When a home cook like me works side by side with the chefs de cuisine at various Greek restaurants, all sorts of ideas germinate. Pastitsio, the classic baked pasta and meat dish, gets a breath of fresh air in this fun and easy recipe. I took the basic components of a classic pastitsio and turned […]
Salt cod, or bakaliaros pastos, is sometimes referred to as the fish of the mountains. Cod is not native to the Mediterranean, but to the North Sea and Atlantic. Itinerant merchants would travel inland to sell preserved (salted or air-dried) cod and the tradition of cooking it has remained constant to this day. It is […]
Beet salad, patzarosalata in Greek, is an all-time favorite. Earthy beets pair beautifully with garlic and the acidity of good vinegar. You’ll find this salad on tables everywhere, the perfect match to fish recipes like fried cod croquettes and retsina.
Greece in the summer is about being outside, under a hot sun, near the water, sea salt spraying on the breeze and seafood sizzling nearby. The quaff of choice is often either a chilled glass of retsina or a glass of milky-white ouzo on ice, the perfect foil to smoky seafood, especially when marinated with […]
This hearty, earthy skordalia, made dark with the addition of walnuts and red wine vinegar, is especially pungent. It is delicious with boiled or roasted beets.
Happy International Women’s Day! Commemoration is in order and from my perspective that inevitably means the place of women in the kitchen. There are countless unsung female heroes in professional kitchens throughout Greece, mothers, grandmothers and aunts who help out in their kids’ restaurants, in the family business, or as employees of others, typically there to make all the traditional foods. Of course, there are numerous very well-known and respected women chefs, among them Nena Ismirnoglou, Argyro Barbarigou and Georgiana Hiliadaki, to name but three in Greece.
This is total comfort food and a classic recipe from the island of Zakynthos in the Ionian Sea. What makes this dish special is the addition of large cubes of Greek cheese, which melt slightly and turn this otherwise simple tomato-baked chicken into something soothing and irresistible!
Artichoke moussaka is one of several variations on the moussaka theme in the Greek country kitchen. This version is a delicious, meatless rendition, made sweet by the copious amount of caramelized onions that are layered in the pan.
Everyone loves a great mashed potato recipe, the ultimate comfort food. This one, with Greek feta, yogurt and olive oil added to the potatoes, is a wonderful variation. It goes well with all sorts of comfort foods, especially tomato based stews.
Here’s a “lazy” version of spanakopita, turned into grilled cheese. All you need is a little filling and great bread and you’ve got yourself an impressive lunch, dinner, or snack!