Traveling to Turkey by way of Arizona

My dreams of an international cooking club really do exist in this country.  I had to fly to Arizona to find it.  There, in the beautiful, mountainous environment of Prescott, a diverse collection of dog-loving foodies have found each other and assembled.  Monthly, a themed dinner materializes through the combined efforts of this talented and eclectic group.  The setting is astounding....

High up on a boulder-strewn hill, in view of Thumb Butte,  a "green" and purple modernistic castle of sorts with lots of eye appealing views and a very well designed assemblage of entertainment space and high end kitchen equipment.  This night, the theme, as drawn out of a hat the month before, is Turkey.

I am guilty of misjudging this cuisine.  Pass the hummus and grape leaves?  But after my niece traveled to Istanbul on Semester at Sea, she proclaimed Turkish food her favorite, and even chose it as our annual Christmas Eve International Dinner theme.  So, Dec. 24th, 2007, had me preparing a meal ranging from buttery turkish rice pilaf with pine nuts and raisins to red pepper-sauced creamy chicken, topping it off with dense turkish coffee and pistachio baklava.  I knew this could be an interesting choice, but it was up to the group to make it happen.

Turkish cuisine is an amalgamation of middle east and asian, and has been influencing street food in European countries, as well as in the states.  My trip to Germany last summer was laced with Donor Kebabs, easy to find in every major city as a quick- grab sandwich, rather like a gyro, but even tastier.  Common ingredients in Turkish cooking include lamb, eggplant, peppers, pomegranates, pita, currants, nuts, yoghurt, spices and homemade breads.   This night, the cooking club hit on all of these highlights.

Appetizers included a turkish take on hummus, redolent with currants and pine nuts. Homemade pita bread for dipping,  a walnut spread, mushrooms in a spicy yoghurt sauce, and the crowd favorite, Ali Nazik.  This eggplant dip,  combined with lamb, yoghurt and spices had us all coming back for seconds.  Oh, and don't forget the pomegranate mojitos that made an appearance during cocktail hour.

The main attractions were many.......an authentic Kafte from an old family recipe, zucchini pancakes with a cucumber/mint yoghurt sauce, chicken wrapped and stuffed with a savory liver infused filling, tabouleh salad with a pomegranate dressing, a thick and rich eggplant stew, and my contribution, the buttery rice pilaf mentioned above that was my family's favorite from our own celebration of Turkey.

At the end of this satisfying and transformative meal, next month's theme was chosen:  "Wood-fired pizza oven".  This is to include only things that can be cooked in said device, which will allow the group to cook and eat outside, while enjoying the summer breeze and beautiful views.  I'm dreaming about another plane ticket to Prescott in July.   But maybe there are some Pittsburgh people out there who might be willing to form our own ad-hoc themed cooking club?  Let me know if you are in.  I'm game!!!