Green apple & kale salad

For ➍
3 cups ribbed & chopped kale or borecole
handful of chopped parsley
1 cup cooked black lentils
1 green apple, diced
1/2 English cucumber, diced
½ cup toasted pumpkin seeds
1 cup shaved Parmigiano, or feta or goat cheese
dressing
one clove garlic
1 tbs honey
1 tbs Dijon mustard
juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup pumpkin seed oil or extra virgin olive oil
salt &pepper

In a large salad bowl, combine the kale, parsley, lentils, apples, cucumber, pepitas and parmesan.
For the dressing, blitz everything in a food processor or blender, with salt and pepper to taste, until the garlic is smooth.
Pour the dressing on the salad and toss well to coat. Garnish with more cheese if you wish. The salad will keep in the fridge for a full day and slowly loose it's crunch from there.

Eggplant with feta, mint rice & tomato sauce

For ➍ 

3 garlic cloves

5 tbs mild olive oil

10 cl balsamico

4 eggplants

1 tbs dried oregano

300 g three-color rice or nut rice

1 shallot

400 g polpa with basilic

½ tbs brown sugar

16 caper apples

200 g feta 43+ or vegan alternative

40 g fresh mint

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Squeeze ⅔ of the garlic into a small bowl and mix with ⅘ of the oil and balsamic vinegar. Halve the eggplants lengthwise, leaving the stem on. Cut the eggplants on the cut side crosswise every centimeter and place them cut side up on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle with half of the balsamic mixture and sprinkle with the oregano. Season with pepper and possibly salt. Bake for 35 m until soft and cooked through.

Meanwhile, cook the rice according to package directions.

Chop the shallot and finely chop the rest of the garlic. Heat the rest of the oil in a small pan and fry the shallot and garlic for 2 m over medium heat. Add the finely chopped canned tomatoes, season with pepper and the brown sugar. Bring to a simmer over low heat for 15-20 m.

Cut the capers in half. Crumble the feta. Remove the leaves from the mint sprigs and roughly chop. Set aside 1 tbs mint (per 4 people) and mix the rest of the mint with the rice. Remove the eggplant from the oven. Sprinkle with the rest of the balsamic mixture and the caper apple halves. 

Serve with the mint rice and the tomato sauce and garnish with the feta, the reserved mint and some pepper.

Fennel salad with feta, pomegranate seeds & sumac

For ➍
½ pomegranate
2 medium fennel bulbs
1½ tbs olive oil
2 ts sumac, plus extra to garnish
juice 1 lemon
4 tbs tarragon leaves
2 tbs coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
70 g Greek feta, sliced
salt & black pepper

First remove the seeds from the pomegranate.*
Cut the stems with the leaves of the fennel bulbs, keep some green behind to garnish. Cut the root disc from the tuber but leave enough to hold the slices together. Cut the tuber lengthwise into very thin slices**
In a bowl, stir together the olive oil, sumac, lemon juice, herbs and some salt and pepper. Add the fennel slices. Taste whether salt and pepper need to be added, but keep in mind that the feta is already salty.
Arrange the fennel slices with the feta and the pomegranate seeds on the plate.

*It is best to halve it along the bellly. Take it firmly in your hand with the cut side facing your hand. Beat on the skin with a wooden spoon over a bowl. Do not hit too hard, otherwise you will bruise the kernels and tear the skin. Magically only the seeds fall out. Remove any white film that comes with it.
**A mandolin is super handy for this.

Salmon with lentils & sweet potato salad & orange dressing

For ➍
4 salmon fillets, skinless, 500 g
1 ts chilli powder
1 ts salt
salad:
160 dry lentils, boiled, drained
400 g sweet potatoes, in cubes of 2x2cm
1 red chili pepper, finely chopped
1 tbs olive oil
80 g rucola
150 g feta
salt
orange dressing:
3 tbs butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 orange, grated zest & juice
2 tbs apple vinegar

Prepare salad.
Preheat oven to 200 ° C. Place sweet potato cubes on baking tray. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and chili pepper. Bake 20 m.
Mix sweet potatoes with the lentils, rucola and feta in a large bowl.
Prepare orange dressing:
Melt butter, and stir until golden brown. Grate zest of ½ orange and add the juice of the whole orange. Add vinegar and remove pan from the heat.
Prepare salmon. Rub the salmon with chili and salt. Bake 6-7 m on one side over medium heat 1- m on the other side.
Serve the salmon with lentil salad and orange dressing.

