Speaking of places making a difference in the experience of eating - how about eating in the middle of the sea!
As 7 good friends, we decided to take 3 days on a sail boat off the Mediterranean shores of Turkey, and worry about nothing but enjoying some good food, the sun, and the sea.
After we collectively dove into the crystal clear waters at our first stop under afternoon sun..
...Our captain, who doubled as our chef, who also happened to have a speciality in Aegean cooking, serves us lunch. Here we start with Cacik, thick strained yogurt with extra virgin olive oil drizzled on top and topped with mint flakes.
Yesil fasulye - which was prepared only a few minutes ago: Fresh green beans are cooked with onions, chunks of tomatoes (which were in season at the time, and were some of the best i've ever had), and to my surprise, also cooked with big slices of lemon, in olive oil. This is one of the best things you can eat on a summer day. Simply prepared, letting each ingredient speak equally in perfect harmony.
A fresh summer pasta, simply prepared with chunks of the amazing tomatoes, parsley, black olives and more of that fragrant local olive oil.
A mixed salad, again, the tomatoes at the forefront, sweet and juicy, balanced by the finely chopped, and always fresh, and spicy, wild arugula.
A curious plate of pickled carrots, tomatoes and peppers. Garlicky, strong, and kind of hot.
We washed all this down with a bottle of Turkish white wine: Corvus Karga. It's the lowest bottling of the Corvus Vineyard, but somehow it tasted perfectly in tune with our meals. A blend of a number of indigenous grapes, Karga (means "Crow") was very fruity, simple and food-friendly.
After a whole day of of sailing around, anchoring at different virgin inlets and bays, and lots of swimming, on our second day our chef/captain surprised us yet again with an amazing lunch:
Karniyarik - A halved eggplant, lightly fried, then filled with spiced ground lamb/beef mixture, with lots of onions, garlic and parsley, and in this case, of course, with in season tomatoes. Another Aegean twist was the wedge of lemon - which balanced the the dish's richness perfectly.
Karniyarik would've been almost pointless without some simple, buttery rice pilav. Black pepper is optional, for me, mandatory.
Coban Salata (shepherd's salad) - a perfect accompaniment of cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, and onions, dressed with the local olive oil, and vinegar.
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So we swam more, did some fishing, and tried a few dangerous things, and ended up with our grand finale meal:
Türlü! One of my childhood classics, this is a dish that literally translates "Mixed", which is a mixed stew of all the vegetables in season cooked with onions, tomato paste and any kind of stock you might have around. Depending on the season any of the vegetables can be substituted, but usually eggplant and potatoes are a must, if you are to achieve the perfect balance of flavor.
And Türlü, on a hot summer day in the middle of the sea can only be served with some Bulgur Pilavi. This preparation left me speechless: The buttery bulgur wheat cooked in chicken stock was served on a giant plate and drizzled with Pomegranate molasses. Sometimes the sophistication of flavors in a thousand year old recipe like this blows my mind. While chefs and culinary innovators are fiddling with freeze drying beats and stuffing them into shrimp puffs, the simplicity of the perfect completeness of this dish puts things back into perspective for me.
And speaking of simplicity, the slices of traditional white Turkish bread, which we purchased when we stopped by at a small shore village a few hours ago was the thing that held everything together.
And of course it was not only the perfectly in-season tomatoes, or the genius of pomegranate molasses, or the perfectly chilled white wine, or the lemon wedge in the pan that made our experience of eating special, but it was also the fact that we were alone, healthily disconnected from the worries of everyday, in the middle of the Mediterranean, even if for a few, and most importantly, in the company of great friends who enjoy it as much as you do.
The 3 day trip was a success, and it was a sign of even better things to come our way..
