At first glance, choosing a recipe from the 703 pages of Vefa’s Kitchen could seem a bit daunting, so here are a couple of my favourites – just click on the links to get all the details. 

Finding that Vefa had included  a recipe for Marathópites (Cretan Fennel Pies) vindicated my decision to buy yet another Greek cookbook. I’d had them once in Crete (obviously). We’d dropped into a recommended taverna only to find that they were all set up for a private function. Very kindly the owner shunted us into an obscure corner and served us anyway. Their fennel pies were outstanding.

One of my  a mezé standards is this luxuriously named Koukounarosaláta (Pine Nut Dip). It’s not quite as extravagant  as it sounds as the base is roasted aubergine. So it’s a bit like a melizanosaláta that’s heavily infused with pine kernels. It is amazing. 

My main go to recipe from Vefa’s Kitchen is the one for Overnight-Baked Chickpeas. With all the recent posts about chickpeas, you’ll start to think I’m obsessed with them and you wouldn’t be wrong – but each one has a slightly different flavor and texture. This one is the most time consuming but is well-worth the effort. The slow-cooking in a sealed pot goes someway to capturing the signature dish of Sifnos, even if you don’t have a wood fired oven. 

If you have succumbed and bought a copy, you might like to try : 

Pork with Beans from Florina (p.393) 

Cretan Wedding Pilaf – Gamopílafo (p.264)

Ouzo Cured Salmon with Dill (p.640)

Lamb Baked with Orzo – as cooked for Martha Stewart (p.432)

Kumquats in Syrup (p.616) 

Recipes from ‘Vefa’s Kitchen’ by Vefa Alexiadou published by Phaidon