Among the finest elements of rising up in Istanbul was being launched to a wealthy mix of flavors from numerous cuisines. From conventional Turkish classics and Greek appetizers to Mediterranean meze and quite a lot of Center Japanese dishes, I used to be fortunate sufficient to have a childhood full of all of them. 

Now dwelling in New York, I’m lucky to have entry to an impeccable vary of worldwide cuisines, however the Turkish facet of me is all the time looking out for accessible elements to both recreate acquainted Turkish flavors or fulfill nostalgic cravings from residence.

Once I say I’m craving Turkish meals, I additionally seek advice from different beloved dishes and elements generally present in Istanbul — some distinctly Turkish, some with origins elsewhere, and a few shared throughout areas — that I usually miss and search out right here. There’s one place that all the time appears to ship after I want it most: Dealer Joe’s. And with my mother visiting from Istanbul this week, we made a visit to TJ’s to see what we might discover that may resemble a few of our favourite bites from Turkey.

Listed below are our three favourite finds.

Dolmas 

Dolmas are grape leaves full of a rice combination, and sometimes, relying on the place you’re having fun with them or who’s making them, the filling may additionally embrace dried raisins or currants. When loved chilly, the dish tends to be vegetarian; nevertheless, when ready to serve heat, the filling is usually a combination of rice and meat.

They don’t seem to be the best to make, so for dinner events or household gatherings, we’d usually get dolmas from our favourite charcuterie retailer, Bebek Santral, in Istanbul. Fortunately, the Dealer Joe’s possibility is a fairly good match.

The grocery retailer’s model is ready with cooked rice, vine leaves, soybean oil, chopped onions, dill, salt, mint, and black pepper — and it’s certainly one of my Turkish mother’s favourite pre-made dolmas to get in New York. 

As acknowledged on the grocery chain’s website, the canned Dolmas from Dealer Joe’s “are crafted in response to an age-old, Mediterranean recipe, utilizing tender vine leaves,” and every can comes with 10 dolmas. They’ve the proper steadiness of tanginess with a touch of spice, similar to you’d discover in Turkey. (Professional tip: In the event you’ve by no means had dolmas earlier than, I like to recommend refrigerating these to take pleasure in chilly and topping them with extra-virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.)

Natural Turkish Dried Figs

My mother likes to think about herself as a fig connoisseur and enjoys these naturally candy fruits contemporary or dried. A bit drier and thick on the surface and jammy on the within, figs are particularly frequent in Turkey and are broadly produced there, relationship all the best way again to the Ottoman Empire. Rising up, she’d all the time discover methods to get me to eat them as they’re additionally recognized to have dietary advantages, together with regulating blood sugar ranges and enhancing digestive well being.

After coming throughout Natural Turkish Dried Figs within the dried fruit part at Dealer Joe’s, my mother turned to me and stated, “Do you know there’s a two-ingredient Turkish pudding you can also make, utilizing solely dried figs and heat milk?”

She was referring to a Turkish fig pudding referred to as Incir Uyutmasi, which loosely interprets to “sleeping figs.” The identify for this conventional dessert is sensible because the recipe requires the figs to first sit (sleep) in heat water after which milk, to allow them to soften and create a jam-like texture, fermenting the milk. And as soon as the nice and cozy fig-milk combination is mixed, your fig pudding is able to chill within the fridge. One creator on TikTok even recreated this Turkish dessert utilizing oat milk and in addition added cinnamon and cardamom for an additional kick.

Spanakopita

Börek is a savory pastry staple in Turkey, made with filo dough and usually ready with quite a lot of fillings — typically together with cheese and potatoes, meat, or a mixture of each. It’s usually formed into triangles, rolls, spirals, or reduce into squares. Although my favourite form has all the time been ispanaklı börek (spinach börek), a dish made with a cheese and spinach filling. 

This savory pastry has many variations throughout totally different cultures and cuisines (for instance, it’s referred to as burek within the Balkans). So after I’m craving this dish however can’t get to my favourite bakery in Istanbul, I often flip to the marginally totally different however equally scrumptious Greek pastry, Spanakopita. And Dealer Joe’s ready-to-bake Greek Spanakopita is a superb frozen various. 

Formed like a layered pie and reduce into wedges, TJ’s Greek-style “spinach and cheese pie” options crisp filo pastry full of spinach, onion, dill, parsley, and a mix of feta cheese, Myzithra, and laborious cheese. 

Simply bake your frozen pie for about half-hour till it’s crispy and overvalued. As soon as prepared, my favourite solution to take pleasure in any spinach-filled savory pastry — whether or not it is Turkish börek or Spanakopita — is with a dollop of yogurt and a facet of contemporary tomatoes drizzled with olive oil. And it tastes similar to residence.