Beef Stifado

I love Greek food - it’s one of my favorite cuisines. This beef stew reminds me of when we were holidaying in Cyprus. Beef and shallots are simmered in red wine and seasonings until meltingly tender. It takes a little while to make, but it’s worth the wait.

We enjoyed it with roast potatoes and Greek salad, yumz! It’s also delicious with crusty fresh bread.

Olive Oil Roast Chicken with Mediterranean Vegetables

Even though I absolutely love roast chicken, I’ve never made it for J. Why? Well, he prefers meat in slabs and doesn’t particularly care for skin or bones.

I’d been eyeing up this roast chicken recipe for quite a while, and I decided to make it for Christmas dinner, whether J liked it or not (I told him that I’d skin and slice the meat off the carcass for him). It had been far too many years, since the last time I enjoyed the succulence of a well-roasted chicken.

Bean-Free Sun-Dried Tomato "Hummus"

A hummus with no beans I hear you cry. Am I mad? Probably – but I’m not mad for making this no-bean hummus. If you try it, I promise I won’t call you mad – just let me know how much you enjoyed it.

It’s smooth, slightly sweet and garlicky, yet being light and fresh at the same time. I had to stop myself eating the whole batch with carrot sticks when I whipped up this batch! Hmm... I wonder what's going to feature in J's packed lunch tomorrow...

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Something wonderful happens when you add roasted red peppers to a plain hummus recipe. It’s slightly sweeter and has a different dimension to it altogether – truly delectable. Although I'm pretty sure I've never seen a roasted red pepper hummus in the Mediterranean.

It goes well in sandwiches as a spread, as a dip with pita chips, crudités or anything you fancy.

Whole-Wheat Pita Bread

There’s a wonderful hole-in-the-wall-restaurant, near Paphos in Cyprus called Feta’s corner. If you ever happen to be there, make sure you go and try their meze for dinner. The cook there sure knows how to cook, she was no gourmet chef, but man, she could _REALLY_ cook! She even transformed a piece of liver into what tasted like a mouth-watering steak (and I dislike liver). The meze is a great way of trying almost sampling everything on the menu. As the small dishes came and went, the waitress kept our bread basket topped up with whole-wheat pita bread – mmmm!

Almond & Date Tarts

These tarts are sure to impress. They are simply divine. The frangipane goes wonderfully well with the buttery crust and the treacle-like sweetness from the dates. They are however, extremely high in calories and fat – so I keep the recipe only for special occasions.

They’re easy to make and if you’re stuck for time or a little daunted by making your own sweet-crust pastry, use the store-bought short-crust pastry variety… just promise me not to buy the stuff with nasties in it.

Chicken Souvlaki

Oh how we love Greek food! I mean proper Greek food, the stuff you get whilst visiting Greece or Cyprus. Not the gyros plate that is ubiquitous to the US, which is sadly paraded about as if it's the only thing that comes from Greek cuisine.

We love all of their desserts, salads and their grilled meat/fish cooked Mediterranean style. Souvlaki is no different. I think I was first introduced to souvlaki in a Greek restaurant in London, and then later tried the real deal in Cyprus, mmm!

Meat & Rice Dolmades - Greek Stuffed Vine Leaves

On one of our first dates, J took me to a Turkish restaurant in London. At that time in my life, my only real experience with food was traditional Chinese. I was skeptical about almost everything that arrived at the table, dolmades was one of them.

The only Chinese, leaf-stuffed dish is lor mai gai - chicken and rice, steamed in a lotus leaf wrap. You don’t eat the leaf wrapper in this dish. I was so inexperienced with eating other Worldly cuisines, that I assumed you shouldn't eat the vine (grape) leaf around the dolmades. It makes me laugh thinking about it now... there was me scooping out the filling of the dolmades, as J watched on, making weird faces. It makes me laugh even harder, when I recall seeing the waiter's face, as he took away the plate.

Fasolia Gigantes - Greek Giant Butter Beans

Here is a Mediterranean dish that is regularly served at a meze. The dish consists of giant beans cooked in tomato sauce. They bear some resemblance to the British baked beans, only they’re tastier!

Sometimes the beans are baked, but I’m far too lazy for that, so I simply cook them on my hob (stove top). You can also save time, and use canned butter (white lima) beans instead of rehydrating dry beans.

Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh is a dish typically found in the east of the Mediterranean and throughout the Middle East. It’s a wonderful dish that is light, refreshing and goes well with any grilled meats or fish.

Although traditionally made with bulgur wheat, I have seen variations in the US with quinoa!

Kefthedes - Greek Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

Kefthedes is a popular dish served during a meze dinner. They are lamb meatballs, which are lightly spiced with cumin. Here they are served with a thick tomato sauce, and although they don’t look like much, they are bursting with flavor and have an exceptionally tender texture. This dish is wonderful with tabbouleh or a simple cous cous side dish.

Although traditionally made with lamb, you can use minced (ground) beef instead. The kefthedes are good without the tomato sauce, so feel free to try them on their own if you wish.