What to eat today?

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Tsoureki

On Holy Thursday Greek homes braid tsoureki, the shining Easter loaf that is broken on Sunday after the midnight service and eaten for breakfast all week with coffee. It pulls apart in long, feathery strands and smells of mahlab (cherry-stone spice), mastic resin and orange. Common mistake: adding extra flour to a sticky dough; it is meant to be soft, and the long knead and cold rest make it manageable. Chef's tip: grind mastic with a pinch of sugar in a cold mortar; on its own it gums up into sticky lumps.

80 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Lagana

Lagana appears in Greek bakeries for a single day, Kathara Deftera (Clean Monday), when families head outdoors to fly kites and spread out a Lenten picnic of taramosalata, olives, pickles and halva. It is a long, oval, dimpled flatbread, chewy inside with a crust covered in toasted sesame, and since it is eaten on a fasting day it has no eggs, milk or butter. Common mistake: baking it on a cold tray, which gives a pale, bready base. Chef's tip: press deep dimples with oiled fingertips just before baking so the loaf stays flat instead of puffing up like a pitta.

45 min

Greek Breads & Parathas

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Vasilopita

Just after midnight on New Year's Eve, or at lunch on 1 January, the head of a Greek household crosses the vasilopita with a knife and cuts slices in strict order: for Christ, for the house, then for each person from oldest to youngest. Whoever finds the foil-wrapped coin has luck for the year. This Athenian-style version is a tall, fluffy orange cake, dusted with icing sugar with the new year's numbers stencilled on top. Common mistake: slicing it warm, which makes the crumb gummy and drags the coin around. Chef's tip: beat the butter and sugar until almost white and fold the whipped whites in by hand; that is where the light, cottony crumb comes from.

80 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Melitzanosalata

Every Greek taverna puts melitzanosalata on the meze table, especially in summer when aubergines are charred over the same coals as the souvlaki. Unlike Levantine dips it has no tahini: the smoky flesh is chopped with a knife, not puréed, and sharpened with red wine vinegar, raw garlic, parsley and plenty of fruity olive oil, so it stays rough-textured and bright. Serve with warm pitta, grilled bread or alongside fried fish. Common mistake: leaving the bitter juices in; drain the cooked flesh in a sieve for 10 minutes. Chef's tip: char the aubergines directly on a gas flame or barbecue until they collapse; the oven alone will not give the smoky taste.

40 min

Greek Chutneys & Dips

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Lahanorizo

Lahanorizo is what Greek grandmothers make on a cold winter Wednesday or Friday when the family is fasting: a cheap white cabbage softened in plenty of olive oil, cooked with rice, tomato and dill until silky and spoonable. It is eaten warm or at room temperature, with feta and bread on non-fasting days, and lemon squeezed over at the table. Common mistake: adding the rice too early; the cabbage needs a head start or the rice turns to porridge before the leaves are tender. Chef's tip: use more olive oil than feels right; ladera dishes are meant to finish glossy, and that is where the flavour lives.

55 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Eliopsomo

Around Kalamata, where the almond-shaped black olives ripen in groves running down to the Messinian gulf, bakers make eliopsomo for the long fasting weeks of Lent, when bread, olives and oil are lunch. The dough is rich with olive oil and folded with a generous handful of chopped Kalamata olives, soft-fried onion and dried oregano, then baked into a crusty round with a soft, purple-flecked crumb. Slice it with tomatoes and cucumber or dip into soups. Common mistake: adding wet, brined olives straight from the jar — drain and pat them dry, or the dough turns sticky and grey. Chef's tip: fold the olives in after the first rise so they don't break up while kneading.

70 min

Greek Breads & Parathas

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Arakas laderos

In Peloponnese villages from Argos to Messinia, the first sweet peas of April become this humble ladero, the olive-oil stew that fills the table during Lent and on any meatless Wednesday or Friday. Peas, potato and carrot simmer slowly in tomato and plenty of oil until the sauce is thick and the peas are soft and almost creamy. It's eaten warm with feta (or vegan cheese), olives and crusty bread to mop the oil. Common mistake: cooking for only 10 minutes as if the peas were a side; laderá need time for the oil and vegetables to come together. Chef's tip: frozen petits pois work perfectly — add them after the potatoes have had 10 minutes.

55 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Patates lemonates

These are the potatoes that come out of Peloponnese bakers' ovens alongside Sunday roasts, and that every Greek grandmother has a firm opinion on. Wedges roast in a bath of lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and oregano; the liquid soaks into the potatoes, then evaporates, leaving them sticky, golden and tangy, with fluffy middles. Serve with roast chicken or lamb, or with feta, a salad and bread for a meatless lunch. Common mistake: crowding the tin, so the potatoes steam instead of browning. Chef's tip: add a final squeeze of fresh lemon as they come out of the oven; the cooked juice loses its brightness.