Couscous with feta, green cabbage & roasted pumpkin

For ➍
1 butternut squash, pumpkin
¼ green cabbage
200 g of feta
250 g couscous
340 g chickpeas
4 tbs olive oil
1 cube vegetable stock
2 tbs ras el hanout
pepper & salt

Peel the butternut squash. Cut in 2 and remove the pips and the wires. Cut into 0.5 cm halves.
Preheat the oven to 180 ° C.
Arrange the pumpkin pieces side by side on a baking sheet with baking paper and sprinkle with the olive oil. Sprinkle with the ras el hanout and place 15 m in the preheated oven.
Meanwhile, rinse the chickpeas under cold water and drain. Crumble the feta with a fork.
Remove the ribs from the green cabbage and cut the leaves into fine strips.
Turn the pumpkin pieces on the baking sheet and sprinkle with the chickpeas. Season with pepper and salt. Place in the oven for another 15 m.
Dissolve the vegetable broth cube in 6 dl hot water and pour over the couscous. Cover covered for 8 m. Stir loose with a fork.
Cook the green cabbage 2 to 3 m uncovered in slightly salted water. Drain and keep warm.
Stir the vegetables under the couscous and sprinkle with the feta.

Light avocado & tomato salad

For ➋-➍ as salad or side-dish
1 tbs minced shallot
1 tbs minced fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
½ ts Dijon mustard*
½ ts maple syrup
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
270 g gourmet tomato medley**
1 large avocado, pitted & thinly sliced
1 tbs fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped (for garnish)
100 g feta, crumbled***
salt & pepper, to taste

In a small bowl, combine the minced shallot, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, and chopped parsley. Very slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Wash and pat dry the gourmet medley tomatoes. Slice the small tomatoes in half, and quarter the larger ones. Place the tomatoes in a large mixing bowl.
Pour half of the vinaigrette over the tomatoes. Toss to combine.
Arrange tomatoes in the center of a serving platter and drizzle additional vinaigrette over top, if desired. Arrange avocado slices around the tomatoes in a single or double layer.
Garnish the entire dish with crumbled feta and chopped fresh parsley. Alternatively, you can simply toss everything together and pour into a bowl or onto a plate.****

*gluten free if possible
**or cherry tomatoes
***or crumbled goat cheese or sliced halloumi
****serve as a side dish with roasted chicken, a hearty white fish, or grilled tofu kebabs

Chickpea salad with hummus dressing

For ➍
500 g dried chickpeas
2 garlic cloves
some bay leaves
a few sprigs of thyme
salt
cayenne pepper
cumin powder
turmeric
1 red onion
red wine vinegar
1 red pepper
1 cucumber
2 avocados
6 lettuce hearts
olive oil
pepper
400 g feta cheese
½ bunch chervil
½ bunch parsley
½ bunch coriander
200 g black olives
3 ts tahini (sesame paste)
2 egg yolks
2 ts mustard
2 cup peanut oil
3 tbs yogurt
½ lemon
3 tbs

