Greek Recipes

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. ...

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...

There is no greater love in the Greek home kitchen than a warm salad. A salad made with cooked vegetables, rather than leaves and tossed in a lemony dressing. I love this way of serving vegetables, a meal in themselves when accompanied by a slice of feta dusted in riagni and good quality Greek olives. A warm salad of broccoli is regular home-style staple on the Greek table and simply dressed beetroot is also a big favourite. In summer a warm salad of baby zucchini, baby potatoes and sweet vlita (amaranth) leaves is also very popular. This salad takes its inspiration from the summer garden with fresh artichokes, baby potatoes and lemony purslane. Artichoke, purslane and potato salad ( Σαλάτα με γλιστρίδα, αγκινάρες και πατάτες ) Ingredients 8 artichoke bottoms, fresh or frozen 6 baby potatoes 8 small bunch of purslane, cleaned of any grit and tougher stems removed (save a couple of leaves for garnish) 8 small pickling onions 2 tablespoons dill, chopped For the dressing: 8 teaspoons of o...

In part two of my ode to summery zucchini blossoms, I bring you the recipe for baked blossoms. In part one of this series of posts, I featured the stove top method for cooking these beauties. As I mentioned before, how you prepare the blossoms really depends on how you were taught by your mother or grandmother. Both methods are equally delicious and without further delay, I bring you the baked recipe!   Stuffed zucchini blossoms: the baked method (Κολοκυθοανθοι γεμ ιστοι) Serves 6; cooking time 60 minutes Ingredients 30 zucchini blossoms 15 or so baby zucchini (these should be available with the blossoms) 4-5 small potatoes, halved or quartered 1 cup Greek Carolina or other medium grain Calrose rice 1 small  brown onion, finely diced 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 tablespoons of fresh dill, finely chopped 2 tablespoons of fresh mint, finely chopped 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, finely chopped Dried bukovo chilli flakes, to taste Salt and g...

A variety of beans are used in Greek cooking. Small beans, such as haricot beans are used in fasolada soup or chilled summer salads. However, giant white beans, known as 'butter beans' in English are the sole contenders for being baked in the oven in a classic dish called "gigandes plaki " also spelled gigantes or yigandes (γίγαντες πλακί). While many there many different regional recipes for this dish, most commonly the beans are first cooked in water to soften them and then baked in fresh tomato sauce with carrots and celery. In some areas, particularly in northern Greece, a more hearty winter version of the dish calls for spinach, sausage or even spicy whole chili peppers to be added. In our family, my mother in law's Zakynthian origins shine through in this recipe with a classic Ionian style freshly grated tomato sauce, flavoured with plenty of parsley and garlic. You can reduce the amounts of these in the recipe if you prefer a more mildly f...

One of my favourite Greek products, is the dark pine or ‘honeydew’ honey from the forests of Peloponnese. It has a malty, spicy aroma and a caramelized flavor.   It is the perfect honey for using in this simple tart, as a floral honey could easily overwhelm the buttery shortbread-like crust and mild pine nuts. Pine honey also has fewer calories and a lower total sugar content than floral honeys and is rich in minerals and amino acids.    You could make your own short crust pastry base for this tart, but I like to use the wonderfully light and crumbly Careme gluten free short crust pastry. It has a subtle nutty flavour from wholegrain flours , which works so well with the almonds and pine nuts in this tart. This is a great cupboard standby dessert, which couldn’t be simpler to make. It is best served with a dollop of thick, Greek style sheep milk’s yoghurt for a luxurious touch. Pine honey, almond and pine nut tart (Τάρτα με πευκόμελο, αμύγδαλο και κουκουνάρι) Se...

It is always nice to take a little twist on tradition every now and then. This week it was yemista's turn for a bit of a creative tweak. Instead of filling the peppers, zucchinis and tomatoes with the usual mix of white rice, I instead used some brown rice (for a hit of manganese & selenium) plus some quinoa for a little extra protein. The best addition to this recipe though was the fantastic Sparoza Mediterranean herb and spice blend, which uses a combination of 15 herbs and seeds from oregano and melissa to linseeds, mustard seeds and sesame seeds. The Sparoza spice blend makes this dish incredibly aromatic and I loved the fact that it makes the brown rice and quinoa filling even higher nutritional value with all those extra seeds. This spice blend has become a little bit of an addiction really. It makes for the perfect snack when added to a little toasted pita bread that has been liberally drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.   The real test for this twist on tradition came...

While artichokes will always remain my true love of springtime, broad beans come a very close second. This recipe is inspired by my father in law, who while working as a grocer in his store in Dulwich Hill would often make himself a quick lunch of flash fried young broad beans in between customers. Ba would lightly dust the young tender broad beans in seasoned flour and fry in Greek extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). He says this quick lunch reminded him of the ones his mother, Ekaterini, would make when he was a young boy in his family villaged, called Diasella,  in the Peloponnese.  My twist to the recipe is to enrich the batter a little and add a dash of ouzo. This makes a great light springtime dinner, with a little smoked trout or (for the more robust taste buds) Greek herring called Renga (Ρέγκα) and some punchy, garlicky skordalaia. This light spring time meze is best accompanied by a chilled glass of ouzo. Broad beans fried with ouzo (κουκιά τηγανητά με ούζο) Serves 4...

Surprisingly, 'swiss chard'  isn't native to Switzerland. It’s homeland is the Mediterranean and it has been a revered vegetable (particularly for its medicinal qualities) since Ancient times. The Greek philosopher, Aristotle wrote about chard in the fourth century B.C. Today, swiss chard continues to be a much loved vegetable on the Ionian island of Zakynthos, where it is known in the local dialect as ‘seskala’. In the rest of Greece it is  referred to as seskolo. The Zantiots prize the flavour of seskala, which is similar to spinach, but with a stronger, more assertive (some think, bitter or earthy) flavour. The fantastic variety of phytonutrients in seskala is quickly recognizable in its vibrant colours, from the rich dark green leaves to the rainbow of reds, purples and yellows. Sekala is rich in vitamin K, A, C as well as iron, magnesium, potassium, and manganese. It also has lutein, shown to help with eye health. Although seskala is available throughout the...

It's that time of the year again. My favourite time. It's artichoke season. For me, the artichoke is quite simply the queen of all vegetables. At her best, when eaten in season. although I can't deny that I also love a good preserved artichoke (especially the divine homemade ones that I tried on the spectacular Greek island of Tinos this year) and my freezer is never complete without a bag (or two) of frozen artichokes, from Greece, of course.  Artichokes are not only delicious, but they are nutritional powerhouses. They contain potassium, magnesium, folate, antioxidant vitamin C and a surprising amount of fibre. Indeed, a large artichoke can contain up to 10 grams of fibre and 1/2 cup of cooked artichoke hearts can contain around 7 grams of fibre. The addition of broad beans to this traditional Greek dish also brings a further 4.6 grams of fibre, per 1/2 cup of cooked broad beans. Evidence suggests that fibre can help to lower the risk of heart disease and cancer and contr...