The Istambul I saw...

Istambul was a surprise in many aspects but it really depends on the aproach you make to the city.

I had a pretty close idea of our itenerary as my sister had been there just a week before, however she stayed at the Cyragan... maybe yet another way to see the city!

One thing I really enjoyed was to visit the historic street SOGUKCESME SOKAGI where you can see the beautifully preserved Ottoman wood houses from the 12th century.

With over 12 million inhabitants, Istambul can be a difficult city to navigate. The only metropolis which faces Europe and Asia in a perfect marriage.

Here below a picture of The Flower Passage in street ISTIKLAL CADDESI. Worth checking but don't stay for dinner - too turistic. This is just a covered passage that leads to the fish market and features many restaurants and music.

Take the spectacular views from the Golden Horn - As the sun sets in Istanbul, its yellow light blazes on the waters of the Golden Horn, giving this freshwater estuary its romantic name, or the natural beauty of the Bosphorus. Ensure to visit all the historic grandeur of ancient times but make sure you take time to shop.

The main attraction for shopping is THE GRAND BAZAAR or Kapali Carsi with its thousand shops is one of the oldest shopping malls in the world.

I particularly loved the Spice Bazaar - great variety of spices , nuts and off course Turkish Delight.

Take some hours to see the heart of the city - BEYOGLU with many shopping streets. The main street is Istiklal Caddesi where you should look for INCI PASTANES and try in this tiny pastry shop, the famous profiteroles and lemonade.

In this same street, I was amazed with a tyny store, basically just a window to the street, which was selling fabulous unbranded chocolate bars. Check picture below.

Buy a sesame bread roll in a stall in the streets. These are so tasty and fresh.

And also the famous mussels with lemon juice.

But Istambul is also cosmopolitan, modern, actual and famous for its department stores and boutiques which rival those in any fashion capital, so if I could make a perfect day, these would be:

Stay at the Ritz Carlton - extraordinary service.

10am start the morning with a strong turkish coffee at LUCCA the fashionable café at BEBEK.

11am Sultanahmet the heart of historic Istambul and home of Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque.

1pm Fuel a traditional feast of kebap at HUNKAR one of the most famous eateries.

2pm The neighbourhood of NISANTASI is a fashion addict paradise and home of BEYMEN department store.

5pm Check out AKARETLER ROW houses in Besiktas. These used to be officers residences in Ottoman timas but are now the homes of MARC JACOBS , LANVIN and so many others.

8pm make reservations at MOREISH a local favorite.

SOME OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DINNER:

KOSEBASI was my favorite , set on a little street up one of the hills this meze famous restaurant was simple, great athmosphere and delicious food. Don't forget to order the ribs.

VOGUE on top of a building overlooking the Bosphorus it is a beautiful location with good food. Service was fair.

LONG TABLE located inside the new trendy hotel SOFÃ , this restaurant is a club concept with loud music. Poor service.

REINA set in the margins of the Bosphorus, again a concept of club. Food is good but service poor. Location extraordinary.

Middle Eastern Cooking

Off course that for me, what really stricked me most in Istambul was this.... The incredible variety of different ingredients , spicies , fishes...

I am a huge fan of the Middle Eastern Cuisine and off course had to try everything I could - my favorite are the MEZES , usually served as starters but also great as main courses. These are tapas of different sorts that keep coming to the table and are mainly vegetables.

Here I leave some of my favorites:

Humus - a paste of chick peas

Put 250grs of canned chick peas in a food processor. Add 4 ts of olive oil, 1/2 cup of sesame seadd paste (tahin), 3 ts of lemon juice, 3 garlic cloves crushed, cayenne pepper , salt and blend until reaching a creamy consistency. Turn into serving dish and sprinkle with paprika and cover with olive oil. Eat with pita bread.

Patlican - Aubergine purée

Prick 6 aubergines with a fork and put them on the grill until skin is burned and inside is soft. Cool them to handle , cut lenghtways and spoon out the flesh in to a bowl. Mash with a fork, add juice of 1 lemon, 4 cloves of garlic crushed, 120ml olive oil, salt and coninue mashing until puréed. Place on serving dish.

