Meze Digest: Perfect hummus, peeling tomatoes, an imperial kitchen & Middle Eastern inspired recipes
A collection of recent and older posts for new (and long standing) readers.
One of the perks of living far away from where you grew up is that you regularly get to go “home” twice when returning to your homeland. “Home” to visit family and friends in Norway, whether they’re in Oslo, where I’ve never lived but most of my friends and immediate family now are, or central Norway, where I actually grew up. And “home” again when I return to Istanbul, where my partner picks me up from the airport but the cat needs a minute to smell me all over to make sure I’m safe to allow back into the house.
This time – the first since Christmas – was short, cool and wet, but oh was it nice to be back home (in Norway) again. Beyond a couple of important meetings, I prioritised family and friends over work, making sure I returned home well rested ahead of a busy book writing summer.
I’ve mentioned this before, so apologies to the alert amongst us, but this newsletter will be a little lighter in form during this period over the next couple of months. I’ll spend most of my time during this period in the kitchen, testing and retesting recipes for my next book, or in from of my computer, finishing up its manuscript.
Last month’s first edition of Meze Digest proved very popular, so I’m making it a regular feature. It’ll serve two purposes. To recap new posts and recipes from the last month (free and paid), but – equally important – also to highlight a few things from the archives that are worth revisiting, whether you’re new here or just missed them the first time around.
Hope you enjoy this edition as much as the first one!
With all best wishes from Istanbul ☀️
Vidar
In this edition:
Istanbul life
From the history books
Kitchen tricks
Recipes
🌇 Istanbul life
NEW: Postcard from Istanbul: June edition
A getaway to a beautiful Turkish vineyard, the return to bountiful markets, exploring the old and the new of Istanbul’s restaurants – and a little bit on what’s ahead.
📚 From the history books
The forgotten foods of an imperial palace
I was recently asked about the influence of the Ottoman palace kitchens on modern day Turkish cuisine. The answer may surprise you.
🔪 Kitchen tricks
4 ways to peel tomatoes
Most people don’t bother, but tomato skin can be a little bitter – especially for larger tomatoes. Sometimes it is worth getting rid of it before adding to your salad or tomato sauce. With the season fully upon us, now’s a good time to revisit the many ways to peel tomatoes (all of which are easier than the chef-y blanching followed by ice bath).
6 steps to achieving perfect hummus
If you’re making meze – a table of sharing platters – this summer, hummus most likely will be part of it. Make sure to read this to up your hummus game.
🍴 Recipes
(+) denotes recipes requiring a paid subscription.
NEW: What I’m Eating: June edition
6 recipes to celebrate the arrival of warmer weather, including mücver (Turkish courgette fritters), cannelini bean salad with tomato & avocado and gözleme (stuffed Turkish flatbread) with potato.
NEW: Lebanese hummus with lemony lamb (Hummus kawarma)
One of my favourite ways to enjoy the mighty hummus.
NEW: Asparagus with yoghurt, chili butter & dukkah (+)
Introduce the seasonal asparagus to the flavours of the Middle East, and you won't regret it.
NEW: Lebanese style chicken shish kebab (Taouk shish) (+)
Chicken does best with a Middle Eastern kick of spices.
NEW: White beans with courgette, rocket & mustard (+)
Or, cannellini beans with zucchini, aragula & mustard, if you’re American. A great way to make the most out of this summer’s courgettes.
🔜 Coming this weekend for paying subscribers:
Pasta salad with tomato, feta & olives
A salad with the flavours of summer – but with ingredients that means you can make it nearly year round. The absence of soft herbs and vegetables also means it keeps well. Perfect for picnics or the lunch box!
This recipe will be a bonus recipe for paying subscribers, who make this newsletter happen.