Recipes A to Z

Serves: 4. Prep: 10 minutes. Cook: 25 minutes.

Chicken stock

1.2 litres

Short grain rice

80g

Eggs

2

Lemon, juiced

1

Cooked chicken, shredded

200g, optional

Salt and white pepper

to taste

1. Bring the stock to a gentle boil in a large pan.
2. Add the rice and simmer for 15 minutes, until tender.
3. Whisk the eggs in a bowl until frothy, then whisk in the lemon juice.
4. Temper the eggs by whisking in two ladles of the hot stock, one at a time, very slowly.
5. Take the pan off the heat, pour in the egg mixture and stir until the soup turns silky.
6. Add the chicken if you are using it, season, and serve at once. Do not let it boil again or the eggs will curdle.

Serves: 4. Prep: 20 minutes plus 24 hours soaking. Cook: 30 minutes.

Salt cod

600g

Plain flour

120g

Sparkling water, chilled

150ml

Baking powder

1 tsp

Sunflower oil for frying

about 1 litre

Floury potatoes

400g

Garlic cloves

4

Extra virgin olive oil

120ml

White wine vinegar

2 tbsp

Salt

to taste

1. Soak the salt cod in cold water for 24 hours in the fridge, changing the water three times.
2. Drain, pat very dry and cut into pieces roughly the size of a matchbox.
3. Whisk the flour, baking powder and sparkling water into a smooth batter and rest it for 15 minutes.
4. Boil the potatoes until they fall apart on a fork, drain well and mash while hot.
5. Crush the garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt, then beat it into the potato with the olive oil and vinegar until glossy. This is the skordalia.
6. Heat the frying oil to 180C. Dip the cod in the batter and fry for 4 to 5 minutes, until puffed and deep gold.
7. Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot, with the skordalia alongside.

Serves: 4. Prep: 20 minutes. Cook: 1 hour 15 minutes.

Courgettes

2

Aubergine

1

Potatoes

3

Red onion

1

Ripe tomatoes

3, or 400g tinned chopped

Garlic cloves, sliced

3

Extra virgin olive oil

120ml

Dried oregano

1 tsp

Flat leaf parsley, chopped

small handful

Salt and pepper

to taste

1. Heat the oven to 190C.
2. Slice the courgettes, aubergine, potatoes and onion into rounds about 5mm thick.
3. Tip everything into a wide roasting dish with the tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper, and turn with your hands until coated.
4. Spread the vegetables into an even layer and pour in 100ml water.
5. Bake for 45 minutes, then turn the vegetables gently and bake for a further 30 minutes, until the edges caramelise and most of the liquid has gone.
6. Rest for 10 minutes, scatter with parsley and serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves: 4. Prep: 25 minutes. Cook: 15 minutes.

Courgettes, coarsely grated

600g

Feta, crumbled

150g

Spring onions, chopped

3

Fresh mint, chopped

2 tbsp

Fresh dill, chopped

2 tbsp

Egg

1

Plain flour

80g, plus extra if needed

Sunflower oil for frying

about 200ml

Salt and pepper

to taste

1. Salt the grated courgette and leave it in a sieve for 20 minutes.
2. Squeeze it dry very firmly, a handful at a time. This step decides whether the fritters hold together.
3. Mix the courgette with the feta, spring onions, mint, dill, egg, flour and pepper.
4. Rest for 10 minutes, then add a little more flour if the mixture is loose.
5. Heat 1cm of oil in a frying pan until a crumb sizzles.
6. Drop in tablespoons of the mixture, flatten slightly, and fry for 2 to 3 minutes each side until deep golden.
7. Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot with tzatziki and lemon.

Serves: makes about 30. Prep: 25 minutes. Cook: 20 minutes.

Butter, softened

250g

Icing sugar

80g for the dough

Egg yolk

1

Brandy

2 tbsp

Blanched almonds, toasted and chopped

100g

Plain flour

450g

Baking powder

half tsp

Vanilla extract

1 tsp

Icing sugar to finish

200g

1. Beat the butter with the 80g of icing sugar for a full 8 minutes, until very pale and light.
2. Beat in the egg yolk, brandy and vanilla.
3. Fold in the almonds, then the flour and baking powder, to a soft dough that just holds.
4. Shape into small crescents or rounds and set them on lined trays.
5. Bake at 170C for 18 to 20 minutes. They should be set and barely coloured, not browned.
6. Cool for 10 minutes, then dust heavily with icing sugar while still warm.
7. Dust again once completely cold, so they carry a thick white coat.

Serves: makes about 30. Prep: 30 minutes. Cook: 25 minutes.

Olive oil

250ml

Orange juice

150ml

Caster sugar

100g

Brandy

2 tbsp

Orange, zested

1

Plain flour

600g

Fine semolina

100g

Baking powder

1 tsp

Bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp

Ground cinnamon

1 tsp

Ground cloves

quarter tsp

Honey

300g for the syrup

Caster sugar

200g for the syrup

Water

250ml for the syrup

Walnuts, finely chopped

80g

1. Whisk the olive oil, orange juice, sugar, brandy and zest together.
2. Combine the flour, semolina, baking powder, bicarbonate, cinnamon and cloves in a second bowl.
3. Fold the dry into the wet with a spoon until it just comes together. Do not knead it or they will turn tough.
4. Shape into ovals about 6cm long and set them on lined trays.
5. Bake at 180C for 22 to 25 minutes, until firm and dry to the touch. Cool completely.
6. Boil the honey, sugar and water for 4 minutes and keep the syrup hot.
7. Dip the cold biscuits into the hot syrup for about 20 seconds, turning once, then lift them out and drain.
8. Scatter with walnuts and a little extra cinnamon while still wet.

Serves: 4. Prep: 5 minutes. Cook: 40 minutes.

Short grain rice

100g

Water

300ml

Whole milk

800ml

Caster sugar

90g

Cornflour

1 tbsp

Vanilla extract

1 tsp

Strip of lemon peel

1

Ground cinnamon

to finish

1. Simmer the rice in the water with the lemon peel for about 15 minutes, until the water has been taken up.
2. Pour in 700ml of the milk and simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring often so it does not catch.
3. Slake the cornflour in the remaining 100ml of cold milk.
4. Stir in the cornflour milk, the sugar and the vanilla and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until it coats the back of a spoon.
5. Fish out the lemon peel.
6. Spoon into bowls, let it cool, then chill. Dust generously with cinnamon just before serving.

Serves: 4. Prep: 20 minutes. Cook: 2 hours.

Braising beef, in large cubes

800g

Small shallots, peeled and left whole

700g

Olive oil

4 tbsp

Red wine

200ml

Red wine vinegar

2 tbsp

Tinned chopped tomatoes

400g

Tomato puree

1 tbsp

Garlic cloves

3

Bay leaves

2

Cinnamon stick

1

Whole cloves

4

Allspice berries

4

Salt and pepper

to taste

1. Brown the beef in the oil in batches, so the pan stays hot, and set it aside.
2. Soften the whole shallots in the same pan for about 8 minutes, until glossy.
3. Return the beef, then add the garlic, bay, cinnamon, cloves and allspice.
4. Pour in the wine and vinegar and let it boil for 2 minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes, the puree and enough water to almost cover, then season.
6. Cover and simmer very gently for 1 hour 45 minutes. Shake the pan rather than stirring, so the shallots stay whole.
7. Rest for 10 minutes before serving, so the sauce thickens around the meat.