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…
Tag: Lemons
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…
Provençal Courgette aux Câpres et Amandes
A simple salad inspired by long lazy days in the south of France with good friends and a chilled bottle of Mirabeau rosé. Dark green in colour, capers are the unopened flower buds of capparis spinosa, a plant native to the Mediterranean. Because the caper flower opens with the rising sun, the buds must be…
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…
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…
Levantine Labneh with Green Harissa, Roast Cherry Tomatoes and Dukkah
The nearer to Christmas it gets, the further East I travel for recipe inspiration. I suspect that this is greatly influenced by the boxes of dates we used to be given as a child. You may know the ones I mean, the box had a lacy paper lining and a bright label depicting the three…
Persian Greengage and Orange Blossom Spoon Sweets
Continuing on the Persian theme – ergo my recent recipe for a beetroot borani – a fruit that we may consider as being quintessentially English is in fact a green-fruited wild plum from Iran which the British horticultural writer Anna Pavord referred to as ‘most ambrosial of all tree fruit’. I concur, greengages were my…
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…
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…
Cardamom and Dill 