Meze / Starters Recipes
This is one of the best-known dishes from Syros, a meze reminiscent of Italian pesto, minus the nuts and cheese and made with parsley instead of basil. There are numerous renditions, with stale bread and potatoes or egg yolk, all of which give the dip body. Some versions also contain garlic and/or capers.
Beets and Feta are natural partners in the kitchen. I love the easy elegance and ensuing “wows” this dish inevitably inspires, using some of the most accessible ingredients available. You can buy delicious, crunchy, healthy Aegina pistachios here.
Arugula, called roka in Greek, with its peppery bite and refreshing flavor, is one of the favorite salad greens in Greek cooking. It is often paired with shaved cheese and fruit. With a drizzle of extra-virgin Greek olive oil and a splash of Greek balsamic, this salad makes the perfect foil to a rich meal, […]
Mushrooms are always an elegant addition to the table, no matter the occasion. This makes a great side dish to festive and everyday main courses. You could even serve them over Greek fava, for something extra special.
Perhaps no other combination of meat and vegetable best represents the cooking of northern Greece more than the duet of leeks and pork, which appears in pies, sausages, ground meat dishes, and main courses alike. Here is a classic meze called tigania, because it’s typically made in a tigani, or skillet. The dish can easily […]
This taverna classic finds its way into my kitchen pretty often. Serve it as a meze, or as a sauce for pasta or rice. To find some of the artisinal Greek products you’ll need to make this, visit my online shop here, where you’ll discover a host of lovingly curated Greek ingredients.
Taramosalata, one of the classic Greek dips, is made with fish roe, typically either from cod or carp, and a base of either potatoes, bread, almonds or walnuts, or a combination of them in varying quantities. It is extraordinarily nutritious. To find some of the Greek products you’ll need to make this, visit my online […]
Here’s a meze I remember loving the first time I tasted it in a small meze restaurant near the Modiano market in Thessaloniki. Kasseri cheese and pasturma are a classic combination, most closely associated with a delicious phyllp pie called pita kaisarias, which is a classic of the Greek cooking of Asia Minor. To find […]
These lovely little open-faced tomato and onion pies, called ladenia, are almost like pizza and make for what is arguably the best-known dish on Milos. They are typically made and sold by local bread bakers. Served with a fresh greens salad they make a great light lunch or buffet dish. To find some of the […]
Move over gyro! This easy crispy cod sandwich will turn even the most hardened carnivore into a fish lover. You can make it with any firm-fleshed fish that stands up well to batter and hot oil. Makes a great weekend lunch! To find some of the artisinal Greek products you’ll need to make this, visit […]