At the end of August I made the trek back to my Indiana hometown to catch the last days of summer with my family. My older sister is a talented baker with seemingly limitless creativity and energy; her two girls are fruit fiends and popsicle addicts. Rather than have them eat processed grocery store popsicles …
Author: KeshkekMeshkek
I am an American cook who has been living in Istanbul for the last 6 years. Wife to a Turkish musician, mom to a rescue mutt, traveler, eater and fan of the Black Sea village life.
Pickled Okra with Dill and a Kick
The poor little okra is a vegetable with a bad rap. They can’t help that they are slimy. I don’t mind the slime, but for those who do, pickling is a great way to preserve the taste of okra while eliminating the slime. Pickled okra are nice and crisp. They are great eaten on their …
Feseli: Azerbaijani Spiced Flatbread
I recently spent several weeks in Azerbaijan and I am trying to recreate and share some of the dishes we ate in the various towns. One of the day trips we made from Baku was to a village in Northeastern Azerbaijan called Lahic, a tiny village of less than 1000 people known for their copper …
A day on the Bosphorus
The Bosphorus strait is a waterway which divides Istanbul separating the European side from the Asian continent. It also connects the Sea of Marmara with the Black Sea and is one of the busiest waterways in the world. The shores of the Bosphorus are densely packed with restaurants, cafes, Ottoman mansions, parks, hotels and gardens …
Father-in-Law’s Garlicky Pickled Green Peppers
As mentioned in a previous post, my in-laws are currently staying with me and my father-in-law really enjoys going to the market. He likes to buy things in great quantity. Recently when he had the feeling that the price of potatoes and onions was going to go up, he started to stockpile kilos and kilos of …
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Chicago Style Giardiniera and Slow Cooker Italian Beef
I grew up near Chicago home of the Italian beef sandwich which is believed to have been created by Italian immigrants working in the stockyards. They had access to undesirable, tough cuts of beef which they then roasted and braised in herbs and garlic to make tender. Through necessity the sandwich was born. These days …
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Azerbaijani Herbed Kükü
Earlier this July my friends and I embarked upon a tour of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Georgia. Both of these countries are Turkey’s neighbor to the east. While Georgia is geographically closer to Turkey, culturally Azerbaijan is much more similar. They are a predominantly Muslim country who speak a Turkic language so the basics …
Şeker Bayramı, Sugar Festival!
Ramadan is finally finished and we are now into the 3 day holiday period known as Şeker Bayramı, or Sugar Festival. The name is given for all the candy that is handed out to children as they go door-to-door wishing their elders a ‘good Bayram.’ If I could make a cultural comparison I would say …
Fermented Salsa
This recipe combines two of my favorite things: fermentation and Mexican food. I love tacos, to the point that when we go back to the states my husband actually gets frustrated with me about the number of tacos we eat. But I am like, welcome to my world. It’s kebabs 365 days a year, I …
Spring Stinging Nettle Spanokopita
A tradition I love that is still going strong are the weekly vegetable markets that set up in neighborhoods across the city. Some of them block off streets, wreaking havoc on the traffic. Old ladies who may elbow you to get the best produce then toddle home carrying their hard won kilos of tomatoes, eggplants …
Keshkek Meshkek 