[EXPAT PROFILE]
A chef’s journey from the Netherlands to Sultanahmet

In the 17th century it was home to the painters Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn and Jan Steen. Today it is known for Leiden University, the oldest university in the country.  Leiden is also the hometown of Eveline Zoutendijk, the owner of Cooking Alaturka in İstanbul’s Sultanahmet neighborhood.

Zoutendijk first came to Turkey as a tourist in May 1997 to visit a friend who was living and working in İstanbul at the time. She was completely smitten with the city and, by the end of her second visit, she was determined to move there herself. In October 2001 she made the move and she now resides in Ayazpaşa, between Cihangir and Gümüşsuyu. She says of her neighborhood: “Although there aren’t any fun cafes or little restaurants around my home, as there are in Cihangir, the views of the Bosporus are superb. Plus, both Taksim and Kabataş are just brief walks away.”

Even though she lives in İstanbul, she has other favorite spots in Turkey: “I loved being on a boat in the Dalyan delta and I love Göçek and Bodrum. The coastline seen from a gulet is beautiful. Cappadocia, however, is absolutely magical, as is the drive along the coast from Amasra on the Black Sea. I look forward to discovering the Eastern part of Turkey when I get the chance.”

Reflecting on her integration into İstanbul life, she says: “I’m not always so sure I fit in here; perhaps that is what attracts me. I like the Mediterranean, hot-blooded spirit of the people, their hospitality, and their enthusiasm. But I’m definitely different. Especially when I’m doing business, I like to quickly get to the point of things. I don’t like to waste time while working.” Zoutendijk learned Turkish the same way. She studied a book for two weeks between her second and third visits to Turkey. Obsessed with wanting to learn it, she soaked up the grammar, then went to İstanbul and started to practice at random. “Now I am fluent, but I still experience plenty of misunderstandings,” she says. “Another thing I struggle with is the constant sense of underachievement created by the few things one can get done in one day,” she adds.

Zoutendijk trained at the Cordon Bleu in Paris and earned a Grand Diplome with honors, followed by one year of cooking experience in the kitchen of a Michelin-star restaurant. After that, she attended hotel management school in Switzerland and worked in different departments in various hotels, including the St. Regis in New York and the Four Seasons George V in Paris. From May 2002 through November 2007 she owned and operated the Sarnıç Hotel in Sultanahmet, where she created her Cooking Alaturka classes. She has recently opened a restaurant and cooking school in Sultanahmet, focusing on teaching Turkish cuisine to both tourists and foreigners living in İstanbul. When asked how she mastered the secrets of Turkish cooking, her reply is: “Cooking is cooking, really. In Turkish cooking the ingredients are just used in different ways. I learned it by dining out a lot, reading books and working with various chefs. I have been giving these classes for five years now. As for the ingredients, there are a few that are hard to find outside of Turkey, like Turkish pepper and bell pepper paste,  but they stay well for quite a while, so I tell my clients where they can buy them while they are here. The classes are set up in a way that allows people to just take one half-day class, but if they want they can take more; we have plenty of different menus to teach them.

After her experiences with opening her own business in Turkey, Zoutendijk strongly recommends newcomers who would like to do the same to talk to as many foreigners as possible who also have businesses here to better understand what is involved. The process was difficult, but, as she points out, this was also her first business venture on her own, so some of the obstacles she encountered may have been related to that.

In addition to running her cooking school, she is also an accomplished writer. Her story “The Painting or the Boy” appears in the international best-selling anthology “Tales from the Expat Harem.” She is currently planning to write a book about her experiences living and working in Turkey.

For more information on Zoutendijk and Cooking Alaturka, visit www.cookingalaturka.com.

Ayva Tatlısı (Quince in syrup with grated apple)

Serves 6-8

* 3-4 quinces (ayva) cut and cleaned as described below

* 4 tablespoons sugar

* Juice of ½ lemon

* ½ pint (300ml) water

* 4-5 cloves (or more, if desired)

* 3-4 sweet apples, grated and set aside until brown

Cut away the two poles of the first quince, then cut in half over its equator, hollow out the core without piercing through the bottom and keep the seeds. Peel off the skin and keep a few of these too. The skin can be left on as well -- it's matter of preference.

Place the quince halves in the bottom of a wide thick-based pan. Fill each cavity with the grated apple. Sprinkle them with the sugar and pour over the water and lemon juice. Add the seeds, a few pieces of peel and the cloves, then poach the fruit for about an hour on low heat. They can also be cooked in the oven; in that case, bring the liquid to a boil on the stove first. Baste from time to time while making sure the fruit doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Cook until the fruit is tender and pink. Check with a cocktail stick. Leave to cool in the pan.

Transfer the quince halves, with or without the cloves and seeds, to a serving dish and spoon the jelly-like liquid over and around them. Serve with a little kaymak (thick Turkish cream) and decorate with ground Antep pistachios.

Recipe from www.cookingalaturka.com

Address: Akbiyik Caddesi No. 72a, Sultanahmet, İstanbul

E-mail: info@cookingalaturka.com

Phone: 0212-458-5919

Fax: 0212-458-5999