to be metaphors for fallen warriors who died bravely in a battle.

Considering all these references, it is easy to understand the importance of “Hanami” –Cherry blossom viewing- festival in Japanese culture.

It has been a custom since the 7th century when the aristocrats enjoyed the view of beautiful Sakura and wrote poems. In the early spring time Japanese people gather with their family and friends under cherry trees to relax and to enjoy home cooked foods. That’s why I love Japanese culture which accentuates living in a perfect harmony with nature.

After a long stroll in the park and doing some “Hanami” to feed our souls, I was at home brimmed with the joy of spring. A tasty soup with fresh green vegetables would carry the fresh spring air on our table, so I decided to prepare a green soup inspired from a Gordon Ramsay recipe.

The original recipe was a simple yet delicious broccoli soup. My green things soup was enriched with green soy beans, fresh green peas and onion to add more flavors. Also serving with goat cheese and walnut made its way to the top of my favorite soup chart.

Just look outside your window today and if there is sun up on the sky, take a long walk to discover the awakening nature. Viewing trees and various flowers will ease your senses in a way you may never expect, however writing a poem is still optional if you do not have the talent! On the way back home don’t forget to stop by the greengrocer’s for ingredients of the green things soup recipe. Have a nice spring!

Ingredients (makes 6 servings)

• 300g (12.4 oz) broccoli
• 100g (3.4 oz) fresh green peas
• 100g (3.4 oz) green soy beans
• 1 midsized onion (roughly chopped)
• Sliced goat cheese (depending on the number of servings)
• Extra virgin olive oil (to drizzle)
• Walnuts
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Sea salt

Instructions

When I came across the anchovies at our fishmonger’s in the neighborhood last week I remember the day when I first saw this small fish on our kitchen counter. Being so naïve as a little boy I thought that these small fishes were just for the kids not for grownups. Even though sharing them with other family members made me a little blue because of this assumption, I can still recall the salty sea flavor and crispy texture I liked at that time.

Anchovy (known as Hamsi in Turkey) is also popular among other predator fishes and marine mammals as well as humans. In other words everybody loves anchovy, in a wild way though. These little shiny sea dwellers can be found mostly in North America, Mediterranean and Europe. They prefer mild waters and do not like very cold or very warm like my retired father who always complains about the weather conditions. In northern coasts of Turkey, anchovies are so abundant that they are the basic ingredient for most of the local recipes. Besides fried, stewed or brined versions, there is also anchovy soup, anchovy rice, anchovy filled pastry and -I am not sure whether it is an urban legend or not- but even an anchovy dessert.

Even though for many people anchovy is just an ingredient for pizza topping, anchovy paste is widely used in many other recipes like a secret element. Remoulade and Worcestershire Sauce are two examples for such a confidential affair. Although it is difficult to recognize by our taste buds, a very small amount elevates the overall taste with a delightful effect.

Generally anchovies can be found in cans and salt-preserved forms. You can also find them as a paste, but due to applied curing process, they have a stronger taste. Among all available forms, I believe fresh, unprocessed anchovy is at its best. However, due to its high perishability, it is not easy to find. I feel so lucky since fresh anchovy is easy to find in Istanbul till the end of March!

If you do find fresh anchovies in your neighborhood, you have to make sure that they are really fresh. It is easy to understand by your nose; anchovies begin to smell slightly different even at the very early stage of going bad. No need to mention that they should have bright eyes, too.

Right after the fisherman handed over my fresh and cleaned little anchovy fillets, I grew impatient to prepare tasty fishballs out of them. This is a well known local recipe from the Black Sea cuisine that I discovered thanks to my beloved mother in law. While adapting the recipe I wanted to add a bit of tarragon with a sweet, anise like bouquet to balance the strong flavor of scallion. Another suggestion of mine is to serve them along with lime slices and squeeze them on fishballs while you eat. Result was so fascinating that I ended up devouring all the fishballs in the picture before I finish the photo shoot for different angles I planned. Do I regret for that? Absolutely not!

Ingredients (makes 6-8 servings)

• 600g ( 1 ½ pounds) anchovy fillets
• 100g (3.53 oz) corn flour
• 1 large egg
• 160g (5.64 oz) scallion, chopped
• 160g (5.64 oz) parsley, chopped
• 20g (0.7 oz) fresh tarragon
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Sea salt
• Vegetable oil (for frying)

Instructions

Do you have a sweet tooth and looking for something sweet right after you finish your meal? Welcome to the club then. This is a strange situation making you search for a few candies or gulp down a full spoon of jam if you do not have a chocolate emergency kit for such cases. Even if you are full up, this craving monster finds its way out and cannot calm down until you find yourself scarfing down some sugary bites with a few hundred extra calories.

Various researches have been conducted to understand this human behavior up to now and ended up with a well known underlying reason: brain chemicals. What I mean by brain chemicals is the hormone called serotonin which affects our mood and making us feel happy and content. The lack of this hormone causes more sugar intake so as to compensate and to feel better. Another interesting finding is that our well known stress hormone, adrenalin, makes us crave for sweets. It takes sugar out of liver and releases it into our blood to make us ready for the fight; literally adrenalin arranges our body for such physical activities. That’s why we feel stronger when we are angry.

The funny thing is that most of the time there is no fight; modern life is all about mental stress rather than the physical one which means chances are so little to take out the hidden Mike Tyson within you. However our hormones do not know the difference. Dealing with your aggressive boss or fighting on a box ring triggers the same mechanism. Only difference is that the former case does not help you spend any calories, you got stressed while sitting at your desk and right after stress is gone your body starts craving for sugar to replace the amount stolen from your liver. The essence of story is that feel comfortable to blame your boss for your everyday growing belly. What a relief!

I was about to follow a simple yet delicious Turkish recipe, pumpkin dessert (if you are a regular follower you may also remember that I promised to share this in my spicy pumpkin soup post). As soon as the pumpkins were cooked, a sort of sweet craving captured me and I found myself tempted with the idea of a butterscotch sauce. Aside from the sauce it is a well-known recipe from Turkish cuisine, traditionally garnished with walnuts. Some also like to add a dollop of skimming or heavy cream on top to turn this humble fruit dessert into a feast.

