Mashed potatoes is one of these dishes, that can easily go from spectacular to ‘what-the-hell-is-this-I’m-eating’. I mean, it’s not terribly exciting, appearance and texture-wise, but at the same time, just because it is so plain in its main ingredients, it allows for lots of improvisation and additions. [READ MORE]
One of the (few) things I enjoy about cold weather is my craving for comfort food. Most specifically, my craving for soup.
I absolutely LOVE making and eating soups! As with most of my cooking, this has also been influenced by my mom: the woman can turn just about anything into a delicious soup and I grew up half in awe of this ability of hers and half resenting the frequency in which we had soup for lunch and/or dinner. Ever since I moved to London however, faced with full-on cold autumns and winters, soups have also become my go-to dish from the moment temperatures begin to drop and this carrot soup was one of the first dishes I was making on repeat during my first year in London. [READ MORE]
Pairing fruit with cheese is often my go-to approach when making savoury dishes (have I mentioned this before? Probably. Talking about cheese is one of favourite pastime activities). I especially like to use pears, as I often find them to be overly sweet on their own. [READ MORE]
Yemista (meaning ‘stuffed ones’) is a traditional and very popular Greek vegetable dish (although one can also find variations with minced meat in the filling). For me, it’s the quintessential summer eat. Even though my mom doesn’t cook many traditional dishes, she would cook it as soon as we got to our summer house, ever since I was a kid; with the majority of the ingredients straight from the garden, and thus ‘officially’ marking the beginning of holiday season; it would also be the last dish we ‘d have before heading back to the city.
Along with stories about food and personal preferences, Marina also shared her chicken casserole recipe. Enjoy!
‘During the winter, I make a chicken casserole on the stovetop, at least once a week- It helps to keep the winter colds at bay!
Place an organic chicken in a large pot
Add the following:
a couple of roughly chopped carrots
3 or 4 shallots peeled and cut in half
2 sticks of celery roughly chopped
1 peeled garlic clove
a few thick slices of ginger
several black peppercorns, Maldon sea salt and a bunch of flat parsley, roughly chopped
Cover with water, bring to the boil and then turn down heat and simmer with the lid on for around an hour and a half.
Remove the chicken to a plate to cool and strain the broth, discarding all the vegetables.
Pour the clean broth back into the pan and add a couple peeled, more finely chopped carrots and if you like some kale, and simmer until cooked through.
I sometimes add some tiny pasta pieces at the same time as the carrot and then all the white meat from the chicken shredded or cut into small pieces.
Serve with just a squeeze of lemon juice, some more salt and pepper if needed and some chopped coriander or parsley.’
I grew up eating savoury pies. Both my grandmothers were excellent pie makers- even my mom’s mom, the non-domestic goddess one, could make a mean cheese pie with her eyes closed. When most of my friends had some sort of roast meat on Sunday, we often had pie. Filled with salty cheese or fresh greens or a combination of both, all wrapped in homemade crust bursting with olive oil. [READ MORE]
Summer makes me happy. The sunny mornings, the long evenings with their slight breeze, gorgeous flowers seen all around the city, ladies in their beautiful summer dresses… Summer also makes me hungry, craving for light dishes, filled with seasonal vegetables and fragrant herbs. [READ MORE]
When I eat out, Asian cuisine is often my go-to. Even though my favourites are Thai and Korean, I am also very happy to have alternatives, most often medleys of recipes and flavours from different regions. Most of the time, I go for a dish that will incorporate soba noodles, lime and coconut. [READ MORE]