Haydary - Yoghurt and cheese spread

Place 500 grs of greek yoghurt in a fine cloth to drain for an hour. Beat the yoghurt until smooth and add the fresh mint finely chopped, add teaspoon of paprika, cayenne papper and 125grs of white cheese crumbled (feta), salt. Put in a bowl for a few hours. Before serving sprinkle with paprika and olive oil.

Adana Kebab

Mix 1 kg of minced lamb, with 2 finely chopped onions, 3 chilli peppers chopped, 3 cloves of garlic crushed, 1 bunch of parsley chopped, 1 teaspoon of chilli powder, 1 teaspoon of SUMAK , salt and pepper.
Mix well with hands and leave it to rest for 15minutes in fridge.
Divide into 8 balls and then work around the skewers with should have flat blades , moulding the meat until it is flat but like a long sausage.
Grill on the charcoal until well done. Also grill tomatos and green sweet peppers.

Should be served with warm pita bread, rice, grilled vegetables and onion ring.

ISTAMBUL the city of the thousand and one nights...

It has been a while since I sat down to write.

Recently I was 45 and really nothing better than a treat with my family. I flew with my three children and my mom flew from Tunisia where we all met. It was a bless!

I chose Istanbul . a fascinating city of traditional versus the modern, where you can see the remains of many ancient civilizations and their culture in harmony with Turkish culture. The old versus the new, the is a conflict a visitor must observes. The city is full of contrasts, and colorful views , markets, bazaars and small streets. Food stalls and magnificent mosques. The diverse ethnicity of the city, is another point which is worth examinig.

The underground cistern of Istambul is thought to have been built after the Nika revolt in 532 AD. It was known as the Basilica Cistern during the Roman period but after conquest of the city by the Ottoman Turks, it was forgotten of and nobody knew that it existed. Re-discovered in 1545, it was used to water the gardens of Topkapi Palace. Today it has a rather mystical ambiance.

Inside the Blue Mosque - why is it called the Blue Mosque? Because of its interior tiles, mostly on the upper level and difficult to see unless you're right up there with them.

The Sultanahmet district is the heart of historic Old Istanbul, what 19th-century travelers used to call "Stamboul."
This is where you'll find Topkapi Palace, Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia), the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii) and many other .

The margins of the Bosphorus – which flows through Istanbul’s history and heart – hosts some of the most exclusive hotels and restaurants in Istambul european margin.

Recently opened, the Four Seasons gives a 19th-century palace a fresh, eclectic spirit and off course the most exclusive of all - THE CYRAGAN PALACE.

Worth visiting once in a lifetime....

MUSHROOM AND BARLEY SOUP

Finally my most famous mushroom and barley soup.

Easy , healthy and super tasty!

8 servings.

600grs fresh mushrooms (buy a mix portobello , paris, shitaky,etc)

6 table spoon of butter

1 finely chopped big onion

1 clove garlic finely chopped

2 lts of chicken broth

salt and pepper

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup barley

1/4 spoon chopped parsley

1 1/2 c. sliced celery

1 1/2 c. sliced carrots
1 pt. sour cream

Chop the mushrooms , put some sliced to a side.
In large saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Add the onions and let it fry, then add the chopped mushrooms and the garlic; saute 5 minutes. Add parsley, celery, and carrots. Let it cook and then add the chicken broth, salt, black pepper and bay leaf. Heat to boiling.

Usually I boil the barley for 30minutes before adding to the previous mix but if you can also add it directly dry, it will only take some more time to cook.

Reduce heat and cook covered about 1 hour longer until vegetables and barley are tender.

Remove the bat leaf and put the soup in the mix. Make a soft puré.

Add finally the sour cream. Taste to make sure of salt and pepper.

Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Add the reserved sliced mushrooms and saute 5 minutes.