As for my recipe, I changed the way it is served and fixed pumpkin cubes on a skewer to make it easier to dip in the infatuating butterscotch-rum sauce I prepared. Believe me this sauce is divine; I couldn’t help spooning the sauce before taking these photos. I was afraid to lose my self-control and to gobble up half of it while standing in front of the stove. Probably this would be my last craving before I went into a sugar coma. So it is highly recommended to eat responsibly, I am serious.

Once you make the butterscotch-rum sauce ready, indulge with the pumpkin dessert and walnuts. Do not forget to put the blame on your boss right after getting your treat, nevertheless it’s all related with office stress, nothing to do with your appetite! I know, I know…

Ingredients (makes 8-10 servings)
For pumpkin dessert

• 800g (28 oz) cubed pumpkin (hard outer parts should be taken out by a knife at first and pumpkin cubes should be with similar sizes)
• 150g (5.25 oz) sugar
• 2 cloves (optional)

For butterscotch-rum sauce

• ½ cup brown sugar
• 100ml heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons sugar beet /cane syrup
• 4 teaspoons light rum
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions
For pumpkin dessert

For butterscotch-rum sauce

Fix pumpkin cubes on skewers and serve with a small bowl of butterscotch sauce and a few walnuts on the plate.

Another close friend of mine is now thousands miles away to start a new life, probably suffering from jetlag with a little bit of alienation thanks to experiencing big changes in just a few weeks time. Getting married, leaving your job, moving overseas are some examples of a “big change” for most of the people and my poor friend is exposed all of these simultaneously. At some point we all want to get out of our lives and to start leading another life in another place (preferably in a less complex way than the one featured in LOST) but when this turns out to be true, we suddenly realize that it is not easy as it seems. However, I am pretty sure that my friend has what it takes to adapt to all these changes soon.

For my side, as if staying apart from a close friend was not enough, I also lost my hardly found lunch accompany to enjoy oven baked sea bass and arugula salad in a meatball lover community I was surrounded. I guess two of us could eat this combination tirelessly during the whole week. Now all waiters in the place know the order by heart; two oven baked sea basses and two arugula salad, one with no sauce and no olive oil. This menu reminds me of lots of laughs, funny moments, office rumors and sometimes our consolidated angers against something we won’t remember the other day.

I do not know whether it was due to joy of having such a cozy intermission or due to pomegranate sauce they use in the kitchen, this salad has always made my day. Pomegranate sauce is simply a combination of concentrated pomegranate juice and glucose syrup but it tastes so good on any fresh green leaf that it turns out to be a perfect substitute for other salad sauces or vinaigrettes.

In the last few years, pomegranate became so popular in Turkish food scene like Louis Vuitton handbags on everyone’s shoulder around. It is almost impossible to imagine a generous breakfast table without freshly squeezed pomegranate juice or any upscale bar that does not offer special shots or cocktails featuring pomegranate. Last time I was almost getting choked due to pomegranate arils they put in my cocktail. Aside from being a lethal weapon in my case, this ancient fruit is like a healing pill for lots of health problems. It has been widely used in ancient Ayurveda system of medicine to cure many illnesses. With its high antioxidant content it helps treating dysentery, balancing blood pressure, reducing heart disease risk, inhibiting viral infections and so on. Even there are some researches indicating that pomegranate extract diminishes the number of prostate and breast cancer cells in a test tube. Pomegranate also appears in Egyptian mythology and art since they used to take advantage of its thirst-quenching juice in the desert. In short, it is something good to consume.

You may enjoy this extra healthy salad with breadsticks in the previous post if you would like to have a light meal today. As for me, it means more than that. Anytime I prepare this salad, I will recall our friendly chats around that table putting an instant smile on my face.

Ingredients (makes 2 servings)

• 2 handfuls of washed, drained and roughly chopped arugula leaves
• 100 g (3.5 oz.) feta cheese, cubed
• 2 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ½ tablespoons pomegranate sauce (you may use Grenadine as a replacement but I recommend adding some lemon juice according to your taste, otherwise it might be too sweet)
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate arils
• 8-10 cherry tomatoes, sliced
• A pinch of sea salt

Instructions

Recently I lost my appetite a little bit (this is not something usual if I am not sick) and I don’t know why. Working for long hours and sleeping less might be the reason I guess. During the day I feel like I do not have time to think for a while, instead I have to get one thing done and continue with the next issue on the line. If your work day is something similar to mine you will figure out what I say. Each and everything is so “urgent” undermining the meaning of the word “urgent” (I hate this word and want to remove it from the dictionary? Let me call it the “U” word from now on).

I was looking for some sort of savoury snack to nibble at the office when I do not want or do not have time to eat a proper meal. These breadsticks are exactly what I was looking for. Delicious, healthy and relieving your tension with each noisy bite you take.

Original recipe is from a must have book for a bread making enthusiast, “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice” by Peter Reinhart, where he says breadsticks can be made from almost any bread dough. They can be long or short, crispy or soft, the way you like. It is possible to bake soft ones from different dough like English muffin, French or Italian bread dough, while crispy ones require bagel or lavash dough type.

Baking them at low temperature for long time makes them dry and crispy while high temperature and short baking time (until they gain golden color) yields a softer one. Since I love the crispy stuff, my preference was using a lavash dough made out of whole wheat flour and sprinkling some sea salt and herb mixture on top. You can use different herb combinations though I made lemon thyme, paprika, poppy seed and sesame-fennel flower seed with grated parmigiano variations and both came out flavorful.

Right after your breadsticks are baked and cooled down, you are equipped for a difficult day in the office, at least in terms of food supplies. Rather than craving some junk food you may consume these toothsome crisps. Besides do not underestimate their stress relieving feature, try concentrating on the person who told you the “U” word and bite the breadstick harshly, now you feel better. Don’t you?

Ingredients (makes 30-50 pieces depending on the size of each stripe)
Adapted from “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice” by Peter Reinhart

• 1 ½ cups (6.75 oz.) whole wheat flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon instant yeast
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ cup water (at room temperature)
• 1 egg yolk (at room temperature)
• Grated parmigiano
• Ground herbs of your choice
• Sea salt

Instructions

Have you ever participated in a race even if you know that you won’t be the winner? For me, the answer is definitely “Yes!” and I should admit not just for once. Good part is that it provides the opportunity to maximize the fun you will get out of it without pushing yourself too hard. Considering the norms of modern life dictating us to compete with others, to win over, to become invincible with all similar “Impossible is nothing!” like mottos flying all over, sometimes it is relaxing to have “Enjoying is everything” attitude.

