Spicy giant beans soup served with country-style sausages

Instead of the commonly used for this traditional Greek soup, haricot beans, try the giant beans to give extra flavour to the recipe. Serve along with some sauté country-style sausages and you'll have a super filling and delicious Winter-time dish

Festive rice pilaf "A la Polita" with all ... the trimmings!!!

Serve this delicious rice pilaf as a side dish next to the roast turkey or other meat you might have at your Christmas table! A dish that is very popular in Greece and it is brought to us from the Greeks of Asia Minor. Colourful and full of festive flavours, it will satisfy your guests and family and it is great idea to serve at any formal occasion

Christmas "Sarmades" - Pickled cabbage rolls stuffed with mince and rice

Another traditional and delicious recipe coming (mainly) from Northern Greece and which in many areas is considered as a classic Christmas meal but it can be found during the Winter-time in general. The main difference between the classic stuffed cabbage rolls and the Sarmades (Sarmas in singular) is that in the latter pickled cabbage is used instead of fresh cabbage. Also, this version rather rarely is served with the customary lemon and egg sauce (avgolemono) like we usually do with the classic cabbage rolls. Today's version can be found in Kastoria region and as you'll see the ingredients are rather few and the most basic for stuffed cabbage rolls. But, regardless the possible differences from region to region, this recipe is a great sample of what we call "comfort food"

Winter time chicken with quinces and raisins

Based on a recipe coming from Arta in North Greece, this is one of the best examples of good traditional recipes and which enriches the Greek cuisine during the Winter time

Spicy pot roast beef with walnut and cheese sauce

The comfort food season slowly starts.... This is a delicious, hearty, filling and seasonal recipe which will make you want to cook it often during the Winter months! A great idea for a family-friendly Sunday meal which is inspired by traditional Greek recipes from around the country. The classic Sunday pot roast changes completely thanks to the luscious walnut-based and cheese sauce. The best company for this meal is to be served either on a bed of warm thick pasta like bucatini or penne or along with fries

Easy milk and 2-cheese savoury rice pie with phyllo

A delicious rice and cheese savoury pie inspired by various traditional recipes from around the country. A nice idea for a light meal along with a salad or to be served as a first dish on any occasion and for all seasons

Braised Amaranth leaves (Vleeta) in light tomato sauce - The King of Summertime Greek greens!

Vleeta or Vlita (Amaranth leaves) is a kind of "horta" (greens) that during the Summer months are very popular around Greece and my personal favourite of all the kinds we have! There are two types in Greece, the red-leafed (or wild grown) and the green which is the cultivated variety. Vleeta are popular not only because of their smooth texture and sweet flavour but also because they are so versatile! My favourite version is the classic recipe where Vleeta are boiled and served as a salad dressed with olive oil and lemon juice or malt vinegar (which, in my opinion, suits them better than the lemon). A lot of people, though, cook them in other ways too. My mother, for example, when she has any leftover vleeta she cooks them in the skillet along with butter and crumbled feta cheese and they are delicious!!! In various areas the vleeta can be part of the filling for various pies instead of using spinach and elsewhere, like the islands, often you'll find them braised along with courgettes, potatoes and/or runner beans. Today's recipe is inspired by the Cretan cuisine and things could not be simpler and easier! Just a few ingredients are enough to have a very tasty vegetarian meal, light and nutritious at the same time! If you have the chance to find Amaranth leaves abroad don't hesitate to cook them at least once in the Greek way and you'll see that I was right

Stuffed aubergines casserole with mildly spiced ground meat and almonds

Inspired by the aubergines "Imam Bayildi" (a recipe shared with the Turkish cuisine) and the aubergines "Papoutsakia" - two of the most popular and delicious traditional dishes in Greece - this casserole is a great idea to enjoy the aubergines during the Summer!! The chef combines the best elements of the two recipes to create a really filling and delicious meal for the whole family!!

Oven-baked fresh sole fillets with peppers, lemon and plum tomatoes

Another light but delicious recipe to enjoy this tasty fish during the Summer months! An easy recipe to prepare and very nutritious of course which combines simple but tasty ingredients in the best way! Serve it along with a hearty salad or boiled wild greens and you'll have a very filling meal! Beside sole fillets, other white-flesh fish can also be used in fillets, slices or whole

Skillet-cooked mellow potatoes, onions and mixed peppers in ouzo-scented light tomato sauce

This is one of those recipes that we love to eat in Greece during the warm months because they are easy and fast to prepare without lacking in taste at all even without any meat involved! A great Summer dish which, if you adjust the quantities of the ingredients accordingly, it can be served as a really filling main vegetarian meal or as it is to accompany sautéed chicken or white fish

Tender pork and potatoes baked in beer and orange sauce

The classic Greek dish with the refreshing addition of beer and orange juice for extra flavour! An ideal Sunday meal for all seasons!

Country-style fresh artichoke and herbs pie

A great rustic pie with fresh artichokes and seasonal herbs! To make it richer, if you'd like you can also add feta cheese (about 400 gr)

Crispy fresh anchovies fritters

A delicious recipe out of the numerous similar dishes the Greek cuisine has to offer! A great meze dish to enjoy along with a chilled glass of ouzo! If served with seasonal wild greens it becomes a more full meal. Try the same recipe with smelt or whitebait, both are delicious and they are the type of fish that don't need any preparation because they can be eaten whole

Slowly baked lamb with carrots, potatoes and artichokes in red wine sauce

Hi there!:-) Back from our holidays in Greece where we had a great time and now we need some days (or a couple of weeks I should say) to adjust and get back to normal... Not easy though! Besides everything else, the classic "what am I to cook today?" big question is back... What easier than a Sunday roast, I'm thinking... and here it is! An easy and delicious meal based on various traditional recipes with baked lamb along with seasonal artichokes to feed the family without too much hassle in the kitchen

Crispy kataifi pastry millefeuilles with feta cheese and salad - An elegant presentation of the famous Greek salad

A delicious and light recipe to serve as a first dish. An unusual version of a recipe well known worldwide which will manage to please your guests to the full! Crispy kataifi pastry (shredded pastry) replaces the classic puff pastry sheets to create this savoury millefeuille. The famous Greek salad presented in a totally new way but with its classic taste unspoilt!

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

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

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-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