healthy Greek recipes from the Blue Zone island of Ikaria.
I first ran across this salad at a small taverna high up in the mountain village of Carres, in the area of Raches, Ikaria. Theodosis Politis and his son Nikos ran a taverna up there and this salad was one of their signature dishes. The grilled pita adds an irresistible smoky note to the succulent […]
These Ikaria-style zucchini sticks are whimsically called maridaki, the Greek word for smelts, because smelts, long and slim, are typically floured and fried just like these little sticks. They’re great. 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 […]
We used to serve this simple pasta dish at a small restaurant called Villa Thanassi that we ran on Ikaria many years ago. 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.
What do Ikaria and Fettucine Alfredo have in common? Well, nothing really, except that this version of a creamy fettucine dish is a lot like the classic Alfredo, without the eggs, butter or heavy cream. It’s a dish I learned to make from my friend Eleni Karimanli on Ikaria.
The door to my kitchen on Ikaria opens up onto our little stone terrace and a few years ago Vassili planted an herb bed in a dirt patch he left unpaved right in the middle, under a trellis of grapes and between a few very old almond trees. We’ve planted rosemary, sage, mints, lavender, oregano, […]
Taro root, called kolokasi in Greek, is a staplefood on the island of Ikaria and cooked in ways similar to potatoes.