Sunshine Breakfast

This is my idea of heaven in the summer – a warm, sunny morning, the birds singing, and the smell of freshly baked pide, a crispy loaf (even a shop-bought baguette or ciabatta heated up in the oven), or flat breads toasted over a fire. For our version of a classic Turkish breakfast, we carry a laden tray outdoors to a sheltered spot in the sunshine – homemade jam and local honey; feta cheese sprinkled with dried oregano and pul biber or Aleppo pepper; succulent Kalamata olives in olive oil and lemon juice; chunks of peeled, salted cucumber; sliced tomato or cherry tomatoes from the greenhouse; wedges of sweet, juicy melon or watermelon or any other fruit we have in the house; and a bowl of tahin pekmez. If you don’t know tahin pekmez, it is a delectable Turkish combination of tahini and grape molasses to spoon onto your bread. Throughout the Middle East you get variations of it made with date, carob, or mulberry molasses but, if don’t have a fruit molasses, you can substitute it with honey. The ratio is roughly two tablespoons tahini to one of molasses but the sweetness is up to you.