Nazar, Blue beads & Superstitions
Growing up, I was always being pinned with these blue beads or given necklaces with the evil eye pendant. It happened so much that I remember asking my mom why I was being given more of these talismans and not…
Not all Baklava tastes the same…
When I tell people that I make and sell Baklava, the conversation goes something like this…EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Them: I don’t like Baklava Me: What kind of Baklava have you had? [Blink, Blink…blank stare ensues for a good 30 seconds] Them:…
Taze Fasulye: Green Beans get a makeover when they do the tango with tomatoes!
Before we would leave for our vacation to Turkey in the summers, we would always call my grandparents just before for last minute requests. Each time, my grandmother would ask me what I would like her to make for my…
Some Like it Hot: Turkish Pepper, Various kinds & how to use them
When I was young, my grandmother would teach me and my cousins how to eat hot peppers. I remember sitting outside in the garden and my grandmother would take one of the long, thin green hot peppers, Sivri Biber. She…
Sugar & Syrup: How they can make or break your baklava
If, seeing the beauty of the sugar cane, the heart pours out its blessings Sweetness and flavor begin to shout aloud from the root of every tooth. ~Rumi My dad used to tell me stories of growing up in Adana…
Gözleme, Turkish stuffed flatbread
Last week was all about cooking comfort food for the freezer. After cooking up a big batch of spinich and onions, it was time to make the dough for some Gözleme. I ended up making a double batch of dough…
Going Nuts!
Most people believe that baklava is just about walnuts or pistachios. However, baklava varies depending on their regions. Let’s take Turkey, for example. Istanbul baklava is predominately walnut, but it you travel up north to the Black Sea region-hazelnuts dominate.…
Kadayīf, Künefe, & Warm Cheesy Sweet Gooeyness
So, I have the habit of describing kadayif dough as a sort of “shredded filo dough.” Totally and absolutely wrong. Historically speaking, the root word for kadayif is arabic for a sort of crepe. Turks call this dough “tel kadayif”…
Fava, The Ancient Magical Bean
Rumor has it that it was the fava bean that Jack used to grow his giant beanstalk in the favorite fairy tales. Not surprising since the fava bean stalk can grow over 6 feet tall! This ancient bean from Asia…
Lifting spirits and spreading sweetness
Over the past week, we have gone from meeting friends out for coffee and lunch to home, turning to Zoom to feel connected even though there are miles between us. Not only did I feel the need to be creative,…
Simit, A Ring of Flour
One of the things I love about Turkish food is that you can see history in so many dishes, unchanged for hundreds of years. I had no idea that the simple Simit, Turkish Sesame Bagel, has remained unchanged since the…
Linden Tea & our family’s “Witch’s brew” recipe
Cold season in my house growing up meant pots of linden tea simmering most of the time. In Turkey, linden tea is the go to flu fighting tea to drink when you get that first tickle of feeling sick. When…
