A Visit to the Spice Bazaar in Istanbul - Part 2

While talking to a colleague who is moving to Istanbul this summer, I fondly remembered our trip over Easter 2010 to this fabulous city. We stayed in a small hotel near the Blue Mosque and explored the city mainly on foot and by tram. Returning from a boat trip on the Bosphorus we decided to visit the Spice Bazaar on the way back to the hotel. I have blogged about this incredible bazaar before, but wanted to share some additional photos with you.

A wide variety of Turkish delight

Dried fruit - the dried mango was delicious

Turkish delight and other candy

Nuts, more dried fruit, and dried tomatoes

Who can resist?

Cookbook Heaven

Two weeks ago I spent a couple of days in New York with family visiting from Germany. While researching our itinerary we came across an entry about a bookstore specializing in cookbooks which sounded intriguing. Late in the afternoon on our first day in New York we took the metro to Greenwich Village and went in search of Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks.

Tucked away in a quiet street off bustling 7th Avenue is a gem of a bookstore dedicated to cookbooks, food writing and cooking implements.

Categorized by region are vintage, gently used and antiquarian cookbooks. Since I am moving to Kyiv next summer I was specifically looking for books on Ukrainian cuisine. High up on a shelf I came across Bonnie's collection of cookbooks covering Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. After perusing several of them I finally settled on The Georgian Feast by Darra Goldstein and Festive Ukrainian Cooking by Marta Pisetska Farley. I am looking forward to trying out some of the recipe soon!

If you like books and are interested in cooking, visit this treasure trove on your next visit to New York!

Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks
163 W 10th St
(between Waverly Pl & S 7th Ave
New York, NY 10014
Tel: 212|989|8962
bonnieslotnickcookbooks.com

Please call ahead before visiting as her day off changes from week to week.

Chekich - Uzbek Bread Stamps

During one of my trips to Uzbekistan I found these interesting stamps – they turned out to be bread stamps used to stamp patterns on flat breads. Chekich, as they are called locally, are most often made out of plum wood. I bought mine in Bukhara and Samarkand, but you will see them in bazaars all over the country.

A chekich made out of plum wood which is showing its grain beautifully. Plum wood is one of the finest European woods and is recognizable by its beautiful dark brown color.

The designs on the stamps range from geometric shapes for floral pattern.

Since I don’t bake flat breads, I have found another use for them – I use them to decorate my shortbread before baking it. Just make sure that you dip the stamp lightly into flour before pressing it into the dough. To clean, use a small brush and remove any traces of dough and flour. Oil the wooden part of the stamps regularly (I use olive oil) so that the wood doesn't dry out. 


And here are two variations on a basic shortbread recipe:

Ingredients:

Rosemary Shortbread

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 cup vanilla extract
1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary

• Preheat oven to 325 degree F.
• Beat together butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Gradually add flour until mixture is well combined. Add finely chopped rosemary.
• On a floured surface, roll out dough until 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. With a cookie cutter cut the dough into rounds. If desired, use a cookie stamp (or a chekich) to decorate your shortbread.
• Place on an ungreased baking sheet (I use a Silpat) and place into oven.
• Bake for 20 - 30 minutes until bottoms are golden brown and the top is light in color. The baking time will depend on your oven. Please check regularly so that you don't burn your cookies.
• Cool cookies on wire racks.

They are best eaten fresh, but can be stored in an airtight container for a day or two.

Makes 20 cookies


Variation:
Use the same resume but replace the rosemary with one tsp chopped fresh lavender blossoms.

A Visit to the Spice Bazaar in Istanbul - Part 1

Almost one year ago we went on a 5-day trip to Istanbul. It was early April and the tulip festival was coming up. I had noticed thousands and thousands of tulips planted along the roads, in parks and in planters during our ride from the airport to our hotel. Absolutely amazing!

One of the highlights of our stay was a visit to the covered Spice Bazaar located in the Bazaar Quarter near the Golden Horn. Surrounded by narrow streets the Spice Bazaar was built in 1660 as an extension of the New Mosque Complex. Once you enter the bazaar you will see stalls upon stalls of spices, herbs, teas, nuts, honey, etc. This is a wonderful place to stock up on oriental spices, including saffron!

Mountains of spices

Spices and Sweets

Spices, teas and dried tea blossoms

(Photos taken by Conrad Turner)

Cooking Alaturka - Istanbul April 2010

Our trip to Istanbul over Easter 2010 was wonderful. I had heard that Istanbul was a fantastic city, but what I found exceeded my expectations. We stayed in a small hotel near the Blue Mosque which was a great location. Almost everything we wanted to explore was in walking distance. We explored mosques and museums, had lunch and dinner in small authentic restaurants and enjoyed a "juice break" of freshly squeezed pomegranate juice in a little juice stall not far from our hotel. We spent one windy day on a boat going up the Bosphorus to where it connects with the Black Sea. On our return we visited the fabulous Spice Market (see Spice Market in Istanbul post) which is a feast for the senses. I purchased a variety of spices, herbs, some dried tea flowers, apple tea and a traditional Turkish tea set.

Before leaving for Istanbul I had searched the web for Turkish cooking classes held in English and found Cooking Alaturka - Turkish cooking courses and a restaurant run by Eveline Zoutendijk, who together with her chef Feyzi provides novices and experienced cooks alike with an insight into Turkish cuisine. The establishment was located very close to our hotel, so on Friday morning I set out with my two daughters to attend the 5-hour class. Twelve other students from all over the world joined us for this class. We prepared a five-course meal - spicy red lentil soup, zucchini patties with cheese, green beans with tomatoes and a lamb stew on an eggplant puree. For desert we had walnut-stuffed figs. The cooking course is very hands-on, the chef demonstrates and assists, but the students prepare the whole meal.When lunch was ready, we all sat down at a beautifully set table and enjoyed a delicious meal. Unfortunately, the photos I had taken did not turn out well, but please check out their web site at http://www.cookingalaturka.com/ for more information.

A Dream Come True - A Cooking Class in Italy

Villa Pandolfini

Good Tastes of Tuscany is the name of the cooking school in Tuscany I attended in September 2010. The school promised to offer what I was looking for - a good balance between cooking, trips to the surrounding areas and some wine tasting. The eight-day program took place at Villa Pandolfini, a 15th century castle in Lastra a Signa just outside of Florence. My accommodations were in the Limonaia, which used to be the orangery and winter garden, and included two large bedrooms and a huge kitchen and living/dining room (which I shared with one of the other guests).



Taught by two Italian chefs, the classes included four 5-hour hands-on cooking lessons, wine and balsamic vinegar tastings (the wine tasting was in Montalcino where we tasted the famous Brunello), a day trip to Florence with a visit to the market,  a visit to Poggio a Caiano, one of the Medici villas in that area, a wonderful dinner at Enrico Caruso's villa and much more. There was enough free time to plan a few extra excursions. With a couple of course participants I went to Pisa and Cinque Terre where the scenery is absolutely stunning.




The cooking classes were fantastic - very well planned, well instructed and the end result tasty! They all included an appetizer, first and main courses and dessert. Course participants received a copy of the school's cookbook and an apron. I have tried many of the recipes at home with great success.

If interested, take a look at Good Tastes of Tuscany http://www.tuscany-cooking-class.com/ and Villa Pandolfini http://www.villapandolfini.com/. I highly recommend it!