Place soup in the plates and add finally the sauted mushroom and some fresh parsley.

Today teenagers

They have it all - could this be the reason?

Often I feel in a middle of an hurricane...

Is there a book that teaches how to deal with youth today?

The teenage years - what a difficult period for us as the parent but for the teenager as well.

Were we , as well , difficult teenagers?

Most parents would ask how to deal with teenagers since this age is really where independence and individuality is cultivated. But in the end , i think we should not worry too much as a lot of parents have gone through their child’s own teenage years and most of them have actually succeeded.
For me the key is - LISTEN , listen very carefully.

After puberty, most kids think they are already adults ready to face the world; luckily, parents are wise enough to know that this is not true.

However, parents may think too little of their teens to a point that they still treat them as kids whose ideas are just kid stuff.

Listen to what they say first before saying what you think. Oftentimes, parents just automatically deflect anything their teens have to say, this in turn makes the teenager just act like their parents.

When teenagers give their perspective, acknowledge it even if you do not agree. It is important for teenagers to know that you have heard their opinion on things.

To deal with teenagers, imagine yourself in your teenager’s shoes. You were also a teenager years or decades ago and you should know how difficult such times were.

However i think we should not rely too much on our own experiences because our teen are probably facing different challenges in life , it is a different world. A lot of parents say things like “I know better because I have been there” in hopes of preventing their children from doing something but were we really under the same circumstances?

Another way to deal with teenagers is to avoid making use of labels when talking to our child, especially during arguments.

Labels can hurt a lifetime and will easily get in their minds.

What matters is that you are there for them at this critical stage with much love and understanding. With an open mind and a sound heart you would be able to know how to deal with teenagers.

I read a wondeful book from a Brazilian Teenager Psychologist and here's some of his quotes.

How can you deal with your teen?
Here are some tips:

1) Do not invade their privacy and read their diary. If you must, make sure he/she never finds out. Their diaries may have traps-- my own diary had strands of hair on certain pages so when they were gone, I knew someone had opened my diary.
2) Respect him/her. If you expect him/her to respect you, show him/her respect so you play the part of a role model.

3) Accept the fact that their friends and their life outside matters more to them than life at home. No matter how much you slave for them, how much time you spent on dinner or breakfast, at the office with a bitch-ass boss-- your teen will always think of him/herself first and his/her friends, popularity, dating, and the latest gadgets, doo-das they want you to buy for them.

4) Don't yell. The more you yell, the more they yell back. If they ignore you, you can try to ignore them.

5) If all else fails and you are a mother, and your teen is out of control, have a sob-session. Cry in front of him/her. Explain to him/her your feelings and why you are worried. If you have a daughter, she might cry along with you.

6) Do not resort to violence. I am sick of seeing parents slapping around their children-- from three year olds to 18, 19, 20. Sickening.

7) Sit down and have a talk with him/her. Remember, there are always two sides or more to a story. Maybe you are the one at fault. Your teen may not be as stupid and immature as you may think. (though studies have shown people do not fully develop their brain to make wise decisions until after the age of 24)

8) Be involved but don't pry. Don't spoil him/her. Don't give in to far-fetched demands. Teach, show, and be patient.Good luck!

TEA TEA TEA

What an original idea of serving tea.

I saw this for the first time in a restaurant in Rio de Janeiro called ZUKA where the tea is actually a bunch of great flavoured leaves that you can mix match at your tasting.



Bring water to boil and bring to the table a tray of different flavours:

Lemon zest

Cinnamon sticks

Mint leaves

Lemon grass leaves

Ginger stickes

Rose blossoms

and now use your imagination...

Add at your taste or all in your cup and pour the hot water. Let it infuse for at least 5min.

Aspargus Tarte

This is a simple tart that you will be making many times for sure...

Take few layers of filo pastry and brush them with butter all the way to the corners.

Lay the filo in a baking tray (preferably using a removable bottom) and make sure the filo is bigger than the tray so you can curl it inside after.

