The Turkey travel log is still coming, my focus was way more on food the second week, so keep on hanging on in there!
Datca After a somewhat misguided trip to Symi, we had a long and bumpy sail up to the small Turkish town of Datca. It was our first visit of the trip to a Turkish town, so there was a lot on offer to do and see.We arrived into a buzzing little harbour with lots of small restaurants and shops all vying for our attention. On first inspection the waterfront looked very touristy but after we ventured further up the town, there was a lot more to Datca. A long street leading from the harbour front out of the town was packed with little Bazaars, herb shops, bakeries, kebab restaurants, and newsagents which sell their bread in fabulous little cabinets
Just before dinner Sofie and I went for a quick walk into the town and stumbled upon a massive parade taking place down the main street. We followed the people marching into a large square, overlooked by a massive portrait of the first president of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
We later discovered it was a festival of International cultures, and folk dancing groups from Romania, Sierra Leone, Poland, and Turkey were all in attendance fully dressed in traditional folk costume. It was the perfect opportunity to get some really great pictures.
With so many people crowding around the different groups, I was hardly noticed snapping away! The atmosphere was great, everyone including the participants looked like they were enjoying every minute. It was really easy to see why festivals like these, which celebrate different cultures, have become so successful.
As the evening began to close in, the crowd slowly dispersed and disappeared.
Later that evening we followed the noise of loud music across the harbor to where a mass of people were milling around an open air amphitheatre. We went through a large door to discover a massive concert for all the locals. We sat down and from what I could see it appeared the concert was in honour of local dignitaries who were sat right in front of the stage and even joined in the festivities by dancing right in front of the band!
Bozuk Buku Our next stop was more along the lines of the little bays and ports we were used too, in Turkish waters. The tiny little bay is overlooked by the ruins of a large wall which make for a pretty stunning backdrop right on the mountain.
The water here was really clear and perfect for snorkelling. In most of the smaller bays which have restaurants run by the locals, rickety old jetty’s are built to offer mooring to the passing yachts.
In the afternoon when the sun’s heat had finally reduced, I dragged Sofie on a big trek to the top of the hill to see the ruins of the wall. She wasn’t impressed with both the heat and the fact that I insisted we walk through the campsite the locals lived in.
But I’m glad we did, as you really get a feel for how the people who run these little places live. A couple of goats and chickens roamed their little enclosures, while an old woman slept right under one of the close by trees!
The ruins were really impressive and the views from the top made the long walk very worthwhile.
We were joined only by a cat who seemed to happily have made the old walls its home. The small restaurant onshore had a great selection of Turkish Mezze and fresh fish.
Kumlu Buku After a long series of stops which were a little on the rustic side, we pulled in to Kumlu Buku, a small bay just outside Marmaris. A small up market restaurant sits right on the shore, and a few really stunning straw huts full of giant cushions sit on the beach. Sofie and I made a beeline for these, and spent most of the day lounging on the comfy cushions. Hard life right? We ate in the restaurant on shore and to our surprise it had a fairly extensive Chinese menu! I may have mentioned it here before but I have a big thing for Asian cuisine! After solidly eating turkish mezze and grilled meats for 5 days on trot, it was great to have something different. I’ll be honest I really wasn’t expecting this small restaurant to produce the best of the best, but all the dishes that we ordered were absolutely delicious and really fresh. As the sun set the staff at the restaurant lit large, open flamed laterns right down the beach. The jetty, we were moored up to, was lit up with under water lights, and the whole place looked really spectactular! We were leaving the next morning but I could have easily stayed another night there!
There has been a few new Irish food blogs but check out the latest blog I came across CheapEats.ie which is great for spotting shopping bargains on offer across the country! Another cool one particularly for its travel pics is thefood.ie warblings check them out, it's always great to see new blogs!
This recipe is actually one I wrote for the book. I had toyed with whether or not to include a Sweets chapter, and in the end decided I couldn't do without. The cookies took a few tries to get the mix right especially using whole wheat flour, but the end result is a chewy sweet cookie which is really tasty. They literally take minutes to make and have quickly become my solution to the TV watching munchies!
