2010/09/30

Adem Baba


What a wonderful time to hang out in the beautiful area of Arnavutköy
The weather is kind of cool
i love autumn in İstanbul
After a long walk from Kuruçeşme to Bebek,i have decided to stop by Adem baba for a rest
We had an early dinner with my friend Murat

Her's the menu:
-Rucola&Tomato salad
-Fried Calamari
-Sole fish/shish
-Fried red mullet

No alcohol served
perfect for lunch pr early dinners

Adem Baba:
Satışmeydanı sokak no 2 or 5 Arnavutköy-İstanbul
Tel:0212-263 29 33
www.adembaba.com/

Bamya/Okra


İ love okra!
we usually cook it with onions,tomatoes a bit of lemon juice and olive oil
it's kind of tricky to clean the top of the okra
if you cut it too much it might get sticky
On the picture is Bamya cooked by Menekşe hanım
i love it with craked wheat on aside(Bulgur)

Here is the explanation of okra on wikipedia.org:
Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus Moench, pronounced US: /ˈoʊkrə/, UK: /ˈɒkrə/, known in many English-speaking countries as lady's fingers or gumbo) is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It is valued for its edible green seed pods. Originating in Africa, the plant is cultivated in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions around the world

The products of the plant are mucilaginous, resulting in the characteristic "goo" or slime when the seed pods are cooked; the mucilage contains a usable form of soluble fiber. While many people enjoy okra cooked this way, others prefer to minimise sliminess; keeping the pods intact and cooking quickly help to achieve this. To avoid sliminess, okra pods are often briefly stir-fried, or cooked with acidic ingredients such as citrus, tomatoes, or vinegar. A few drops of lemon juice will usually suffice. Alternatively the pods can be sliced thinly and cooked for a long time, so that the mucilage dissolves, as in gumbo. The cooked leaves can also be used as a powerful soup thickener.[citation needed] The immature pods may also be pickled.

In Syria, Egypt, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and Yemen,and other parts of the eastern Mediterranean, including Cyprus and Israel, okra is widely used in a thick stew made with vegetables and meat. It is one of the most popular vegetables among West Asians, North Indians and Pakistanis alike. In most of West Asia, okra is known as bamia or bamya. West Asian cuisine usually uses young okra pods and they are usually cooked whole. In India, the harvesting is done at a later stage, when the pods and seeds are larger.

It is popular in Indian and Pakistan, where chopped pieces are stir fried with spices, pickled, salted or added to gravy-based preparations like Bhindi Ghosht or sambar. In western parts of India (Gujarat, Maharashtra), okra is often stir-fried with some sugar. Okra is also used in Kadhi.

In Caribbean islands, okra is eaten as soup, often with fish. In Haiti it is cooked with rice and maize, and also used as a sauce for meat. It became a popular vegetable in Japanese cuisine toward the end of the 20th century, served with soy sauce andkatsuobushi, or as tempura.

Okra forms part of several regional "signature" dishes. Frango com quiabo (chicken with okra) is a Brazilian dish that is especially famous in the region of Minas Gerais. Gumbo, a hearty stew whose key ingredient is okra, is found throughout the Gulf Coast of the United States and in the South Carolina Lowcountry. Breaded, deep fried okra is eaten in the southern United States. Okra is also an ingredient expected in callaloo, a Caribbean dish and the national dish of Trinidad and Tobago. Okra is also eaten in Nigeria, wheredraw soup is a popular dish, often eaten with garri or cassava. In Vietnam, okra is the important ingredient in the dish canh chua. Okra slices can also be added to ratatouille, combining very well with the other ingredients of this French popular dish.

Okra leaves may be cooked in a similar way to the greens of beets or dandelions. The leaves are also eaten raw in salads.Okra seeds may be roasted and ground to form a caffeinate-free substitute for coffee.When importation of coffee was disrupted by the American Civil War in 1861, the Austin State Gazette noted, "An acre of okra will produce seed enough to furnish a plantation of fifty negroes with coffee in every way equal to that imported from Rio."

Okra oil is a pressed seed oil, extracted from the seeds of the okra. The greenish-yellow edible oil has a pleasant taste and odor, and is high in unsaturated fats such as oleic acid and linoleic acid. The oil content of the seed can be quite high at about 40%. Oil yields from okra crops are also high. At 794 kg/ha, the yield was exceeded only by that of sunflower oil in one trial.Common Okra seed is reported to contain only 15% oil

Special Cupcake for charity




My lovely cupcakes!
i made them specially for a charity event for ''Eğitim vakfı'' sold on Vogue fashion
night out in İstinye -İstanbul
they are Banana flavoured
they are colourful(whithe-blue-pink)and have yellow and orange stars.
İ'm glad they sold out!

Photos:Burcu Denizer

2010/09/28

Kalpazankaya






Kalpazankaya-Burgazada
Beautiful view!food is great but don't get any main course
the meze are good enough
go early and wait for the sunset!very nice!

Tel:0216 381 15 04
www.kalpazankaya.com/

Burgazada




On the way to Burgazada



Burgazada






Before summer ends last visit to Burgazada
My favorite island near İstanbul

MüzedeChanga


Before the closure of the museum,one last meal until the re-openning
Late Lunch at MüzedeChanga
Houmous and Sucuk with Rucola Salad and a Glass of wine
Miam!


Sakıp Sabancı Caddesi no 42 Emirgan
0212 323 09 01
www.changa-istanbul.com

2010/09/27

Cafe de Flore




Breakfast with Yaz,Olivier,Viktor and Christopher
Classic french ''Cafe+Croissant''
Miam

Cafe de Flore
Bd Saint germain 75006 Paris
www.cafedeflore.fr

2010/09/20

Mantı


Love it!

2010/09/15

Abdulla x Fes Cafe


Lovely Friday afternoon
i decided to go to the Grand Bazaar with my friend Dudi
fridays are quite crowded but this time it was ok
we went to Abdulla,this cute shop that sells towels,soaps...
and we had coffee at the Fes who belongs to the same owner and who is just beside it

http://abdulla.com/

institution


For a change go to Kosova,a meat restaurant in Florya
Yes i know it's far but it's fresh during hot summer nights
try the döner and rice,it's delicious
very much old school!
Tel:0212 663 84 85
www.kosova.com.tr/

2010/09/09

Le Hangar





One of my favorite restaurant in Paris
Le Hangar is cozy,and the food is delicious
i prefer for lunch because for dinner it's too crowded and loud
anyways it's a very good adress in Paris!

Menu:
Tartare de saumon
Taglaiatelles aux crevettes et citron
Daurade et celeri
Miam!!

Le Hangar:12,İmpasse Berthaud 75003 Paris
Tel:+ 33 1 42 74 55 44
you need a reservation for the evening

Laduree


Religieuse a la rose...
Un delice de Laduree!

Ramazan pidesi