Sights of Portobello Road Market: The Food Stalls

Portobello Road is probably London's most famous market. It's been featured in many movies; everything from the children's classic, Bed nob's and Broomsticks to the famous romantic comedy Notting Hill.





Portobello Road Market has everything; antiques, food, clothes and accessories from up-and-coming designers, music, and of course some junk. Go there on a Saturday, and go early, to avoid the huge crowds of tourist who descend upon the market by midmorning.



This being a food blog, I took a bunch of photos down at the food end of the market. When I spend time in London, I go to Portobello on the weekends to get my fruit and veg. If you go on a weekly basis, the vendors get to know you and it's really a nice feeling to go back every week, pick up some great produce and get greeted nicely by some real Londoners.

Istanbul: The Spice Market, and Two Restaurant Recommendations

I had the opportunity to travel to Turkey this spring with one of my best friends, Lauren, and her mom. They really showed me a great time, and it's a trip I won't forget.


(mmm Turkish Delight!)

While we were in Istanbul, we stopped in the spice market. It's definitely worth visiting the spice market. There are all kinds of Turkish sweets, spices from Turkey and all over the world, and of course, Turkish specialties like baklava and pastrami. Please enjoy some of the photos I took a little farther down in this post.



Above the spice market is a famous restaurant named Pandeli. A couple of people had recommended it to me before my trip, so Lauren, her mom and I made sure to make Pandeli our lunch stop that day. Pandeli is most famous for it's sea bass en papillote (sea bass cooked in a parcel, photo below). That's what I had, and it was truly delicious.



I must mention one other restaurant I went to in Istanbul; Balikci Sabahattin. This restaurant is a seafood place, and every single thing we had there was excellent. Unfortunately I didn't take any photos, but it would be the first restaurant I would head to if I was back for another visit to Istanbul.

Please enjoy the photos of the market; it was a lot of fun to visit, and a great place to pick up some Turkish Delight to bring home to friends and family!

Turkish Delight and other tasty treats...



Lots of spices...



Peppercorns...



Turkish Saffron...



Baklava...



Something else that looked tasty but I don't know the name of...



Dried vegetables including dried aubergine (eggplant) which I had never seen before...



A huge wheel of goat's cheese...



Pastrami, which was more cured and more spicy (but less peppery) than the American version...



Finally, pomegranate tea... so pretty!

Farmers Market Salad with Fried Shallot

I’m hoping our run of bad eats is over. This salad was a refreshing treat! Plus healthy to boot!

Farmers Market Salad with Fried Shallot

Recipe from Epicurious, with adjustments.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound shallots (we used more like 2 shallots)
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil for frying (ok more like 1/2 cup)
6 ounces of whatever green leaf you like best (we used red romaine and baby spinach)
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
sea salt to taste
croutons
candied pecans

DIRECTIONS
Cut shallots into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Don’t cry.

In a heavy 10-inch skillet cook shallots in oil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden. (The recipe says 15-20 minutes. Our shallots burned after 5. Don’t let them burn, or they will be extremely bitter. Better to undercook them than overcook them!)

With a slotted spoon transfer shallots to paper towels to drain and season with salt. Reserve 3 tablespoons oil for dressing salad and cool shallots to room temperature. (Don’t forget to save the oil!! That’s the best part of this salad!)

To make candied pecans, toss about 1/2 stick of butter and 1/2 cup of sugar into a small saucepan, along with a pinch of salt, some cinnamon, and a dash of ground ginger. Add pecans and stir until melted. Pour onto foil and let cool. Delicious!

Just before serving, in a large bowl toss together greens, reserved oil, vinegar, and sea salt. Sprinkle shallots and pecans over salad.