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…
Tag: Golden Sultanas
Palermo Courgette Agrodolce with Garlicky Ricotta
It’s early morning in the historical centre of Palermo in Sicily and the markets come alive as giant red awnings unfold like sails to protect tables heaving with produce from the already dazzling sunlight. Buckets of foraged asparagus sit alongside bright bunches of wild fennel, battered aluminium pots filled with warm potatoes already cooked to…
Kadiköy Market Dried Fruits and Nuts with Apricot Leather and Orange Blossom Water
The narrow streets that curl around the vibrant Kadiköy market – the perfect setting in which to explore the sights, sounds and aromas of the Asian side of Istanbul – is lined with family owned grocery stores with shop fronts only just visible behind mountains of beautiful fresh produce, dried fruits and nuts. The aromas…
Topkapi Fig, Raspberry and Vanilla Compôte
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…
San Marino Bustrengo, a Festive Apple, Fig and Polenta Cake
This is a traditional dessert from the not-so-humbly named ‘The Most Serene Republic of San Marino’ – Republica Serenissima – one of the world’s smallest and oldest republics which, though not technically part of Italy, is surrounded by Emilia-Romagna and Le Marche regions near the Adriatic Sea making it an easy day trip from Florence…
Butterbean, Broccoli and Sugar Snap Salad with Mallorcan Caper and Sultana Dressing
Some years back, way before the Internet had begun to rule our lives, the married owners of a design studio I worked for hired an old stone farmhouse deep in the Mallorcan countryside. Their intention was to take the whole summer off which meant that a couple of us had to volunteer to take papers and…
Essaouira Couscous with Saffron, Mint and Lemon
Imagine a sophisticated salon lined with intricate Moroccan tiles and finely carved white plaster; imagine the aromas of spices, incense and complex tagines; imagine literally dozens of traditional lanterns filled with flickering candles and the warmth of a Moroccan welcome all wrapped up with a flounce of Parisian glamour. You have just entered Essaouira, an authentic…
Provençal Endive and Walnut Salad with an Orange and Oregano dressing
Weirdly, I am beginning to think about Autumn. I blame the jet stream which is currently acting as a shield preventing the warm air of the south from entering our northern climes. But the nights are drawing in too; gone already are the gorgeous long days of endless light and, come sundown, the candles are…
Jewelled Pearl Barley with Mint & Orange Blossom Dressing
Every so often a new recipe book is published that gets everyone talking. Once such book is ‘On the Side‘, a book of inspiring dishes from Rocket & Squash, a food journal created by Ed Smith. When the book was published a couple of weeks ago, Instagram literally went mad – I mostly follow people in the food business…
Cardamom and Dill 