INGREDIENTS:
For the bechamel sauce:
60g butter
4 tablespoons plain flour
400ml milk
300ml cream
Big pinch of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
50g grated parmesan
50g grated kasseri cheese (or mozzarella)
Salt & pepper
2 eggs (lightly beaten)

For the meat sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion (chopped)
3 garlic cloves (chopped)
500g beef mince
500g lamb mince
1 ½ tablespoons cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
200ml red wine
800g canned chopped tomatoes
350g pasta tubes
½ cup grated parmesan
½ cup grated kasseri cheese

DIRECTIONS:
To make the bechamel: In a saucepan, melt the butter until bubbling then stir in the flour. Cook for 1-2 minutes then gradually pour in the milk and cream, whisking constantly. Whisk in the cayenne pepper and nutmeg until you reach the consistency of double cream (about 2 minutes). Remove from the heat and stir in the parmesan and cheddar until melted. Season with plenty of salt & pepper, cover and set aside to cool. Once it is just warm (about 20 minutes, whisk in the beaten eggs. Cover and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a large pan with the oil over a moderate heat until just hot. Gently fry the onion for 3-4 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the beef and lamb minces and cook for 5 minutes until all is browned. Add the cinnamon, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper and stir well before adding the wine and letting it sizzle for a minute. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cook the meat for 15 minutes until the mix is soft and unctuous.

Preheat oven to 170ºC.
Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the pasta to the packet instructions minus 2 minutes to ensure it’s a little underdone. Drain well then stir into the meat sauce. Tip the meat and pasta into a large ovenproof baking dish and smooth into a thick layer. Pour over the bechamel sauce and smooth out. Sprinkle with the parmesan and fontina cheeses and a sprinkling of pepper. Bake uncovered for 40-50 minutes until the top is a rich golden brown colour.

Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

SERVING:
Serve in a big old wedge with some green salad.

INGREDIENTS:
1kg butterflied lamb leg
1 lemon
3 garlic cloves (grated)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
Zest the lemon and squeeze out the juice, combine it with all the other ingredients in a large bowl then rub all over the lamb. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours for the best result, but 2 hours minimum.

Heat a BBQ till hot, then cook the lamb for approximately 35 minutes until cooked to pink. Leave to rest for 10 minutes then if you like, squeeze over some more lemon juice over just before serving.

SERVING:
Cut the lamb into thick slices and serve with whatever you like. I served mine as part of a large spread full of salads and other healthiness.

INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion (finely chopped)
1 clove garlic (finely chopped)
200ml white wine
3 large ripe tomatoes (peeled, seeded and chopped)
½ teaspoon sugar
salt & freshly ground black pepper
12 king prawns (peeled and deveined)
100g feta cheese
1 tablespoon fresh parlsey (chopped)
1 tablespoon fresh mint (chopped)
½ lemon (cut into wedges)
Extra virgin olive oil for serving

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat a casserole dish in an 220ºC oven.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a moderate heat and cook the onions for 3-4 minutes until soft and golden. Add the garlic and cook for a further 1-2 minutes until soft. Add the wine, let it sizzle until most has been absorbed. Add the tomatoes and sugar then season with salt & pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Add the prawns and stir for 30 seconds then remove from the heat and stir in half of each of the fresh herbs. Take the casserole dish out of the oven and tip in the prawn mixture and spread out evenly. Crumble over the feta cheese and season with more black pepper. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes then serve.

SERVING:
Sprinkle over the remaining herbs, drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and serve hot with crusty bread and salad along with plenty of lemon wedges to squeeze over everything, as is the Greek way!

INGREDIENTS:
4 small beetroot
100g feta cheese
1 tablespoon fresh mint (chopped)
1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley (chopped)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 200ºC. Chop off the beetroot stalks but leave on the skin. Wrap each beetroot individually in cooking foil and place on a baking sheet. Cook for 40-60 minutes (depending on size) until soft. Cool for 20 minutes. Gently slip off the skins with your fingers – they should come off easily. Cut into small chunks, cover and cool to room temperature.

Combine the beetroot with the herbs, vinegar and lemon juice and season lightly with salt & pepper. Arrange in a bowl then sprinkle over the feta and drizzle over the olive oil.

SERVING:
Works well with fish, poultry or meat. Or on its own as a light lunch.

INGREDIENTS:
4 cups roughly torn iceberg lettuce
1 small cucumber (peeled, seeded and diced)
1 cup cherry tomatoes (halved)
100g bulgarian feta
1/3 cup black kalamata olives (pitted and halved)
1/2 small red onion (thinly sliced)
1/4 cup pine nuts (dry roasted in a pan)
2 tablespoons fresh mint (very finely chopped)
1/2 lime (juice of)
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper
sweet paprika

DIRECTIONS:
Arrange the lettuce in one layer on a large patter. Evenly sprinkle the cucumber, then tomato. Crumble over the feta then arrange the olives and red onion. Sprinkle over the pine nuts and then the mint.

Just before serving, drizzle over the lime juice then olive oil and season with a little salt & pepper. Finally dust the top of the salad with a little paprika.

INGREDIENTS:
1kg beef chuck steak (stewing steak) (cut into 4cm cubes)
700g French shallots (peeled)
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 bay leaves
4 cloves carlic (thinly sliced)
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 cup red wine
1 teaspoon allspice
1 piece lemon zest
1 cinnamon stick
1 heaped tablespoon tomato puree
1-2 teaspoons salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley

DIRECTIONS:
Combine together the wine vinegar, red wine, bay leaves, garlic, cinnamon and allspice. Pour it over the beef and leave to marinade for a few hours (or not).