Peanut Butter Cookies These are incredibly tasty little cookies which are so easy to make. Perfect for cooking with kids!
Makes approximately 9 cookies. 4 rounded tablespoons of crunchy peanut butter. 1 large egg. 2/3 cup of dark brown sugar. 1/3 cup of whole wheat flour. Place the sugar, and flour in a large mixing bowl and combine. With a wooden spoon create a well in the center of the bowl and add the egg and peanut butter. Beat the egg and peanut butter with the flour and sugar until a thick dough forms. If the dough is too moist simply add a little extra flour. Allow the dough to sit in the fridge for about 15 minutes. Remove from the fridge and place rounded tablespoons of the dough onto a greased baking sheet. Bake in the oven at 180oC/ for approximately 15 minutes or until the cookies brown slightly. Remove from the baking sheet and allow to cool.
I do have to apologise for another chorizo recipe but I think it may just be my current food addiction. Hopefully there won't be too many complaints! While I was in London recording episodes for Market Kitchen down at the Borough Market a few weeks ago, there was an amazing little Spanish food shop called Brindisa which was selling all different types of chorizo and an amazing selection of fantastic, high quality Spanish ingredients. Myself and Leonie, the amazing Market Kitchen home economist, picked up some and we actually used it in one of the dishes I cooked on camera.
Brinidisa also had the coolest little stall just beside where we were filming, where there was two busy stall holders with a massive hot plate frying up thick pieces of chorizo for the funkiest sambos I have ever seen. I later learned, after a quick google, that these little babies are famous right the way around the world, with mentions in many travel guides from Japan to Australia!
Brindisa Chorizo and Rocket Sandwiches Isn't it amazing that some of the most tasty dishes are always the easiest. This recipe is hardly a recipe really, it's a case of assembly when you get down to it. Do try and get your hands on some good quality chorizo from a speciality Spanish food shop if you can, it makes all the difference in taste!
Serves 2 4 good quality fresh chorizo sausages, halved 2 roasted piquillo peppers, sliced 2 large handfuls of rocket leaves 2 ciabatta, lightly toasted A good drizzle of olive oil A splash of balsamic vinegar A good pinch of sea salt and crushed black peppercorns
In a large hot frying pan, fry the chorizo halves until roaring red and sizzling on both sides. Toast the ciabatta halves and slice in half. Toss the rocket leaves in a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season with a little sea salt and black pepper. Assemble the sandwich, place the chorizo on the ciabatta, add a few thick slices of roasted peppers, and some dressed rocket leaves. Devour immediately!
September is always one of those months like January where the slate is wiped clean and it's time to start all over again. The kids are back at school and students back to college, and professional nomads like myself are back to reality! Between all our moving around over the summer months, things were a little chaotic especially when it came to food. Normal routine went out the window, replaced by irregular eating times and extra helpings of desserts - a good dollop of cream with everything. You could definitely say I indulged over the last few months and unfortunately, I'm not exactly feeling the better of it!
Since we arrived back in Ireland however, things are back on track, the kitchen is stocked with fruit and veggies and all my essential storecupboard ingredients have been replenished. As amazing as it is to travel, there really is nothing like being back home in your own kitchen.
With the winter months fast approaching, the inclination to stay inside and out of the cold becomes all the more tempting, so instead of dodging the weather and waiting until the New Year, I'm heading outdoors and getting active! All this new healthy living will take it's toll, mind you, so luckily I have a few healthy, filling recipes up my sleeve to stave off starvation and make sure I'm getting all the good stuff. This recipe comes from my book Good Mood Food: Simple, Healthy, Homecooking, it's the perfect little pick me up for those cold winter days - packed with nutrients from start to finish and full of flavour!
Boot Camp Soup This a surprisingly tasty soup, which is wonderfully cleansing. Used originally as part of a weight-loss diet, I make it regularly as a really substantial lunch. This recipe makes a generous amount – I freeze half the soup and keep the rest in the fridge.
