Smashing Plates: Greek Flavors Redefined by Maria Elia

  • Carrot keftedes

    from Smashing Plates: Greek Flavours Redefined Smashing Plates by Maria Elia

    • Categories: Fried doughs; Small plates - tapas, meze; Greek; Vegetarian
    • Ingredients: carrots; onions; feta cheese; breadcrumbs; ground cinnamon; dried mint; Parmesan cheese; parsley
    • Accompaniments: Pomegranate skordalia; Carrot tabbouleh
    show

  • Show all Recipes...

Notes about this book

  • Breadcrumbs on February 25, 2015

    Feb 2015 - I went through this page by page on receipt and there are a lot of recipes I'd like to try. A good mix of traditional and Greek-inspired recipes. Greek-riffs on dishes from other cuisines as well such as Greek Paella and Greek gnocchi. That said, this is a "summer book" in my view because many of the recipes that held appeal use produce that will be at its prime in the summer/early autumn months. Until then, pages are tabbed and I have one more reason to will this icy cold weather away.

Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Carrot keftedes

    • Melanie on March 08, 2015

      These had a nice flavour - the carrots are roasted before adding to the mixture to help boost the taste. I found it difficult to grate the roasted carrots and would probably try a food processor if I had one. The recipe suggests leaving the mix in the bowl overnight to firm up - this didn't help me much. It worked better when I formed the patties in advance (fell apart less in the pan).

    • joneshayley on May 13, 2018

      I’d omit the cinnamon - creates something of an overly sweet aftertaste. With sweet roasted carrots and cinnamon there’s something of a savoury carrot cake flavour. Without the cinnamon and perhaps with added chilli flakes I think these would be better.

  • Gigantes plaki

    • friendlytoast on May 13, 2026

      This is super easy and delicious. Definitely try the recommendation for leftovers (on toast with feta, tomatoes, and mint).

  • Gigantes plaki on toast with cherry tomatoes, feta and mint

    • friendlytoast on May 13, 2026

      I first made this at a potluck for a (Greek) family reunion and it was a hit!

  • Cauliflower soup with broad beans, feta, almonds, mint and lemon

    • NikkiPixie on July 23, 2015

      Just okay. I've had much better cauliflower soups before. However, I really liked the combo of cauliflower with the fried almonds, very nice.

  • Ouzo and lemon cured salmon

    • joneshayley on June 06, 2018

      Deceptively easy to make and absolutely beautiful. A very impressive recipe, it’ll fast become a favourite here.

  • Ouzo mayonnaise

    • joneshayley on June 06, 2018

      Easy and delicious- worlds apart from ready made and the ouzo really adds an extra layer of depth and flavour.

  • Pickled chicken

    • joneshayley on May 25, 2019

      Texturally unpalatable for me, as well as lacking any roundness of flavour. I won’t make this again.

    • foodgloriousfood on February 04, 2024

      I didn’t mind this, but my husband absolutely hated it and he eats everything. It was an odd texture. I quite enjoyed the chicken with a creamy potato salad and in sandwiches with a lot of mayo but the mayo basically just helped to disguise the soggy chicken so I won’t make it again.

  • Slow-braised octopus with cherry tomato sauce

    • thekitchenchronicles on August 26, 2015

      Love this preparation for octopus. This was easy to make (especially for someone intimidated by cooking an octopus) and the flavors were so bright. I served with polenta which I thought worked really well. Wrote it up here: http://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2015/08/10/slow-braised-octopus-with-cherry-tomato-sauce/

  • Roast spatchcock chicken with potatoes, lemon, wild greens and capers

    • Astrid5555 on January 18, 2015

      Nice chicken, but not spectacular. This was my first try at brining and spatchcocking. Had to crank up the heat to 200C to get some browning. Took longer than the 45-50 minutes indicated in the recipe to get to the desired result, more like 1 hour 10 minutes. The chicken meat was very tender and juicy, however there was too much lemon juice in the sauce for the children They did not like the potatoes and the spinach, thus will not repeat.

    • foodgloriousfood on February 01, 2024

      Capers were overwhelming and I love capers. Took longer than written for the potatoes to be done. Just ok. Won’t make again.

  • Chicken soup with orzo, shredded vine leaves, tomatoes, lemon and herbs

    • joneshayley on June 04, 2018

      Warmth, depth and flavour. The herbs bring a freshness that makes this soup appropriate in summer as well as winter. Worth poaching the chicken (maybe in a pressure cooker to speed things up a bit?) as the poaching liquor makes this dish.

