Cinnamon and Honey Baked Nectarines

This simple dessert is one of many ways to enjoy nectarines while they are at their best and takes only a minute to prepare - of course this would work just as well with peaches too.

Take 1 1/2 nectarines per person and cut into three rounds, place on some tinfoil in an ovenproof dish or a baking tray, flesh side upwards. 

Sprinkle over some ground cinnamon and then drizzle over a generous slathering of runny honey over each. 

Pull the foil up around the nectarines to preserve the juices from escaping during cooking and place into the oven at 180 degrees for around 35 minutes. 

Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a little creme fraiche and drizzle oven the juices left in the foil for a seriously tasty and light summer pudding. 

North African Spiced Pork

Pork chops, whilst being evocative of 1970's cuisine, are in fact a versatile, flavousome cut of meat and this spicy marinade makes for a delicious meal for two. Serve with some vegetable couscous, salad (tabbouleh works so well) and some fresh scattered mint leaves and wash down with a dry white - it's a flavour winner.

Here's how:

2 pork chops

Juice of 1 lemon

Zest of half a lemon

1 1/2 preserved lemons chopped

2 large cloves garlic, crushed

1 red chilli, chopped finely

1 tsp harissa paste

1 tsp ground cinnamon or half a cinnamon stick crumbled

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp hot paprika

1/4 tsp cumin seeds

Bunch fresh torn mint and coriander leaves

2 tbsp olive oil

Simply combine all of the marinade ingredients in a food bag and throw the pork chops in. Seal and ensure the meat is completely immersed in the marinade.

If possible, leave in the fridge overnight to allow the flavours to permeate the meat, but if you are pushed for time, allow to stand for a couple of hours.

These can then be cooked over a barbecue (while the weather's glorious) or as I did here in the oven for about 40 minutes around 180 degrees. Enjoy!

Pork Souvlaki and Baked Feta

As regular readers will know I adore Greek food but struggle to find many decent, authentic restaurants serving Greek food around so when I get a craving for this type of food there are a few recipes I turn to for an instant mood boost. 

Prawn saganaki or youvetsi, stifado, briam, moussaka and beautiful gemistes or stuffed tomatoes or peppers are favourites but take a little effort. For mid-week Greek, my go-to is always souvlaki - fantastically flavoured skewers of pork or chicken that transport me immediately to the beautiful islands. 

Marinated overnight, the accompaniments can be flung together while the meat cooks. Here I've served with Greek Salad, pitta and homemade tzatziki as well as baked feta or as my Greek friends call it, 'feta in the oven.' 

This recipe makes a meal for two or three and some delicious leftovers for lunch the next day.

For the souvlaki:

350g pork loin steaks

150ml extra virgin olive oil (you can just use olive oil but I prefer the pepperiness from the extra virgin)

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Juice of 1/2 lemon

2 large garlic cloves, crushed

1 large tbsp dried oregano

1/2 tbsp dried thyme

I use pork loin steaks but almost any cut could be used here. Chop the pork into equal cubes and place into a bowl or a food bag and cover with the olive oil.

Add the remaining marinade ingredients, stir and cover and place in the fridge either overnight or for at least 2-3 hours..

Remove from the fridge and allow the pork to come back down to room temperature while you assemble the simple Baked Feta dish for which you will need the following:

1/4 block of feta

1/2 red pepper

1/2 green or yellow pepper

1 1/2 tsp runny honey - preferably Greek

1 heaped tsp paprika

1/2 tsp black pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees. Slice the peppers longways and place into a small, oven-proof dish. 

Slice the small block of feta into similar size and shape as the peppers and pop into the dish. Season with black pepper and if you wish, a small pinch of salt - I omit from using the salt as feta is quite a salty cheese. 

Sprinkle over the paprika and then drizzle over the runny honey and place into the oven for 30 minutes.

Getting back to the souvlaki - if you have some, place the meat on skewers. You can easily make without the skewers though so don't worry. If cooking inside, the grill is preferable. I tend to cover the grill with a sheet of tin foil and then place the souvlaki on top and cook for about ten minutes on the medium setting, watching and turning as needed.

While the souvlaki is cooking you can throw together your Greek Salad and Tzatziki and either place your pitta into the grill too or gently toast.

I do hope these recipes are useful to some readers - they certainly bring me comfort when I'm craving Greek food and on that note if anybody knows of any good Greek restaurants, please do share - enjoy!

Perfect Greek Salad

In my humble opinion a Greek salad is one of the best possible salads you can have and throughout the summer months it's a mainstay in my kitchen. Made for barbecues, to go alongside a roast chicken instead of the usual wintry accompaniments or just made up for a great lunchbox with pitta and some Tzatziki. 

