During the winter months, the beautiful Istanbul suburb of Bebek sits quietly on the European shore of the Bosphorus as if waiting for an errant lover. It was once the favourite resort of Ottoman aristocrats who built their grand summer houses here, dozens of beautiful white jewels glittering against a backdrop of verdant jade. Not many remain…
Tag: Eggs
Parisian Madeleine Cakes with Sicilian Lemon
Many stories are attributed to the origins of the madeleine cake, a classic scallop shell-shaped confection that is perfectly designed for those – like me – who don’t possess a ‘sweet tooth’ but whom occasionally crave an exquisite bite of sweetness to savour alongside a delicate herbal tisane or a glittering crystal glass of chilled…
Salerno Sweet Red Pepper and Fontina Cheese Frittata
They say that Salerno is the Amalfi Coast’s best kept secret so I probably shouldn’t tell you about it. It’s important you see that this grand old signora of Campania remains a secret otherwise all and sundry will be aching to reside in one of its cute little teracotta-roofed appartamentos piled one on top of…
Tarifa Leek and Artichoke Tart, Tarta de Puerros y Alcachofas
The stunning whitewashed town of Tarifa forms part of the glittering municipality of Cádiz where the Atlantic and the Mediterranean meet – known as Costa de la Luz, the coast of light. Here, the winds can be phenomenally strong so, by day people head to the stunning windswept beach to surf – by board or…
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,…
Provençal Lemon-baked Ricotta and Gruyère Omelette with English Asparagus and French Tarragon
As I write this, the sun is shining softly through my open kitchen windows, I can hear birdsong and, in the far distance, the hum of the first grass cutting, the blossom is lightly scented as the petals fall at my feet. This time of year always reminds me of long lazy afternoons in Provence,…
Elena’s Greek Spanakopita, a Greens, Feta, Anari and Herb Filo Pie with Tahini and Lemon Sauce
Living off the land is something Greeks do as a matter of course and wild greens (horta) are some of the most sought-after food items in nature’s larder. This is a lesson we too can learn, especially right now when fresh greens are sometimes hard to come by (I’m writing this during the Covid-19 lockdown)….
Saint-Raphaël Soft-boiled Egg, Shallot and Tarragon Tartine
“Egg dishes have a kind of elegance“ wrote Elizabeth David, “a freshness, an allure which sets them quite apart from any other kind of food so it becomes a great pleasure to be able to cook them properly and to serve them in just the right condition.” It’s exactly that quality that makes this simple tartine…
Cádiz Tortilla de Patatas, a Spanish Omelette
For a time, I lived close to Cádiz in Andalusía, the southernmost point of the country where the Atlantic crashes into the Mediterranean. It’s a beautiful city with a laid-back vibe, brilliant seafood and a maze of curved streets bathed in intensely luminous white sunlight. It’s a place described by the novelist Laurie Lee as “a scribble…
Picasso’s Omelette Niçoise with a Classic Salade Verte à la Française
For Pablo Picasso, food was a central part of life. From the age of 17, he auctioned his sketches for around one peseta (about the same price as a bottle of house wine) to raise money for his supper at Barcelona’s El Quatre Gats (The Four Cats) restaurant – for whom he designed their classic menu and…
