Baba Ghanouj

1 large eggplant
the juice of half a lemon
1 garlic clove, chopped roughly
1 tbls. tahini paste
1 tbls. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven at 400 degrees. Wash and dry the eggplant and place it whole in an ovenproof dish. Pierce it all around the skin, about 15 times, with the tip of a knife. Place in the oven and let it bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let it cool. Once cooled down, cut it in half and scoop out the pulp, discarding the excess seeds. Spoon all the pulp out from the skin and discard the skin, the green top and the seeds. Place all the ingredients in your Magic Bullet, or chop it up by hand with a large chef’s knife for a rougher texture. Serve with Turkish pide bread or pita, slightly warmed. Makes for a lovely appetizer for two and can be refrigerated for up to two days.

p.s. Nikol Leitner has written in and suggested an easy way to lighten and “westernize” Baba Ghanouj and it is by adding some mayo or sour cream to the mix. I like the idea and will try it. She also suggested parsley, which I totally recommend. Thanks Nikol!

Easy Hummus

1 15 oz can of organic Garbanzo beans (chick peas)
2 tbls. of Tahini paste
2 fresh garlic cloves, roughly chopped
the juice of 1/2 a large lemon
2 tbls. of extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste
a drizzle of olive oil and a dash of paprika for presentation

Drain and rinse the chick peas and throw all the ingredients - except the paprika - into my dear, favorite kitchen gadget, the Magic Bullet. Pulse and puree, adding a couple of tablespoons of water if the mixture is too thick. It should be just light enough to turn without straining the blender. But not too liquid, as it must retain a dip consistency. Pour into a bowl and sprinkle with the olive oil and the paprika, to add a bit of color. Serve with bread. It can be prepared and refrigerated for up to 2 days.

To make a Meze plate, you can place the Hummus and the Babaganoush on a dinner size dish, add some salty white cheese like Ricotta Salata, which you can buy at Whole Foods, or even some Greek Feta cheese. Strain some low fat yogurt on cheese cloth for about an hour for instant white cheese and add to it some chopped garlic and mint to top a ripe, red tomato, sliced. Drink some Oozo or beer and you’ve got a perfect light Turkish inspired meal.

If you crave Turkey in NYC, there is always Sunnyside, a neighborhood in Queens, where you can find a couple of Turkish groceries, with most of what you need to eat Turkish. Take the 7 train to 46th Street, and once you get out of the station, you can stop at the local Starbucks for a lovely - albeit not Turkish - coffee. Then proceed on 46th, walking north, and two blocks later you will find yourself on Skillman Avenue. To the right, and across the street, is Turkiyam Market, which has Halva, yogurt from Turkey and even some freshly prepared savory pastry filled with cheese or veggies. One block south, on 43rd Avenue, and 45th Street, is Sunny Grocery, which has fantastic freshly baked Pide bread and tahini paste in small containers, always guaranteed to be fresh. I also found their prices better than Turkiyam, but they do have different products. For travel directions go to the MTA homepage.

OK, so my suggestions for great Turkish food have expanded a bit. On top of Beyoglu on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, I now have some other authentic suggestions, thanks to Basak Taspinar Degim. who kindly contacted me about this topic. Another, more pricey choice but very good, is Pera, on Madison near 42nd Street. For brunch, Turkish Kitchen has a prix fix for 21.95 all you can eat. WOW! I am trying that one soon. And Ali Baba is also very traditional and tasty. Try them all, I suggest, since one can never have too much good food. Click on the following links for more info. PERA, ALI BABA, TURKISH KITCHEN and BEYOGLU’s menu.

Once you get into that Turkish mood, you must read Istanbul-born author Orhan Pamuk. I recently was lucky enough to hear him speak and was touched by his simplicity and sharp sense of humor. He is a great man, on top of being an amazing writer, which was proven when he received the Nobel prize for Literature in 2006. Begin by reading “Istanbul” and then move on to “Snow” and even his latest “Other Colors: Essays and a Story”. Available at Amazon.

For Turkish music, I am not your girl. I still have to explore and will update you all when I find something great. Promise. But I do have a recommendation for a track that became my Istanbul anthem. The song is “Mayya” from the soundtrack of Mani Ratman’s film “Guru” and it is composed by A. R. Rahman. I wish I could say it was on ITunes, but in my opinion they are still lacking a large Bollywood repertoire. Get it instead through you local Hindi film and music supplier. And watch the film if you haven’t seen it. The Hero starts out in Istanbul, in the 30s. The photography is amazing. Guaranteed. Well, of course this was all before the soundtrack to “Mission Istaanbul” came out! Now, that is constantly playing on my Ipod, while I run, walk or ride the subway in NYC. Most people don’t know the secret that puts a special bounce in my step… But now, you do!

Onto something a bit different, still Middle-Eastern in flavor, but this time from Morocco, check out the East Village shop Timbuktu. You are going to be blown away by their assortment of Berber and Tuareg jewelry, as well as their clothing and home furnishing departments. They are located at 45 Second Avenue, between Second and Third streets. For exact business hours call them at (212) 473-4955.

This week, the Man’s Opinion is guaranteed to leave you in stitches. Thanks to my dear friend Olesya, I recently came across a brilliantly funny man, Arun Krishnan and his podcasts “Learn Hindi from Bollywood Movies” which are available on Itunes, as well as on his own website at www.cuttingchai.com. Through a series of “lessons” he has a truly hilarious way of teaching culture along with the language, and is entertaining all the way. Take my word for it, you don’t have to know India, want to know Hindi, or even be a Bollywood fan to enjoy his podcasts. His soothing voice with just the right inflections, the way the filmi music is cut into the segments, the mini stories that he tells, are just perfect! Even if the only knowledge of anything Indian is going to your local Indian restaurant for take-out. Start out with “Waiting for Love” and work your way through all of them. And also subscribe to future podcasts as one - LUCKILY - comes out every week! Enjoy!

