Greek Recipes

Easter remains the most important celebration for my Greek family. I love the traditions of colourful dyed eggs, tsoureki and  the Easter biscuits - Koulourakia. Holy Thursday has always marked the start of Easter preparations in our house, the day the eggs are dyed red and the  Koulourakia are made. For those in our family who are not friends with gluten, it seemed a shamed for them to miss out on part of the Easter traditions. So, this year, I have tried my hand at making some gluten free Koulourakia, flavoured with plenty of lemon, vanilla and the most incredible Greek superfood - Matsiha.    Mastiha are like little dusty pieces of crystal - which come from mastic-tree resin and are only found on the Greek island of Chios (I long to visit Chios one day - hopefully soon!).  Mastiha has been harvested on Chios for at least 2,500 years since Greek Antiquity. Mastiha is reported to have plenty of health benefits from  digestive issues to skin regeneration. In Ancient times it was used a

In my education of all things Greek, this year (so far) has been the year of the olive. The Greek word for olives is elies, ελιές, pronounced el-yes and they are without question the essential element of the Greek diet. Olives can make the simplest mezede and every meal is accompanied by a plate of beautiful glossy olives on the table.  My father in law has over 70 years of experience growing olives and for the sixty years of their married life, my mother in law has preserved the autumn crop. Their home preserved olives really are a team effort. Living in a sunny corner of Sydney's inner west has not hampered my in law's passion for home preserved olives. So, a few weeks ago, Mr K and I were part of the small team of harvesters in the Autumn sunshine. As we sat picking the olives from the branches, Dad (Ba in Greek) recalled stories of how he had harvested olives with his family in a small village in the Peloponnese during the 1930s.  Ba tells me that the best, most tastiest, o

One of the most loved home style Greek recipes, psarosoupa (fish soup) is a perfect dish for those cooler autumn nights that are coming our way here in Australia.  Mum's recipe starts with a simple vegetable stock, which uses plenty of celery leaves in lieu of the Greek grown herb 'selino'. If Ma were in Greece she would use selino, the wild celery, that is both a herb and a vegetable. It has much thinner stalks than our ordinary celery and more leaves. Hence, Ma's use of plenty of celery leaves in this dish.  Once the vegetable stock is created, the fish is then cooked in the stock. Ma's fish of choice here in Australia is snapper, but you could use any fish with firm white fillets. The odd red mullet (called barbounia) can also be added. Before the fish is cooked however, Ma's secret for perfect fish soup is to scrupulously clean the fish. They should be cleaned to the point where, when they are placed under a running tap, the water runs clear and is not cloud

March 25 marks Greek National Independence Day and the Annunciation. While this day usually falls during lent it is the custom, allowed by the Church, to pause in fasting and eat fish. By far the most popular fish of choice on this day (and one of the pillars of Greek cuisine) is Fried Salt Cod Fillets accompanied by skordalia, a garlic spiked potato puree. A simple boiled beetroot salad (which includes the beetroot leaves) dressed in olive oil and Greek wine vinegar, is also a traditional side dish. While fried salt cod seems a simple dish, the Greek version of fish and chips, it is far from it. The crunchy coating of the cod, fried in olive oil, has a soft savoury inside - an addictive combination. Ordinarily, the dish is made with a fluffy beer batter ( you can find the traditional recipe here ). However, this year I decided to opt for a change and prepared the cod in with a lighter lemon zest and herb flavoured crust, using gluten free flour. Fried salt cod (Μπακαλιάρος) Serves 4;

The use of alternative flours in Greek cooking goes back to a different era, when wheat flour (now more commonly used in Greece) was expensive or difficult to obtain. The buckwheat bread and flour used in this dish imparts a subtle 'toasted bread' flavour. Of course you can use wheat bread and flour in this recipe if you prefer, or experiment with a half/half mixture of wheat and buckwheat flour.  Gluten-free zucchini fritters (κολοκυθοκεφτέδες - χωρίς γλουτένη) Serves 4-5; Preparation time: 30 mins; Cooking Time: 25 minutes Ingredients 1 kilo of zucchini 1 medium onion (not a sweet variety) 1 egg 1 cup gluten free bread crumbs (I used toasted buckwheat bread) 1 teaspoon of gluten free baking powder  3/4 cup of grated kefalotiri or kefalgraveria 1/2 bunch of mint or parsley, finely chopped Buckwheat flour Salt and pepper Olive oil for frying Method 1. Clean and wash the zucchini well and then grate the zucchini using the coarse side of the grater. Place in a mesh sieve. 2. Cle

There is nothing my mother in law likes more, than to be in her kitchen creating food for her family. After a serious illness over the last few months, it has been wonderful to see Ma feeling just well enough again to be back in the kitchen doing what she loves best - cooking. When she is not cooking, then there is nothing more that we like to do together more, than talk about food and recipes. Yesterday, Ma shared with me two of her recipes, octopus pilafi, a traditional Greek Lenten dish and her own, more revolutionary (and certainly not traditionally Greek), chilli puree.  My lovely brother in law recently shared with me a story about Ma's discovery of chilli. It was about 20 years ago and after a period of experimenting, she hasn't looked back since! Ma loves chilli for its reported health benefits as well as the heat and flavour it brings to her dishes. However, as it is not a traditional Greek ingredient, Ma uses it sparingly in the form of a milder chilli puree made from