Summer foods in Ankara, Vol. 1: Frozen Yogurt

It was 39 degrees Celsius (102.2 Fahrenheit) in Ankara yesterday. We have no air conditioning in our apartment.

Needless to say: it is hot. We have a bit of respite in that our apartment faces northeast and we don't get direct sunlight in the afternoon when the sun is fiercest, but it is still brutal. We're all kind of in a stupor, lounging around in the salon like zombies, and mealtimes tend to come and go with little notice because it's too hot to eat.

But yesterday I decided I wanted something cold to eat, and so I ventured into the kitchen with a couple of goals in mind and the internet as my guide (who needs cookbooks anymore, really?). My kitchen is pretty well stocked with a variety of Turkish staples: plain yogurt, fruits, olives, bread, cucumbers, tomatoes, rice, bulgur, lentils, chickpeas, garlic, onions, olive oil, etc. From these few things it seems anything is possible. And I thought, since I'm being domestic this weekend, I'd share the Turkish foods that I tend to make.

Experiment number 1: Homemade frozen yogurt.

This is actually blasphemy, according to my Turkish teacher, who insists that yogurt was meant to accompany savory foods or be eaten with garlic and salt. Mention fruity, sweet yogurt to her and she'll make a face and wonder out loud what on earth is wrong with Westerners. I, however, have happily embraced both ends of the flavor spectrum as far as yogurt is concerned. These days I like to eat it with meat or curry, but I still love adding jam to it and having a cool sweet treat in the mornings.

The internet offered me a variety of frozen yogurt options, most of which require the use of an ice cream maker. But a little more digging unearthed this recipe, which is surprisingly simple. So here's my version, based on things found in my kitchen:

• 1 500g container of plain yogurt
• Peach juice
• Strawberry jam
• A little bit of sangria left over from the other night

I mixed these ingredients together in a leftover ice cream container, and put it into the freezer. 2 hours later, before it had fully frozen, I took it out and mixed again with a fork for additional creaminess. Repeat this step twice more and by the time it's hard- voila. Delicious success.

Healthier than ice cream, definitely cheaper because ice cream is expensive here, and fun. I might have to try this again with different fruit combinations, or even better, with fresh fruit instead of only juice and jam. But I certainly recommend giving it a try!