Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne: Another Market Visit!

From the humid delights of Singapore, on we flew to Melbourne, our first visit to what has turned out to be a very lovely, very friendly city, located on the Yarra River in the south of Australia. 

the business district of Melbourne to the left with the Yarra River flowing in the middle

We really are Down Under with the seasonal changes being all back to front! The leaves are turning on the trees and I confess to a huge feeling of relief that back home in Turkey we will be going right into summer.







Victoria Market is described as 'Victoria's premier open-air market' and has been around since 1878. Just mention the word market to me and I'm all set so on Saturday morning off we went to see what it was all about.

We had an early start so first things first: breakfast in one of the small cafes inside the market. 

They don't do things by halves here: portions are generous and the coffee is universally excellent but it all comes at a price.

a warm croissant with ham and cheese, plus a 'skinny flat white' on the side - just perfect!

We had fun strolling through the Fruit & Vegetable section, eager to spot those items that were either unknown to us or else just 'different'!

For example, these yellow beetroot..

followed by yellow carrots...

.....nestling next to purple carrots which we occasionally see in Istanbul.

Not cheap though!

different from English rhubarb and of course it doesn't grow in Turkey at all.  Spelling here a bit Aussie!!

no idea whatsoever about these ...

these are white inside and sprinkled with black dots - they don't taste as good as their name implies!

and these are kumquats

I thought of my recent Bodrum post re loquats: I see now that they resemble each other in size and colour, that's all!

Everything that was proclaimed organic was, I thought, probably just that: really organic, unlike in Turkey where we are all too familiar with the market cry of 'organik!' when the produce is most probably not.

From the fresh produce, we wandered down to what is picturesquely described as the Deli Hall. And what a paradise that proved to be :))

lobsters to make your eyes water ...

and as for those steaks .... well!!

breads to die for ...

but then we got on to home ground:

can you see? it says Turkish bread and very expensive it is too!

it was Hellenic but never mind: it was something we could identify with! I did think that this display was very creative, more so than we get back in Istanbul

a mouth-watering display

50% of this market is devoted to the sale of fresh produce including fruit & veg, fish, meat, cheeses and breads.

The rest - ah the rest! - is devoted to all sorts of tempting stuff at very reasonable prices. Take it from me, it was a LOT of fun! 

If you like market posts, why don't you check out these links?

• 50 Shades of Green at Selçuk Saturday Market
• London's Borough Market
• Cooling Cucumbers and a Bit of Market Life
• Springtime in Istanbul: how do we know?

Have you ever had a Singapore Sling?

I've never been a great fan of cocktails.

But then, I've never had a Singapore Sling! 

the original Singapore Sling with the traditional peanuts on the side

And certainly never one at the legendary Raffles in Singapore itself!

the outdoor bar ...

What a drink! What a totally fabulous place! If you ever visit Singapore, don't hesitate to visit Raffles, that last bastion of the British Empire, almost hidden though it is in the dense jungle of high-rises. It is still magical. So evocative of the days of the Raj, days of punkah-wallahs, peanuts strewn on the floor, birds swooping down onto the floor to eat their fill from the casually discarded nutshells.

and part of the iconic Long Bar indoors ..

We were told that between 2 to 3 huge sacks of peanuts containing about 30 kilos each are used every day. We were actively encouraged to drop our peanuts on the floor ...We were also told by our delightful Indian waiter that approximately 1000 slings costing about 28 Singapore dollars each are consumed every day! Work that out ....

A Singapore Sling is the quintessential South-east Asian cocktail and Raffles, named after Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern Singapore, is THE place in which to drink it. You will love it just like I did: all those memories of Somerset Maugham and Rudyard Kipling ...it is nostalgia at its absolute best. 

how attractive does this cocktail look with the froth and slice of pineapple and cherry on the side?

here are the magical ingredients!

other cocktails on offer ...

but here we are with our Singapore Slings and enjoying every minute of the experience!

Orchids in Singapore - yes, really!

No, you haven't made a mistake: this is indeed your regular Seasonal Cook in Turkey reporting!

I've decided to show you what I did yesterday and it wasn't in the kitchen-

And if you're thinking my, this girl is doing a lot of travelling, well, you would be right: barely enough time to turn around after our fab week in Bodrum - oh how I loved it - before out came the suitcases again, this time to pack for first Singapore where we're breaking our trip before flying on to Australia!

We arrived in the very early hours yesterday morning after a perfect, seamless Singapore Airways flight from Istanbul - it felt so good to be enveloped by that tropical warmth and humidity upon arrival ..

Our first port of call after checking into our hotel was the Botanical Gardens where we especially wanted to see the fabled orchids. We were not disappointed:

Blogging is hard when you are on the move but I did at least want to share these wonderful orchids with you ....

Yeni Dünya Kebabı - a Truly Seasonal Kebab made with Loquats

Here in Bodrum, home to the Mausoleum of Halicarnassos, one of the seven ancient Wonders of the World down in south western Turkey, where we have been for the last few days and the sun hasn't stopped sparkling on the cyrstal clear waters of the Aegean, it's the season for yeni dünya which literally means new world, or loquats, and roses. Yeni Dünya are also known here as malta erik or malta plums. At first I wasn't sure whether they were loquats or kumquats but I have it on good authority from new friend Annie who writes the lovely blog Back to Bodrum that they're loquats!

