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Delicious, fascinating, and practical.
Greek food is my favourite. Favourite to eat. Favourite to cook. So a new Greek cookbook is something I am on like Yiayia on a jar of olives.
Carolina Doriti is well placed to write such a book. She leads gastronomic tours around Greece (sign me up!), writes about the history of Greek gastronomy, and is the Culinary Producer of TV show My Greek Table.
The Greek Islands Cookbook is exactly that: a collection of highly regionalised recipes from around the 227 inhabited islands that form part of the modern Greek nation (there are nearly 6,000 in total!). Divided into sections such as Breakfast and Brunch, Meat, and Vegetable Mains and Sides, the roughly 90 recipes represent a broad cross section of Greek islands and influences. Scattered between the recipes are short essays on aspects of Greek food, or the islands themselves, making this a delight to read.
Being a soup lover, I decided to try, from the Grains and Pulses section:
Tsouvras – Tomato Soup with Rice (page 114)
One of the great soups of all time is surely avgolemono. This soup from Tilos is similar, in that a simple 1-2 note soup is enlivened with the addition of rice. Sharp, tomatoey, and hearty, this was a great weeknight dish, especially when served with some good bread and cheese. Doriti uses fresh tomatoes, but I decided to make life easier on myself after a long day at work, and use good, canned tomatoes. I regret nothing! Quick, delicious, and easy to make, this recipe will be on high rotation in our household, especially on workday winter evenings.
Next choice from the Meat section was:
Kotopoulo Tserepa – Slow-roast Chicken with Potatoes (page 78)
Who doesn’t love a tray bake? And this dish is basically a fancy tray bake. It requires a little more preparation than some of the throw-everything-in-and-pray recipes, but not so much that it still can’t be a workday meal. This dish was utterly delicious, and the chicken really was melt-in-the-mouth tender. Easily prepped before work, and then just popped in the oven, this recipe would convert well to a slow cooker, or even an outdoor grill with lid. She did forget to mention what to do with the potatoes, but where she says ‘add the vegetables,’ I took it that she meant the spuds as well. Obviously this one could also be improvised upon with olives, different vegetables, different herbs etc. It’s a winner!
Finally, there being a separate stomach for dessert, I just had to dive into the Sweet Treats section and whip up:
Mizithropita – Baked Cheesecake with Muscat Poached Peaches (page 186)
Based around ricotta, this is a less-sweet cheesecake than we are used to, tending more towards the classic Yiddish baked cheesecake. Being busy, I didn’t poach fresh peaches in Muscat. Forgive me, but I just opened a tin! The cake itself is simple to make, and takes few ingredients other than a kilo of ricotta and four eggs. So it’s economical (depending on the ever-rising price of said eggs). It is divinely delicious. And yes I’m sure it would have been even better had I put in the effort with the peaches, which I probably will do when I have more time.
Other recipes I am planning to dive into include: Chocolate Log Stuffed with Vanilla Ice Cream and Pistachios (page 178); Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with an Egg and Lemon Sauce (page 90); and Lobster Spaghetti with a Quick Tomato Sauce (page 62).
The Greek Islands Cookbook is a delight from start to finish. Easy to follow recipes, large colour photographs, and a wealth of fascinating information about the beautiful islands of Greece. Other than missed steps in some of the instructions, it is everything a great cookbook should be.
Reviewed by Tracey Korsten
The views expressed in this review belong to the author and not Glam Adelaide, its affiliates, or employees.
Distributed by: Murdoch Books
Released: June 2025
RRP: $39.99
