Adapted from Mediterranean Hot and Spicy (Broadway Books) 
Horiatiki, that has inspired the ubiquitous Greek Salad, is scented with dried, wild oregano or savory, and doused with plenty of fruity olive oil. It might also contain salted sardines, and was often made more substantial with the addition of stale bread or crumbled paximadia (barley rusks), which soak up the delicious juices.
Read HERE the story and roots of this iconic salad.
Serves 6 to 8
This unusual recipe is inspired by one I found in the region of Pelion, in Central Greece. The green garlic version is deliciously milder but we can only make it in the spring, when we get the fresh, scallion-like garlic from the garden.
Skordalia is served traditionally with fried or grilled fish and seafood; also with fried or grilled vegetables. On its own it is a popular meze served with toasted bread, barley rusks or crackers, and with crudités.
HERE read how I make the Sour Grape condiment.
Makes about 4 cups
In the winter or early spring, when the garden is full of greens, both cultivated and wild, like the ominous-looking juicy nettles, I often bake green bread and crunchy paximadia that are quite striking and exceptionally delicious!
They are an almost guilt-free snack, and Costas eats them with his coffee in the morning or after lunch; I often serve them with all kinds of salads and spreads as part of the meze; they complement ideally all kinds of apetizers, like Tarama or Smoked Herring spread, Tyrokafteri, and also the festive Liver Pate with Pistachios.
Makes enough biscotti to fill TWO 3-quart jars
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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.
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…)
I tasted the tomato-less version of saganaki in Chalkidiki, in northern Greece, many years ago. It was prepared with the local mussels which were wonderful. But in my kitchen in Athens, as I was trying the recipe, I had to use frozen mussel since fresh ones were not readily available then, and the result wasn’t great.
I decided to substitute shrimp for the mussel and I loved the dish, so I included it in my first book The Foods of Greece.
In my original recipe I gave the option of mussels or shrimp, but over the years I have decided that the shrimp’s sweetness is perfectly balanced with the lemony sauce, the herbs and the briny feta. It is a matter of taste, of course, but I definitely prefer shrimp for this soupy saganaki.
Serves 3-4
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