Greek Recipes

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

Give a Greek person a vegetable, any vegetable, and they will transform it into a mouthwatering feast. Summer vegetables, especially succulent tomatoes hardly require any exhaustive transformation because they are just so delicious - all you need is a little oil and vinegar. However, in this traditional Zakynthian dish, summer tomatoes combine with the humble eggplant and a lot of garlic to make a truly spectacular dish. If you were in Napoli, the garlic in this dish would be replaced with oozy mozzarella cheese and dustings of parmigiano reggiano. In Greek cuisine, there are strict (albeit unsaid) rules when it comes to using cheese. Hard cheeses are for eating at the table, with along with a generous bowl of olives. Soft cheeses, like feta, are crumbled into pies or a large slices adorn salads. Rarely are cheeses used in vegetable dishes - perhaps this comes from the tradition of fasting in the Greek orthodox church. In the long fasting months leading up to Christmas and Easter creat

There are about a thousand different recipes for Μελιτζανοσαλάτα (Melitzanosaláta or eggplant spread). From the Greek kitchen, but also from the Levantine, such as the famous baba ganoush, patlıcan salatası from Turkey, salat ḥatzilim in Israel and Kashk e bademjan in Iran. This Greek recipe differs from recipes in neighbouring regions as it does not usually include the addition of tahini or whey. It's all about the eggplant and just a few simple ingredients that make the eggplant flavour really shine.  The delicious smokiness of the char-grilled eggplant, combined with punchy garlic and grassy olive oil makes this dish of my favourite mezedes. It is also "fasting" friendly and a dish that can be eaten through the period of Great Lent in the Greek Orthodox tradition, where m eat and animal prod­ucts (cheese, milk, butter, eggs) and fish (meaning fish with backbones) cannot be consumed. A strict fast also rules out  olive oil and wine, which can only be consumed on the wee