at March 4th our dining chairs finally arrived, only to bid us farewell for our trip only next day. still I made a point of cooking our dinner that night and set our dining table for the first time. maybe you remember me telling how we were eating in the kitchen on makeshift stools of Ikea mini ladders. as much as i should admit there was warmth having those meals in the kitchen, now it felt good to be dining around a table with comfortable chairs. no other item in the house was waited for more eagerly than those 8 chairs. for this much anticipated moment I decided to make some home-cut noodles incorporating the sourdough discard into the pasta dough which turned the whole thing into a 2-day preparation. they were delicious indeed but I need to work on them regarding their texture.
next day we arrived in London for two weeks of of enjoyment and much needed rest. didn’t plan anything apart from the Sarah Brown concert, no reservations for any kind of food. mainly it was my tried and tested London classics, sometimes suggestions of friends, rest of the time we tried our luck with Time Out London lists of wherever whenever. sometimes we struck gold, sometimes not so.
the top meal of this trip was the one at LYLE’S. amazing food, simplicity rules, masterful craftsmanship, pristine ingredients and heartfelt cooking. it was a joy again on this visit years later and most wonderful to observe that “Michelin star” thing didn’t alter them from their ways. such a great place, such a brilliant chef (James Lowe), such an amazing team. and that rhubarb choux thing was to die for!
the other top contenders were again tried and tested classics, St.John (Smithfield) for anything and everything, Monmouth for their amazing coffee, Cafe Deco in Bloomsbury for Anna Tobias’ seasonal and inspirational light touch, Sally Clarke’s for old school charm, Parsons for simple seafare and Leila’s Shop at Arnold Circus for the best of groceries. speaking of Leila who happens to be a very dear friend, we shared her beautiful table March 8th for the occasion of International Women’s Day.
on our return flight we got off in Athens to pick my new Mini, meet friends and go eat at unique Ex Machina. and then a 5 hour drive back home to Thessaloniki.
as soon as we got back we had friends coming over for a late lunch. I say ’late lunch’ because it is at 3 o’clock, but for Greeks, and I assume for Spaniards as well, this is regular lunch hours. yet again it suits us very well because this way we manage to eat two meals a day as we try to stick with intermittent fasting as long as we are not traveling. it is not for the sake of trying to lose weight but because with age one feels more comfortable with two meals a day. for this lunch we had cold cuts and cheese we brought back from London, çıtır with mushrooms and leeks and I made a trifle of mascarpone, blueberries, Cointreau and store bought chocolate cake.
on my first organic farmers’ market visit I found most wonderful wild garlic which made me realise spring is here after all. immediately whizzed the garlic into a most green paste with just some sea salt, a few drops of lemon juice and plenty of olive oil. mine, extra virgin, cold pressed and early harvest of 2023.
I should have realised that spring has arrived as I am tending towards more salads rather than heavier stuff of winter. one favourite was a green salad with avocados, raspberries and tender arugula. the other of fresh ginger, fennel, cucumbers, zucchini and pink onions all finely sliced with lots of dill, lots of fresh coriander and lots of mint. everything sliced had bath of apple cider vinegar and lemon juice, sort of a marination and also part of the sauce along with copious amounts of the fore-said olive oil.
and the last Saturday of the month was the day I cooked artichokes, tender and beautiful. this is my first time in this new land I am celebrating the coming of spring with my beloved Istanbul style olive oil braised artichokes “zeytinyagli enginar’. nothing announces spring more than artichokes. yay!
spring is officially here.
happy Easter.