My World

Fava is a Greek appetizer, which must not be confused with fava beans because it's nor made from fava beans. It is a  yellow split pea purée and a delicious Greek veggie dish whose origins lie on the islands of Santorini and Skiros. Here's a recipe of the authentic Greek fava by one of Greece's greatest chefs - Akis Petretzikis.  INGREDIENTS 200g split peas 4 tbsp olive oil 50g onion 50g carrots 1 clove garlic 2 bay leaves 4 tbsp olive oil juice of 1 lemon salt and pepper spring onions for serving DIRECTIONS Cover the peas with water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and strain. Chop the onion, garlic and carrot Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Sautée the onion, garlic , carrot and bay leaves. Add the split peas, sautée and add some hot water to cover the split peas in the pot. Leave until the split peas are softened and water adsorbed, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Strain the remaining water and remove the bay le...

This is not really a traditional Greek recipe. It's a delicious blend of  Greek and Middle East cooking slightly adapted from Argiro Barbarigou's recipe. It's very easy to make, it's healthy and, most importantly, it's so tasty! We can find colour bell peppers all year round at the supermarket but summer is the season when these sweet peppers are the best. Ingredients For the marinade 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 tsp paprica 2 tbsp curry powder 1 tbsp oregano 2 tbsp mild mustard salt and pepper For the Souvlaki 2 boneless chicken breasts approx. 500 gr / 18 ounces 3 colour bell peppers (green , yellow, red) 1 onion, sliced 1 tbsp extra virgin oil. Directions Place the chicken breasts in a large bowl with all the marinade ingredients. Use your hands to mix really well, cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for at least an hour. Warm the olive oil in a pan and sweat the onions. Cook until t...

Scroll down for English Υλικά (για 8 – 10 άτομα) 4 φιλετάκια χοιρινά (ψαρονέφρι), σύνολο 1 ½ κιλά 4 κουταλιές βαλσάμικο ξίδι ¼ φλιτζάνι ελαιόλαδο 4 σκελίδες σκόρδο Τα φυλλαράκια από 2 κλωναράκια δεντρολίβανο 2 κουταλιές ξεφυλλισμένο φρέσκο θυμάρι 1 κουταλιά χοντρό, θαλασσινό αλάτι μαύρο πιπέρι Εκτέλεση Προθερμαίνετε το φούρνο στους 200° C. Με τη μύτη ενός μαχαιριού κάνετε μικρές βαθιές χαρακιές σε διάφορα σημεία του φιλέτου και μπήγετε μέσα μικρές σκελίδες σκόρδου. Απλώνετε τα φιλετάκια σε ταψί στο οποίο έχετε βάλει αντικολλητικό χαρτί, ελαφρά λαδωμένο Ραντίζετε τα φιλετάκια με το βαλσάμικο ξίδι και μετά με το ελαιόλαδο και τα τρίβετε με τα χέρια για να πιάσουν βαλσάμικο και λάδι παντού. Βάζετε το αλάτι και το πιπέρι σε ένα μπολάκι, προσθέτετε το δεντρολίβανο και το θυμάρι και τα ανακατεύετε. Πασπαλίζετε με το μίγμα αυτό τα φιλετάκια. Ψήνετε σε φούρνο με αέρα στους 170°C για 20 – 30 λεπτά. Τα βγάζετε πάνω σε σανίδα κοπής και τα αφήνετε να ξεκουραστούν για 10 – 1...

Carnival in Greece and Cyprus rimes with  celebration - a chance to escape everyday routine and enter a world of party, fantasy, high jinks and 'kefi' - high spirits - a feast of dance, wine and meat before the fasting of Lent  Karnavali or Apokries ( the carnival) started in ancient Greece and was believed to be an act of worship for Dionysos, the God of Wine and Feast.  In the Greek Orthodox tradition, Apokries is the preparation period before Lent. Apokries means literally saying goodbye to meat ... Apohi apo kreas -  apo-kreas.  The English word Carnival derived from Latin and has the same meaning : " carne'' =meat and  "vale"  - goodbye. Apokries runs for 3 weeks preceding the First Day of Lent, which is today. The Greek Orthodox observe 40 days to Easter Day - called "sarakosti". Hence the wish all the Greeks exchange this festive weekend : "Kali Saracosti" (Happy Lent) Today  is   'Kathara Deftera' (Green or Clean ...

