The Kastamonu Market in Kasımpaşa

Despite low clouds over a steely grey Bosphorus, I had a great Sunday which started like this:

Daughter No 1 and I had arranged to meet at 9.40 at the Sunday market in Kasımpaşa over on the European side of the city. On Sunday mornings there is no traffic so I was able to whizz over the Bosphorus Bridge in good time. 

here she is

This market is really special as the stallholders drive their kamyons laden with produce to Istanbul all through the night from Kastamonu which is in the Black Sea region in the north of Turkey, a drive not lightly undertaken by the rest of us at the best of times. They leave at 1am and are here to set up by 5 or so. The market is one of the great foodie secrets of Istanbul so is well worth making the effort to go.

what a sight:  a huge basket of kuşburnu/rosehips

The stuff is as fresh and as seasonal as it gets: they pick it the day before from their orchards and fields, collect the myriad varieties of homemade jams, molasses, cheeses, butter and kaymak, and load up their trucks for this weekly exodus to the big city. One shouldn’t be too late as not only punters like us go but many restaurants as well to get the pick of the crop.



the last above were soooo sour ....you're supposed to eat the dark ones

it's the season for mushrooms: boxes and boxes of them everywhere
I bought some to try

...and  sackfuls of chestnuts too

amazing breads: on the L, baked in stone ovens on a bed of walnut leaves; on the R, stuffed with herbs
yes, we got one of each

the one below is stuffed with chard

 a çay vendor with his çaydanlıks at the ready - when the market is over, he closes up the doors and trundles his cart away

an old woman selling poultry

ducks were 30TL each but my special price: 25TL! no, I didn't buy one

the most fantastic jams and molasses including chestnut honey
you can sample them all on little sticks before buying

another portable stand  this time selling nohutlu pilav/ rice with chickpeas

Next time we'll go earlier and buy some of that delicious bread, cheese, and a selection of jams along with tomatoes, cucumbers and olives, not forgetting a few of those fresh eggs, and take it all home for a huge family breakfast!

this woman was having hers right there - she invited us to join her!

The Kastamonu market is easy to find so you can do the same: it's located in Dolapdere/Kasımpaşa, right behind the BP Petrol Station. Parking isn't a problem as there is a large carpark right there. 

See you there!

Baked Salmon Wrapped in Yufka or Filo Pastry

Last weekend we celebrated  the birthday of a special Turkish cousin here at home so I wanted a special menu.

Actually I knew what the main course was going to be as I have been looking for an opportunity to make this ever since I saw the recipe. I love that  squiggly  litttle bit of yufka  down the back which certainly adds to the wow factor!

salmon parcel waiting to go in the pre-heated oven

We eat a lot of salmon in this house and I expect you do too. What we did before it became available in  Turkey, I don’t know! The sort that we get here is classed as Norwegian but I have just learnt something really interesting: it is actually Atlantic salmon which is farm-raised in Norway.  And to think I thought all along it was caught in those icy fiords! Apparently there are two types of salmon: Atlantic and Pacific, according to the ocean in which they are found. Another interesting piece of information: farmed salmon accounts for about 80% of all salmon worldwide so it’s getting harder and harder to find the wild-caught version in its native habitat.

 I get mine from Migros which has a great fish counter and the fishmongers always do a good job of preparing whatever fish I buy. Other places may be cheaper but invariably you will find a few little bones and scales that have been overlooked. These tend to mar one’s eating pleasure or at least they do mine!

This recipe is an adaptation of the traditional salmon en croûte made with puff pastry and from which I have kept well away all these years due to too many calories, and was developed by Angela Nilson in the November BBC Good Food magazine, my favourite mag.  

It’s ideal: a great entertaining dish that not only looks wonderful, can be made in advance, but is much healthier than the original version. Yufka or filo has virtually no fat and salmon is such a healthy fish with its high levels of Omega 3, protein and Vitamin D. No butter at all is used in the preparation and the yufka is glazed with olive or sunflower oil as opposed to egg or melted butter.The spinach filling is another nutritious boost. Spinach is the classic filling and in fact the recipe uses watercress just for a change but I don’t know what that is in Turkish as I don’t know what it’s like in English!