I am re-posting this adventure through the Turkish capital on the occasion of the impending release - on July 25th - of the greatly awaited Hindi film “Mission Istaanbul”, directed by Apoorva Lakhia and starring Vivek Oberoi, Zayed Khan and Sunil Shetty. It’s going to be the blockbuster of the summer! Why? Because no one can film mistery and glamour into a city the way Mr. Lakhia does. If you need proof, go ahead and rent “Ek Ajnabee” on Italkies and see what he did for Bangkok. Simply breathtaking. Anyway, the trailers to MI are already available online at YouTube and they are truly worth checking out!

More later on the mysterious title and all my efforts to finally get to visit this amazing city…

HOW TO GET THERE
Continental Airlines connects through both Paris CDG or Amsterdam and then flies into Istanbul using either Air France and KLM, respectively. Both Orbitz and Expedia have packages, though at the time I went, those did not include the hotel I wanted, so I booked the trip on my own. More on the hotel I chose later, and why. The price for mid November, which is the latest one should go before winter sets in, is around $1600, flight only from Newark, using Continental. It is anything between $900 and $1500 for six nights with the hotel and flight included in the package, through Orbitz. OK, so you do the math! Turkish Airlines has the only non-stop flight from NYC, and cheap at $424 round trip, although I have never flown with them and therefore cannot recommend them. I recommend Istanbul as a side trip as well, say if you find yourself in the UK or Italy, you can take a couple of days to explore this magical place. Most European airlines fly direct.
From the moment one steps off the plane and into Istanbul’s international airport, it is clear this is a city like no other. OK, so Ataturk Airport may look eerily like Rome’s Fiumicino but that is where any and all similarities end. Once you clear customs - just getting your passport stamped if you have a EU one, or US citizens require a visa, which is given at the point of entry itself and costs around $20 - and find yourself inside the arrivals hall, you can get some Turkish Lire at one of the ATM machines to either sides of the exit doors. Don’t bother changing money inside the terminal, as the banks there charge a commission, just trust in the ATMs on the other side of the thick glass doors. Then, from the airport I suggest taking a fairly pleasant taxi ride - along the coastal road - to your hotel in the Old City, for 25 Lire which equals roughly $19. Taxis should run by meter, insist on it being turned on.

WHERE TO STAY
Saying that there are plenty of hotels in Istanbul is an understatement. Most of those located in the Old City, even the way cheaper ones, aren’t bad at all. I was very happy with my choice of the Best Western’s President Hotel, right across from the Grand Bazaar. The room was tiny yet tidy and clean, the staff quite lovely, the breakfast buffet a feast and their rooftop restaurant, absolutely positively an Istanbul must-see! Never mind that the menu wasn’t the most imaginative, even by Turkish food standards (you might just end up having one too many Meze vegetarian plates while in Istanbul!) but the view and the 8 o’clock cacophony of the calls to prayer from the half dozen mosques within six city blocks made the little hairs on my arms stand on ends. Still does simply thinking about it! The hotel is also incredibly convenient to almost all sights and simply perfect for shopping, as one of the entrances to the Grand Bazaar is literally one short hop - madly dashing through traffic nonetheless - across the street. In the summer, tourist high season, the room was $200 a night, with the scrumptious buffet breakfast included. It’s the high Euro/Dollar exchange that messes us up, I tell you. The President is a simple, convenient tourist hotel with a lot of visitors traffic. If you wish to have four to five stars hotels - with all the amenities those kinds of places usually offer - these are usually closer to the airport. Although,I do not recommend staying too far from town, as taxis will begin to add up, and the atmosphere just won’t the same. You will be very pampered and comfortable - in your plush hotel robe and slippers - but you won’t be getting a taste of the real Istanbul.

WHAT TO DO
Let me preface this part with a few of my thoughts. I never totally understood what to expect from Istanbul, even after reading countless guide books and watching travel shows like “Globe Trekker” on public television. I usually can get an overall feel for a place from tasting their food (which reminds me, check out “The List” this week for a Turkish culinary adventure) meeting people who hail from that land, reading books by local authors or even just seeing the arts and crafts of a region. I remember not being surprised by India, the very first time I went. I had some things all wrong, but the overall feel of the place was exactly as I had imagined. But Istanbul, I just did not see it coming, to say the least! In the guide books and TV programs, no one ever mentions the incredibly dense concentration of mosques, which is an amazing contradiction for such a secularly run country. And all the mosques have their own calls to prayer, five times a day, making for some lovely sounds to awaken to at dawn, to dine to at sunset and, I am not ashamed to write, to fall asleep to at night. There is just so much to do, I did end up in bed by nine most nights, happily exhausted. No one mentions the sea of crowds moving organically up and down the main arteries, never bothering, never talking loudly, never pushing or tailgating, just walking. No one talks about the fact that every single corner of Istanbul is a photograph waiting to be captured, a postcard waiting to be mailed. And no one mentions the great wideness of the city, the sprawling metropolis aspect of it. I know I wasn’t prepared to wear down my sneakers simply walking back to the hotel from the Spice Bazaar! So, I am being fair to this city when I say, leave all your preconceptions at home! Simply go to Istanbul prepared to be totally awed and surprised. Now that you have been warned, arm yourself with some Lire, which you should either get from the ATMs on the main roads or exchange at your hotel - exchange bureaus are NOT advised, as I also personally discourage the use of the tram to get around, as the otherwise polite Turks become the poster children of aggressive behavior there - then put on your most comfortable shoes, and I mean ones that grip the pavement too for all those hilly streets and steep climbs.

