COOKING IN ISTANBUL - Cooking Alaturka

This is one of my favorite things to do while traveling - take a cooking class.  

After checking around I chose Cooking Alaturka mostly because reviewers just raved about the owner, Eveline, and her chef Feyzi. 

There were eleven of us and we all had a good time cooking together and then dining on the finished product.

                              So, let's get right to it and start chopping away with the machete!

                                                     Chopping mint, parsley, and dill

                          Because of the cooking time, we started with the eggplant boats
                                                     

                                                Then on to the stuffed grape leaves      
                           The trick is to roll them tightly so that they don't fall apart during cooking  

                       Semolina cakes hot out of the oven and then doused with a simple syrup
                                                  The syrup is absorbed as the cakes cool
                                                       

                                                                   DINNER TIME!

                                    Red lentil and bulgur soup with dried mint and chili pepper
                                                               (Ezogelin corbasi)
                                   This is one of the best soups I've ever tasted and the first recipe
                                                 I will make when the weather cools down

       
                                                Zucchini patties with herbs and cheese
                                                               (Kabak mueveri)
                                               Light and crispy, no extra seasoning required

                                           Eggplant braised in olive oil with onion and tomato
                                                                  (Imam bayildi)
  While I really enjoyed these, this recipe requires a lot of olive oil so I doubt I will make
                  Plus, eggplant is not at the top of my family's favorite vegetable list

                                                   Vine leaves stuffed with minced meat
                                                              (Etli yaprak dolmasi)

       These hot stuffed grape leaves were so delicious that I don't think I can ever eat them cold again
                                        Really, a lovely dish that holds its own as an entree        
                                         

                                  Semolina sponge cakes with hazelnuts and a dusting of pistachios
                                                                      (Sekerpare)

                                    Heaven--we all could have eaten more.  So sweet and moist.

                                                                      Apple tea
                                                              My new favorite tea

     
                                                      A happy, friendly, helpful group

                                                 
                                                                     Chef Feyzi
                                (He looks so stern but he's very funny and offered great instruction)

                                                            George and Eveline
                                          Eveline runs the outfit and teaches, George is her
                                                               happy partner

Recipes will follows when I recreate--assuming the Arizona weather cools down some day

SEA SALTS

Are you aware of the variety of salts out there? No? Well, recently I have become obssessed with this information.

This is what is in my salt pantry: Kosher salt, Coarse Sel de Mer, Redmond RealSalt, regular table salt, Fleur de Sel de Camargue (my latest acquisition direct from Paris,) and Maldon Sea Salt picked-up by Leslie during her travels through England. Clearly I have enough salt for the rest of my life.

So what's the deal with salt? The type you choose can either overwhelm or enhance your food. Kosher salt is great for the actual cooking or baking of food. I love the Fleur de Sel for topping the recent pizza I made with Rosemary and olive oil. And the Maldon Sea Salt was just the right texture for home cooked hamburgers I made a few weeks ago. Both the sea salts have a cleaner lighter taste.

Table salt is stronger than I thought--when I did a side by side taste comparison it was clear. My table salt is iodized and I'm wondering if that makes a taste difference. I am substituting my regular iodized table salt with the Redmond RealSalt--I like the taste a bit better. First it is prettier, natural colors of the trace minerals aren't stark white. The taste is better and it isn't as chemically processed. Of course there is personal preference for some of the varieties but if you tried a few of these you would start to appreciate which salt works best for certain dishes.

The Fleur de Sel and the Maldon are too expensive for everyday use but both are my new favorites for finishing off a dish. Plus they both remind me of lovely vacations. I recently read that a light sprinkling of Maldon sea salt on chocolate Haagen Dazs ice cream is heaven so I had to try it--yep, heaven.