Give turkeys a break!- Enter the new year with smoked salmon!

We "traditionally" cook turkey in Turkey for new year's eve dinners.  We have pretty much everything about Christmas in Turkey but they are labeled as new year's.  Santa comes on new year's eve, the gifts are collected under the new year tree, and we eat Turkey on new year's eve.

Here is a proposition to let turkeys in Turkey have a break this year!!!  And for you to enjoy new flavors on Christmas or new year's eve.  Enter the new year with smoked salmon for a delicious year ahead!!!  Delicco, a company founded by my friends and my brother, is offering a 20% on discount on the freshest smoked salmon available in Turkey.  They are already preparing smoked salmon for the dinners and parties at the best hotels and restaurants in Istanbul for new  year's eve.  Let them also prepare some for you!!!

Visit http://www.somonkulubu.com to order.  They also have a page on their website, serving room, with all sort of delicious suggestions on how to knock out  your friends with

Iranian Restaurant in Istanbul- Gilan

This I think is the restaurant that excited me the most in my three years of being back in Istanbul. Gilan Restaurant and Cafe!!! Discovered by none other than my mom, it's located in Acibadem on the Asian side. Don't think it's too far if you live on the European side!!! It's definitely worth the trip. You will have an amazing journey with the owner and chef of the restaurant Fehiman Hanim, discover brand new flavors and learn more than you could imagine about Iranian food and culture. I had been to Tehran and Shiraz in Iran for 7 days back in 2003 but I never had the chance to taste these dishes. What makes this restaurant truly special is that you get to eat food that you can only find in Iranian homes and dishes that are not served in restaurants!

The place is very small. A few small tastefully and simply decorated tables inside with more in the little garden in front of the restaurant. I visited the restaurant on a Friday evening and we were the only customers. The Chef owner and her pleasant waiter from Fikirtepe were excellent. It reminded me of the BYOB (bring your own beer) restaurants in Philadelphia where the restaurants were very small and specialized in particular areas or ethnic foods and had to be the best in their field so that they could compete. The young waiter of Gilan was so proud of his little restaurant and its dishes, so much so that, even the tea was not to be missed. He insisted that my diabetic mom had to taste the desert. She was very happy he had insisted after she tasted Fehiman Hanim's Zerde, a light traditional Iranian desert with saffron, rose water and rice (even the rice is imported from Iran). 

Khoresht Geymeh

For our main courses we ordered Fesenjan, Ghormeh Sabzi and Khoresht Geymeh all served with Iranian plain and saffron rice.

Fesenjan is made from very finely ground walnuts that are stewed for hours. It's available with beef or chicken.

Ghormeh Sabzi is a vegetarian dish made of Iranian vegetables. Has a tangy flavor. This is not a great word to describe food but the word that I am left with is broad. I think this dish left a broad range of falvors in my mouth, all combined together but still distinctly tastable.

Ghormeh Sabzi

Khoresht Geymeh is a ground beef dish made with chik-pea looking beans. These beans are imported from Iran and taste have a taste that falls between lentils and chickpeas. The dish is served with French fries. I was a bit surprised at first to see french fries but they are an excellent accompaniment to the dish. I recommend mixing the dish with the fries and eating them together. Last but not least, in addition to Zerde we also had sircine for desert, made from eggs, flour and saffron, sprinkled with powdered sugar. I highly recommend it all. Looking very much forward to my next visit.

All said, you must go to meet Fehiman Hanim, a Turkish lady who has spent over 30 years in Iran and seen Iran during the Shah days, revolution and through recent days up until 4 years ago when she returned back to her home country with her family.

Address:  Acibadem Mahallesi, Umut Sokak, 3/D, Acibadem, Istanbul
Phone: 0 216 325 6615

View Larger Map

Easy ad Thai with shrimp and squid

I hope my Thai friends won't hate me for this but I finally managed to create an easy Pad Thai recipe that is good enough to bring me back memories of the food from Bangkok. I think this recipe will make Thai food lovers who are distant from Thailand and good Thai restaurants happy enough!



(P.S.: Sorry for the bad picture, this was cooked impromptu and I had to photograph it with my phone).

Soak rice noodles for 15 minutes in boiling water (with the heat off), drain and set aside.

