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 […]
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What is Haloumi Cheese?Haloumi (ha-LOO-mee) is the national cheese of Cyprus but is also popular in Turkey and the Arab world. Haloumi traditionally is made with sheep’s milk, but nowadays is also produced with a combination of sheep’s and cow’s milk. The cheese has two distinct characteristics: its square or rectangular, relatively flat, folded shape […]
This dish is made all over Greece, but this particular version, the original of which calls for a wild Cretan chicory called askolimbrous is from Crete. You can use any sweet or even bitter green for this. To find some of the artisinal Greek products you’ll need to make this, visit my online shop here, […]
In the mood for a meatball dish with a twist? This lovely northern Greek meatball and leek-celery medley works wonderfully over rice, wild rice or pasta and pairs beautifully with many of Greece’s red wines or full-bodies whites. To find the olive oil and trahana used in this recipe as well as other carefully curated […]
In the mineral-rich soils of the Komis Plain, in the prefecture of Exomvourgo, on the eastern side of Tinos, the island’s tiny, firm, complex-flavored artichoke flourishes. Local authorities organize a local artichoke festival every year. Artisans make pickled or olive oil-preserved artichokes, and taverna cooks created a kind of flan with the artichoke and bread, […]
My local farmer's market in Athens just started carrying kale and I couldn't think of a better way to cook it than this, inspired by a very traditional greens recipe from the Mani, where spinach and other sweet greens are cooked with garlic, oranges and olive oil. To find some of the artisanal Greek products […]
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.
On Ikaria, traditional cooks knew instinctively what science is proving now: that mushrooms are as nutritious as red meat and a lot better for us and the planet. On the island, as throughout the Aegean, recipes for mushrooms abound and there are dozens of wild varieties. This particular dish, seductively seasoned with cumin, comes from […]