Such sort of thoughts was wandering in my mind when we set off for our trip at dawn to join the Anatolian ski marathon a week before. I knew that I was not about to complete almost 40km racetrack but with snow covered hills and magnificent trees spread all over the place, I was was going to have a good time, fur sure. Did I mention the ultrahigh oxygen level? Believe it or not even inhaling this fresh air is worth waking up at 05:00 am.

We had to carry all our equipment: our very tall and narrow cross country skis, boots, poles, garments and no need to say lots of energizing food stuff to recharge our bodies during a cold day in the mountain full of physical activities. If you could see us, you would probably think that we decided to move in to a cave at the mountain top and to live there for the rest of our lives. Particularly food was the leading item we exaggerated a bit too much. I cannot give you a proper list but from little savoury snacks to mini muffins, sponge cake to orange cookies, dried fruits to bananas, we had almost everything as if we were running away from a hurricane and there was no coming back home!

The snow flake shaped sponge cake was the big hit of the day with its soft texture and delightful apple filling inside. It is not difficult to bake but takes some time to decorate the top, if you want it to be a little fancy like I do.

Sponge cake itself is based on a classical English recipe, however, there is no rule for inner filling. I wanted to use cooked apples and cinnamon but you might use other ingredients: raspberries and heavy cream, chocolate ganache and banana, apricot purée or your favourite jam, you name it.

There is no trick in baking this cake, so as long as you follow the below mentioned steps you won’t fail. Few things you should pay attention are:

• make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature, and
• do not over mix while folding the dry ingredients into egg mixture. (This is all about chemistry of baking which I will tell you in another post.)

Now, I know that you wonder what happened at the end, so here comes the results: I can honestly tell you that I managed to ski around 8,5 km. That was far better than last year, taking into account the very steep hill I managed to climb twice on my skis instead of other entrants sliding back towards me. A scary moment!

As a result, I was not able to complete the marathon but still felt like a winner. After all it was the day of taking easy, the day of no rush and no push. I remembered once more that life has lots of good things to offer for ones who can slow down for a while and enjoy the moment by getting rid of their ambitions. So, sometimes losing the game might be pleasant like a piece of cake. Just enjoy!

Ingredients (makes 6 servings)

For sponge cake
Following combination ends up with a batter to fill almost ¾ of a silicon mold which has a total volume of 800ml, you may increase the ingredients by keeping the ratios if you are using a larger mold)

• 120 g (4.2 oz) unsalted butter (cubed)
• 120 g (4.2 oz) sugar
• 120 g (4.2 oz) all purpose flour
• 2 large eggs (lightly beaten)
• 1 1/3 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• A pinch of salt

For Apple Filling

• 2 mid-sized green apples (grated)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

For Icing (optional)

• 25 g (0.87 oz) labne cheese
• 10 g (0.35 oz) confectioner’s sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Instructions

For sponge cake

For Apple Filling

For Icing (optional)

For the whole cake

This winter I gave a promise to myself about not getting sick more than three times and up to know I got only once, which is an outstanding performance considering the unsteady weather conditions. I know that it might sound a bit nonsense but running outside instead of cold weather makes you more durable against chill. Besides, I consume much more vitamin C compared to previous years thanks to various members of citrus family, like clementine, orange, tangerine and the cutest of all, kumquat. They grant us the positivity we need during winter times with their bright colors as well as their unique tastes.

Kumquat is my personal favorite due to its unusually sweet rind, tangy- juicy inner parts and most of all its ease of consumption. You may eat kumquat as a whole, without peeling its rind which makes it as convenient as eating a pack of nuts. These cute miniature oranges are having time of their lives. You may come across them in a salad, in the jam on your breakfast toast, at the bottom of your favorite martini (sorry for green olives) and sometimes in the candied form on an irresistibly delicious chocolate cake.

Like polar bears, kumquats also go through hibernation (winter sleep) period without growing any blossoms for several weeks and this property renders this plant as the most durable member of citrus family against extremely cold weather conditions. Even though Chinese people know this resilient fruit since 12^th century, its introduction to Europe and North America was not before late 1800s. It’s a little late, but better than not having any I guess.

I was nibbling my fifth kumquat by the time I came across the “improved lemon curd” recipe of David (none other than David Lebovitz for sure). Strikingly I imagined myself spooning a tasty kumquat parfait made with such a homemade curd and said “Why not?”. In a while I was going to understand why.

Improved lemon curd recipe requires a considerable amount of juice which means to replace Meyer lemons in the original recipe; I need to squeeze around 60 kumquats that I do not have. However this could not put an end to my parfait dream. I decided to use grated kumquat rinds to get their full flavor and replace Meyer lemon juice with a combination of tangerine and lime juices. It would be a toothsome citrus curd with different representatives from the citrus family and consequently this homemade goodie would play the leading role in my long dreamed movie, “Citrus Parfait”.

After going through all the steps I summarized below, parfait was set and ready to be served. We all enjoyed this concentrate winter flavor with some blueberries served beside and brimmed with energy to combat the cold outside, like a tiny kumquat tree.

Ingredients (makes 8-12 servings depending on the size of molds used)

For citrus curd-makes around 1 cup- (adapted from David Lebovitz’s Improved Meyer Curd Recipe)

• 100 ml (3.3 fl. oz) tangerine juice
• 25 ml (0.83 fl. oz) lime juice
• 60 g (2.1 oz) sugar
• 75 g (2.63 oz) unsalted butter (cubed)
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 eggs
• A pinch of salt

For Citrus Parfait

• 1 cup of citrus curd prepared before and cooled.
• 200 ml (6.6 fl. oz) chilled heavy cream
• Rind of 3 kumquats (finely grated)
• 1 ½ teaspoon lemon extract
• Lemon zest

Instructions

For citrus curd-makes around 1 cup- (adapted from David Lebovitz’s Improved Meyer Curd Recipe)

For Citrus Parfait

As most of the good things tend to end unexpectedly, mild and spring like weather in Istanbul ran away from the city all of a sudden and left a freezing cold and lots of snow in its place. Just a week before we were enjoying long strolls along the coastline and in the twinkle of an eye we found ourselves hardly going out of homes even for a grocery shopping in the neighbourhood. Such desperate times require desperate measures, such as buying new DVD’s, taking your blanket out of the closet, refilling your corn kernel reserves to make fresh popcorn, and for sure having a bowl of hot soup that will warm you from inside.

