Yesterday it was my turn to host my little group of 22 years to tea. I have already described how tea parties are an absolute way of life here in Istanbul - click here to read about that - and you ...
Pilafs and Savoury Pastries
Sesame-covered Simits: Turkish Bagels
sesame-covered simit fresh from the oven Actually I have the barest idea of what a bagel is other than that it is round. But what I do know is that Turkish simit are the original Ottoman fast ...
White Cheese (feta) and Herb Loaf – Beyaz Peynirli ve Otlu Kek
I've been doing rather a lot of gezzing recently. And what is this word 'gezzing' you may well ask: it originally comes from the Turkish verb, gezmek. Loosely speaking, it means to go ...
Patlıcanlı Böreği – Aubergine/Eggplant Borek
While we are on the subject of börek.... I was dying to try this one as I had a surfeit of eggplants in the fridge. Being a seasonal cook is all very well but it does mean you have to keep ...
Gül Böreği – ‘Rose’ Borek: Cheese & Parsley-filled Pastries
I had asked my neighbour to get me 3 yufkas from the market but she came back with 5 Yufka is similar to filo pastry but tougher and more resilient. Filo can be used but because it's so much finer, ...
Herb Biscuits
I could call them peynirli çörekotlu kurabiye but their shape alone makes it a dead giveaway that they aren’t Turkish at all. How could they be when the recipe comes from a marvellous old M&S ...
Soğanlı Çıtır Börek or Flaky Filo Pastries with Onion and Parsley
Börekapart from sigara böreği - is something I have resolutely stayed away from all the years I’ve lived here and now I wonder why. Well, I do know why: they are so delicious, we’d put on kilos! ...
Mahlepli Simit – Sesame-coated Simits Baked With Fragrant Mahlep
this Kadıköy simitçi is here rain or shine I know what simits are: they look like this and are sold on every street corner. The Turks’ answer to hunger pangs on the go! But what ...