Stuffed Eggplant is a dish you find everywhere in Turkey. And there are many regional versions of it. Indeed, we loved it so much we cooked 3 different versions of it! Dolma refers to any vegetable which is stuffed with a grain such as rice or bulgur, other vegetables and sometimes meat. And one of the most popular dolmas are stuffed eggplants. True to the guild system developed in the royal kitchens, the vegetable cooks had their own guild so … Read More
Porticoes of Bologna Bologna is a great, small city for tourists and flies under the radar compared to Rome, Florence and Naples. With magnificent architecture and large parts of this old city constructed with an attractive red brick, the porticoes make Bologna unique. Famous for food Bologna is also home to tortellini and the inspiration for this tortellini with sage and butter sauce recipe. After having seen some of the great sights of Bologna, it is time to turn your attention … Read More
The fresh seafood at the Rialto Market in Venice is very impressive. As Venice is located on the Adriatic Sea, the fish is freshly caught every morning. There is an extensive range of fish, maybe twenty different varieties in total, both whole and filleted, shellfish, such as scampi and shrimp, octopus and good looking calamari. The quality and freshness is first class. There is no “fishy” smell and the stallholders present their fish in an attractive manner with plenty of … Read More
Testi (mug in Turkish) Kebap (meat in Turkish) is basically a stew of meat, tomatoes and some vegetables. There is a high proportion of meat in this stew. The traditional method of cooking is to place the ingredients inside a sealed clay jug. The clay jug is then placed in the coals at the bottom of a tandir, which is a large clay pot oven buried in the earth. This is a traditional meal from Cappadocia. When cooked, the still … Read More
Italy has its risotto, the Indian sub-continent has its biryani and Eastern Europe/Middle East has its pilaf. All different methods of cooking rice in stock. Alexander the Great, was reputedly a great lover of pilaf. Roast chicken with pilaf stuffing dates dates back a long time. True to the guild system developed in the royal kitchens, the pilaf makers had their own guild so it is not surprising that pilafs are so popular in Turkey. In the Turkish military in … Read More
Being an Australian, I take great interest in all things that can be cooked on a BBQ. Maybe it’s something that all males inherit as part of our genetic make up to provide food? The great desire to cook raw meat over a fire is for me, one of life’s great pleasure. I’m sure that there is a more culturally significant description than this but who cares? All I know is that I love BBQ’s and so do most males … Read More