Serves 8 3 onions, chopped into chunks 2 green peppers, chopped into chunks 1 bunch of celery, chopped into chunks 1 iceberg lettuce, chopped into chunks 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes 800ml/1½ pints vegetable stock 300g/10½oz lentils or soup mix Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Add all the ingredients to a large pot and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20–30 minutes until the lentils are soft. Blend the soup to a smooth consistency with a hand blender; you may need to add a little extra stock if the soup is too thick. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.
I've been packing a fair bit of travel in this summer and I'm fairly sure with the amount of airmiles that have wracked up, I'm doing the environment no favours! This week is no different I'm back in Sweden for a bit of work and to fully soak up all the best a Swedish summer has to offer! One of my favourite things about Sweden in the summer is the beautiful still lakes with their picturesque jetties. This week I finally got my first swim of the summer in and despite always being slightly worried about what lurks at the bottom of those murky waters, I can report that the water was beautiful. All that swimming in lakes can make a cook like myself hungry, so we decided to sample what the Swedes do best, the Smorgasbord!
One of my favourite places to eat in Gothenburg is the Gunnebo Coffee House and Restaurant which is situated on the grounds of one of Sweden's most beautiful neoclassical estates, just south of the city. The buffet style lunch is made with all organic ingredients and always has something interesting and healthy to offer. During the summer months the kitchen uses fruit and vegetables from the huge gardens outside, which I find very exciting to walk through! The day we were there amongst the fantastic choice of dishes there was a cabbage salad, cucumber and fennel lentil salad, herbed pork fillet, boiled cumin potatoes, roast salmon with a creamy sauce, and Roast tomatoes with Goats cheese and red onion. We assembled our plates with fairly hefty portions, a handful of the chunky homemade bread and headed outdoors to pick our way through it. There is something fairly special about eating fresh and healthy food outdoors on a warm summer day that just makes everything taste all the better! For now, as the Swedes say "hej då"!
Roast Tomatoes with Goats cheese and Red Onion This is a super way to make the most of the last of the summer tomatoes! This method brings out the fantastic natural sweetness and is perfection in every bite. You can prepare these ahead of time and serve them at room temperature.
Serves 4 4 tomatoes, cut in half 1 goats cheese log, cut in slices 1 red onion, sliced in half moons A good glug of olive oil A generous pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 200oC/Gas Mark 6. Arrange the tomato halves on a baking tray and top each on with a few slices of red onion and then place a slice of cheese on top. Drizzle each tomato with a little olive oil and season with sea salt and ground black pepper. Place in the oven to cook for 35 minutes or until the the tomatoes are soft and tender. Serve warm or cold.
Cucumber and Fennel, Lentil Salad I think lentils are by far one of the most underused pulses. They are like the black sheep of the legume family, with many people having never even cooked them before. However that all has to change, they are full of health benefits, and just as quick as pasta to cook so no excuses! They go great with lots of different dishes but they go great here as a tasty little salad!
Serves 4 1 cucumber, cut in chunky diagonal slices 150g of green lentils A good handful of fennel fronds, roughly chopped Juice of 1/2 a lemon 2 tablespoons of olive oil A generous pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper
Rinse the lentils in cold water drain and place in a pot. Cover them with plenty of water and bring to the boil, cooking for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside to cool. In a large bowl whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil. Add in the fennel fronds, cucumber slices, and cooled lentils. Season with sea salt and ground black pepper and serve!
As I travel along this little food journey of life, one of the most exciting and fascinating things I've been learning about, is where meat really comes from, beyond the simple view of farm to plate and really developing an appreciation for the people behind the produce. I don't think I will ever be vegetarian, but I do think it's important that I make decisions to choose the right types of meat. By the right type, I mean the type of meat that comes from an animal that has lived a good life, that hasn't been fed medicine, and has been free to roam. It does sound like a lot to think of but when you see well reared animals like these and the process they go through before they reach the butchers, you really appreciate the cuts of meat so much more!
