Tarama salad with capers

Another version of the classic tarama salad (or "taramosalata" as we call it) and if you think about it it is not really a proper salad but rather a spread. Whatever... it is a very tasty dish and it goes very well with crusty bread, various sea food dishes and ouzo. It can be served all year round but on Clean Monday (when the Greek Orthodox Lent period starts) it is one of the most popular dishes of the day!

Classic Greek Halvas - Spiced semolina pudding with syrup

This is a traditional and very popular Greek sweet which can be found in other Balkan countries and the Middle East as well. A classic dessert served during Lent period but not only then. The recipe varies a bit from region to region but whichever version you might have, the taste is great. The one I'm giving you today is the most common one with oil and nuts (it can be found with butter or milk and raisins in it). This way it is a rather light dessert full of the aroma of cinnamon and you can find it even at some tavernas when it is often offered after a nice big meal

Lagana - Clean Monday's flat bread

Lagana is a traditional Lenten flatbread which we eat in Greece only once a year, on Clean Monday (the first day of the Greek Orthodox Lent). Originally, lagana was an unleavened bread but, over the years, a little bit of yeast has crept into the recipes. Traditionally it is shaped like a rectangle with rounded corners and is a fairly flat loaf with crunchy crust and soft inside. The choice of oil depends on how closely Lenten restrictions are observed. Usually Lagana is store bought at the neighbourhood's bakery but there are recipes somebody could use so to enjoy a home made Lagana

Kathara Deftera - "Clean Monday" of Greek Lent

7th of March 2011, is the "Clean Monday" (also known as Ash Monday or Monday of Lent) and it is the first day of the Greek Orthodox Christian Lent period. It is a moveable feast (the first Monday after the Greek Carnival period) and we also refer to this period as "Sarakosti" meaning "40 days" of fasting, which actually is more than 40 days if you include the Holy Week before the Easter Sunday.

The term "Clean Monday", refers to the leaving behind us the not so nice attitudes and the non-fasting food. From the religious point of view, Clean Monday - and thus the Lent itself - begins on the preceding (Sunday) night, at a special Church service called Forgiveness Vespers. In this service all people present will bow down before one another and ask forgiveness. In this way, the faithful begin Lent with a clean conscience, with forgiveness, and with renewed Christian love. The entire first week of Great Lent is often referred to as "Clean Week," and it is customary to go to Confession during this week, and to clean the house thoroughly.

Clean Monday is a public holiday in Greece, where it is celebrated with outdoor excursions, the consumption of shellfish and other fasting food, a special kind of azyme bread (a lightly or at all fermented/ leavened bread), baked only on that day and named "Lagana".

Some of the best fare in all of Greek cooking are the dishes culled from the tradition of abstention, from the 40 day (plus) period before Easter when one shuns all animal products. Until just a few decades ago, the majority of Greeks abided by the dictates of the religious calendar, fasting not only before Easter but before many other major holidays, so that they actually kept off meat and dairy products for nearly half the year.

As a result, a whole culinary repertory evolved that is a mirror of the ingenuity of home cooks who relied on the bounty of the season to provide filling, nutritious meals. There are several standard preparations, but the foods of the Greek Lenten table really comprise a wealth of vegetable, grain, and seafood dishes.

Eating meat, eggs and dairy products is traditionally out of the question for the Greeks (most of them anyway) throughout Lent, with fish being eaten only on major feast days, but shellfish is permitted. This has created the tradition of eating elaborate dishes based on seafood (shellfish, molluscs, fish roe etc.).

The happy, Springtime atmosphere of Clean Monday may seem at odds with the Lenten spirit of repentance and self-control, but this seeming contradiction is a marked aspect of the Greek Orthodox approach to fasting.

Another widespread custom of the day, when the weather is good, is flying kites. Something that children and adults enjoy the same!

Mixed salad with aromatic meatballs

A salad which can be served as a side dish but also as a light main meal

Chicken roll filled with chicken livers, dried fruits and nuts

A different and juicy filling for a delicious stuffed chicken roll. Easy to prepare and impressive at your table for any occasion or just a family gathering