Alex explores how La Cucina Romana influenced Middle Eastern cuisine, with a menu featuring his own, easy take on traditional dishes. Recipes include: pistachio, capsicum and Parmesan cheese pesto with spicy Turkish beef sucuk sausage on crunchy pide bread; bulgur, fresh mint, parsley, cucumber, tomato salad with baked spiced pistachio kernels and crisp Italian prosciutto shards; kavurma shakshuka, a delicious combination of baked eggs with pan fried lamb in a rich tomato, onion; capsicum sauce spiced with cumin and coriander seeds; lamb and beef Turkish-style koftas (meat balls) slowly cooked in a lemon chickpea broth, served with sucuk sausage and fennel yoghurt; and finally for an easy dessert, sugar syrup poached pumpkin, tahini, finely crushed walnut-almond dust and creamy homemade pistachio ice cream.
Rome Meets the Middle East
Easy traditional dishes
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About the Chef
Alex Meimetis
Head Chef, Koy
Alex studied in Europe to become a Chef and spent 12 years working to gain experience in different regions of Greece and, as a restaurant owner in Athens. In 2011 he returned to Australia to take up a position at the Surf Club in Brisbane with celebrity Chef, Ben O'Donohue. Back in Melbourne, Alex is now working at the South Melbourne Market as Head Chef of the established and the popular Turkish restaurant, Koy. More
