Simply More Greek: Foods from the Garden, the Sea and the Bakery | Cookbook

This book is exactly what the title says, Simply More Greek. It is a unique compilation of simple to prepare, classical foods eaten mostly in villages, towns, and monasteries throughout Greece, based on fresh produce from the garden, seafood from the vast surrounding sea, and baked pies and sweets. There are no meat dishes in this book. Meat free meals are mostly consumed throughout the year in Greece due to the vast number of fasting days. The meals chosen for this book are largely unfamiliar and absent from other Greek cookbooks. Such foods as pastitsio and stifado made with mushrooms, sardines wrapped in vine leaves, silver beet rolls stuffed with rice and herbs, stuffed onions with spices and pine nuts. There are legumes with greens, seafood with raisins, octopus with honey, fresh salads and various dips. Baked breads such as feta cheese and fennel bread rings, greens, cheese and other variety of pies and different ways to make pastry. To end there is a selection of desserts such as rice pudding cake, apple cake with whiskey, pastry parcels with nuts, yogurt jelly cake, and plenty more.

The aim of this book is to aspire, educate, and discover more traditional foods. It is written to entice the avid pescatarian, vegetarian or those wanting to eat more seafood, vegetables, and or, the person eager to open their horizon to more Greek meals, half of which are gluten free.

This book is divided into four main chapters and sub chapters:
Chapter one is based on the Garden and subdivided into three parts.
Chapter two is holistically seafood recipes.
Chapter three is home to the Bakery. Divided into Savoury and Sweet. The Sweet bakery contains traditional sweets that are not necessarily published in most Greek cookbooks. They have been selected to expand one's knowledge of other sweets eaten throughout Greece.
The final chapter is titled 'The Garden and its Nutrients'.

This book has been wonderfully photographed with eye catching food pictures and places throughout Greece. This book is not only a cookbook, but a coffee table book to also peruse away from the kitchen.

About the Author

I was born in Australia to Greek parents. Passionate about traditional Greek cuisine, I set off to learn extensively about my heritage, travelling countless times to Greece and revisiting my origins. My strong ethnic heritage and love of nourishing food facilitated my switch from fashion designing to cooking, photography, and writing. With the addition of these skills I was inspired to write, photograph and document stories around the family table. Greek food, from a Greek heart!