Quiet

It's been quiet around here mostly due to the fact that I haven't cooked or eaten much interesting lately. No one wants to read that I've been subsisting on bananas and whole wheat English muffins, I'm sure. A high dose of penicillin every day taken to rid myself of an ear infection has rendered most food completely unappetizing to me. If not for the implications (ie, superstrains of viruses), I'd recommend penicillin as a weight loss plan.

Though I did go out to dinner at Anatolia over on White Bridge Road this week (despite the recent crime spree at restaurants in the area). The menu is heavily focused on meaty Turkish favorites, but there are quite a few vegetarian options. What I like to do is get an appetizer sampler platter (to share--it's huge) and a side order of veggie kabobs and rice pilaf. It makes for quite a filling meal but is still pretty cheap.

The appetizer platter includes hummus and pita triangles, vegetarian dolmas (still happy that most dolmas in Nashville are vegetarian), and sigara boregi, also known as Turkish cigars. They're cylinders of phyllo dough stuffed with feta cheese and parsley that's been deep fried. And they're the most heavenly sweet and savory thing you can imagine. La Luna over in Berryhill serves them as well with a side of apple chutney for dipping, but Anatolia serves them with rose jam, which perfectly complements the dish. I loved the rose jam so much that I bought some to bring home with me (I bought it from Anatolia, but it's available at most Middle Eastern or international groceries). I love roses in every form--I wear rose perfume, I grow roses in my garden and yes, I even eat them. If you haven't had the rose jam, I highly recommend it. A good place to start is with the sigara boregi at Anatolia. Even when nothing else sounds or tastes good, the Turkish cigars will rescue your appetite.