MAINS
I've been dreaming of making this luscious spanakopita ever since our trip to Greece last year. We had rented a villa just outside of Ano Mera, a quiet part of Mykonos that’s worlds away from the party scene the island is known for. My husband and I love to cook whenever we travel for an extended stay, so a fully equipped kitchen is a non-negotiable for our family holidays. There's something so incredibly soothing about it: discovering new ingredients and learning old traditions, all while basking in that intangible energy that connects you to the food of a land that has so graciously welcomed you in.
Zucchini deserves better than a side-of-the-plate afterthought — and this tart is its moment to shine. Thin ribbons of zucchini, salty crumbles of feta, and a golden, crisp crust come together in something that looks like it took hours but barely asks anything of you.
There's something irresistible about the way orecchiette catches sauce in its little curved pockets, and this dish fully celebrates that. The pasta is tossed with a touch of heavy cream and starchy pasta water until it turns silky and glossy, then folded through with fresh basil pesto for that unmistakable herby depth.
Creamy, earthy mushrooms tangled with sweet ribbons of caramelized onions folded into silky pasta? If that’s not comfort in a bowl, then I don’t know what is. It’s the kind of dish that comes together easily with pantry staples and just a bit of patience at the stove.
SMALL PLATES
Here’s an interesting fact: Greek fava is not actually made from fava (broad) beans. It's a silky puree of yellow split peas, slowly cooked with onion until it falls apart, then blitzed with lemon. On Santorini it's made from a local variety of split pea, and yellow split peas are the easy stand-in anywhere else where you can’t find the real thing. This is another fabulously simple Greek dish I learned during my cooking session with Ana and Sophia while I was in Mykonos. It's one of the easiest recipes you’ll ever make: just peas, red onion, lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper. A little blitzing with a stick blender, and you can call it a day.
There are few things better than a plate of perfectly fried calamari - golden and shatteringly crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, with plenty of fresh lemon alongside. And while it’s one of the simplest things to make, a few small details make all the difference between beautifully crisp calamari and something heavy, greasy or, even worse, rubbery.
Here’s how to get it right every time.
Baby gem lettuce has this perfect balance of crunch and tenderness that makes it ideal for a salad you actually want to eat with your hands. Here, it's paired with peppery radish and thinly sliced shallot for a bit of bite, then tossed in a vibrant basil oil vinaigrette made by blanching fresh basil and blending it into a bright, herbaceous dressing. A scatter of toasted pine nuts on top adds warmth and a little richness to balance the freshness of the greens. It's light, simple, and a little unexpected, the kind of salad that ends up stealing more attention than you'd think from something so understated.
I first made this heirloom tomato pesto salad with sourdough croutons when I found myself with an excess of fresh basil in my kitchen (not a bad problem to have!), so I decided to make a basil inspired feast and put the herb to great use. Since I love a good recipe that doesn’t try to hard, this recipe is exactly that.
DESSERTS
Some recipes come from planning. This Blueberry Lemon Bundt Cake came from a stack of blueberries I didn't know what to do with yet, gathered on a quiet morning during my summer holiday in Montreal.
One morning, my son, my sister, and I drove out to La Colline aux Bluets, in rural Quebec, to pick blueberries. We left early, before the heat set in while my other kids stayed back home still asleep. I hadn't planned on it being the thing I needed that day, but it was — busy hands, gentle sun, and not much conversation required. Just the three of us, picking our plump little berries quietly for a couple of hours. And no real plan for them beyond "we'll pick as many as we can and figure out what to make with them later."
Well, later turned into this sour cream bundt, dense and tender in the way only sour cream can manage, filled with luscious berries that hadn't traveled further than a car trunk to get here. I made it that same afternoon, back at our Air BnB in Montreal, kitchen windows open, curtains swaying to a slight summer breeze, with the juicy fruit staining my fingertips a light shade of purple.
Serve the Tiramisu Ice Cream dot Cake in a champagne coup for a chic, grown up vibe. Layers of coffee-soaked vanilla sponge and coffee ice cream, chilled hard and finished with a shell of crackling chocolate pearls? I can’t think of anything better…
This rich, chocolate ganache tart is pure indulgent bliss! Filled with a deep velvety chocolate flavor with every bite you take, it’s chocolate lovers dream. For the crust, I use the same dough I use in my homemade oreo cookies. Instead of shaping it into cookies, I roll it into a tart crust. It works perfectly to offset the richness of the chocolate ganache with just the right touch of salty.
