Here in Istanbul you know that Christmas is approaching when your inbox starts filling with information about the annual bazaars associated with the German School, IWI, the ...
Blog
Quince Jam/Ayva Reçeli
I’m writing this with the fragrant smell of the cooking quinces or ayva (pron: eye-va) wafting from the kitchen. Every time I get up to check what’s happening, I see the colour, a deepening rosy pink ...
Pumpkin, Sage & Parmesan Gratin
I don’t know about you but the ingredients in this recipe make me drool. It is just my kind of dish. I saw it in an article in BBC Good Food, entitled Pick of the Month by Gregg Wallace, co-presenter ...
Mrs O’s Apple Pie
Autumn is a nostalgic time with the nights drawing in, leaves falling from the trees. But it is also the season for apples and for pies, and here we have both in one. This recipe is a real star, ...
Tender Green Beans with Meat/Etli Fasulye
I really love this meal:Etli Ayşekadın Fasulye >in Turkish. Etli> means 'with meat': since this time I used mince, this is actually Kıymalı Fasulye.Not only does it look and taste delicious, but ...
Tangy Seasonal Soup with Tasty Meatballs/Terbiyeli Köfte Çorbası
In Turkish this recipe is called Terbiyeli Köfte and again it is a classic. This is one of the very first Turkish dishes I ever attempted back in those distant Ankara days after watching my ...
Mini-break in Eskişehir
I’ve just returned from a wonderful overnight trip to this city of about 650,000, which lies just over halfway between Istanbul and Ankara in Central Anatolia, and is home to several ...
Seasonal Celeriac in Olive Oil/Zeytinyağlı Kereviz
Celeriac is such an odd looking vegetable, round and knobbly, with a delicate taste and a powerful smell which tends to linger in a not unpleasant fashion. When I first set eyes on it, I had no idea ...
Savoury Cheese Tart
Turks are amazingly hospitable so a word of warning in your ear: when a Turkish friend invites you round for tea, be prepared. This is no cup-of-tea -with-a slice-of- sponge affair, oh no. Teatime ...