But my first challenge was when I went to Migros to buy my salmon fillets. Ideally what I wanted was one whole fish. The fishmonger there got very excited and went off to bring one from the back. But when he emerged triumphant the fish was immense and I burst out laughing: this is for 24 people I said! Way too big. So I had to settle for 2 matching pieces of fillet. Of course it worked but not as pretty as a whole fish would have been. BTW I doubled all the ingredients below.

Ingredients for Baked Salmon Wrapped in Yufka

Serves 6

3 tbsp olive oil

2 large shallots/arpacık soğan, finely chopped (I used a regular onion)

140g/5oz chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Juice ½ lemon

100g/3 ½ oz packet watercress, chopped (OR spinach)

2 tbsp snipped dill/dereotu

1 tbsp snipped chives/yaprak soğan (I used taze soğan/ spring onions)

2 ½ tbsp half-fat crème fraîche (not available here so I did use a little cream from a packet)

6 sheets filo pastry, each about 38 x 30cm (125g total weight) .I used 2 sheets Turkish yufka which are 60cm/2ft in diameter and not as thin as filo. This was fine for the larger salmon fillets I bought

2 x 350g/12oz skinned salmon fillets/somon fileto, derisiz

a sprinkling of nigella seeds (my suggestion)

Method

·         Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Tip in the shallots and fry for 2-3 mins to soften, then add the mushrooms and garlic, and stir-fry over a high heat for another 3-4 mins, or until the mushrooms and shallots are golden and any liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated. Pour in the lemon juice – after a few seconds, that should have evaporated too. Remove from the heat, then stir in the watercress or spinach so it wilts in the warmth of the pan. Stir in the dill and chives, and season with a little salt and pepper. Leave to cool.

preparing the stuffing mixture

·         Heat oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6.

·         Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. When the mushroom mix is cool, stir in the crème fraîche. Lay one of the filo sheets on the worktop with the short end facing you.Brush all over with a little of the remaining oil. Layer up 4 more of the filo sheets in the same way, brushing each with a little of the oil. If you are using yufka, see below under Tips.

spreading the cooled mixture over the salmon fillet

·         Lay one of the salmon fillets, skin-side up, across the width of the filo, positioning it about one-third of the way up. Season it with pepper. Spoon and spread the cooled mushroom mix over the top of the fillet. Lay the other salmon fillet on top, skin-side down. Season again. Fold the short end of pastry nearest to you over the salmon, then bring the other end over to completely enclose the salmon, lifting it so the join can tuck under it. Fold both pastry ends over as neatly as you can.

sprinkled with nigella/çörekotu

·         Brush the outside with a bit more of the remaining oil. Scrunch up the last sheet of filo, pressing it lightly on top in big folds, then carefully brush with the last of the oil. Use more if necessary. Can be prepared 3-4 hrs ahead up to this point and chilled.

·         Transfer the salmon parcel to the baking sheet. Bake for 25 mins until the pastry is crisp and golden. Check while it cooks and if the top starts to brown too quickly, lay a sheet of foil very loosely over it.

·         Remove from the oven and let the salmon sit for 2-3 mins before slicing.

just out of the oven

Tips

1.    I left folding up the salmon parcel till as late as possible as I was nervous about the yufka getting soggy. I covered the layered and filled salmon fillets in cling-film and put them in a dish with a shallow rim in case any liquid oozed out. Sure enough, it did so I highly recommend doing that.

2.    To wrap it up using Turkish yufka which is such a different shape to filo, I took one sheet and folded it in half away from me. Then I  placed the salmon fillets in the middle at right angles to myself. After that, I took first one side and wrapped it over and tucked it under, then the other. Basically, make it neat. Then I took the second sheet. After tearing off a long strip for the final touch of the squiggly bit on top, I folded the remaining part over and under. It doesn’t really matter how you do it but the final effect depends on the packet being neatly wrapped all round. I also used sunflower oil. Don’t forget to brush each part with it before going on to the next sheet.