  • Lamb, orange and chilli kebabs

    • joneshayley on February 17, 2019

      The depth of flavour that the marinade imparts here is lovely. Aromatic and slightly spicy. Served with salad, yoghurt and mint sauce and pitta breads

  • Braised lamb with runner beans and tomatoes

    • Astrid5555 on December 28, 2014

      This recipe is a real winner! Reminiscent of goulash but with a delicious tomato sauce lamb neck is simmered for two hours on the stove top. In the end quartered potatoes are added as well and cooked in the sauce. Left out the runner beans and rather served with a green salad. This will go into the regular rotation!

    • Melanie on March 08, 2015

      I also thought that this recipe was a success, used lamb forequarters as there was a limited selection of meat on the bone. The cooking time for the potatoes was off (possibly due to the size of potatoes used) and mine needed slightly longer. Tastes nice reheated second day with some extra water added.

    • foodgloriousfood on February 01, 2024

      Unlike the other reviewers I didn’t love this. I thought it was very ordinary.

  • Slow-roasted paper-wrapped leg of lamb

    • foodgloriousfood on February 01, 2024

      I had to use dried dill (2tb) and the recipe called for a ton of fresh dill (1.5cups) So maybe I can’t complain about the results! But i wanted to leave a note to dissuade others from making the same mistake! I also reduced the cinnamon to 1.5tsp as I thought 2tsp would be too much and I was glad I did. I will try this again with fresh dill and update my review. UPDATE: I tried this recipe again with fresh dill and it wasn’t a great improvement. I think it was lacking both some sweetness and richness. Maybe my boneless leg of lamb was a bit too lean but I also think the herbs (1.5 cups of fresh dill plus fresh oregano) with the juice of two lemons gave a sour tannic flavor and resulted in a lot of unappealing clumps of blackish dill in the liquid which it was recommended to shred the lamb into. Anyhow I have probably made this sound exceptionally unappealing but it wasn’t THAT bad - but it was just ok.

  • Slow-braised pork belly with wilted greens, olives and capers

    • meggan on April 26, 2017

      My family did not like this but I found it interesting. The 1/2 a lemon was too much and added a sourness rather than a brightness. But in all, I liked the taste and think it will be even better after sitting a day.

  • Carrot salad

    • Astrid5555 on August 10, 2014

      My new favorite carrot salad! In addition to plumped raisins, which isn't news, this recipe also contains coarsley chopped almonds for a nice crunch, cumin for a twist and lots of parsley for a summery taste. Substituted the juice of half a lime for that of a whole lemon, which was perfect.

    • Melanie on March 08, 2015

      Simple and tasty. Great mix of flavours and textures.

  • Simple tahini sauce

    • Melanie on March 08, 2015

      Very simple - tahini, salt, garlic, lemon and water. I liked the flavour but my partner wasn't a fan.

  • Fennel, chilli and lemon marinated olives

    • judy_208 on October 02, 2024

      Incredibly easy and very tasty. Well worth making

You must Create an Account or Sign In to add a note to this book.

Reviews about this book

  • ISBN 10 1909487066
  • ISBN 13 9781909487062
  • Published Apr 01 2014
  • Format Hardcover
  • Page Count 208
  • Language English
  • Countries United States
  • Publisher Kyle Cathie

Publishers Text

Greek cuisine has a long history – the first ever cookbook was written by Ancient Greek poet Archestratos in 320 BC – and now Maria Elia brings the traditional flavors and ingredients of Greece into the 21st century with her thoroughly modern take on classic dishes. This is not a book for traditionalists, but adventurers ready to explore exciting new flavor combinations and discover what Greek cuisine has to offer. The 120 recipes are a product of a summer spent cooking and experimenting at her father’s tavern in the Troodos mountains of Cyprus. The villagers welcomed her into their homes, taught her new and old recipes, shared produce from their gardens and even tried to teach her Greek! She went shooting with her dad and gathered caper leaves for pickling. The recipes in this book are structured into four sections, Small Plates, Sharing & Fuller Plates, Salads & Side Plates, and Sweet Plates. Most have been designed for sharing and can be mixed and matched to create a modern Greek meal to share among your friends and family, where plates of food are placed on the table for guests to help themselves. From delicious vegetarian dishes such as Carrot Keftedes and Tomato and Runner Bean Baklava to Marinated Lamb with Feta Curd or Zucchini-coated Calamari, and a tempting range of sweet dishes including Watermelon Mahalepi and Greek Yogurt and Apple Cake, Maria’s inventive recipes will open your eyes to a whole new world of Greek cooking. Starting with a helpful Greek pantry that includes key ingredients for your Smashing Plates cupboard and including over 100 gorgeous location and food photographs, this book will transport you to the fresh flavors of the Greek islands.

Other cookbooks by this author