Category: Meze / Starters

Sticky Beef with Greek Honey, Onions and Bay Leaves

Crete, birthplace of the Mediterranean Diet, is also the home of this unusual Greek meze recipe for slow-cooked beef with honey. It comes from a small restaurant in Rethymnon called Avli.

Greek Salad BLT

Greek salad has infinite incarnations and this fun Greek recipe for a BLT is just one of them! Best of all…the Kalamata Olive Mayo, made with Greek yogurt! That’s a recipe from my most recent book, My Greek Table.

Poached Kalamata Figs

I came across this perfect Mediterranean Diet snack and wonderful way to prepare dried figs years ago in a small village outside Kalamata. It as during the olive harvest, when dried figs are an important source of energy. But these were a treat I had never imagined, poached in salted water then sprinkled with oregano […]

Kalamata Olive-Greek Yogurt “Mayo” / Mayioneza me Eliopasta

A mayo fit for the Mediterranean Diet! Try this delicious mixture of Greek yogurt, Kalamata olive paste, extra virgin Greek olive oil and more on all your sandwiches.

Shrimp and Zucchini Salad Marinated with Mastiha

This light, summer Greek recipe brings together two of my favorite ingredients. Not all Greek salads are a tomato-feta affair! But you do need great Greek extra virgin olive oil and some heady Greek herbs and garlic to up the ante on great flavor in this and any other salads!

Poulenta – Ionian Polenta

Poulenta – yes, it sounds like the Italian polenta because it’s pretty much the same thing — is a traditional Greek recipe of the Ionian islands, where the Venetians ruled for 400 years and left their mark on the local cuisine. Extra virgin Greek olive oil goes into this yummie Greek comfort food, which can […]

Kefalonitiki Kreatopita – Cephalonia Three-Meat Pie

This Greek recipe for a luscious meat-filled phyllo pie is one of the most beloved dishes of the Ionian island of Cephalonia. Three different ground meats, Greek cheese, and warm spices turn this phyllo classic into a rich, filling pie that can be served as easily as a Greek meze as it can a main […]

Pitaroudia – Chickpea Fritters with Tahini Sauce

Greek recipes for plant-based fritters abound and this one, with chickpeas, from the island of Rhodes, is a classic. Enjoy this wonderful Greek vegan and Greek vegetarian recipe any time of the day. It goes perfectly with the tahini dip, too!

Roditikoi Dolmades – Grape Leaves Stuffed with Bulgur & Cumin

The classic Greek recipe, stuffed grape leaves are a specialty of Rhodes and there are so many different versions that once a year the island hosts a stuffed grape leaf cooking contest! Greek stuffed grape leaves, called dolmades, can be served as a Greek meze or as a main course. You can even add them […]

Ikaria-Style Batter-Dipped Eggplants in Fresh Tomato Sauce

Vegetable cookery on Ikaria, as throughout the greek countryside, is really varied. This recipes is an old one, which I wrote down while sitting with Myrsina Rousso, 80 or so, in her garden in Manganiti while she recounted numerous recipes and details about the life and food on the island in the 1940s. It’s a […]