Kourabiethes me Karythia In Greek: κουραμπιέδες με καρύδια, say: koo-rahb-YEH-thes meh kah-REETH-yah Kourabiethes (also kourambiedes) are sugared shortbread cookies made with nuts. In Greece,kourabiethes are served at special occasions and given as host/hostess gifts. This version calls for walnuts (or hazelnuts). Prep Time: 45 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups of shortening 1 cup of confectioner’s […]

Makes two 12-inch round loaves For the starter: 1 teaspoon active dry yeast 1 cup warm water 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour For the dough: 8 to 10 cups all-purpose flour, as needed 1 cup sugar Salt 3⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 11⁄2 cups warm water, or more if necessary 1⁄2 cup ouzo 11⁄2 cups […]

ORTYKIA STO PSOMI Ingredients: For the bread: 6 cups bread flour, or more if needed One envelope active dry yeast 21⁄2 cups warm water 1 scant tablespoon salt 2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, as needed For the quail: 4 quail 1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste […]

Ingredients: 500g of flour 40g of yeast 200g of yogurt 6 tsp of olive oil 1 bunch mint 300g of Graviera Cheese 2 packs of Halloumi Cheese 1 tsp salt Method: For informational purposes, when mixing ingredients for dough, all the ingredients should be at room temperature. Halloumi Cheese is made out of Goat milk […]

Kasseri cheese is a medium texture, slightly tart, table cheese that is popular in Greek cuisine. Its color ranges from off white to slightly yellow, depending on how long it has been aged and the type of milk that is used. Kasseri is usually aged for at least four months, until it develops a hard consistency like Parmesan or Romano cheese. A […]

TIGANITO HTAPOTHAKI APO TIN ITHAKI Makes 8 to 10 meze servings Octopus is the Lenten fare par excellence in Ithaca. There is plenty of it, it is rich and filling despite its associations with the fast, and it is cooked in several unusual ways. The following recipes were given to me by Mihalis Maghoulas, an Ithacan native who tinkers in […]

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 […]

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 […]

Kourabiethes me Amygthala & Kanela In Greek: κουραμπιέδες με αμύγδαλα και κανέλα, say: koo-rahb-YEH-thes meh ah-MEEGH-thah-lah keh kah-NEH-lah Kourabiethes are celebration cookies: they are prepared at Christmas, baptisms, and weddings. This recipe for these shortbread-type cookies is packed with toasted almonds, includes the taste of cinnamon, and calls for the traditional coating of lots of confectioner’s […]