"Copenhagen" almond dessert with phyllo

Well, if you have already thought that (maybe) some of the Greek dishes (sweet or savoury) are or sound or look a bit weird.... what would you think about this recipe?- which probably is going to confuse you even more... How come this traditional Greek dessert has such a name?? Who would have the idea to call it after the name of Denmark's capital city and why?? Well, so far nobody really has found out and it has been known like this for ever! Maybe it was inspired from some delicious Danish type of pastries? It makes sense but we can't be sure. What we are sure about is that it was a very, very popular dessert in the '60s and usually was served along with vanilla ice cream. It was one of the children's favourite desserts. It is an almond based type of dessert, wrapped with crunchy phyllo sheets and then poured with syrup...

Pasta with country style meat sauce

"Makaronia me kima"... In Greek we have our own version of "bolognese" for the ground meat, full of aromas and taste. And no... it is not influenced by the Italian famous dish. Pasta with ground meat sauce, is one of the most popular pasta dishes in Greece that not many can resist regardless the season! This version today is a more "country style" one including feta cheese which gives extra flavour to the whole dish

Tahini soup with orzo

"Tahini" is a paste of ground sesame seeds and originates in ancient Persia (Iran), under the name 'ardeh' which means "holy food". It is an ingredient that you will find in various cuisines around the world. In Greece mostly it was considered as an ideal ingredient during the fasting periods, due to its high-calorie nutritious value. The last couple of decates though, you find it more often in various Greek dishes (sweet and savour) and not only as a spread combined with honey on a slice of bread or inside a coffee or as a remedy. Here we have a very tasty and velvety soup with orzo pasta.
We have to start thinking about the Winter time...

Lamb with artichokes and yoghurt sauce

Another traditional recipe where the combination of the lamb with the artichoke is in absolute harmony and the lightly sour taste of the yoghurt gives it a twist

Spicy sausages wrapped in peppers

This is a delicious meze coming from up North Greece where they do like their food quite spicy

Rabbit with rosemary and garlic in the oven

A delicious and simple traditional recipe which often can be found in areas of Northern Greece. Rabbit is such a tasty and low in calories meat and so versatile regarding the method of cooking and the herbs you can use with it

Pie with green swiss chard and home made pastry

This is a traditional recipe from Naxos Island in Aegean Sea. Its name, "Sefoukloti", derives from the name "Sefoukla" which in the local dialect means "swiss chard". In rest of Greece usually the name for the "swiss chard" is "Seskoula" and it is a type of "horta" we use often in various dishes... Useless pieces of information for most of you but I think it is not a bad idea to get to know a bit more about the story behind some traditional dishes and I don't mean only the Greek ones. This is a recipe they used to cook after the Easter period when a lot of meat was consumed and they wanted something lighter and with more vegetables involved. The home made pastry again gives something extra in the final taste of the pie

Greek salad in the pan

This is another way of enjoying the classic Greek salad- this time in a warm version with various interesting flavours

Ingredients (for 4 people):
32 cherry tomatoes, leave them whole
1 large onion, thinly sliced
5-6 tbsp of olive oil
1/2 tea-cup of sun-dried tomatoes (from a jar in oil), finely chopped
150gr. feta cheese, cut in cubes
3 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp of black raisins
1/2 tsp of dry oregano
1/2 tea-cup of fresh mint or basil leaves, finely chopped or 1 tbsp of dry
salt
pepper

Method:
In a small bowl put together the balsamic and the raisins and let them soak until you use them later.

In a large and deep frying pan warm the oil on medium heat. Put in the cherry tomatoes and the onion. Season with salt and pepper and let them cook for 5-7 minutes, frequently shaking the pan so to turn them around, until the onions are soft and the skin of the tomatoes starts breaking here and there.

Add the balsamic vinegar along with the raisins, the sun-dried tomatoes, the feta cheese and the oregano and again shake the pan gently in circular mode.

In the end add the mint (or the basil) and a bit of pepper. Let the salad cook for 1 more minute, shaking the pan all the time and serve immediately along with fresh crusty bread.

Savoury tart with artichokes and two cheeses

Artichokes are another versatile vegetable and have become quite popular the last decades since people use them in many different recipes than just the classic ones. Here the home made pastry makes the tart even more interesting but you can always use the store bought shortcrust pastry

Fresh sardines with wine, tomato and oregano

A classic and light way of cooking the sardines. One of the most versatile and popular fishes in Greece. This recipe is going to surprise you with its convenient and easy way of cooking

Ingredients (for 4 people):

1½Kg of fresh sardines, cleaned
100ml of white dry wine
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 large ripe but firm tomato, cut in thin slices
20ml olive oil
salt
pepper
1 tsp of dry oregano

Method:
Ask your fishmonger to prepare the fishes for you if you can't deal with it. To take off the heads and the insides, to scrape the scales but to leave their tails on.

Get a spacious non-stick frying pan with a lid and lay the sardines in one layer.

Scatter on top with the garlic and then cover with the tomato slices. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and the oregano. Pour over with the wine and the olive oil.

Cover with the lid and cook the fish for only 8-10 minutes on medium heat. This is enough time to allow the sardines to free their juices and to blend with the rest of the ingredients and make the tomatoes to soften and almost caramelize.

Serve immediately along with steamed vegetables or even a fluffy white rice pilau.

Carrot fritters

..... and the meze section from Greece moves on regardless!!!! In many occasions I have called some of this type of meze recipes "fritters" but in Greek most of them are called ".... balls" (like meat balls) since usually they are in a ball shape. It doesn't matter really, it is just that in English it sounds silly to me to say "courgette balls" or "carrot balls" etc... Anyway, I just wanted to make it clear in case you wonder about the photos you see and they don't match to the title of the recipe because often the term "fritters" I think suggests a flat round shape rather than a ball shape

Almond cake with figs and grapes

Figs and grapes grow almost everywhere in Greece and they are very popular fruits. Now that they have sneaked out in the open vegetable markets (in Greece anyway, where we try to have the right fruit in the right season) it is a good chance to use them for various sweets. An easy cake to put together and a very tasty one

Courgettes stuffed with feta cheese and herbs

Here we have a variation of the classic Summer dish of the stuffed courgettes with meat and rice. They are delicious and they are an alternative light dish for using up the courgettes you might still have in your garden