all the recipes

dried fruit & nuts cocoa buns
dried fruit & nuts cocoa buns

These buns are neither cakes nor pastries and not to be confused with a dessert ! These breads are more like traditional bread in which there is cocoa powder, dried fruit and nuts and pieces of chocolate. To be enjoyed during breakfast with butter and honey or jam or simply as a snack. I used a dutch oven or hot pot (with lid) to bake them and a...

18.06.2015
asparagus & smoked ham & cheese wraps
asparagus & smoked ham & cheese wraps

ASPARAGUS ... so weird & funny-looking ! I know I usually use filo dough pastry sheets when I bake but there are more varieties of prepared types of pastry dough out there than you expect ! Brik pastry sheets, usually used in North African countries is round, thicker and sturdier and there is no need to double it up as we do with filo...

09.06.2015
tomato and black olive flatbread
tomato and black olive flatbread

This flatbread recipe can be made simply and with no toppings, as a snack or even as a thicker and heavier bread base for your pizza (I must admit that I often like a thick crust). I always have leftover fresh yeast when i make breads and leftover tomato sauce when I make pasta or pizza and this flatbread is perfect for them. This sun-dried tomato...

31.05.2015
leftover pasta chips
leftover pasta chips

I always boil too much pasta to go along with my prepared sauce and always leave all that extra pasta on the side which just dries out the next day and is often nibbled on the next day and/or finally thrown away the day after that ! Enough with the wasting of food, you can turn this leftover pasta into a snack. All you need is for the pasta to be...

22.05.2015
crusty dutch oven 5 cereals and 5 seeds bread
crusty dutch oven 5 cereals and 5 seeds bread

Bread is not hard to do ! Especially with a covered casserole or & dutch oven ! The concern is that the crust is often less crispy than bread from a bakery… the solution is the dutch oven and some water vapor. My recipe is relatively simple and quick to make, you just have to be patient with the time needed for the dough to rise,...

13.05.2015
flattened roast chicken
flattened roast chicken

Chicken is just one of those foods you can do so much with, whether using only the wings, the drumsticks, the breasts or the whole beast. Cooking it whole obviously takes longer and looks great, but then you have to carve it correctly, unless you’re eating it at home and simply attack it with your fingers that get stickier and stickier. My...

15.06.2015
falafel spinach and chickpea balls
falafel spinach and chickpea balls

We are all familiar with falafels, chickpea balls or fritters that are wonderfully crispy-fried on the outside, soft on the inside, served as a main dish or in a bread as street food, often paired with pickled vegetables or coleslaw and salad and a few different sauces. Here is a version that is half spinach and just as great for vegetarians and...

06.06.2015
quick (almost home-made) pizza !
quick (almost home-made) pizza !

Did you know that it is possible to buy a fresh ball of bread dough from your bakery ? Just simply ask for a ball of dough that weighs about 200-250 grams, the same weight as a baguette and there you go ! The idea behind this recipe is to to be able to enjoy a last minute urge and the speed of making an almost home-made pizza. Of course, we will...

28.05.2015
stuffed zucchini with rice and aromatic herbs
stuffed zucchini with rice and aromatic herbs

A nice and tasty vegetarian and vegan version of a dish often prepared with ground beef and also mixed with rice. With this rice & herbs stuffed zucchini dish, the zucchini pulp replaces the meat and the fresh aromatic herbs give it those extra green flavours. You can also prepare this dish with bell peppers (very easy because they're already...

19.05.2015
greek bifteki
greek bifteki

Bifteki is not a hamburger. Bifteki is not a steak. Bifteki it's something in between ! When I was young boy, we would always go to my uncle's diner in northern Greece, in Thessalonike, to have a wonderful bifteki ! Bifteki is a very simple beef recipe with no extra herbs or flavours. You can prepare it beforehand and keep it in the...

10.05.2015
coconut balls with goji berries
coconut balls with goji berries

My next door neigbour in Paris who is originally from Beirut showed up one day at my door with these wonderful, moist, sweet coconut balls, topped with golden raisins. Usually I’m the one who is supposed to cooks stuff but her sweets were divine and as she mentioned, they were also quite easy to make so I wanted to share this recipe with...

12.06.2015
frozen passion fruit & yogurt ice cream sticks
frozen passion fruit & yogurt ice cream sticks

I have a very dear friend who travels a lot and often brings me back fruit from far-and-away countries (legally of course !). This is a quick, simple, refreshing and very creamy frozen dessert that everyone should make ! Only 3 main ingredients, 1 mould for frozen desserts (or an ice-cube tray) and skewers or sticks ! In this recipe, I also tried...

03.06.2015
cold oven pound cake
cold oven pound cake

This recipe is for what is called a "pound cake" in English or a "quatre-quarts" in French. Usually cmposed of 4 equal parts of eggs, sugar, dairy such as milk and butter and flour. Probably the simplest and yet most delicious and moist and honest cake you'll ever make. I always flavor mine with vanilla and sometimes also...

25.05.2015
melopita honey pie
melopita honey pie

Melopita means honey pie in Greek. Melopita recipe is a simple cake that people in Greece were making using only 3 main ingredients such a soft neutral cheese like myzhithra in Greece, ricotta in Italy or brousse in France, eggs, honey and a few little extras for flavourings such as cinnamon and citrus zest, what could be simpler ?...

16.05.2015
chocolate magic shell and bananas
chocolate magic shell and bananas

I absolutely had to find out how to make that chocolate syrup that turned into a magic hard shell chocolate coating that we loved when we were kids growing up in North America, and of course covered our ice cream with it ! The "magic" was that this chocolate syrupy liquid (at room temperature) turned into a hard chocolate coating on...

07.05.2015