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Sea bream with tomatoes and capers

(also known as Mediterranean style)

In Italy Tuesdays and Fridays are traditionally fish days or no-meat days. We don’t usually follow this tradition, but I have to say that I’m more inclined to prepare fish or seafood on Friday than any other day of the week.

Since the first time we had delicious gilthead sea bream (orata it. tsipoura gr.) in Crete years ago, it’s been one of my go-to fish recipes. Easy to prepare, light and healthy, what’s not to love?

Prep time  15 min     Cook time 20-25 min
INGREDIENTS FOR 3-4
  • 2 breams 350gr each
  • olives (recipe requires black olives, I used Gaeta olives which are my faves)
  • 2 tbl spoons of capers (if salted, rinse them before use)
  • 300 gr of cherry tomatoes
  • salt and pepper
  • thyme, marjoram, parsley
  • peperoncino/chili pepper
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic
  • extra vergin olive oil

1. Rinse the gutted and scaled bream and place it in a pan with some olive oil. I love to use a glass pan, easy to clean.

2. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the fish as well as inside. Place also a few sprigs of thyme and/or marjoram and  1 chopped garlic inside.

3. Halve the tomatoes and place them in the pan around the fish. Add some peperoncino but be careful. The purpose is to enhance the flavors, not overpower them and with peperoncino you can easily go overboard. Been there, done that!

4. Add olives and capers and thyme, marjoram and parsley with a generous hand and the rest of the garlic.

5. Place the fish in a preheated oven at 200° for appr 20-25 min.

I served it cleaned. To avoid cleaning you can use fillets.

As a side dish I made oven potatoes but you could use broccoli or green salad. Whatever floats your boat.

BUON APPETITO!

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Eggplant casserole with a Greek twist

I love eggplants! This is a lighter version of eggplant parmesan. And anything with feta cheese can be considered Greek.

Prep time 30 min +30 min degorging eggplants    Cook time  45 min
INGREDIENTS FOR 4-6
  • 2 big eggplants
  • 450g (1 lb) ground lamb or beef
  • handful of dried herbs: oregano, basil, rosemary, mint
  • 2 onions
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 fennel
  • 2 celery sticks
  • 400g (14 oz)  crushed tomatoes
  • salt, pepper
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • 200g feta cheese

1. Cut the eggplants into slices and sweat or degorge them: sprinkle salt on the slices, put them in a colander with a weight on for 30 minutes and rinse or wipe them. This takes the bitterness out. Also you need less oil when frying since the eggplant soaks up oil like a sponge.

2. Roast or fry without oil the slices on both sides. Put aside. You can do this step a day before. Just store the roasted slices in the fridge.

3. Fry the ground meat in oil and add the herbs. I used fresh mint because I didn’t have any dry mint . Next time I will try all fresh herbs.

4. Chop the onions, fennel, celery and garlic, cook them in a pan with lots of olive oil  until soft. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper and let simmer for 20 minutes.

5. Assemble your dish in layers: first onion-tomato sauce on the bottom, eggplants, ground meat and crumbled feta. Repeat 2-3 times. On top add the juice from the pan. I didn’t and had to moisten the dish half way through in the oven.

6. Put in a preheated oven at 170° C (340F) for 45 minutes.

7. Serve with good rustic Italian bread.

BUON APPETITO!

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Chicken with bell peppers

Chicken with bell peppers or pollo coi peperoni is a Roman dish, typically from the Castelli region. It is succulent and the smell while it’s cooking will make you salivate. It’s also very easy to prepare which is a bonus.

Prep time  10 min     Cook time  50-60 min
INGREDIENTS FOR 4-5
  •  1,2 kg (2.5 lbs) chicken cut into pieces
  • 3-4 big red bell peppers
  • 400g can of crushed tomatoes or fresh ripe ones
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 glass of white wine
  • extra vergin olive oil
  • basil
  • salt, pepper

1. Wash the peppers, remove the seeds and pith inside, cut in strips and dry.

2. Heat the oil in a large pan with garlic, add the washed and dried pieces of chicken and fry for a few minutes on all sides. Add some salt.

