If you are like me and you like a spice to your dish, then perhaps you need to try some of the wonderful recipes from Basilicata which are renowed for their fire and flavor, with the liberal use of peperoncini. The peppers from this region can be found in...
The quandong is a relatively unknown Australian bushfruit, treasured by Aboriginal Australians for centuries. It was dried or the fruit was eaten raw and it was discovered to be a valuable source of vitamin C. In her book Bush Food, Jennifer Isaacs describes how the Aborigines burnt the branches of...
I find making my own spice mixes is just so rewarding. I especially love the way that as the ingredients combine the individual aromas almost melt into one another and you are left with ‘spice heaven’. One of the staple spices that I make and keep on hand is...
One herb you may never had heard is Cretan dittany – origanum dictamnus – the name being derived from the Greek óros (mountain), gános (jewel) Dhíkti (a mountain range in Crete) and thámnos (bush, branch, twig), and describes a bushy plant about 20cms tall with circular, wooly, gray-white leaves on thin stems....
Here is a simple but delicious accompaniment for meatballs, whitebait, chicken and also spooned over vegetables and I often make it when I am serving a mezze. Thanks go to Greg Lucy Malouf for sharing this recipe in their book Moorish. Pomegranate molasses is, as I’ve previously indicated, such a great ingredient to use,...
Here is another wonderful spice mix you need to have as a staple in your pantry. This is so aromatic and warming and makes a fabulous addition to soups, tomato sauces, and lentils, but it can also be rubbed on fish, chicken and I especially like it on lamb....
Here is another of my ‘must-have’ spice mixes. Za’atar is both a spice mix and a herb in it’s own right. As a herb it has long green leaves and a thyme-savory-oregano flavour, and it grows along the slopes of the Syrian-Lebanese mountains. The spice mix is very simple...
One of the staples I always have on hand is 2 or 3 jars of homemade preserved lemons. If you haven’t got into the versatility of preserved lemons, albeit they are such a key ingredient in tagines, then you really should start to experiment, as they go so well...
I mentioned earlier that I would put up a recipe for Dukkah. Now I know that it is easily bought in supermarkets or speciality stores but I rather like to make my own and this is a recipe I use regularly. I do add different spices on occasions so as to vary...
Crocus sattivus is the botanical name given to the wonderful spice ‘saffron’, a prized spice by Greeks who used it as a cosmetic, the Romans who drank a saffron broth as a service to Venus, the God of Love, and Phoenicians as well as Buddhists, both of whom used it...
Welcome to my love affair with the food, wine, history and culture of the Mediterranean, past and present. Here you will find not only recipes, drinks and fabulous products, but the history of the food and culture of the Mediterranean.
My purpose is to get you to explore and experience new tastes and along the way to immerse yourself in the wonderful history of this diverse and wonderful region – from Venice to Istanbul, Rome to Dubrovnik, Athens to Crete and all places in between and in the surrounds. Be prepared to be surprised, delighted and enthralled as you take this trip with me.
