Sultanahmet: It's Where You Want to Be.

Istanbul is big and crowded. While guide books may say less, inhabitants of the city cite 17-million souls (or more) who live within its over 2000 square-mile city limits, ranking it as one of the largest cities in the world. The city is on two continents -- Europe and Asia.  That means that part of the city is European and the other part is Asian. The Bosphorus is a waterway that divides the city and flows between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. And somewhere in there is the Golden Horn, a horn-shaped estuary.

From what I think I know (which could be completely misguided), my grandparents lived in an area called Pera (the other side) of Istanbul. More on that later. 

Sultanahmet, where we stayed, is the "old city." It's walled (or used to be), and you can still see much of that very wall, ubiquitous to all ancient towns of this ilk -- sometimes long stretches, sometimes just parts -- nearly everywhere you look. The most famous sites of the town are right here - mostly walking distance from each other. You've got your Blue Mosque (or its official name Sultan Ahmed Mosque), your Hagia Sophia, your Grand Bazaar, your Cisterns and, the most dazzling of all,  Topkapi Palace.  There's the center park with its enormous fountain which lights at night and changes the color of the water every few seconds. The park sits on what was the ancient Hippodrome. Not to mention there are seemingly countless other city sites and museums. 

The touristy part of the city is immaculate. No trash anywhere. Lovely benches and fountains. Amazing panoramas at every turn. And the Blue Mosque is the most photogenic of all. If Disney or Las Vegas had an Istanbul street or hotel, it would look this perfect. 

I'm not going to bore you with any guide book history of Sultanahmet (though it is fascinating), but this is tourist central, to be sure. 

Day 1: Dinner

We checked-in to our hotel overlooking the Bosphorus in Sultanhamet, the most popular tourist spot.  Exhausted, but because it was still early, 8-ish in the evening, we forced ourselves to stay up. So we went to dinner at a Metropolis, near our hotel. Adina ordered Iskender Kebab (Iskender means Alexander) and I the Vejeteryan Guvec (vegetable casserole). 

Anything "Iskender" comes the same way -- cooked in tomato sauce and pide (pita-type) bread in the sauce (the cooked bread reminded me of pasta or dumplings) and served with thick, plain yogurt. My Stew was eggplant, carrots, pearl onions, zucchini, tomatoes cooked and served bubbling hot in a clay dish, and topped with what the Istanbul folk call "yellow cheese." 

It is said that "hunger is the best sauce." And we were hungry and this was scrumptious. Served with a loaf of that same pide, or what I called bubbly bread.

Here is my version of the vegetable casserole.  

Turkish Vegetable Casserole

Casserole:
2 cups 1-inch cubed eggplant
2 cups 1-inch cubed zucchini
2 cups 1-inch cubed carrots
1 green or yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups 1-inch cubed tomatoes
2 cups button mushrooms, cut in half or quartered if whole
12-18 pearl onions (more if small, less, halved, if large), peeled, but left whole
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 cup tomato sauce
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:
Shredded Turkish white cheese or feta cheese, crumbled

Preheat the oven to 400-degreesF. Combine all the casserole ingredients in a large bowl and toss well. Transfer to an attractive ceramic or glass baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for about 20 minutes. Remove foil, stir. Cook, uncvored, for 20-30 minutes more. Add salt and pepper to taste, stir again and serve immediately, with the cheese sprinkled on top. Makes 4-6 servings.

Istanbul Day 1: The drive from the airport.

Once we were on our way to our hotel, what should have been a short jaunt on a Saturday evening turned into a social studies class on Turkish weekend customs. Driving along the congested road hugging the Marmara Sea, is a long (miles, I'd say) park area. The park is lined with flowerbeds full of tulips. It's April and the tulips are in bloom, almost at the end of their glory.

In this park are families -- lots and lots of families, with children running and playing. The women, many dressed in traditional garb, were mostly sitting while the men had other duties. They all seemed to be doing the same thing -- grilling food. Delicious smelling lamb, vegetables and tomatoes, from what I could see, all on portable grills.

These small grills, burning wood or coal (it seems) were surrounded by families large and small and groups of friends. Every few feet -- another group/another grill. Some of the grills were store bought, others homemade. Smoked rising in tufts above the grills clouded our view as we slowly inched along in our black Mercedes van.  The scene reminded me of a modern Turkish version of Manet's painting "Luncheon on the Grass.

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After traveling for 18 hours, I was tired and hungry and wanted only to get to our hotel. Yet, I still would have loved to join the local custom. The food - simple and humble - looked and smelled amazing.