Medley of sauté stone fruits served with easy peach sorbet

Easy, aromatic, refreshing and delicious Summer dessert to enjoy some of the most popular and tasty stone fruits! A nice and light fruit compote chilled from the fridge along with an easy-made peach sorbet is the ideal way to finish a Summer meal!

Easy grilled fresh swordfish fillets with spicy fresh tomato salsa

I admit that our family is not really a big fan of fish or seafood but there are some types of fish we really like and cook as often as possible. One of our favourites is the swordfish and whenever we can we don't miss the chance to have it, either fresh or frozen. Today's recipe is really delicious! Light and easy to prepare and a great idea for a nutritious Summer meal

Mushrooms and goat's cheese saganaki in fresh tomato sauce

A delicious and very easy appetizer dish to enjoy along with some chilled wine. One of those dishes which are meant to be shared with others in a friendly gathering but which you hope you could not share at all!:-) Simple but full of flavoursome and aromatic ingredients in another version of the popular "saganaki" dish

Easy lemon and lime concentrate lemonade made at home

I've tried a few recipes for home made lemonade through the years but this one I found last Summer I think it is the one that we all enjoyed better. It is a good idea to have the mixture ready in the fridge for whenever you need to treat your family or your guests and it can also be used as the base for other beverages and cocktails. Depending on your preference it can be easily diluted in iced water or soda and it gets an extra flavour if you add a few leaves of fresh mint or spearmint

Easy spicy potato and crab croquettes appetizer

Family and friends gatherings and parties I think its one of the best things happening during the Summer months! Chilled drinks and cocktails and various delicious dishes pass around making our Summer evenings even more joyful! The recipes of this type are countless and in Greece we are full of them! Such a nice, tasty and easy recipe are these crab croquettes which you can have them ready in no time to treat your guests without losing too much time in the kitchen

Luscious meringue-based Ravani dessert with almonds

Ravani (or Revani) is one of the most classic and very popular syrupy desserts in various places around Greece with Veroia (North Greece) having, according to many, the best of them all!! Basically it is a semolina cake which, when baked, is smothered with a nice light syrup. There are a few variations of Ravani depending on the area it comes from but regardless the origin it is delicious and it is a dessert which can be served all year through

Chicken with Summer vegetables, Greek hylopites pasta and feta cheese in the skillet

Based on one of the most classic and traditional Greek dishes, the "chicken with Hylopites pasta", this version gets even more luscious with the addition of a few Summer vegetables and feta cheese! This time cooked in a faster way everything ending in a skillet with the Greek pasta absorbing all the flavours from the rest of the ingredients. A very filling meal for the whole family ready in about 40 minutes! The courgettes can be replaced by 1 red and 1 green bell pepper or, if you prefer, to have all the veggies together as I usually do

Easy and fast egg and sausage sandwich

When the days are really hot most of us don't like the idea of  being around the cooker for too long... The choices of light meals are numerous and this easy sandwich is a nice idea to have something fast and tasty at home to please our hunger. The sausage can be replaced with smoked or boiled turkey and of course in that case you avoid cooking completely. The rest of the ingredients are just one of so many combinations you could have and it's up to you to follow or to adjust the recipe according to your personal preference

Cinnamon-scented fresh whole apricots in home made pastry "bundles"

An easy but so delicious dessert for the Summer months which can be also served at a Summer party! Apricots with their distinctive aroma and taste can become a mellow dessert enclosed in this easy home made pastry. Good looking and light, they will surely satisfy your guests

Baked courgettes stuffed with fresh Myzithra cheese and herbs

This a great idea to serve as a first dish during the Summer months when the courgettes are at their best! Simple in ingredients and method and full of aromas and taste! Replace the fresh (sour) Myzithra cheese if you can't find it, with Anthotyro or other soft, semi-salted white cheese

Easy and fast star anise-scented pineapple granita

Personally I was never a big fun of the classic ice creams, believe it or not! Not even as a kid! Although, if I was to have one every now and then, that would be a store-bought one and never home made. I always liked them more (weird eh?) But, there is something that I'm a big fan of and this is the granitas! Anything fruity and icy I really love regardless the season but of course during the Summer months just having one is such a relief from the heat, especially when in Greece... This recipe here could not be simpler and faster really and of course you can replace the pineapple with the fruits of your choice. Also, to avoid the hustle of preparing the pineapple, you can find ready-frozen pineapple purée at the shops to make things even easier

Moussakas with aubergines - A classic with a few twists here and there...