90 min

Greek Sides

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Kokoras krasatos

Sunday in a Peloponnese village often meant a rooster from the yard, braised for hours in the local Nemea red with tomato, cinnamon, cloves and allspice until the sauce turned deep, glossy and fragrant. It goes over thick spaghetti or hilopites with plenty of grated cheese. This dish contains red wine; for an alcohol-free version use the same amount of red grape juice with 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar. A supermarket chicken works well, cooked for less time. Common mistake: skipping the browning — the dark crust on the skin flavours the whole sauce. Chef's tip: let the wine bubble hard for 2 minutes before the tomato goes in, so its raw edge cooks off.

110 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Haneeneh

Haneeneh is desert comfort food from the Bedouin tents of the Jordanian Badia: soft dates mashed into hot samneh with crumbs of yesterday's flatbread, scented with cardamom and pressed into a rich, fudgy sweet. It is made for guests, for new mothers and for cold mornings before herding, eaten by hand with black tea or Arabic coffee. It takes ten minutes and uses only store-cupboard things. The mistake to avoid is cooking the dates too long once they meet the ghee; they turn stiff and chewy instead of jammy. Chef's tip: toast the crumbs in the ghee first until nutty, then add the dates off the heat so the mixture stays soft.

20 min

Jordanian Desserts

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Vermont maple cream pie

In March, when the sugarhouses of Vermont steam day and night boiling sap, diners and country stores sell this pale caramel-coloured pie made with the new season's syrup. The filling is a simple custard of maple syrup, cream and eggs, so the flavour is pure maple, deep and woody. Use dark, strong-tasting maple syrup, not pancake syrup. Chef's tip: bake until the edges are set but the middle still wobbles like jelly; it firms as it cools.

80 min

American Desserts

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Zarb

Visitors to the desert camps of Wadi Rum often watch the zarb come up from the sand at sunset: tiered racks of spiced lamb, chicken, potatoes and onions that have steamed for hours in a pit of embers, then lifted out smoky and falling apart. At home you get close with a deep roasting tin sealed tightly with foil, a long, low oven and a short blast of heat at the end. Serve it on a big platter over rice or with shrak, with yoghurt and a tomato salad. The mistake most people make is leaving gaps in the foil, so the steam escapes and the meat dries. Chef's tip: marinate overnight in the fridge and add a little smoked paprika to the spice mix; it brings back the taste of the pit.

240 min

Jordanian Meat

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Shorbat freekeh

When the sunset call to prayer ends the Ramadan fast in Amman, the first spoonfuls are very often shorbat freekeh, a nourishing broth thickened with cracked green wheat that was roasted in the field while still young. The smoke from that roasting gives the soup its distinctive, almost barbecue-like depth, while chicken, cinnamon and cardamom keep it gentle on an empty stomach. It is followed by dates, salad and the main dish. The usual mistake is not picking over and rinsing the freekeh, which can hold tiny stones and chaff. Chef's tip: toast the rinsed freekeh in butter for a couple of minutes before adding the broth; it brings out the smokiness.

85 min

Jordanian Soups

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Ouzi

Ouzi is the showpiece of Jordanian and Damascene wedding buffets and Eid lunches: golden filo bundles that break open to spiced rice, minced lamb, peas and toasted nuts. The name comes from the whole roast lamb once served on a mountain of rice; the parcels are the neat, home-sized version, made ahead and baked as guests arrive. Serve with plain yoghurt or a cucumber-yoghurt salad. The common mistake is filling the filo with wet rice, which turns the bottoms soggy, so cook the rice until just tender and spread it out to steam dry. Chef's tip: lay a few nuts and peas in the bowl first, then the filo, then the filling, so each parcel comes out with a pretty top.

100 min

Jordanian Meat

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Gourounopoula

At the summer festivals of Messinia, whole young pigs are roasted overnight in bakers' wood ovens, then sold by the kilo at stalls with bread and pickled peppers. This home version uses a bone-in pork shoulder, rubbed with garlic, orange zest, oregano and chilli, left in the fridge overnight, and roasted low and slow until the meat pulls apart and the crackling shatters. Serve with lemon potatoes and a cabbage salad. Common mistake: wet skin — dry it well and salt it the night before, or it never crackles. Chef's tip: start covered at a low heat and finish uncovered at a high heat; that's how the meat stays juicy and the skin turns glassy.

