It all started with me. I had this very strong feeling that I just couldn't face a Turkish organic turkey this year. We've had one before and tastewise it was fine if rather scrawny. But recently ...
Beef / Lamb
A winter’s meal: leeks with mince/kıymalı pırasa yemeği
Meals like this are very common here and belong to the type called tencere yemeğı or tray/pan dishes where everything is cooked together: vegetables, meat and a grain, usually rice, sometimes bulgur: ...
Lamb with Quince Sprinkled with Pomegranate Seeds & Coriander
When I spied a recipe with a similar picture way back in July, I mentally earmarked it for now, when the quinces and pomegranates are in abundance here in Istanbul. Coriander is something of a ...
Another Ottolenghi: Lamb meatballs with barberries, yogurt & herbs
Like mercury, October has slipped through my fingers. It has been very much a month of getting back to the realities of life here in Istanbul after the joys of summer which means getting back ...
Cızbız Köfte or Sizzling Grilled Turkish Meatballs
No, I haven't just forgotten to dot my i's: this is the Turkish letter ı as opposed to i which produces a sound like schwa or -er in mother. The pronunciation is different but what is important here ...
Patlıcan Oturtma: Aubergine/Eggplant Oturtma
Being told not to put your weight on your left foot does introduce certain constraints on one's daily activities especially cooking. I fully intend to get the hang of this hopping but it isn't as easy ...
Stuffed Round Courgettes – Etli Yuvarlak Kabak Dolması
After using one of those little rolypoly courgettes in a salad last week, I still had quite a few left. Here in Turkey we are no stranger to stuffing vegetables; in fact, this is probably the ...
Yeni Dünya Kebabı – a Truly Seasonal Kebab made with Loquats
Here in Bodrum, home to the Mausoleum of Halicarnassos, one of the seven ancient Wonders of the World down in south western Turkey, where we have been for the last few days and the sun hasn't stopped ...