Well, here we go again... This delicious, popular and world-known dish once again appears at our table to remind us that it's not possible a Summer to pass by without cooking it at least once!! Only this time things are not exactly the same... A few small changes and additions happen with this version of Moussaka which, in my opinion, is very tasty but (only because of personal preference) I would go back to basics eventually. In this recipe celery is involved in the meat sauce, as well as oregano and thyme (fresh or dried). A few bits which most people don't use in the moussaka meat sauce as we know it... The flavour changes just enough to notice it but without feeling that "this is not moussakas"... Something different in this version is also the fact that only aubergines are used and no potatoes at all, which is the most common version around the country. Which, on the other hand, it doesn't make it more authentic. Because, as I've said in the past, the original moussaka (according to many connoisseurs) didn't include potatoes in the old days... But, no matter what, this was really a great and very filling meal for the whole family and we enjoyed it to the full! And although (personally) I would go back to the version without the celery and the specific herbs I fully recommend it to you. You can use only ground beef if you prefer or to replace the lamb with ground pork

Amaranth greens (vleeta) and roasted Summer vegetables salad served with creamy garlic dip

This is a super Summer recipe to enjoy some of the most tasty seasonal greens and vegetables! "Vleeta" greens are very popular in Greece and my favourite summer green salad. In the past I have posted another recipe and showed you how we usually cook and eat this sweet type of "horta". In today's recipe they work together with some roasted vegetables and served with "skordalia", the traditional garlic dip. All this ultimately makes this recipe an ideal side dish to accompany various meat and fish dishes. You can omit, if you want, the garlic dip and then the recipe becomes a classic salad, drizzling on top with olive oil and lemon juice or malt vinegar

Sweet and spicy tomato chutney scented with saffron

Now that the tomatoes are in their season and there are so many in the market, take advantage and prepare your own jams and chutneys to enjoy during the coming months. There are many different versions of tomato chutney around and all of them they have their own special flavour. This one here is quite simple but very tasty thanks to the various spices and it will become a good company to various other dishes

Black-eyed beans with fennel in very light tomato sauce

This very simple but tasty and so nutritious dried pulses recipe can be served as a first dish, warm salad or a vegetarian meal. The fennel gives this a distinctive but elegant flavour and aroma to the recipe and, when in season, you can enrich the dish adding a leek cut in thin rings

Greek yoghurt gelato sandwiches with whole meal petits-beurres biscuits

A very easy recipe to enjoy at home- a delicious gelato based on Greek yoghurt. And this is the only Greek gelato since even the Italians make it using the popular Greek thick yoghurt. Make plenty of these sandwiches because they can be stored in the freezer for many days and they can become a great and healthy refreshing snack for every day for the whole family and an easy treat for your guests

Sauté fresh salmon fillets with Summer vegetables and lemon-yoghurt dressing

Simple, light and delicious recipe to enjoy this popular fish in a different way, ideal for the Summer months. Lightly fried in the skillet along with crispy Summer vegetables it is the best meal to cook for the whole family! The yoghurt-based dressing gives extra flavour to the dish and makes it so refreshing

Greek-style cannelloni with aubergines, Anthotyro cheese and tomato filling

Pasta in any kind of shape or recipe and regardless the season is always more than welcomed in most households! Ours is not an exception and pasta is in our menu at least once a week! Cannelloni is one of our favourites because you can fill them with so many different ingredients so you never get bored of them. Today a simple but very seasonal filling with aubergines and cheese make this pasta dish a delicious meal for the whole family

Greek-style mildly spiced tomato rice pilaf with shrimps

Inspired by traditional recipes which are very popular during the fasting periods in Greece this is really a delicious rice recipe! Full of colours and aromas for this simple dish which, though, will please you to the full! Fresh shrimps always are the best option but of course you can also use frozen shrimps which are already cleaned of their shells and make things easier and faster

Summertime "stifado" with courgettes and onions in light tomato sauce

A delicious vegetarian Summertime stifado full of taste and aroma! You can also cook okra and aubergines in the same way. In Greece we have a specific type of small onions for the various recipes of "stifado" but any small (boiler) type of yellow, red or white onion (small shallots, pearl onions etc) work just fine! Another good choice are the Italian "Cippolini" onions

Lentils salad with roasted tomatoes, avocado and feta cheese

Using the so tasty and so nutritious lentils we can create a really filling salad which could even be served as a light lunch those hot days when we don't like the idea of staying in the kitchen too long! Combining the lentils with the cheese, the tomatoes and a tasty dressing this recipe can become one of your favourites and the addition of the avocado only enriches the whole dish giving it also a refreshing flavour

Easy strawberry puff pastry millefeuille

Millefeuille is a classic and very popular dessert and in this recipe it gets even more refreshing including juicy, luscious strawberries. An ideal Summer dessert, very light and very tasty to serve after a rich meal or anytime!

Aubergines and tender veal rolls with cheese sauce

A recipe which is very popular around the country and which can be found in a few different versions. A delicious meal for the whole family to enjoy during the Summer months when the aubergines are in season. Tender veal (or beef) wrapped with this tasty vegetable, doubled cooked and then poured over with a delicious cheese sauce