290 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Bakaliaros skordalia

On 25 March, Greek Independence Day and the Annunciation, the Lenten fast is relaxed for fish, and families from Nafplio to Patras sit down to golden fritters of salt cod with a sharp, garlicky potato skordalia and a beetroot salad. Salt cod is soaked for a day or two to draw out the salt, then dipped in a light sparkling-water batter and fried until puffed and crackly. Common mistake: not soaking long enough — taste a flake; it should be pleasantly seasoned, not salty. Chef's tip: make the skordalia while the potatoes are hot, and pound or mash by hand; a blender turns it to glue.

75 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Youvarlakia

Youvarlakia is the soup Greek mothers, from Tripoli in the Arcadian hills to the Athens suburbs, make for a cold night or anyone feeling under the weather. Little meatballs of beef, rice, onion and herbs poach in a light broth until tender, and the broth is thickened at the end with whisked egg and lemon into a pale, silky avgolemono. It's a meal in a bowl, with bread and feta. Common mistake: boiling the soup after the egg goes in, which curdles it — take the pot off the heat first. Chef's tip: roll the meatballs with wet hands and drop them into simmering, not boiling, broth so they hold together.

70 min

Greek Soups

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Tsigareli

Corfiots gather wild chicory, sow-thistle, fennel tops and young chard from the olive groves in winter and spring and stew them into tsigareli, a peppery, oily braise that sits on the table with bread, feta and a fried egg or two. The Venetian-era love of hot red pepper shows: it should warm the back of your throat. Common mistake: drowning the greens in water — they make their own juice, so add only a splash. Chef's tip: shop-bought mixes of spinach, chard, rocket and dill work well; add the tender leaves last so they keep some colour.

50 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Amygdalopita

Kefalonia is almond country, and amygdalopita is what islanders bake for the feast of Agios Gerasimos in August and for guests all year round: a moist, flourless-leaning cake of ground almonds, eggs and breadcrumbs, soaked in light lemon syrup until it's dense and fragrant. Serve a small square with coffee or a spoon of thick yoghurt. Common mistake: grinding the almonds too long, so they turn oily and the cake heavy — pulse them until just sandy. Chef's tip: toast half the almonds before grinding for a deeper, nuttier flavour.

65 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Batzina

Batzina is the lazy pie of Thessaly and the Pelion villages, the one you make in summer when courgettes are taking over the garden and nobody wants to roll filo. Grated courgette and feta are mixed with a thin batter of flour, cornmeal, milk and eggs, poured into an oiled tin and baked until the top is cracked and golden and the inside soft and savoury, like a crustless quiche. It travels well to the beach. Feta is usually made with animal rennet; choose a vegetarian feta-style cheese if needed. Common mistake: skipping the squeezing — watery courgettes make a soggy pie. Chef's tip: sprinkle cornmeal over the oiled tin before pouring in; it gives a crisp base.

75 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Halvas Farsalon

Farsala, a market town on the Thessalian plain, is famous across Greece for its halva: not the sesame kind but a chewy, translucent sweet of cornflour, sugar and butter, cooked until it caramelises, then baked until the top turns glassy amber. Shops sell it by the slab at fairs and on Sundays, and visitors take it home to Athens. Common mistake: stopping too early, when it's still pale and starchy — keep stirring until it pulls away from the pan in one golden mass. Chef's tip: use a heavy non-stick pan and a strong wooden spoon; it gets very thick, and you'll be glad of both.

70 min

Greek Desserts

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Vyssino glyko

In the mountain villages of Pelion, above Volos, every pantry holds jars of spoon sweets, and the sour cherry one is the jewel: whole stoned cherries in a thick, ruby syrup, offered to visitors on a tiny plate with a glass of cold water. It also spoons beautifully over Greek yoghurt or vanilla ice cream, and the syrup makes vyssinada, a summer drink. Common mistake: boiling too long, which shrivels the cherries and turns the syrup to toffee — test it on a cold saucer. Chef's tip: macerate the stoned cherries in sugar overnight; they release their juice and stay plump.

70 min

Greek Desserts

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Vyssinada

Before fizzy drinks arrived, a tall glass of vyssinada was what you ordered in a Volos or Larissa kafeneio on an August afternoon: sour cherry syrup topped with iced water, sweet and sharp and bright red. Families in Thessaly still make a cordial from the summer cherry crop and keep the bottles in the fridge for weeks. Common mistake: squashing the cherries too hard through the sieve, which clouds the syrup — let the juice drip. Chef's tip: top with sparkling water and a squeeze of lemon for a lighter, livelier glass.