3. Add the wine and let simmer for a few minutes.

4. Add the peppers and tomatoes with some salt and pepper.

5. Cook at medium heat for 40 minutes with a lid on.

6. Add the basil and let the sauce reduce for 10 minutes without the lid.

tip: I sometimes use red and yellow peppers even though the original recipe calls for red peppers.

BUON APPETITO!

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Easy peasy oven salmon

I love fish and particularly salmon. This next recipe is so easy and fast that you’ll have a delicious meal in a pinch. No sauces nor heavy cream required so it’s also a healthy option.

Prep time  5 min     Cook time  20 min
INGREDIENTS FOR 5-6
  • 1 kg salmon fillet
  • rock salt, rose pepper, dill

1. Place the fillet with skin under into a pan covered with wax paper.

2. Rub rock salt onto the flesh, add whole rose peppers or alternatively black peppers or lemon peppers and dill.

3. Place in a preheated oven at 200°C (390 F) for about 15-20 minutes.

4. Serve with baked or mashed potatoes, broccoli or a salad for a lighter option.

BUON APPETITO!

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Greek dakos

Here is another recipe for a fast and fabulous lunch. Greek dakos, also called koukouvaia, is made with few ingredients and requires no cooking. It can be used as an appetizer as I do when I hold a Greek dinner at my house, or as an easy and fast lunch. It is more appropriate in spring or summer but when I’m in a hurry and don’t feel like cooking, dakos is what I make as long as I find sweet tomatoes.

Prep time  10 min

63-365

INGREDIENTS FOR 2
  • 2  large round barley rusk (sometimes I use Italian frisella)
  • 3-4 ripe tomatoes, coarsely grated, discard skin (I chop them and leave the skin)
  • 4-5 heaping tablespoons of feta, crumbled or grated
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • oregano
  • (olives)

Run the rusk under a spray of water to moisten. Drizzle oil on it. Grate (or chop) the tomatoes and spread them on the rusk. Top with crumbled feta. Sprinkle a generous amount of oregano and drizzle with oil. Add olives if you like them.

A fancier alternative as seen on the main image is to use Greek mizithra cheese and add some pickled rock samphire also known as sea fennel (kritamo). I pick it every time I go to Crete and pickle it to use on my dakos, frisella or salad.

BUON APPETITO!

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Pasta with pesto and tomatoes

One of the easiest pasta dishes and at the moment my favourite is pasta with homemade pesto and fresh tomatoes. If you don’t have homemade pesto I guess you could use store bought pesto, gasp! Just kidding, use whatever you have on hand.

Prep time  5 minutes     Cook time 10-12 min
INGREDIENTS FOR 2
  • 160 g pasta of your choice
  • 3 heaping tbls of pesto
  • 8-10 cherry tomatoes cut in half
  • 3 tbls extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove
  • salt

1. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Save a glass of the pasta water.

2. Meanwhile warm the oil in a medium size skillet over medium high heat with the garlic clove. Add the tomatoes, stir to coat and sprinkle with  1/4 teaspoon of salt. Let cook for about 5 minutes.

2. Add the pesto to the tomatoes – I used 3 cubes of my frozen pesto (I freeze my pesto in an ice cube tray) and warmed it in the micro wave before adding it to the skillet.

3. Drain the pasta 1 min before it’s cooked al dente and pour in the skillet, stir to coat and add a little bit of the pasta water that you have previously saved, and finish cooking.

4. You may want to sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on your plate.

BUON APPETITO!

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Mascarpone mousse

Delicious and super fast dessert which makes it one of my favorite. It’s an all year round dessert which makes it even better.

Prep time  15 min + 2-3 hrs to refrigerate
INGREDIENTS FOR 6
  • 500g mascarpone
  • 200 g whipped cream
  • 4 yolks
  • 70g powdered sugar

to garnish

  • 2 cookies
  • grated dark chocolate
  • almond slices and/or grated white chocolate

1. Whip the cream and set aside.

2. Blend the yolks with the powered sugar until smooth and creamy. Stir in the mascarpone gently.

3. Fold in the whipped cream and divide into 6 bowls.

4. Garnish with cookies, grated chocolate and almond slices.

5. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

BUON APPETITO!

