Kidney bean & dark chocolate chilli

in Savoury, Taste -

Chilli-4

Two. That’s exactly how many meat recipes I have here. And it’s not wonder. See, I like meat, I really do. But it’s not my favourite thing to eat, hence, when I prepare meals, look for and test recipes, it’s almost always not on my mind. Also, I have to admit, I’m quite ignorant when it comes to ways to cook it. I don’t know meat well at all and until I do, I prefer to stay away. So, I stick to fish and vegetables and pulses instead, things I know, love and cook on a heavy rotation, hopefully without my meals becoming boring or repetitive. [READ MORE]

Cumin maple syrup roasted beet & sweet potato soup

in Savoury, Taste -

Cumin maple syrup roasted beet & sweet potato soup

We’re on official countdown to Christmas, are we not? And apart from everything else that comes with it, I’m also craving comfort food. Like, lots of comfort food. Like, hot, delicious comfort food, exciting enough to match the pre- Christmas spirit, but also quite simple, so we don’t exhaust ourselves just yet. You know where I’m going with this, right? Straight into a big bowl of soup. [READ MORE]

Recipe roundup- desserts

in Desserts, Taste -

Recipe roundup- desserts

The past couple of days have been filled with shopping, organising dinners, decorating the house, wrapping presents and writing cards. I already have pine needles on my carpet, enough fairy lights to give me a dizzy spell and a freezer filled with more smoked salmon I  know what to do with. And in between all this, I’m also testing recipes like crazy. Just this morning I had a glorious failure, involving a cinnamon & clove orange cake, filled with crunchy nuts and glazed with too much butter and honey. It came out of the oven all messy, crumbled and disastrous-looking, yet was so delicious, I’ve already devoured half of it. [READ MORE]

Cod, samphire & basil risotto

in Savoury, Taste -

Cod Risotto-3

I don’t cook risotto very often, which is weird, considering how much I love it. A few years ago, I used to make it almost once a week. It was my Saturday dish, the main reason I’d wake up in a moderately good mood at 7am for 5 years straight, go teach and then come back, beat yet anxious to cook and get lost in what I considered then the absolute comfort food: delicate, buttery carbs, a couple vegetables, lots of black pepper and a hefty dose of parmesan. I still consider it utterly comforting and delicious. I just don’t make it as often. Still, when I eat out and I spot risotto on a menu, it’s almost always what I’ll order. And every time, right before that first bite, I long for the familiarity and comfortness, that sense of simple, unpretentious deliciousness. [READ MORE]

Giving Thanks

in Inspiration -

Giving Thanks

Growing up in Greece we did not celebrate Thanksgiving. But since I was going to an American school, every year we’d get to see an unoriginal and dull Thanksgiving play and eat a bland and unappetising Thanksgiving meal. Once in London and after I met beautiful Adrienne, I was lucky enough to spend Thanksgiving with her, her husband and their friends: the meal was delicious and a little decadent and the whole evening was filled with memories of past Thanksgivings and family traditions. It was perfect. [READ MORE]

Blackberry Cointreau mulled wine

in Taste -

Blackberry Cointreau mulled wine

It’s proper winter here in London. It’s cold and windy and you need about a bazillion layers in order to step out but not freak out (at least I do). I hate the cold, but let me tell you, I LOVE winter! Maybe not as much as say, autumn and all its beautiful colours; or summer and its perfect vegetables & fruit and all the ice-creams and time spent at the beach; I love winter because of the coziness that comes with it. It’s the season that invites gatherings at home, heart and body warming meals, decadent desserts and comforting drinks. [READ MORE]

Favourite spices

in Inspiration, Small bites, Taste -

Favourite spices

I often think that cooking is like putting together an outfit. Your basic ingredients are the garments and spices are all the little things that make an outfit special, like a great hat, a colorful scarf, a beautiful simple belt, a distinct piece of jewelry, a nice deep red lipstick or a killer pair of pumps. Your outfit would be ok without them, but, adding one or more of those accessories instantly elevates it and makes it shine. Same with spices: you can do without them, but honestly, why would you when just a pinch of this and a dash of that can make a simple dish all that more interesting and appetising? [READ MORE]

Black eyed beans, smoked mackerel & caper leaves

in Savoury, Taste -

Black eyed beans, smoked mackerel & caper leaves

I first had this dish two summers ago at a tiny restaurant in a tiny village in Milos island. We had arrived there on a hot, hot, hot afternoon, following my mom’s directions and her very fond memories of the village she had visited with my dad while she was pregnant. After a very brief stroll around, during which I was constantly repeating over and over again how hungry I was (it’s kinda like my mantra), we started looking for a place to eat. We randomly stopped by that minimally beautiful little restaurant and ordered almost everything on the menu. And what a menu it was: all fish and vegetables, super seasonal and local. And when the food arrived and we had our first bite, we were in love (at least I was). [READ MORE]

Paris, je t’aime

in Inspiration -

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The blog, apart from a space where I share recipes and thoughts about food, has also been something of a diary for me; when I revisit old posts, looking the photos and texts I’ve shared here, I’m able to retrace my steps and remember. And I want to remember the past couple of days. [READ MORE]