Summary
A collection of delicious Mediterranean recipes. A mix of modern and traditional Greek recipes, all inspired by the quaint and picturesque island of Paxos.
This cookbook will appeal to fans of Mediterranean cuisine as well as those inspired by Greek island life.
On the sleepy and beautiful Ionian island of Paxos, the local people still follow the old ways. They cook from ancient recipes: simple dishes, handed down the generations until they seem to have become part of the collective unconscious - in which good ingredients are allowed to speak for themselves.
The food on this little island is special, because by happy accident of history and geography, Paxos is the place where Greek and Italian cuisines meet. Here, you have the simplicity and robust flavours of traditional Greek food, lifted with Italian style and panache. The result is the quintessence of Mediterranean cooking - healthy, fresh ingredients used in delicious flavour combinations that are easy to prepare.
Try your hand at real Tzatsiki and tasty Dolmades; learn a fuss-free way to prepare grilled meats and seafood; cook up one of Belinda's warm pies on a cold winter night, and mix a glorious daquiri for a warm summer evening with friends.
How many times have you fallen in love with something you have tasted on holiday, only to be disappointed when trying to recreate it at home? Roast Lamb in the Olive Groves not only brings a treasure-trove of tastes home safely, it shows how these dishes can be made dazzling and inspiring for modern cooks to serve at home. In sparkling, original recipes that are true to the spirit of Paxiot cooking, it shows how the ancient can be very modern indeed.
Belinda Harley began her career in publishing working with such writers as Quentin Crewe, Hugh Johnson and Terence and Caroline Conran. She has published two highly acclaimed cookbooks on Harry's Bar and Annabels, and diary cookbooks for Daylesford Organic. Whilst working both as a literary editor and food writer, she has spent over twenty years researching the food and recipes of the island of Paxos, and re-interpreting them for a modern generation. Recently, her short memoir of life on Paxos, the tale of the dog she rescued from the island, was selected as one of Hatchards' Books of the Year. Close to Belinda's heart is the Mediterranean island of Paxos, where she escapes to each year to enjoy the delicious food and slower pace of life.