• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

Meanwhile, crack the eggs one at a time into a small bowl, then slide them into the simmering water. Poach until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggs to the gratin dishes and season with salt. Sprinkle with Aleppo pepper, the olives, and sage. Serve with the focaccia.

WINE Eggs can be difficult to pair with wine, but feta, olives, and bread make this dish much more wine-friendly. Pair it with a fruity Mediterranean rosé (a good wine for eggs in general), such as the 2006 Librandi Cirò Rosato from Italy or the perky 2006 Gaia Estate 14-18h Rosé from Greece.

I had the great pleasure of meeting Gisela Williams when she was in New York recently, and she mentioned that Defne also had a recipe for a drink called a Rakitini. With a name like that, I had to find out more, so Gisela put me in touch with Defne, who kindly agreed to share the recipe with readers of this book. She wrote to me the following:

Rakitini was created by a friend of mine, for me. It has this beautiful green color for it is made of cucumber juice, a few drops of a lemon, and rakı, the proud member of the ouzo/arak liquor family. Today it’s prepared by two establishments only, for the Turks are awfully conservative when it comes to rakı and fish. They don’t drink “green concoctions”! But I can proudly tell you that one of the two places that prepare Rakitini is a very traditional little fish restaurant. (Perhaps new tastes need only time.) I used to ask for a jar with a lid to shake the drink myself. Nowadays they have the full set: a vegetable juicer and a stainless steel shaker! And they even insist to prepare it for me.

Rakitini

Rakitini can be prepared with ouzo as well, but rakı (especially the Kulüp brand) works better if you ask me. (Nothing nationalistic here, just taste.)

In a shaker combine 1½ ounces fresh cucumber juice (juice of cucumbers with their skins on) and 1½ ounces rakı. Add 2 ice cubes and shake.

Pour into a chilled martini glass and add a drop of fresh lemon juice. It’s very green and serves one.

Interview: Şemsa Denizsel

I was so happy that Koryürek included the restaurant Kantin among her favorites as it’s one of mine as well. I was introduced to it—and its warm, knowledgeable chef, Şemsa Denizsel—by John Scott, editor of Cornucopia. Kantin is a neighborhood place, in Nişantaşı, that’s open primarily for lunch but also for an early dinner or afternoon tea (hours are 11:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday). The traditional Turkish treat of simit (sesame rings) and kasar (a hard, white cheese) are served in addition to tea, coffee, and cakes. Denizsel told me the name Kantin is a playful take on the English word “canteen”—she wanted to convey the idea of a small, cozy, casual place to eat but quite the opposite of a school canteen, where the food is typically dreadful. Kantin’s menu is unique in that it’s written in chalk on a blackboard and is divided into sections, such as Today, Everyday, Sides, Desserts, and Citir, which refers to a very thin crust with a selection of toppings—something between pizza and a Turkish lahmacun—and is a specialty of Kantin. The Today section changes every single day and includes soup, three different dishes of Turkish home cooking, and a daily fish option. Everyday items include staples, which is a sort of comfort zone—if you don’t like the daily options, you always have the staples. Some of Kantin’s special desserts are warm semolina helva with Turkish ice cream, mastic pudding with sour-cherry compote, cheesecake, and oven-roasted seasonal fruits.

Denizsel is not shy about her culinary opinions, and I asked her a few questions about the current food scene in Istanbul:

Q: Is Istanbul fare different from Anatolian fare? And is there such a thing as New Istanbul Cuisine?

A: The way Istanbul people used to cook was different from Anatolian fare. The food you usually get in restaurants these days is not the Istanbul cuisine; it is