FIRST STOP: THE GRAND BAZAAR AND THE SPICE MARKET

I warn you that it will take you longer than a day to see all of the Grand Bazaar. Arm yourself with patience, and enter through the Beyazit Gate. This simply made sense to me, as I knew that I would have to come out at Mahmut Pasa Gate to have made it clear across the market, the widest way possible. Hence, not missing out on most of the goodies that are for sale there. I read in one of the guidebooks that it is useful to haggle with the merchants when looking to purchase their wares, but I found it to be totally useless, even being Italian and practically born to bargain. Globalization has taught everyone that someone somewhere has enough money to pay for something, and that kind of mentality has changed the way the local merchants do business. But if you truly like something, think about it, get a business card and if it lives in your thoughts after sleeping on it, get it. Life is one, and the memories that will come with the piece are priceless. Of course, as with anything, there are always exceptions to the rule, so you can try to get a discount, graciously, ’cause it never hurts to ask. Anyway, once inside the Bazaar, when coming in from Beyazit, you could continue on Fesciler Caddesi- ask when in doubt, everyone is VERY helpful - up to the Sark Kahvesi, a popular restaurant/cafe which is quite atmospheric. Right across from the cafe are a few souvenir shops which sell the traditional glass eyes jewelry, to ward off the bad wishes of people who do not like you, but pretend to! My favorite is the stand Niko Gift, which had the best prices and was the most honest. After stocking up on eyes, you can move through the maze of streets and enjoy all that the market has to offer. Most stalls are closed on Sunday, but otherwise, it’s a shopper’s paradise there every day! Do not miss the Turkmen wares from Afghanistan, being sold around the area of Yorgancilar Caddesi. You’ll know when you have found them as you will be surrounded by beads, colorful embroidered textiles and baskets filled with silver jewelry. And come away from the Bazaar with at least one piece of traditional pottery, even if it is only an ashtray. Once you cross the Bazaar and end out of the Mahmut Pasa Gate, I suggest continuing forward to the Spice Bazaar, known as the Misir Carsisi (Egyptian Market) in Turkish. Ask continuously for directions as the streets are small and the names invisible. But everyone tries to help and if you ask for the Misir Carsisi, they will point you in the right direction. The Spice Bazaar can be an afternoon on its own, so it’s up to you whether you decide to do it all in one day, combined with your morning at the Grand Bazaar, or independently. Once inside the Spice Bazaar, there is absolutely no way you can miss anything, but make sure to go out into the courtyard, to view the live animals and herbs being sold there. It’s also where the bathrooms are, which is the sign of a great civilization in my eyes, a place where restrooms - albeit paid ones - never lack! Inside the Spice Bazaar, I have three personal favorites. The most wonderful shop is Ozer, the one stop for antique Turkish towels, modern embroidered shawls and traditional ethnic textiles. You should not miss it and my one regret is that I didn’t buy more scarves from them! Another great place for shawls is GNHN47 - silly name, great shop - which is a bit more pricey but full of things you won’t find anywhere else. And lastly, I had to buy a porcelain fob/keychain with the Turkish flag, to hang on my purse back in NYC, from Kismet Jewellery, a lovely shop run by two cute men. Once finished with the Spice Bazaar, if you come out on the side of the New Mosque - AKA the Yeni Mosque - you will find yourself right smack at Eminonu Port. If you are hungry, make sure to stop at Pandeli, a well renowned restaurant always crowded and lively, at the exit of the market. Hopefully, they will have a table for you, as they usually require a reservation. A good idea would be to have the hotel concierge make one in the morning, and then plan your day accordingly. When you are ready to go back to the hotel, ignore the taxis that longingly await the dumb tourists on the near side of the street, as those will cost you twice as much as a regular one, but instead use the underpass to cross over to the ferry terminal and catch an honest taxi there. If, after returning to the haven of your hotel and having rested from the sensory overload a bit, you still hunger for more, I suggest a good meal on the rooftop, at one of the many hotel restaurants around Istanbul. The President - for the reasons mentioned before - and the Armada are my favorites.

