In Greek: ριγανάδα, pronounced ree-ghah-NAH-thah This is one version of Greek bruschetta and a favorite and easy recipe for a quick snack or accompaniment to drinks. Use homemade crusty country bread, or thick slices of sourdough, french, or italian bread. Cook Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 10 minutes Ingredients: 3/4-inch slices of country style bread chopped tomatoes […]

In our house, Dad is known as the “cheese triangle wizard.” Growing up, I would marvel at how quickly and efficiently he could butter and fold the phyllo (FEE-loh) sheets into neat little triangle packets. This is the recipe that I have adapted from my Dad. There are many, many different variations, however this is our family […]

In Greek: μπουρεκάκια μελιτζάνας, pronounced boo-reh-KAHK-yah meh-leed-ZAH-nahs A mixture of three delicious cheeses marks the filling for thin slices of eggplant that are rolled, dipped in flour, breadcrumbs, and egg, then fried to perfection. Make these in large batches because they will disappear very quickly! Ingredients: FOR THE FILLING 1 egg 1 cup of cold […]

Stuffed Little Meatballs POLPETES APO TIN KERKYRA Makes about 24 meatballs What the rest of Greece knows as keftedes or by the diminutive, keftedakia, Seven Islanders call polpetes, delicate little meatballs. In the Ionian area these days they are apt to be the mint-doused rendition common throughout all of Greece. This particular recipe, borrowed from Ninetta Laskari’s excellent book on Corfu, […]

SKARTSOTSETTA Here’s a dish that some claim was the invention of Zakynthian and Corfiote taverna owners, but others, more wisely, point to Venice as the source of its provenance. (Skartsotsetta—at least etymologically— probably derives from the Italian scartocetti for “packets” because of the way the thinly sliced veal isstuffed, rolled, and braised.) Regardless of its origins, the dish has evolved to […]

Pastitsatha was the traditional Sunday meal of Corfu’s well-to-do. It was almost always made with free-range cock or with turkey, which Corfiotes hold in particularly high esteem. Thick tubular spaghetti is needed for this dish. According to island cooks, a proper pastitsatha requires no fewer than 9 spices: allspice, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, nutmeg, paprika, cayenne, salt, and black pepper. Makes 4 to […]

KEFALONITIKI KREATOPITA This recipe, from native Cephalonian Roussa Meleti, originally appeared in my first book, The Food and Wine of Greece. Makes 8 to 10 servings Ingredients: 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing 1/2 pound boneless lamb, trimmed of fat and cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1/2 pound lean boneless pork, cut into 1/2-inch pieces […]

BAKALIAROPITA TIS ITHAKIS Makes 8 to 10 servings Codfish pies are found throughout the Ionian Islands. The Ithacan version includes both rice and cubed potatoes, testimony to the fact that this originated as poor man’s food, a dish that needed to be as filling as possible. Cod pie is a classic Lenten dish not only in Ithaca but in Cephalonia […]

PASTITSIO VENETSIANIKO Ingredients: Makes 10 to 12 servings For the pastry: 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) cold unsalted butter 1/3 to 1/2 cup ice water, as needed For the filling: 1 pound thick tubular spaghetti, like bucatini 2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, […]

HTAPODOSOUPA This soup traditionally calls for dried octopus, not the easiest thing to find either in America or in urban Greece, so I have reworked it a little for fresh octopus. Makes 6 to 8 servings Ingredients: 1 medium fresh or frozen octopus (about 3 pounds), cleaned if necessary 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 cup dry white […]