Rose-petal-jam & Pomegranate Granita/sorbet

Sunday October 3rd, 2021Sunday October 3rd, 2021 aglaia Leave a comment

The frozen pomegranate juice produced on Kea had inspired me to make a granita/sorbet adding syrup scented with the rose geranium leaves from our garden.

The other day I came upon a couple of small jars of Rose Petal Jam that I had made a few seasons ago, and totally forgot.

Tasting them I found that they were still nicely fragrant, although their color had darkened somewhat. ‘Why don’t I use them, together with pomegranate juice, to make a rose-scented granita,’ I thought, and so this one was created.

You may need to add some good quality rose water, depending on the fragrance of the rose petal jam you use.

Our friends and guests loved this very fragrant granita, so here is my very simple basic recipe. You can adapt it depending on how sweet or tangy you prefer your desserts.

Serves 8-12 (more…)

Zucchini Fritters with Basil and Oregano

Thursday September 30th, 2021Sunday October 24th, 2021 aglaia Leave a comment

A much sought after appetizer served at all Greek taverns today. In the old days it was considered a poor man’s’ keftedes (meatballs), for the people who could not afford to buy meat. The mixture is very similar to the one for the crust-less pie, but needs to be drier, so squeeze more liquid out of the grated zucchini. Similar appetizers are made in the winter with greens (horta). Spinach, chard or mixed wild greens can be used, and the fritters are called hortokeftedes.

Scroll down for Oven-roasted Patties, a VARIATION I developed for EATING WELL magazine

part of a piece about the healthy Cooking of Crete (March 2020).

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Makes 6 to 8 meze servings (more…)

Our Summer Garden

Thursday August 26th, 2021Thursday August 26th, 2021 aglaia Leave a comment

The past few years had spoiled us, being somewhat cool and nice, with lots of rainfall in the winter. This dry, extremely hot summer almost destroyed our trees. On the other hand, less rain and humidity brought less bugs, and with the appropriate drip irrigation we managed to produce more vegetables.

Last winter we did not get much rain in Kea, and this, the 2021, summer was particularly hot for more than a couple of days: for about two exhausting weeks the temperature remaining very high, even at night, something quite rare.

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Pasta with Purslane and Tomato

Wednesday August 4th, 2021Thursday August 5th, 2021 aglaia 1 Comment

This easy, fresh, and utterly delicious summer dish is based on a Cypriot recipe my friend Marilena Ioannides cooked on Facebook Live during one of her brilliant weekly presentations.

Even if you don’t speak Greek you can easily follow her cooking method, which in that case is extremely simple.

Marilena uses scallions but I prefer to flavor the tangy purslane and tomatoes with garlic. Also I substituted basil for the mint, as we have plenty in the garden. Note that contrary to Italy, the traditional herb used in Cyprus, as well as in Greece is mint, not basil.

But of course you can choose either, depending on your taste, and whatever you have in your garden…

We ate purslane in the summer, since I was a child, as it is one of the very few greens we have this very dry season in our part of the world. Lately it has become much sought-after for its health benefits. Yet, as I will never cease to repeat, my choice of ingredients and way of cooking is always based on what I learned from my mother and grandmother, as well as from friends who recorded old regional dishes of our area. I choose seasonal produce and combine them simply, to create wonderful, fresh flavors; whatever health benefits they have is an extra bonus!

Serves 4

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Kiki’s or ‘Lazy Woman’s Pie’ (Pita tis Tembelas)

Sunday August 1st, 2021Wednesday August 25th, 2021 aglaia 1 Comment

As feta is usually too salty, I often use a combination of feta and myzithra (the Greek ricotta). I like to add fresh oregano or fresh thyme, and occasionally red pepper flakes.

Scroll down to see the variation with roasted vegetables, which makes the pie more substantial.

Read more about the pie and our adventures to get the recipe.

Keartisanal-cheese-Pie1

Serves 4-6

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