Pastitsio with vegetables and rigatoni

What a delicious dish to offer to the family!! Pastitsio is one of our favourite dishes although I don't cook it every week because it is high in calories... Personally, what makes me such a big fan of pastitsio is the luscious béchamel sauce on top. I remember when I was a kid pleading to my mother to make a little bit more béchamel than the quantity she would need so to have the chance to eat it with the spoon from the saucepan! Here we have a different version thanks to the addition of the bacon and the vegetables and although the classic pastitsio remains always my favourite this one came out very tasty, hearty and filling

Potato, bacon and caramelised onions salad with yoghurt and mustard dressing

An easy potato salad for all seasons which can also be served as a side dish or as a light meal besides as a classic salad. The red onions and the bacon (of course!) make the difference and the yoghurt-based dressing gives this nice refreshing touch to the dish. I said "all seasons" and I mean it because it can be eaten even cold during the Summer months

Mixed raisins and Aegina pistachios biscuits scented with ouzo and fennel

Semi crunchy, lightly sweet and very aromatic, thanks to the fennel seeds, these cuties are really delicious! These biscuits (or cookies for the Americans) are ideal to have as a sweet snack or with your tea, coffee or even with milk! An all-seasons little sweet treat which both adults and children can enjoy anytime during the day

Crunchy sausage rolls with beer and three-cheeses creamy sauce - A Greek-style Fondue to share!

This is the kind of recipe that brings people together. A recipe to share with friends and family which is something we (the Greeks) love to do, hence the soooo large variety of meze dishes... It is one of my favourite "fun foods" because there are so many elements in it that suit my palate in the best way! It's the sausages I prefer for such recipes and then we have the creamy sauce which I love regardless the type of cheese used! Sausage rolls (or pies as we call them) in Greece are different than those they make in the UK. Large or the cocktail size of Frankfurt sausages (as they are commonly known in Greece) are used and not sausage meat, which makes me hesitant about them since I often find that the sausage meat is too greasy for my taste. To be fair, because of the type of the recipe today, sausage meat would not be the right choice anyway. Try out this recipe next time you have friends invited and see that you'll enjoy their company even more! *** You can always replace the bread with puff pastry and if you like them with an extra kick then lightly brush the sausages with a bit of mustard before wrapping

Potted pork with root vegetables in avgolemono sauce

One more "comfort food" recipe to enjoy with the family before Winter waves us goodbye for this year! Tender pork cooked with various root vegetables and smothered in the famous Greek egg & lemon sauce, the avgolemono! This version is slightly different than the traditional one where only celery or celery and leeks are involved. Here we have more vegetables and the beautiful and delicate flavour of fennel seeds. As usually happens with this kind of Greek recipes, don't neglect to serve the food along with good quality feta cheese and plenty of fresh country-style bread to mop up the creamy sauce!

Fast and easy chocolate mousse scented with Tia Maria liqueur

A chocolate mousse is always welcomed regardless the season and it is a nice way to finish a dinner. This luscious mousse is a rather fast and easy recipe to prepare for your guests since not more than 15-20 minutes are needed of your time. There is nothing extraordinary about this recipe but just a couple of tablespoons of the Tia Maria liqueur are enough to make all the difference, giving a subtle flavour of coffee to the mousse

Seasonal chicken salad with apples, celery, pears and walntus

Nutritious, filling and very tasty this salad can be also served as a light meal. All the ingredients work together well and the roasted walnuts give a special crunchy texture and an extra flavour. The yoghurt-based dressing is ideal for this salad making it even more refreshing

Traditional cheese bread scented with saffron and nutmeg

Another delicious homemade bread to enjoy as a snack or along with any comfort meal. A bit different from the classic recipes this cheese bread is enriched with the distinctive but elegant aroma and taste of the saffron and a pinch of nutmeg which together make it really special in taste

Lachanoryzo - Traditional cabbage and rice stew with Winter vegetables

This is a quite different version of the "Lachanoryzo" my mother does and I'm used to. But after the first time I cooked it I decided that it is a very nice idea for something different since it is enriched with more vegetables which give an extra flavour to the dish. The Feta cheese, once again as it happens with such kind of Greek dishes, is the best company along with some fresh country-style bread and marinated olives. The rice used in this recipe is the one we call in Greece "glacé", which differs from the yellow long grain one (my favourite). Such kind of recipes need a variety which is more starchy than others. I don't expect you to find exactly the same variety of rice but you can always use, for example, the one used for rice pudding or risotto

Rosemary and lemon zest aromatic Popcorn

A delicious alternative for savoury popcorn to enjoy anytime with the kids and friends! The aromatic oil and the lemon zest make the classic popcorn really special! Just a few ingredients and an easy preparation and you end up with a large bowl full of crunchy and tasty popcorn

Aromatic apple and sweet wine jelly with homemade whipped cream

A delicious and light dessert to finish a rich meal! The flavours of this recipe will remind you slightly of those in an apple pie but it is more fine in texture and more refreshing!

