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Glorious South Coast of Turkey – Kalkan, Fethiye, Oludeniz and more- & Its Wonderful People

By Ozlem Warren on September 3, 2012 in Fascinating Turkey 16

Turquoise Med amongst olive trees; ever so inviting.

Have you ever been to the south coast of Turkey? Being a native of Turkey, I have spent many happy childhood holidays at the west and south coast of Turkey – beautiful turquoise sea, sun kissed sandy beaches, watermelon (favorite childhood fruit!) and delicious food to indulge; always looked forward to the holidays.

During the last 15 years or so, we have been a regular to the south coast of Turkey; Fethiye, Oludeniz, Kalkan, Marmaris and many more wonderful locations. The ever so inviting Mediterranean, olive trees, wonderful food and its people never disappointed us; always energizing, always inspiring and relaxing. Please check out the wonderful blog on Fethiye and surroundings, Turkey’s For Life ; I am sure you will be inspired by these amazing locations.

Fisherman and boats getting ready for the daily catch in Kalkan

We have been going back to Kalkan during the last 8 years, on and off. Apart from its quaint village and wonderful bays, it is the local, friendly people drawn us to this wonderful part of the world.

The quaint village of Kalkan, getting ready for the day

Wonderful pottery, locally made in Kalkan and Fethiye region.

Kalkan also have a vibrant, inspiring art scene; wonderful art galleries, artisan local pottery shops all so worth stopping by. I loved reading Turkish Travel Blog’s Kalkan – Inspiration on my solo holiday– do please check out her post on the art scene and inspirations Kalkan provided to many.

How about its people? I think wherever you go, it is the people, the locals you come across that make the difference. We have been lucky enough to meet and make friends with wonderful locals at the region – and always so nice to find them again there next time we visit!

Take our friend Coskun. He is a native of Kalkan, born and bred, has been in tourism industry for years already. He studies Tourism at University in Antalya, has worked in many different resorts so far. But it is in Kalkan he feels he is happier and belongs to. Always so friendly, can’t do enough for you kind of person, always with a smile – we do hope to see him next time we are there:)!

How about dear Buket? Another lovely local from Fethiye, with a big heart and smile. Buket is not only a wonderful complementary therapist but a very talented painter – another tribute to the art scene of the region- Her optimism, zest for life is infectious.

One of Buket's lovely paintings, what a wonderful sunflower, isn't it?

And we do love the food in the region; surrounded by the wonderful olive trees, you are spoilt with the delicious olive oil, freshest fruit and vegetables. Here are a few samples of what we enjoyed;

Greek salad with a twist; using Turkish white cheese and olive oil this time.

Turkish flat bread with cheese and tomato; our regular lunch in Kalkan, so delicious.

The pide is baked freshly there in front of you with various toppings, so delicious and you can easily recreate at your home. Here is my version of this delicious flat bread with cheese and tomato and various toppings, do hope you can have a go sometime.

My version of flatbreads with cheese&tomato, cheese&spinach and ground meat fillings

I wanted this post a little heartfelt tribute to the wonderful south coast of Turkey that has always called us back and filled us with inspirations and happiness. I truly hope you can make it there sometime – if so, please have a dive in to the turquoise Mediterranean for me too: )

Happy travels to you all!

Ozlem

Gavurdagi Salad of ripe tomatoes, onion, parsley and walnuts

By Ozlem Warren on August 27, 2012 in Appetizers and Mezes, Salads 26

Lovingly grown ripe, juicy tomatoes at their peak in August in Turkey

Lovingly grown, juicy, ripe tomatoes have been at their peak while we were in Turkey in August. These firm, sweet tomatoes have been so packed with flavor that you can just enjoy them alone, without any accompaniment.

Gavurdagi Salad of ripe tomatoes, onions, walnuts and pomegranate molasses; so delicious and healthy

But there is one tomato salad that you often come across wherever you are in Turkey; Gavurdagi Salad. Named after the Gavur mountain, part of Tarsus mountains in Southeast part of Turkey, this delicious salad is from the Gaziantep region, where many wonderfully delicious and spicy Turkish dishes come from. I love the marriage of sweet and juicy tomatoes with the crunchy walnuts in this salad; the sweet and sour pomegranate molasses dressing really complements this salad too. Here’s my homemade pomegranate molasses, nar eksisi recipe, if you would like to make your own. If you can’t get pomegranate molasses or have time to make it, try the salad with a good balsamic vinegar, it still works well.