Trahanas is known all over Cyprus as well as in many parts of Greece. It is a delicious and nutritional food, probably the world's healthiest fast food. It is soup with cracked wheat kneaded in soured milk . Let's see how this traditional food is prepared . After the wheat is thoroughly washed, it is blended in a hand mill. Then it is mixed with soured milk and the mixture is placed in the fire. When it boils well, the mixture coagulates, and then it is moulded into small elongated pieces which lay in the sun where they dry out. These dry pieces are stored and so preserved for a year in the freezer. Each time you wish to cook trahana soup, you take the desired quantity from the stored dry pieces in the freezer. The pieces are placed into water, where they inflate and open. Haloumi cheese can be added, chopped into small pieces, which also cooks inside the soup. Trahanas is served hot after some salt, pepper and lemon (optional) are added. Here is the recipe of Trahan...

I never used to cook. Actually, I hated cooking!  For years on end, I used to get my mother to cook or have food delivered. However, in the last five years or so, cooking has become a favourite occupation. It helps me relax and unwind after a long day at work or it brightens up a dull weekend. When I have some more free time, I enjoy creating my own recipes - like my very personalized version of chicken bourguignon. The first shocking fact about my recipe is that I didn't add mushrooms! I can't eat them!  The second shocking fact is that I decided to add a yellow pepper! The third shocking fact is that I served my personalized chicken bourguignon with whole-wheat spaghetti and grated cheese! I must humbly admit, however, that it was delicious! Hmm... I guess I must give it a different name!  Chicken Anastasia, for example? Ingredients (serve 4) 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in small cubes 1 onion, finely chopped 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 car...

For the last ten years or so, my husband and I have adopted a healthy eating pattern  without this meaning that we don't occasionally indulge in a less healthy diet to our heart's  content!  Developing  healthy eating habits isn't as confusing or as restrictive as many people imagine. The essential steps are to eat mostly foods derived from plants, vegetables , fruit, whole grains,low-fat meat, low-fat dairy products, and legumes.  Here are some of my favourite healthy-eating appetizers: A. Zucchini with Eggs (serves 4) Ingredients 4 teaspoons olive oil 4 zucchini, sliced 2 eggs, beaten a pinch of salt pepper to taste Directions Heat the olive oil Add the zucchini and cook until golden brown Add the beaten eggs  on top, then mix. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. B. Grilled Aubergines (serves 2) Ingredients 2 large aubergines cut in thin slices (rings) olive oil (to sprinkle) salt and pepper to taste Directio...

Halloumi is a Cypriot, firm, brined, white cheese traditionally made from a mixture of goat and sheep milk, but cow milk is also used these days. Its texture is similar to that of mozzarella except that it has a strong, salty flavour imbibed from the brine preserve. Cooking halloumi practically removes most of its saltness and empowers it with a creamy texture. Halloumi is always served in summer with some watermelon and it's an essential part of a Cyprus meze . The cheese also tastes lovely when grilled, pan-fried or thinly sliced on a salad. Halloumi cheese Source: cheese.com Actually, it is a very versatile cheese. You can  eat it in a sandwich with tomato and cucumber, you can grill it or fry it  and serve it as a snack, you can grate it and serve it with pasta  or you can use it as a topping for pizza. The only thing you can't do with it is boil it. In this recipe, I have grated halloumi and used it as the basic ingredient of haloumopita - a traditional chees...

Ingredients 8 – 10 sheets of phyllo pastry 500 gr feta cheese crumbled (15 ounces) 500 gr mizithra cheese crumbled 750 ml milk 1 cup olive oil 200 gr yoghurt 5 eggs Freshly ground pepper Directions Combine the crumbled cheeses in a bowl and ground some pepper. Beat the eggs, milk, olive oil and yoghurt. Brush a pan with some olive oil and lay two pastry leaves onto it. Pour some of the eggs mixture and then sprinkle with some of the crumbled cheeses. Lay a third leaf, pour some more of the eggs mixture and sprinkle with some more of the crumbled cheeses. Repeat with another three sheets of fyllo. Place 2 sheets of fyllo and brush with the remaining eggs mixture. Sprinkle some black sesame seeds. With the help of a sharp knife, make incisions on this top layer. Pre-heat the oven and bake for 1 hour or until it looks golden brown. Recipe by Argyro Barbarigou

Cake Layers 1 cup salted butter 3 tablespoons espresso powder 1 cup water (boiling for the espresso powder) 2 cups granulated sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup buttermilk (if you do not have the buttermilk, make your own with 1/2 cup milk mixed with 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar) 2 eggs 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Cream Filling 1 8-ounce package cream cheese , softened to room temperature 1 cup powdered sugar 1 cup heavy cream Espresso Frosting 3/4 cup salted butter (1.5 sticks) 2 tablespoons espresso powder 4 cups powdered sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla or almond extract 4 tablespoons half-and-half Instructions: 1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Melt the two sticks of butter in a saucepan over medium heat (saving your butter wrappers for the next step). Grease and flour 2 round 9 inch pans (8 inch will work just as well but your cake will be taller). I like to use the wrappers of the butter to grease the pan and then shake a light l...