Michael Gottstein works for an Teagasc (The Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority) and is also one the farmers who set up Ring of Kerry Quality Lamb. I originally got in contact with Ring of Kerry Quality Lamb a few months ago, just before Christmas, when Timmy one the farmers invited me to come down to see his farm, but unfortunately the 6 hour drive did put me off slightly- However I did promise that if I was in the area I would come down and take some pics. So when I was down in Cork for the Hope Foundation Demonstration, the next day I headed up to Killarney to check out a few of the farms.
I don't know if you have ever been to Killarney in Co. Kerry before, but it is probably one of the most beautiful places in Ireland, lots of fantastic green fields and rolling mountains, sure what more could you ask for! Probably one of the most amazing places for a little lamb to grow up! On the tour of the farms, Michael told me the reason that 25 of the local farmers came together was so that they could have more control over their final product. Before they were sending the meat to other parts of the country to be processed and couldn't be 100 percent sure that the meat coming back was their own. Now the meat is guaranteed to be from Kerry and the local farms.
One of the farms we visited was on the side of a mountain and Michael told me that throughout the year, the sheep graze on the heather on the mountains and this in turn affects the taste of the end product. Only thing is can you imagine the amount of work it must take to find the sheep and round them up! Michael and the lads are extremely proud of what they do and took me to one of the local pubs in Killarney who they supply their lamb to and left me with an amazing pack of lamb cuts which I vouch for being absolutely delicious! I have eventually got through them all!
If you are interested in trying some Ring Of Kerry Quality Lamb which comes from farms which are all Bord Bia Quality approved, you can buy and order it online nationwide via their website which is here. Also check out the video below where Michael shows us some sheep dog commands.
As a nice way to finish off the Leila Lindholm week here on the blog, Lorraine from New Holland publishing organised a phone interview with the lady herself! I was very excited on Thursday morning to be able to call the lovely Leila, to have a quick chat about baking, the muffin mafia and of course her next book! Enjoy!
So you grew up in a family with a mix of cultures, tell me a little about the kind of food you had growing up, did you find you learned a lot about Morroccan cooking when you were growing up? I grew up with my mother and I only met my father when I was 24 so I didn't really grow up in a Morroccan culture at all, but my dad is from Morrocco.
From most of Swedes I talk to, they don't exactly rave about Swedish cuisine, but what you consider the most typical Swedish dish? It's pretty much like Swedish meatballs and we have a special kind of sausage called Falun sauasage that we eat and I think quite a lot of international food aswell as I remember we went to restauarants at least once a week to have dinner when I grew up.
I read you studied cooking, was that in Sweden? I studied a restaurant course in Stockholm and I started when I was 16 and finished when I was 19. When you finish the course you work in restaurants straight away.
I was very excited to read in your book about the muffin mafia, a baking group you started with your grandmother when you were younger, can you tell me a little about the members? It was great, it was actually something me and my grandma's neighbour made up, because I used to run over to her house and she taught me how to bake and we baked like cakes and cupcakes and muffins. Then she decided that we could become pen pals and send recipes to each other and it was me and Aunt Elsa, then her friends up in the north of Sweden, they were a bunch of old ladies in their 60's and we would send recipes to each other. But I was the boss, the mafia boss!
What were some of the first dishes you learned to cook? I think probably something simple like sausage and macoroni, or actually it was like grilled sandwiches! I used to with my best friend go to her place after to school and make all kinds of grilled sandwhiches with pineapple, really tacky sandwiches, with ketchup and pineapple and stuff on them and a lot of cheese!
You have an extremely successful career in Sweden, what would you consider your big break? Well actually I had two kind of big breaks, the first when I was 24, I was chosen Female Swedish Chef Of The Year and that was a big break because I started getting into the media and got attention from the media. I started doing interviews in the press and that was back in 1999. Then the second big break came in 2004 when I was chosen TV chef of the year and then also it was a milestone in a sense as it was my big break in the tv business, and I started getting more possibilities with my cooking shows. I started on one of the biggest morning shows here in Sweden and when I won the award I got asked to do my own cooking series and then after this it's been quite a successful story!
