We all have those mornings when nothing, and I mean nothing, is going our way. Mine seem to happen far too often for my taste, but, quoi faire?
One cure-all that works for me is to make a mean cup of Turkish coffee, smoke, listen to good music and turn my inbox off. It works wonders. And making a mean cup of Turkish coffee seems deceptively easy. On first glance, it seems you simply add coffee grounds and sugar to a pot, cover with water, brew, and serve.
In fact, it is one of the litmus tests of a cook's ability in Turkey:
Traditionally when a family went to a young ladies house to ask for her hand in marriage, she would serve Turkish coffee to her potential in-laws and family, a demonstration of her suitability as a good wife. The coffee had to be made impeccably: perfectly frothy on top and exactly sweetened to each individuals liking. In Turkey when you order your coffee you specify how sweet you want it: sade - with no sugar, orta - with medium sugar, and sekerli -sweet). If all coffees were deemed to pass the test (usually decided by the future mother-in-law) then the family would ask for the young ladies hand in marriage.
Turkish coffee can be made with any finely ground coffee and in most American grocery stores you can specify your coffee to be ground Turkish style. We use coffee from Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi, one of the best coffee roasters in Turkey. Should you have the good fortune to travel to Istanbul, you can buy freshly ground coffee directly from their original store, very near the Misir Carsisi - Egyptian Spice Market. Otherwise it is possible to find it online or in some Middle Eastern stores.
Put 1 1/2 to 2 heaping teaspoons of Turkish coffee in the bottom of a cezve, or any small narrow pot with a long handle, and add sugar to taste. For medium sweet coffee, add slightly less sugar than the amount of coffee used. Pour one Turkish coffee cup's worth of water over the coffee and sugar, and stir gently. The coffee should mostly evaporate, but there should be a tad on top. If there isn't, add another 1/2 tsp and gently stir again. Put the spoon away and do not stir the pot again. This is very important, you cannot and should not stir while making the coffee as otherwise the foam will not form properly.
Place the cezve over medium-high heat. Do not allow the water to fully boil, but rather let the foam rise in the middle, while the water is beginning to boil around the rim. Once the foam has risen a good amount - maybe 3/4 inch or more - immediately remove from heat and gently pour the coffee in the Turkish coffee cup. If you pour slowly, the coffee will pour first and will be topped by a thick layer of foam. Let the coffee sit for a few seconds allowing it to settle and drink immediately. There should only be a little bit of grit at the bottom and most people don't drink the last bit of the coffee to avoid it.
Traditionally at this point you let the remaining coffee cool in its cup, put the saucer on top and flip it over. Your fortune is then read from the coffee grounds.
Ideally you should enjoy your coffee in a lovely cafe terrace or on your porch, with or without cigarette. When you have the misfortune of April snow, you can drink it indoors gazing out, while still feeling significantly better and sufficiently wired to face the day's remaining challenges.
Afiyet Olsun!
PS - While recovering from my sulks, I have been listening to Nigel Kennedy's klezmer album, Nigel Kennedy and the Kroke Band, which I highly recommend. Here is one video of a live performance.
