What I'm eating: February edition

Plus what to expect going forward.

Dear reader,

Hope you’ve had a good start to the year! For me, it was a busy one involving launching two of my big priorities for the year for my Norwegian readers, and starting work on my new book. But also some strategising to fit this newsletter into my plans. I love writing it and sharing these stories from my near decade long deep dive into Turkish food and culture.

For the next few months, here’s what to expect from me each month. (Or, if you’re not bothered about that, scroll past for this month’s recommended recipes to try out.)

Free subscribers:

• 3 newsletters, of which one is a round-up of seasonal recipes (“What I’m eating”) and the other two will primarily be essays from travels, about food culture, ingredients, life in Istanbul/Turkey etc.

• 1 new recipe

Paying subscribers:

• Everything free subscribers get, plus

• 3 additional new recipes (4 in total including the free one)

I’ll try to get the free newsletters out on Wednesdays and the paid ones on Fridays. For months with five weeks in it, the fifth week will be a break with no newsletters (free or paid).

Once I’ve submitted my book manuscript towards the end of the year, I’ll be looking to add more benefits for paying subscribers. But for now, paying subscriptions are primarily for those of you who want to support the work I do (thank you so, so much!), or just really want all of my recipes.

I’d also love to hear from you about what you’d like to read more about. Which of these would you like to receive as part of the free newsletters?

With that, I’ll leave you with a few recipes to try out and enjoy this month. It’s very much a Turkish cuisine focused month, with clean, yet comforting flavours.

Turkish tomato soup with minced beef & pasta (Tekke çorbası)

Not the most famous of Turkish dishes, but it should be! It takes a little while to make, but the reward is a gratifying soup that may just be my favourite of all the incredible soups in Turkish cuisine that I’ve tried my hands on.

Turkish white bean stew with meat (Etli kuru fasulye)

So good, they literally named it after its main ingredient (why do anything else with white beans?). Across Turkey, there are little eateries specialising in this wholesome bean stew from Black Sea cuisine. Different versions abound, here’s how I make mine.

Turkish cheese “pizza” with egg (Peynirli yumurtalı pide)

Another Black Sea classic, which fans of Georgian cuisine will surely recognise (though their khachapuri is a little more rustic and even heartier). Easier than you think to make at home!

Turkish lentil stew with vegetables (Mercimekli mualla)

This one’s for those of you who want a little taste of summer in the middle of winter. As far as out-of-season vegetables go, aubergines and peppers hold their own reasonably well even in winter, and are – together with lentils – the base of this dish from South-Eastern Turkey. Feel free to substitute tinned cherry tomatoes for fresh. Also, this is vegan, in case that matters to you.

🔜 Coming over the weekend for paying subscribers:

Adana smash burger

I’m not one for TikTok trends, but when I had the idea of making a smash burger, but flavoured Adana kebab-style, I couldn’t let it go. TikTok has long since moved on, of course, but this recipe remains in my kitchen. And rightly so! It makes for an absolutely delicious meal, though I eat it as pictured or wrapped up in some thin lavash bread, not in a burger bun.

This recipe will be for paying subscribers, who make this newsletter happen. If you’re not already a subscriber and wish to support my work or receive weekly new recipes from my Istanbul kitchen, hit the button below to subscribe.

Until next week!

Vidar