There is a story the goes back to the days of the Ottoman Empire, that an Imam ( a kind of Muslim priest ) ate a wonderful dish of baked aubergines prepared for him by his wife, and immediately fainted – blown away by the amazing flavours. Another, slightly more cynical, ending to the story…
Tag: Greece
A recipe from the East – Soutzoukákia
It is a truism, endlessly repeated, that Greece stands at the crossroads of Europe and Asia and this is possibly most evident in its food. Over the centuries transient Franks, Italians and the more persistently resident Ottomans have left their mark on the country’s food. Turkish words, like ‘dolma’ (stuffed vegetable), ‘fasulye’ (bean) and ‘fistik’…
‘Giant Beans’ – Yígantes
One of the classics in the repertoire of Greek dishes is the gloriously named ‘giant beans’ – or ‘yígantes’. This wonderfully simple dish of oven-baked butter beans is never served as a main course on its own; it is always served as a side dish, or as one of the staples of the mezé selection….
All frittered away – the art of vegetable keftedes
Part of the magic of Greek cooking, is the ability of most housewives to take a relatively uninspiring ingredient and with artistry and skill, turn it into a delicacy and a treat. This comes, I suppose, from the fact that, in the past in rural Greece, there was not a lot of meat around –…
Skordaliá Sunday
Inevitably, the best time to make this gorgeous garlic dip, skordaliá is at the weekend. The health benefits of garlic always come with a slight social encumbrance – but I, personally, am happy to deal with that on occasions. This is not just a garlic blitz – this is a bit of garlic festival. Skordaliá is…
Acropolis lunch and Parthenon thoughts.
I have been thinking a lot these last few weeks about the Parthenon Marbles. Obviously,the issue has been all over the media with the recent statements from Mr Clooney and then the rather bizarre riposte made by Mr Johnson. It’s a very divisive issue, that’s for sure.For me though, I think that before commenting on…
A Surprise Meeting in De Beauvoir – Artichokes ‘City Style’
How can I put this … ? …I love going to London. Now, when you’ve heard me extolling Athens and my love of all things Greek, you may wonder what’s going on here – but one of the things I really love about London, is the element of surprise, the element of, at any given…
A Recipe From Nisyros – Revithokeftéthes.
One of my favourite recipe ‘discoveries’ was made on the gorgeous island of Nisyros, a couple of summers ago. We were on holiday on Kos, late in the ‘season’ – at the point when there are fewer tourists, the weather is cooler and the sun is hanging just that bit lower in the still perfectly…
The Culinary Joys of Winter
When you talk about Greek food, usually people conjure up images of all those fantastic dishes using all the wonderful summer vegetables – the dishes familiar to holiday makers – moussaka, stuffed tomatoes and peppers. Greek cuisine – kouzina – is extremely…
A Day in Aegina
The Greek Islands are scattered across the Aegean Sea like handfuls of semi-precious stones. Each one with its own individual form and colour. Looking out to sea at any given point, there is always another destination on the horizon; another journey full of promise and expectation to be had. From Athens, the island of Aegina…
kouzina 