Here is my version of the ultimate Greek salad.

Lettuce leaves of your choice (I tend to use iceberg)
Handful of cherry tomatoes
Half a cucumber
1 red onion
Celery
1/2 large red and green pepper or 1 small one of each
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Kalamata Olives
Half block of feta cheese
Generous drizzle of Greek olive oil
2tbsp dried oregano
Coriander
Sprinkling of black pepper

Wash the lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, celery and dry off with some kitchen roll or a clean tea towel. Shred the lettuce and add to a bowl. Chop the peppers, and cucumber and slice the onion and throw into the bowl and throw the olives in too. 

Tear off the leaves of a small bunch of coriander and add to the bowl. Drizzle olive oil over and the juice of the lemon and give a good shake.  

Finally slice the feta into large oblongs or if you prefer, cubes and place on top of the salad. Drizzle over a final flourish of olive oil and toss over the oregano and enjoy!

Tzatziki

There are many varieties of tzatziki out there - but this is the fail-safe recipe I use time and time again which complements a variety of Greek dishes and which goes down a storm each and every time.

Combine 200g Greek natural yoghurt with a quarter of a cucumber finely grated, 1 large clove of garlic, crushed and about a tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves and stir through - simple but fantastic.

Greek Briam - Glorious Summer Vegetable Stew

Briam is a wonderful Greek vegetable stew that can be adapted according to what's in season - or in the larder. It's a great vegetarian main course that takes very little preparation but tastes fabulous and is economical too.

I've experimented with recipes from several online sources as well as one from The Food and Cooking of Greece - a wonderful book which gives lots of information about ingredients used in Greek cookery and the history and origin of many dishes. With a little trial and error, the below recipe is the one I believe most resembles the delectable dish I associate with my beloved Corfu and glorious hot summer nights. 

This will serve four people with rice and some fresh, crusty bread. 

Here's how:

200g peeled potatoes
1 tin chopped tomatoes
Handful fresh cherry tomatoes
1 courgette
1 onion
1 green pepper
3 cloves garlic
1 carrot
1 bay leaf
1tbsp dried oregano
1tsp sea salt
Pinch of peppercorns
1/2 glass of red wine 
Couple strands of celery
1/2 pint of vegetable stock

Firstly peel the potatoes and chop into small cubes, rinse then parboil. 

In the meantime slice the onions and garlic and add to a deep casserole dish. Halve the courgette and then halve again and chop into equal discs about the thickness of a pound coin and throw into the dish.

Cut the pepper into similar sized chunks as the courgette and cut the tomatoes in half and add both. 

Peel the carrot and chop into fine oblongs. Chop the celery and add both to the casserole dish.

Add the tin of tomatoes, the drained potatoes (drain when you can pierce the flesh with a fork easily) and the red wine.

Add the bay leaf, seasoning and oregano and pour over the vegetable stock and 2 tbsp olive oil and give a good stir. Place the lid on and pop into the oven for 2.5 hours at around 150-160 degrees. Remove the lid for the last 30 minutes of cooking and stir every 40 minutes or so. 

Creamy Mushrooms on Toast - Brunch Dish For Two

This is a lovely weekend brunch or lunch dish improved when you can get hold of a glut of delicious wild mushrooms. I crave this though and sometimes supermarket fungi just has to suffice, in fact with a mixture of mushrooms, it's still gorgeous. A great alternative to bacon and eggs and fab with some fresh orange juice or better still a Bloody Mary cocktail.

Here's how:

Drizzle olive oil
1 small red onion
1 large clove of garlic
150g mushrooms (a mixture of any)~
2tbsp balsamic vinegar
3tbsp creme fraiche
2 ciabatta rolls or a ciabatta loaf sliced in half

Slice the red onion finely and crush the garlic and add to a frying pan with a generous glug of olive oil and place on a low heat.

Cut the ciabatta in half, drizzle a little olive oil over and place onto a griddle pan on a low heat. Alternatively you can grill or even toast.

Slice the mushrooms and set aside.

Once the onions are softened, add the balsamic vinegar to the pan and stir with a wooden spoon. Cook for 3-4 minutes longer then add the mushrooms to the pan. 

Allow to cook for a few minutes until the mushrooms have softened slightly then add the creme fraiche, a pinch of salt and a generous sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper, stir through and cook for a further 3-4 minutes.

Remove the ciabatta and place on a plate and spoon over the mushroom mixture. Add some freshly chopped parsley and enjoy.