Well I can definitely see that! So who do you find you get the biggest reaction from your books, what kind of people? It's definitely women, but also mothers and kids, they love the baking show. I have heard from so many parents that their kids are watching the baking show on DVD's, they don't want to watch Disney movies, they just want to watch my baking show which is a little funny!
What are some of your favourite dishes to cook apart from baking? I love to do barbeques, so that's what I am really looking forward to this summer, we have a lot of snow right now, but I can't wait to start doing barbeques, that's what I really love! Doing meat like sirloin steak, lamb legs, whole salmon, I can't wait!
In every picture I have seen of you, you always look incredibly happy, are there any dishes that really frustrate you to make? I like to cook everything but sometimes there are dishes which are challenging when, of course, even for me, sometimes things don't work or like the Bearnaise sauce doesn't turn out, thats annoying. Also it's quite common, I'm sure you are familiar with this, when you have plan in your mind and it just doesn't work out when you cook it!
From what I have read you have a big interest in styling as well as cooking, how did that get started? Well I think for me I have always been interested in aesthetic stuff, interior designs, and beautiful things so I collect beautiful things and it came from there. I love to create beautiful things and it's a huge passion I have a craving, I have to do it!
When I was in Sweden I picked up your fantastic magazine Leila's Country Living but I heard it has stopped, will you be working on new issues of it in the future? Maybe in the future but right now I decided not to because I have just had a baby, and I decided to try two issues first in 2009, to make sure it went well because I have no experience in the magazine world. Then I realised that it is so hard to juggle the tv shows, and the book and the magazine.
I was in a book shop in Dublin yesterday and spotted your book "A Piece of Cake", I didn't realise it had been released here aswell as the UK, are you hoping to come over here and break this market? That would be fantastic to work more abroad, but this is my first cookbook to be released outside Sweden, it has been released in The Netherlands, USA, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and in Italy so it's quite exciting to see where it's going to take my work. It's been nine months since I had my baby so I am starting to get back into work mode and we are starting to record season 3 of my baking show in about two weeks. I was also asked by the Discovery channel to do a couple of shows but that was when I just had by baby and it was a food travel show and it wasn't possible to travel.
I'm guessing since the success of your books and tv shows in Sweden, and even with a new baby life has become a lot busier, how has your cooking habits changed? They haven't really, I kind of cook the same stuff I cook in my shows!
Have you had any major on-air or off-air disasters when cooking on tv? No but sometimes in the studio its very hot so in like the spring time sometimes when you work with cake and chocolate and ice cream they melt, so that can be a bit of a disaster!
I am a huge fan of cookbooks, have you got a big collection of books yourself, is there any you just couldn't live without? No I'm greedy I have to have them all! I have about over 100 books, but my favourites are from Martha Stewart and of course Jamie Oliver, his books are very fresh and beautiful!
You worked with Jamie's photographer, David Loftus on one of your books, what was he like to work with? He was fun, he is a fantastic photographer, and it was great, we had done a couple of jobs for Delicious magazine in the UK, and some Swedish magazines also.
Do you have some favourite cookbooks from Swedish food writers? There is a food writer called Anna Bergenstrom, she makes beautiful food, she is like the Swedish Julia Child, a legend!
What do you think the success of a good cook book relies on? Good recipes, and recipies that work, and also that they are easy and they work for normal people. Of course the photography and styling is very important but also when you work with the text to make all the corrections in a book is so important so they are well worked through and very exact, so you are guaranteed the recipe is good.
What are your plans for you next book, will you stick with baking or will you concentrate on any other specific aspects of food? It's actually going to be a follow up to "A Piece of Cake" and I made it with the intention of making two books and I wanted to do one book with sweet stuff and another with more savoury stuff, and it's called "One More Slice" and I bake pizza, pasta, and a lot of sour dough bread recipes, and also there is sweets too. There is a chapter called Cheesecake and another called brownies and blondies, and Ice cream too! So it's all the good stuff that didn't make it in the first book! I had so much material that I wanted to do two books!