I like eating almost all kind of soup as a starter, however when I feel really cold I eat the first bowl as a starter whereas the second bowl makes my main dish. A hot and tasty soup embraces various feelings like tenderness of your mom when you are sick or the nearness of a companion in a cold winter day making you feel warm.

All these in my mind, I wanted to make a soup to enjoy while watching the snow covering all over the place as if everything on the street like cars, trees, and apartments were dusted with confectioner’s sugar. No one on earth could take me out of my house for shopping so I need to make the soup of the day with the ingredients in hand. Considering the situation, I was ready to go experimental and to try something like a red Mexican bean soup with fresh herbs and chili powder. Then I realized the bowl on the refrigerator’s rack full of pumpkin slices waiting for my better half to make a traditional pumpkin dessert out of them which feature another post in the coming weeks by the way.

Pumpkin is also one of these “all purpose” stuff from which you can make savory foods, desserts, tart fillings, garnishes and so on. Even the seed of this great colored Halloween icon, also known as pepita, is a popular snack. Interesting thing is that unlike most of the other snacks, pumpkin seeds are full of fatty acids that are beneficial to maintain healthy blood vessels and nerves. So, do not feel guilty if you cannot stop yourself cracking a handful of these seeds while watching your favorite TV show.

This heart-warming and healthy soup I prepared became one of my mellow recipes for this winter. Its enriched flavor with a touch of roasted mustard and coriander seeds along with grated nutmeg will make your day in a snowy winter afternoon. Taking the widespread winter laziness into account, using a large bowl to decrease the number of refill trips to the kitchen is highly recommended. Enjoy!

Ingredients (makes 8 servings)

• 650 g (22.9 oz) chopped pumpkin (very hard outer parts should be taken out by a knife at first, watch your fingers while doing that)
• 160 g (5.6 oz) onion, finely diced
• 100g (3.5 oz) carrot, chopped
• 150g (5.3 oz) potato, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup milk
• 4 ½ cups water
• 1 teaspoon mustard seed
• 1 teaspoon coriander seed
• ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Sea salt

Instructions

If you can clearly recall the cartoon “Popeye the Sailor” and the comic adventures aimed to please his shrill sweetheart Olive, probably your parents took advantage of it to make you eat spinach during your childhood. As it is like hell to convince kids to engage in a beneficial action without their free will, there remains only one way: deceiving.

I do not know how many kids in former generations who thought spinach as an awkwardly tasted, teeth annoying green leaf, started eating it just for the sake of gaining superhuman strength like Popeye. Notion popularized by Popeye was that spinach contains high level of iron to make you stronger. Unfortunately this reference was a bit misleading due to the fact that the iron content in spinach was incorrectly reported in an 1870 medical journal article by Dr E. von Wolf. Because of a misplaced decimal point, the myth about spinach was created stating that it had ten times more iron than it contains.

However, it is still an important iron source compared to other foods and a nutritional powerhouse thanks to various vitamins, minerals and antioxidants in it. So, it is good to consume spinach especially during the winter without expecting it to double the size of your biceps all of a sudden like Popeye. Enrolling to a gym might serve you better if you have such a purpose in mind.

Spinach was first found in Nepal in 7th century than it made its way to Spain through 11th century. It is believed to be introduced to France by Catherine Medici who married to King Henry II and became the queen. She was really fond of spinach and liked to have most of the dishes like eggs, fish and white meat served on a bed of spinach which was called “a la Florentine” referring to her family roots from Florence.

Spinach has three types ; savoy (curly and dark colored), flat leaf (with broad leaves), semi savoy (in between two) but whichever you choose make sure not to keep it in your refrigerator more than a week since it loses the nutritional value each day. It is best to eat within two-three days after your purchase.

Even though I talked about the history of this legendary vegetable, my intention was to share a toothsome family recipe (from my family, not the renowned Medicis!). Recipe is featuring not the spinach but its roots. So next time you buy spinach please keep their roots aside so as to try this recipe. You will feel sorry for the spinach roots you threw away until now. This is a perfect meal for a balanced diet with its protein content coming from green lentil and chickpeas along with all the valuable elements of spinach roots, and a vitamin C boost thanks to generous lemon juice.

So, make yourself a favor with the following recipe and enjoy the roots of this ancient vegetable even if you may not have royal roots in your family.

Ingredients (makes 6 servings)

• 165 g (5.8 oz) washed and drained spinach roots (wash until you make sure that no soil and dirt is left inside the roots)
• 1 mid-sized onion
• 1 cup boiled and drained chickpeas
• 2/3 cup boiled and drained green lentils (boiling for 5 minutes is enough)
• 1 lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cups drinking water
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

The fever of New Year is cooling down as we get used to write the dates ending with 2010 on our agendas. Now that it is just a year we are in and will get old in blink of an eye. Before the a lot spoken New Year cookies, I was telling you about Munich and promised to mention details of pleasant stops in the city afterwards. So get ready…

As a sightseeing spot you may consider visiting English Garden even if it snows.

During the time of our visit there were stalls around the Chinese Tower where you can find different Bavarian street snacks like Auszogne, the equivalent of doughnut without a typical ring shape and Weisswurst, white sausage made from minced veal and pork bacon flavored with cardamom, ginger, parsley and onions. This sausage is generally eaten before noon. Since there were no refrigerators in early times and the daily produced sausage was not smoked, it was going bad before night time. So some Bavarians still follow the rule that Weisswurst should be eaten before you hear the church bells ringing. As for me, its taste was nice but even if I lived in the past I might prefer something else to eat without this Cinderella rush.

