I think most Cypriots who cook, like to stuff veggies. Aubergines, vine leaves, courgette flowers, cabbage, onions, tomatoes the list is endless. Whatever has a cavity, it can be filled with all sorts of goodies like rice, mince or veggies. Of course, if there is no cavity we can always create one. And we do it because we know that stuffed food, if done wright, tastes and looks spectacular. Continue reading
The eternal question: How to turn a boring boneless, skinless chicken breast into an interesting meal? In my book, the answer is always an aromatic, spicy marinade. I love Indian food so this is my go-to method of cooking a chicken breast, especially if I want a healthy lunch or to fill up a pic-nick basket. Continue reading
Cherry tomatoes are so sweet this time of year I couldn’t help myself but bake a galette. I was flirting with the idea of making a tart, but didn’t have much time, so galette was the obvious choice. But then again, all that butter and me in a bikini, seemed like an oxymoron. So I grabbed the olive oil and forgot about the butter. Continue reading
It’s the perfect appetizer or vegetarian main. Almost like a small, gluten free pizza with a mushroom base. So light and summery. Serve it on a bed of rocket leaves, drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette. Continue reading
The best way to serve grilled squid. Although, traditionally, I m a huge fan of olive oil and lemon dressing, I love the flavour and freshness of this aromatic pesto with fresh parsley, coriander and mint. Serve it on a platter over fresh greens, like kale, rocket or spinach leaves and you’ve got a definite “wow”!
Ingredients
For the pesto
To serve: About 4 cups mixed greens like kale, rocket, spinach, mustard greens
Method:
Prepare the pesto: Put all pesto ingredients together in the bowl of a blender or food processor. Blend on high speed until everything is finely chopped and mixed together. Set aside in a bowl until needed.
Prepare the squid: With a sharp knife cut squid at 1 cm inervals, taking care not to cut all the way through. Mix squid with the olive oil in a bowl.
Heat griil on high. Put squid on the rack and season with salt and pepper. Close the cover of the grill and cook 10 minutes, turning once. Transfer in a heatproof bowl and let squid cool slightly.
To serve: Cover the base of a shallow serving platter with the salad greens. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons pesto. Place the squid on the salad greens. With a pastry brush, brush liberally with pesto, until nicely coated. Serve at once with any left over pesto for your guests to serve themselves.
This dish screams summer. The aroma of fresh mint is enough to cool a hot summer’s day. Or at least feel like it’s a bit cooler. Continue reading
There is no Cypriot or Greek “meze” menu without this amazing aubergine (eggplant) dip. It reminds me of summer nights by the beach with a chilled bottle of white wine or “Ouzo” on the rocks. Thinking about it, I do need a holiday! Continue reading
