Yoghurt cream and fruit jelly pudding

Yoghurt is a big part of our lives and thanks to its important and many health elements is on most people’s weekly shopping lists these days. On the other hand it is so versatile and tasty and we see how wide is the range of applications in sweet and savoury recipes and that makes it even more popular. Greek yoghurt, especially, has a really good name abroad and more and more people are fond of it. The fact that it can be a part of so many different recipes brings it to the top 10 of ingredients! It can become the ideal refreshing dessert after a rich meal when it is simply served with honey and walnuts on top, or served with fresh fruits or "dessert spoon" sweets or when it turns into an ice cream or a light custard

Chilled creamy pea soup with anthotyro cheese

The colour, the aroma and the taste of this healthy and delicious chilled soup will impress you! Ideal to serve next to tasty finger food at your Summer gatherings and parties

Chicken salad with Haloumi cheese, fried eggs and a surprise green salad

A delicious and very filling salad for all seasons with a vegetable which in Greece although it is not so popular or well known in its fresh form a lot of people talk about it when it comes to natural vitamins, or herbal teas etc.. Ironic isn't it? "Lamb’s lettuce" in the UK, "Valeriana" in Greece and Italy, "Corn salad" in the USA and "Mache" in France this, rather forgotten, vegetable (?) it has a really good flavour!! Of course if you don't like it or you are not familiar with it you can substitute with any vegetable or green salad of your preference

Pasta with spearmint, feta cheese and oregano pesto

Inspired by the Italian sauce this pesto is full of Greek taste and aromas. Refreshing spearmint, tasty feta cheese and oregano come together perfectly and give a delicious flavour to this sauce which will make your pasta very happy! So easy and fast in procedure you will enjoy your meal in no time!

 

Fried aubergine balls with walnuts and cheese

A delicious Summer-time meze, full of Greek taste and aromas that goes perfectly well with ouzo or beer

Rice salad with mixed vegetables and sardines

Easy, light and delicious Summer salad to serve as a light main meal or as a side dish next to fish dishes or even to accompany meat and poultry when the sardines are omitted

Fragrant chicken bites with lime and tomato

A delicious every day recipe which will please you with its taste and aromas. If you want the recipe enriched you can add more vegetables like potato, cauliflower or broccoli, red peppers and even spinach when in season. Instead of saffron you can use curry

Crispy fried squids with refreshing yoghurt and tomato sauce

One of the most popular sea food dishes in Greece! Fried squids are "a must" for many people when dining out at some sea food and fish tavern. Served as a main dish or part of a variety of other meze dishes, fried squids are synonymous to Summer evenings next (or even not) to the sea with good company and chilled ouzo! Most people enjoy fried squids more at a tavern than at home because they can be messy since they tend to splatter quite a lot while frying. But if you follow the steps carefully you will not have any trouble. If you can't find fresh squids then frozen is no problem but always (for this specific recipe) you should choose large squids which you can easily cut in rings. And here is a little tip regarding splattering... most people prefer baby squids for frying and this is the ideal way. The problem is though that the whole squids keep water inside and this has as a result to burst in the pan while frying causing all this splattering and often they end up more boiled than crispy... In that case, what you have to do is to cut a tiny bit of the end of the squid body so to leave any moist to escape while frying. It is a good tip this one but from my experience so far it doesn't seem to work always. At the taverns they manage better thanks to those huge pots where the squids are deep fried in litres of oil, something that it is not so easy to do at home
 

Coarse aubergine sauce

This is a delicious sauce which can be used in many different ways. As a sauce on top of pasta but also as a dip or spread to accompany some toast bread or bread sticks. It works perfectly as a side dish to various roast poultry and fish

Caramelised cinnamon cream pudding with lemon

This is a delicious dessert with such a velvety texture! The fragrant cinnamon, the freshness of lemon and the crunchy caramel on top will satisfy you to the full after a rich meal

Tomato and artichoke tart with homemade pastry

A delicious Spring and Summer-time tart to serve as a first dish or even as a main next to some crispy green salad. The homemade pastry adds to the final taste of the dish

Potato bread filled with roast vegetables and myzithra cheese

This is a cold first dish which will impress you with its taste and presentation. Ideal for a party, a buffet or for a picnic it is not difficult to put together and you can always adjust the vegetables with those which are in season or those you prefer better. When we first had this bread we thought it was one of the most delicious recipes but my first attempt to make it didn't go so well. I'm not sure where I went wrong but the bread seemed to come out more moist that it should but then I thought that perhaps the specific vegetables were too "watery" for such a recipe... Second time round, without changing anything, things were better and the bread stood full of pride on its tray without any problems. The only thing I will change next time is to season the vegetables a little more but this is a matter of personal taste. I know that it is not easy to find abroad the cheese indicated in the recipe so you can substitute with Anthotyro cheese which is easier to find or even with goat's cheese

Fried chicken bites with Haloumi cheese, peppers and tomatoes

A fast, easy and very tasty recipe for your everyday family meal!

Mixed-pulses fried balls

Excellent recipe for those who love the dried legumes and which can be served as a side, first or meze dish! Such kind of recipes are very popular in Greece all year round because, as many of you already know, meze dishes are "a must" among Greek people especially when they gather together to share each other's company along with good ouzo or wine!

