Istanbul_ The Collected Traveler_ An Inspired Companion Guide - Barrie Kerper [171]
Q: What are some of the dishes you make?
A: I stick to dishes that are typically Turkish, so specialties with lamb, eggplant, and other vegetables are popular. Imam bayıldı is a regular, and flat green beans cooked in olive oil, too. Warm stuffed vine leaves with rice and minced meat, lamb stew in tomato sauce on smoky eggplant purée, and red lentil soup with bulgur and lemon yogurt soup with mint are also regular menu items. An old Topkapı Palace recipe, adapted to modern times, is our chicken breast stuffed with rice, pistachios, tomatoes, and dill. Okra is a popular seasonal vegetable here, but I don’t include it so often since people may have trouble finding it in their home country. The aim is really to work with ingredients they can easily find outside of Turkey, so that they can invite their friends for a real Turkish meal.
Q: What are some typical Turkish ingredients that are a must for visitors to take home with them?
A: Definitely the Turkish red-pepper flakes, since they have such a different flavor than regular chili pepper. Red bell pepper purée is used a lot in Turkish cooking; it keeps in the fridge for about a year, but could be substituted by adding more tomato paste. The peeled pistachios from Gaziantep are wonderful, and of course hazelnuts—Turkey is famous for these, and they taste so much better here! Any type of nut or dried fruit is good here, and relatively inexpensive, though one must be warned that Istanbul’s cheap days are over. The dark, unsulfured apricots are amazing, and Turkish delight always makes a nice present. People ask me often about saffron, but it’s hard to find the real high-quality saffron here. In any case, it’s not so commonly used in Turkish cuisine, just in a few dishes and desserts.
Q: What are some of your favorite restaurants you would recommend to visitors?
A: Everyone should try some different types of Turkish restaurants, of course; then, if there is time left, some more contemporary options can be included as well. A good kebab house is a must: Hamdi or Develi are great, and not far from Sultanahmet; farther away there are Tike and Venge, among others. There’s a meyhane on Nevizade Sokak in Beyoğlu called Boncuk, which has great food and live music, with reasonable prices, and Sofyalı, with its myriad mezes, in Tünel. Fish lovers can go to Doğa in Cihangir, Balıkçi Sabahattin in Sultanahmet, or one of the posh fish places on the Bosphorus. As for fusion food in a hipper atmosphere, my favorite is Changa, close to Taksim, which specializes in inventive cuisine in a minimalist décor, contrasting perfectly with the historical building. 360 on İstiklâl is a must for soaking in an amazing view over cocktails. A great new place is Moreish, in the historic district of Pera. The chef is very talented (and is a friend of mine) and he isn’t afraid to introduce new combinations of flavors that aren’t typically Turkish. Moreish is a fine example of what’s going on in the more avant-garde world of Istanbul restaurants.
Q: You’ve described some of your experiences as a businesswoman in Istanbul as difficult. Do you still feel the same way about the place that captured your heart?
A: It’s undeniably true that it’s hard to set up and run a business successfully in Turkey. Whereas in New York you can go against the current and get a million things done every day, in Istanbul you have to go with the flow and hope for the best. If I accomplish one task in a day, I consider myself lucky. I’m a perfectionist, but “perfectionism” isn’t a word that translates easily into Turkish. And after all these years, I’ve stopped looking through my pink glasses—I get irritated by so many things! Nevertheless, I still love this city.
Eveline may be contacted directly at info@cookingalaturka.com or through her Web site, Cookingalaturka.com. Cooking Alaturka is now located at Akbiyik Caddesi 72A in Sultanahmet; phone +90 212