First day's dinner!

One of my most favorite dishes in Turkey is Enginar (artichoke hearts). I first saute 1 chopped onion, 1 diced carrot, and 1 cup of FRESH peas in 1/3 cup of good olive oil before adding the potatoes for a few more minutes.

Take a GOOD look! The Sebzeci (vegetable salesperson) at the outdoor Thursday market (and everywhere in Turkey starting in mid-May) trim off the leaves, the stem, the choke, and only sell the artichoke hearts. But these hearts are 4" in diameter! They sell them in lemon water so they don't turn brown. I haven't yet tried to convince them to give me some of the tender leaves as they simply reserve these for the animals.

The hearts are placed in the same pot as the sauted vegetables and covered with hot water. I add about 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, 2 teaspoons of sugar, the juice of half a lemon, and half a bunch of chopped fresh dill. Cook at a slow boil for about 30-40 minutes until artichokes are done. Let them cool in the pot so that they don't turn color. Once the pot is cool, move to a container that you can cover tightly and place in the refrigerator.

Enginar is a first course meze and sets the stage for the rest of the meal. Everyone loves them!

Funny story here....Sumer thought this was pazı - a vegetable cooked like spinach - but this isn't pazı, it's Akdeniz Bürülcesi. I would love to find out how it's grown.

I simply boiled this in salted water, strained well, cooled. Added good yoğurt (full fat) with crushed garlic and a little more salt. Yummy, but not easy to eat as there is a woody part on the inside of the beanlike structure. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know as we really like the taste!

Good old standby - sauted chicken breasts with green onion and taragon. I added a little pekmez (grape molasses) mixed with a little hot water and let the chicken cook a few minutes. It gave the chicken a nice color and a bit of a tart taste which we like.

First night on the balcony - hubby is 'jet-lagged' - Bosphorus and the old city in the background!