All posts tagged: healthy cooking

octopus

Living the dream: Wine&Art, Octopus Carpaccio&Romesco

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With the solstice and Ramadan behind us, summer is getting into a full swing here. Many people are already on their summer holiday or are busy planning for it. Mr.O and I are also pondering the idea of doing a road trip along the Aegean coast in August to mark our 5 year romance. BUT it all depends on how things will pan out, especially the winery job I’ll be taking from the next month. What? Winery? Yes, you heard me right! I’ll be working in Chateau Kalpak Vineyards from July till the harvest. How about that! I’m so excited! Finally my dream is being realised, and what’s even more exciting is the fact that the winery is very prestigious and my absolute favourite in Turkey. It will be a precious experience and a huge leap before jumping into a WSET Diploma. I won’t give away so much at this point so keep following my journey as I live my dream. To start off, I’ll be assisting with their International Art Festival and Workshop, which will …

stuffed artichoke

Stuffed Artichokes with Shrimps and Peas

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Artichokes! It’s that time of the year again. Since last year, I’ve been buying whole artichokes, not only the bottoms, and enjoying stuffing them with various ingredients. This time, I decided to stuff them with peas and shrimps. The peas, which tend to appear all around the year in the west, are a seasonal delicacy. So it becomes a family sport to shell kilos of them for freezing. I often see a woman or husband and wife or a mum and a kid or bearded manly men sitting around the table and shelling the peas outside small restaurants. In my house, peeling garlic and shelling peas or nuts is hubby’s job. I would then freeze some to use for the next few months. It might sound tedious but it’s quite relaxing and even romantic when you do it together! While hubby was working at the peas, I prepared the artichokes. I usually trim them before boiling but this time I boiled them first before scraping out the hairy choke with a spoon. I think it was easier this way so I’ll stick to this method. Don’t throw …

tambuli indian nettle

Tambuli with Stinging Nettle and Green Garlic – Spring Healthy Treat

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Nettle pesto, Nettle soup, Nettle frittata, Nettle ravioli.… running out of ideas? I’ve been enjoying this easy recipe ever since my Indian guest taught me his grandmother’s recipe. I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t met this dish until then even though I’d been an avid eater of Indian food. Often, some dishes we eat everyday don’t get a spotlight because they are so common and humble. Don’t you think? Whenever there’s something green. I tend to whizz it all up with fragrant cumin seeds, peppercorns, curry leaves, yogurt and coconut. How can such a simple dish be so delicious, satisfying and comforting all at the same time? If you haven’t made this, I hope you’ll start making it because it’s so good and addictive. Whenever I go to the market, I come home with wild greens. I just can’t help myself. How am I going to eat all this?! I’ll make our family recipe, nettle borek, when hubby comes home, but for the time being, I thought I’d make a quick tambuli for lunch. I’ll explain how to …

Lamb Meafloaf with Buckwheat and Turkish Spices, No Eggs

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I’m writing this post from London so it feels a bit strange but I thought I’d write this off to fill the void between my departure and my arrival. It’s going to be a long trip, 2 weeks, – again? I know, I know – it’s a luxury but I have to keep feeding my thirst and passion, WINE. I’ve been visiting different wine bars for tastings and been eating all the things I’ve missed. Tomorrow I’ll attend Raw Wine London and I will try my best to taste and discover as much as possible and share with my readers. I’ve also squeezed a Cheese Making Course into my schedule so that I can finally tick off another item on my bucket list. While I was getting all excited packing for the trip, my poor hubby was a bit upset that I was going away for so long. So prior to my departure, I prepared a big batch of food for me to get through my absence and he beamed with joy when he saw all the food I’d brought …

Jerusalem Artichoke Leek Soup with Perilla Seeds

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It’s been absolutely cold and snowy for a few days now. I haven’t felt this cold for years! Blocked roads, suspended transportation, closed schools(yipee!), snow storms are wreaking havoc in many parts of the country. Even my new city has seen snow of this level for the first time. The only thing anyone wants to do is to snuggle up inside the house, cuddling a hot cup of tea or sipping wine, listening to the hissing sound of wind and watching the snow dancing wildly. However, even in such a cold weather, one can’t avoid the dog routine and I try to keep it as short as possible. BUT Dusha was running around, oblivious to me getting frozen. Why do dogs love snow so much? “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” “Yahoo!!! It’s so much fun, Anne!” “It’s warmer, too, under the snow!” She digs it up, rolls in it, and runs so wild that she didn’t seem like the same dog. She disappeared out of my sight a few times and came back running, all exhilarated. I would have made a …

Persimmon Banana Buckwheat Bread

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At this time tomorrow I’ll be in Korea… for another wedding or two, first mine and then my brother’s. How lucky am I to have two weddings? Oh, three actually. You bet! Nah…. However, the traditional Korean wedding ceremony might be quite interesting, lots of bowing, throwing live chickens, lots of noise from SamulNori(Traditional music performance), lots of food and drinks, and above all, beautiful Korean traditional clothes, Hanbok. Everyone around is excited about experiencing a traditional wedding, which is long forgotten as almost all couples do a western wedding these days. So it’s going to be a memorable event for all … …..especially for in-laws and Mr.O’s friends coming all the way to the far away land full of rumours and myths. “Do they have cheese? Do they have bread? Do they really eat rice for breakfast?” and many more. Anyway, we’re taking lots of bread and cheese with us, and even Simits for my nephews, who liked them so much when they came to Turkey last year. As I was trying to empty out the fridge …