YOGURT KNOW-HOW: Warm and cold yogurt soups abound all over the Eastern Mediterranean. From the Syrian lamb-yogurt soup called shakrya to Turkish yogurt soups, the variety is impressive and spiciness is almost always part of the flavor palette, counterbalancing the cool, refreshing qualities of really good yogurt. Yogurt and Yogurt Substitutes: If you’re using […]
PRACTICAL FACT: Beans are one of the most important foods to consume when thinking about a healthy longevity diet. They’re rich in fiber and complex carbs and they are crucial to one of the most important aspects of health: our gut! Ikarians and Greeks in general cook beans every which way, but it’s when […]
There are many simple one-pot fish stews and soups in the Mediterranean Diet, and the combination of fish and vegetables is a common one. Adding economical, seasonal vegetables to an expensive protein–fish—was one way to make a meal stretch farther.
Vegetable cookery on Ikaria, as throughout the greek countryside, is really varied. This recipes is an old one, which I wrote down while sitting with Myrsina Rousso, 80 or so, in her garden in Manganiti while she recounted numerous recipes and details about the life and food on the island in the 1940s. It’s a […]
A wonderful Greek recipe from the Aegean island of Naxos, Kalogeros, named for a mountain on the island, is a rich combination of eggplants, beef and cheese, the latter both specialties on the island. Naxos is famed for its unique breed of cows and its wonderful cow’s milk cheeses, such as graviera You can […]
This is an easy, summery dish that cooks up in no time and has universal appeal!
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 […]
Whether it's a meatless option or just a quick healthy pasta dish you want, this easy, tangy rigatoni dish, with Kalamata olives, capers, garlic, and eggplant, is great. The mild, buttery Greek cheese, manouri, tames the robust flavor of the olives and capers. You can find many of the ingredients in this recipe online in […]
Eggplant and trahana, the Greek pebbly grain product that is one of the country’s most unique and delicious ingredients, make for a wonderful one-pot meal, filling, healthy and pleasantly tart and sweet all at once. This recipe is adapted from a Cretan Diet classic, which calls for the local version of trahana, called xinohondros on […]
Soufico, a delicious medley of caramelized summer vegetables, is one of the great summer dishes of Greece.