DAY TWO: BLUE MOSQUE, AYASOFYA, THE MUSEUM OF TURKISH AND ISLAMIC ART AND TOPKAPI PALACE

Let it go on the record that I actually went sightseeing - I can hear the gasps from all of you readers out there! - in Istanbul. AND, I had my picture taken in front of the Blue Mosque, inside Ayasofya, at the restaurant in Topkapi Palace, on the boat ride on the Bosphorus, seriously… nearly everywhere! It is just that kind of a city, one that will make a sightseer out of me. But it is too beautiful to miss out on, and I even regret not having done more, as I still find sights that went unseen. Anyway, start your day with a full breakfast, as it will be a while before you eat again. Put on your heavy duty walking shoes, cover your arms and legs - here is my one bit of being judgmental but I DESPISE tourists who walk around conservative countries with their fat legs and miscellaneous business hanging out of their “daisy dukes” - bring a shawl to cover your head while in the Mosque and head out the door, onto the main road, the one the dreaded tram travels on. It is called Ordu Caddesi or Yeniceriler Caddesi or even Divanyolu Caddesi depending on the spot, and if you turn right on it, it will take you towards the main sightseeing spots. On the way, be sure to stop in the sweets shops and buy some pistachio marzipan, some helva or even a box of Turkish Delights. Keep walking and you will start to go down a hill. Pass the tram token stand on the right, and make a right where there are some steps. You will find yourself surrounded by ruins and trees, keep walking right and that’s where the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art is. For 5 Lire, you will see wonderful embroidered cloths, the recreated interiors of traditional homes and even some jewelry and costumes from different areas of Turkey. It’s very instructional and if you are lucky - as I was - you can tag along with an English-speaking guide who is taking some American tourists for a visit. Not a big museum, but a must-see on the way to the other sights. Once out of the museum, let the high minarets of the Blue Mosque be your guide. Follow the directions once inside, and don’t forget to take off your shoes and use your shawl to cover your head, out of respect for Islam and its followers. Notice the typical multicolor Isnik tiles. Once out of the Mosque, you will see Haghia Sophia right across the street. Make your way across tourist busses, taxis and stray tourists and in through the gates of this church, pay your entrance fee and then once inside the structure, look to the right of the big wooden doors. You will find a little platform made out of wood, where you can sit for a few minutes and drink in the atmosphere. I found it a welcomed respite and most others around me were very envious of my spot. I made sure to rub on the glass eyes pin from the market pinned inside my bra. Once finished with all the beauty of Aya Sofya, exit through the same gate you came in, and make a left onto the road. Follow it around the bend and pass the tourist shops on the left, most selling cheap Indian scarves and Chinese-made goods. Up the hill, you will see the gate to Topkapi Palace, go through and cross the wonderfully green grounds, to find the ticket counter on the right. Once inside the palace, it is interesting to walk around and check out the ancient stables, the Harem and kitchens, but perhaps your stomach will be growling so loudly that you might need to pay attention to it, before going further on your mission. That’s what happened to me, but no worry. Go through the arch to the opposite side of where you came in from and then down the steps to the right, you will find the Konyali Restaurant, where you have a choice to eat a la carte, with waiter service, or simply order something quick at their counter and eat it cafeteria-style. I chose the latter, since the restaurant had the same Meze I had been eating nightly at the hotel but for about three times the price. I enjoyed my Turkish coffee and traditional rice pudding, infused with lemon, baked and chilled to perfection. Pricey, but worth it for my tummy and the view from the place is yet another Istanbul postcard jumping out at you! When you are finished with Topkapi, you can find taxis outside the main gates, or you can just walk back the way you came. But there is nothing wrong in wandering and getting lost, as that is how I discovered an amazing kebab place where the tables and chairs were parked alongside the cars, at the curb. I would not be able to go back again, but the food was fantastic. Once back at the hotel, you can gather up your last bit of strength for a good meal of Meze - various appetizers with cheeses and bread - Kofte - small grilled meatballs - and Raki - an anise flavored liquor which is similar to the Greek Oozo.

DAY THREE: A BOAT TRIP ON THE BOSPHORUS
No one should be allowed to leave Istanbul without taking a scenic ride on the Bosphorus first. I have to admit I was not looking forward to it, in the heat of mid-August and on a Sunday, but I was very pleasantly surprised. Not only is it a photographer’s paradise, with more shots than one can focus on, but I ended up making friends with the Captain and the crew of the Istanbul 9 - a gracious ferry boat that gets a makeover every March - and rode all the while in the Captain’s cabin, with the best view of all. OK, I know what you’re thinking, but get your minds OUT of the gutter and be assured that there was no funny business going on whatsoever. Just a lovely journey which lasted, between breaks and lunch, around 6 hours. There are three ferries daily, at 10.30, 12.00 and 1.30 to go up, which then return respectively at 3.00, 4.15 and 5.00. The ferries leave from the Eminonu harbor, terminal 3. The signs actually reads “Bogazi Hafti 3″ and you get your ticket, ask for round trip of course, right before boarding. I decided to take the first ferry in the morning, to avoid the crowds. It was conveniently waiting for us at around 10 a.m. and we boarded immediately. Upon asking a member of the crew where the best place to sit and see it all was, we were invited in the Captain’s cabin, which made sense considering our question but was not what we actually meant. It was the BEST viewing spot but I had to make repeated use of my Turkish glass eyes jewelry, because of the high number of stink-eyes I got from the other passengers. The ferry stops in six places and ends up on a lunch break in Anadolu Kavagi, a sleepy village which only comes alive during these runs. The whole place is filled to the rim with restaurants, probably one per capita of the overall population, and fish cooked any way you can possibly imagine is pretty much your choice for lunch. I would not recommend salads and most other items. although a place in the middle of the main square, where the car park is, seemed to make a great Kebab. Then you catch the ferry again on the way back, the same boat or a different one if you need more time - although the queue to board starts an hour prior to departure, so most would agree with me that there isn’t much to do in Anadolu Kavagi. You can even decide to get off in Kanlica (pronounced Kanlija) for a half hour, to taste their famous yogurt. Truly heavenly, I got to taste some because of the kindness of Semih, one of the sailors of the Istanbul 9, who jumped off and got us some while the passengers stood by and waited. The yogurt in Turkey is traditionally eaten with powdered sugar on top, which slowly mixes in while you eat. A treat that you can easily repeat by stopping in Kanlica, taking a rest at the Ismail Aga Cafe and catching the next ferry back into Istanbul. The approach into Istanbul by boat is breathtaking, with the famous outline of the New Mosque looming over the city. If you don’t believe me, rent the Bollywood hit “Guru” by Mani Ratman and watch the “Mayya” song and dance sequence, where Abhishek Bachchan leaves Istanbul by boat to return to India. It is that beautiful and dramatic, even in real life. Once off the boat, you can easily find a taxi at the docks. After your Bosphorus trip you can do as they usually write on tour brochures, “evening at leisure”.

Now, all that is left is for me to explain is the riddle in the title of this column. It has taken me three tries to finally see beautiful Istanbul. But I wrote a piece about that on the great MissMakeaMovie blog, so you’ll have to go there for the answer to the mystery. N-joy!

It’s almost officially Fall and that’s when the going back to school feeling starts to flower up in me. Good thing that there are so many classes and things going on, to satisfy that craving. I will spend this week’s List section on Flamenco dance. It’s a wonderful discipline and a great way to stay in shape. I suggest checking out Fazil’s Rehearsal Studios, on 8th Ave in NYC. For more info and a rough schedule of classes, go to Fazil’s website. The place is a dance mecca and the one teacher I would highly recommend if you wish to start out is Jose’ Molina. His beginners’ classes are Monday and Wednesday from 7.30 to 9.00 p.m. and Fridays from 6.30 to 8.00 p.m. His fee is $20 per class. He has the best beginners’ method anywhere and is guaranteed to make you feel like a great Flamenco diva within a couple of months. Once you try it, you will never want to stop.

