All posts tagged: saffron

Jerusalem Artichoke and Quail with Saffron Risotto / Plato Kalecik Karasi

The title might have daunted people who don’t know or haven’t had all of the three ingredients, Jerusalem artichoke, quail, and saffron. I enjoy shopping at my tiny local market, where grocers got to know me better now and put all the veggies and fruit in one bag, not like the Turkish way, which is one plastic bag per item. My new neighborhood is much friendlier than the previous, and especially the veggie man, when I buy fresh herbs, sticks each bundle to my nose to smell and puts them into separate bags, saying “It smells nice, doesn’t it? I don’t want to spoil the nice smell so I’ll put them separately. Ok?” Fair enough. Also, he knows by now that I buy only the quantity I need. “How many carrots? Two?” “How many cucumbers? Three, enough?” The grocers at the Kadikoy market would be so annoyed if I did that and charge extra for punishment, maybe. When I went there after the trip to Safranbolu, I saw a big pile of fresh Jerusalem artichokes …

peking duck

Crispy Skin Slow Roast Duck / Saffron Carrot Rice / Büyülübağ Wine

“When a girl tries to treat herself, someone else takes advantage” The reason why this post starts with the phrase is because of what I’ve been wondering about why I cook. Yes, I love eating for sure, but would I cook the way I’ve been doing if it wasn’t for another person who enjoys it more than the person who actually cooks? You wouldn’t definitely go through roasting a whole duck for 4 hours just for yourself, would you? Well, I would have in my early years when I started getting into cooking just for the sake of experiment and excitement. And when you see the person enjoying the food more than you do, that’s the reward for a hard work. Like the slow roasted duck. Mr.O loved it so much that he brought home another whole duck. Sometimes I feel like being an Ottoman chef working for the sultan in Topkapi Palace. That’s why my mum always warned me growing up not to tell a guy I’m a good cook. And the older I …