We did indeed do a lot of traveling, eating tiny chicken dumplings stuffed with pistachios and chicken jus, cream-filled baklava at Ramadan, and enough felafel, schwarma, and hummus to feed an army. The highlight culinarily was Istanbul, the marvelous walkable city, which we visited at the height of hamsi season, hamsi being the gorgeous fresh anchovies from the Black Sea. We had lightly fried hamsi and hamsi pilaf and hamsi stew. We had fantastic caramelized quinces and delicious Turkish wine and the best roast chicken I've ever had (roasted in a salt crust and set aflame at the table). We have two recommendations for the next time you're in Istanbul: buy the Istanbul Eats book or app and make all your eating decisions based on it, and be sure to stay in Beyoglu.
Now that I have your attention (and probably have you salivating)….My favorite food/recipe blog is back! After a few months of hiatus, Desert Candy has returned. A non-professional (but expert) cook, Mercedes knows and loves her Middle Eastern food. She does this out of love (no advertising, no sponsors, etc). so have a look. I promise you you’ll mark it as a favorite.