For a good Flamenco class, two basic things are needed. OK, three if you count attitude as one. But the Flamenco outfit must include good shoes, with nails on the tips and heels to make the classic sound so typical to the dance, and a good, full, long skirt. In NYC, the shoes are available at Menkes and at Capezio’s. The first is a bit more pricey that the latter, but of course, you get what you pay for. I suggest trying out a couple of classes in an old pair of Mary Jane pumps and then investing in the better quality of Menkes footwear. For the skirt - falda in Spanish - there is no need to go “professional” as there are plenty of cute ones available from either Indian shops or even places like Forever 21 and Strawberry’s. Make sure it is not too long, so that it doesn’t impair your movements. Click here for more info on Menkes and here for Capezio.

Once you get into the Flamenco mood, you will want to try some Spanish food. Have I got the perfect places for you! One is Matador, a little restaurant in the West Village which serves traditional Tapas - small morsels of foods like cheese and ham and an eggy potato tart called tortilla - and great Sangria and is not expensive at all. The other favorite of mine is “N” - pronounced “enye” - at 33 Crosby Street, which is a lounge, Tapas bar and a bit of a tablao as well. A tablao is a place where one can have a drink and watch live Flamenco at the same time. On Wednesdays, “N” has live dancing and it usually rocks. But don’t take my word for it! Check them out and call in advance, to make sure they have something going on, at 212 219 8856.

While you’ve got the dancing, the eating and the Flamenco dressing down to a T, you must have some Flamenco music CDs in your collection. Or just download stuff from ITunes, which is one of my favorite activities these days. Great to listen to are Camaron, Tomatito, Paco de Lucia, Carmen Linares and the whole Habichuela clan. Ketama is more of a pop band in Spain, but its members are all 100% pure blooded Gypsies, so the music never strays too far from Flamenco. For more info go to the Itunes store or check out the selection on Amazon.

Last but not least, to get the glorious attitude and flavor of Flamenco, you must watch some of the greats at work. Netflix has a decent selection of some of the best Flamenco movies and documentaries out there. Start with “Vengo” by director Tony Gatlif and I suggest also viewing “Gadjo Dilo” by the same director, a wonderful history on the travels of the Gypsy people throughout Asia, Africa and Europe. Anyway, more pure Flamenco include many Carlos Saura films like “Flamenco” with Joaquin Cortes, “Blood Wedding”, “El Amor Brujo” and “Carmen” these last three all with amazingly dramatic Flamenco great Antonio Gades. The later titles aren’t available on Netflix, but there are some copies left out there, even on Amazon.com. Or simply catch them at a film festival in your town, whenever Mr. Saura’s film are shown. More Flamenco flavor can be found in the works of Pedro Almodovar, particularly in “Volver” and “The Flower of My Secret” in which Joaquin Cortes has a cameo role. So, enjoy the “Duende” - passion, fire, magic - that Flamenco will inspire within you and remember, it’s all in the attitude…

Complete unrelated to this week’s list, but a true MUST DO is the Incredibly India at 60 Festival going on around NYC. For more info and a list of events go to http://www.incredibleindia.org/emailers/2007/newyork/Incredible_india.htm

This is the simplest of simple recipes, for a warm, comfy, lovely and tasty soup. Seriously, with the weather turning colder overnight, here on the East Coast, I started craving the coziness of finding a soup in my fridge, ready to be warmed up, when I get home. This truly requires no cooking skills whatsoever. As a useful aside, I always try to work with low sodium chicken broth, so I can do my own salting according to taste.

3 leeks, darker green parts discarded, sliced thin then rinsed well
1 white potato, diced with the skin on
4 cups of liquid - I do 3 cups of store-bought chicken stock and 1 cup water
1 tbls. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tbls. butter
salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in the oil, over medium heat, in a medium saucepan and add the leeks. Cover the pot and allow them to sweat, about 4 minutes, then add the potato and a little salt and pepper. Stir in the potato and cover the pot once more, for two minutes. Then add the liquids and raise the heat until the mixture boils, only to lower it again to a simmer. Cook until leeks and potato are soft. Taste, and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Let it cool. Transfer the soup to the Magic Bullet blender - or the tool of your choice - and pulse it for about 40 seconds, until smooth. Makes around 4 cups of soup. Great reheated.

I just watched the DVD of “Miss Potter” with Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor and was completely and absolutely charmed. Not only did the movie take me back to my childhood and the beautifully designed stories by Beatrix Potter, with all those lively animals as protagonists, but I never knew the artist behind the stories was such a greatly independent, loving and generous woman. She was the true embodiment of the “Happily Unmarried Ever After” chick, even more courageously so in those days, when being single meant quite simply being called a “Spinster”. Kudos to Miss Potter, and to the men who loved her. So, make good use of your Netflix account by renting it this week!

While still on the Beatrix Potter subject, I plan to run to my bookstore to get some of her books. They brought out the imaginative child in me when I was a little girl and there is no reason why they should not be allowed to do the same with the grown up woman I have become. Among my two most beloved favorites are “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” - of course, and “The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck”. Check out Miss Potter’s profile on Wikipedia.

Go window shopping for the new fall fashions at the great department stores such as Saks, Bloomingdales, Barneys, Nordstroms and even Macy’s. I mean, it doesn’t hurt to look and having seen some of what is out there, it seems that anything goes this season. Skirt hemlines are all over the place and pants are huge, whether skinny or wide, short to the calf or long to the bottom of your heels. By the time you’ll have done the rounds, you will realize that you have more stuff that is in fashion in your own closet than there are styles for sale. I personally have my eyes on a rocking pair of Chanel bronze and black pumps that I will NEVER be able to afford - or would want to - at $650. But that only means that when I do see a similar style from Enzo Angiolini or Nine West, I’ll grab it faster than the salesperson will be able to say “Those run kinda small…” Shoes!

