The highlight for us of any trip to Fethiye is a visit to the fishmarket for dinner. The system is excellent – you choose and pay for your fish from any of the fishmongers in the market, tell them how you would like it prepared and ask them to give it to the restaurant you have chosen from the many that surround the fish stalls. The restaurant will cook your fish and provide the meze, salads, breads and wine (or rakı if that’s your thing). Continue reading “Fishy business”
Breakfast of champions
An overnight outing to Fethiye immediately puts us into holiday mood and this week’s trip excelled. We’d been told about a museum in a village just outside Fethiye, which was displaying agricultural and other exhibits used by the Yörük nomads. More importantly, we were told the family served a splendid Turkish breakfast, using only ingredients produced on the surrounding land. Planning a walk in the afternoon, it seemed the perfect opportunity to try it out for brunch. Continue reading “Breakfast of champions”
Quick and easy Irish soda bread
We had friends over for breakfast yesterday morning. It was a very rainy day – cats, dogs, and everything hoofing down, so we didn’t feel remotely guilty lighting the fire in the morning. Turkish breakfast encompasses everything from a bit of cheese, honey and bread, to a full-on meze experience. We went for something in between. I made some spinach and cheese börek (pies to you and me) – more on that later – with roasted peppers and tomatoes, village cheese, fried eggs, the usual cucumber and olives, plus plenty of fresh bread and homemade jam and local honey. Continue reading “Quick and easy Irish soda bread”
Asian ‘lobby’ rice pot
My brother loves a ‘lobby’. The kind of thing where you just lob everything into the pan and hope for the best. Despite his enthusiasm for throwing caution to the wind, I tend to be marginally more scientific about it – I start with a recipe, pick it to pieces, keep the bits I like the look of, and change everything else. I don’t apply this principle to baking, I hasten to add – in that case, I would definitely try the recipe first, then make modifications. Continue reading “Asian ‘lobby’ rice pot”
All in one chicken chilli traybake
Although I love to potter about in the kitchen when I’ve nothing else pressing to do, there are times when I just want something really easy to throw in the oven while I get on with other things. Continue reading “All in one chicken chilli traybake”
Armenian nutmeg cake
We are off on yet another jaunt tomorrow, this time to the Lycian site of Cadianda, then a night in Fethiye with dinner at the fish market – more on that later. Obviously, tradition dicates that we will need cake – and plenty of it – and it’s my turn.
In my distant youth, I worked in the kitchens of a women’s hospital in Sydney and we used to pilfer this cake from the refectory to keep us awake when we were unlucky enough to be on the night shift. I had forgotten about it, but rediscovered the recipe in a long-forgotten Australian cooking magazine, which had been residing in my parents’ attic for about a hundred years. Continue reading “Armenian nutmeg cake”
Scrumping juniper berries in the snow
We’ve been intending to take our friend Linda’s dog, Izzy-Sausage, for the hour’s drive up to the snow for the last few weeks, but other things seemed to get in the way. We had new snowfall this week, so we finally got around to driving up to Gömbe this morning. Continue reading “Scrumping juniper berries in the snow”
Life is a minestrone
Tuesdays are usually diet days for us, which often means soup for dinner. One of our favourites is minestrone – loads of veggies and beans, with a bit of bacon sneaked in for added flavour. I think this is one soup for which good homemade stock makes a real difference between something that is okay and something that is really yummy. I also dispense with the pasta – there are always leftovers and the pasta swells into a horrid flaccid lump and soaks up all the liquid. Instead, I use pearl barley – an inspired idea from our friend Marcus, who made us this soup for lunch when we went to visit the Kennedy family in Melbourne a few years ago. I’ve been making it this way ever since. Continue reading “Life is a minestrone”
Kind-of-healthy appetisers
We had friends over for dinner on Saturday evening and I was trying not to sabotage our weight loss efforts too much. I rarely serve a first course these days, but I wanted something we could have with drinks pre-dinner. We recently visited some friends in the UK, who served some delicious hummus varieties they’d bought from M&S. Continue reading “Kind-of-healthy appetisers”
I can see our house from here
We are still experiencing the most beautiful Spring weather, so we’ve been out and about enjoying the sunshine and fresh air.
One of the most stunning views around these parts is looking down towards Kaş from the village of Çukurbaĝ, where we own an old almond farmer’s cottage, which we rent out in the summer. We had a few minor chores to do at the cottage over the weekend, so we decided to combine it with the hour’s walk to the viewpoint, known as the Sleeping Giant, which is an enormous cliff, shaped (oddly enough, bearing in mind the monika) like a giant on his side. Continue reading “I can see our house from here”
aviewfrommykitchen.com 