What an amazing day spent at the Turkish Cultural Center in West Haven!  Today was day 2 of a series of cooking classes that the center has scheduled, part of a series of 6 cooking classes spanning from early Dec to late January.  The cooking classes run from  1-4 pm and are taught by various woman who are members of the center, cost being only $25 for the series.  After a 2 hour cooking presentation we all sat down to the most delicious Turkish foods, prepared in front of us with the freshest of ingredients.  I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting the women of the center, all so friendly and eager to share their culture with the community.  As a self-taught cook and definitely a ‘foodie’, what I probably enjoy most is learning about the ingredients that they select.  Today I learned that there is such a thing as yogurt that has ‘cream on top’ clearly posted on the label.  I had never heard of the fact that yogurt can be purchased in various ways.  The yogurt that the Turkish cook used today for several of her dishes was from Turkey, but she said that Stop and Shop actually carries a Stonyfield Yogurt that too says ‘cream on the top’.  I’ll be looking for it when the 5 lb Dasi yogurt that I just purchased at the Indian market is gone!  Today we had the most delicious chicken soup, with a light lemon, yogurt and garlic creamy base that you would swear was cream!  And a beef kabob that looked nothing like the beef skewer kabob I had envisioned prior to the class.  The beef, small and so tender, was baked with small pieces of lightly fried eggplant, peppers, onion, garlic and tomatoes, amazing!  And the rice pilaf, was started in the frying pan, with small slivers of vermicelli fried until lightly brown with fresh garlic, mixed with chicken broth, water, rice and chick peas.  The flavors were subtle yet favorable.  What a joy it was to sit back and watch these woman preparing food from their country, prepared with their heart.  Tidbits of Turkish history was intertwined!  We were served tiny traditional glasses of hot tea, with bowls of walnuts, raisins and hazelnuts, the latter two coming right from a relatives home in Turkey.  We enjoyed a meze, a Turkish small plate or appetizer, of threads of zucchini and carrots, lightly sautéed and mixed when cool with yogurt, fresh dill, salt, delicious!  Desserts were brought in by several of the woman, a soft creamy white pudding like dessert and a small round cake, slightly almond covered in syrup!  We left the cultural center, equipped with the recipes and deeply satisfied, bellies full and eager to share this cuisine with our families!  Thank you so much Turkish Cultural Center for sharing your recipes, culture and great conversations with all of us!

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