If you are an inexhaustible shopper, city promises you a lot. Elegant mall, Fünf Höfe, designed by Herzog&de Meuron will definitely be caught on your radar with its stylish looks. Maximilian Street may also be another address to visit for high-end fashion followers. Keep in mind that Munich is one of the richest cities in terms of income per individual, this information might be helpful to make sense of the price tags you come across.

As far as I am concerned, shopping must also entail food and Munich gave me what I was looking for, Viktualienmarkt. It is a daily food market with around 150 stalls offering exotic fruits, different cheeses, various fresh vegetables, herbs, poultry, fish, and so on. The quality and exclusiveness of the products sold make this place a gourmet destination of the city.

I lost myself in a cheese shop where they sell numerous varieties like a French beauty; Comté cheese. I would be more than happy if it was possible to take one of those huge cheese wheels back home but I had to content with a few big slice of my favorites. Better than not having any I guess.

Since Munich is situated very close to Italy it is also possible to find insanely delicious Italian olives of different types brined with herbs at Viktualienmarkt. No need to mention the top quality fruits coming from all over the world. Just looking at the pictures is enough to slaver.

If you can help yourself not spending your every penny at Viktualienmarkt get ready to spend the rest at Dallmayr, a luxury delicatessen food store in Munich.

The store was first established in 17th century and in early 1900 it became the preference of royal families in Europe with its outstanding products and innovative recipes. Personally I would love to stay in there for weeks and taste their more than 6000 products one by one. I felt like the Hansel in the Hansel & Gratel who found the candy house and went crazy to eat all of it up.

The store is divided into a number of sub sections like confectionery, specialty coffee beans, chocolate desserts, wines and spirits, luxury snacks decorated with caviar and crab, fresh olive oil, etc. This fabulous place is as reputable as the Fauchon in Paris with its 2,5 million visitors every year. This is the difficult part I have to admit, it was so crowded and packed that you have to be determined and patient to reach the stuff you want to have. Dallmayr has also a luxury brand of coffee started after the big depression in 1930 to protect itself from financial downturn. They even cooperate with BMW to expand through vending machines.

Another well thought detail of the Munich’s food scenery was an upscale restaurant, Lenbach, decorated with subtle details of seven sins concept which are envy, greed, lust, sloth, wrath, vanity and gluttony. Particularly “vanity” was the most impressive one to be symbolized with an illuminated catwalk situated in the middle of the restaurant so while you are coming in or going out everyone can see you as if you were a star.

If you are lucky enough you may bump into real stars like Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant or Mick Jagger but I was unable to see any celebrities that night to gossip about them here. Unlucky me… However, absence of celebrities in the restaurant did not prevent us from getting a kick out of the food. I can still recall the taste of cream of chestnut soup and tender chateaubriand coming after the delicate appetizer embracing a piece of white truffle. As for the desert, I had parfait of maple syrup with fig beignets.

As we were on our way back to Istanbul, I knew that we would definitely visit Munich again, but for sure next trip would happen in summertime!

In the previous post I promised you to share my New Year cookie recipe and just to keep my promise I am writing down this post under difficult conditions. Weather is cold outside in Istanbul and I realized that I forgot my key at home during the morning rush. Now I am sitting at a small cafe’ in the neighborhood where they cannot even make a cup of tea properly. A strange young couple is sitting next to me and continuously making a nonsense conversation ranging from their awful jobs to adverse effects of tooth whitening products, preventing me from concentrating on my post. Anyhow, promise is promise, so I will do my best.

When I started to look for a cookie recipe more than a week before then, I wanted it to be homely but fancy enough to remind the New Year, to have a crispy texture but not too brittle, to leave some flavor on the tongue but not too spicy, and so on. It was a trial and error process to find the right combination of ingredients for a tasty recipe. After too many batches and numerous pieces of cookies, some without enough ginger, some with too much cinnamon, some overcooked, some not enough cooked, I suddenly realized that I was asking way too much from a cookie just because it was for the New Year.

I guess most of us have a tendency to attach a lot importance to New Year related stuff. Like my high expectations from these little cookies, we all look out this brand new year to bring all the goodness we long for. Probably within the group of people who read this post, seventy percent want to leave their jobs for a better opportunity in the coming year or at least to get promoted in the same place, forty percent hope to find their significant other to share their lives, thirty percent expect to find the courage to put an end to their going nowhere relationships, sixty percent aimed to lose ten pounds they gained within the stressful 2009 that made them eat more than usual (shame on 2009!), and the list goes on and on…

Putting the perfect New Year’s cookie aside, I have also a new year’s resolution about this blog. I really want it to share with more and more people in 2010 to touch their life at some point, to make them feel good with my stories and to convince them to try something new in the cozy atmosphere of their kitchens. We all can do anything, no matter how fancy or how difficult it is. It’s all about trying and retrying just like all other things in our lives.

Hoping that all of us get what we are looking for in 2010, below I wrote down the recipe of my new year cookies for those looking for one. If you start with the same amount of ingredients you will end up with too many cookies to share with your beloved ones so that the sweet taste of cookies lingers in their mouths throughout the year.

A happy new year from the Kitchen of Oz!

Ingredients (makes around 80-120 pieces depending on the cookie cutter size and cookie thickness)
For cookie dough

• 1 cup (227 g / 8 oz) butter
• 3/4 cup (160 g/ 5,6 oz)sugar
• 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
• 2 +3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup corn starch
• 4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1+1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

For royal icing (optional, if you do not want to decorate the cookie you may skip this part)

• 1+ 3/8 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1 egg white
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• Food coloring according to your preference

Instructions
For cookie

For royal icing (optional, if you do not want to decorate the cookie you may skip this part)

As you may have already realized, a bit more break than usual between two posts means I am out of the town for a trip. This time we set off for a place cherishing the Christmas spirit at its very best. Let me give you some hints; beer, sausage and Oktoberfest… No need to hear one more I guess. You are perfectly right, Munich is the answer. Even though I have been to Germany before I had no chance to visit the capital of Bavaria. Most of the city dwellers consider Bavaria is a place different than Germany. For them Bavaria is Bavaria, not Germany. I guess they are right in some fashion.

