Sultry summer evenings sitting opposite the church of San Francesco, a beautiful red brick and lime-washed building with cloisters of dazzling white stucco surrounding a sheltered rose garden humming with bees. When in Lucca, this is the place we are drawn to again and again for aperitivo. As the sun starts to dip behind the…
Category: Herbs
Spicy Tuscan Borlotti Bean, Tomato and Cavolo Nero Soup
During the summer months, when it rains in Assisi, it pours. Literally. Narrow Medieval streets turn into warm fast-moving rivers as the water gushes down from the top of the hilltop town to the very bottom. I remember very clearly once standing atop the Rocca Maggiore, the ruined castle which has dominated, for more than eight…
Provençal Saffron-infused Tomatoes and Chickpeas with Fresh Curds
This beautifully fragrant plate of roasted chickpeas and tomatoes infused with saffron is inspired by ingredients I picked up at Marché Forville which is positioned at the at the bottom of the Le Suquet district in Cannes just a stone’s throw from the Old Port. The market itself is very traditional and focused entirely on local…
Greek Roasted Red Peppers with Cannellini Beans, Beluga Lentils, Kalamata Olives and Basil Oil
When we walk through Corfu Town I make it my mission to find truly authentic tavernas and by far the best one we came across ticked every single box. A simple whitewashed interior featuring a dusty clock and iconic paintings of Christ. Old family photographs fighting for our attention as they danced around a collection…
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…
Patatosalata, a Greek Potato Salad with Rocket and Wild Oregano
Many many years ago before Santorini had been exposed to mass tourism, we arrived at the small village of Oia via a hired Jeep in order to witness the legendary sunset over the Aegean Sea. Here, the island’s nutrient-rich volcanic soil – which had formed a smoky film of dust over every cell of our…
Greek Feta, Romano Pepper and Tomato Saganaki
In Greece ‘saganaki’ is a term used to describe a variety of small dishes made in a traditional two-handled frying pan (the name being derived from the Turkish word ‘sahan’ meaning a copper dish). Very often, the same word is used to describe cheese cooked this way – namely kasseri, kefalotyri or kefalograviera – which…
Elena’s Greek Spanakopita, a Greens, Feta, Anari and Herb Filo Pie
This is the best recipe for the classic Greek spanakopita I know – believe me when I say I have tried dozens of them during my lifetime. It’s inspired by my friend Elena whom I met on the tiny island of Paxos one hot and sultry evening. She used to run a teeny tiny little…
Persian Beetroot Borani with Yoghurt and Dill
Borani is a Persian yoghurt-based dip that usually includes cooked vegetables such as spinach or beetroot. There seem to be no precise rules in respect of the ingredients used but this version is one of my favourites. Ironically the first time I was served it we were sitting atop a candlelit roof-top terrace of a…
Sami’s Koosa Mahshi, Stuffed Peppers with Golden Sultanas, Pine Kernels and Amba Spice
A few years ago, I made a lone trip to Ephesus, a port city in Turkey which was once revered as the most important and largest metropolis of the old Mediterranean world. As I gingerly walked its dusty streets, my sandalled feet slipping on stones worn down by time, I noticed the signs etched into…
Cardamom and Dill 