3.   My final touch was a sprinkling of nigella or çörekotu. Here in Turkey these or sesame seeds are often used with börek  so I’m used to that.

4.    Because my salmon fillets made a much larger and thicker parcel than the original recipe’s, I cooked it longer. Turks don’t like things undercooked so I knew that even a little bit of pink salmon would be the kiss of death. The guidelines of watching the colour of the yufka held good and I didn’t need to use any foil.

I served the baked salmon with a large green salad.

Afiyet olsun!

 

The full menu was:

Potage Crécy (carrot soup) with croûtons

Baked Salmon in Yufka

Delia’s Fallen Chocolate Soufflé with Prunes

Pistachio & Cranberry Cookies

When I saw this recipe I just had to make it. No special occasion.  No guests on the horizon. But I thought  I’ll make them and freeze them for a rainy day.

the irresistible ingredients

It was the ingredients that caught my eye:  beautiful red and green pistachios have a sophisticated air about them while the deep red cranberries add a warm touch and depth of flavour. These last are relatively new here: every kind of dried fruit under the sun has always been available but not these. But now they are and very welcome they are too. You find them in the markets or in the wonderful specialist kuruyemiş shops which abound.

This recipe from BBC Good Food is short and sweet: try it and see! It’s an easy one!

the end product

Ingredients for Pistachio & Cranberry Cookies

Makes 22

175g/6 oz butter, softened

85g/3 oz golden caster sugar ( I used regular toz şeker)

½ tsp *vanilla extract


225g/8 oz plain flour

75g/2 ½ oz pistachios/şamfıstığı

75g/2 ½ oz dried cranberries/yaban mersin

Method

·         Mix the butter, sugar and vanilla extract with a wooden spoon. Stir in the flour, then tip in the pistachios and cranberries – you might need to get your hands in at this stage to bring the mix together as a dough. Halve the dough and shape each half into a log about 5 cm across. Wrap in cling film, then chill for 1 hr or freeze for up to 3 months.

·         Heat oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4.

·         Slice the logs into 1cm-thick rounds, place on a baking tray lined with baking parchment and bake for 12-15 mins. Cool completely on the tray.

cooling on the tray

Tips

1.    Yes, use your hands for mixing in the dried fruit and nuts: you’ll find it much easier.

2.    *vanilla extract: this isn’t available here so I always bring some back from the UK when I go. Here, vanilla sugar is sold in little packets in all supermarkets.  Not quite the same thing but it’ll do!

3.    The chilling in the fridge is necessary as there is so much butter in the mixture,  it is very soft. Putting it in the fridge firms it up and makes it easier to slice into rounds.

Melt-in-your-mouth,  Pistachio & Cranberry, the perfect grown-up cookie!

Afiyet olsun!

Beautiful Beetroot

Have you noticed how beetroot is enjoying a revival?

 I think in the UK we used to eat it with Heinz mayonnaise and a slice of cold ham and it was always there. We –or our grandmothers - boiled it and then either sliced it or maybe cubed it. Probably sliced. But it wasn’t overwhelmingly popular. Now it’s everywhere.

I have always loved it. I remember when I was a small child and recovering from an illness, my mother asked me what I would like to eat. The answer was beetroot please mum! And I ate it till my pee ran red and I thought I was going to die!

Nowadays the buzz word is ‘roasted’and  I am a great fan of roasted vegetables. In Assos a tray of assorted veggies including onions, courgettes, tomatoes, aubergines and peppers well-seasoned, drizzled with olive oil, with added garlic and thyme is always a success: it goes so well with meat of any kind and everyone loves it.

But roasted beetroot?