40 min

Greek Drinks

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Pastitsada

Pastitsada is Corfu's great Sunday and feast-day dish, a legacy of four centuries of Venetian rule: big pieces of beef (or rooster) slowly braised in tomato with a heady spice mix of cinnamon, clove, allspice, nutmeg and sweet paprika, sharpened with vinegar, then served over bucatini with grated cheese. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the pasta and taste warm rather than hot. Many Corfiots add red wine; this version uses red wine vinegar and stock, so it's alcohol-free (swap 150 ml of the stock for red wine if you like). Common mistake: rushing the braise — beef shin needs a long, gentle simmer to turn soft. Chef's tip: make it a day ahead; the spices settle and the sauce tastes rounder.

175 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Sofrito

Not to be confused with the Spanish base sauce, Corfu's sofrito is a dish of thinly sliced veal or young beef, floured and browned, then gently simmered in a sharp, pale sauce of garlic, vinegar and parsley until tender. Corfiot tavernas serve it with creamy mashed potato or rice to soak up the garlicky juices, especially on Sundays and name days. Some cooks add white wine; this version uses only vinegar and stock, so it's alcohol-free. Common mistake: letting the garlic brown, which makes the sauce bitter — it should stay pale. Chef's tip: flatten the slices with a rolling pin so they cook evenly and soak up the sauce.

75 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Bourdeto

Bourdeto, from the Venetian 'brodetto', is the fishermen's dish of Corfu: chunks of firm white fish (scorpion fish in the tavernas of Kassiopi and Paleokastritsa) poached in a fierce sauce of onions, olive oil, a little tomato and a lot of hot red pepper. It's eaten with bread for the oily, scarlet juices and a cool salad alongside. Common mistake: stirring once the fish is in, which breaks it up — shake the pan instead. Chef's tip: use fish on the bone, cut into steaks; the bones give the sauce body and the flesh stays moist.

50 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Kefalonian kreatopita

On Kefalonia, kreatopita is baked for Carnival Sunday, just before Lent, and for big family days: a deep pie of lamb and pork pieces (not mince) mixed with rice, potatoes, tomato, garlic, mint and grated cheese, enclosed in a thick homemade-style crust or filo. It's hearty, fragrant and meant to feed a crowd, warm or at room temperature. This version uses lamb shoulder and pork shoulder. Many island cooks splash in wine; here the moisture comes from stock and tomato, so it's alcohol-free. Common mistake: dicing the meat too large, so it isn't tender when the pastry is done — keep it to 2 cm. Chef's tip: let the filling sit in the fridge overnight so the rice soaks up the juices and the flavours meld.

145 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Spetzofai

Spetzofai is the dish shepherds in the Pelion mountains near Volos cooked over the fire: spicy village pork sausages sliced and stewed with long green and red peppers in a thick tomato sauce. Now it's on every tsipouro-bar menu in Volos, served sizzling in a clay dish with bread and feta. Use coarse pork sausages with leek or orange peel if you can find them. Common mistake: cooking the peppers to mush — they should be soft but still hold their shape. Chef's tip: brown the sausage slices hard first; the fat they leave flavours the peppers.

55 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Kotopoulo me hilopites

Across the Thessalian plain, from Larissa to Trikala, Sunday lunch is often a chicken braised in tomato with a cinnamon stick, its sauce stretched with broth so the little hilopites pasta squares can cook right in the pot. The pasta soaks up the sauce until thick and almost risotto-like, and a fistful of grated cheese goes on at the table. Use homemade hilopites or a good shop-bought pack. Common mistake: adding the pasta to too little liquid — it absorbs a lot, so have hot water ready. Chef's tip: brown the chicken skin well, then finish the dish in the oven if you like a crispy top.

85 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Melomakarona

From early December, bakeries and kitchens all over Greece fill tins with melomakarona, the oval cookies that sit beside kourabiedes on every Christmas table and get handed to visitors with coffee. The dough is made with olive oil and orange juice rather than butter, scented with cinnamon and clove, then baked and plunged into warm honey syrup so the inside turns soft and sticky while the edges stay crisp. Common mistake: dipping hot cookies into hot syrup, which turns them to mush; one of the two must be cool. Chef's tip: mix the dough only until it comes together; overworking it squeezes out the oil and the cookies bake hard and greasy.

70 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Giouvetsi

Giouvetsi takes its name from the glazed clay dish it is baked in, and in Greek homes it is the Sunday lunch that gets put in the oven before church: chunks of beef braised with tomato, cinnamon and allspice, then finished with kritharaki (orzo) that soaks up every drop of the sauce. It arrives at the table bubbling, with grated cheese melting on top. This version uses wine to deglaze, which is traditional; use extra stock for an alcohol-free dish. Common mistake: adding the orzo with too little liquid, so it bakes dry and sticks; it needs about four times its weight in hot stock. Chef's tip: stir the orzo halfway through baking so the top pieces don't harden.

