Three easy Greek recipes to try, including one-pot chicken thighs and rice

Enjoy a taste of the Mediterranean with these vibrant recipes from Georgina Hayden

These Greek recipes are perfect for cooking ahead, weeknight dinners and relaxed weekend meals. Pictures: Laura Edwards

Growing up above her grandparents’ Greek-Cypriot taverna, Georgina Hayden developed a love of cooking and storytelling through the recipes passed down to her.

Inspired by her Greek-Cypriot roots and Greek travels, the cook, food writer and stylist from north London made her name writing for multiple publications and winning the Fortnum & Mason Best Cookery Writer Award in 2021 for her delicious work.

Greekish, her fourth cookbook, is a collection of vibrant, modern recipes that are easy to throw together, bursting with flavour and showcasing familiar Mediterranean ingredients in both classic and unusual combinations. With fewer ingredients and less stress, they are perfect for cooking ahead, weeknight dinners and relaxed weekend meals. 

Georgina’s ‘Greekish’ everyday recipes are all about low effort with maximum results, reflecting the communal and welcoming personality of Greek food.

Skordostoumbi pasta: Roasted aubergine tomato, garlic, and feta pasta

Skordostoumbi is super simple but looks impressive, and makes an excellent sauce for pasta.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 45 mins

Total Time

 60 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1 aubergine

• 6 garlic cloves

• 400g cherry tomatoes

• 1 tsp caster sugar

• 1 tsp Aleppo pepper (or ½ tsp dried red chilli flakes)

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 5 tbsp olive oil

• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

• 200g block of feta

• 350g spaghetti or linguine (gluten-free, if needed)

• ½ bunch basil

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6. Trim the aubergine and peel off most of the skin — I use a peeler to remove it in strips. Cut the flesh into 2cm cubes and place in a large roasting tray.

2. Crush the garlic cloves with the side of your knife, leaving them in their skins. Add to the tray with the cherry tomatoes, caster sugar, Aleppo pepper, and most of the dried oregano. Season everything generously and drizzle with four tablespoons of the olive oil and all the red wine vinegar. Really massage in the flavours.

3. Nestle the feta in the middle of all the ingredients, drizzle with the remaining olive oil, scatter over the rest of the dried oregano, and pop the tray into the oven. Roast for 40–45 minutes, until the vegetables are charred and blistered and the feta is golden around the edges.

4. When the vegetables are almost ready, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions until al dente (or how you like it). Pick and roughly tear or chop the basil leaves. When the pasta is nearly done, remove the tray from the oven.

5. Scoop out about 200ml of the starchy pasta water and mix with the vegetables and feta in the tray, really crushing in the garlic (removing the skins) and breaking up the feta.

6. Drain the pasta, reserving the water. Toss the pasta through the tray, adding a further 100–150ml of the pasta water, until the juices are creamy and oozy. Finish with the torn basil leaves and serve straight away.

 

One-pot Chicken Thighs & Rice

However you have it, it’s very good.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 50 mins

Total Time

 60 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 6 large chicken thighs, skin-on and bone-in

• 2 lemons, plus extra to serve (optional)

• 4 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra

• 2 tsp garlic powder

• 2 tsp dried oregano

• 2 tsp sea salt, plus extra to taste

• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus extra to taste

• 20g unsalted butter

• 75g vermicelli (or fine rice noodles)

• 250g long grain rice

• 750ml chicken stock

• 2 red chillies

• 1 garlic clove

• 200g feta

• 150g Greek yoghurt

• 100g mayonnaise

• 40g kefalotyri or pecorino

Method

1. Place the chicken thighs in a large mixing bowl. Finely grate in the zest from one lemon. Squeeze in the juice, then add two tablespoons of the olive oil, the garlic powder, dried oregano, sea salt and black pepper.

2. Toss together well, really massaging the flavours into the chicken skin. (If you can, marinate the chicken in advance, and store it covered in the fridge for a couple of hours.) When you are ready to cook the chicken, preheat your oven to 210°C/190°C fan/gas mark 6½. Take an ovenproof frying pan or flameproof casserole that’s wide enough to comfortably fit the chicken and drizzle in two tablespoons of olive oil.