The city is very close to Italy, affects of which can be felt in various aspects in social life. Munich is more like a half-breed child of a marriage between German discipline and Italian coziness. Every well-thought detail in city life imitates clockwork, but when it comes to savor the blessings of the world, a relaxed atmosphere is over there. Enjoying long running dinners with delicious dishes, sipping a huge glass of beer while chatting with friends, strolling in the English Garden and going Alps for skiing are just a few of the regular activities of city residents.

Our starting point was Marienplatz, the city centre from where you can simply walk to most of the city’s sightseeing places. In 19th century wheat market was set up at that point and also it was the place they used to hang criminals. Did I mention that I climbed more than three hundred steps of Peterplatz tower, the aisle of which one person can barely fit, just to take the picture above for your eye pleasure? No matter…

Marienplatz hosts a building you can never miss, the famous new town hall (Neues Rathaus). Even the name says new, it is an old Neo-gothic building with a big set of bells accompanied by some animated puppets on top to demonstrate different scenes from Munich history.

During this time of the year a Christmas market is opened in front Neues Rathaus where you can find various tree ornaments, sweets and a Munich classic, hot mulled wine called glühwein.

Mulled wines I tried up to now were quite different than the glühwein in Munich; they were more on the “spiced grape juice” side I may say. However, glühwein has some additional liqueur in it which makes it a stronger drink to combat the freezing -10 °C (14°F) weather outside. While drinking up a cup of this tasty liquid, I burst out ”Good idea!” since I suddenly started feeling my already frozen nose again in its place.

After a short break, we started walking again to discover other historical places around. Most of the famous buildings and churches are meticulously reconstructed after the Second World War when they were extensively damaged. This reconstruction was so successful that many of them gained almost the same look they were first built like Treatinerkirche and Royal Residenz.

Another Christmas market was there, in one of the Rezidenz’s ten yards. Residenz was the home of Wittelsbach family, a German dynasty, since the14th century with its 23.000 square meters of living space. That’s what I call a spacious house but setting aside their real estate, the family is of great importance since they developed Bavarian cuisine and refined it with some influences from Austrian and Czech cuisines. You know royal people, they like getting married with foreigners and generally they move in with their cooks and servants. What a life!

When the clock in our stomachs alarmed for the dinner time, we headed for the famous brewery, Augustiner, to try typical Bavarian dishes and fine beer. Bavarian style roasted duck and goose were our top choice, served with Kloesse, a sort of boiled potato dumplings made out of mashed potato, egg and flour mixture (bread crumbs are also used to replace potato). Bavarian style goose was really tasty with its crispy texture on the outside, so if you are fond of poultry take a note about it. Another typical side dish we had was Bavarian style red cabbage, basically containing onion, green apple, and vinegar besides red cabbage, served warm. No need to take a note, just forget it!

Beer is the indispensible part of almost all dining tables and it goes very well with their famous pretzels, a knotted loop of bread pastry. The strange thing is that you should count how many pretzels you ate during the meal so that you would not be dumbstruck like me when the waitress in traditional Bavarian costume asks the number of pretzels you ate to add their price on your bill.

Munich stories will be continued after I bake the New Year’s cookie and share its recipe with you in the next post. So stay tuned for more delicious details from Munich trip.

Sometimes it is difficult to take a decision particularly if the result of it has a potential to change our life in some aspects or the other. We may never know what is waiting behind the door and it is distressing to find the courage to open out that door. One of my friends gathered all the strength and fortitude to make a change and wide opened the door to figure out what was waiting outside.

He left his job in the times we live in; I mean the time of financial recessions and a universal depression that holding most of us back. He decided to do the things he like such as meditating, photograph taking and working as a free lance space visualization software developer (I know it sounds rather complex but let me put it in this way; he writes specific software to create a virtual 3D version of any place on the computer, like your house, or a huge seaport with tremendous warehouses all around) for only the projects he wanted to take part. No strict deadlines, no pressure from a superior and consequently a stress-free life. He was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth (wish he were, so we could say it was easy for him), which means from now on he set out on a new way of life with earning less, buying less and consuming less. His girlfriend also followed the same path and left her job at almost the same time to attend intensive yoga trainings and bought the acoustic piano she dreamed of for long, probably it cost her half of the termination indemnity she got from the company.

For most of the people outside, these are insane actions that should never be taken but you may never know who comes out saner in the end. For those who do not have the guts to take such soul calming maneuvers, here is my new cocktail recipe to relax your mind and soothe your senses. This mind blowing drink contains a simple but a zestful ingredient that one of my beloved friends made me addicted to it; fig vodka. There might be different brands in the market with the similar taste but the one we love is a German brand; Kleiner Feigling (translates to “little coward” by the way). This is an easy drinking spirit due to its 20% alcohol percentage with a mellow, surprisingly not too sweet unique flavor. You may prefer to take it straight or on ice but it also embraced a little bit of blue curaçao very well in my Blue Crash.

Keep all your big issues aside, after a few glasses of Blue Crash you may like the life you are living even if you cannot live the life you like.

Ingredients (for single serving)

• 40 ml (1,36 fl.oz) fig vodka
• 10 ml (0,34 fl.oz) blue curaçao syrup
• 5 ml (0,17 fl.oz) lime juice
• 50 ml (1,7 fl.oz) tonic water
• Ice

Instructions

If you are lucky enough to live in a place close to your work then no way on earth you would understand the situation I am in. My house is located in Asian side of Istanbul while my job is on the European side and even though the distance between two is not so long in terms of kilometers, it is not the same case in terms of time it takes to commute. Particularly in winter the traffic is so damned congested that sometimes I spent two hours to reach home. You might consider this time as an opportunity to read a book, to reply emails or at least to sleep if you are not the one to drive but unfortunately I am suffering from motion sickness when I try to focus on anything than the stationary cars outside the window.

After such an exhausting trip there is only one thing to sober me up; a piece of quality bittersweet chocolate that releases the chemicals in my brain to clean up the negative residues of last two hours. Indulging these little bars provides us the “good feeling” besides a couple of hundreds calories we would be better off not to take in. So if you frequently seek happiness through chocolate bars or let me use the right word for that; if you are an irrepressible chocoholic, then you’d better get ready to pay its price by putting on some extra pounds preventing you to fit in your favorite jeans.