Strawberry jelly with fresh fruits

If you’re having friends around for a casual meal here is a light and so fruity dessert that’s perfect for Springtime! Strawberries are so popular and we should take advantage of this fruit to create recipes that we will enjoy without feeling too guilty about calories... This jelly is quite easy and with few ingredients so you won't need to spend a lot of time in the kitchen

Beef escalopes in parsley and garlic sauce

Inspired by a traditional recipe from Corfu island this is a simple but so delicious dish! The garlic and the vinegar give an interesting flavour to the meat and because of the tender escalopes you will not have to spend too much time cooking. The best company for this recipe is chunky fried potatoes or rice pilaf

Fish burgers with avocado and Spring onions

On the charcoals or under the grill burgers are always welcomed by everybody, kids and adults! There are so many different recipes for burgers, as many as people's preferences! For vegetarians or not, burgers were always one of the favourite dishes especially during Spring and Summer months. The BBQs will be taken out of the garages or sheds to get a good cleaning so to be ready for those big and noisy but pleasant gatherings of families and friends! Lets start the "burger season" with this tasty recipe which is also a good idea to persuade kids to eat some more fish

Yoghurt "jelly" pudding with strawberries and votka sauce

Fragrant, vibrant in colour, refreshing and delicious in taste this dessert will become one of your favourites! Light and airy thanks to the yoghurt-based cream, it is ideal to enjoy after any meal. All the times I've made this dessert were a success and what a delight the strawberry season is back again!! Feel free to substitute the strawberries with fruits of your preference

Pasta with beetroots and fresh marjoram with yoghurt sauce

Simple, easy and fast this pasta dish but also very versatile because it can be served cold as a salad or lukewarm as a light meal. Beetroots, one of my favourite vegetables, are in season now so take advantage of this. For those who like to be bold, my suggestion is not to discard their leaves but to use them to create another delicious salad following this classic Greek recipe. The presence of marjoram in this recipe is really exciting because of its sweet flavour which gets perfectly together with the more "earthy" taste of the beetroots

Spicy chicken burgers with vegetables served with refreshing yoghurt dressing

Light in calories and really delicious these "biftekia" will be surely appreciated by everybody! To make the recipe more kids-friendly and give them the chance to eat vegetables that usually they avoid, adjust the spices accordingly. We are not into too hot spiced dishes in our family so I tried to find the right amount of each spice to suit us better. Also, don't neglect to finely chop the vegetables so to keep the meat mixture together and not fall apart while cooking
 

 

Durum-pitta sandwich with chicken, cheese and mushrooms

As a snack or as a light meal it will impress you with its simple but delicious taste. Ideal for the hot days when we don't feel like staying too long in the kitchen cooking above boiling pots...

Pickled aubergines

Aubergines are one of my favourite Summer vegetables (which actually is a fruit) and so popular in Greek cuisine. In Greece aubergines come in a variety of colours, shapes and sizes - round, oblong, purple or almost black.

There is the variety with an ivory colour, coming from Santorini island in Aegean Sea which are harder to find in vegetable markets of other areas. This variety is very tasty with a smooth, mild taste and less seeds than the others. Often it is planted along with basil so to become sweeter in taste. One of its advantages is the fact that it absorbs much less oil so it is a better choice for frying, if of course you can find any in big cities

In the past it was "a must" to soak the aubergines in salted water before cooking so to remove bitterness. Nowadays this is not so much the problem, it seems that aubergines have evolved... For sure the other popular Greek variety, the one with the thin oblong shape and the beautiful purple colour known as "Tsakonikes" were always as sweet as honey and it was never necessary to soak in water first. This variety, coming from around the Peloponnesian town of Leonidio (also as "Argeitikes" because they can also be found in Argos area), ripens earlier in this area and the fruit is used in many combinations in cooking and even in confectionery with the main product being the traditional "dessert spoon" sweet. Since 1966, "Tsakonikes" aubergines are included among 317 European products with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), guaranteeing the producers of Leonidio the exclusivity of cultivation of the specific variety under strict production standards

One great, traditional recipe in Greek cuisine are the pickled aubergines. Baby aubergines are used which in the end they give an excellent meze which can be served all year round

Chicken in fragrant tomato sauce with green peppers

This is such a classic but so delicious dish and one of the favourites of my mother's to cook for a Sunday lunch. Simple and easy to handle ingredients, it will please the family thanks to the aroma of the herbs, the ouzo and the peppers. One of our favourite Spring-time recipes

Easy 3 cheeses croquettes

Just a few ingredients are needed to create these cute and delicious croquettes! An excellent idea for parties or to serve as a meze-dish to enjoy along with your ouzo or chilled wine

Bread loafs filled with raisins and walnuts

The perfect sweet bread for breakfast, a snack for all hours or simply to accompany your coffee or tea. It needs its time and patience but in the end you will be rewarded to the full by its taste

Pork chops cooked in orange and tomato sauce

Easy and very tasty recipe to enjoy any day in the week along with pasta or mashed potatoes. In a short time we have a delicious and complete dish with this tasty and fragrant tomato sauce which will please the whole family

Strawberry ice cream with Xuxu liqueur

Xuxu, this tasty and fragrant -Germany produced- liqueur is the key ingredient for this classic strawberry ice cream. I had tasted Xuxu only once before and that was many years ago on a trip to Aachen. It didn't cross my mind back then that it could be used in such a recipe until a couple of years ago on our Summer trip to Greece we had this ice cream at a cousin's house and we really loved it! Since then this recipe never let us down

Potato salad with olives and capers

Simple ingredients for this tasty, easy, fast and all-seasons recipe. It is quite filling and can be served as a salad or as a side dish next to various roast or BBQed meat and poultry dishes. If you are fan of more spicy-hot flavours you can substitute the garlic with a small hot chilli pepper