Heat the oil in a large, heavy based casserole pan over a moderate heat. Fry the onions gently for about 10 minutes until they are caramalised on the outside and slightly soft. Remove the onions from the pan. Now add the meat in batches and brown for about 3-4 minutes. Return all the meat to the pan along with the onions and the meat marinade. Add the tomato paste and enough water to just cover everything. Season with the salt & pepper, bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low, partially cover the pan and simmer gently for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid and simmer for a further 30 minutes to reduce the sauce. Remove from the heat when the meat is tender and stir in the parsley. Check for seasoning, remove all the whole spices and serve.

SERVING:
I served mine with good old mashed potato and vegetables, but it’s also fabulous with chips or rice or even just some fresh crusty bread.

This is one of my favourite Greek dishes. Using everything you’d associate with the region to create a simple and delicious dish which is all on one tin. What could be simpler? The thing about this dish that makes it truly special is the aroma it spreads around your house. There is no other smell I like more than the smell of cooking lamb!

INGREDIENTS:
1-1.5kg Lamb leg (boned)
1 lemon (juice of)
3 large potatoes (peeled and cut into 3cm wide slices)
3 cloves garlic (cut into 1/3s)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons dried oregano
salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Season the lamb with salt and pepper and olive oil on all sides and then stab the flesh all over with a sharp knife. Insert pieces of garlic into the flesh. Place in a roasting tin and arrange the potatoes around. Pour the lemon juice over the meat and potatoes then pour 1/2 cup water around the outside. Sprinkle the oregano over the meat then roast in the oven for 50-60 minutes for medium 60-70 minutes for well done. Add a little water if it dries out too much during this time. Remove the meat, cover and rest for 5-10 minutes. Make sure the potatoes are soft, if not, cook for a further 5-10 minutes until they are. I actually had to cook the potatoes for a full 30 minutes more which is a mystery to me that they took 1 1/2 hours to soften!

SERVING:
Serve the potatoes alongside slices of the meat with any juices from the roasting tin. I served this with some crusty bread as I couldn’t be bothered with the washing up of more than one pan tonight.

I’d always avoided even contemplating making dolmades for some reason. I had assumed they’d be impossibly difficult and fiddly to make. I was wrong. They were easy as can be and the taste was out of this world. I shall be making them on a regular basis. Fantastic!

RECIPE: (makes 20+ depending on vine leaf size)

INGREDIENTS:
24-28 vine leaves in brine
1 cup rice
2 tablespoons currants
1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon fresh mint
1 tablespoon fresh dill
1/3 cup olive oil
30g pine nuts (dry roasted)
Salt & pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
500ml vegetable stock

DIRECTIONS:
Soak the vine leaves in cold water for 15 minutes then rinse and pat dry. Cut off the stems.
Soak the rice in boiled water for 15 minutes. Drain well.
In a large bowl mix the rice with the currants, parsley, mint, dill, pine nuts. Season with salt & pepper.

Line the bottom of a large casserole pan with 4 vine leaves, drizzle over a tablespoon of olive oil.

Lay one vine leaf on a board with the stem facing down. Put about 1 tablespoon of the rice mix in the bottom middle of the leaf. Fold the leaf up from the bottom then fold in each side and roll up tightly to form a little cigar. Place into the pan. Continue making more of the cigars and pack them tightly together in the pan in one layer until you run out of either space or rice mix. Cover the dolmades with the vegetable stock then place a plate directly on top of them to stop them moving about when cooking. Bring the stock to a simmer over a medium heat, then reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer gently for 45 minutes. Remove from the heat. All of the liquid should be gone.Serve warm or cold. They’re best cold in my opinion.

SERVING:
Serve as a little side dish or meze, sprinkled with mint together with mini lemon wedges.

This is a sensational little dip. I can’t really add much to that, just that it’s lovely and creamy and lasted about 5 minutes on the table.

RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS:
1 400g can cooked fava beans (drained & rinsed)
1 onion (finely chopped)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
1/4 cup olive oil + 1 tablespoon for frying
3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon cumin powder
salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a small pan over a moderate heat. Fry the onion and garlic with a little salt for 5-6 minutes until the onion is soft and lightly browned. Remove from the heat.

Put all the other ingredients into a food processor then add the fried onion mix. If you want the dip chunky then pulse blend for 30 seconds. Or if you want a smoother texture puree the mixture for longer.

SERVING:
Drizzle with more olive oil and serve at room temperature with bread.

Share on Facebook

This is a dinner party dish. It’s one of those dishes that will save you any panicking as you can put it in the oven well before anyone arrives and it pretty much serves itself. All you’ll need is another vegetable or a bit of salad and you’re done. It’s really mouthwateringly tasty too.

RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 – 3 kg leg of lamb
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons dried oregano
1 onion (sliced)
2 sticks celery (sliced)
40g unsalted butter
1kg potatoes (peeled and quartered)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 180º. Cut the garlic into slivers. Stab the meat with a small knife and insert the garlic pieces evenly over the flesh. Rub the meat with some of the lemon juice and sprinkle with salt, pepper and 1/2 the dried oregano. Place on a baking dish and bake in the oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and reduce the heat to 160º, drain away the fat and add the celery, onion and 1 cup of hot water. Spread the butter on the lamb and place back in the oven for another hour. Turn the meat during that time to brown evenly. Add the remaining lemon juice, the potatoes, remaining oregano and some more salt & pepper and bake for another hour, turning tht potatoes and adding more water if neccessary. Take out of the oven, rest for 3-4 minutes before serving.

SERVING:
Skim any fat off the juices and cut the lamb into chunks for your guests. Serve with the juices and potatoes.