Autumn greetings & recipes from Mandarin Boutique Hotel, Turkey

This greeting comes from the Mandarin Boutique Hotel, Turkey, 

We would like to thank all our guests who have stayed at Mandarin this year – it really has been a pleasure to look after you and to get to know you a little. We hope that we have introduced you to aspects of Turkey that you may otherwise not have experienced, and that many of you will choose to return. As always, some of our favourite times have been our special interest weeks, guiding small groups of walkers through the stunning countryside that surrounds Mandarin, accompanying our small band of “Turkish Triangle” explorers at the unique attractions of Cappadocia, and assisting our friend Nick Fischer on his first photography tour back in the spring. We’re already looking forward to next year’s tours – if you are interested in joining us on one of our walking, photography or Turkish cuisine weeks next year, please scroll down for the 2015 tour dates. 

We have decided to close Mandarin Boutique Hotel from 31 October until the beginning of March, in order to realise our new project – Mango Boutique Hotel – without disturbing any guests at Mandarin. As Mandarin’s reputation has gradually spread over the past seven years, we have increasingly found ourselves booked up at popular times of the year, so by creating Mango Boutique Hotel, we can enable more guests to experience this delightful corner of Turkey without adversely affecting the very intimate and personal feel that Mandarin’s regular guests have come to appreciate so much.

Situated just across the lane from Mandarin, Mango will comprise seven supremely spacious double rooms, a penthouse and two rather special split-level “pool villas”. As their name implies, the pool villas will have their own private pools and gardens, whilst the interiors will comprise a lounge area, a sleeping area with two single beds and a shower room on the ground floor, as well as a mezzanine level with a double bed and a second shower room. Communal areas at Mango will include a 14m x 7m swimming pool, a comfortable lounge area and a new restaurant with indoor and outdoor dining areas. Mango will open in May 2015, but all construction and major works are due to finish before Mandarin’s reopening at the beginning of March, with only interior decoration and finishing touches taking place after that date. 

 

The Mandarin Meze Collection

 

Yesil Pureli Tavuk Kofte
– Green puree with chicken meatballs

Ingredients for the meatballs:
1 chicken breast fillet
2 chicken legs, boneless
2 spring onions
2 garlic cloves
3 slices of bread, crusts removed
4-5 sprigs of parsley
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp dried chili flakes
Salt & pepper to taste
Sunflower oil

Ingredients for the puree:
3 medium potatoes, peeled and boiled
1 cup of garden peas, boiled
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp creme fraiche
2-3 sprigs of fresh mint
A pinch of grated nutmeg
Salt & pepper to taste

To garnish:
5-6 slices pastrami
A handful of walnuts
1 red onion
A handful of cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil

• Place all the puree ingredients in a bowl and mash with a fork until combined.
• Mince the chicken meat, finely chop the onion, garlic, bread and parsley, and combine all the meatball ingredients except for the oil. Form bitesize balls from the mixture, and gently fry in the sunflower oil until cooked thoroughly.
• Meanwhile slice the red onion finely and cut the pastrami into thin strips. When the meatballs are cooked, arrange them on top of the puree on a serving dish. Add the olive oil to the pan and fry the onion and pastrami until golden. Add the cherry tomatoes and walnuts to warm through, then scatter the contents of the pan on top of the puree and meatballs.

Pirasali Misir Unlu Borek
– Maize flour borek with leeks

Ingredients:
4 leeks
3 eggs
1 cup of plain yoghurt
1 cup of milk
150g feta cheese
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups olive oil
500g maize flour
4-5 cups of water
Pinch of salt and sugar

Using maize flour, also known as yellow corn flour (do not use corn starch/fine white corn flour), this is a dish that we often prepare for guests who require a gluten-free diet; however our other guests enjoy it equally.

• Finely slice the leaks. 
• Heat a little of the olive oil in a frying pan, add the leaks and fry gently, stirring frequently, until lightly caramelised. Leave to cool.
• Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C. Use some of the olive oil to grease an oven tray (approx. 28 cm diameter if using a round tin or an equivalent size square or rectangular tray).
• Combine eggs, yoghurt, milk, olive oil, maize flour, baking powders, salt, sugar and water to a smooth batter. 
• Stir in the leaks and the roughly crumbled feta cheese.
• Pour the mixture in the baking tin, place in the pre-heated oven and cook for 35-40 minutes until cooked through and golden brown on top.
• Serve hot.

2015 Special Interest Week dates:

Please note that there have been a couple of minor adjustments to the tour dates previously published. The new dates for 2015 are as follows:

Walking along the Lycian Way: weeks commencing 20 April, 27 April, 4 May, 5 October and 19 October.  

Exploring Photography on Land and Sea: weeks commencing 11 May and 21 September.  

Turkish Cuisine Weeks: weeks commencing 11 May and 21 September.  

Turkish Triangle (itinerary combining Istanbul and Cappadocia with a stay at Mandarin):
11 nights from 9 to 20 April and from 24 September to 5 October.

We look forward to hearing from you

Whether you prefer to try our brand new accommodation at Mango or return to Mandarin with its wonderfully mature gardens, we hope to be able to welcome you in Faralya in 2015. For any additional information you may require, or to make a booking, please visit www.villamandarin.com, message us at
mail@villamandarin.com, or call us on (0090) 252 642 1002.