Jerusalem Artichokes with Halloumi and Basil Oil

Pottering in the kitchen today, I had a little more time so brought together Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem Artichoke recipe from his book Plenty. Simple to make, it takes just a little time as you need to roast the artichokes, make the charred tomatoes, blend up the basil oil and grill the halloumi. It appears a random combination of ingredients, but it is not so. A perfect combo of bitter, sour, sweet, crispy, crunchy, soft and creamy.

Sometimes bitter greens are not available, so I substitute nasturtium leaves which are always plentiful here. And some rocket leaves.

Are you after other Jerusalem Artichoke recipes? Try Jerusalem Artichoke and Cumin Salad. We have some others  planned, so check back here later for updates.

Or some Halloumi dishes? Try Halloumi and Orange Salad, Halloumi Pizza and Halloumi and Watermelon Salad.

Browse all of our Halloumi recipes, our Tomato recipes, and our Jerusalem Artichoke dishes. Explore all of 0ur Ottolenghi recipes. Or browse our Late Autumn dishes.

Slow Baked Fennel with Chilli, Garlic and Orange

Fennel raw in the warmer parts of Autumn is a must; fennel braised, roasted, pureed, baked, grilled or otherwise cooked in Winter is so heavenly.

Today, slow baked in olive oil and lemon juice – almost cooked a la Grecque – is a suitably Wintery dish for this weather. Enlivened with a Roast Vegetable Salt and Orange Zest, and replacing some of the lemon with pomegranate vinegar, set the scene for a Sunday lunch.

Are you looking for similar Fennel dishes? Try Fennel Salad with Orange Vinaigrette, Grilled Fennel with Mozzarella, and Fennel a la Grecque.

You might like other Fennel recipes. Or browse our a la Grecque dishes. Otherwise, explore our Mid Winter dishes.

Bamies Laderes | Rustic Greek Okra in Tomatoes and Olive Oil

All through the Mediterranean, okra is cooked in a thick tomato sauce, and in Greece they are also liberal with the olive oil. Its a delicious dish that can be eaten as part of a table laden with Mediterranean vegetable dishes, or serve with fresh crusty break and feta. It also goes so well with rice, burghul, polenta, quinoa or any grain pilaf.

Vinegar helps to reduce the sliminess of the okra, and there are various ways of using it. Some sprinkle it on the okra and leave to rest for an hour (or don’t rest it), others soak in acidulated water from 1 – 12 hours. Take you pick – I soaked these for some hours as I was pottering around the kitchen doing other things. When I was ready, they were drained, rinsed and used in the dish.

Are you looking for other Okra dishes? Try Ladyfingers Masala, Malaysian Lemak-Style Vegetables, Armenian Pickled Okra,  Okra with Mustard Oil, and Sambar.

What about other Greek Recipes? Try Roasted Eggplant Salad, Braised Parsley and Slow Cooked Cauliflower.

Or, for more information, browse all of our Okra dishes, and all of our Greek dishes. Or simply take some time to explore our Mid Autumn collection.

Domatokeftedes | Santorini Style Tomato “Patties” | Indian Tomato Pakoras

Domatokeftedes are delicious Greek tomatoes in batter, in fact they are similar to Pakoda/Pakora. They are often referred to as fritters or patties, although they don’t always conform to a uniform shape.

Domatokeftedes are a  specialty of Santorini in Greece. They are traditionally made with the island’s native tomato that is grown in the volcanic soil. It does not require watering, and yet the small tomato is sweet and intensely flavoured. This recipe uses any juicy tomato – Roma tomatoes are good. The fritters can be served as a snack or as part of a mezze platter – they are delicious dipped into tzatziki or any yoghurt sauce, sweet chilli sauce, or a herby blended fresh coriander and mint chutney.

This dish is very versatile. And it is such an innovative way to use tomatoes!

You might also like to explore our Greek recipes here and here, or browse our Tomato recipes here and here. Or you might like to have a look at the Snack recipes here and here. Check out our easy Summer recipes here and here.

Mushrooms a la Grecque | Mushrooms Cooked with Herbs

A quick lunch that does not miss out on flavour. A gorgeous brunch for a Spring day. Or part of a tapas style meal. Or a snack under the grape vines. This recipe even works well with mushrooms that are, well, a little tired and still sitting in the bottom fridge drawer.

