White wine and apple juice jelly with fresh figs

An easy, fragrant, delicious and light dessert to enjoy after a rich meal!

Roasted leg of lamb stuffed with garlic, Kefalotyri cheese and herbs

This is one of those recipes that gives you the chance to relax on a Sunday without having to stand over the pot all the time... It will save you time and it will make things even easier if you ask your butcher to prepare the meat for you in advance, to de-bone and butterfly it. The slow cooking makes the meat so tender and remains moist to the last bite!

Easy homemade fig jam scented with cinnamon and red wine

A very tasty and aromatic jam to enjoy through the Winter months with the red wine giving extra flavour without dominating the taste of the figs

Puff pastry roll with creamy chicken and ham filling

A special delicious recipe which can be enjoyed any time of the year but it will impress your guests at a dinner party as a first dish or at a buffet table among other delicacies

Baked red mullet with onions and tomatoes

Red mullet, one of the most popular and most tasty fish and in Greece they are indeed very popular! I like their taste but my problem is that they have sooo many little bones to deal with and that's why I don't cook them so often at home. This recipe is a rather classic way of cooking fish in Greece but so tasty at the same time and you end up with a really filling meal. The version I have for you today is more or less the most common. For extra flavour, though, you could add in the pan either a few gherkins cut in slices or green olives (pitted). Another idea is to add a layer of thinly sliced potatoes at the bottom of the pan before you place the fish on top

Fried "horn" green peppers in vinegar, lemon and oregano sauce

Sweet, green "horn" peppers are quite popular in Greek cuisine because they can be cooked with various ways and become a very tasty main or meze dish for everybody! Here we have another version of these peppers cooked as an appetizer (meze) and which can be served all year round. Again, just a few ingredients are enough and the result is delicious thanks to the sauce served along with the peppers

Seasonal mixed grapes tart with homemade pastry

Grapes are very popular and in Greece they are in season at the moment. Refreshing, juicy and crispy they can be used in so many sweet but also savoury recipes. This is a classic but very tasty tart where the grapes are the main ingredient along with the homemade pastry

Braised pork with green and dried beans

Pork is our favourite meat at home and always we try to find new ideas of how to cook it. We all know that nowadays any of the meats (or poultry) are not as they used to be in taste so you have to improvise a bit if you want to end up with a nice dish infront of you. There are numerous ideas around with recipes (traditional or not) that can offer a satisfactory meal for the family. Like this one here which combines two different kind of beans and it is a dish which you can have all year round

Onion tart with fresh figs, walnuts and cheese

A, somewhat, unusual combination of ingredients which, though, turn out very nicely giving a rich but not heavy flavour to this tart! Onions, figs, walnuts and cheese they manage to find their way and create a special recipe which can be served as a first dish or a light main meal along with a crispy green salad. The figs will not be here for too long so if you have any left in your fridge this is a good chance to use them up. The original recipe asks for a very tasty Greek yellow hard cheese called "Ladotyri" coming from Mytilene. I don't expect you to find it abroad (I can't either, unless if I bring it from Greece) so you can substitute with Greek Graviera which is not too salty. If the procedure of the homemade pastry sounds too much for you the best alternative is to use a shortcrust pastry instead

Sauté fresh sole fillets with champagne sauce and grapes

Sole... A very tasty fish and at the same time light and elegant in a rather unusual recipe so to try something totally different. You don't need to buy the most expensive champagne available of course but don't go for a cheap one either because this will effect the taste of the sauce in the end. As you can see just a few ingredients and not too long over the cooker, it's all you need to have a super meal!

Homemade spicy grapes jam

The time to prepare our pantry for the upcoming Winter months is here and making jams is one of the most common things around the world's kitchens! The grapes are in season and here we have a special recipe which gets a bit out of the ordinary. It's not so much the amount of the ingredients or the procedure that makes it different but the kind of the ingredients that are used (beside the grapes). Lets say that the recipe doesn't exactly follow the traditional path regarding the ingredients which, in the end, will give this extra twist to this jam. Take a look and you'll see what I mean

Classic potato fritters with cheese

One of many different versions for Greek potato fritters or croquettes. Quite simple ingredients and easy to put together but the taste is very nice! Another cute meze dish for your Summer (but not only) buffet table

Courgettes, tomatoes and Manouri cheese gratin

Another dish before the Summer vegetables wave goodbye to us. A really delicious, as well as light, recipe which is perfect to serve as a first dish at one of your gatherings. Easy to put together with versatile and tasty ingredients! You can substitute the courgettes with aubergines or potatoes. Also, for an even lighter version you can use fresh Anthotyro or goat's cheese in the same amount. Beside the spearmint and the basil, the parsley is also suited to the recipe so it's up to you which combination you'd prefer better

Baked fresh figs flavoured with ouzo and served with spicy mascarpone cream

Here we have two famous ingredients, the Greek ouzo and the Italian mascarpone cheese working together and turned into an elegant dessert. Figs are still around but not for too long so take advantage and try out this light but delicious idea! The ouzo gives an extra flavour to the fruit and the spiced mascarpone cream suits perfectly

