A simple dish from the Cycladic island of Folegandros. Maria Primikiri, an inspired cook, gave me the recipe explaining that in the necessarily frugal days of yesteryear, poor people used to serve this strongly aromatic and flavorful stew of foraged fennel over fried stale bread.
Serve on its own with feta cheese and bread, or as a side dish for grilled fish or chicken.
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Traditional nettle soup from the north of Greece is thick and creamy with a fair amount of toasted flour to make it a nourishing winter dish. I prefer this much lighter first course which can be served cold in the summer, if you keep wilted nettles in your freezer, as I do. If nettles are not available, make the soup with just the outer leaves of Romaine lettuce, some spinach leaves, and plenty of parsley.
Serves 4-6
I prefer the greens without tomato, but it is a matter of taste. Serve over poulenta (the Corfiote polenta, enriched with the local sweet olive oil), or with plenty of fresh country bread to soak up the sauce, complementing with feta cheese. Tsigarelli can also accompany grilled meat, poultry or fish.
Makes 4 servings (more…)
In a rich tomato sauce scented with bay leaves, this simple vegan dish is part of the traditional Greek foods we cook during Lent, hence the late, brilliant Martin Brigdale chose to photograph it at Meteora, the breathtaking site in Central Greece for my first book The Foods of Greece.
Serves 2 as main course, and 4 as side dish
