Black-Eyed Pea, Ground Lamb, and Chard Stew

Tuesday June 9th, 2015Monday December 28th, 2020 aglaia 1 Comment

The one-pot meals of the eastern Mediterranean ingeniously combine seasonal vegetables, herbs, and greens with small amounts of meat to create delicious dishes that seem to be designed by a modern nutritionist.

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Photo by Anastasios Mentis.

Aifer Unsal calls this stew borani—not to be confused with the vegetable and yogurt salads with the same name in the Middle East. Aifer is an outstanding cook and food writer from the Gaziantep—the part of southern Turkey that borders Syria. Apparently the Turkish term borani is used for various stews and salads. This recipe is my adaptation of Aifer Unsal’s borani, from the book Délices de Turquie, which has been translated into many European languages, including Greek.

Makes 4 servings

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Crustless or ‘Naked’ Squash Pie

Tuesday June 9th, 2015Tuesday October 26th, 2021 aglaia Leave a comment

The pie is very easy to whip-up and makes a great warm or room-temperature appetizer. Using a very similar mix, you can make the classic Zucchini or Squash Fritters that everybody enjoys at Greek taverns. Instead of frying, you can bake the patties.

Adapted from Mediterranean Vegetarian Feasts.

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GLUTEN FREE

See also the summer ‘naked pie’ we make with zucchini, of which we often have an overwhelming abundance in June, fresh from our garden.

Serves 5 to 6 as a Main Course (or makes 8 to 10 appetizer portions) (more…)

Hortopsomo: Crust-less Pie with Scallion, Greens and Herbs

Tuesday June 9th, 2015Tuesday March 24th, 2020 aglaia 2 Comments

This is a VEGAN and GLUTEN-FREE dish. Here on Kea I always add wild fennel fronds to the herb mix. Serve as main course, with rice pilaf or any grain dish. It is an ideal finger food, cut into bite-size pieces. If you want to make it more substantial, add 2-3 eggs and 2 cups crumbled feta (no longer Vegan). In Metsovo a similar pie has also leeks, and is called pispilita or blatsaria (see Variation).

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Read HERE more about greens and herbs in other well-known dishes.

Serves 6 (or 8-12 as part of a meze spread)

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Croatian Štrukli: Steamed and Baked Cheese Pies

Tuesday June 9th, 2015Sunday July 26th, 2015 aglaia Leave a comment

Štrukli is a wonderful main course that you can accompany with a salad of raw, steamed or roasted vegetables. It is also ideal for picnics and the ultimate finger food for parties. It freezes well, so bake more and store for a quick meal or snack.

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Serves 6-8 (about two dozen pieces) (more…)

Chicken-Rice-Onion-Feta Pie with Olive oil-Egg Topping

Tuesday June 9th, 2015Wednesday March 3rd, 2021 aglaia Leave a comment

Kotopita from Epirus, as we call it, is my friend Stamatia Stylou’s delicious version. Stamatia comes from Livena, a Greek village in southern Albania, or ‘northern Epirus’ as the region was called in my father’s time.

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Incidentally my paternal grandmother came from the broader area, but we have never seen her cooking or learned about any of the foods she used to prepare. She lived with my father’s sister and I don’t think I have ever seen her dressed with anything but her nightgown whenever we visited them.

On Kea we make this delicious chicken pie with local free-range rooster—about three times the price of the supermarket chicken!

For a 15-inch round pan (serving 8-10)

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