Put around 200grs of green fresh aspargus in boiling water and leave it to cook around 5 minutes. Remove from water.

Cook 3 small potatoes without skin and after remove from water and mash them roughly.

In a large tin, place the mashed potatoes, 100g of cheddar cheese, 100g of a strong dry cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg and 2,5 dl of fresh cream.

Add now 3 eggs and mix well.

Put the mix in the filo pastry and cover with the aspargus. Brush with butter and take to the oven for 25 minutes.

Serve cold.

IT'S SUMMER... BEST CESAR SALAD EVER

This is the best Cesar Salad I ever tried...
It is Summer and we feel for salads and light meals.

Here's how:
In a big woden bowl place 4 anchovies and 2 garlic cloves - crush them together with a fork and then add sea salt, fresh grounded pepper and 1 lemon juice , 1 tea spoon of english sauce and 1/2 tea spoon of dijon mustard. Mix well and finally add 1 egg yoke. Mix again and slowly add olive oil in a mixer.
Put all the lettuce leaves in the bowl, add the sauce and the bread croutons.
Mix and finally add the boiled egg and the parmesan.

Optionally you can also add a grillet chicken breast.

Great meal!!!

My Spring Garden

MY GARDEN

What a joy to finally be able to be outside and enjoy the sun in my garden!

I have spent the weekend planting the last buganvilles, while I searched for the new flowers and surprised my eyes with beauty.

My friends offered me orange trees that we then planted on blue outside pots , it tooks us a while to figure out the best way to plant them but it as worthwhile as it looks wonderful.

I saw for the first time in my garden the flower of the banana tree here below, glowing on a silver purple dress looking like the queen of the garden.

Crazy little thing called love

After millions of definitions for the word Love we still question ourselves – what is exactly the best way to define love?
Well, although it is such an old fashion subject I still want to write about it.
Love it’s too complex to define and every person in the universe will always have a different definition because you can only describe it the way you feel it.
Love walks many roads and shows some mysterious ways.
Is love the same across the world? Do people react and love the same way?



Is love in India the same as in Sweden or in Portugal?
Yes, love is the same, it is the way you expose and show it ,that is different.

For me it is like a father that does not want to hug his child – will this father loves less? No, it is the way people react that is different.
Will an old person love their pet, a singer loves their music, a cook loves their food, a husband loves their wife or a mother loves their child the same way?
Yes, the difference is how much you give of yourself.

Love will only reveal if you are you, real and exposed, fearless, sad or happy.
Love is when a smile becomes your reason to live, a reason to be grateful.
Love is when you can’t imagine life without that person.
Love is baking a cake with my mom on rainy Saturday’s.
Love is my baby brother saying «you are beautiful»
Love is butterflies on your stomach
Love is in the small details, the strong hand shake, the hug you give.
Love is partnership, union and complicity.
Love is friendship.
Love is my grandmother giving herself to all of us.
Love is my friends, our laughing moments, our sad moments, our fights.
Love is a battlefield.
Love is believing.
Love is how happy you can get for making someone happy.
Love is holding hands on Christmas Eve.
Love is singing out loud my joy for living
Love is attention
Love happens to soul mates – friends, boyfriends, family
You cannot search for love, it just happens, you just feel it, you just can’t stop thinking about it.

Why do people sometimes say “This crazy thing called Love”?
Just because love makes you change, makes you wanna dive in an ocean of happiness and peace, makes you do things that sound and look crazy to others but to you they make all the sense .
Love is never quite what you think.

Rio de Janeiro - City of Arts (April 2009)

As usually, I always make sure to take time for some cultural treats as Rio is a fascinating city in what concerns art, music, theatre.

From what I saw, I would like to recommend:

• The exhibition of Os Gemeos at the CCBB



• The theater A Gloriosa
  

The CCBB is in the heart of the city and is showing works of the duo Os Gêmeos (Portuguese for The Twins) which are graffiti artist identical twin brothers (born 1974) from São Paulo , Brazil, whose real names are Otavio and Gustavo Pandolfo.