Let the chickpeas overnight soak in water.
Drain the chickpeas. Put them in a saucepan with water. Top with the crushed and peeled garlic, a few bay leaves and thyme sprigs on. Season with salt, cayenne pepper, cumin and turmeric. Bring to boil.
Meanwhile, make the salad. Peel and halve the red onion. Cut into half rings. Make the rings apart and put them in a large bowl.
Sprinkle the onions with red wine vinegar. Let marinate while you cut the rest of the vegetables.
Peel the peppers and remove seeds and seeds. Cut the flesh into strips.
Cut the cucumber into cubes.
Peel the avocados and cut the flesh into cubes.
Add the bell pepper, cucumber and avocado red onion.
Heat a grill pan over high heat.
Clean the lettuce hearts clean and halve them. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill them in the hot pan. The lettuce hearts must be undercooked. Add them to the rest of the vegetables.
Spoon ¾ of the al dente cooked chickpeas out of the water and rinse immediately under cold running water. Drain in a colander. Let the remaining chickpeas continue cooking until they are cooked through.
Mix the cooled chickpeas with the rest of the vegetables. Crumble in the feta. Pull the leaves of the coriander, chervil and parsley. Put the herbs together with the olives from the rest of the vegetables.
Drain the rest of the chickpeas. Catch the cooking liquid. Fish the thyme and bay between the chickpeas.
Put the chickpeas with the garlic in the blender. Add a few tbs of cooking water and tahini to it. Season with salt, cayenne, turmeric and cumin powder. Mix until hummus and allow full
cooling down.
Put the egg yolks in a cup with mustard and a dash of water. Pour into a fine stream the oil and mix with a hand blender until mayonnaise.
Mix the yogurt, lemon juice and a portion of the home-made by hummus. Flavour* with tahini or extra cumin.
Serve the salad with hummus dressing.

*Optional

Fennel & feta linguine

For ➋
200 g linguine pasta
1 fennel
1 banana shallot
2 tbs olive oil
15 basil leaves
100 g feta cheese

Cook the pasta in a pan of boiling, salted water, according to packet instructions.
Slice the fennel and shallot, and fry in the oil until soft.
Tear the basil over the fennel and shallot and crumble in the feta.
When the pasta is cooked, drain and combine with the shallot and fennel.

Barley salad with broiled feta & tomatoes

For ➍
230 g feta cheese, cut into 0.5 cm cubes
230 g small ripe tomatoes, such as San Marzano, halved
70 g pitted black olives, halved
10 g chopped fresh herbs such as oregano, rosemary & thyme
6 cl extra-virgin olive oil
200 g pearled barley
50 cl water
2 ripe avocados, cut into 1.5 cm cubes
455 g marinated artichokes, cut into wedges 1.5 cm thick
1 cucumber 230 g, seeded & chopped
60 g fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
2 tbs fresh lemon juice
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 200°C.
Combine the feta, tomatoes, olives, herbs and olive oil on a foil-lined baking sheet and toss until well mixed. Bake the mixture for about 25 m or until the feta has melted and the tomatoes are soft and brown.
Meanwhile, bring the barley, water and ½ ts salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer the barley for about 20 m or until it is tender. Fluff it with a fork and transfer it to a salad bowl.
Add the avocados, artichokes, cucumber, basil and lemon juice to the barley and toss to combine. Stir in the feta mixture.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.

Sweet potato with feta, olives & coriander

For ➍
300 g feta
½ ts fennel seeds
½ ts coriander seeds
1 chilli pepper
4 large sweet potatoes
125 g black olives
1 bunch fresh coriander
olive oil
pepper

Preheat oven at 180°C.
Prick with a fork some holes in the sweet potatoes and place them in the oven until they are completely cooked (about 50 m).
Remove the seeds from the chilli. Cut it fine.
Remove pits from the olives. Cut them into pieces.
Crumble the feta. Mix with the fennel and coriander seeds, olives and sliced ​​chilli. Add a few tbs of olive oil and mix into a smooth mixture.
Halve the cooked sweet potatoes, remove a scoop and put the feta mixture in.
Finish with a handful of coriander leaves.

Read tip on cooking sweet potatoes & microwave.

Pomegranate, endives & feta salad

For ➍
3 stalks of Brussels endive or/& radicchio
1 large pomegranate
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 tbs raspberry vinegar (or regular red vinegar)
a handful of mint leaves
150 g good feta cheese, crumbled
salt & pepper

Remove the seeds from the pomegranate.
Mix the pomegranate seeds with the chopped onion and the raspberry vinegar and let the flavors soak for about 15 m.
Break the endive leaves and radicchio leaves apart and arrange on a large plate or in a salad bowl. Add the pomegranate mixture, add the mint leaves and the feta and top with some mint leaves.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.

