Pita Kaisarias in Phyllo Cups
Traditional pita kaisarias is a seductive combination of spicy pasturma, a cured beef seasoned with fenugreek and other spices, tomatoes and mild kasseri cheese all wrapped between flaky layers of buttery phyllo. I’ve made a quick version of this delicious meze, using prepared phyllo cups and the same filling. It’s a great party dish or […]
Greek Yogurt Cheese Cake with Mastiha
This Greek-American hybrid is an easy cheesecake to make. The faintly bitter, earthy flavor of the mastiha, adds an exotic dimension. You can try using crumbled Greek melomakarona cookies, available in Greek stores or online, as a base, too.
Lamb Baked in Yogurt
In the northern parts of Greece, all sorts of meats, from chicken to savory meatballs to lamb and goat, are cooked in sauces based on the local, delicious, thick, strained sheep’s milk yogurt. This dish comes from the traditional cooking of the Vlachs, a once itinerant shepherd tribe, and is sometimes called vlachiko. I have […]
Zucchini Pie with Yogurt and Fresh Mint
The tangle of zucchini that overflows in Greek summer gardens means that all over the country the number of regional recipes is mind-boggling. Savory pies filled with zucchini are just one category of dishes that call for this summer creeper! There are literally dozens of savory pies filled with zucchini, all slightly varied from place […]
Roasted Chicken Stuffed with Figs and Olives
The fig and the olive are a relatively new match for two of the oldest Mediterranean foods. Mastiha (mastic) infuses the stuffing as it bakes and adds one more undertone to this rich, flavorful, but simple chicken dish.
Clay-Baked Minoan Lentils – Minoikes Fakes
One of the most fascinating aspects of Greek cuisine is the continuity of use of so many ingredients from prehistoric times to the present. Among the oldest ingredients still revered today are honey, olive oil, herbs, and native pulses, first among which is the humble lentil. Honey, together with spices and herbs, was often used […]
Phyllo-Wrapped Feta with Cumin, Poppy, or Caraway Seeds and Honey
The salty, briny flavor of feta goes surprisingly well with honey, a combination that contemporary Greek chefs have been experimenting with for about the last decade. This recipe is a variation on several cheese-based specialties that are traditional Greek mezedes.One of those specialties is saganaki, its most common iteration the pan-fried cheese that is a […]
Braised Chickpeas with Spicy, Aromatic Pork Shanks
This dish definitely elevates the whole concept of pork and beans! In Greece, hearty stews that combined meat and vegetables or beans, were a way to stretch a meal, providing a little animal protein to every member of the family, for example, while filling bellies on more economical raw ingredients such as chickpeas, an ancient […]
Baked Gigantes With Honey and Dill
There are so many great recipes all over Greece for braised or baked giant beans, called gigantes. These butter, comforting beans marry well with everything from tomatoes to feta and spinach. This recipe is one of my favorites and may be served as an appetizer, vegetarian main course, side dish or meze. You can also […]
Template for a Classic Greek Bean Soup
Fasolada, the classic Greek bean soup, comes in many regional variations. In Western Crete, for example, a few strips of orange zest are sometimes added to the soup as it simmers. In the north of Greece, where the palate is spicier, fasolada is often seasoned with boukovo (hot pepper flakes), or a couple of hot […]
Greek Pita “Pizza” Muffins
As a kid of the 1970s, I grew up on pizza muffins! They were my favorite afternoon snack and among the first experiences I had “cooking.” I’ve reworked the concept here using pita bread, fresh tomatoes and feta cheese, a trio made in heaven. This makes for a great snack no matter what time of […]
My Son’s Favorite Beef Stew
One of the classics of Greek meat cookery is a one-pot stew called Kokinisto, which means red, for the tomato that goes into it. This is a variation of that recipe, enriched with a complex nexus of herbs and spices that give the dish a rich, multi-faceted flavor.