Meze / Starters Recipes
Rusks are an ancient food in Greece. Basically they are the twice-baked breads, in various shapes. A dearth of fuel, i.e. wood, made daily, or even weekly, baking almost extravagant in the Greek countryside. These rusks are slowly dehydrated during the second baking, which happens overnight in a wood-burning oven that is not fired up […]
Here’s another unusual use for Greek yogurt–a savory cheesecake made with the ultimate Greek meze, tarama. I created this several years ago, when I was insane enough to open and run a summer restaurant, Villa Thanassi, basically in my backyard on the laid-back, Blue-Zone island of Ikaria. This dish became a signature. I still make […]
Recipes for stuffed onions abound in the traditional Greek kitchen, which prides itself on taking humble ingredients and transforming them into delicious, rustic masterpieces!
All over the Aegean you can find vegetable fritters and they are a great way to make vegetables–everything from wild greens to cauliflower to tomatoes, chickpeas, and more–fun and interesting. Kids love these crispy treats. This particular recipe is from the Cyclades. Tomato fritters are a traditional meze and main course vegetarian dish in Santorini, […]
The best place to taste these stateside is…Pylos restaurant in the East Village, NYC. This dish is one of the most aromatic in the entire Greek kitchen. My kids love it and so will yours! Serve with mashed potatoes, as pictured, or with whole wheat pasta and a green salad.
The best Greek giant beans are from the north, especially from Prespes and Kastoria. When cooked, they are creamy without being mushy, and that’s the way gigantes -giant beans- should be. You can also substitute butter beans for this dish.
Fava, this simple puree of yellow split peas made velvety with a copious amount of great Greek olive oil, and tangy with a spritz of lemon, is one of the great meze dishes of Greek cuisine. It’s also one of the most versatile, since you can marry fava with almost anything. To find the fava […]
Oh, giant beans, how do I love thou, let me count the ways! Here’s one, for sure. To find the giant beans, aka Greek gigantes, herbs, olives and olive oil in this comforting recipe, go to my online store here.