Recently I and my office mate sitting next to me lost ourselves in a chocolate crave. I had a large box full of chocolate covered almonds, hazelnuts, raisins, delights and lots of small chocolate bars on my table that I forgot to take home. Once I opened to taste one, lid of the box stayed opened for good like the box of Pandora. We promised not to let each other eat anymore of them and to keep the box in my drawer so that we would not see these little shiny black gems. Now either of us secretly devours few pieces and it is killingly funny to see her silently open my drawer to snatch up one when I am concentrated on something else. Thanks god the box will be emptied soon by our mutual efforts.

I tried to figure out the reason behind the pleasurable effects of chocolate afterwards and why we crave chocolate more than other sweet stuff like candies or caramel so it looks like a passion beyond loving sweet things. To my surprise there are extensive academic researches on the matter to disclose the secrets of choco-chemistry.

According to academic research conducted, there are more than three hundred known chemicals within a small piece of chocolate. The most controversial finding was from neuroscience researcher Daniel Piomelli and his coworkers stating that chocolate contains substances that mimic the impacts of marijuana (not at the same level for sure otherwise we would have been buying our daily chocolate dose from choco-dealers operating at the back streets).

According to their research there is a chemical neurotransmitter naturally produced in the brain called anandamide which is also found in chocolate. The interesting part is that this substance activates the same cellular receptors as THC (the active ingredient in marijuana) that causes a person to feel “high”. You may say “if our brain can produce anandamide naturally than what makes the difference with chocolate?” but the thing is that anandamide is produced in the brain and then breakdowns so quickly that you might not have a chance to catch the good mood (if it breakdowns too quickly in your body then you end up with depression). Here comes the difference; there are other two different chemicals in chocolate delaying the natural breakdown of this substance and makes you feel good for some time after gobbling up a few bars.

Mentioning all about the chocolate reminds me of a chewy dense brownie made out of a quality bittersweet chocolate. Till I reach the perfection I tried and retested different recipes with more butter, less butter, more chocolate, less flour and so on. But the one I am going to share is the ultimate one to beat the others. This time I also made a change and combined the bittersweet chocolate with its probably the best accompany; orange. The result was so good that the flavors blended in a perfect harmony without overwhelming each other like the notes of an elegant French perfume. If you did not try any of my recipes up to now, you have to give this one a go since it is literally superb.

For the majority, brownie is something like a cake with too much cocoa and walnuts inside however a really good brownie does not contain cocoa powder but chocolate. By following my recipe do not expect to end up with a well baked sponge textured cake in the end. This is more like a dense dessert you would savor after dinner besides a cup of coffee. The only difficult part is to help yourself not devouring all pieces in one day like my better half who craves for these brownies even by looking at the pictures. So here comes the recipe of feeling good with perfectly legal ingredients. Enjoy.

Ingredients (makes around 20 small pieces)

• 160 g (5,6 oz) butter
• 160 g (5,6 oz) bittersweet chocolate (55-60% cocoa percentage is preferred)
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
• 1 tablespoon orange liqueur (Cointreau or Grand Marnier depending on your choice)
• 0,5 ml (1/10 teaspoon) pure orange extract
• 1 cup roasted walnuts (or pecans)
• A pinch of salt

Instructions

As I promised to tell about the details of my trip previously, I keep it. We had a chance to merge the national holiday and weekend to make an escapade to Amsterdam, the offbeat capital of Netherlands famous with is picturesque canals and vibrant night life. This was my third visit to that marvelous Dutch city thanks to business related issues of my better half.

The spirit of gezellig (pronounced heh-zel-ick) makes this city so damn special. You will hear this Dutch word if you have a Dutch friend or a friend living there for some time since it is the heart of local culture. Probably they will tell you that it cannot be translated into English but let me try to make you understand with some examples; having a dinner at a nice restaurant with your beloved friends is totally gezellig while eating at McDonalds on your own is not gezellig at all, cuddling up with your honey in bed while reading the newspaper together is another gezellig, on the contrary sitting at your dentist’s waiting room is definitely not gezellig.

So it means creating a warm, cosy and peaceful atmosphere allowing good times to happen with people you like. It is the commitment to connect with others so you should not be checking your favorite TV show behind your friend’s shoulder or not playing with your cell phone. That’s why I like this place a lot. In our society TV is used as a conversation filler, or better to say conversations are made between the commercial breaks on TV. We do not have the ability to talk in the absence of a TV or at least a cell phone on the table. So not gezellig!

Amsterdam is also the city of bicycles where 750.000 residents have 600.000 bicycles and I could not believe my eyes how skillful local people are riding on them. I have seen a lot of people carrying their shopping bags on the handlebars of the bicycle, with a baby on the front and talking over the phone at the same time while cycling. I felt like I was the only fainthearted rider to check the traffic at the crossroads.

The city is full of small specialty shops which you cannot find in anywhere else like the one selling only buttons or the one with a self explanatory name, Restored, the owners of which change used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful stuff. If you are a persistent follower of high end fashion you can also find the designer brands in the city but do not expect to find the Viktor&Rolf jacket you like with a better price tag just because of the fact that it is an Amsterdam based brand.

As for the arts, Amsterdam has outstanding museums like Van Gogh, Stedelijk and Amsterdam History museum besides the smaller ones like Anne Frank’s house and Rembrandt’s house which Rembrandt took out an excessive mortgage to buy in 1639 and unfortunately moved out to a worker’s flat in the Jordaan area afterwards due to this life consuming debt. So the moral of this story is that be careful while deciding on the payment term of your mortgage!

Nightlife is one of the main attractions of the city due to world’s most tolerant drug laws and of course the infamous Red Light district where even the world’s oldest profession turned out to be a touristic activity. They organize guided tours (guided by a performer of this oldest profession) if you like to learn more about the neighborhood. However, limiting nightlife with the red light district will be unfair; the city has various bars and concert halls where you can enjoy live music.

The one we visited this time was Bimhuis, a premier venue which the jazz followers of the city know quite well. It was a night to remember with the fluent notes of Dave Douglas Quintet spreading all over the place while sipping a glass of wine with ease.

