Here’s a beautifully bright pasta dish to brighten up your day whatever the season. There’s something extraordinarily comforting about eating kritharaki (kριθαράκι) or orzo; it’s the luxe softness of it I think as well as its ability to soak up all your favourite flavours be they rich or light. This vibrant lemony herb-packed recipe is…
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Alsace Caramelised Onion Tart with Gruyère and Tarragon
We tumbled through the door of the packed antique brasserie just opposite the Cathedrale Notre Dame de Strasbourg, our faces flushed from the frosty air and the glasses of gently spiced vin chaud bought from the Christmas market, one of the oldest in Europe. Laughing, perhaps a little too loudly, we grabbed the only remaining…
Piedmont Gnocchi with Charred Purple Sprouting Broccoli and a Creamy Garlicky Sauce
I made ricotta, cavolo nero and lemon malfatti last weekend. By accident. It was gnocchi that I was attempting to make but the mixture was just too soft to shape and cut. No problemo, we love malfatti – an Italian term meaning ‘badly made’, even though it’s made with love and care – and I…
Yafo Clementine, Root Vegetable and Bulgur Wheat Salad
Hidden within the narrow streets of Yafo – Jaffa – in Israel is a tiny family-run restaurant. It’s one of those places where the patina of time makes its presence felt. Where, as you pull out a chair, it’s impossible not to think of all those who sat there before. Where the animated chatter from…
La Belle Salade Niçoise with a Green Olive Tapenade Dressing
Named ‘La Belle’ after the frequently used nickname for the city of Nice which lies in the French Riviera on the Mediterranean Sea, this salad typifies for me the fresh seasonal beauty of the local cuisine. This simple plate of summer is inspired by Richard Olney’s musings on Lulu Peyraud who, with her husband Lucien,…
French New Potatoes with Wild Garlic and Spring Greens with Toasted Hazelnuts and Lemon
A couple of French sides here for a perfect lunch that I created last Sunday to serve alongside my Bebek börek. This was a joyous meal inspired by early spring days in Istanbul and Normandy; the contrasts between the two couldn’t be more marked, yet everything came together so beautifully. With regard to the latter I…