170 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Tsai tou vounou

Bunches of dried sideritis, the woolly-leaved herb Greeks call mountain tea, hang in village kitchens from Mount Olympus to Taygetos, and a pot is brewed at the first sniffle of winter or after a long walk. The tea is pale gold with a gentle lemony, earthy, slightly floral taste, and it is drunk with honey, a slice of lemon and sometimes a cinnamon stick. Common mistake: brewing it like black tea with boiling water for a minute; it needs a gentle simmer to draw out flavour. Chef's tip: break the dried stems into the pot along with the flowers; the flower heads hold most of the aroma, the stems add body.

10 min

Greek Drinks

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Horta vrasta

In Greek villages women still go out with a knife and a bag after the first autumn rains to gather horta: dandelion, wild chicory, amaranth, mustard greens. Boiled and dressed with the best olive oil and lemon, they are served warm or cool with almost every meal, from fried fish in a seaside taverna to a fasting-day plate of beans. The taste is pleasantly bitter and grassy. Common mistake: boiling them to khaki; cook only until the stems are tender and the leaves still deep green. Chef's tip: salt the cooking water generously like pasta water and dress the greens while warm, so they drink up the oil and lemon.

25 min

Greek Sides

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Karydopita

Karydopita is the cake Greek households bake for name days and Sunday visitors, cut into diamonds and set out with coffee or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Ground walnuts and dried breadcrumbs replace much of the flour, giving a moist, dense crumb fragrant with cinnamon and clove, then the hot cake drinks up a cool syrup. Common mistake: pouring hot syrup over a hot cake, which leaves it soggy at the bottom and dry on top. Chef's tip: let it sit for at least 3 hours after syruping; it slices more cleanly and tastes even better the next day.

65 min

American Breakfast & Brunch

by KrazyBadal 0 views

California avocado toast

Avocado toast took off in the cafés of Los Angeles and San Francisco, where California's Hass avocados are grown, and it is now the state's standard weekend brunch. The trick is simple ingredients done well: thick sourdough toasted hard, ripe avocado smashed with lemon and good salt, and something crunchy and sharp on top. Chef's tip: season the avocado more than you think, with salt and lemon; underseasoned avocado tastes flat.

15 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Green goddess dressing

Green goddess dressing was created at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco in the 1920s, named after a popular play, and it came back as the herb-packed dressing of California salad bars and grain bowls. It is pale green and creamy, full of tarragon, parsley and chives. The hotel's original used anchovies; this vegetarian version gets its savoury punch from capers. Use it on salads, as a dip for crudités or on roast vegetables. Chef's tip: blend the herbs with the lemon first, before the creamy ingredients, so they break down fully and turn the dressing bright green.

10 min

American Chutneys & Dips

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Palm Springs date shake

The Coachella Valley around Palm Springs and Indio grows most of America's dates, and roadside date farms along the desert highway have sold this shake to thirsty drivers since the 1930s. Soft Medjool dates are blended with vanilla ice cream and milk into a thick, caramel-flavoured shake. Chef's tip: soak the chopped dates in a little warm milk for 10 minutes first, so they blend completely smooth instead of leaving chewy bits in the straw.

10 min

American Drinks

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Nashville hot chicken

Hot chicken has been a Nashville institution since the 1930s and is eaten at late-night shacks and the city's summer hot-chicken festival: crisp buttermilk-brined fried chicken painted while hot with a paste of cayenne and brown sugar in hot oil, served on a slice of white bread with dill pickle chips to cool things down. Chef's tip: brine the chicken overnight in the fridge; it seasons the meat right through and keeps it juicy under all that heat.

60 min

American Chicken

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Arni fricassee

When cos lettuces and spring onions flood the markets around Easter, Greek cooks make arni fricassee: lamb braised slowly with mountains of greens and dill, then thickened at the last moment with avgolemono, the frothy egg and lemon sauce. The result is tender, tangy and fresh, a lighter alternative to the roast lamb of Easter Sunday, served with crusty bread to mop up the sauce. Common mistake: pouring the eggs straight into the bubbling pot, which scrambles them; temper them with hot broth first and keep the pot off the heat. Chef's tip: shake the pot to swirl the sauce in rather than stirring, so the lamb and greens stay whole.

125 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Bifteki gemisto

In Greek grill houses (psistaries) and in summer back gardens, bifteki are big, flattened patties of minced beef with grated onion, mint and oregano, and the stuffed version hides a slab of feta that melts as they cook. Serve with chips fried in olive oil, a village salad and tzatziki. Common mistake: using lean mince, which makes dry patties; 15–20 % fat keeps them juicy. Chef's tip: grate the onion and squeeze out its juice before mixing; you keep the flavour without making the mixture too wet to seal around the cheese.