Freshly baked Turkish pide (flat bread) is wonderful to accompany the Gavur Salad

Gavurdagi salad is an important part of the meze spread at kebab houses in Turkey, served with the delicious Turkish pide bread, butter and the crumbly Turkish white cheese. You can also enjoy this delicious and easy salad for lunch with your favorite cheese and bread by the side. We also love this salad as an accompaniment of pasta dishes like our favorite Shrimp pasta with red pepper flakes infused olive oil, highly recommended!

Crumbly Turkish cheese, tulumba peynir, butter, vegetables cooked in olive oil are important parts of the mezze spread

Serves 2 Preparation time: 15 minutes

3 medium tomatoes, finely chopped

¼ onion, finely chopped

Handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

50gr/2oz/1/3 cup walnuts, crushed – about pea size each –

15ml/1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

30ml/2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

5ml/1 tsp red pepper flakes

5ml/1 tsp sumac – optional-

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Spices are an important part of the Turkish cuisine; tangy sumac and spicy red pepper flakes add wonderful flavor to Gavurdagi Salad.

In a large bowl, rub the chopped onions with the spices and seasoning; salt, sumac, red pepper flakes and ground black pepper – that will soften the onion and enable the spices to blend in well.

Ripe tomatoes, parsley, onion and walnuts; not only delicious but very healthy too.

Add the tomatoes, parsley and walnuts to the onions. Then stir in the pomegranate molasses and the extra virgin olive oil and give them a good (but gentle) mix.

I hope you can have a go on this delicious, refreshing salad; it also has a wonderful juice, so make sure to spoon it or dip your bread in!

Afiyet Olsun!

Fascinating Istanbul where old and new co-exists; time to take it all in

By Ozlem Warren on August 20, 2012 in Fascinating Istanbul 10

Over looking the Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sophia from the Istanbul Modern Museum

It’s my last few days in Istanbul, the city I love, the city I feel alive – is there any city in the world you feel this way? Today, I have been visiting a few of my favorite spots in Istanbul, old and new, both breathtaking in their own ways.

Istanbul is a city, where old and new co-exists. I have been to the wonderful Istanbul Modern – Istanbul Museum of Modern Art- in Karakoy, Istanbul today. İstanbul Modern embraces a global vision to collect, preserve, exhibit and document works of modern and contemporary art and make them accessible to art lovers; a fascinating place to be.

Istanbul Modern is also now hosting some wonderful exhibitions like Fifty Years of Urban Walls: A Burhan Dogancay Retrospective

and After Yesterday; an exhibition of images from the İstanbul Modern Photography Collection.

While at Istanbul Modern, you can have a nice break at their cafe, with stunning views of Sea of Marmara, Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sophia.

Just next to the Istanbul Modern is one of my favorite mosques, Nusretiye Mosque (Cami), built in 1825; it still looks stuning, though unfortunately in need of repair.

Wonderful Nusretiye Mosque, Istanbul

From Karakoy, you can take the tram to Eminonu; our next stop is Spice Market, Misir Carsisi!

Entrance of the ancient Spice Market, Misir Carsisi

Built in 1664, Misir Carsisi, Spice Market is a feast to all senses; it’s the place both Turks and visitors come to stock up spices, nuts, dried fruits and nuts.

Time to shop; Spice Market

Dried apricots, figs and dates stuffed with nuts, very inviting!

Fruit teas and cezves - long handled pots to make Turkish coffee

You can also get herbal and fruit teas at Spice Market; Turks love cay, black tea leaves, but the fruit tea is not a traditional drink with us. It is always a surprise to see the popularity of apple tea in Spice Market.

Stalls and shops are friendly and generous to share the treats!

I am happily accepting the offer of Turkish Delights, who couldn't?

And here are Turkish Delights with different flavors; plain, with rose water, with pistachios, walnuts and many more. Did you know you can make your own Turkish Delights? Here is the recipe if you would like to have a go.

Make sure to stock up your spices at the Spice Market

How about spices, with their mesmerising smells and colors? We add wonderful flavors to our dishes with the use of spices in Turkish cuisine. Make sure to stock up on dried red pepper flakes, dried mint, cumin, ground black pepper, sumac, zahter (wild oregano) at the Spice Market.