A selection of recipes from the Nafsika

As far as Greek dishes go, Fasoulada, may be one of the most underrated dishes amongst tourists coming to Greece. Most Greeks when asked the question of which dish represents the country most, would more than likely give the title of Fasoulada as the National Dish of Greece.

This is one of Greece’s most popular ‘Sunday roast’ and restaurant lamb dishes and yet many tourists that visit Greece each year don’t even know about it. It is often on the menu in truly authentic Greek tavernas, but with the coming of mass tourism in Greece in the 1960s, it’s now by passed by dishes such as Stifado and Kleftiko.

Lentils have been eaten by mankind (women more than likely planted them, gathered them and cooked them in those early days) for over 10,000 years. It was a very easy dish to prepare with very few ingredients and of course, it is loaded with protein and iron, so if the men came back from the hunt empty-handed at least they had a warm lentil soup waiting for them that was totally nutritious!

I am always looking at finding new dishes to serve at the Nafsika Taverna. Often the ideas of new dishes come to me when I find new products in shops and I try to create new ways of cooking them and presenting them to my guests.

A few days before Greek Easter, my mother would be dyeing eggs red to have them ready for our Easter table. This would be one of her chores to prepare for our Greek Orthodox Easter celebrations. This year as I am alone in the house and as I was kindly given some fresh eggs by a neighbour, I thought I would dye them myself, I mean, how hard can it be?

This next recipe is not something we will do at the hotel but it only shows me that how similar we all are and how much it resembles the last recipe, Vasilopita, I posted. This article was kindly written by Judy who lives in Spain but has visited Corfu and the hotel twice!! She is a new friend to me but a good friend is what she is!

Kourabiedes orKourabiethes (Greek: κουραμπιέδες, pronounced: koo-rah-bee-YEH-thehs) are a traditional Greek almond shortbread cookie made for special occasions like Christmas, christenings and other celebrations.

At Christmas time in Greece the shops and homes are filled with the Christmas Cookies, Melomakarona(in Greek: μελομακάρονα, pronounced: meh-loh-mah-KAH-roh-nah) and once you have eaten one you cannot stop with just one. 

I can’t in all honesty say that my mother’s spinach pie is any better or different than the whole range of spinach pies that are made around Greece, although to be fair a lot of people have said that hers was the best they have ever tried! 

Spring time is very special time for me as artichokes are in season and soon after broad beans are also ready to be eaten. This time is especially beautiful as the fire flies are teeming the countryside and you have nature’s nightly disco on display! 

Theodora rules the kitchen of the Nafsika Hotel and a small introduction is required before we talk about Moussaka. She has been in the Nafsika kitchen since it opened in 1978.

Her reputation as a cook is revered by her fellow towns people and beyond to the many tourists that grace Agios Stefanos, but! Just yesterday, John a guest who has been coming to Agios Stefanos for 20 years, said to me, “I had forgotten what good food tastes like!” after trying one of Theodora’s dishes.