35 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Kotopoulo me bamies

In late summer, when Greek markets are full of small, firm okra, home cooks braise them with chicken thighs, tomato and onions until the sauce is thick and glossy; it is a Wednesday-night dish, served with feta and bread. The trick is to keep the okra whole and un-slimy so it holds its shape. Common mistake: stirring the pot once the okra is in; shake it instead. Chef's tip: trim only the very top of each okra cone without cutting into the pod, then toss them with vinegar and salt and leave in the sun or a warm spot for 30 minutes; it firms them up and keeps the sauce clean.

100 min

Lebanese Snacks & Starters

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Erk sous

In the lanes of old Damascus and Aleppo, the erk sous seller is heard before he is seen, clacking brass cups as he walks with a great curved jug strapped to his back. His drink is liquorice root, slowly dripped through with cold water, dark, earthy, faintly bitter and naturally sweet, poured with a flourish over the shoulder during Ramadan iftars and hot afternoons. At home a sieve and a cloth do the job. The mistake people make is pouring boiling water over the root, which pulls out harsh bitterness; cold water and patience give a smooth, foamy drink. Liquorice root raises blood pressure if you drink a lot of it, so keep to a glass or two a day and skip it if you are pregnant or have high blood pressure. Chef's tip: a pinch of bicarbonate of soda in the damp root gives the drink its traditional thick, frothy head.

15 min

Syrian Drinks

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Turmus

Strolling the Beirut Corniche or a Sunday market in Amman, you will pass carts selling turmus: plump golden lupini beans kept in salted water, scooped into paper cones and eaten by nicking the skin with your teeth and popping out the bean. They are also a fixture on mezze tables and a fasting snack for Lent. Dried lupins are naturally very bitter and must be soaked for days to wash those compounds out; never eat them while they still taste bitter, and if you are allergic to peanuts, check with a doctor first as lupin allergy is linked. A jar of ready-debittered lupini, drained and seasoned, is a quick shortcut. The common mistake is salting the beans before they are fully sweet, which seals the bitterness in. Chef's tip: finish with lemon, cumin and a little chilli just before serving; the salty brine keeps them, the dressing makes them moreish.

90 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Lemonana

From café terraces in Ramallah and Jaffa to juice bars along Hamra Street in Beirut, summer means tall glasses of lemonana: lemons and fistfuls of fresh mint blended with ice into a sharp, sweet, electric-green slush. It is the drink handed to you after a walk through the market at noon, and it cools a mezze lunch like nothing else. Everything goes in a blender, but the mint must be fresh and plentiful. The common mistake is blending the mint for too long, which bruises it and turns the drink murky and grassy. Chef's tip: make a lemon-sugar syrup first and chill it; dissolved sugar sweetens evenly and lets you blend for only a few seconds.

20 min

Palestinian Drinks

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Bizri

Fish restaurants on the harbours of Byblos, Batroun and Tyre bring bizri to the table within minutes of ordering: a heap of tiny whitebait, dusted in seasoned flour and fried so crisp you eat them whole, heads and all, with a squeeze of lemon. It is a mezze for sharing with fattoush, tahini sauce and fried pitta, usually while waiting for the bigger grilled fish. Buy the fish very fresh and keep it on ice until it goes into the pan. The common mistake is crowding the pan, which drops the oil temperature and leaves the fish greasy and soft. Chef's tip: toss the damp fish in flour in a sieve and shake off every bit of excess; a thin coating fries glassy-crisp.

25 min

Lebanese Fish

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Sujuk

Late-night sandwich counters in Bourj Hammoud, Beirut's Armenian quarter, fry sujuk on a flat-top until it crackles, toss in tomatoes and wrap the lot in thin bread with toum and pickles. Ready-made sujuk is usually dried and cured; this home version is a fresh, uncured beef sausage mix seasoned with garlic, cumin, sumac and Aleppo pepper and shaped into skinless fingers, so it cooks quickly and safely. It is just as good at breakfast with fried eggs. The common mistake is frying on a high heat from the start, which burns the spices before the meat cooks through. Chef's tip: chill the shaped sausages for 30 minutes first; they hold together and brown better.

60 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Psari plaki

Psari plaki is how Greek island families cook the day's catch for a crowd: the fish laid on a bed of soft onions, garlic, tomatoes and parsley, drizzled with olive oil and baked until the sauce turns jammy. It is a traditional Friday and Palm Sunday dish, eaten with bread, horta and plenty of lemon. Use cod, hake, sea bream or grouper. Common mistake: putting the fish in with raw vegetables, which leaves them crunchy and watery when the fish is done; cook the base first. Chef's tip: squeeze lemon over the fish and let it sit while the base bakes; it firms the flesh and seasons it to the bone.

