Classic Greek Salad with a Twist
The classic recipe for a Greek salad calls for everything listed below, plus feta. In this version, made together with ultra marathoner Dean Karnazes when we met, ran and filmed in Messinia, in the southern Peloponnese, I leave out the feta but get plenty of healthy calcium from the addition of sesame seeds.
Messinia Style Giant Beans Baked (Gigantes) with Spinach & Feta
Giant beans, aka gigantes (GHEE-ghan-tez), are a classic Greek ingredient and popular in Greek recipes from every part of the country. This Greek bean recipe is inspired by the delicious traditions of Messinia, in the Peloponnese, where beans and greens are often cooked together with a generous amount of local extra virgin Greek olive oil, […]
Super Food Cabbage Salad
Greek recipes for Greek salads abound and they aren’t all the tomato-cucumber-feta trio! Here is one great salad recipe that calls for Greek superfoods such as dried figs, Kalamata olives, and, of course, extra virgin Greek olive oil, all mingled with a mountain of cabbages, carrots, herbs and seeds. I enjoyed this inspirational salad with […]
Pasteli – Sesame-Honey Confection
This ancient Greek recipe made with sesame seeds and Greek honey is a kind of soft brittle, called pasteli, and is still made throughout the Greek islands, namely in the Cyclades. This recipe is from the Aegean island of Tinos, where it is served as a wedding sweet but also enjoyed throughout the year as […]
Tinos Artichoke Bread Pudding
This Greek island recipe, from the Cyclades, specifically Tinos, attests to the creative ways in which Greek cooking evolved, using both local and everyday ingredients to create delicious, regional specialties. This Greek recipe from the island of Tinos calls for artichokes, one of the island’s most prized local cultivations. I’ve adapted it for American cooks […]
Tsimbites – Pinched Cheese Cakes
Tsimbites means pinched in Greek, as in the pinched pastry that decoratively cloaks these delicious sweet Greek cheesecakes from the Cycladic island of Tinos. They are one of the most unique Greek recipes in the Aegean islands.
Barbounia Me Kapari – Red Mullet w/Capers & Tomatoes
Many popular Greek recipes for fish call for the beloved red mullet, aka barbouni in Greek. This easy Greek island fish recipe is from the Cyclades, and is enjoyed in Tinos, Andros and other places throughout the area.
Spanakopita Macaroni & Cheese
Inspired by the Athens Riviera, I love to cook hybrid, fun and/or contemporary versions of Greek recipes and American classics. This one combines my two sides, Greek and American, and the result is a macaroni and cheese that gets everyone eating their spinach!
An Athenian Sloppy Yianni
This recipe is inspired by the quasi-American culture that once predominated along the coastal towns of the Athenian Riviera, especially fun places like Glyfada, that had some of the best burger and meat joints in greater Athens. It’s my homage to that time, a clearly hybrid dish inspired by the classic Sloppy Joe, christened Yianni! […]
Pan-fried Red Mullets and Sardines
This classic recipe for simple floured-and-fried fresh fish belongs to the Athenian Riviera and beyond. It’s something we Greeks do at home all the time. All you need is small, fresh fish, a good heavy skillet, a little flour, olive and/or other oil for frying, and the temperament to withstand…the heat in the kitchen!
Baked Feta-Stuffed Calamari
This retro-stuffed grilled calamari is a taverna classic and one often found in the seaside fish eateries along the Athenian Riviera. You can use frozen squid for this, but make sure the tubes are large enough to fill.
Psarosoupa – Fish Soup with Avgolemono
Greek island fish soup is always a delicious affair. Psarosoupa is one of the most comforting ways to serve fish. The creamy avgolemono finish brings everything together. You can make this with almost any tasty whole fish, large or small.