Explore the benefits of the Mediterranean diet with delicious recipes, nutrition tips, and lifestyle advice - Irini Savva
All in Baking & desserts
The great thing about quick breads is that you can bake one of the most simplest foods in very little time.
Similar to the spanakopitakia recipe, these triangular shaped tiropitakia are filled with a creamy mixture of Greek feta, halloumi cheese and fresh herbs. Delicious served with breakfast or a snack.
Celebrate the sweet goodness of fresh summer cherries with this simple cherry cake—a flan-type cake studded with cherry halves, best served with good quality vanilla ice cream during the long hot summer.
These avocado based mocha cups are a creamy, chocolate mousse type dessert with a hint of coffee and sweetened with local date syrup.
Orange cookies are a favourite during Greek Orthodox Easter but can also be made during other festive seasons when oranges are sweet and flavoursome. Serve these dairy free and refine sugar free cookies with an afternoon coffee or tea. You may need to double the recipe as they don’t last long.
Warm pears cooked in a delicately spiced syrup is one of my favourite ways to enjoy this winter fruit. Baking or poaching pears is ideal as they hold their shape when cooked and improves their taste (they taste even better the next day). Serve as a naturally sweet breakfast over yoghurt and granola, a warm bowl of porridge or enjoy as is with creme fraiche, freshly whipped cream or ice cream for a treat.
Made with spelt flour and low in sugar, these cupcakes are a healthier way to celebrate kids birthday parties or holidays.
Ice cream, nice-cream, call it what you want. Making your own healthy ice cream is not only rewarding but you know the ingredients you’ve used and you can adapt the sweetness or flavour to your liking.
Milopita, or apple cake, is usually made into a dense, moist cake, but the recipes vary according to the region or island. This semolina cake version is my own - it is a combination of two of my favourite cakes, the Cypriot Shiamali semolina cake and Greek Milopita. The cake has a crumbly texture from the semolina, with hints of rosewater and cinnamon, topped with baked sweet red apple slices. If you enjoy these flavours, this cake will not disappoint.
Making pastry snacks from scratch needn’t be complicated. Once you get the hang of the basic steps, you can move onto different fillings and party platters will be a breeze. Give it a go and watch them fly off the platters.
Delicious melt in your mouth butter cookies, lightly spiced with cinnamon, cloves, vanilla and brushed with rose water before being dusted with icing sugar.
Eliopita, Elioti or Eliopitakia (mini olive pastries) are a well loved Cypriot olive bread or pastry. This muffin version is perfect for breakfast, a quick snack and is small enough to fit into kids school lunch boxes.