70 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Htapodi sti skara

Octopus tentacles hanging to dry on a line outside a harbour taverna are a summer sight across the Greek islands, and they end up on the grill as one of the great ouzo mezedes, though they are just as good with a cold lemonade. Simmering first makes the octopus tender; the grill adds smoky, crisp tips. It is also a favourite Lenten dish, since shellfish and octopus are allowed on fasting days. Common mistake: grilling raw octopus straight away, which leaves it rubbery. Chef's tip: cook it in its own juices without added water; it gives off plenty of liquid and stays more flavourful.

90 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Taramosalata

Taramosalata is the star of Clean Monday, the first day of Greek Lent, scooped onto torn lagana at picnics while children fly kites, and it stays on taverna meze tables all year. The real thing is beige-pink, not bright pink, made from salted cured carp or cod roe (tarama) beaten with soaked bread, onion, lemon and oil into a salty, briny, mousse-like dip. Because tarama is cured rather than cooked, buy pasteurised roe for a safer version; even so, this dip is not for pregnant women, young children or anyone with a weakened immune system. Common mistake: adding the oil too fast, which splits it. Chef's tip: use white tarama if you can find it; it is less salty and lets the lemon shine.

20 min

Greek Chutneys & Dips

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Paidakia

In the mountain villages around Athens and in Roumeli, families drive out on Sunday to psistaries where paidakia are sold by the kilo: thin lamb rib chops grilled over charcoal until the fat crackles, then showered with lemon, salt and oregano and eaten with your fingers. Chips, a horiatiki salad and tzatziki complete the meal. Common mistake: marinating them for hours in lemon, which makes the meat mushy; season simply and add lemon after grilling. Chef's tip: leave a thin rim of fat on each chop and grill fat-side first for a minute; it renders and bastes the meat.

20 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Kotopoulo lemonato

Kotopoulo lemonato is the roast that fills Greek apartment blocks with the smell of lemon and oregano on Sunday mornings: chicken pieces and potato wedges baked in a single tin with plenty of lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and a little mustard, until the potatoes soak up the juices and catch at the edges. Serve with a cabbage-carrot salad and feta. Common mistake: crowding the tin so everything steams; use a big roasting tin and a single layer. Chef's tip: add a splash of hot water halfway; it dissolves the browned bits into a sauce that the potatoes drink up.

90 min

Lebanese Snacks & Starters

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Maghmour

In Lebanese villages from the Chouf to the Bekaa, maghmour turns up on the table during the long Lenten fasts and through the summer, when aubergines are piled high at every greengrocer. Chunks of fried or roasted aubergine collapse into a sweet, garlicky tomato sauce with chickpeas and plenty of olive oil, so the dish is soft and silky rather than chunky. Lebanese cooks serve it at room temperature with flatbread, pickles and a bowl of olives, and it tastes even better on the second day. Roasting the aubergine instead of deep-frying keeps it lighter without losing the melting texture. Common mistake: stirring hard once the aubergine is in; fold gently or it turns to mush. Chef's tip: add a final drizzle of good olive oil and a pinch of dried mint just before serving to lift the deep, sweet flavours.

75 min

Lebanese Vegetarian

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Shanklish

Up in the mountain villages of northern Lebanon and around Tartus on the Syrian coast, families once made shanklish at the end of summer to keep milk through the winter. This home version starts from strained yoghurt (labneh), seasoned and dried into firm balls, then coated in za'atar and Aleppo pepper for a tangy, crumbly cheese with a herby crust. Crumble it over chopped tomato and onion, drown it in olive oil and eat it with bread for breakfast or as mezze. Because it is made from labneh rather than rennet cheese, it is fully vegetarian. Common mistake: rolling the balls while the labneh is still soft; it must be firm enough to hold a thumbprint. Chef's tip: dry the balls uncovered in the fridge for two extra days if you like a sharper, more crumbly cheese.

30 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Meghli

When a baby is born in Lebanon, the family cooks a big pot of meghli and hands out bowls to every visitor who comes to congratulate them; it also appears at Christmas in Christian homes. Ground rice is simmered with sugar and warm spices — caraway, cinnamon and anise — until it sets into a smooth, cocoa-brown pudding with no milk or eggs at all. Each bowl is topped with desiccated coconut and a generous pile of soaked walnuts, almonds, pistachios and pine nuts. Common mistake: walking away from the pot; ground rice catches and lumps fast, so it needs steady stirring. Chef's tip: soak the nuts in cold water overnight and peel the almonds; they turn plump and crisp, which is the hallmark of a good meghli.