Read more about a la Grecque cooking. Feel free to browse our “a la Greque” recipes here and here. Or you might like to browse Mushroom recipes here and here. Check out our easy Spring recipes here and here.

Roasted Eggplant Salad with Unripe Grape Juice (Verjuice)

In Greece, I hear that one of my favourite ingredients, verjuice, is used as a replacement for lemon juice when the fruit is out of season or unavailable. What a great idea!

Are you looking for similar recipes? We have Eggplant and Zucchini with a Chickpea and Harissa Sauce, Eggplant, Lemon, Garlic and Rosemary, and Saffron and Rose Scented Eggplant.

You can browse all of our Eggplant recipes here, and Greek recipes. Or perhaps check our Mid Autumn recipes for more inspiration.

Baked Garlicky Eggplant with Feta

Perfect eggplants are a glory to look at. Shimmering purple, with a promise of so much under that sometimes tough outer purple layer. Then ther are the Thai globular eggplants, gorgeous again in their sheer perfection. It is rare that a week goes by without us slice or dicing, baking or grilling eggplants. Japanese cuisine, Indian dishes and Middle Eastern food are just rife with the best of ways to use eggplants.

Nigel Slater though, is generally purely British in his approach to food, and unashamedly so. He doesn’t like to steam eggplant, for example (one of my favourite ways with this vegetable. However I love his books and his one-eyed approach. At the moment I am finding Nigel Slater’s Kitchen Diaries I and II very inspiring for evening supper-type meals. Quick to cook, open to adjustment, not too many steps or ingredients, his (vegetarian) food is my food at the moment. I am often home late-ish, so something quick and healthy is perfect for me.

And just to break the stereotype, this dish have overtones of, perhaps, a combination of Greek, Italian and Middle Eastern food.

Are you looking for other Eggplant dishes? Try Cheese and Eggplant Torte, Baked Eggplant Stuffed with Cheese and Tomatoes, and Roasted Eggplants with a Garlic Sauce, Pinenuts and Basil.

Our favourites are Brinjal Fry (Indian Deep Fried Eggplant) and a Persian Saffron and Rosewater Scented Eggplant.

You might like to browse all of our delicious eggplant recipes and other dishes from Nigel’s books. Or find inspiration in our Late Autumn recipes.

Fennel a la Grecque | Fennel Slow Cooked in French-Greek Style

Fennel is delicious raw, but equally as good cooked. Here is an easy dish, a gentle dish, full of gentle flavours.

The fennel is cooked loooong and slow in herbs and olive oil for a beautiful, soft dish so well paired with the soft and creamy Persian feta. Use goats cheese or fresh buffalo mozzarella if you cant get Persian feta.

Looking for other fennel dishes? Try Fennel Salad with Fresh Prunes, Grilled Fennel with Mozzarella, Slow Baked Fennel with Chilli, Garlic and Orange and Fennel on the BBQ.

All of our Fennel recipes are here and here. Browse our a la Grecque dishes, French dishes and Greek dishes. Or be inspired by our Early Spring dishes.

Courgettes a la Grecque | Zucchini Cooked in Greek Style | A Rustic, Cold dish.

I love early morning cooking on hot days, if cooking must be done at all.  5 or 6 am is really the only comfortable time to put pot on stove. So dishes that can be eaten cold later in the day are ideal.

This recipe is a cracker. I found some scribbled notes once when I was going through my recipe paper files. And I can tell you this is good! One of Greece’s amazing and simple dishes.

Are you looking for Zucchini recipes – Try Zucchini Preserved in Olive Oil, Making Zucchini Juice, and Salad of Marinated Zucchinis and Tomatoes.

Or browse all of our Zucchini recipes. And we have a number of a la Grecque recipes as well. Or explore our Greek recipes here and here. Be inspired by our Late Summer dishes.

Cauliflower Slow Cooked with Lime and Spices | Cauliflower a la Grecque

Let’s face it, days and days of 45C (113F) temperatures does not leave a lot of energy for cooking. It is days of cucumber sandwiches (albeit with French butter, Celtic sea salt and just-ground pepper), iced coffee and buckets of icecream.