Heat 1 table spoon of vegetable oil in a wok.
Stir fry 1 half mooned onion with two minced cloves of garlic
Add 1 table spoon of red pepper flakes
Add 1 cup of julienned red peppers
Add in the squid and shrimp and stir fry for just another minute (not more otherwise the seafood will overcook!)
Add in the noodles
Add in 1 cup of sweet chili sauce (can be found in most grocery stores, even in Turkey, in the Asian food section)
Add 2 table spoons fish sauce
Mix in 3 spring onions cut in 2cm pieces
Season with salt
Squeeze 1 lime into the noodles and mix everything together
Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and ground peanuts and enjoy!!!

Que Tal - an Istanbul Tapas Bar

Two years ago it was hard to find a single good tapas bar. Now they seem to be opening one by one. Today, I want to tell you about Que Tal, the newest tapas bar in Istanbul which actually does have a bar with tapas! The owners are Ayca and Burcu, two young Istanbulites who have had close encounters with Spain and the world of food and who will be the ones greeting you when you enter their new little restaurant.

The place is a small cozy restaurant located just around the corner form Tunel on the main road that comes up to Tunel from Sishane. Just the right distance away from the craze of Tunel and Asmali Mescit but close enough to feel its energy, Que Tal offers a very pleasant atmosphere. The staff seems happy and to enjoy not only what they are doing but also what they are serving.

I tasted their Sangria, full of citrus flavors, not too sweet, and dangerously smooth that leaves you asking for more. I recommend the mini koftes (I know these are Turco tapas, but they are good). "Que Tal", also an item on the menu, essentially roasted mashed garlic with olive oil and herbs was I think the star of the night. We also ordered lightly sauteed chickpeas, cold tapas platter (variety of olive, red pepper and bean pasted tapas served on small toasts), and sauteed shrimp served with a chili sauce. All highly recommended. Ayca told us that they are expanding the menu and I am looking forward to my next visit to try their new additions.

In short, it's a friendly small restaurant away from all the chains and characterless locations, offering a menu in which you will surely find your flavor of choice.

You can get the most up to date vibe on Que Tal from their facebook page.

Address: Ilk Belediye Cad. No:5/A, Tünel, İstanbul

View Larger Map

Lemon Garlic Bonito (Palamut)

Palamut. That's the name of this fish in Turkey. It's know as bonito or horse mackerel in English. I think it's more of a Mediterranean fish as I have almost never come across this fish in the US. Browsing the internet I came across several Spanish and Italian recipes as well.

But none of them really sparked my interest and I decided to go the safe way: lots of garlic, a little olive oil, lemon, white wine and dill. It worked like a charm. The trick here is to first sear the fish and then steam it with white wine. I served it with plain jasmine rice (cooked in water only...no butter, no broth) to bring out the flavor of the fish. It's a fishy fish! So you need to like fish to try this kind.



Here is my simple recipe:

Have the fish gutted and cut into 1cm slices. Clean the marrow and make sure all the blood has been drained. Keep at room temperature.

Chop two cloves of garlic and half moon 1 small onion
Heat a small pan, add two table spoons of oil and saute the garlic and onions

Increase the heat, move the onions and garlic to one side and place two slices of bonito on the empty side (making sure that the fish is directly touching the pan). After about 20 seconds, flip the fish to sear the other side.



Add juice from half a lemon, 1 cup of dry white wine, 3 scallions chopped into 2cm pieces, 1 bay leaf, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, and season to your taste with salt and pepper. Distribute the garlic and onions evenly around the pan to surround the fish slices. Bring to boil.

Once you reach the boiling point, reduce heat to low, cover with a lid or another pan, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Place over jasmine rice, garnish with fresh dill and red pepper flakes and serve with your favorite dry white wine.

Smoked salmon pan pizza with goat cheese

I am trying new variations on smoked salmon. I wanted to make something that was warm but I didn't want to cook the salmon. So here is what I came up with.


Heat a large pan and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Cook both sides of the tortiall until crisp.
Place a few thin slices of goat cheese
Sprinkle chopped green onions and tomatoes
Sprinkle some oregano to your taste (goes very well with goat cheese)
Then remove from the pan after the cheese is warmed or slightly melted
Top with pieces of smoked salmon
Season with fresh black pepper and enjoy!

