Salty from the sea, our feet bejewelled with black volcanic sand, it was was a given during that high summer in Santorini that we would seek respite from the shimmering heat of the beach from midday onwards. A nearby taverna became our favourite. We never ventured inside. Instead we sat on little blue chairs shaded…
Category: Mains
Greek Roasted Red Peppers with Cannellini Beans, Beluga Lentils, Kalamata Olives and Basil Oil
When we walk through Corfu Town I make 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 a collection…
Patatosalata, a Greek Potato Salad with Rocket and Wild Oregano
Many many years ago before Santorini had been exposed to mass tourism, we arrived at the small village of Oia via a hired Jeep in order to witness the legendary sunset over the Aegean Sea. Here, the island’s nutrient-rich volcanic soil – which had formed a smoky film of dust over every cell of our…
Greek Feta, Romano Pepper and Tomato Saganaki
In Greece ‘saganaki’ is a term used to describe a variety of small dishes made in a traditional two-handled frying pan (the name being derived from the Turkish word ‘sahan’ meaning a copper dish). Very often, the same word is used to describe cheese cooked this way – namely kasseri, kefalotyri or kefalograviera – which…
Elena’s Greek Spanakopita, a Greens, Feta, Anari and Herb Filo Pie
This is the best recipe for the classic Greek spanakopita I know – believe me when I say I have tried dozens of them during my lifetime. It’s inspired by my friend Elena whom I met on the tiny island of Paxos one hot and sultry evening. She used to run a teeny tiny little…
Normandy Cheese and Onion Tart with Mustard and Tarragon
Although this classic savoury French tart originates from the Alsace region in France, this version is inspired by a misty autumnal day spent picking apples in Normandy before crisscrossing the Suisse Normande – a wild, hilly stretch of the Orne valley just to the south of Caen – in search of a bottle of aged…
Sami’s Koosa Mahshi, Stuffed Peppers with Golden Sultanas, Pine Kernels and Amba Spice
A few years ago, I made a lone trip to Ephesus, a port city in Turkey which was once revered as the most important and largest metropolis of the old Mediterranean world. As I gingerly walked its dusty streets, my sandalled feet slipping on stones worn down by time, I noticed the signs etched into…
Palermo Courgette Agrodolce with Garlicky Ricotta
It’s early morning in the historical centre of Palermo in Sicily and the markets come alive as giant red awnings unfold like sails to protect tables heaving with produce from the already dazzling sunlight. Buckets of foraged asparagus sit alongside bright bunches of wild fennel, battered aluminium pots filled with warm potatoes already cooked to…
Aya Yorgi Fasulye Piyaz, Turkish White Bean Salad with Tomatoes and Herbs
An early morning walk through the dusty streets of Istanbul down to the banks of the Bosphorus, a long and choppy crossing over the Sea of Marmara, a death-defying ride on a horse-pulled phaeton (there are no cars on Büyükada, the largest of the Princes Islands, just mad horsemen) followed by a hot and steamy…
Orléans Caramelised Tomato Tarte Tatin
A gloriously butter puff pastry case filled with caramelised tomatoes and oregano. To this version I added a little homemade tomato sauce left over from last weekend’s pizza menu and served it with a vibrant salsa verde which keeps in a jar in the fridge for several weeks. So simple, so delicious and as light…
Cardamom and Dill 