Mixed meat Vassilopita with phyllo pastry - Traditional New Year's savoury pie

This year we thought to go for something totally different for our New Year's Eve dinner trying out two recipes, one savoury and one sweet (which you will find in the next post). Two Vassilopitas in the same evening is too much you might think but it is the Holiday season and some exaggerations can be allowed:-)) In most areas of Greece the New Year's cake is a sweet treat but there is also this delicious traditional recipe of meat pie coming from Epirus region which changes everything many of us (especially coming from big cities) knew regarding the Vassilopita. Still, though, what this savoury Vassilopita has in common with the sweet ones is the lucky coin inserted somewhere in the filling waiting for that person to win it and feel happy and lucky for the rest of the year!

Festive cheese terrine wrapped with smoked salmon

Christmas is gone but the Holiday season is not over yet and a lot of people's mind is in the upcoming New Year's parties! Here we have a delicious and very impressive terrine which can be served among other party food at your Festive buffet and surely will satisfy your guests! The original recipe demands a special white, soft, spreadable Greek cheese (very low in salt) called "Katiki Domokou". I don't expect you to find it abroad so you can substitute with regular cream cheese or another not heavy in salt curd cheese. It will not be exactly the same but the taste still will be great!

Bacon wrapped baked potatoes stuffed with mushrooms

A delicious first or side dish to serve your guests at the Festive table to accompany any roasted meat or poultry meal! Very good looking too to stand among other dishes at a buffet party during the Holiday season

Special Festive dessert

Special Festive dessert indeed! One of those unique desserts which can bring the right balance after a rich dinner or when served next to other buffet dishes. The combination of the fineness of the good quality chocolate breaks down nicely the acidity of the fruits with impressive flavours exploding in your mouth!

Festive dessert with chocolate and chestnut mousse, caramelised corn flakes and pomegranate granita

A good looking, clever and delicious dessert to enjoy on New Year's party or any time really when you want something light and special. The surprise part of this dessert, to me, are the caramelised cornflakes which give such a nice crunchy taste and the refreshing pomegranate granita giving a nice balance to the sweet mousse

Velvety mushrooms and chestnuts soup "shots"

This is a great idea to serve at your buffet table among other nibbles and finger food dishes on New Year's Eve or any other party occasion. Who said that soup could not be served in small quantities? Here we have a delicious recipe and impressive at the same time if served in small shot glasses to be easier to handle

Festive stuffed dates served with green olives salsa - Great party food!

Various nibbles, canapés and finger food dishes can enrich the New Year's Eve (or Day) party with easy but delicious recipes to please your guests! The stuffed dates are not an unusual dish in such occasions but the green olives salsa, I think, shines next to them!

Slowly cooked stuffed roast piglet

A delicious recipe for Christmas or New Year (although it demands time and patience) with the piglet meat melting in your mouth because of the slow cooking! Ask your butcher to prepare the piglet for you so to be easier to stuff it by opening the belly up. You could also ask to break the spine and take off the legs (from the knee down) so it can fit in the oven pan easier. You can also keep the piglet's liver to add it in the stuffing

Blood orange flavoured Festive bougatsa pie

The delicious sweet bougatsa pie with a modern twist to impress your guests serving them something out of the ordinary this Holiday season. The recipe keeps its classic idea but it is enriched not only with the flavour of the blood orange but also with a nice syrup to just drizzle on top

Mini fried toasties with cheese and ham - Boxing Day brunch little treat

Another great idea to have something but not too much for a light lunch or brunch on Boxing Day! You'll love them and the kids even more so! Easy to prepare without too many ingredients involved because the last thing you need on Boxing Day is to spend hours in the kitchen... I'm sure it will become one of your favourite midday snacks as it is for us on lazy Sundays regardless the season

Mini butter croissants with Feta cheese and jam - Boxing Day breakfast little treat

After Christmas rich feast you don't need too much next morning to start the day... This is not really a recipe but more a tasty idea. A fast and easy little savoury treat which, though, doesn't lack in taste at all! The tangy flavour of Feta goes perfectly well with jam or sweet chutney!! It is one of our favourite little treats all year through

Easy Christmas salad with pomegranate and yoghurt dressing

A very easy recipe to prepare even the last moment on Christmas day or any day during the Holiday season to accompany various meat dishes or at a buffet party. Good looking and colourful but the most important is it is delicious in taste and so refreshing

Fragrant caramelised carrots with mustard and honey

Another ideal dish to present at your Holiday season table to accompany any roast meat you are going to serve your guests! Simple but delicious in taste with lots of aroma from the citrus fruits and the herbs

