Diples, Christmas honey rolls

Have you ever spent Christmas in Greece? Well, then youcertainly have come across these three sweet treats: melomakarona, kourabiethes and last but not least díples (thee-ples). Díples, the Greek word for fold, is a light and crispy fried dough topped with walnuts and a generous drizzle of honey syrup. There is an easy recipe below so you can make your own díplesthis Christmas!

Continue reading Facebooktwitterpinterestinstagramby feather

Bean fritters

Vegetarian golden nuggets

IMG_2127

You may recall an entry on the popular Greek bean soup (fasolada) I posted some time ago. This traditional staple shows our love for legumes and pulses, especially during the Lent and the run up to Orthodox Easter. A few brave ones give up meat and dairy for 40 days, while the rest do it for a week or two swapping meat protein for the protein found in the humble dry beans. Here is a recipe for “golden fritters”; yummy deep-fried patties made with Vanilla Feneou beans.
Continue reading Facebooktwitterpinterestinstagramby feather

Fish soup, kakavia

the best of the Med

kakavia - eat yourself greek

Greece being a sea-faring nation, fish and sea-food comes often in the cooking spotlight. We have a fish soup called kakavia. Traditionally, kakavia was prepared by fishermen on the boat. Once they were done fishing, a meal would be prepared with whatever they had at hand: an onion, a potato and the humblest of their catch, keeping the best for the market. Kakavia is more of a concept than a recipe. In line with the Greek cooking practices, you have very few but very fresh ingredients and you make an extraordinary meal almost out of nothing.

Continue reading

Facebooktwitterpinterestinstagramby feather

Chickpeas and onion, the two ingredients soup

Remember the challenges for the food blog awards? We were set a couple of tasks to work on, themes to draw inspiration from, that will roll out from now until the 14th of December, the closure of the competition. For my category, Best Greek Cooking in English, we will be tackling austerity: can you be frugal and eat well? It could not be more apt a subject, especially for Greece where belt-tightening has become second nature. I will be working with humble ingredients to create nutritious dishes, rich in flavour. My mind is running from the cocina povera concept to austerity living and 100% traditional Greek recipes. Thus, my first one is a super traditional, two ingredients soup: chickpeas & onion – revithosoupa. Austerity and wholesomeness served on a plate.  Continue reading Facebooktwitterpinterestinstagramby feather