Savoury pumpkin and cheese pie

This is a pie which can be found in various versions all around Greece and with so many different names. All the versions have two things in common : the pumpkin and the fact that there is no phyllo sheets or other kind of pastry involved. It is a very easy recipe to follow and so delicious to be eaten warm or cold

Marinated pork fillet with roast vegetables

One of those dishes that you will cook very often. A recipe which can be found in various areas of Greece with small differences. A delicious all-seasons recipe

Fried chickpeas balls

A traditional meze for all seasons and not only for the periods of fasting when a lot of  people prefer them

Ladenia - The Greek Pizza!

Yes, we have one of those too! A traditional recipe from (mainly) Kimolos Island. A delicious type of pizza/foccacia dough only lighter than the Italian one. The classic version is with olive oil, onions, oregano and tomatoes but there are versions with chopped peppers and olives in it (in my opinion it stops being a "ladenia" then). The soft texture, the flavours and the aroma makes it irresistible!!!  

Capers spread

Another traditional dish which we call "salad" but mainly it is considered as a dip/spread and a meze

Kydonopasto - Quince Paste

Quinces were used in Greece for ages and in both savoury and sweet recipes. Almost everywhere in Greece there are traditional dishes with the quince as the main or supporting ingredient. A classic one of course is the spoon sweet with quinces which soon I will post in the blog. But you will find them stuffed with savoury or sweet fillings cooked in the oven or the pot. Some of these recipes arrived to Greece with the Greeks of Asia Minor, others were there since... forever! The quince is rather a deceitful fruit, it can be attractive in appearance but when you have a bite out of it you feel you have been poisoned! It is very hard and sour in taste. It is one of the few fruits that you can not eat raw. And since there were a lot of quinces around Greece, people had to find ways of using it and making it edible. Hence all these delicious sweet and savoury dishes with it involved. Lets go back to our recipe which is called "Kydonopasto" in Greek. This is a delicious sweet snack from Argostoli, in Kefalonia Island, and it is a very old recipe

Tomatoes spoon sweet

Yes! Even the tomatoes can become a spoon sweet in Greece!! It is a traditional recipe from the Islands and it is ideal with vanilla ice cream or yoghurt

Pastitsio with leeks, anthotyro cheese and béchamel sauce

A different version of the classic Greek pasta dish, the "Pastitsio". This time no meat is involved and the béchamel sauce is lighter in taste and in calories

Cheese wrapped in phyllo with honey and walnuts

A nice way to enjoy the feta cheese, this time as a dessert! A classic recipe coming from various Greek islands with minor differences regarding the cheese or the liquid that is being used in the recipe

Lamb with parsley and avgolemono sauce

A very tasty dish with lamb and egg/lemon sauce. You can substitute the lamb with goat kid which in general is a less fatty meat

Greek Atzem Pilaf

This is another traditional recipe from the Greeks of Asia Minor. A very rich and tasty dish which you can find in two versions. This one with rice and orzo and the other with the combination of rice/angel hair. The secret in this recipe is the good quality of butter. In many cases this rice pilau accompanies meat bites (usually lamb) braised in tomato sauce

Beef slices stuffed with feta cheese and fresh spearmint

A very tasty, family-friendly and good looking dish which will impress everybody! It goes perfectly well with rice pilaf or fries

Sweet macaroni pie

This is a traditional recipe coming from Lefkada island. Lefkada is a beautiful island in the Ionian Sea on the west coast of Greece. It is connected though to the mainland by a long causeway and floating bridge. Many delicious recipes come from this place and one of those is this unusual sweet pie with pasta

Greek burgers flavoured with ouzo and mastic

This is another version of biftekia. The distinctive aroma and taste of ouzo and mastic makes the difference. Mastic is a resin coming from the mastic tree which exclusively grows in Chios Island and the droplets (the "tears" as we call them) are those which are gathered for use in the end. It has a sweet liquorice flavour and it has uses in medicine and in cooking and used as a flavouring but also making natural chewing gum with it and it has been found that it reduces the mouth bacteria. Originally it is a liquid obtained from incisions made into the bark of the trunk, but not into the wood, then it is sun-dried into drops of hard brittle translucent resin

Salad with watermelon, red peppers and feta cheese

Since I was a kid I remember people eating watermelon (or melon) along with feta cheese and praising the taste of it but it looked very weird to me... until I tasted it one day. Since then there is not a Summer gone without having my watermelon in this way at least once during the Summer period. I was very surprised when I first saw, a couple of years ago, in various foreign cooking blogs and sites people presenting watermelon with feta cheese as a salad. I thought that it was a very Greek thing and no other nation could be so "weird" like us in eating such fruits with feta not to mention to have it as a proper salad. But I see that it becomes a fashion and more and more recipes like this are around. Today I give you one of the versions people use to have back home using watermelon. Personally, though, I think I will stick with the simple version of watermelon-feta cheese I know since my childhood 

Fresh mackerel with parsley sauce

Mackerel is a popular fish in Greece and its best season is in August. A very tasty and very fleshy fish which you can cook in many different ways

Tomato pie

Don't underestimate this easy pie! Despite its simplicity, it offers an excellent taste and a nice solution for a light meal or a snack

Crab croquettes with home made saffron mayonnaise

Another excellent sea food meze for your ouzo gatherings with friends! Very tasty, crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside with a home made mayo with a twist