More pomegranate salads: pomegranate, tomatoes & garlic, warm lamb salad with pomegranate & mint, pomegranate & cucumber salad, pomegranate & quinoa salad, Friuli winter salad, pomegranate fruit salad

Summer chickpea salad

For ➍
1 small red onion, peeled, finely sliced
1–2 fresh red chillies, deseeded, finely sliced
2 handfuls of ripe red or yellow tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 lemons
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
410 g jar or tin of chickpeas, drained, or 4 large handfuls of soaked & cooked chickpeas
a handful of fresh mint, chopped
a handful of fresh green or purple basil, finely ripped
200 g feta cheese*

Finely slice the red onion and chillies then roughly chop the tomatoes, mixing them in with the onion and chillies. Scrape all of this, and the juice, into a bowl and dress with the juice of 1½ lemons and about 3 times as much good extra virgin olive oil. Season to taste.

Heat the chickpeas in a pan, then add 90% of them to the bowl. Mush up the remaining chickpeas and add these to give a creamy consistency.

Allow to marinate for a little while and serve at room temperature.

Just before serving, give the salad a final dress with the fresh mint and basil. Taste one last time for seasoning – you may want to add the juice from your remaining lemon half at this point.

Place on a nice serving dish and crumble over the feta cheese.

*Or mozarella, sprinkled with some sea salt. For a non-vegetarian version, use grilled chorizo sausages.

Read a tip on cooking dried chickpeas.
Read the tip on making a quick risotto.

Spinach & green apple salad

For ➋
1 tart green apple, chopped
100 g baby spinach leaves, rinsed
25 g feta cheese, crumbled
2 ts red wine vinegar
⅛ ts ground black pepper (optional)

Gently toss the ingredients together and divide between 2 chilled salad bowls.

Serve on its own or as a side dish to an omelet (without the cheese), roasted poultry or sandwiches.

Carrot, feta & mint salad with harissa

For ➍
300 g carrots, peeled, trimmed & coarsely grated
4 tbs olive oil
1 crushed clove of garlic
½ ts caraway seeds (¼ when ground)
¾ ts cumin seeds (⅓ when ground)
½ ts paprika
¼ ts harissa paste*
½ ts sugar
3 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 tbs fresh mint, finely chopped
100 g feta, crumbled or chopped into bits

In a small sauté pan, cook the garlic, caraway, cumin, paprika, harissa and sugar in the oil until fragrant, about 2 m.

Remove from heat and add the lemon juice and a pinch of salt.

Pour over the carrots and mix.

Add the herbs and mix. Leave to infuse for 1 h.

Add the feta.

*Use harissa or red pepper powder instead.

Spaghetti with vegetables & ricotta salata

For ➍
2 large eggplants
500 g small tomatoes, or canned plum tomatoes, drained
6 tbs extra virgin olive oil
8 tbs salt
400 g spaghetti
4 garlic cloves, crushed
¼ teaspoon crushed dried chillies
large handful fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
100 g ricotta salata, finely grated (or feta cheese, crumbled)
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Cut off the tops and bases of the eggplants. Cut across into 2. Cut each piece lengthwise into sticks. Place into a colander and sprinkle with 1 ts of salt. Place the colander over a bowl and leave the eggplants for 30-40 m to disgorge some of their juices.
When using fresh tomatoes, squeeze them over the sink to get rid of most of their juices and seeds. Coarsely chop the tomatoes.
Pat the eggplants dry with kitchen paper to remove the salt and excess juices.
Heat 4 tbs of the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add ½ the eggplants pieces and fry, turning occasionally, until golden-brown all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and place onto a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain. Repeat for the remaining eggplant pieces.
Remove the pan from the heat to allow the oil remaining in the frying pan to cool.
Place 4.5 l water into a large pan and bring to the boil. Add the salt, then the spaghetti and cook until al dente.
Shortly before the spaghetti is ready, add the remaining olive oil and the garlic to the frying pan and return it to the heat. As soon as the garlic begins to sizzle, add the crushed chillies and the tomatoes and cook over a high heat for 2-3 m.
Add the eggplants and season .
Drain the cooked spaghetti. Add to the sauce.
Add the basil and ½ of the ricotta salata or feta. Mix well.
Spoon equal portions of the spaghetti and sauce into 4 warmed bowls and sprinkle each with the remaining cheese.

