Turkish Restaurant Week DC 2009

If you are in or near Washington DC (US) or are planning a trip to DC in the next weeks, here is good news:

There is a Turkish Restaurant Week, organized by Turkish American Association and sponsored by Turkish Cultural Foundation. Between September 18-26, 2009, you can taste traditional Turkish foods for $25 (four course) at the participating restaurants, watch cooking demonstrations where Chef Channon Mondroux cooks dishes from the Ottoman Palace. There is also a lecture by Chef Mondroux on Turkish and 16th Century Ottoman Cuisine. For more info please visit:
http://www.turkishrestaurantweekdc.org/

First figs of the season

It's the time of the season, when black figs start appearing at the market stands. Just the image of them makes my mouth watering. I know the honeylike taste of them. Unfortunately, I don't know how to stop, when I start eating them. One, three, five, seven. Oh no, I should stop now. May be one more. Or two?

A Year of Green, Seasonal Eating in Istanbul

Below, you can find a link to Jennifer Hattam's article A Year of Green, Seasonal Eating in Istanbul with lovely photos. You'll recognize the link for Zen in the Kitchen on the 11th photo, where she also talks about the olives. Yes, it's true that I cure my own olives and getting used to this taste, I can hardly buy cured olives. These are the olives I buy at Antalya farmers' markets to prepare to eat all year long. It's called "tavsanyuregi", rabbit heart because of the shape of it's stones:
http://www.treehugger.com/galleries/2009/07/a-year-of-green-seasonal-eating-in-istanbul.php?page=1