Don’t forget to keep wearing that sunscreen even if the days are getting shorter and the temps are falling. The sun is just as bad for your skin in the winter as it is in the summer, it’s just more deceiving during the cold months. So, buy some more of the wonderfully cheap Trader Joe’s Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30, by visiting your local TJ store. For more info, go to www.TraderJoes.com.

Big breaking news! Top Shop, the amazing fashion mecca in London, now ships to the US for only 10 pounds, which is around $20! That means that a girl like me can spurge on the wonderfully fashionable Kate Moss collection, as well as choose the latest and most “IN” accessories, like belts, earrings and bangles. It is a dream come true for many of us whose only choice was to hop on a flight and end up paying couture prices for a little sweater or their well-fitting jeans. So girls, jump on the fashion bandwagon and give it a try at the Top Shop website.

My lovely friend Andrea sent this to me by email, to share with all of you. It poses a deep question that we have all thought about, at some point or another. Faced with this dilemma, should one marry just anyone simply because the world would think better of us if we are part of an official couple, or should we be with someone without any paper or ring or ceremony but knowing that person is our soul mate, even if we may not be “official”? I don’t need to tell you my opinion of course, but happy readings and thanks to Andrea for her great input.

From The Sunday Times - London

July 29, 2007

Aunt Sally Column

Sally Brampton

QUESTION - “My boyfriend and I have been together for two years. We’ve both been married before (I have young children; he has none). He is an amazing person, whom I love very much. I want to spend my life with him, and he says he wants the same, but he doesn’t want to get married. He says he tried it and it “didn’t suit” him. I desperately want a future together, but feel that, without the ultimate commitment, something will always be missing. My parents have been happily married for 30 years, and I want the same stability and continuity. I don’t understand why, if he really loves me and wants to be with me, he won’t marry me. If I’m honest, I have a niggling fear he wants to keep the door open for something better. We haven’t discussed marriage often, as he made his views clear early on and there is nothing less likely to make him want to marry than me harping on about it. I cannot imagine a future without him, but I’m starting to question his commitment. If he won’t marry me, should I end it, so that one day I might fall in love with somebody who would?”

ANSWER - “I always think that ultimatums (even those made in the privacy of one’s own head) are dangerous, unless we have thought a situation through so clearly that we are prepared to accept either outcome. I know that you haven’t (yet) given your boyfriend an either/or, but I sense you’re building up to one, just as I sense that marriage is dominating your thoughts to the exclusion of every other aspect (good and bad) of your relationship.
You know I can’t tell you whether you should or shouldn’t end the relationship, but what I can do is encourage you to ask yourself some serious questions. Try to answer them with ruthless honesty. The first is: what does love mean to you? The second is: what does marriage mean to you? You say you love your boyfriend very much and cannot imagine a future without him; yet you are imagining a future without him. Despite your love for him (and his for you), you are prepared to leave him. What does that say about love? That it is conditional on his agreeing with you? Or perhaps you believe that love can’t really be love unless it is contained inside marriage?
There are, by the way, no right or wrong answers here. There is only your answer. This is about you and nobody else. It is not even about your boyfriend: he has made his feelings clear. So the only person you really need to question is yourself.
If you are perfectly clear that you cannot feel emotionally safe (which is what this is all about) unless you have a ring on your finger, then you need ask no more questions. However, it may be that you are so set on marriage that you have not fully considered the options. What if you did leave this “amazing man”, whom you love “very much”, and met another (slightly less) amazing man, for whom you felt a moderate kind of love, but who was keen to marry you? Would the act of marrying be sufficient to turn a moderate love into a great love? And do you believe that somebody who does not wish to marry is less capable of wholehearted love than someone who does? That seems to be your present judgment on your boyfriend. You are saying that you don’t really believe him when he says he feels that marriage doesn’t suit him; you think, instead, that he is saying that you don’t really suit him.
That’s a leap of emotion, rather than of logic. You question his motives (“the door open for something better”), his commitment and his belief in the relationship. It’s okay if you feel that way, as long as you accept that it is simply one belief and that your boyfriend has a right to hold a different belief. A relationship can accommodate a difference of opinion as long as you are both able to understand that both views are valid. There is no right or wrong here; there is only difference.
Marriage is one route to happiness. It may be the preferred arrangement, but that does not make it the right, or the only, one. Try not to make the judgment that your boyfriend loves you less because he does not believe as you do. Look at it from his perspective: he could just as well say that if you can’t accept him as he is – as a nonbeliever in marriage – it’s because you don’t truly love him.
So, ask yourself all those questions, and then, if you are completely sure that you can never feel emotionally safe unless he agrees to marry you, I think you need to explain to him exactly how you feel. Don’t threaten to leave and find somebody else if he won’t do as you want. That’s not love; that’s bullying. Just tell him, clearly and simply, how you feel. It may be that you can talk it through and find an accommodation. It may be that you both decide that such a difference of opinion will eventually drive you apart. But at least you will have faced each other with an intimacy and an honesty that not even marriage can guarantee.”

I am being very, very lazy this week, but still giving you a bunch of wonderful recipes, even more than if I wrote them myself. Check out http://www.traderjoes.com/recipes.html for the goods. And in line with what this blog is about, easy delicious and quick stuff to boot. Check out some great Middle Eastern dips and Mezes coming up next week. Promise!