3. Add the chicken thighs, skin-side down, and place on a medium heat. You want to start in a cold pan, so that the fat renders and the skin starts to turn golden.

4. You’re not cooking it through at this stage. When the skin is bronzing and starting to crisp, remove the chicken and leave, skin-side up, on a plate.

5. Add the butter to the pan, crush in the vermicelli and fry for three to four minutes, until deep golden-brown. Add the rice and stir thoroughly for a couple of minutes, so it gets coated in the butter, then pour in the chicken stock.

6. Season generously and bring to the boil for a few minutes, then nestle in the chicken, so the meat is submerged in the stock but the skin is above the surface, so it can crisp up. Place the pan in the oven and cook for 35–40 minutes, until the rice is tender and the chicken is browned, crisp-skinned and cooked through. (Check it after about 15–20 minutes, and top up with 200ml of water, if it looks like it’s drying out.)

7. While the chicken is in the oven, make the dip. Halve, deseed and finely slice the chillies. Peel and finely slice the garlic. Place a small pan on a medium heat, add enough oil to just cover the base and fry the chillies and garlic for a minute or so, just till lightly golden, then remove from the heat.

8. Break the feta up in a bowl and mash in the Greek yoghurt. Using a fork will be easiest, it’ll bit a little grainy but keep going. Stir in the mayonnaise and finely grate in the kefalotyri. Finely grate in the zest of the remaining lemon. Stir the fried chilli and garlic into the feta dip and squeeze in the juice of half of the lemon. Mix everything well. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more lemon, salt and pepper as needed.

9. Serve the chicken and rice with the dip on the side or drizzled over the top, perhaps with some lemon wedges. However you have it, it’s very good.

 

Sticky Aubergine, Pomegranate & Herb Tart

This upside-down tart is a simple way to nail the dense but yielding texture that makes good aubergine dishes so desirable. It is vegan, if you use dairy-free pastry, and lacking in no way (but you could crumble over some feta if you like)

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 40 mins

Total Time

 50 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 2 large or 3 medium aubergines

• 20g flaked almonds

• 4 tbsp olive oil

• 2 garlic cloves

• 1–2 green chillies

• 3 tbps pomegranate molasses

• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

• 2 tbsp caster sugar

• 500g puff pastry

• ½ pomegranate

• ½ bunch each of coriander and mint

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas mark 7. Trim the aubergines, use a peeler to remove some of the skin in strips and slice the flesh into 2.5cm slices.

2. Place a large ovenproof frying pan or shallow casserole (about 30cm diameter) on a medium heat and toast the flaked almonds for a few minutes, until golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.

3. Add three tablespoons of the olive oil to the pan and, in batches if needed, fry the aubergine slices for about three minutes on each side until lightly browned. Add more oil as you go, if needed.

4. Peel and finely slice the garlic and finely slice the chillies. Whisk the pomegranate molasses, red wine vinegar, caster sugar, garlic and half the chilli together in a small bowl. When the aubergine is ready, remove to a plate. Pour the pomegranate sauce into the pan, bring to the boil, then simmer for two minutes, until reduced and sticky. Remove from the heat and replace the aubergine slices in the pan. Roll out the puff pastry so it is a bit larger than the pan, drape it over the top and carefully tuck down the inside of the pan.

5. Prick the top with a fork and place the pan in the oven for 25 minutes, until deep golden on top and bubbling at the edges.

6. While the tart is in the oven, pick the pomegranate seeds and pick and roughly chop the herbs. Toss with the remaining sliced green chilli and toasted flaked almonds. When the tart is ready, remove and leave to rest for a minute before carefully turning out on a board or platter.

7. Sprinkle over the herby pomegranate and nuts, then slice and serve.

Extract taken from Greekish: Everyday recipes with Greek roots by Georgina Hayden (Bloomsbury Publishing, £26 Hardback)