SOUP WEEK 1: Creamy walnut soup with herbs

Autumn is back already and soon Winter will smile at us... It is time to get prepared for tasty and hearty dishes like the soups. Here is a rather unusual recipe but very tasty and nutritious with the walnuts as the main ingredient. Nuts are not only to keep us company while watching a game or having drinks with friends, they can become a special ingredient in various sweet or savoury dishes. They have an intense taste and a rich texture and they give an extra flavour in savoury dishes like this thick, velvety soup 
 

SOUP WEEK 1: Spicy tomato soup with fennel to warm you up!

Tomato soup I think is one of the most popular soups for a lot of people and quite versatile since it can be cooked either in the Summer or Winter season. Since, as I've mentioned before, I've never been a crazy fan of these kind of dishes tomato soup would not be my first choice but this doesn't mean that I can not appreciate a good recipe when I try it. And this tomato soup here, without having anything exceptional to gloat about,is a really tasty and very easy dish to make for the whole family. Following the same steps and just adding a couple of dollops of thick Greek yoghurt it is a great dish for the Summer months too

SOUP WEEK 1: Potato and leeks soup flavoured with Kozani crocus (Greek saffron)

Potato with leeks is one of the most classic combinations for a soup and it is one of the few soups I actually like. I was never a fan, it was my nightmare when I was a kid and mum was cooking some kind of soup in the classic Greek way... Eventually I started compromising a bit but that was all, a bit! But then (years later) I discovered the "other" soups and things changed... Creamy and thick, that's the thing I like about them and the specific combination is my favourite. In today's recipe the addition of the saffron not only gives that beautiful colour but also adds extra flavour creating a really hearty and delicious meal. The Kozani Crocus (from up-North Greece), famous all over the world under the name “Krokos Kozanis”, grows from a small rounded bulb which is planted in late summer or early fall and produces small purple flowers, with three red-gold stigma strands in each flower and the saffron spice is actually made from these dried strands. Put a bit more colour and flavour in a classic soup to enjoy it even more

SOUP WEEK 1: Mushroom soup with Winter-time vegetables

A tasty soup which can warm you up during the Winter months. The rest of the vegetables give an extra flavour to this easy soup and along with the pitta breads you'll have a very hearty dinner

SOUP WEEK 1: Creamy lemon soup with chicken meatballs

The ultimate kind of Winter-time soup! Lighter than the classic "Yiouvarlakia" soup, thanks to the chicken we use for the meatballs, this is such a tasty, filling and hearty dish for the whole family!

PUMPKIN SEASON: Baked pumpkin with walnuts, garlic and cheese crumble

Another savoury recipe using pumpkin to enjoy a very tasty appetizer dish. The original recipe demands the use of a very special Greek cheese called "Batzo". It is a cheese mainly coming from the Central and Western province of Makedonia (up North Greece). It is very tasty, strong but without being as sharp as, for example, is the Kefalotyri cheese. It's made of sheep or goat's milk, quite firm in texture and resembles a sponge since there are holes in the inside. Being firm it makes it the ideal cheese for frying because it can hold its shape. Again, I don't expect you to find Batzo abroad but you can easily substitute with Greek mildly salted Kefalotyri, Kefalograviera, Kasseri or Haloumi cheese