OK, so you have come to realize that I am pretty one-dimentional when it comes to my likes and dislikes. Quite simply, I LOVE India and nearly everything Indian. When I tell someone all about my numerous travels to India and the fact that I found it absolutely necessary to start learning the language so I could communicate with the rickshaw drivers AND watch Hindi films without the distraction of the subtitles, their first question to me is “WHY?” Until last week, I was without a concrete answer… “Hum… I like the colors of the country, I love the philosophy of the people, I absolutely crave the food…” but again… WHY? Well, I am Italian, my mom is from Napoli, and it turns out - upon deeper inspection and much more attention to details - this part of the world is more Bollywood than I ever could imagine. Apart from the obvious similarities - they are both port cities, the inhabitants of both are dramatic and beautiful, the use of traffic lights is facultative, etc. etc. - there is even a genre of movies made in Naples called “La Sceneggiata” which is usually a formula filled with tears, love triangles, heavily made-up girls and interspersed with songs. Hum… Sounds an awful lot like a Bollywood film, right?! Even the Bay of Naples and the promenade along the Via Caracciolo looks and feels like Marine Drive in Bombay. And Positano, on the dramatically beautiful Amalfi Coast, has more colorful clothing than there are costume changes in an Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan film. So take a light, short trip with me and see it all through my marigold-colored glasses.

HOW TO GET THERE

I went Continental, but you should always check out the usual suspects, like Expedia and Orbitz. They offer fantastic combinations of hotel + airline packages. The prices are excellent, especially if booking an airline such as Alitalia, which tends to hike up the prices on their own website. A word of caution though: Alitalia has been going through some tough times and their flight schedules have been screwy lately. Their long haul flights, such as NYC to Rome, are OK, but beware of the shorter segments, which would include the flight between Rome and Napoli. This following is the website for the Italian Train Lines, which would probably be a better bet, as there is a direct train nearly every hour between Roma Termini and Napoli station. It’s also a good way to view the countryside and get an idea of what rural Italy really is like. If traveling by train, two more bits of advice would include my lifetime motto of “If you can’t carry it, don’t bring it”, as the train stations don’t offer any valet help to get luggage on and off the trains, and beware of the shady characters that abound at Italian train stations.

WHERE TO STAY

I swear by the Hotel Britannique, on Corso Vittorio Emanuele. Their rates are quite good, although it depends on the time of year. Even if the summer is an ideal time to visit the islands like Capri and Ischia, and the Amalfi Coast, it is a quiet time in the city, particularly in August and on weekends. This reflects in the cheaper rates of the hotel and ultimately, I found it a truly magical time to visit. Less people, more sun, more time to linger and enjoy. If you get a room with view of the Gulf of Naples, it can feel like you are living in a postcard, during your whole stay. Check out the photo I took from one of the top floor rooms, on my Flickr account. For hotel info check out the Britannique website. My friend Andrea stayed at a place further into the center of town, closer to Via Toledo, Chiaja Hotel De Charme which is another great spot and sometimes even cheaper than the Britannique. For Positano, you can take a day trip by boat and don’t need to stay overnight as room rates are overpriced, particularly in the summer.

WHAT TO DO IN NAPLES

If you wish to see all the museums, walk for miles looking for monuments and picturesque churches and spend endless hours exploring the sights, I am not your girl! But there are plenty of books and websites that do cater to that sort of thing and even starting out with a good search through the NY Times Travel Section should do. A friend of mine from Naples kindly found me an article on the history of the city - and its unusual subterranean caves - and he is even mentioned in the article. His name is Paolo and the article can be found by clicking here on Napoli Sightseeing article . As the article states, I also do suggest taking a tour of “Napoli Sotterranea”, the underground caves created by layers upon layers of different civilizations building their own version of the city. It is a mystical, magical experience. OK, so what I do best is shop and eat and Napoli does have plenty of both to offer. Start out by taking the funicular 500 meters to the left of the hotel. The trip costs around $1.40, you get the ticket on the spot at an automatic machine - just make sure to have 1 Euro in change - and the stub is good for 90 minutes, no matter what form of transport you choose to use it on. Take the funicular going down, to the Piazza Amedeo stop, last on the bottom. Walk down the Via dei Mille, then turning into Via Filangieri, which has great shops on either side, with a mixture of high/medium prices. This street will take you to Piazza dei Martiri, where you should stop at the outdoor cafe on the south side - La Caffettiera - and have a “Cornetto alla crema” (cream-filled croissant) and cappuccino “al fresco”. Then walk down the tiny Via Calabritto - with all its high end shops - to Via Caracciolo and stroll along the ocean to get that first whiff of the Bombay flavor I now see so clearly. Watch the crowds strolling and enjoy the fresh sea air, while taking some great photos all the while. Then, it should be evening by then, take a short walk and go to Castel dell’Ovo - Borgo Marinaro - for a pizza outside, in the truly theatrical setting of a Medieval castle. Check out all the choices, but choose your restaurant according to feeling and location, as the menus and prices are quite similar. The next day, after a lovely - and included in the price of your room! - breakfast at the hotel, walk over to the funicular and this time take it up to the top station of Cimarosa, for the Vomero section of Napoli, the shopping mecca of the wealthy of the city. Walk to Piazza Vanvitelli, where you should hit one of the banks with ATM machines, to withdraw some Euros, since I don’t believe in Exchange Bureaus in Italy. They all charge a commission - on top of cheating on the exchange rate - and carrying too much cash around can be a burden, not to mention dangerous. But, if you do plan to use the ATMs in Napoli, and basically all of Italy, remember that they tend to run out of money on the weekends, so plan ahead and get the cash you need before Saturday rolls around. After getting your cash, the place to spend it is the area around Piazza Vanvitelli, down Via Scarlatti and on Via Luca Giordano. Check out the shop Camomilla for funky stuff at pretty affordable prices, especially by Italian standards post Euro. If you get tired, stop at the Bar Scarlatti for a Baba’ al Rum with whipped cream, and a caffe. Or walk to Via Scarlatti, north of Piazza Vanvitelli, and have an ice cream cone at the Gelateria Otranto. Before going back to the hotel, keep walking up Via Scarlatti to Viale Morghen, to the G. S. Supermarket. There I suggest getting some some fresh bufala mozzarella and tomatoes with a loaf of fresh bread so you can later have a deliciously Italian meal in your room. This will give you a good chance to relax a bit before the long day awaiting you next, when you’ll be on your way to Positano and the incredible shopping this little picturesque village has to offer.

