Paprika scented batter-fried squids

Delicious crispy deep-fried squids to enjoy along with chilled wine, ouzo or beer! Fried squids are very popular in the Greek cuisine and an essential meze or main dish especially during the Summer months. This version is lightly spiced thanks to the sweet paprika. It is likely that you will end up with some batter mix left, don't throw it away! Use the leftover batter to make some delicious savoury puffs. Just change the oil you used for the squids and throw into the frying pan tablespoons of the batter mix. In the beginning they will stay at the bottom of the pan, when they come to the surface they are ready! Serve while they are hot, scattering on top some crumbled feta cheese and sprinkle with some oregano. Nothing goes wasted and you have two meze dishes in one go!

Pasta with courgettes, spearmint, walnuts and feta cheese

A fast, easy, light and so tasty dish to enjoy one of the most popular Summer-time vegetables! Courgettes are so versatile since they can be cooked in so many ways or being an essential ingredient among others in various recipes giving extra flavour and freshness. You can replace the Feta cheese with fresh Myzithra or Anthotyro cheese for a lighter flavour

Grilled aubergines with sweet tomato sauce and yoghurt dressing

This is an excellent example of how versatile the aubergines are! An easy recipe to make with simple ingredients. The combination of the hot tomato sauce with the cold yoghurt gives a delicious contrast of tastes and the parsley keeps everything so refreshing. Another delicious dish from the Greeks of Asia Minor. A great idea for the Summer-time gatherings to accompany most grilled meat or poultry

Quick cinnamon flat biscuits

This is probably the most easy and quick recipe I know for biscuits. The aroma and the taste of the cinnamon makes them really delicious and if you store them in a metal box in a dry place they can keep fresh for many days. Try them out with some Greek (or Turkish) coffee, you'll be amazed of how perfectly well they match together!!

Summer potted chicken with courgettes

This is a tasty and rather light recipe since the basic ingredient (chicken) is not heavily prepared comparing to other recipes where sautéing is essential... Just a few simple ingredients and you'll end up with a very family-friendly Summer meal

Rigatoni with feta cheese pesto and roast cherry tomatoes

One of the easiest pasta dishes! One of those which the good old housewives (like my mother) would call "laziness cooking"... mainly to indicate how free you can feel to improvise in cooking or when not too many ingredients or complicated method are involved. This recipe it's delicious in its simplicity and it is for all seasons but I think now that tomatoes are really in their season the dish is even tastier and it can be served even cold! The recipe includes some ingredients that the Greeks are passionate about: pasta, tomato and Feta cheese! It is one of those recipes which automatically gets in the "everybody eats it" category. You can substitute the rigatoni with any kind of short pasta

Baked eggs with spinach and sausages

A tasty and easy recipe for the days where you can't be bothered to spend hours in the kitchen or when you want a nice light meal with some cool wine or to serve as a brunch

Fresh and sundried tomato fritters

Beside the classic recipe of tomato fritters from Santorini Island there are other versions coming from other regions of Greece. Here is one of them which is delicious and will help you enjoy your beer even more

Multicoloured pasta with salmon and capers

An easy, simple but so delicious recipe to enjoy with friends and family. The original recipe is cooked using a very special quality of pasta from the Greek company "Ta Mylelia", where they use the best quality of wheat they can find and then the procedure continues in their 305 years old watermill! Try to find a very good quality of pasta to enjoy this dish even more

Light dessert with Greek Myzithra cheese

A delicious light and fluffy dessert using the fresh/soft Greek cheese "Myzithra". A traditional unsalted cheese which is very popular all around the country for making sweet and savoury dishes. Myzithra comes in three types: a) the "fresh myzithra" which generally can be found in egg-shaped balls, b) the "sour myzithra" made with goat or sheep milk, yeast, and salt and c) the "aged myzithra" (or "dried" ) which is the hard and salty type of this cheese and resembles slightly the italian parmesan and pecorino romano. It is not a difficult recipe to put together and if you can not find Greek myzithra then you can substitute with mascarpone or ricotta cheese. An excellent idea to end a dinner in a Summer evening

No-tomato sauce beef stifado with mild spices

The traditional recipe for stifado asks for tomato sauce but here we have an alternative and more light version of the dish to enjoy during the warmer months. Other than that, the key ingredient which makes this dish a real "stifado", the shallots, are there and as always are sweet and tender. Although foreshank is tougher than other parts of the beef meat it is also much more tastier and since the food is slowly cooked there will not be a problem

Sourdough country-style homemade bread

Most of you probably have your favourite recipe to follow for homemade bread but why not to try one more version for a change? Nothing new about the method really except that this bread includes three different types of flour. My mother, of course, has her own recipe to follow for years now which is the one her mother used to make before her but every now and then uses this recipe and it seems that she is pleased with the result. As for the rest of us, we are just happy to have fresh homemade bread at the table! Moist enough inside, crunchy on the outside, delicious and full of aroma! As you can imagine we don't care much about the type of the recipe:-))

Aubergines and Kefalotyri cheese gratin

Beautiful Greek Summer flavours gathered in one pan! This is what we could say for this recipe and I know I"m not wrong. I don't know many (at least Greek) people who don't like this dish either lukewarm served directly from the pan or even chilled from the fridge the next day! Two very popular ingredients are involved, aubergines and Kefalotyri cheese and both are honoured by the Greeks very often in various recipes. A couple of small tips for this recipe: choose a rather sweet and not too spicy or salty Kefalotyri cheese but if you can not find any then use Greek Graviera or Kefalograviera. For less calories and a not too oily taste, lightly dust the aubergine slices with flour and let them stand on plenty of kitchen paper the whole night before cooking. This little trick will help them not to absorb too much oil during frying which is the main problem with this tasty vegetable. One of the herbs I use in this dish is fresh spearmint which we really like in this house, but feel free to use basil instead because it suits the recipe just fine. The recipe can be served as a first or side dish or even as a main meal if accompanied by some salad and fresh bread

Chicken breast strips in sundried tomatoes, mustard and balsamic vinegar sauce

Nice and simple recipe to cook the, often, bland chicken breast making it more interesting. And just three ingredients are enough to make this happen! This sauce really compliments the chicken and gives an extra flavour thanks to the sundried tomatoes, the mustard and the balsamic vinegar. Fresh country-style bread and Feta cheese along with some steamed vegetables or a white rice pilaf complete this meal in the best way!