Sweet potatoes mash - Perfect festive side dish

Classic, nice and simple but delicious side dish for Christmas to serve next to the special roast of that day! In Greece the local sweet potatoes are not orange in colour like, for example, the American variety. It has a rather off-white colour and a distinctive sweet flavour. I don't expect you to find such potatoes abroad, but those who are in Greece and would like to try the recipe they should combine the two varieties so to have the best elements of both, the sweetness of the Greek potato and the bright orange colour of the American

Braised red cabbage with bacon and apple

This is a hearty and delicious side dish which can be served any time in the Winter with any kind of meat dish, but it would be a special addition to your Festive table next to other side dishes and the special roast of the day. For an absolute vegetarian version just omit the bacon and believe me nobody will notice because the taste will be excellent anyway!

Christmas marinated pork baked with quinces and potatoes

In Greece, up to 10-15 years ago (or thereabouts), the turkey was not so often people's first choice as the main dish for the Christmas table. On the other hand, pork was always and still is one of the most popular meats during the Holiday season (and not only). The recipes to cook it, countless!!! A year is not enough to cover the huge variety of recipes even if you'd cook pork every day! And when it comes to Christmas there are also so many different special dishes you can create with the pork that again you can't decide what to choose. Today we have another delicious dish with the pork as the main star and the recipe itself is so easy and without too much preparation so the cook of the day can relax with a glass of sherry while the food is merely happy in the oven! Quinces and potatoes go together well and accompany the meat in the best way ending up so tasty and mellow

Greek Festive meat soup with vegetables in avgolemono sauce

This soup is hearty, filling and delicious! It can be served as a main or first dish at your Christmas table! If it is served as a first dish you can omit the meat and use thick beef bones instead so to get the flavour and the taste. The popular egg and lemon sauce (avgolemono), which is a big part in so many dishes in the Greek cuisine, again gives this extra flavour to the recipe

Special shrimps soufflé with crab sauce

Try something totally different and serve this delicious recipe as a first dish on Christmas day to impress your guests with its delicate flavours! Especially those who are sea-food lovers who will be grateful indeed!

Baked Brussels sprouts with chestnuts - The classic Festive company to your roast

Classic but not boring version for this Belgian vegetable which shines every Christmas next to the other festive side dishes of that day! Serve it warm to accompany your roast turkey or other poultry but also next to any Sunday roasted red meat

Christmas pilaf with bulgur, dried fruits and crunchy nuts

A different kind of "pilaf" that could accompany the Christmas roast just fine and would pleasantly surprise your guests! Fluffy and airy, with the sweetness of the dried fruits giving a nice balance, it could be the star of the day! It goes perfectly well with any roast meat and poultry dish

Puff pastry tartelettes with sausages, mushrooms and feta cheese

Serve this light and tasty recipe as a first dish on Christmas day or as a nibble along with some wine on Christmas Eve at a friendly gathering

Sandwich with Myzithra cheese, pears and walnuts

Very tasty this sweet and savoury sandwich which can satisfy your appetite in the best way! Ideal for vegetarians too and for those who don't want to consume too many calories in snacks. Gorgonzola, Stilton and Roquefort are cheeses which can replace the Myzithra very successfully, each one with a different final taste. In that case, though, the calories are more...

Country-style meat pie with Kasseri cheese and walnuts

Very tasty, hearty and filling meat pie which, in my opinion, it is better to serve as a main dish along with a green salad. Not that you can't have it as a first dish but if you are planning to serve a rich meal there is always the possibility of your guests not to honour your efforts feeling rather full after a piece of this pie. And I would like to add, although I have mentioned it before, that (at least) for those who live in the UK and can not find the Kasseri, the closest to it cheese they could use is the Tesco-own yellow mild Cheddar. I find that it is almost as creamy and semi-sweet as a Greek mild Kasseri can be

Aromatic apples, quince and pears pie

Another delicious and easy recipe from my favourite Greek pâtissier! Three popular Winter fruits come together in a nice combination creating a really hearty but light dessert to enjoy any day

Lentils with sausages and orange

Easy to prepare, tasty, filling and nutritious dish! Ideal for those cold Winter days! Enjoy it along with a rich red wine and toasted bread

Broccoli, celery and feta cheese salad with yoghurt dressing

Rich in taste and ingredients but still light in calories this salad can be also served as a light meal. Winter vegetables along with the popular Feta cheese and a refreshing dressing on top to enjoy along with some toasted bread. Broccoli is quite popular in Greece and it is grown in various regions, though the bulk of local production can be found in Northern Greece, as it does much better in cool rather than warm climates and requires regular watering

