Drunken chestnuts have long been a specialty around Christmas time in Italy, mainly Tuscany. In Greece, blessed with thousands of chestnut trees, this dessert is definitely borrowed. Instead of red wine, I use raki or ouzo. The anise flavor of the beverage pairs beautifully with the chestnuts’ earthy sweetness.
Sofrito is one of the most traditional dishes from Corfu. Its name, from the Italian fritto, for fried, is characteristic of many of the local recipes on Corfu and elsewhere in the Ionian, where the Venetians ruled for centuries and left an indelible stamp on the cuisine. This is a wonderful festive dish, perfect for […]
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 […]
One of the great strengths of Greek island cooking is its wealth of unusual vegetable dishes. Even banal winter vegetables such as cauliflower and potatoes are turned into tasty meals with the help of great olive oil and local tomatoes. To find some of the artisinal Greek products you’ll need to make this, visit my […]
Duck, papia in Greek, is a special treat usually reserved for holidays or hunters. This simple Xinomavro Duck recipe marries one of the world’s richest meats with a tannic Greek red wine, Xinomavro, typically from Naoussa and other areas in Northern Greece. The wine is a beautiful counterbalance to the richness of the duck. I’d […]
This wonderful eggplant dish is the regional version of a classic. This rendition comes from Lesvos. It’s one of the heartiest and most filling vegetarian dishes in the whole Greek repertoire. 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 […]
Milk Pie in Phyllo is one of the greatest Greek regional desserts.
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 […]
In the northern Greek environs of Naoussa, one of Greece’s premiere red-wine producing regions, the Xinomavro grape reigns supreme. A visit up there while we were filming the show taught me that locals don’t just drink their beloved tannic red wine, they also use it to cook with. Grape molasses cookies with red wine jelly, […]