All ricotta (meaning 'recooked') varieties are Italian fresh whey cheeses, made from the leftover from the production of mozzarella, pecorino or provolone. To ferment the whey it is heated to make it curl. Then it is heated a second time, so the liquid can be seperated from the cheese. It is made from sheep or cow milk with regional differences.
Ricotta salata is produced from the whey of sheep milk on Sardinia and Sicily and has a mild, slightly salty taste, hence 'salata'. It is sold aged, drained and dried, and can then be crumbled like feta.It suits the bitterness of walnuts and pairs well with the chicory family, such as endives or radicchio di Treviso. It works alongside artichokes or wild mushrooms. Grate over gnocchi or pasta, such as cavatelli, or orchiette, or crumble it on top of a crisp green salad.
Read more spaghetti & linguine recipes: a quick spaghetti, spaghetti with scallops & tomatoes, scallops & rucola spaghetti, spaghetti alla carbonara, shrimps fra diavolo, raw tomato spaghetti, spaghetti with clams, spaghetti with small clams, spaghetti with oil & garlic, spaghetti alla puttanesca, Palermo spaghetti with tomatoes & mint, American-Italian spaghetti with meatballs, vermicelli with parsley sauce, shrimps & Brie linguine, butter & tomato pasta sauce, lemon pasta with sea spinach.

Velvet broccoli & feta sauce

For ➍
500 g broccoli
2 tbs water
salt & pepper
olive oil
½ small onion or 2 shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs chopped flat parsley
1 lemon, juiced
80 g feta cheese, divided
5 cl water

Cut the broccoli into small florets and steam on the stove or in the microwave with 2 tbs of water. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large sauté pan. Cook the onion and garlic until it just begins to soften then add the broccoli. Cook for several m or until the onion turns translucent. Add the parsley and cook until it's well wilted. Pour in the lemon juice and simmer for about 2 m.

Transfer to a blender and add 80 g of the feta cheese and 5 cl water. Puree until smooth, adding a drizzle of olive oil and a little more water if it sticks and turns to a lump. Puree until as smooth or chunky as you prefer.

Taste and add any necessary additional salt and pepper.

Serve with a ridged pasta like rotini.

*Alternatively, cut the steamed broccoli into small pieces before adding, and add the feta to the pan for 2 m.

Baked feta

For ➍
400 g pure sheep feta*
2 large mild red chilies
200 g ripe (cherry) tomatoes, skinned, seeded, finely chopped
3 spring onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 tbs tomato purée
1 red onion, thinly sliced
handful oregano leaves, chopped**
1 tbs capers
olive oil
salt & pepper

Heat the oven to 200 °C. Cut the feta into 4 portions*** to make 4 parcels.

Finely chop the chilies, tomatoes, spring onions and mint. Mix with a good splash of olive oil.

For individual parcels, put the cheese on a slightly oiled baking paper. Spoon over a quart of the mixture.

For a big parcel, put 6 blocks on the paper, spread half the mixture over it. Cover with remaining cheese blocks. Spread the rest of the mix over it.

Close the parcel(s). Put a tin foil around it to seal.

Fold up the foil/paper into into a parcel and seal by crimping the edges.

Bake in the oven for 10 m.

Serve with lukewarm fresh bread and a glass of cool crispy Moschofilero wine.

*Rinse before using when the cheese is too salty. Dip dry.
Use 200 g feta for a starter and make 1 parcel.
Or use halloumi instead
**Use fresh mint instead. Or a mix.
***Cut into 12 squares when putting all together in 1 parcel.

Spanakorizo (spinach & rice)

For ➍
675 g fresh spinach
7 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely sliced
juice of ½ lemon
15 cl hot water
115 g long-grain rice
3 tbs fresh dill, finely cut & some sprigs for decoration
salt & pepper

Wash the spinach. Cut in large pieces. Heat some oil in a stewpot and sautée the onion in it. Add the spinach for a few m. When tender, pour in the lemon juice and water. Bring to boiling point. Add the rice and half the dill, cover and boil the food on low heat for about 10 m. Serve hot, sprinkled with the rest of the dill.

Sprinkle with some feta cheese.

Can also be served cold, with quartered cold eggs.

A classic Greek recipe of the Lent and Easter period.