Throughout Turkey, luxurious Ottoman-inspired fruit compôtes – ranging from a simple sultana-based version to a complex mix of apricots, figs, prunes and nuts often subtly highlighted with a delightful floral note of rose or orange blossom water – are an integral part of the ritual of eating. No matter what the season, there is always…
Category: Conserves, Spoon Sweets and Spreads
Greek Orange Blossom English Rhubarb Spoon Sweets with Greek Yoghurt, Pistachios and Lime
The Santorini I knew 30 years ago bore no relation to the glamorous image that the island portrays today. Of course it was absolutely gorgeous but life then was simple and the pleasures of eating almost elemental. The sweet little family tavernas that lined the beach were family run and featured daily menus written in…
Greek Peach and Orange Blossom Spoon Sweets with Greek Yoghurt and Organic Thyme Honey
A friend of mine – a Greek musician named Costas – took me to visit his mother in the mountains of mainland Greece where she attempted to win my heart with spoon sweets and thick Greek coffee. She succeeded in her mission and, today, as summer gifts its bounty of sumptuous stone fruit you are…
Leyla’s Lyutenitsa (Spicy Red Pepper and Tomato Spread)
Leyla is a beauty and one of the most nurturing and interesting women I have ever met. She lives in a huge Bohemian apartment on the top of a quietly crumbling building with views of the Bosphorus and the Dolmabahçe mosque beneath. Books – and there are hundreds of them – are piled high upon ornate…
Cardamom and Dill 