main courses recipes

mixed bell peppers pasta sauce (with or without chorizo)
mixed bell peppers pasta sauce (with or without chorizo)

It’s so easy and quick to prepare meals when you already have sauce bases ready and waiting in the fridge, as I showed you two weeks ago with the “soffritto-ish” sauce bases; and this pasta sauce, combining equal parts sauce base and tomatoes, with or without chorizo, is just perfect ! Why with or without the sausage ? Because...

23.11.2024
«gigantes plaki» oven-baked giant beans in sauce
«gigantes plaki» oven-baked giant beans in sauce

A greek vegetarian dish of very tender yet still whole giant butter or lima beans, lightly bathed in a sauce of simmered tomatoes, vegetables and all the fresh herbs I have in my garden, but mostly accentuated with oregano and paprika.  I’ve made and published this recipe before, using the dry bean (or unsoaked method) and then...

17.08.2024
a better anchovy & onion & caper & olive pizza
a better anchovy & onion & caper & olive pizza

After several attempts of adding more or less of this and that, here’s another pizza recipe using my same techniques but with different toppings and various modifications to tame and balance the salty flavors correctly and to harmonize the fishiness, sourness, sweetness, acidity, freshness, crispiness & gooeyness ! As you’ve...

01.06.2024
«ragù bianco» white lasagna with chicken
«ragù bianco» white lasagna with chicken

How could I resist the temptation to assemble a perhaps more delicate and subtle lasagna, by incorporating it with a recently prepared and published recipe, using an experimental and novel approach for preparing a creamier and chunkier «ragù bianco» white meat sauce for pasta dishes !? I talked a lot about...

09.03.2024
quick & easy «bolognese» sauce with beef & mushrooms
quick & easy «bolognese» sauce with beef & mushrooms

And all of this in under 60 minutes, with enough for this weekend’s dinner and also enough to store in jars in the refrigerator for another dinner or two, because this is a simplified version of a 6-hour «ragù alla bolognese» that uses only one type of meat this time, but still packs immense flavour because of...

09.12.2023
fish & seafood in champagne with rice
fish & seafood in champagne with rice

Cod, clams, shrimp, onions, champagne, with a hint of garlic, parsley, salt-preserved lemon and roasted red piquillo pepper, to prepare a flavorful dish, highlighted with some exceptional ingredients, with possible substitutions too ! There’s an older version of this dish that I’m familiar with, where you use dried, salted cod...

26.10.2024
roasted salmon with fennel & lime
roasted salmon with fennel & lime

An easy summer fish dish to prepare, combining the slightly sweet and anise flavors of fennel bulb and fennel seeds, with fresh limes and dill and the opportunity to use up the prepping leftovers to create a broth for the rice ! It’s a fairly simple dish, you’ll simply have use up everything in different ways. The limes...

03.08.2024
«spanako-tiro-pita» orthodox easter roll
«spanako-tiro-pita» orthodox easter roll

An experimental celebration of a tiropita and spanakopita combination for the Orthodox Easter festivities coming up soon, with a fancier and unprecedented preparation and presentation, consisting of a tiropita log inside a larger spanakopita log, all rolled up into one and decorated with fresh herbs that are sandwiched in between the external...

20.04.2024
«ragù bianco» pasta sauce with roasted & shredded chicken & creamy eggplant & mushrooms & leeks
«ragù bianco» pasta sauce with roasted & shredded chicken & creamy eggplant & mushrooms & leeks

A delicate, lighter and more subtle version of the traditional ragù sauce that we are all familiar with like the heartier, heavier, redder and spicier “ragù bolognese” and you’ll understand why if you read ahead and if you venture to prepare this delight yourself ! It all begins with the meat,...

24.02.2024
chicken thighs & rice pilaf casserole with lemon & oregano & green peppers
chicken thighs & rice pilaf casserole with lemon & oregano & green peppers

This one-casserole dish, that is started off on the stove top and finished up in the oven, celebrates a variety of mediterranean flavors such as oregano, lemon, onions, garlic and especially green peppers and the trick is to end up with crispy and juicy chicken thighs and firm (thus not mushy or sticky) flavorful rice pilaf, so follow my tips...

25.11.2023
my «pan bagnat» sandwich
my «pan bagnat» sandwich

A huge sandwich, made with a big round bread bun, stuffed beyond comprehension, with a filling of tuna flakes, slices of boiled egg, tomato, green pepper, scallions, radishes, artichoke heart, celery, with broad beans, olives, anchovies, grated tomato pulp, olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic and basil leaves … it’s a “salade...

28.09.2024
rustic & refined summer hotdogs & accompaniments
rustic & refined summer hotdogs & accompaniments

Let’s welcome the summer with these rustic preparations, but by replacing the most common ingredients with more refined ones, like fresh sausages instead of hot dogs, crusty buns instead of soft rolls and roasted vegetable spreads/caviar instead of ketchup and relish ! The summer season has been lazy in arriving, so it’ll be...

29.06.2024
«torta pasqualina» easter pot pie with spinach & ricotta & eggs
«torta pasqualina» easter pot pie with spinach & ricotta & eggs

The Catholic and Protestant Easter festivities take place over one month earlier before the Orthodox Easter, which is the one I culturally celebrate as a Greek, giving me enough time to experiment with an Italian Easter dish which originally dates from the 16th century, but with a few personal 21st century improvements, which I hope...

23.03.2024
spiced carrot & sweet potato soup with tahini drizzle & seeds
spiced carrot & sweet potato soup with tahini drizzle & seeds

A slightly spicy blend of ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander and allspice to accompany a creamed soup combination of roasted carrots, sweet potato, onions and citrus and topped with a tahini drizzle & roasted seeds, warming your bodies & souls in this chilly weather ! It’s a very Mediterranean version of a creamy and blended carrot...

27.01.2024
«piperopita» filo rolls with bell peppers & feta cheese
«piperopita» filo rolls with bell peppers & feta cheese

It’s a rarity but a personal favorite ! You are all mostly familiar with tiropita (only cheese pie) and spanakopita (spinach & cheese pie) and perhaps kremidopita (onion & cheese pie) but PIPEROPITA (sweet peppers & cheese pie) exists too, even though I didn’t know it myself but my love for peppers has no limits and it was...

28.10.2023