Braised beef cooked in two wines and citrus sauce

This recipe is a good example of what "comfort food" means to me during the Winter months! Tender beef slowly cooked in a luscious wine and citrus sauce to serve on a Sunday for a family-friendly meal! The options for an accompaniment are numerous, from fried to mashed potatoes, various kinds of pasta, a fluffy rice pilaf or just steamed Winter vegetables. *** The recipe is equally delicious if you replace the beef with 700-800 gr. of pork fillet cut in slices which of course will need less time to cook

Spinach, Leeks and Fennel Tart in Homemade Pastry

A delicious, filling and nutritious tart to enjoy any day of the week as a light lunch or dinner, snack or to pack and take with you at a picnic. The classic combination is spinach and leeks only but here we combine these two popular vegetables with fennel which works with the rest perfectly! For a more strict vegetarian version of the tart just omit the cheese

Whole wheat spaghetti with a creamy turkey and leeks ragoût sauce

An effort to enjoy pasta in the most possible light way! An effort which is quite successful since the ground turkey replaces other meats in the best way and blends so nicely with the leeks in this light but luscious ragoût sauce! The wholewheat pasta makes things even lighter and you end up with a very family and calorie-friendly meal

Easy flourless chocolate pie

Just a few ingredients and an easy way of preparation to end up with a delicious and very luscious chocolate pie to enjoy any day of the week with your coffee and tea! Just be careful with the cooking time because this is the type of pie which should be crunchy on the outside but not dried out inside

Easy braised chicken with peppers in tomato and ouzo sauce

Hearty, filling and delicious chicken recipe to cook any day of the week and all year round! Ingredients and method are very simple but in the end you have the perfect family-friendly meal. Best company for this recipe are freshly fried potatoes, a fluffy white rice pilaf or spaghetti! If you like the idea, try the recipe out using the feta cheese as it is suggested below for extra flavour, the recipe gets so more luscious! 

Filling broccoli salad with boiled eggs, pine nuts and Greek prosciutto

An easy to prepare but really tasty and filling Wintertime salad which can be served not only as a salad but also as a first dish or even as a light meal for those who don't have much time for cooking 

Traditional stuffed cabbage rolls with cod, rice and fresh herbs served in a creamy avgolemono sauce

This kind of cabbage rolls, the "Sarmades", are a delicious dish coming mainly from North Greece where instead of fresh cabbage leaves they often use pickled cabbage which gives a really different and special flavour. It is a traditional recipe, very popular and beside the classic ground meat version of it, it can also be found cooked with a vegetarian filling. In our case today there is no meat involved but fish along with fresh herbs and rice. The dish ends up with a creamy egg and lemon sauce scented though with fresh cardamom for a special taste but also for a beautiful green colour

Baked Ryzogalo pudding with orange flavour

It's not the first time I mention the Greek version of rice pudding, the "Ryzogalo", and I've given the classic recipe for it. Nowadays, people decided it deserves more of their attention and more often appears on the menus of "posh" cafés proudly standing next to foreign famous desserts.... Back to basics in other words... and about time I'd say! Ryzogalo is one of those so simple but so tasty desserts which can be served cold or warm and this fact makes it popular all year round. Today we have a baked version of ryzogalo with the addition of orange which gives a nice refreshing flavour to the pudding

Baked "Soutzoukakia" balls with light tomato sauce - Comfort food in a light mood!

A healthier and lighter version of "Soutzoukakia", the popular spiced meatballs from the Greeks of Asia Minor! Baked instead of fried and poured with a light tomato sauce it can become a great Sunday meal for the whole family! Best if accompanied by mashed potatoes or a white rice pilaf  or also to be served as an appetizer with the sauce accompanying them

Braised spiced octopus in wine, cognac and vinegar sauce

Another delicious way of cooking octopus in the Greek way! Savoury and sour flavours merge together beautifully offering you a very hearty Winter-time dish