• Leo on April 16, 2022

  Love this book. Very approachable recipes and you can hear Irini's voice as she describes the food she knows so well. There are a few ingredients that are hard to get but she offers alternatives in many cases. Where there is no substitute she makes that clear.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Brother Yiorgos’s field mushrooms with smoked vinegar pork sausage

  • joneshayley on May 24, 2021

    Very good breakfast

• Minced beef keftedes

  • Lafro on September 20, 2022

    Didn't have basil so I increased the other herbs to accommodate. The texture was great, soft and fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside. A great comfort food and very easy to make. I served it with the capsicum and feta dip which went well with the keftedes.

• Feta and sweet pepper dip

  • Lafro on September 20, 2022

    So simple to make. Went beautifully with the mince beef keftedes from the same book.

• Cucumber tzatziki

  • TrishaCP on May 30, 2022

    I was looking for a cucumber and dill tzatziki so gave this one a go. The prep for the cucumbers was very easy (I think the book said rustic) because you just grate it and let it drain with some salt. I liked the skin in it- less so the cucumber seeds. I added more dill because I love that flavor.

  • Lafro on January 27, 2024

    Didn't have dill so substituted with fresh mint. Easy to make and delicious with beef keftedes.

• Spinach and fennel risotto with feta cream (Spanakoryzo)

  • jenburkholder on June 20, 2022

    Very good. The sauce added a nice dimension to what was otherwise a fairly standard risotto. The spinach is not particularly noticeable - although it makes the whole thing green, the flavor isn't bold. We forgot the almonds until the last few bites, but, honestly, it didn't seem like it needed them. Repeat-worthy.

• Grilled manouri cheese with toasted walnuts, grapes and pears

  • joneshayley on May 24, 2021

    This is such a good salad. Firstly for the revelation of manouri and then for the perfectly balanced abd wonderful flavours throughout. Balancing salty olives, sweet crunchy pears and the creamy cheese is perfection.

• Giant white beans baked with carrots and celery (Gigantes plaki)

  • jenburkholder on November 23, 2021

    Very good. We used Corona beans from Rancho Gordo - they are also very very large! Took a long time to cook and we did make sure they were pretty much cooked through before adding all the flavory bits and baking. We topped with however much feta was in the fridge - maybe 5 oz - and honestly I could have had more. Definite repeat.

  • stepharama1 on March 30, 2022

    Excellent vegetarian meal (subbed bean broth for the chicken broth)! I added smoked paprika and a little oregano plus feta. I will make again.

• Sea bass fillet with a herbed tomato sauce and minted courgettes (Lavraki a la Spetsiota)

  • Rinshin on August 17, 2022

    Other than making of the sauce, this was a quick recipe. The sauce is made first and kept warm while fish and zucchini are prepped and cooked. Used haddock and added small amount of masa with flour for coating fish for little more heft. This sauce tasted a a bit like caponata with dominant tomato and sweet pepper flavor. Not sure I like thinly sliced zucchini ribbons as it was hard to judge doneness and mine were softer than I like although lemon peel, lemon juice and mint mixture really livened up the taste of zucchini. Next time I would slice differently. I would make this recipe again using any mild fish. Photo added.

• Roast halibut, potato and fennel with a yoghurt béchamel and braised peppers

  • Pamsy on October 07, 2022

    First recipe from this book and very good. My overriding concern with this dish was to highlight the halibut loin which cost an eye watering £50 per kilo!! Quite a few steps and ingredients but not difficult. Didn't make the bechamel this time as it contains eggs but on reflection I don't think it's necessary. I topped the halibut with the breadcrumbs which was fine. The potato element was excellent (Mr P had the leftovers fried with an egg for breakfast) and I'd make that again as an accompaniment to other dishes. The peppers were a colourful addition but the star was the halibut which I roasted in the oven for a total of 10 mins. Would be a good dish for entertaining and you could use other white fish (monkfish or cod loin).

• Mackerel with cauliflower two ways and a rosemary, garlic and vinegar sauce (Savoro)

  • Clog on April 21, 2025

    The recipe needs two caulis to make enough steaks, but this generates an enormous quantity of caulflower couscous. We also found a single fillet wasn't sufficient; it needed a complete fish per person to make a decent meal.

• My moussaka with beef and aubergine (Moussakas)

  • Anea25 on July 12, 2024

    We quite enjoyed this one. Great for a simple dinner party, especially to feed a crowd. First time I have made or eaten moussaka. I erred on the side of caution with seasoning - next time I'll add more salt, pepper and thyme.

• Oven-baked lamb and beef burgers with lemon and mustard potato wedges (Biftekia)

  • Leo on April 16, 2022

    The potatoes work extremely well as a standalone dish. When I did the whole dish as written, the burgers were tasty but they are very substantial. Next time I will bake in a much bigger dish to give the potatoes a chance to crisp up.

• Slow-roasted lamb with garlic, herbs, lemon, mustard and honey

  • Lafro on May 18, 2022

    The herbs gave a nice freshness. Was very tender but not falling apart. Delicious.

  • meginyeg on November 28, 2022

    This was ok. Everyone else liked it more than me.

• Roasted summer vegetables with asparagus on a cannellini bean purée (Briam)

  • Leo on April 16, 2022

    The Briam element of this dish works as a standalone side dish. Delicious.

• Lamb steak, couscous salad and smoked aubergine

  • joneshayley on May 24, 2021

    Another huge hit from irini, with interesting flavour profiles and textures. Definitely one to make again