Every dish tells a story

Author: talkingaboutfoodagain

Foreign Encounters: A New Anthology from Writers Abroad

I’m very pleased and proud that one of my stories, The Longest Night, was selected  to be part of the new Writers Abroad anthology Foreign Encounters,available from 24th October at http://www.lulu.com/shop/writers-abroad/foreign-encounters/paperback/product-20450826.html Here’s the official Press Release with all the details:

Foodies Festival Edinburgh 2012

On Sunday, I visited the Foodies Festival, held in Edinburgh’s Inverleith Park, not far from where I live. I persuaded my partner Neil to come with me and, in the afternoon, we had a leisurely 10 minute stroll up to the park. The festival was crowded […]

In Search Of The White Cottage

Brodick, Isle of Arran

About two weeks ago, my partner, Neil asked me what I wanted to do on my birthday. I said, half -jokingly, “go to Arran”.

The Brodick Ferry

I wasn’t completely serious because visiting the Island of Arran, on the west coast of Scotland, was something I had been talking about  ever since I returned from Cyprus in 1997. It remained one of those tantalising future events – I would go there ‘one day’.

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Pumpkin and Goat’s Cheese Risotto

Pumpkins are not just for Halloween, Thanksgiving or for taking Cinderella home from the ball. Both the flesh and the seeds of the pumpkin are an excellent source of many vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants. They are also lowfat, highfibre and low in calories. In short, they […]

Beetroot Soup with Feta

If you have already-cooked beetroot to hand, this ruby-coloured soup is quick and easy to make. You can also make it with ready-cooked beetroot that comes in vacuum packs. Make sure you look at the pack in case it’s preserved in vinegar. I once made […]

Bamia in a Rich Tomato and Onion Sauce

I first came across bamia in Damascus. Otherwise known as okra, ladies fingers or gumbo, the bamia is a green, hairy vegetable, a few inches long and tapered at one end.

Thought to be a native of Africa, this strange-looking vegetable is actually the seedpod of a lovely flowering plant belonging to the mallow family. If that’s whetted your appetite to find out more go here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okra If not, read on.

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Greek Roast Potatoes With Tomatoes

There’s nothing like a well-cooked roast potato. Cooks and chefs reputations have turned on the quality of their ‘roasties’. There have been more recipes and articles written on how to make the perfect roast potato than any other food. Well, not quite but it does […]

Orange, Celery and Beetroot Salad with Feta, Olives and Red Onion

The sun is shining, for the third day in a row.  You may think I harp on about the weather but in Scotland, the sun shining and the temperature rising above 15C degrees is cause for celebration. What do we think of when someone mentions […]

Food Connects Us

Someone asked me recently what was one thing I remember about living in the Middle East and Cyprus.

I told him it was food.

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Butternut Squash, Coconut and Chilli Soup

Butternut Squash, Coconut and Chilli Soup

It’s dreich in Edinburgh today. That means it’s grey, drizzly and overcast. When it’s like this, my mood usually matches the weather – not much energy.  But, what do we expect, it’s only June!  Seriously though, in Scotland we are used to constant variations in the […]