‘Paris, hours in the café, a certain spirit of rebellion, one side a bit too stubborn, the sea, the true, in Bretagne, the walking in Provence, the taste, the passion for literature, the libraries, the beautiful editions, remaking the world in a set of hours around a table and a bottle of wine. Talking without…
Category: Dips
An Andalusian Lemon-scented White Bean Dip
These sunny high summer days are all the motivation we need push open the French windows and think about creating lighter and vibrant sharing plates. This vibrant vegan dip is inspired by a gorgeous little whitewashed bar high up in the Andalucían mountains where I was once served a warm tapa of plump white beans,…
A’isha’s Lemony Hummus with Cumin and Oregano
We sat under a pomegranate tree for shade. Our table was dappled with the shapes of leaves and ripening fruit as the sun played with the gentle breeze to create moving patterns that could never be captured. Laid across its white cloth were several large hand-painted plates and bowls within which vibrant food beckoned invitingly;…
Aleppo Muhammara, a Spicy Red Pepper and Roasted Walnut Dip
It was coming to the end of a long and sultry day as I languidly lay upon a heap of vintage embroidered cushions, the candle-lit lanterns flickering in the warm early evening breeze. The music in the background was haunting and exotic as if it were calling me from a far away place. I learned…
Greek Island Tzatziki with Dill and Mint
Originating from the Ottoman Empire, this is my version of the popular Greek dish, tzatziki (known as cacık in Turkey). It’s simply a bowl of authentic Greek yoghurt getting it on with little cubes of crunchy cucumber, lots of finely chopped garlic, briny sea salt, a generous glug of grassy Kalamata olive oil, an audacious…
Turkish Yoghurt with Mint, Pul Biber and Lemon Zest
Yoghurt is one of the most important components of the modern Turkish diet and, certainly in my experience, there is rarely a table where it isn’t featured in some form or other; as part of a main dish, or as a dip mixed with a copious amount of chopped herbs, in a dessert or even…
Amirim Lemon-scented Labneh with Zhoug
Labneh is a beautiful soft cheese simply made from strained yoghurt that can be eaten with pretty much everything but which is an especially good friend to rich and spicy mezzes. The first time I tasted it I was sat at a little linen-covered table on the edge of a vegetable garden in Amirim, an entirely vegetarian organic…
Greek Skordalia with Biber Salçasi-roasted Plum Tomatoes
Greek skordalia, a beautifully simple smooth purée of waxy potatoes, an insane amount of garlic, lashings of vibrant extra-virgin olive oil, a generous splash of white wine vinegar and finely chopped flat leafed parsley. Yes, it’s basically mash but not as you know it because this is a dip my friends. It’s rich, oozy and…
Santorini Fava with Lemon and Capers
In Greece, fava is a dearly beloved dish of puréed yellow split peas the most prized of which come from Santorini, an island that is also justly proud of its incredible tomatoes – check out my recipe for tomato keftedes – and its wine. You can thank the volcanic soil for that. Served at room temperature on a summer’s…
Greek Htipiti, a Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Dip
The late afternoon light gently caresses the once grand terraces that curl above Corfu Old Town. Lunch hour is long over and there is not a soul to be seen. The air is hot and still. The buildings shuttered against the sun. There is no sound save for the odd chirrup of a dusty sparrow…
