salt, ground sea

Tortellini with Sage and Butter Sauce

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Porticoes of Bologna Bologna is a great, small city for tourists and flies under the radar compared to Rome, Florence and Naples. With magnificent architecture and large parts of this old city constructed with an attractive red brick, the porticoes make Bologna unique. Famous for food Bologna is also home to tortellini and the inspiration for this tortellini with sage and butter sauce recipe. After having seen some of the great sights of Bologna, it is time to turn your attention … Read More

Destinations|Italy|Lunch|Recipes

Baked Stuffed Zucchini Flowers or Squash Blossoms

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Isn’t it time you made baked stuffed zucchini flowers (also known as squash blossoms)? They’re an easy, quick, light, healthy, Italian, vegetarian starter. Firstly, should I be calling these baked stuffed squash blossoms or baked stuffed zucchini flowers? It’s a little confusing but squash blossoms and zucchini flowers are the same ingredient. Also acceptable, are baked zucchini blossoms. And then of course to add further confusion, many Europeans call zucchinis, corgettes. Well, that’s just the way it is in our … Read More

Italy|Lunch|Recipes

Herb Crumbed Fish Recipe inspired by the Venice Fish Market

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The fresh seafood at the Rialto Market in Venice is very impressive. As Venice is located on the Adriatic Sea, the fish is freshly caught every morning. There is an extensive range of fish, maybe twenty different varieties in total, both whole and filleted, shellfish, such as scampi and shrimp, octopus and good looking calamari. The quality and freshness is first class. There is no “fishy” smell and the stallholders present their fish in an attractive manner with plenty of … Read More

Destinations|Lunch|Recipes|Turkey

Testi Kebap Recipe

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Testi (mug in Turkish) Kebap (meat in Turkish) is basically a stew of meat, tomatoes and some vegetables. There is a high proportion of meat in this stew. The traditional method of cooking is to place the ingredients inside a sealed clay jug. The clay jug is then placed in the coals at the bottom of a tandir, which is a large clay pot oven buried in the earth. This is a traditional meal from Cappadocia. When cooked, the still … Read More

Serving Chicken Pilaf www.compassandfork.com

Destinations|Lunch|Recipes|Turkey

Roast Chicken with Pilaf Stuffing

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Italy has its risotto, the Indian sub-continent has its biryani and Eastern Europe/Middle East has its pilaf. All different methods of cooking rice in stock. Alexander the Great, was reputedly a great lover of pilaf. Roast chicken with pilaf stuffing dates dates back a long time. True to the guild system developed in the royal kitchens, the pilaf makers had their own guild so it is not surprising that pilafs are so popular in Turkey. In the Turkish military in … Read More

Destinations|Lunch|Recipes|Turkey

Traditional Turkish Yogurt Soup- Serve Hot or Cold

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Yogurt soup. Who would have thought? Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey all claim yogurt as their own invention and believe their version is the best. Having been lucky enough to spend time in all 3 countries, I can tell you it is good in all of them. However, I wasn’t quite prepared for the variety of yogurt-based products. Products like labna (strained, thick version of yogurt, becomes more like a spread), kefir (fermented yogurt drink, great for the probiotic benefits), … Read More