MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN-RICE DISHES: Chicken and rice are a classic combo in the Mediterranean kitchen. In the context of the Ikaria Diet Recipe Club, enjoying animal protein at most once a week fits into an overall meal plan. On Ikaria, chicken and rooster are both esteemed meats, and in the traditional diet they were consumed sparingly, […]
PRAISE FOR THE PORTOBELLO Because they’re so substantial, fleshy and succulent, portobello mushrooms easily satisfy even the most tempting cravings for red meat. They’re nothing more than the mature form of button and cremini mushrooms. All of these mushrooms are, in fact the same species at different stages of maturity. Portobellos are rich in flavor, […]
FUN TIP: Creamy texture doesn’t have to be achieved with, well, cream! In this recipe, I call for an age-old Greek tradition for using nuts as a thickener. Cashews, while not native to Greece, are a much-loved nut. They are super rich in iron and copper, which impacts our metabolism in a positive way. Cashews […]
A healthy green bean stew from my next book: Ikaria, Lessons on Food, Life and Longevity from the Greek Island Where People Forget to Die.
Tsoureki and Vasilopita, Greek Easter and New Year’s breads respectively, make great French toast. Both these breads are similar to Challah in that they are fluffy and contain a lot of eggs. If you’re looking for a celebratory breakfast or just a great recipe for flavorful French toast, you’ll want to try this Greek recipe. Make sure to drizzle Greek honey over the top!
Chicken soup, Greek penicillin (!), is one of the most delicious winter dishes. Most people know it in its restaurant interpretation, as chicken soup avgolemono, with rice and the classic egg-lemon liaison. This old recipe, from northern Greece, calls for trahana, a delicious, sour grain product that is one of the oldest agricultural products in […]
A simple stew with complex layers of flavor. Try serving with one of Greece’s red wines, such as Xynomavro or Agiorgitiko. 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.
Soufico, a delicious medley of caramelized summer vegetables, is one of the great summer dishes of Greece.
Filo pastry and leftover roasts like lamb or even pork or beef are a great match. In this dish leftover lamb morphs into a totally new dish, equally enticing.
Here’s a spruced up version of Greek country dish–fava, or yellow split peas–served as a soup, with truffle oil and a bit of Greek cured pork. I like to serve this in the winter. Vegans and vegetarians: Skip the pork and make this dish your own!