My Boiled Vegetable Salad

Tuesday July 26th, 2022Tuesday July 26th, 2022 aglaia Leave a comment

This is a simple, delicious salad/lunch that you can make any season with the most wonderful local vegetables and greens you can find. With Claudia Roden, we shared our happiness that boiling vegetables have at last become the IN thing to do! Our book editors, until recently, had stricken out of our recipes the mere mention of boiling any vegetable or green, replacing it by ‘blanching’ or ‘steaming…’ Read more

Potatoes, carrots and a couple of onions are boiled first, in a pot with 1-2 teaspoons salt, until tender and easily pierced with a fork.

We discard nothing in our part of the world, and we have learned that for example the root-ends of spinach are delicious when fresh, (more…)

Grilled Whole Fish in Chili, Garlic, and Mint Sauce

Friday July 8th, 2022Tuesday July 26th, 2022 aglaia Leave a comment

In Jaffa, the picturesque old city next to Tel Aviv, Margaret Tayar has a famous seafood restaurant specializing in Moroccan cuisine prepared in her distinctive way. Her food –highly spiced and fragrant– is delicious. She is known for her fish couscous and for her simple and delicious spicy grilled fish. The recipe is my adaptation of Margaret’s fresh and zesty salsa that so well dresses the charcoal-grilled bream. Serve with steamed potatoes, zucchini, and carrots.

Serves 2 (more…)

Roasted Squash and Bread Salad with Tahini-yogurt Sauce

Tuesday July 5th, 2022Tuesday July 26th, 2022 aglaia Leave a comment

In this simple salad the sweet, sumptuous roasted squash is paired with crunchy olive-oil-croutons, and complemented with tangy yogurt-tahini sauce, creating an irresistible combination.

It is inspired from a dish served by Semsa Denizsel, the celebrated chef and former owner of Kantin Lokanta in Istanbul. She has now moved to the Aegean coast, and teaches cooking in her beautiful home, amidst olive trees.

Serves 4-6 (more…)

Grilled Calamari Stuffed with Olives, Almonds, and Chili

Tuesday June 28th, 2022Tuesday June 28th, 2022 aglaia Leave a comment

Whenever we get good fresh calamari of any size, Costas, my husband, likes to stuff and grill it over charcoal, or on the portable electric grill. He doesn’t like the feta stuffing served with calamari at most Greek taverns, so he came up with this mixture of olives, almonds and chilies. Calamari is quite filling, so serve with just a green salad.

Serves 6-8

8-10 medium-small calamari (1 ½ -2 pounds), cleaned, bone discarded, heads separated

Marinade

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Good pinch Aleppo or Maras pepper, or Pepper Flakes to taste

(more…)

Apricot Tart with Rose Geranium Yogurt Mousse

Monday June 13th, 2022Monday June 13th, 2022 aglaia Leave a comment

In June, when we find plenty of lovely local apricots, we buy quite a lot and after eating the more ripe ones, we usually halve, pit and roast the rest, then freeze them to have at hand and make tarts, or top a flat bread, complementing them with spicy smoked cheese.

Make the mousse a day ahead, or even a couple of days before. When you are about to serve the dessert, assemble the pre-baked puff pastry and serve the mousse on the side.

Serves 6-8 (more…)