Sauté lamb chops with balsamic vinegar and rosemary served with onions

Delicious and tender lamb chops for a leisure meal. Enjoy it with some brown beer which will balance nicely the greasiness of the lamb. Ideally serve with green salad and mash or fried potatoes

Spicy mini meatballs stuffed with feta cheese

Here we go again! More Greek meatballs at your plate so to be spoilt for choice which recipe to use, all of which are different but are equally delicious! And, believe me, in this blog there are plenty of meatballs around!:-) This one is perfect idea to be served as a meze dish or to become a great addition to any party or buffet table

Bread pudding with chocolate, raisins, walnuts and spiced custard cream

Simple and delicious recipe to serve as a dessert any time in the year using ingredients that they are already in your pantry

Festive potted duck with pickled cabbage and vegetables

Admittedly duck is not a bird you will often see at the table of the Greek households with the exception maybe of Christmas period or Winter months in general (when the game is in its peak and mainly in Northern Greece or other mountainous regions) although, of course, the big cities people can buy such birds at the butcher's shop. It is a special bird and it needs a rather special handling in cooking. The today's recipe comes from the wider part of North Greece where the pickled cabbage is a very common delicacy in various traditional dishes. If it happens to get a duck with its feathers still on don't feel intimidated by it, although I can imagine it is not the best thing that could happen... There are some useful tips of how to get rid of them at the bottom of the recipe. I'm not sure how you do it in other countries and I must admit that I never needed to do it myself, but this is the most common way Greek housewives follow with any big birds

Mixed nuts Greek baklavas with cardamom syrup

Baklavas (Greek-style or from any other country) doesn't need much of an introduction, does it? It is one of those desserts that, although "old-fashioned" (to some...), remains a classic dessert which never fails to please and there are plenty of variations which somebody could try and always with the same result: just delicious! In various areas of Greece it is considered as the main Christmas period treat and today we have a version (maybe not so traditional) with its syrup infused with the distinctive aroma and taste of cardamom

Creamy celeriac soup with homemade herbed croutons

I wouldn't say that celeriac was so popular in the Greek cuisine up to some years ago. In Greece the common type of celery comes in two forms: that, which in Greek is also referred to as “celery”, with the long thick hollow stalks and the more commonly used “small” (or wild celery), with thinner stalks and rich leaves which in Greek is known as “selino". Selino is the more popular of the two and its leaves are also used beside the stalks and it looks like this:

Going back to celeriac and our recipe, I would like to mention that it is a rather sensitive root vegetable and it should be used in the recipe right away after you clean its hard outside peel otherwise it will get bruised and black

Kolokotes - Traditional savoury Cypriot pies with pumpkin, raisins and bulgur

A delicious recipe to enjoy the pumpkin in the way the Cypriots do! I know that there are more than one version of the recipe (savoury or sweet) with some differences between them. This one here is one of my favourites and I really love the texture and the taste of the pastry. Kolokotes is the kind of snack that I find very filling and hearty

Baked white grouper fillets with tomato, potatoes and prunes

It's well known to family and close friends that I was never a crazy fan of fish and seafood. It's not that I don't like them and never eat them, on the contrary! It is just that I can be so picky... and the reason, I think, it is because I'm not a genuine fan. If I was I would not mind the type of fish or the way of cooking, isn't it?. In other words only specific fish or sea food and in a very specific kind of recipes... A rather difficult customer:-)) White grouper is quite popular in Greece for its tasty and fleshy meat and for me the ideal way is to be cooked cut in slices on the BBQ... How common, eh? So, I would have never imagined, that this fish ("Sfyrida" in Greek) could ever be so tasty cooked in the way it is in today's recipe! The prunes and the rest of the ingredients work so well with the fish and the sauce is something else! Try it out when you have the chance and you'll remember my words. You can substitute the white grouper with cod fillets, common sea bream or red porgy (pagrus)

Baked eggs with broccoli, tomatoes and feta cheese

A very simple but rich in taste recipe to serve as a first or main dish or even for brunch any day of the week! Also a nice idea to persuade the children to eat some more vegetables

Christmas "Saragli" phyllo pastry rolls with chocolate and orange

Another version of this delicate and delicious dessert with phyllo pastry. After the classic recipe I posted 2 years ago here we have a more "modern" version to try out. Saragli are so tasty and because they come in small size are easier to eat without feeling smothered by the syrup and also easy to treat your guests or to serve it on a platter among other little sweets on a buffet. The photos will help you to understand better about the recipe's unusual rolling and the specific way is much easier than the traditional one

