One of the many things to love about the Middle East is the central role shared food plays in its culture. Whether it’s offering hospitality to visitors or a meal with family and friends, a large part of the joy of eating is in the sharing. This is nowhere more apparent than in the tradition of mezze, small dishes enjoyed with a drink and the company of others in a leisurely fashion. It can be a few pickles and fresh vegetables with a glass of tea or arak or an elaborate spread of dips, bread and hot and cold dishes that can make a meal in itself.
Turkish Tuna ‘Meatballs’ (Balik Köftesi) Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Turkish cooking class inspired by Somer Sivrioglu! I learnt to make Turkish köfte (meatballs) from my friend Somer Sivrioglu. Traditionally he makes them with a combination of lamb and beef, but his technique – and the secret ingredient of semolina – work just […]
Spinach & Cheese Triangles Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Greek cooking class inspired by Janni Kyritsis! Fillo pastry forms a delicious case for all sorts of fillings, meat and vegetable alike. Use this recipe as a starting point for your own creations – combine ricotta, haloumi, akawi or any Middle Eastern white cheese […]
Muhammara Muhammara is an easy Turkish capsicum and walnut dip that’s so delicious, you’ll be whipping it up to serve alongside everything. It’s especially good with seafood and a wonderful addition to a mezze table. I like to oven roast capsicum as the slower cooking gives a deeper flavour. But if you’re short on time, […]
Sigara Borek (Turkish Cheese & Herb Rolls) Börek filled with cheese and herbs is one of my favourite food experiences from my travels in Turkey. I remember arriving early one morning in the eastern town of Tatvan having caught the overnight ferry across Lake Van with a girlfriend. We were cold, tired and hungry and […]
Borani Laboo (Persian Beetroot & Yoghurt Dip) Borani (sometimes written burani or boorani) are Persian vegetable dips made with a tangy yoghurt base, they’re ideal for stimulating appetite and cutting through rich stews and other dishes. Spinach is commonly used and there’s a delicious eggplant version. I love the earthy flavour of this beetroot borani, […]
Cucumber, Fetta & Tomato Salad I love the salty tang of fetta-style cheeses, especially combined with cooling cucumber. Traditional Greek Feta is made from sheep milk, sometimes with a little goat milk added. It has PDO status, meaning only cheese produced to specific criteria within a certain part of Greece can be called Feta (note […]
Beetroot Leaf Boorani Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Persian cooking class! Fresh crisp beetroot leaves make a great addition to a salad or a Persian herb platter (sabzi khordan), but they tend not to be valued in Australia. They’re generally chopped off the beets and thrown out, so they’re usually not in great […]
Kashke Bademjan (Persian Eggplant Dip) Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Persian cooking class! Bademjan is Farsi for eggplant, kashk is fermented whey, and kashke bademjan (roasted eggplant dip) is one of my favourite Persian dishes. My friend Parya-joon made a huge bowl of it for my last birthday party which was a great […]
Skordalia Skordalia, Greece’s famous garlicky white dip, is sometimes made with bread as the thickening agent, sometimes with ground almond and sometimes potato. I love chef Janni Kyritsis’ version using both bread and almond as it gives a lovely rich flavour. Any leftover will keep in the fridge for 3–4 days and is delicious slathered […]
Savoury Künefe I love the flavours in the pastirma börek in our Month of Turkish and am impressed by how deliciously easy the sweet kunefe is. So I wondered what would happen if we combined them. Here’s the answer: a simple, crunchy, messy, delicious savoury kunefe! Be inspired to vary the filling – as long […]