I had to try it and my first attempt  was in Assos this summer (even though beetroot is not a typical summer vegetable but you can find it if you look). You simply wash them and wrap each one in silver foil. Or just drizzle some olive oil over them and omit the foil.  Put them in the oven pre-heated to 200C/400F/Gas mark 6 for about 40 mins. Yes, it works! But it does involve a bit of opening the oven door, feeling one to see how soft it has become and generally being vigilant. There are other recipes where you peel the beetroots beforehand and cut them into wedges. Place in a tin and drizzle with olive oil with a little fresh thyme. The fact is that the inherent sweetness of the beetroot is indeed brought out and they become quite mellow – but I have decided that for salads, plain old boiling is fine.

as part of a seasonal mixed salad

When you are buying fresh beetroots, try to ensure that they are all more or less the same size. This will affect the length of cooking. Here in Turkey bunches are sold by the half kilo. Peeling is very easy once they are cooked although you have to have asbestos fingers.

peeling a roasted beetroot while still hot

I either slice or cube the cooked beets depending on how I feel. I always add some onion usually red or spring and make a French vinaigrette as I think the mustard is a good addition. Add while the beets are still hot as they will absorb the flavours much better.  Some chopped parsley sprinkled over the salad as it cools makes a good colour contrast.

like this

The last couple of times I was in the market and buying beetroot, I told the guy to cut off the leaves as I didn’t want them. The first time was here in Istanbul and the second was in a local market in the Assos area. Both times I was told not to do that on any account.  Both times I asked what they would do with those leaves and the response was the same: use only the young leaves, wash and slice. First gently sauté an onion then add the leaves. On top, crack a couple of eggs and hey presto, brunch!!

so I tried

Actually, I liked the idea and so did TT. And that’s what he had for a latish breakfast recently: 2 gently fried eggs on a bed of beetroot leaves with a slice of rustic bread as an accompaniment! His comment was that the taste was pleasant but not remarkable so maybe next time, an injection of garlic? Or would that be too strong for brunch? But still, it was so healthy!

a  couple of eggs cracked on a bed of beetroot leaves cooked with  a litttle onion

Try it and see what you think.

Afiyet olsun!

Beef with Green Lentil Bulgur Pilaf/Mercimekli Bulgurlu Dana Kebabı

I bet you think that kebabs come in chunks on a skewer, right? Well no.

Often they do  (and that's when they are called şiş kebab as şiş (pron: shish) means skewer) but they also come in other forms: the meat can either be minced and moulded onto  special long flat-bladed skewers, or it can be like this, small pieces cooked gently with a few other ingredients and for quite a long time on the hob till tender and the full flavour has developed.  Ensuing cooking smells guaranteed to make your mouth water!

Beef with green lentil bulgur pilaf/ mercimekli bulgurlu dana kebabı

This way of cooking those small pieces of meat – kuşbaşı/literally birds’ heads – is very different from the way we would normally handle stewing steak for a casserole. We would take small amounts and brown them on all sides and then transfer to a plate till all was done and then we would replace them all in the casserole dish.  Quite a painstaking task.

 The Turkish way is simplicity itself: it takes a bit of time but is certainly not difficult. All the meat is cooked at the same time with onion and then tomatoes. No fancy ingredients here. The final outcome is amazingly delicious: moist, tender, and above all tasty. It’s an ideal dinner party dish as you can make it the day before – I like dishes like this! – and the tastes mingle to their hearts’ content.

everything is in the pan now: all you do is let it cook

 I highly recommend this meat kebab  served attractively on either a bed of rice, or a bulgur pilaf as I did. Mine was green lentil bulgur pilaf/yeşil mercimekli bulgur pilavı.

Ingredients for the Beef Kebab

Serves 6

500g cubed beef/kuşbaşı (here this comes in two sizes: I got the smaller as I thought it would be more tender – it’s up to you and your butcher!)

2 onions

1 tbsp tomato paste/salça

2 tomatoes

3 soup spoons cooking oil/sıvı yağı

3 cups hot water

1 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp salt

A handful chopped parsley to decorate

Method

·         Chop the onions finely. Peel the 2 tomatoes, remove the seeds, and chop the pulp  into cubes.