50 min

Lebanese Desserts

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Adas bi hamod

Adas bi hamod — 'lentils with sourness' — is a Lenten staple in Lebanese Christian homes and a thrifty weeknight pot everywhere else, especially in the south. Brown lentils simmer with chard, potato and a fried paste of garlic and coriander until the broth turns thick, then a generous amount of lemon makes it tangy and refreshing. It is somewhere between a soup and a stew and is just as good warm or at room temperature with bread. Common mistake: adding the lemon at the start; the acid stops the lentils softening, so add it at the end. Chef's tip: mash a ladleful of lentils against the side of the pot to give the broth body without any flour.

60 min

Lebanese Soups

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Salatet el raheb

Mezze restaurants along the Lebanese coast serve salatet el raheb as the fresh, chunky cousin of baba ghanoush: the aubergine is charred until smoky, then chopped rather than puréed and tossed with tomato, peppers, spring onion, parsley and a sharp dressing of lemon and pomegranate molasses. There is no tahini, so it is light and summery and sits well next to grilled halloumi or kebabs. Common mistake: leaving the aubergine juices in; drain the flesh in a sieve or the salad turns watery. Chef's tip: char the aubergines directly over a gas flame or on a barbecue rather than in the oven — the smoky flavour is the soul of the dish.

40 min

Lebanese Salads

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Kallaj

Kallaj appears in the sweet shops of Beirut and Tripoli only during Ramadan, when bakers sell paper-thin starch sheets to wrap around cream or cheese and fry for after iftar. Home cooks recreate it with filo: square parcels of thick milk cream, baked until they crackle, then soaked briefly in rose and orange-blossom syrup and finished with pistachios. Serve them warm, a few minutes after the syrup goes on, while the outside is still crisp. Common mistake: drowning them in syrup and leaving them to sit; spoon it over just before serving. Chef's tip: a cheese version — fill with half mozzarella, half unsalted ricotta — is just as traditional; choose a vegetarian-rennet mozzarella if you need it.

60 min

Lebanese Desserts

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Kibbeh bil sanieh

When a Lebanese family is expecting a crowd for Sunday lunch, out comes the round tray of kibbeh bil sanieh, cut into diamonds before baking so everyone can lift a neat piece. Two layers of lamb and fine bulgur kneaded with onion and spices sandwich a filling of minced lamb fried with onions and toasted pine nuts; the top bakes crisp and brown while the inside stays moist. Serve it warm or at room temperature with yoghurt, cucumber salad or fattoush. Common mistake: using coarse bulgur, which won't bind; you need fine bulgur (number 1). Chef's tip: dip your hands in iced water while you press the top layer — it smooths the surface and stops the mixture sticking.

90 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Kibbeh labanieh

In Lebanese homes, kibbeh labanieh is the dish that turns a batch of stuffed kibbeh into a comforting winter supper: the little torpedo-shaped shells of bulgur and lamb, filled with spiced mince and pine nuts, are poached in a silky yoghurt sauce scented with garlic and dried mint. It is eaten hot, ladled over vermicelli rice. The yoghurt has to be stabilised with cornflour and stirred in one direction while it heats, or it splits. Common mistake: letting the sauce boil hard before it has thickened; it curdles instantly. Chef's tip: make the kibbeh balls a day ahead and freeze them on a tray — they hold their shape better in the sauce.

95 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Sayadieh

In the port towns of Saida, Tyre and Batroun, sayadieh is what fishermen's families cook with the day's white fish: rice simmered in a deep brown stock made from very dark caramelised onions and cumin, topped with flakes of fried fish, toasted almonds and pine nuts. The rice is savoury and faintly sweet from the onions, and it comes with a tahini-lemon sauce (tarator) on the side. Common mistake: stopping the onions too early — they need to be almost mahogany for the right colour and taste. Chef's tip: simmer the fish trimmings in the onion stock for 20 minutes before cooking the rice; it doubles the sea flavour.

80 min

Lebanese Fish

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Shish barak

Shish barak is a labour of love that Lebanese grandmothers turn into a family afternoon: everyone sits round the table pinching hundreds of tiny dumplings filled with spiced lamb and onion. The dumplings are baked until lightly golden, then dropped into hot yoghurt sauce, and the bowl is finished with garlic and coriander fried in butter. It is rich, tangy and deeply comforting, served on its own or with plain rice. Common mistake: rolling the dough thick — it should be thin enough to see the board through, or the dumplings turn stodgy. Chef's tip: baking the dumplings before they go into the sauce sets their shape and adds a toasty flavour; you can freeze them at this stage.

115 min