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Archive for the ‘FOOD’ Category

Full English breakfast01

One of the best foods of British kitchen is full English breakfast, a big portion of cooked breakfast which contains eggs (scrambled or fried), sweet beans, bacon, mushrooms, tomato, sausages, black pudding and hash browns. Of course with HP sauce and a cup English tea.

It’s tasty and fulfilling. After eating one portion of full English breakfast you can feel full almost until the dinner time.They serve it all day long and not only during the morning, so if you are not open minded for a heavy breakfast like this, you can try it during the lunch time also.

In UK, best places to try full English breakfast, are small cafes nicknamed “greasy spoon”. They are not fancy, they might not be as good looking for your expectations or the best place you would choose for a breakfast but believe us, the yummiest English breakfast you gonna eat are not in London’s most famous cafes, in these modest “greasy spoons”.

When we were living in London, every few weeks, we were eating full English breakfast in our neighborhood at Workers Cafe in Upper Street no:172, if you are around Angel, Islington you can give them a chance.   Full English breakfast is definitely not for everyday’s breakfast of our Mediterranean bodies or to eat if it’s a hot day but when you are in UK even in summer you don’t hear this “hot” word, so go on.

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Dünya mutfakları arasında oldukça zayıf bir yeri olan İngiliz mutfağının en leziz gıdalarından birisi, kocaman bir porsiyon kızarmış veya çırpılmış yumurta, tatlı soslu kurufasulye, kızarmış domuz jambonu, ızgara mantar, ızgara domates, domuz sosisi, black pudding isimli bir tür domuz kanı sucuğu ve hash brown isimli bir tür patates mücverinden oluşan İngiliz kahvaltısı. Tabii ki yanında bir İngiliz klâsiği olan HP sos ve bir fincan çayla birlikte.

Bu lezzetli ve kalori bombası kahvaltı o kadar doyurucu ki, sabah yedikten sonra, neredeyse akşam yemeği saatine kadar tokluk hissedebilirsiniz. İşin güzel yanı, sadece sabahları değil, bütün gün servis ediliyor olması yani sabah sabah bu kadar ağır bir kahvaltı fikrine açık değilseniz, öğlen yemeği niyetine de afiyetle götürebilirsiniz.

Birleşik Krallık’ta, en iyi İngiliz kahvaltısını tadabileceğiniz yerler “greasy spoon” (yağlı kaşık) adı verilen küçük kafeler. Kesinlikle şık değiller, beklentilerinizi karşılayacak kadar iyi görüntüleri olmayabilir ya da kahvaltı için ilk seçeceğiniz yer görüntüsüne sahip   olmayabilirler ama bize inanın, en leziz İngiliz kahvaltısını Londra’nın en şık ve pahalı kafelerinde değil, bu “yağlı kaşık” denilen ucuz, mütevazi kafelerde yersiniz. Bu arada işin ilginç yanı, bu tipik İngiliz ürününü servis eden bu kafelerin çoğunu Türk kökenlilerin işletiyor olması ve İngiliz müşteriyle dolup taşması.

Londra’da yaşarken birkaç haftada bir, mahallemizde, Upper Street numara 172’deki Workers Cafe’de İngiliz kahvaltısı ziyafeti çeker, her seferinde “ah, vah, çatlıyorum, en az altı ay yemem” der, bir iki hafta sonra yine damlardık. Eğer Londra’da yolunuz Angel, Islington civarına düşerse kahvaltı için bu kafeyi bir deneyin. İngiliz kahvaltısı bizim Akdenizli bünyemiz için kesinlikle her gün yenecek bir kahvaltı türü değil ya da sıcak günlerde tüketilecek bir gıda değil ama Birleşik Krallık ellerinde “sıcak” kelimesi yazın bile duyulmadığından sorun yok, afiyetle yiyin.

Workers Cafe01

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mallow frittata01

mallow frittata02

Another farmers market visit day and again the fridge is full of wild herbs. We missed so much to have them around all the time, since weeks, every farmers market day we come home and cook something with them. Easy, healthy and delicious.

Today we had malllow frittata for the lunch. Leaves of roughly chopped bunch of mallows, sliced spring onions, eggs, corn flour or fine bread crumbs, olive oil, salt, black pepper, dried red chilli flakes. Ta taaa! Enjoy your frittata!

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Bu hafta pazarda otların arasında yine kendimizi kaybettik ve buzdolabını otla doldurduk. İstediğimiz zaman elimizin altında ot bulunması rahatlığını o kadar özlemişiz ki, haftalardır pazara gittikten sonra eve koşup hemen birkaç çeşit ot yemeği yapıp afiyetle götürüyoruz. Hem kolay, hem sağlıklı, hem de lezzetli.

Bugün pazar dönüşü de ebegümecili kaygana pişirdik. Kabaca doğranmış ebegümeci yaprakları, ince doğranmış taze soğan, yumurta, mısır unu ya da galeta unu (bizim evdeki usûl, kavanoz diplerinde hangisinden arta kalmış varsa bitirmek için o), zeytinyağı, tuz, karabiber, kırmızı pulbiber. Şifa niyetine…

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ebegumeci02

ebegumeci01

This week we made our first visit of the year to farmers market, we lost ourselves between the aromas of fresh vegetables, fruits, goat cheeses, olives, rustic breads and we came back home with our hands full of things we missed when we were away. Two of them are nettles and mallows. Actually in London it’s not difficult to find both but mostly in dog poo areas. And in the markets, they do not bring and sell these herbs picked from the dog poo free areas like in Turkish farmers markets.

In western Turkey, we use to eat lots of vegetables and herbs. Wild herbs form an important part of the diet specially in Aegean region of Turkey. During winter and spring, if we are around our home in the island, we pick them directly from our garden. If we are in Istanbul, we buy from farmers markets. We use them in soups, böreks (Turkish pies made with filo pastry), frittatas.