I know I talked a lot and you start wondering whether I would ever come to food or not. But to be honest, Amsterdam is not a food capital and the Dutch cuisine has not many diversified dishes. They have simple and modest recipes containing vegetables more than meat. A typical old-fashioned dinner starts with a soup, mostly pea soup and continues with boiled or baked potatoes, boiled vegetables (cabbage, red beets etc.) and stewed meat with some gravy. Yoghurt with sugar or a simple pudding would be served as a dessert. They also have a tendency to have dinner quite early, around six o’clock and have tea time at three o’clock in the afternoon. Each cup of tea or coffee is served with only one cookie which is a standard rule designating the thrifty side of the Dutch.

Even though the traditional cuisine is somewhat limited, there are quite nice restaurants where you can find various dishes prepared with a refined approach to embrace modern culinary trends. Here I have to mention De Kas, a place that I will always envy of the way they cherish the freshest ingredients which is the most important aspect of a fine dining experience I believe. Using fresh vegetables and herbs was so crucial for the owner Gert Jan Hageman who had earned a Michelin star in Dutch haute cuisine, that he turned an old greenhouse due to be demolished into one of the most exceptional places for fine diners in town. De Kas contains a greenhouse or rather to say, De Kas is situated in a greenhouse where they grow and harvest Mediterranean vegetables, herbs and edible flowers with respect for nature. They do not have a standard menu to choose from; instead chefs in the kitchen are using their creativity to come up with a different menu everyday according to the harvest of that day. You will not know what you are going to eat until you sit at your table, but believe me whatever they bring you, it will be delightful for sure.

Writing about Amsterdam and not mentioning world renowned Dutch cheese Gouda would be totally impolite to one of the world’s greatest cheeses. It takes the name from the town Gouda close to Rotterdam and accounts for almost 60% of all the cheese produced in Netherlands. It is a semi soft, pale yellow cheese made from cow milk with a changing flavor according to its age. Younger Gouda, aged from 1 to 6 months, is mild, sweet and soft while mature Gouda, aged 12 to 18 months, gains a complex flavor over time like a salty caramel with a harder structure. I have to mention varieties like smoked Gouda and flavored Goudas with cumin, herbs, pepper and walnut, however my personal favorite is plain mature Gouda among all I tried up to now.

If you happen to buy Gouda cheese from Netherlands first check the wax coating outside the cheese; younger Goudas come with a red or yellow coating while mature ones have a black coating outside. Packaged Gouda cheeses sold in the supermarkets have 20 +, 30 +, 40 + and 48 + labels indicating the actual fat ratio not the maturity level.

After completing our tour of Amsterdam, now it’s time to prepare my Gezellig chicken recipe featuring some delicious Gouda sauce. Make sure to invite your friends or family for a gezellig dinner and hide the TV remote under the sofa. Keep in mind; it is all about connecting with others.

Ingredients (makes 4 to 6 servings)

For chicken

• 500 g (1,1 pounds) boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup of plain yoghurt
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml/0,5 fluid oz) Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml/0,5 fluid oz) virgin olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 125 g (4,4 oz) plain corn flakes
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

For Gouda sauce

• 15 g (0,53 oz) all purpose flour
• 25 g (0,88 oz) butter
• 1 cup of milk
• 75 g (2,65 oz) grated mid aged Gouda cheese
• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• A pinch of sea salt

Instructions

For chicken

For Gouda Sauce

I have to admit that the time between this and the previous post is longer than I planned but before being mad at me let me tell you one thing; during this break I was on a trip, the luscious details of which will be shared with you in the coming posts. But for now, I’d like to express my deep sorrow due to an unpleasant occasion that took place recently. Foodies living in Istanbul will definitely know the name Okko famous with its high quality pastries, gourmet cheeses, distinct charcuterie products and various savory snacks. All of a sudden they closed all their 3 branches in different locations and the staff left the place silently without touching anything in the stores. All sort of bakery stuff, breathtaking desserts, best in town vegetables and fruits were deserted to decay. The only difference between the previous day was that there were no customers, no cashiers, no butchers, no one to greet at the door, even no lights but a huge notification taped onto front window saying “store for rent”.

It was a sacred place for me and have always felt quite lucky since my house was about a few minutes walk from Okko, like a fortunate Buddhist living next to his temple in Tibet. I was able to find special stuff from black Italian truffle infused olive oil to Manchego cheese from La Mancha region in Spain. The place was full of mouthwatering items that you could never hold yourself back. It is difficult to see all these valuable items going off day by day everytime I pass by. It is said that the owner went bankrupt so badly due to the last investment he made; the biggest Okko branch of all, recently opened up in a luxurious residence’s shopping center even featuring a special wine cellar. This biggest investment turned out to be the biggest mistake of his life and now nobody knows where he is. Looks like the wealthy high heels of the city are a bit stingy when it comes to filling up their refrigerator weekly.

Now I am sitting in my chair looking at the last piece of tasty fresh goat cheese I bought from Okko. I need to make something spectacular out of this as a tribute to my old relish temple. To my taste, the tangy flavor of fresh goat cheese is an elegant companion to most of the green salads and grilled vegetables. French call this cheese as chèvre (means goat) and they produce several fine varieties as if they did not have already enough delicious stuff. It is a light, soft cheese with a creamy texture but when ripen it turns into a firm cheese like feta. Compared to cow cheese, goat cheese is lower in fat, calories and cholesterol while it provides more calcium. Another interesting fact is that goat milk is closer to human milk than cow milk and many people who are allergic to milk products can eat cheeses from goat milk without any complication.

Speaking of my original recipe, it is quite delicious, with lots of different flavors hidden inside and has an outstanding presentation that your guests will remember afterwards, like the way I will remember Okko everytime I pass by that corner.

Ingredients (makes 6 servings)

• 6 rectangular piece of filo dough each with size 14cm x 28cm (5.5 in x 11 in)
• 3 ½ tablespoons of virgin olive oil
• 4 green olives
• An egg yolk
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 80 gram (2,8 oz) feta cheese
• 40 gram (1,4 oz) cream cheese
• 40 gram (1,4 oz) ricotta cheese
• 120 gram (4,2 oz) fresh goat cheese
• 1 small cucumber
• 1 sweet red pepper
• 1 piece of beetroot pickle

Instructions