The first day of spring is officially here. If there is one dish that signals spring to me, it’s asparagus. Asparagus mimosa to be precise, it’s their exact time to flourish as well.The new asparagus harvest has already made its appearance and it’s a delight to munch on the young, delicate stems of asparagus. This is obviously not a Greek recipe, but a classic dish that crosses borders and time. Yup, it is old school too, but hey there is nothing like good mustard vinaigrette, fancy looking boiled eggs and fresh greens for a quick meal.
Coming so close to Christmas, there is an insane amount of present wrapping and organisation to do. Christmas cards come and go, phones buzz, bleep and ring to arrange meeting up with loved ones before, during and after the holidays. So many glittering lights around to gaze at, so much fuss around the Christmas table. I am sharing a festive beetroot salad, quick and easy to please and impress.
I’m back to Athens for the winter. December has brought in many fairy lights in preparation for Christmas and very little cold weather. A mild southern breeze brings the smells of the sea in the streets of the city. Blessed with the occasional sunshine, I started digging in my cookbooks for winter vegetable recipes. Love them, hate them? I baked some cauliflower, it’s better than you think.
So, so, I was getting really exciting for Greek pic-nic and kite-flying day: Clean Monday or Kathari Deutera as we call it over here in Athens. Yet, for another year the weather has turned a little cloudy, a little too windy, and a little wet. Honest, I am no weather winger. I haven’t complained since I left London, it is steadily sunny and warm and soooo bright. But not this weekend! It’s going to be pouring down and anyone going to fly a kite is certain to re-enact Benjamin Franklin’s experiment. So food, console oneself with food. A light spinach salad with cod roe dressing.
It’s almost Christmas! For the past week I have little bells jingling in the back of my head shuffling numerous Christmas tunes. I hope you are all set for great feasts with friends and family and there is no last minute present rush. Well, there might be – get them chocolate! Keeping in line with Greek Christmas traditions, I made a pork roast with honey glaze and a very festive beetroot salad, with carrots and green apple. Continue reading →
Writing a food blog it goes without saying that I love cooking, especially for my friends. When it comes to entertaining I’ll usually gather around 6 – 8 people for a cosy dinner party, but this time things were a little more crazy. This time I had 25 hungry mouths to feed. Wow! Continue reading →by
I was at Zappeio on Saturday, not running (no superhero here – sorry) but walking with Race for the Cure. We were quite a crowd: survivors, families, friends, kids and pets and pink balloons. We managed to dodge the rain under a very indecisive grey cloud. The central roads were closed and we we had the luxury of walking to beating drums. We left the front door of Zappeio Megaro, walked through the leafy park and out into the very central Syntagma square. I stopped at Parliament to feed the birds, as is customary, and then continued around the National Gardens, in a full circle reaching Zappeio again. A lovely walk. Perhaps next year, I will be running too!
I have family and very dear friends that have recently passed through their own adventure with cancer. Breast cancer is one of the most curable types of cancer if found early. Yet, according to 2012 statistics it affects almost 1.7 million men and women worldwide and going through it is no piece of cake. It’s a long, tough and exhausting treatment. But there are some small and simple things we can do, such as following a balanced and healthy diet, to alleviate the side effects during therapy and perhaps even prevent contracting cancer in the first place. Cancer research UK & MacMillan Cancer Support provide excellent information on this matter.
The Mediterranean diet has often been praised for its qualities as a balanced and super-healthy choice. It is by default very rich in vegetables and fruit; using olive oil instead of butter or other fats, a lot of fish and moderate consumption of dairy and meat. So I chose the humble beet to share with you, often forgotten but truly good for you and really tasty when done right.
I made a very simple beetroot salad. If you find some fresh, go for them as you can use the tender leaves in your salad too. Try to pick small heads , which are tastier,and please make sure you give them a good rub, these little roots tend to be covered in soil.
Now preparing them is very easy. Top and tail each root, this will leave you with the following:
Place in a pot, cover with water, and they should be ready within 20-25 minutes maximum. Be careful not to over-boil them, it’ll turn them into mash and they will lose all their nutrients. Some people keep the broth once the beetroots are boiled, add some lemon juice or cider vinegar and thus turn it into a juice.
To serve, add olive oil, vinegar and a bit of garlic:
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