Everything seems to grow here and in abundance! Every corner has one of these trees and right now they are laden.

here is a Bodrum loquat tree full of fruit

loquats picked freshly from that same tree!

In Istanbul this is the time for a sublime kebab called fittingly enough Yeni Dünya Kebabı and you find it at any branch of Sahan. Our favourite one is on Bağdat Caddesi in Suadiye and is known simply as Sahan Suadiye.  If you haven't been, I recommend it highly especially for lunch. It's one of those places that's an all-time favourite with everyone of all ages and tastes. The menu isn't just a page: it's a magazine!

This kebab is available only between April and June and is the tastiest, juiciest combination of not only loquats but eggplant, fresh garlic and onion with of course meat that you can hope to find. Every year we look forward to this treat!

loquats: small, soft and juicy with a delicious tangy taste. Inside there are  lovely shiny brown inedible seeds

What I particularly enjoy after giving the order, is the anticipation as you wait. First the vegetables must be grilled to perfection and along with succulent pieces of spring lamb, arranged on a large platter and wheeled to the table with a flourish. 

the platter has arrived, decorated with grilled green peppers!

Then the waiter chops it all finely in front of you. He produces a thick pile of lavash bread and  proceeds to expertly roll up the best dürüm or wraps you have ever eaten, two each which you find to your amazement, you have  no problem at all in demolishing.

everything has been chopped, well-seasoned with salt, pepper and flaked red pepper, and is ready to be rolled up into mouth-watering wraps

here is the very professional waiter who served our yeni dunya kebab

the filled wrap which Daughter No1 is obligingly extending for this photo!

Don't miss this very seasonal treat! Find your nearest Sahan and ask for this kebab before the season finishes! It's exquisite!

BTW the drink of choice in a place like this is ayran, the one made from yogurt.

New-look Favourite Fudge Cake!

Have you ever thought about changing the cake tin in which you bake your favourite cake?

Here is the living proof that it makes all the difference!

Our favourite fudge cake will always taste fabulous and I recommend it hands down ....BUT just change the tin you use and you will change the character of that cake forever!

favourite fudge cake re-vamped!

I've had one of these new rubbery molds in my cupboard for the last 2 years and somehow just didn't trust it.

But the day dawned recently when I thought I want to make my old chocolate cake again and let's see if this silicone wonder works! Well, the good news is that IT WORKS, IT  WORKS, IT WORKS! I'm sure you know these shapes: they seem to come in orange or red.

Just do what the instructions say: ie wash the mold in warm soapy water before use and lightly oil. Then it's ready to go. No more lining with greaseproof paper, no more greasing, it's a dream!

Here's the link once again to my old favourite, trusty recipe: favourite fudge cake. Just click on it.

And here's how it turned out:

how does it look? Same old cake but totally different look!

Afiyet olsun!

Nothing has changed, the flavour is still  delectably moist and very chocolately: it's just the shape that is different! If you want to make something that looks impressive, try this! I guarantee your friends will love it!

50 Shades of Green at Selçuk Saturday Market

My little trip to Selçuk was actually a fantastic photo opportunity for me. I resolutely left my old familiar camera back home and took my new one with me determined to experiment with as many new settings as I could.

Saturday, a bright, beautiful day, was the big weekly pazar or market in the centre of Selçuk, so off we went. This region of Turkey is remarkably fertile and, being near the Aegean, I knew I would see many ot or green herbs as it's renowned for them.

Selçuk  market last Saturday

I wasn't disappointed! 

Here are some photos ranging from the more exotic - let's say, unusual - to the more customary market fare:

I've never seen these in my life: they're called şevket-i bostan and are typically Aegean. The internet reveals they can be eaten hot with meat or else with olive oil and lemon as a salad.

same thing, different stall: these appear to have been split

masses of artichokes/enginar but a different type to those sold in Istanbul.  Ours are bigger and only the hearts are sold.

beautiful little courgettes/kabak complete with their cheery flowers

kohlrabi which I have only ever seen once in Istanbul, at the Yeniköy pazar - apparently it's called alabaş

this is called arap saçı or Arabs' hair! You eat it hot cooked in the usual way, with an egg on top

a cascade of green peppers/yeşil biber

a sea of greenery: dill, parsley, rocket, lettuces, and spring onions - look at the price: 3 bunches of parsley for 1 lira!

the profusion of it all! peas/bezelye, broad beans/bakla with leeks and eggplants behind

this lovely young woman was runnning the stall above.  She didn't mind me taking her photo
but she wouldn't look at me.

another stall bursting with green stuff: pazı /kale (or Swiss chard?), purslane/semizotu and more rocket and lettuce

I'm sure these strawberries/çilek weren't grown in greenhouses

And finally, just to emphasize that spring has arrived, there was a colourful flower stall:

I quite liked this shot of a woman having a sit-down behind the bougainvilleas!

All the market produce, while not strictly organic perhaps, was as doğal or natural as you can get - the climate is so mild that everything grows. I would hate to think they're using fertilizers and pesticides on their lovely vegetables and salads.

As for my photography, it's all a question of light, I can see that!