·         Heat the cooking oil in an open pan and add all the meat in one go. Cook gently until all the juice has run out and then been reabsorbed. This will take about 40 mins. At that point add the chopped onions to the pan and cook till they soften and change colour.

starting with the meat and then adding the onions

·         Add the salt and pepper and then the chopped tomatoes and hot water. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 50 mins on a gentle flame.

adding the salt

Tips

1.       I found that my tomatoes were very juicy so I only added 2 cups of hot water. Use your own judgment. It shouldn’t be too watery at the end of cooking. If it is, continue cooking till more liquid has evaporated.

this still  needs to be cooked down a little but you can see how tender it looks

2.       I also thought that 500g meat would be too little so increased it to 750g which was perfect. And this was for 4! There was just a little left over which is always a good sign.

3.       The final touch is a handful of chopped parsley scattered over the meat which you have spread over the top of the rice or bulgur in a large serving dish.

Bring to the table and serve there!

Afiyet olsun!

Delia's Italian Stuffed Aubergines

Delia's Italian Stuffed Aubergines

This summer I did a lot of cooking with aubergines as they are Turkey’s best-loved summer vegetable. However,there is a big difference between the Turkish way and the more western way.  I love the Turkish recipes, I really do, but I am also very open to other ways of preparing them especially if the recipe is Delia's! Her recipes and cookbooks are great.

This one comes from Delia Smith’s Winter Collection which is interesting in itself as I don’t associate aubergine with winter at all. Because I am so used to cooking with the Turkish seasons, it  never enters my head to buy it when it's cold. Now is about my limit!

Her version of stuffed aubergines is very different: a bit fiddly but very pretty as a starter or a lightlunch or supper dish. What makes this recipe different from the regular ones is of course the Italian-style ingredients: the use of anchovies and capers plus grated cheese especially these cheeses is not Turkish at all. Also the use of freshly milled black pepper as Turkish recipes prefer regular kara biber or black pepper.

I think the most important thing in this recipe is the size of the aubergine itself. In the picture in the recipe book – which is what attracted me in the first place - the stuffed aubergines look amazing mostly because of their size.  I have experimented with size and the larger, rounded aubergines are by far the best - as Delia does in fact recommend - as then the cutting into slices is easier.  Even so, this was a bit of a challenge. I had started with the usual long type as that's what I had, and then moved onto the other sort so I ended up with a whole platter of these stuffed aubergines which looked wonderful and were demolished on the spot!

Ingredients for Delia’s Stuffed Aubergines

Serves 2 as a light supper or 4 as a starter

1 medium to large aubergine, approx 12-14 oz (350-400 g)

3 large ripe tomatoes

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 large clove garlic, crushed

1 tbsp torn fresh basil leaves

2 tsp sun-dried tomato paste ( I used regular)

6 drained anchovy fillets, chopped

1 rounded tbsp drained small capers

5 oz (150 g) Mozzarella, drained ( I found a very convenient packet of grated Mozzarella and Kaşar)

1 ½ tbsp fine fresh breadcrumbs

2 level tbsp Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano), freshly grated

2 tbsp olive oil

8 basil leaves, lightly oiled

Salt and freshly milled black pepper

Method

·         Pre-heat oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.

·         Wipe the aubergine(s) and trim off the stalk end, then using the very sharpest knife you have to cut it lengthways into 8 thin slices about ¼ inch (5 mm) thick. When you get to the bulbous sides, these slices should be chopped into small pirces and kept aside for the filling.

slicing, arranging, brushing with oil

·         Arrange the slices on a lightly oiled baking sheet, brush each slice lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Pop them into the oven on a high shelf and let them pre-cook for 15 mins, by which time they will have softened enough for you to roll them up easily.