Easy pasta salad with Summer roasted vegetables and cottage cheese

A few fresh and tasty Summer vegetables are enough to give to a classic pasta salad something extra in taste so you can enjoy it any time during the warm months. Nothing complicated about the method or the ingredients but a recipe that is really filling, light and tasty!

Cypriot-style pork meatballs with potato

This is another version of meatballs inspired by a traditional recipe coming from the Cypriot cuisine (which is excellent by the way). The potato in the mixture makes the difference I think because it keeps the meatballs fluffy and moist

 

Easy grilled pineapple with vanilla syrup served with Mascarpone

Simple, light and delicious fruity dessert which can be served all year round but I think warm months suit it better for some reason. Maybe because grilled pineapple brings to mind eating outside and BBQs and fun and cheerful Summer moods. Anyway, you can have it any time you like because it is easy and not complicated at all. For a lighter version instead of Mascarpone use Greek thick strained yoghurt chilled from the fridge

Classic beef yiouvetsi with orzo pasta

"Yiouvetsi" or "Giouvetsi" is a baked dish made, mainly, with either chicken, lamb or beef and always with some kind of pasta like "orzo" or "hylopites" or "spaghetti". In old times they used to cook it in big clay pots (like the one you see above) which nowadays are back in fashion. The recipe is not really complicated but requires some preparation and plenty of cooking time so to end up with the best of results of a melting in the mouth meat and the pasta not overcooked

Very easy seasonal no-crust cheese and courgettes pie

Also called "naked pie" because there is no phyllo or other kind of pastry involved. It is a very easy and quick pie to make. Very popular Summer recipe because the courgettes are in their best at the moment and it makes a very tasty light meal or snack. The batter-like mixture makes things easier since you don't have to deal with any pastry making. Don't let the "weird Greek" way of measuring the ingredients put you off. Trust me, they do it this way in Greece God knows how many generations and never fails...

Baked fennel with crunchy bread crust

A very tasty and light side dish to accompany any type of meat, poultry or even fish. Especially if they are roasted or on the BBQ! Simple ingredients for this recipe but with such a nice and delicate flavour! You can substitute the Kefalotyri cheese with parmesan or pecorino

Chicken rice with vegetables in the skillet

An all-in-one easy, light and very tasty chicken recipe to enjoy any day in the week. It will not keep you long in the kitchen and it is a nice idea so the kids have the chance to eat some vegetables. The recipe can be also made with turkey, pork fillet, sausages and even chicken livers. Nice to have alternatives...

Mellow baby potatoes cooked in mild spices and wine sauce

Simple, easy but very tasty recipe! These potatoes can become one of your favourite side dish to various meats but also a light main meal if served with a green salad. Baby potatoes are the best choice for this recipe. Not only do they cook faster but they are also very tasty and good looking! Just be thorough with their cleaning since they are cooked with the skin on

Savoury cake with Kasseri cheese and herbs

Very tasty snack for the school, the picnic or the office or for those lazy Sunday morning breakfasts. It can also be served as a light meal along with a green salad and a few dollops of Greek yoghurt. Easy to prepare with simple ingredients, it will make your day!

Refreshing melon sorbet scented with vodka and rosewater

Refreshing, fragrant and very tasty sorbet! Admittedly this one is an adult version since vodka is included... Melon is one of the most popular Summer fruits in Greece and here is the main ingredient of this recipe. What makes this classic sorbet special are the vodka and the rosewater which both give an extra aroma and taste

Marinated baked pork fillet with fresh figs and orange juice

A delicious recipe without much trouble to prepare since the pork fillet doesn't need much time to cook and the rest of the ingredients are not complicated at all. A recipe which you can cook anytime in the year since, when not in season, dried figs can be used instead but in my opinion the fresh ones make the difference in this dish. The same recipe can be followed using chicken wings or drumsticks, they are delicious!

Fresh fennel fritters served with tomato and yoghurt dressing

This meze dish is excellent! So delicious and so aromatic where the fresh fennel makes the difference. Fennel grows in various areas of Greece and the tender green fronds are used in so many different recipes as an aromatic herb. Looks a lot like the dill but the taste and the aroma are totally different

Summer tomato and cucumber salad with ouzo scented Feta cheese dip

A different view on the classic and popular Greek salad to enjoy as a first dish along with crispy pitta breads or country-style sourdough toasted bread. The cheese dip really takes the whole recipe to another level thanks to the aromatic ouzo. Don't neglect to try out this recipe, it is a great Summer alternative to the more conventional salads

Baked stuffed sardines cooked in lemon and wine sauce

Sardines: the kind of fish which are very popular in the Greek cuisine not only because they are very tasty, meaty and nutritious but also very versatile regarding the method they can be cooked. There are plenty of them in the Greek seas and the recipes are countless! As a main meal or as a meze dish, sardine have become a "must" in the culinary life of the Greeks through the years. They are, though, especially delicate fish and so must be cooked immediately after being bought and consumed in 1-2 days at the most