After all this unhealthy food, do you ever really feel like a good healthy salad? Absolutely I have to eat quite healthy to make sure I don't kill myself and keep in shape! But sometimes it's nice, there is always room for birthday cakes, and there is always celebrations where you are supposed to bake, it's just tradition. Also bread is a matter of when you eat it, if you have it at breakfast it is not as dangerous as eating it in the evening time!
What do you think of food blogging, would you ever consider doing it yourself? Yes, it's most definitely in my future, but in my case I have been so busy with other stuff. I had a blog for 2 years and even though I wasn't active like the way you are, I wrote something at least once a week. But it is quite demanding if you want to write a good blog with a lot of content so it's hard work and for me write now it's difficult to find the time. But the food blogs are great and it's really fun to read them. So for me it's just a matter of time right now!
Ok one last question, and I'm sure you have been asked this question a million times, but what would be your death row meal? It's a little bit of a depressing question and I would say sweets, but I am very into shellfish and seafood and oysters and a glass Chablis wine!
Leila's book "A Piece Of Cake" is in Irish and UK bookshops now or you can order online here. www.leila.se
We got back from Turkey last night and are already feeling the cold! I'm going to be posting a little bit about each place we sailed through over the next two weeks and I have over 2000 photo's to sift through and edit so I'll be sticking them up too.
I also have some very exciting news about the book- tomorrow is the first official photoshoot complete with food stylist and photographer! We have spent most of the day preparing for tomorrow and all I can say is it's a stark contrast, going from tanning in 30 degree heat to prowling through boxes of peppers for the most photogenic, within hours of stepping off a plane! We have been cooking all day and the first shots will be taken tomorrow morning, so I'm hoping to feature a few behind the scenes pics later this week.
For now here is my travel log day 1 to 3! The pictures are more foodie related as the days progress so stay tuned and Enjoy!
Orhaniye The whole holiday was booked through Sunsail an English based yacht charter company, and unlike previous visits to Gocek, we decided to explore the new base of Orhaniye. After a long day which started in the early hours at Dublin airport, and a fairly erratic drive from Dalaman airport we finally arrived at our destination of Marti Marina, Orhaniye, in one piece. I always find it a bit disorientating arriving somewhere in the dark, but even the dim light could not disguise the fact that Marti Marina looked very much like a boat yard, and the website featured a hotel overlooking the marina. However on closer inspection the hotel was still in the process of being built and the building site gave the impression that the builders had given up and left a long time ago! But this was not our problem, in little under a few hours of well needed sleep, we would be on the water sailing, the overlooking building site, a distant memory. We picked up our yacht, a Cyclades 42, which would be home for the next two weeks and gave it a quick once over before hitting the pillow. The marina itself is fully functional with Shower and Laundry facilites, a small supermarket, a salt water swimming pool, and two restaurants overlooking the bay. After a briefing at the sunsail office, picking up provisions in the supermarket, and a quick application of much needed suncream we were out sailing. Two of the best things about a sailing holiday, is that you are outdoors practically all the time, surrounded by fresh air and with the water being so warm and clear, you find yourself in and out quite regularly to cool off from the sun’s heat. The second, you get too see so much, travelling to a brand new destination everyday!
Dirsek Our first stop was Dirsek, a stunning little bay, surrounded by tall dry mountains, about an hour’s sail south from Orhaniye . There is a small restaurant in the bay which is run by the owners, who quite inconspicuously live in tents along the edge of the water, adding to the hands on feel of the place. Boats can anchor in the bay and tie a line ashore or the restauarant offers lazy lines along a jetty. We arrived at around lunchtime and got straight in for the first swim of the holiday, the water is so clear that you can see the bottom even at about 9 meters up, this makes great conditions for snorkelling, which quickly became my new favourite activity! We motored in to the restaurant with the small dighy which comes with the boat and arrived to a scene of what I would describe as controlled chaos. The regular chef had been rushed to the dentist with some major dental urgency and a happy go lucky waiter had been drafted in as the sorry individual who was set to take up the reigns. Guests are invited to go into the kitchen and choose from large table of meat and fish for their main course. On the opposite counter, large glass dishes full of cold starters are spread out in a large row for guests to choose from.
