Purée of Red Lentil Soup With Crispy Onions
While in Istanbul, I’ve often enjoyed this lentil soup made simmering red lentils and aromatic vegetables. Some bay leaves and oregano round out the flavours and all one needs is a hand blender to blitz this easy to make delicious soup. I recently made this soup at my Constantinople (Istanbul) themed dinner and it was […]
Stuffed Mussels With Rice, Pine Nuts and Sultanas
This meze is inspired by the one of the street foods one finds in the evenings when strolling the Sokaks (streets) of Istanbul. They call these Midye Dolmasi or Mussel Dolmades as the shells are stuffed with rice and mussel meat. The first time I visited Istanbul I would try everything offered by street vendors […]
Recap – Politiki Kouzina, Constantinople Dinner
Constantinople, the name Greeks still like to call modern-day Istanbul. The name Istanbul comes from Byzantine times when it was referred to as “Is Thn Poli”. I have been three times to this magical, historical and magnificent city. Many Greeks who left Istanbul to resettle in mainland Greece, brought with them the many recipes for […]
Antiochia (Beyoglu)
I’ve visited Istanbul twice…correction – three times after this past summer and this city has countless places where one can eat. There’s something for every budget, in each district and most (if not all) of Turkey’s regional cuisines on offer. Anytime I travel someplace I like to do some homework, which includes finding out which […]
Islim Kebabi
For those that have been to Istanbul, you know what I mean when I say it’s surreal: the density of the city, the endless traffic, boats and ships running up and down the Bosphorus, the seemingly endless city filled with historical landmarks and everywhere…I mean everywhere – there’s food to be had. When you’re a […]
Classic Hunkar Begendi With Lamb
Anytime I travel I like to do some homework on the particular destination and the research becomes feverish when I look into food options. Last year I went to Istanbul for the second time and regardless of if you’re been to Istanbul or not – its reputation as a “food lover’s city” is justified. I […]
Lahmacun Recipe
This past summer in Greece i didn’t get a chance to go to Istanbul but memories from last year are still vivid: people everywhere, a mix of modern and traditional as Istanbul is a city over 20 million that straddles both Europe and Asia, the smells of street vendors hawking their food, the restaurants for […]