If early mornings allow, slow cooking of cauliflower in oil and flavourings is essential preparation for the day, as is grilling of slices of large zucchini to be stuffed between bread with the same french butter, goat’s cheese and diced tomatoes. Eat with a cup of icy cold herbal tea.

We have more cauliflower recipes here and here, and a la Grecque dishes here and here. Explore our Salads here and here. Or browse our Italian recipes here and here. Be inspired by our Summer dishes here and here.

Gentle Vegetables a la Grecque | Vegetables Poached in Wine

Oh how seductive are Autumn mornings. Full of golden light, rayed so jaw-droopingly beautifully through the leaves. Plants in autumn reach up lovingly to the sun, after months of shrinking away from the heat of summer. Long tendrils holding flowers wave in the breezes and welcome your passing smile — they nod knowingly in that gentle breeze. Chives and spring onions are flowering. Geraniums as red as lipstick. Mint and lemon verbena. Bog sage. Curry leaf. Earlier, my Lemongrass flowered — the first time ever!

How fitting then to find a recipe of matching gentleness, a warm salad of wine poached baby veggies, needing nothing else but the magnificent flavours of plants, leaves, wine and the very best of oils. Yes, Ottolenghi, you understand Autumn.

Are you after other a la Greque dishes? Try Slow Braised Fennel with Chilli, Garlic and Orange, Zucchini a la Grecque, and Parsley Braised with Olive Oil and Tomatoes.

You might like to browse other Ottolenghi recipes and all of our a la Grecque recipes. Be inspired by our collection of Mid Autumn recipes.

Maintano Yiahni | Parsley Braised with Tomatoes and Olive Oil

We are obsessed these days with beautiful food. It’s a fashion. It will pass one day. We eat with our eyes before we eat with our tastebuds, because we no longer suffer from hunger or know what it is like to go without food.

This recipe isn’t beautiful, but it IS delicious. And it is a very versatile dish. Just right for those times when your parsley is overgrowing your back yard.

Yiahni means to cook in a base of good olive oil and tomatoes, an a la Grecque approach to slowly cooking the vegetable or bean in a flavoursome base and oil to produce an outstanding dish.

You can browse other Greek dishes here and here. Perhaps you are interested in Parsley recipes? We have them here and here. Perhaps try other a la Grecque recipes here and here.

Salsa Verde | Greek Style Sauce and Dip

Sometimes the old, the traditional, the simple, the uncomplex is truly wonderful. Salsa Verde is a classic Greek sauce of parsley, capers and olive oil.

Are you looking for other Dips, Sauces, Purees or Salsas? Browse our collection here. Our Greek dishes are here and here. Have a look at other Parsley recipes here and here. Our Winter recipes here and here might offer some inspiration.

How to Make Thick Thick Yoghurt | Labneh | Strained Yogurt | Greek Yogurt | Yogurt Cheese

The joy of thick yoghurt. As thick as thick cream, superb as a topping, spread or base for a dip or a dessert, it is a necessary ingredient in the kitchen. Easy to make, it leaves whey which can be used in oats, breads, juices and soups.

Eat labneh straight from the bowl! Or with fruit and a drizzle of honey. Over jam on crunchy breakfast toast. Or roll it into balls for a savoury labneh.

We have other recipes for Labneh. Try Garlicky Labneh, Blueberry Shrikhand, and A Dozen Ways to use Labneh.

We have many recipes that use yoghurt and you can browse them here. Have a look at our dips too. Or get inspired by our easy Mid Autumn recipes.

Rizogalo | Greek Rice Pudding

It is moving into Autumn. The other day a friend asked whether I was enjoying the cold weather. My answer? I must be. I am cooking rice pudding.

We have been making this for a long time. It was first cooked in my kitchen in 2003, by my Greek friend, Lia who was staying with me at that time. It was a great hit. This time, I added a vanilla bean and, at the last minute, a very small sprig of rosemary. These adjustments are optional but make a lovely difference.

You might also like to try Sweet Mung Dal and Rice Kitcheri, or a Baked Rice Pudding. Or you could try the Indian version of rice pudding, Bengali Rice Kheer. All of our Dessert recipes are here and here. Find inspiration in our Autumn collection here and here.