Here’s a beautifully bright pasta dish to brighten up your day whatever the season. There’s something extraordinarily comforting about eating kritharaki (kριθαράκι) or orzo; it’s the luxe softness of it I think as well as its ability to soak up all your favourite flavours be they rich or light. This vibrant lemony herb-packed recipe is…
Category: Herbs
Minestra Aromatica, Potato and Arborio Rice Soup with Aromatics
This beautiful recipe is perfect for the early days of a new year when the desire for bright vibrant flavours vies for attention with the long walk towards the spring. This year, more than ever before, I have looked to silence and reflection these past few weeks, a quiet time in order to process everything…
Turkish Freekeh and Radicchio Salad with a Pomegranate and Balsamic Dressing
This recipe is loosely inspired by the roasted freekeh-stuffed cabbage rolls I have enjoyed in southern Turkey but, because this is such a busy time of year, I wanted to devise an alternative recipe that would come together quickly for last night’s supper and which would make use of some of the stuff I have…
Greek Roasted Red Peppers with Cannellini Beans, Beluga Lentils, Kalamata Olives and Basil Oil
When we were in Corfu Town last summer, I made it my mission to find truly authentic tavernas and by far the best one we came across ticked every single box. A simple whitewashed interior featuring a dusty clock and iconic paintings of Christ. Old family photographs fighting for our attention as they danced around…
Alsace Caramelised Onion Tart with Gruyère and Tarragon
We tumbled through the door of the packed antique brasserie just opposite the Cathedrale Notre Dame de Strasbourg, our faces flushed from the frosty air and the glasses of gently spiced vin chaud bought from the Christmas market, one of the oldest in Europe. Laughing, perhaps a little too loudly, we grabbed the only remaining…
Raphael’s Roasted Red Pepper, Spinach and Feta Filo Tart with Wild Oregano and Dill
Yesterday I received a lovely package from my friends Zoi and Milton who spent several years living in Greece. They eventually moved to Bath when their son reached school age and started to import high quality extra-virgin olive oil from Milton’s decades old family olive grove in Chania, Crete. Like me, they are strong proponents…
Amirim Lemon-scented Labneh with Zhoug
Labneh is a beautiful soft cheese simply made from strained yoghurt that can be eaten with pretty much everything but which is an especially good friend to rich and spicy mezzes. The first time I tasted it I was sat at a little linen-covered table on the edge of a vegetable garden in Amirim, an entirely vegetarian organic…
Shuk Ha’Carmel Pea and Mint Falafel with Tahini and Lemon Sauce
“Wait. You’re telling me that you have never – NEVER! – eaten falafel?” he exclaimed, narrowly missing the turning onto Boulevard Rothchild as we made our way to dinner one impossibly hot and humid evening in downtown Tel Aviv. “No!” I replied, “I have never – NEVER! – eaten falafel!“. He looked at me with that…
Provençal Lemon-baked Ricotta and Gruyère Omelette with French Tarragon and Fresh Chives
As the days shorten and the nights darken, I find myself dreaming of long lazy lunches in Paris, a winter destination for us as we travel to family Christmases in Europe. I love the grand brasseries that sit quietly amongst the streets that surround the Gare de l’Est from where we travel on to Strasbourg…
Elena’s Greek Spanakopita, a Greens, Feta, Anari and Herb Filo Pie with Tahini and Lemon Sauce
Living off the land is something Greeks do as a matter of course and wild greens (horta) are some of the most sought-after food items in nature’s larder. This is a lesson we too can learn, especially right now when fresh greens are sometimes hard to come by (I’m writing this during the Covid-19 lockdown)….