No-crust aubergines and cheese pie

Aubergines are one of my favourite Summer vegetables and I know that a lot of people love them no matter how they are cooked. Today we have an easy and very fast Summertime pie to enjoy as a first dish, snack or even light meal if served along with some salad. Aubergines are so tasty and versatile but they do have an issue which most of us are familiar with.... frying them! They absorb the oil like a sponge and that makes them really unattractive and quite heavy in taste and calories for various recipes. Of course most of you know by now that there are alternative ways of getting away from this problem and one of this is to grill or bake them instead of frying. But there is also another way you could follow without keeping the vegetable from being tasty too. Just cut the aubergines in small cubes and sauté in the frying pan with the onion and the garlic until they are softened. This is what I prefer to do recently, depending of course on the recipe, because I can get lazy sometimes when it comes to procedures and I find it rather faster and easier. Especially in recipes like this pie this method will gain you a lot of time

Lettuce, boiled eggs and fried courgettes salad with yoghurt dressing

An easy but very tasty Summertime green salad to accompany various BBQ or roasted meat and poultry dishes! It is quite filling because of the eggs and it can be also served as a light meal on its own along with some fresh bread. The courgettes cut in thin strips and fried give an extra flavour to the salad and the dressing is very tasty and refreshing

Classic beef and aubergines stew in tomato sauce

This is a popular Summer dish due to the tomatoes and the eggplants or the courgettes you can add in it and which both are still in season. These type of dishes we call them "kokkinista" in Greek and this term refers to meats when they are slowly cooked in tomato and/or wine sauce (with or without any veggies in, because you can also serve them with potatoes, pasta or rice pilaf). The "kokkinista" always have been a cornerstone of Greek cooking and whole generations have been raised with these dishes. The recipe needs its time to be cooked but this what makes it even more tastier and it is a great idea to feed and please a big crowd

Stuffed courgette blossoms with herbs and rice (served with Feta cheese dressing)

Courgette blossoms is a very tasty Summer delicacy. A lot of people have them as an appetizer but it could easily be considered as a light main course. There are various versions of the dish. The vegetarian version stuffed with herbs and rice, the one with ground meat and the one stuffed with various cheeses and then fried. That definitely is an appetizer. They can be cooked in the pot or in the oven or fried, depending on the filling you will use. You can find courgette blossoms at the veggie market if you don't have any in your garden. Whatever the case make sure that you get the blossoms very early in the morning while they are still open

Fresh cod fillets with aubergines and courgettes in light tomato sauce

A very tasty dish to enjoy this fleshy fish along with two very popular seasonal vegetables. The original recipe asks for salted (cured) cod fillets. But, as you know by now, they need some preparation in advance so you can use fresh (or frozen) cod fillets. This is something I did the last few times I cooked the recipe so to gain some time. The cod goes nicely next to the courgettes and the aubergines and cooked in this tomato sauce you have a nutritious but also filling and light family-friendly meal. A suggestion I have for you is that it is preferable to get fillets from the back of the cod. Not only they are more meaty but it seems that they have much less bones to deal with

Summer fruits salad with Anthotyro cheese drizzled with ouzo-scented syrup

A very easy but also very tasty and refreshing fruit salad to end up a nice Summer dinner! Seasonal fruits in small bites along with some elegant Anthotyro cheese and poured over with a special syrup!

Baked aubergine rolls stuffed with ground meat

A delicious and not complicated dish to make for a Sunday meal. The aubergines are still in season and they are such a delicious and versatile vegetable since they can be cooked in so many different ways

Potato croquettes with oregano

A traditional recipe with the distinctive aroma and taste of oregano. A very tasty appetizer dish to include on your table along with some ouzo

Penne with fresh salmon and aromatic tomato sauce

Pasta and fresh salmon go together very well, as you know already, and can be found in so many variations. Getting together these two can offer a tasty, hearty and filling meal for any day in the week. Ideal for the Summer months when we want something lighter for dinner

Summertime rice pilaf with courgettes, peppers and tomatoes

A delicious, light but filling recipe which screams "Summer!" and which can be cooked easily and without special effort! Courgettes are still in season so don't delay and cook this recipe as soon as possible. Try it out also adding in the mixture chopped aubergines or even tender grape vine leaves! It sounds weird but trust me, they add a special flavour to the dish

Greek Graviera cheese "saganaki" with cherry tomatoes sauce in the skillet

Delicious meze or first dish to enjoy now the tomatoes are still in their prime! The glorious "saganaki" dish in a bit different version that the classic recipe is so luscious! Graviera cheese, which is less salty than other Greek cheeses normally used for this recipe, in combination with the cherry tomatoes give such a delicious result! The two of them suit each other perfectly! Serve directly from the skillet so not to lose any tasty juices of the sauce which has a nice sweet and sour taste in a great balance with the rest of the ingredients. Accompany this meze dish with some fresh country-style bread to enjoy it even more

Easy dark chocolate granita

There is plenty of time yet to enjoy frozen desserts and what better than a luscious dark chocolate granita! Just three ingredients will be needed and nothing too much in preparation and you will end up with a delicious dessert which everybody will love!

Greek biftekia stuffed with peppers and cheese baked with potato slices and garnished with bacon

Another delicious version of the Greek-style burgers to enjoy with the family any day of the week! The pork meat keeps them moist and fluffy and the filling of the green peppers and the cheese gives them extra flavour. Some crunchy chopped bacon on top makes them even more luscious! The original recipe asks for fresh (sour) Myzithra cheese but you can replace it with goat's cheese, Manouri or Feta cheese. Just be careful with the seasoning though because feta can be quite salty sometimes