Ingredients: 1 kilo of strawberries 1 kilo minus 1 cup of sugar 5 tsp of brandy 6 tbsp of lemon juice Juice of 1/2 a lemon for the finish strawberry preserves Method: Wash well and cut the stems off the strawberries. Cut in half or quarters if they are too big and place in a […]

KEFALONITIKI KREATOPITA This recipe, from native Cephalonian Roussa Meleti, originally appeared in my first book, The Food and Wine of Greece. Makes 8 to 10 servings Ingredients: 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing 1/2 pound boneless lamb, trimmed of fat and cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1/2 pound lean boneless pork, cut into 1/2-inch pieces […]

MARITHOPITA TIS LEFKADAS Makes 8 to 10 servings Ingredients: 4 pounds small picarel, gutted and washed 2 medium onions, finely chopped 1 cup short-grain rice Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 2 tablespoons tomato paste diluted with 1?4 cupwater (optional) 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing 1 recipe Basic Homemade […]

BAKALIAROPITA TIS ITHAKIS Makes 8 to 10 servings Codfish pies are found throughout the Ionian Islands. The Ithacan version includes both rice and cubed potatoes, testimony to the fact that this originated as poor man’s food, a dish that needed to be as filling as possible. Cod pie is a classic Lenten dish not only in Ithaca but in Cephalonia […]

KEFALONITIKI PITA ME KOLOKYTHA KAI KAROTA Makes 6 to 8 servings One finds recipes in the most unusual places, in this case from Spiros Bazigos, the accountant at the Coridalenio Library in Argostoli, Cephalonia’s capital. I had just spent a day looking for books on old island customs and food habits. He had come in to say good night to […]

Enough pastry for a 15-inch or 18-inch round pan Ingredients: 4 to 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour, as needed 1 scant teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups warm water, or more if needed 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice, as needed Method: Combine 4 cups of the flour and […]

LEFKADITIKI POULENTA Greek cornmeal is usually a coarse grind, which is what I recommend in the recipe that follows. The ratio of water to cornmeal varies depending on the final texture one wants to achieve. In the old Greek dishes, the cornmeal was cooked to a medium consistency, which means a 4:1 ratio of water to cornmeal. Makes 6 servings Ingredients: […]

ITHAKIANO PILAFI ME ENA KEFALI SKORDO I took a couple of liberties with this old Ithacan dish. First, believe it or not, I reduced the amount of garlic from one head per serving to one head for 4 servings. The garlic is poached first, an old Greek method for ridding it of its bitter edge. I also replaced the […]

GARIDES PILAFI ME KARI A strange and very un-Greek recipe, since this unusual dish has existed in Ithaca for the last three decades. It is the product of two historical forces—the British domination of the island from the end of the nineteenth century to the middle of the twentieth and the economic circumstances that forced husbands, brothers, and sons to take […]

PASTITSIO VENETSIANIKO Ingredients: Makes 10 to 12 servings For the pastry: 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) cold unsalted butter 1/3 to 1/2 cup ice water, as needed For the filling: 1 pound thick tubular spaghetti, like bucatini 2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, […]