·         Skin the tomatoes in boiling water and cut in half. Gently squeeze them until the seeds come out – it’s best to do this over a plate or bowl! Chop the remaining pulp into ¼ -inch (5 mm) dice.

squeezing the seeds out of the tomatoes

·        
Now heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large solid frying pan and fry the onion, chopped aubergine and garlic for about 5 mins. Then add the chopped tomatoes, torn basil leaves and sun-dried tomato paste and continue to cook for about another 5 mins. Give everything a good seasoning and add the chopped anchovies and capers. Then remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool slightly.

preparing the tomato stuffing for the aubergine slices

      





Now chop the Mozzarella into very small dice.  As you can see in the picture, I didn't do that as I thought using grated cheese would make them easier to roll up. As soon as the aubergines are cool enough to handle, sprinkle each with chopped/grated Mozzarella, placing it all along the centre of each slice. On top of that put an equal amount of stuffing ingredients, leaving a border all round to allow for expansion. Roll up the slices and put them in a lightly-oiled baking dish, making sure the overlapping ends are tucked underneath.

here are 2 rows of the stuffed aubergines

       
         

Finally brush each one with oil, combine the fresh breadcrumbs and Parmesan, sprinkle the mixture over them, pop a basil leaf on top, then bake in the oven (same temperature) for about 20 mins and serve immediately.

                                Afiyet olsun!

If you want to see my other aubergine recipes, just type 'aubergines' in the Search Recipes box on the right of the post and they should all be there!

Plum & Almond Pudding

There seem to be three types of plum available here right now: Victoria, damsons, and then another variety that is rounder, shinier, darker in colour and a little sour that is relatively new to the Turkish scene. I prefer the classic Victoria plums myself but any kind will do.

a bowl of Victoria plums

I have now made this recipe for guests twice in the space of just a few days and twice I have forgotten to take a photo of the final dish! I find it really hard to be both hostess and photographer at the same time. So you’ll have to imagine the final effect: pleasingly risen, browned to a gentle honey colour with a little of the dark red plum juice seeping from the sides. And almost the best thing about it is the warm inviting smell of  baked almonds and plums!

This is the one I made late yesterday afternoon using those ‘newly-arrived’ plums as they were the only ones I could find. They're a bit sour so you might like to add a little sugar.

here they are

Ingredients for Plum & Almond Pudding

A  BBC Good Food recipe

Serves 6

8 ripe plums, quartered and stoned

Pinch cinnamon

Zest 2 lemons

4 tbsp brandy (optional)

100g/4 oz soft butter

100g/4 oz light brown sugar

2 eggs

100g/4 oz self-raising flour OR plain flour + 1 tsp baking powder

50g/2 oz ground almonds

3 tbsp flaked almonds

Clotted cream, to serve (or vanilla icecream)

Method

·         Heat oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4

·         Toss the plums, cinnamon, lemon zest and brandy, if using, together in a bowl, then leave to macerate while you make the batter.

plums macerating

this means the fruit softens and absorbs the flavour of the brandy, lemon, and cinnamon in this case

·         Cream the butter and sugar with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy, add the eggs one at a time, then tip in the flour and ground almonds. Mix until completely combined.

·         Tip the fruit into a buttered shallow baking dish, spoon over the cake batter, then sprinkle over the flaked almonds.

spooning the batter over the fruit

ready to go in the pre-heated oven

·         Bake for 35-40 mins until browned and cooked through. Test if the pudding is ready by inserting a skewer. If it comes out clean, the pudding is ready; if there is some batter on the skewer, then give it a few mins more. Remove from the oven and serve warm with the clotted cream if you're lucky enough to get it or icecream for the rest of us.

not my pic but you can see how appetising this pudding looks!

I only had Metaxa  - Greek brandy - handy of all things so I thought 4 tbsp would probably be overdoing it. I only put 2 tbsp. But I was wrong!  Contrary to my expectations, the taste didn’t come through at all so next time I won’t be such a wimp.

I added lemon peel instead of lemon zest as I didn’t have my zester handy, and this was fine.

Both family and friends will love this pudding!

Afiyet olsun!