VIMAgourmet foodblog awards winner

an award from my fans, an award from the critics panel

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Yesterday, I attended Vima gourmet food blog awards competition ceremony. Would I win it? Would I not? I had no clue. On my way to Technopolis, I was trying to tame my hair from unruly winds that were sweeping through Athens. I soon settled in, nibbling on lovely food, glass of wine at hand socialising with 32 wonderful bloggers. A great opportunity to finaly meet people I have been chatting to in flesh and bone. We don’t exist only on the internet you know, we are pretty much real. And what did I take home? An award from my fans and an award from the critics panel for the recipes. Continue reading

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Tangerine truffles

for the love of citrus fruit

tangerine truffles

I love citrus fruit, for their uplifting aroma as much as their rich vitamin C content, but most of all, for making my food so much tastier. I use the orange and lemon juice in meat marinades prior to roasting and in salad dressings alike. I love nibbling on little wedges of fruit, be it orange, grapefruit or tangerine. And what do you do with all the peel? Well, you could make tangerine truffles! Continue reading

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Beans, carrots and mushroom stew

hearty winter warmers

The weather is timidly getting a tad more wintery in Athens. We have officially entered December and I just cannot bring myself to do any Christmas decorating. I guess it’s a little too sunny. I am very happy working my way through hearty stews though. I think I nailed a very nice one with beans, mushrooms and carrots, part of my competition challenges for the Vima food blog awards, think humble ingredients.

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Black-eyed beans stew, with greens, raisins and pine nuts

wholesome winter stews

black-eyed beans stew @eatyourselfgreek

I am sure you all remember the challenges for the food blog awards. Working with humble ingredients is great inspiration. Pulses have been on the menu and the dishes are getting healthier and healthier, in a truly Greek manner. I made a black-eyed beans stew with greens, seskoula, these taste a bit like chard, spinach and added a few raisins and pine nuts.

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Pasteli, sesame candies, the energy bar of the Gods

pasteli

Do you like sesame? Normally we get discreet tastes of it on bread or burger buns. You might be using its oil on salads or scooping up dollops of houmous on pita bread for its distinct flavour. In Greece we are very well acquainted with the humble sesame seed and we have a very soft spot for golden sweet honey. We use them both to make pasteli and this preparation is so old, it is only fair to call them the energy bars of the Gods. Continue reading

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Leek pie and kourkoubinia

Smart ways to make your ingredients go a long way

Still on food blogging competition mode and all I think about is re-using. Last week I re-used my chickpea soup into chickpea burger, I had a few onions cooked into a sharp chutney and made my materials go a little further. This week, it is all about the pie and a bit of dessert, well, from leftovers fillo pastry. Making your ingredients go a long way, have something savoury and something sweet. 

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Chickpea burger with red onion chutney

 chickpea burger

Being frugal, eating well and reusing! Who wants to see their food going to waste? I certainly don’t and I am not one for extensive food planning either. I prefer to get creative with leftovers and give them a little push to make them go a little further. My second challenge for the VIMA gourmet food blog competition asks for a dish that re-uses yesterday’s ingredients to create a scrumptious dish that no one could guess it has been reheated. As promised, it’s all about the chickpeas! Continue reading

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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