POSITANO

HOW TO GET THERE

Throughout the years there have been several ways of getting to Positano by sea, which I highly recommend as opposed to travel by car on the winding roads of the Amalfi Coast. Until a couple of years ago, there was the Hydrofoil, which would get you there fast and in class. These days, the hydrofoil has strangely been retired, and the way to get to Positano has become slower and considerably less classy. Now called the “Metro del Mare” - quite literally the “subway of the sea”, it is just a glorified ferry boat, crowded with seats. But the price is decent, about $15 each way, and the idea that the same boat can be taken to Amalfi or Sorrento, if one should ever get bored with Positano (won’t happen, trust me) is quite appealing. It’s like one of those big tourist busses around Manhattan that promise a “jump on, jump off” experience. And NO, contrary to its name, it does not go underwater! The ferry port is the Molo Beverello, close to Piazza Municipio and Via Toledo. A taxi there in the morning is best and once there simply find the “Metro del Mare” ticket kiosk which is on the back side of the other ticket counters. The trip is around one hour and fifteen minutes. Check out the Metro de Mare website. They offer early rides, with 8.30 being their first one.

WHAT TO DO

I suggest taking one of those early rides and getting to Positano by mid-morning so that as soon as you get off the boat, you can sit and enjoy a nice iced coffee with whipped cream at the Covo dei Saraceni bar. The bar overlooks the beach and has an outstanding, front row view of the Duomo and the typical homes of Positano. Once your sweet tooth has been satisfied, walk up the little street to the left of the village and begin the climb to see the left side of the stores. You can even stop in the Duomo and do the unthinkable, admire a monument! It’s worth it here, as everything is just so amazingly beautiful. Then, continue walking up the step of the cathedral to the Via Mulini, which is where a greatly chic store - Mena Cinque - is located. This is where you’ll start to experience the whole Bollywood feel of Positano’s fashions, as I have actually run into the owner of the shop in Udaipur, Rajastan. Cool chick, great clothes. Then up the sloping road, to admire some of the street vendors’ wares, until you get to Marilu, on the right before the road turns again. Across from Marilu are also a couple of fun shops. Then up the street and to the left, for some lovely Limoncello for sale at the Delikatessen. Limoncello is a local delicacy which is traditionally made by macerating organic lemons in pure drinking alcohol. It is best drunk out of the freezer, like Vodka, and a great way to end a heavy meal, because of its digestive qualities. Heck, with such a high alcohol content, no wonder it just burns the food out of your stomach! But it does taste fantastic, so go ahead and splurge on a bottle at around $15 each. Across from the Limoncello place is the best pastry shop in Positano - or is it the only pastry shop in Positano? I forget… Anyway, step inside La Zagara and don’t miss out on the opportunity to try out a “Delizia al Limone”, a spongy, soft puff covered in lemon flavored cream. YUM! Or if that is not your cup of tea, try their ice cream, but don’t miss out on having a seat and experiencing the local flavor of the place. Then, further up the road, on Via Pasitea, is the first location of the successful Antica Sartoria which is well known for great cotton and linen clothes. They produce most of their stuff in India, and this year had some fantastic embroidered long cover-ups and white linen dresses threaded with coral beads. I could not resist buying a long, white dress with an irregular hemline and lace trims, on sale for the equivalent of $25. Right across the street is also another staple of Positano dressing, La Bottega di Brunella which has wonderful local versions of Japanese inspired dressing in the style of Yohji Yamamoto and Comme des Garcons, and even reminds me of my favorite Indo-centric designer Dosa. Be careful coming back down the Via Pasitea, as traffic will now be coming from behind you and the drivers are mostly tourists who don’t know their way around, or can calculate correctly just how narrow the street is. Try to walk in single file to avoid any unpleasant encounters with cars or scooters. On the way down, after passing Via Mulini, stick to the left of the cathedral - I believe that’s called Via del Saracino, but don’t quote me on it - and you’ll see the other side of the town, with all new shops. By the time you finish this side - hungry and in need of a bathroom and a seat - you should end up right at the Buca di Bacco, the most excellent of restaurants, in my book. They’ll even give you a special, free and express -front of the line - pass to the bathroom you so desperately will be in need of by now. Cool stuff. Anyway, the menu is extensive, I usually have to have their Caprese salad, with mozzarella and tomatoes, but this time around I tried the gnocchi with zucchini and provola and I was very pleasantly surprised. I finished the meal with some arancini di riso - lightly fried risotto balls - and croquettes di patate - still fried but this time made out of potato puree, which they serve with a dipping dish of marinara sauce, a nice little touch. To burn the meal off, I suggest a walk through the last part of town, the very bottom of the steps, where it’s hard to miss all the colorful clothes being sold outside the shops. Here you’ll also find the second Antica Sartoria, though I prefer the shop up top, as it’s more calm and conducive to spending money. If you are in need of postcards, this is place to find them, but do mail them from Napoli as getting stamps can be troublesome here. By now, you should be ready to board the ferry to go back home. Get your tickets right at the dock, from the Metro del Mare ticket booth and you are ready to go. The afternoon rides back to Napoli start around 4.30, but do get in line, as they can be quite crowded in the summer months. Once back at the Molo Beverello, there is a very efficient taxi stand near the big cruise ships. If you can’t easily find it, ask the Carabinieri. They’ll be easy to recognize, those law enforcement guys in dark blue uniforms, sweating bullets but not carrying any! They are usually the butts of all Italian jokes, but they really are quite helpful around the docks. Well, that’s all for now. Hope you enjoyed your trip! May the power of colorful clothes and joyful jewelry be with you!