Festive moussakas with pumpkin, ground turkey and chestnuts

The "classic", "traditional", "old fashioned" - you name it - popular Greek dish dressed up in Winter flavours and with a special, rather gourmet, final touch on top!! A modern version of the delicious dish which can be served during the festive period but of course any other time during the Winter months

Mini hot dogs in the Greek way with creamy cabbage salad

An easy and delicious idea for a different kind of "hot dog" sandwich! Great for an every day snack, a light meal at the office or at school, easy to carry with you for a picnic

Braised beef with pumpkin, cognac and orange

Full of aroma and taste this beef recipe will satisfy you to the full during the Winter months! Very hearty and filling and versatile too since it goes perfectly well with almost everything as a side dish

Festive mixed mushrooms soufflé

Fluffy, airy and delicious soufflé to serve as a first dish during the Holiday period but of course in any other occasion too! The only thing we need always to remember regarding the soufflé in general is that they need to be served immediately when they are cooked otherwise they will drop dead!!

Fragrant Festive carrot, pumpkin and apples velvety soup

A very nice idea to open your Christmas meal! A delicious and colourful soup which blends together so nicely the various vegetables with the apples. The various spices give a fantastic aroma and flavour and the cream on top balance the subtle hotness of the soup offering a refreshingness at the same time

Crunchy Tsoureki bread filled with tahini paste and walnuts

This is a very different version from the classic recipe of Tsoureki bread which we all know and love. The traditional recipe turns out into a very delicious bread stuffed with a rich filling being crunchy, almost biscuity, on the outside to accompany your tea or coffee in the best way!

Three-meat Biftekia (Greek burgers)

To have them with fluffy buns as classic burgers or in the way we usually do in Greece next to fries or oven potatoes and a crispy salad these delicious and very meaty "Biftekia" can become one of your favourite recipes! Very tasty, fragrant and lightly spiced, these burgers won't disappoint you

Warm red cabbage salad with apples and raisins

It’s time for some hearty and filling warm salads and so to appreciate better vegetables like cabbage. This salad it can be served as a meal on its own or as an accompaniment to a fuller meal (have it, also, in mind for a salad at your Christmas table!). You can gain some time because some of it can be partly prepared in advance. If you can’t find some of the ingredients, use more quantities of what you have in hand. Usually the Winter root salads take some time to prepare but they really worth it!

Christmas onion tart with Haloumi cheese, figs and Greek prosciutto

A festive tart to serve as a first dish or among other dishes at a buffet party during the Christmas holidays! I suppose you are surprised by the "Greek prosciutto" bit in the title but believe it or not, beside our Italian friends, Greeks do produce their own prosciutto too! About which, to be honest, I had no idea until a few years ago... One of the best qualities of Greek prosciutto is made in a charcuterie of Proussos village of Evrytania region (Central Greece) and it has become a special delicacy and fortunately widely known nowadays. Back to the recipe, this is a rather easy tart to prepare where the flavours of the prosciutto and the Haloumi cheese work together perfectly!

Mini chocolate bars with hazelnuts

Delicious sweet treat for all hours and all seasons to enjoy as a snack but also a great idea to offer as a gift to friends and family during festive periods. Hazelnuts are my favourite option in this recipe but you can always replace them with blanched almonds, walnuts, cashew nuts or even a mixture of all! Make as many as you can because they are quite addictive

Phyllo rolls filled with feta cheese and caramelised quinces

A delicious first or buffet dish to treat family and guests and enjoy the quinces in a different way! The combination of the ingredients are nicely balanced giving a sweet and salty taste at the same time. I don't like repeating myself but when working with phyllo pastry always keep in mind to not open the package until the filling has been prepared and you're ready to start. When opened, keep unused pastry covered with a piece of waxed paper (or plastic wrap) and on top place a cool damp towel so the phyllo won't dry out

Sweet chestnut soup with puff pastry sticks

This is a really hearty and delicious dessert to warm you up during the Winter months! Serve it after any meal or as an afternoon snack along with the crunchy pastry sticks. It can be served as a soup or as a hot drink. The adults will appreciate it, enjoying the subtle boozy taste of it and the kids as well, as long as you omit the alcohol

Christmas chocolate log with chestnuts and cream

This is a super seasonal recipe thanks to the chestnuts! A really tasty, fluffy and airy dessert which can be served not only during the Holiday period but anytime and at any occasion! Just keep in mind not to dust with the cocoa in advance but only just before you need to serve. Otherwise the cocoa will get wet and sticky in the fridge