My recipe is inspired by various traditional breads and rusks from Crete. Scroll down to see my latest variation with beer instead of wine, additional spices, and two different flours (oat and rye) besides the basic barley, and wheat. Read more about the origin and history of Paximadia.
For 16 large (4 1/2 Inch) biscuits
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…)
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
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
I have adapted for mung beans my mother’s simple recipe for lentil soup, a winter staple in our house for as long as I can remember. She added mustard to all the pulses believing that it helped tame the occasional digestive issues.
Somehow inspired by the bean’s origin I add turmeric and my mung beans became a richer and more flavorful soup than the original lentils, I feel! This is a very filling Vegan dish.
Serves 6 to 8