They started painting graffiti in 1987 and gradually became a main influence in the local scene, helping to define Brazil's own style.

Their work often features yellow-skinned characters - taken from the yellow tinge both of the twins have in their dreams - but is otherwise diverse and ranges from tags to complicated murals.

Subjects range from family portraits to commentary on São Paulo's social and political circumstances, as well as Brazilian folklore. Their graffiti style was influenced by both traditional hip hop style and the Brazilian graffiti movement.

THEATER «A GLORIOSA» at the Fashion Mall theater.

The theater was also a great experience as Marilia Pera is one of the greatest brazilian artists and she performs magnificiently the role of Florence Foster Jenkins in A GLORIOSA.

It tells the true story of a rich american girl that after her father death , decided to invest all her money on a carreer as singer but she never had talent and despite that she ended up singing at the famous Carnegie Hall in NYC.

NOBU Matsuhisa - The best of Japan abroad?

The international celebrity chef Nobu is known for his fusion cuisine which blends traditional Japanese dishes with Peru and Argentine ingredients.

Who amongst the passionate for Japanese food, don’t know NOBU?

Nobu Matsuhisa is a visionary who dared to challenge the deep roots of the gastronomic traditions of his home country while facing a lot of controversy and reactions from colleagues.

He changed some of the most traditional recipes and before he opened his first restaurant in NYC , he presented his ideas to chefs and opinion leaders but the comments where quite disappointing - «will give you no more than 6 months to close down…» - chefs in Japan are very conservative.

He is the founder of the new Japanese cuisine.
He brought to the traditional world of sushi , the flavours and spices of countries like Peru where he lived.

It has been difficult to somehow consolidate restaurants such as NOBU in very competitive cities such as NYC or London, as you need to have constant new offers.

Off course that in this case , it also helps to have a great team of celebrity supports that include Bill Clinton, Tony Blair , etc in addition to a celebrity partner – Robert de Niro.
Today, NOBU is a total of 22 restaurants across the 9 countries and it is only down to the already famous obsessive training to his staff, that the quality of food and service is guaranteed – everyone has o follow the NOBU philosophy which does not accept:

- Cooks without ambition
- Dish without soul
- Manager with bad face

The staff is trained to make the visit to the restaurant an experience out of the ordinary. If this happens , the customer will return.
It is curious that Tokyo is the city in the world that gathers the biggest number of restaurants featuring Michelin stars , however so traditional , conservative and closed culture.

I believe that in this business the secret is to be humble and always open new ideas, gastronomy is a parallel world in which people can spend hours debating on a mushroom.

I also belong to this tribe.

Magical Black Garlic

It was not until recently that I discovered the power of this ingredient - this is no ordinary garlic.

Black garlic is unlike anything you’ve ever tried before and hopefuly you are lucky enough to try it.
This is simple food with a wonderful flavor. Black garlic is sweet yet savory. It has a tender, almost jelly-like texture.

Hard to believe, but true. It’s as delicious as it is unique.
However Black Garlic is not Raw Garlic - Imagine garlic without all of the annoying stuff. Bad breath? Odor?

We’re talking about two distinct flavors. So you can keep eating garlic , just make sure you start eating black garlic.
It is almost like wine , it gets better with age.

In addition Garlic black a whole lot of benefits for your Health
In Taoism mythology, black garlic was rumored to grant immortality. there’s no doubt that black garlic is great for your health as it has twice as many antioxidants as raw garlic.

Black garlic is all-natural. It’s aged for a month in a special fermentation process under high heat, where it develops its darker color, softer texture, and sweeter taste.