And sometimes we boil them just few minutes, then drizzle lemon juice or vinegar and olive oil top of it, add one crashed clove of garlic and enjoy with the rakı!

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(Ey Okur! A Cat From London yayın hayatına Londra ellerinde başladığından, Londra’ya yaşamaya ya da gezmeye gelecek her milletten okuyucuya ulaşsın diye dili İngilizce idi. Her ne kadar adında bir değişiklik olmasa da, artık Türkiye’de olduğumuz için yazıları İngilizce ve Türkçe yazmaya karar verdik. Vatana millete hayırlı olsun diyor, açılışı yapıyoruz…)

Yeni yılın ilk pazar ziyaretini bu hafta yaptık. Mis gibi meyve, sebze, keçi peyniri, zeytin, köy ekmeği kokularının arasında kendimizi kaybettik ve sonunda eve elimiz kolumuz özlediğimiz bir sürü şey ile dolu olarak döndük. Uzaktayken en çok özlediğimiz şeylerden biri kışın ve baharda bol bol ot yiyememek olduğundan, ısırgan ve ebegümecileri görür görmez kapıp eve getirdik. Her ne kadar pazarlarında bulunmasa da, Londra elleri ısırgan ve ebegümeci kaynadığından, her yürüyüşte karşımıza çıkıyordu. Üstelik dört mevsim kış olduğundan her daim bulmak mümkündü ama kuçu eesi aromalı olmayanı bulmak neredeyse imkânsızdı.

Adada kendi bahçemizden topladığımız otların körpeliğinin yanından bile geçemeyecek kartlıkta olsalar da, ebegümecilerin bir demedi acilen haşlandı, üzerine zeytinyağı limon gezdirildi, bir diş de dövülmüş sarımsak eklenince akşamki rakı sofrasına mis gibi meze oldu. Şimdi aklımız keçi peyniriyle börek olacak ısırganlarda.

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Bill's01

Bill’s is one of the charming cafes of our neighborhood. We like its grocery style decoration with shelves full of  nice products. We have been once there for a latte and croissant and the coffee seemed very week to us like drinking pure milk.

Yesterday evening we met with two greek friends of us and went there for a dinner this time. It was full but we could find table without reservation with no problem. The photo is from the end of the evening. When a turkish and a greek couple go out to dinner, this happens. You eat and chat and enjoy “yavaş yavaş” or “siga siga” (slowly slowly).

 As starter we tried hummus and tzatziki plate, green gordal olives plate, potato and rosemary bread and sweet potato fries. They were all good but the highlight was the potato and rosemary bread which was one of the best breads we ate in London. As main we tried rump steak, duck pie and pumpkin risotto with blue cheese and they were all good also. We are little bit picky in dessert that’s why no comment about them. And this time we ordered the coffee double shot and it was better. La Garenne  Shiraz  from Languedoc we tried was very smooth but tasty and we didn’t know where did they go two bottles in couple of hours.

And yes, we didn’t take the bus and walked to home after eating half of the menu…

Bill's02

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fennel bread01

In a foggy, dark and cold London day, one the best things you can do, is baking a bread and filling your home with the smell of the fresh baked bread. And prepare the smoked mackarel salad… And pour your Polish oak vodka… And enjoy!

If you want to give a try, here are the ingredients and the recipe of this bread we learned from our friend Ayşegül Ural:

1,5 cup yogurt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 egg

1/2  teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon of fennel seeds

1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.  Beat the other ingredients in another bowl until getting creamy and add them to the dry mix. Mix well all together with a wooden spoon and put in a bread pan. Level the top with a spatula. Bake at 170°C preheated owen for 45 minutes.

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homemade yogurt01

homemade yogurt02

homemade yogurt03

When the milk sleeps, becomes a beautiful homemade yogurt, best mate of bite size stuffed vine leaves (yaprak sarma).

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Food Lab01

Mediterranean breakfast at the little Italy of our neighborhood, Food Lab.

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mercimek koftesi01

What if red lentils, bulgur, paprika sauce and cumin meet in a Turkish home in London and it’s raining outside and you want to drink few glasses of rakı and you have plenty of British crime dramas recorded on your tv?

Yes, prepare the lentil koftas (mercimek köftesi), pour the rakı, have a seat in front of the tv and enjoy!

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misir ekmegi01

misir ekmegi02

There is no such a good thing as starting to the day with the smell and the taste of homemade bread. Happy stomacs, happy people!

Corn is one of the major products in northeast part of  Turkey and people living there consume a lot corn and corn flour in their kitchen. Today’s bread is from this region: Black Sea style corn bread. Yummy!

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Classic Car Boot Sale01

Classic Car Boot Sale02

Classic Car Boot Sale03

Classic Car Boot Sale04

Classic Car Boot Sale05

Classic Car Boot Sale06

Today was a  perfect, sunny day in our little kingdom. After a nice breakfast at home we walked to Southbank for a special car boot sale: Classic Car Boot Sale.

It was a very special car boot sale because all sellers came there with their vintage cars and motorcycles, even the food vans were vintage style. It was a real heaven for vintage lovers, classic car and motorcycle fans and there was also some little treats for foodies. We tried lobster rolls of Bob’s Lobster which they were serving from a vintage VW van and it was just “delicious”.

After the car boot sale we walked through Gerrard Street and filled our stomacs with chinese food. Then a little grocery shopping in our favorite Turkish supermarket and finally washing down the chinese food we ate, in our pub with few pints.

Now it’s time for some cups of good tea with homemade peanut butter cookies and enjoy British crime dramas!

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