I asked TT what exactly piyaz means as my concept of piyaz is the white beans/fasulye with hard-boiled egg, onion, a little parsley, and tomato. It's a national favourite often served with kuru ...
Olive Oil Dishes and Mezes
Zeytinyağlı Bamya – Okra in Olive Oil
a spoonful of zeytinyağlı bamya or okra in olive oil Also known as lady’s fingers for their long delicate shape. In Western Asia they are known as bamia or bamya. In fact the Arabic word for the ...
Tabule: Tabbouleh or Tabbouli 1
tabule full of colour and flavour I expect by now everyone has their own version of this popular Middle Eastern salad or meze which originally hails from the mountains of Syria and ...
Gavurdağı Salatası – Turkish Tomato Salad with Walnuts & Cumin
Gavurdağı Salatası at Sahan Lokantası, Bağdat Caddesi, Istanbul I have been building up to a post on this spicy tomato salad for some time now. It’s one of our favourite mezes when we are out ...
Springtime in Istanbul: how do we know?
.....when we see the following fruits at our local markets or manav/greengrocers: papaz eriği or sour green plums: a springtime delight! These are 'süper'! First of all, ...
What to do with Artichokes or Enginar
an enginarcı at the Selami Çeşme pazarı, my local Monday market Everything may be a bit late this year but enginar or artichokes are indeed ripe and out there, readily ...
Broad Beans in Olive Oil – Zeytinyağlı Bakla
broad beans in olive oil/zeytinyağlı bakla We are back in our Aegean village of Assos for the first time this year. All the neighbours are saying how bitterly cold it has been and the garden ...
Tender Braised Leeks
tender braised leeks with green olives and parsley I love leeks - pırasa in Turkish - and when I saw the picture of this dish in a BBC Good Food magazine, complete with sliced green ...