I recommend this wonderful soup:

Black Garlic and Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

■ 3 tablespoons of olive oil

■ 1 carrot very finely diced

■ 1 onion very finely chopped

■ 1 stick of celery very finely chopped

■ 1 400g can of chopped tomatoes

■ 3 cloves of peeled black garlic

■ 1 tablespoon of tomato puree

■ 1 - 2 teaspoons of caster sugar (to taste)

■ 1 teaspoon of dried oregano

■ Salt and black pepper

1. Pour the olive oil into a large pan. Heat until hot. Add the carrot, onion and celery and sweat until soft but not coloured.

2. Crush the black garlic cloves and add to the vegetables.

3. Pour in the chopped tomatoes.

4. Add the tomato puree and oregano. Season with salt and black pepper.

5. Simmer for 45 minutes to an hour on a very low heat. If the sauce is too thick add a little hot vegetable stock.

6. Check for seasoning and then add sugar to taste.

Almond Blossom

Each February when the Spring starts raising , the counties across Portugal join efforts once more to celebrate another «Blossoming Douro» or «Blossoming in Algarve» Festivals, in honour of the wonderful sight of the almond blossom that covers the landscape with a white mantle.

The almonds in blossom are Portugal’s announcement of spring, an echo of how China’s plum tree flowers greet the lunar New Year. In fact, the almond tree is closely related to plums, peaches and apricots.
But what about those flowers? This branch, among its many other magical properties, burst into bloom signifying “the exclusive right to the priesthood of the tribe of Levi.”

One of the loveliest times to visit the Algarve region of Portugal is late January when the Almond trees are smothered in blossom and a gentle sun warms the earth.

I think it is one of the most beautiful periods of my country...

S. Gabriel Restaurant Almancil Portugal

It is long due for me to write about this restaurant, one of my favorites in the Algarve.

Outside stunning landscaped gardens welcome the guests before they enter the walls of the villa.

Anyone entering the Sao Gabriel is immediately aware of just how warm is the front of house manager Susy , an effervescent presence and charm personified.

This is the difference, the atmosphere only long experience , dedication and passion from Susy and owner Rudi can produce.
An effortless balancing act between familiarity and professionalism: a Fine line , making guests feel at easy , special and incredibly welcome.
I know Susy for many years and try to go back every year because she is one of those special persons that make what they are suppose to be doing.

This one star Michelin restaurant serves the perfect food , modern and balanced, using fresh local organic ingredients presents a lighter mediterranean cuisine.

Excellent!

The New Star of RB Music Janelle Monáe

I have heard from my mother about a new RB singer called Janelle Monáe.

For the first time i heard her voice i was "confused" because that voice remainded me so much of Beyoncé and other huge music idols like James Brown.

Janelle has a very different way of singing and expressing her feelings on the lyrics she writtes,she has also a different style thefact she uses smoking suits...

She considers herself very "Rare" but incredibly cool in her music and also thinks she is a leader and a business woman.

Studied in New York but moved right away to Atlanta to look for her dream of being a Star and it was there that she started her way on music path.

She's a great artist and in only a few months she has been considered one of the best 'Negro' voices of all times.

My bucket List

Some dreams live on in time forever

These dreams, you want with all your heart

And I'll do whatever it takes

Follow through with the promise I made

Put it all on the line

What I hoped for at last would be mine

If I could reach, higher

Just for one moment touch the sky

This is beautiful poem I read once and which has inspired me to put on paper the list of thing I want to do in my life.

The movie "My bucket list" and the nostalgic winter of Portugal, helped me realizing that we all should have a list of the dreams and goals to achieve on a lifetime.

This list will have to power to help us dream , to help us get the courage, the faith and hope for the days to come.

The bucket list is what you are running for.

I have a simple dream

• To have more time for me and my family.
• To live in a different country for one year.
• To adopt a child from a needed country.
• To spend time voluntary work in Africa.
• To own a retirement home.
• To learn a new language or more.
• To have a purifying holiday in some holistic place on earth.
• To go on a cake decoration course .
• To go on a flower arrangement course.
• To go on a photography course.
• To make a round-world trip.
• To live enough so I can see my grandchildren.
• To have a holiday with my best friends.
• To own a small restaurant where I could cook every day .