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Spaghetti alla chitarra with lemon pesto

We love pasta and have it almost every day and I constantly need new pasta recipes. Lately I’ve tried different pesto recipes and this one was perfect for our evening pasta.

Prep time 10 min    Cook time 8-10 min depending on your pasta
INGREDIENTS FOR 4
  • 320g pasta alla chitarra (tonnarelli)
  • 1 lemon –  preferably organic
  • 30 g between fresh basil, thyme, marjoram, parsley, mint
  • 30 g peeled almonds
  • 30 g grated Parmesan
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • pinch of coarse salt

1. While cooking the pasta, prepare the lemon-herb pesto.

2. Grate the zest of 1/4 of a lemon (avoid the white part, it will make your pesto bitter), squeeze the juice of a half a lemon, add all the ingredients in a bowl and use a mixer or a hand blender until the pesto is quite smooth. Check for taste. I grated too much of the zest  therefore my pesto was too lemony at the end. I kind of liked it but will definitely use less zest the next time. Of course it depends on the size of your lemon. So start with less and add if needed.

3. Drain the pasta 1-2 minutes before it’s al dente and pour it into a pan. Mix the pesto with the pasta, add some pasta water and let simmer for 1 minute.

4. Sprinkle the Parmesan on your pasta.

Tip: keep always a glass of your pasta water to add into the pan if necessary while you mix your pasta with the sauce

Tip: no need to use all the above mentioned herbs or you could use others

BUON APPETITO!

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Green salad with fruit

Salads are the easiest side dishes. You can practically toss into your salad whatever you like. No cooking, no hassle. This is one of the more appropriate for autum since it has pomegranate and mandarin in it.

Prep time  10 min
INGREDIENTS
  • 1 bag of mixed salad greens
  • 2-3 mandarins
  • the seeds of a half a pomegranate
  • a handful of walnuts, cashews, pumpkin and sunflower seeds
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
  • salt

1. Add to the salad mix the peeled mandarin slices, the pomegranate seeds and the healthy nuts and seeds.

2. Prepare the dressing for the salad by mixing 3-4 tbls of oil and 2-3 tbls of vinegar and adding some salt and a dash of black pepper if it is to your liking. Toss the salad gently with the dressing. I always use this dressing for my salads. Nowadays I prefer the balsamic vinegar but I don’t mind a good red wine vinegar.

BUON APPETITO!

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Pork rib stew with carrots and potatoes

I love stews. They are usually easy to make and you have a one-pot dish at the end so less dishes to clean after the preparation. The only down size with the stews is the long cooking time, but not with this succulent pork rib stew.

Prep time 30 min      Cook time 1 hr – 1hr 30 min
INGREDIENTS FOR 6
  • 1,2kg pork ribs
  • 1 dl or 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large onion or 2 small
  • 4 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 2dl or 1/2 cup white wine
  • 5 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2-3cm slices
  • 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
  • 0,5l chicken or beef stock (or water)
  • 400g can chopped tomatoes
  • 2 bay leaves
  • dried basil. oregano, thyme, rosemary

1. Toss the ribs in flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.

2. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Place half of the ribs in an even layer in the Dutch oven. Do not overcrowd. Brown for two to three minutes. Turn each piece and brown for another two to three minutes. Transfer browned pork to a plate. Repeat with remaining pork.

3. Add the chopped onion and garlic to Dutch oven and sauté the onion about 5 minutes until it is translucent . Add wine and stir to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom of the pot to remove browned bits.

4. Add carrots, potatoes, chicken stock, tomatoes, bay leaves, dried herbs, two teaspoons salt, and one teaspoon pepper to the pan. Bring to a boil, mixing well. Reduce heat to low and simmer for five minutes.

5. Add pork to the stew, cover, and simmer on low for 45-50 minutes until the meat starts falling off the bone. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

tip: you can use other cuts of pork

tip: depending on the ribs or the cut you use, you may want to trim off some fat but NOT ALL. 😉

FOR A GLUTEN FREE OPTION: use appropriate flour

BUON APPETITO!