Roast Aubergine in Tomato Sauce, Cooked Green Beans with Yoghurt, Olive Oil and Garlic, Boiled Potatoes with a simple scattering of Parsley, Fried Corgettes, A sort of Onion, red Pepper, and Chilli Salsa, Cooked Spinach and Yoghurt topped with a sprinkle of Paprika, Cheese wrapped in Filo Pastry, and Tzatzichi were among the many dishes which made up the Turkish Mezze, a term coined to describe this massive selection of dishes. The restaurant charges a set price for the Mezze and you can choose whatever dishes you want in a buffet style, it’s a brilliant way to get a chance to try all the different flavours.
Now it’s not often that I feature sickly romantic moments between myself and Sofie, apart from the picture on the "About" page, but after dinner we lay up on deck and watched the stars. I know, I know, pass the bucket, but in our defence, with the only unnatural light coming from the restaurant in the distance, it was practically unmissable. I have never seen stars as amazing as on that night, and as we lay flat on our back it was as if we were wearing 3D goggles, with every last twinkling light jumping down at us. What a perfect way to end a great day.
Monastery of Panormitis, Simi Our next stop was a long sail to the Greek island Of Simi, just on the border of Turkish waters. It was an extremely strange little port, whose mystery was heightened further, when we discovered the pilot book had absolutely no information about it. It seemed to be less of a town and more of a church with surrounding accommodation, we only came across one restaurant, there could have been more. The change from Turkish to Greek waters was quite significant in terms of cuisine and for dinner we ate a pretty standard fare of Calamari, Moussaka, Souvlaki, with large side dishes of Tzatzichi. The large abbey sits right on the water front and is lit up quite impressively at night, the whole bay has a white painted walkway which goes from the abbey right the way around and up the hill to a large old windmill which overlooks the bay.
After a bit of googeling I discovered that the Monastry is Greek Orthadox and dates back to 450 AD. It is the largest on the island and is also considered one of the most important.
Apart from a few small shops, there was a bakery which sold fresh bread in the morning and had extremely tasty coconut macaroons topped with cherries. We left the following morning for a long and bumpy sail to the small Turkish town of Datca...
As you might have guessed, if you are a regular reader of the blog, I have a major thing for zingy Asian food! It all started when I was a lot younger, when my grandmother bought me a simple Chinese cookbook. At that stage I had already worked my way through most of the cookbooks in our house but had never tried to cook any sort of Asian food. Ingredients like ginger, lemongrass, coconut milk, and the rather peculiar looking star anise were all foreign to me, as a curious youngster. I took it upon myself to become immersed in this little book, being brave and cooking the most strange sounding dishes first, in order to get a taste for the vast landscape of this cuisine. From fortune cookies to spring rolls, from Thai green curry to sushi, I really gave everything a go and even though they may not have all turned out quite to plan, the process in itself was totally enjoyable and left me with a fascination for Asian culture and recipes.
I have still never been anywhere in Asia and it is my absolute dream to travel, eat and photograph my way across the continent, well maybe that's a little ambitious, maybe just the main places to start with. I don't know when it's going to happen, but it will, and when it does I want to be ready for it so, I'm putting together a hit list of places to visit, people to see, and food to eat. If you have any good suggestions for recipes, stunning places to visit, interesting stories, photos or all of the above, let me know in the comment section or drop me a mail.
Mini Aromatic Duck Salad This a slightly adapted version of one of my favourite recipes from my cookbook. It's fairly similar, the only difference really being that, I serve the salad in mouthful portions on baby gem lettuce leaves here. Apart from the duck don't be too concerned about the salad ingredients, anything goes here really, things like bean sprouts, shredded Chinese cabbage, finely sliced snow peas are all perfect also. You can get amazing aromatic duck breasts in the frozen section at good Chinese supermarkets, which only require roasting time in the oven for delicious results.