BBQ leftovers panini - grilled lamb, onions and gorgonzola

It happens only rarely but sometimes I have left over food from my bbqs. Reheating bbq leftovers usually leads to very stiff meet. Today I want to share one my favorite ways of making the most of leftover grilled meats. A simple panini.

Thinly slice whatever left over meat you have- I think this works particularly well with lamb but a steak or any kind of chops will also work fine. Of course, the more rear your grilled meat the better. If you have left over grilled onions, slice them as well.

Place the sliced onions on a large piece of bread. Place the meat over the onions. Top with thinly sliced gorgonzola or any kind of blue cheese to your taste. Season with salt and pepepper. Sprinkle some freshly chopped parsley to add a refreshing flavor. Place a second slice of bread over and grill on a pan, a panini grill or even a George Forman grill and enjoy!

Stuffed grilled mushrooms- three cheeses and greens

So far so good! We're firing up the grill pretty much every weekend to not miss a single sunny day. Several of my childhood friends came together last night and for Adana's sake (grilling capital of Turkey!) we fired up the grill. I wanted to make grilled stuffed mushrooms. Normally I would fill them with mozzarella or pepperjack cheese but when I saw that we didn't have any of these I came up with this recipe and it was a huge hit!

Wash and remove (and keep) the stems of 1 kilo of large button mushrooms (about 30 pieces).
Place the following in a bowl and blend it with a hand blender. You can also mix everything in a blender:
Stems from the mushrooms
4 scallions
Half a bunch of parsley
50 gr of danish blue cheese
50 gr of edam cheese
50 gr of goat cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tea spoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 tea spoon salt

This will create a soft green paste. To make it less creamy and to not lose any of that tasty mushroom juice (and fat from the cheese) fold in 1 cup of bread crumbs.

Spoon the mixtures into the mushrooms. Grill for about 1o minutes. You can also bake them. Enjoy!

Smoked salmon and apple

I have been exploring new combinations with smoked salmon. One of the flavor combinations that I really enjoyed is apple and salmon. Here are two varieties which I highly recommend. They are very similar and use the same ingredients in different ways:

Spread some cream cheese on an Etimek (or a ready made toasted bread). Place a slice ring of red onion and a thin slice of apple and top with shredded turnip. Season with freshly ground black pepper.

Alternatively, spread some cream cheese on a toast (whole grain with sunflower seeds in the picture). Place a piece of smoked salmon and top it with a thin slice of apple. Decorate with chopped red onion, tomatoes, dill and scallions. Season with freshly ground black pepper! Enjoy!

Cake art

I turned 32 just a week ago. And I asked for a dinner with my closest friends. And my girlfriend organized just that for me. And also surprised me with this amazing cake which was created by Nesrin Tong at Pasta Tasarim (Cake Design).

Nesrin Tong creates custom cakes based on the stories of the individuals. My cake shows my passion for food, my unfortunate addiction to my blackberry, frequent work travels, my love for cooking fish and Sunday morning breakfasts. Thank you Damla for this wonderful cake and thank you to Nesrin for creating it!

Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs

The weather is warming up and outdoor breakfasts are back on! To commemorate the season's first breakfast I wanted to prepare something that reflected the easiness of a bright warm sunny Sunday morning. Simple, colorful and delicious. Perfectly scrambled eggs on a toast topped with smoked salmon!

From foodplay

There is no recipe for this. Just scramble two eggs- make sure not to overcook them, eggs continue to cook after you remove them from the pan. You can mix in fresh chopped chives into the eggs after they are cooked. Season with black pepper and salt to taste. Place a spoonful on a toast. Then put a slice of smoked salmon. Decorate with chives or scallions and voila!

From foodplay

Best smoked salmon in Turkey: Finally available for home delivery!

Now you can get the best smoked salmon in Turkey home delivered to you. Delicco selects fresh salmon (never been frozen!) from Norway, marinates it at its production site and then oak smokes it to perfection. Hand-sliced and packed, the salmon beats everything else I have tasted in Turkey.

You can now order this salmon at http://www.sadecesomon.com and learn more about Delicco at http://www.delicco.com