Serves 4 2 aromatic duck breasts, cooked and shredded 2 carrots, thinly sliced 6 spring onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal 1 red pepper, thinly sliced Baby gem lettuce leaves, to serve
Dressing: 3 tablespoons of sunflower oil Juice of 1/2 lime 1 teaspoon of fish sauce 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Add all the ingredients for the dressing to a bowl and whisk to combine. Add the duck, carrots, spring onions, and red pepper to the bowl and toss with the dressing to combine. Arrange baby gem lettuce leaves on a serving platter and add spoonfuls of the duck salad to them. Serve straight away, or refrigerate the duck salad and assemble when required.
After a few days in Sweden I'm back on Irish soil this week before I head off to Paris today. It's nice to be back, the more I travel the more I enjoy coming home; I'm not sure if it's because I don't like to leave my kitchen for too long or because it's that time of year where your house really becomes your home. As always I left Sweden with lots of Scandinavian inspiration, the shops are always so packed with amazing displays but the most interesting items I left with weren't from an expensive shop; they came from a 1950s basement. People with an interest in food photography will know that props can really make a photo and give it a certain style. Since the summer I've been on the hunt for retro kitchen items, rustic table spreads, old doors and pieces of wood to create the pretty scenes that make my food photos what they are. I hit the jackpot when I walked into Sofie's grandmother's basement - an Aladdin's cave packed with an amazing collection of 1950's style kitchen equipment and a fantastic selection of retro cookbooks, complete with old style imagery. After I'd scooped up enough potential props as my baggage restrictions would allow, I spent hours trawling through old Swedish cookbooks (I have enough Swedish to get me by and surprise, surprise, my food vocabulary is top notch!).
I found some really fantastic recipes for gingerbread cookies, gooey chocolate cake, Saffron bread and, of course, all the aspic jellies and gaudy plastic food images that were all the rage back when. The major find of the day was a beautiful old book in which Sofie's grandmother had written her favourite recipes into. It's in these books, handed down through the generations, that you find out what home cooking is really all about. If you have time this weekend, pull out the family cookbook and delve into the recipes which are closest to your heart. Why not start writing one yourself?
Between all the retro diving and cookbook reading, we did manage to stop for a warm hot chocolate and the famous Kanelbulle at Saluhallen, a cook's paradise not unlike the English Market in Cork, which is well worth a visit for a foodie in Gothenburg.
Swedish Cinnamon Buns Swedish cinnamon buns, or Kanelbulle, were the first thing I learned to bake when I stayed in Sweden. Pearl sugar is sprinkled on top to give it that distinctive finishing touch, but if you can’t get your hands on any, simply sprinkle a little Demerara sugar to finish.
Makes about 40 Buns 400ml/14fl oz milk 110g/4oz butter 2 x 7g sachets of dried yeast 110g/4oz sugar 750g/11⁄2lbs cream flour 1⁄2 teaspoon of salt 4 tablespoons of Pearl sugar 1 egg beaten
For the filling: 110g/4oz butter 90g/31⁄2oz sugar 2 tablespoons of cinnamon
Melt the butter in a large pot gently on a low heat and then add the milk. When the mixture is lukewarm, remove from the heat and add the two sachets of dried yeast, sugar and salt. Slowly incorporate the flour one cup at a time; be patient, as the mixture will eventually come together and you won’t be left with a sticky mess forever! You may need to add less or more of the flour to get the right consistency. When the dough has taken shape and is no longer sticky, turn out onto a floured surface and knead for about three minutes. Leave the dough to rise in the bowl covered with a damp cloth for 45 minutes. Try and find somewhere warm, as the yeast will do its job a lot quicker. While the dough is rising, prepare the filling. Gently melt the butter in a sauce-pan and add the cinnamon and sugar, making a thick spreadable mixture. When the dough has risen, cut it in half and roll it into a rectangle about 5mm thick, and then spread the filling all over. Then, from the long side, roll the dough so you get a snail effect and slice into approximately 15–20 pieces. Place the slices in paper wrappers face up and coat with the beaten egg. Repeat the process with the second half of the dough. Sprinkle the buns with pearl sugar. Bake the rolls in the oven at 220°C/425°F/Gas Mark 7 for about 5–10 minutes or until they turn golden brown. Enjoy!
