1. Lentil tabbouleh

Ingredients
200 g puy lentils
1 bunch of spring onions
200 g ripe cherry tomatoes
1 large bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 large bunch of fresh mint
extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon

Method
Rinse the lentils, then cook in plenty of salted water until tender. Drain and set aside to cool.
Trim and finely slice the spring onions, halve the tomatoes, then pick and finely chop the herb leaves.
Mix the cooled lentils with the spring onions, tomatoes, herbs and 4 tablespoons of oil. Add the lemon juice to taste, season with sea salt and black pepper, then serve.

1. Beef stifado

Ingredients
1.5 kg stewing beef, such as chuck or top rump , trimmed, cut into 7cm pieces
24 baby onions
4 ripe tomatoes , or 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon tomato purée
MARINADE
3 cloves of garlic
2-3 fresh bay leaves
1½ teaspoons allspice berries
6 whole cloves
1-2 sticks of cinnamon
1 teaspoon dried oregano
125 ml dry red wine
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Method
Place the beef in a large non-reactive bowl. Add the marinade ingredients, peeling and finely slicing the garlic first, then cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or preferably overnight.
Peel the baby onions. If using fresh, peel and roughly chop the tomatoes.
Heat the oil over medium heat in a large saucepan and sauté the onions for 5 minutes or until softened. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Sauté the beef, reserving the marinade, for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until browned on all sides.
Return the onions to the saucepan, add the marinade, tomatoes and tomato purée and enough water to just cover the stew.
Season generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to the boil then simmer for 1½ to 2 hours, or until the beef is tender and the sauce has thickened.
Serve with pasta and grated hard chee

1. Gorgeous Greek chicken

Ingredients
1 red pepper
6 spring onions
20 g black olives
100 g ripe cherry tomatoes
170 g couscous
½ a cucumber
2 free-range chicken breasts
olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 lemon
100 g fat-free natural yoghurt
½ a bunch of fresh mint (15g)
1 carrot
extra virgin olive oil

Method
Fill a small pan with water, place over a medium heat and bring to the boil.
Meanwhile, halve, deseed and finely chop the pepper. Trim and finely slice the spring onions. Bash the olives and tear out the stones, if needed, then roughly chop. Halve the cherry tomatoes, then place it all into a large bowl and set aside.
Place the couscous into a bowl, cover with 250ml of the boiling water. Cover with a plate and set aside.
While the couscous is steaming, coarsely grate the cucumber into a small bowl, add a pinch of sea salt and leave for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the chicken on a plate. Drizzle over 1 teaspoon of olive oil, the oregano and a pinch of black pepper. Finely grate over the lemon zest, then turn the chicken over to coat.
Using clean hands, gently squeeze the moisture from the grated cucumber into the sink, then return to the bowl. Stir in the yoghurt, a good squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of pepper. Pick and finely chop the mint leaves, then stir half into the yoghurt mixture.
Using a speed-peeler, peel the carrot, then continue shaving it into long ribbons. Place into a small bowl, season with a pinch of salt and pepper and add a good squeeze of lemon juice.
Heat a non-­stick frying pan on a medium-high heat.
Meanwhile, fluff up the couscous with a fork, then add stir through the chopped vegetables with the remaining chopped mint. Add 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil and the juice of half a lemon. Stir well and season to taste with black pepper.
Place the chicken into the hot pan and fry for 10 minutes, or until cooked through, turning from time to time, then slice into rough strips.
Divide the couscous between plates, top with the carrot salad and chicken, then serve with the tzatziki.

1. Horiatiki salad

Ingredients
125 g greek feta
2 green peppers
1 cucumber
1 small red onion
5 ripe tomatoes
1 handful of kalamata olives
1 tesapoon dried oregano
3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3-4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Method
Crumble the feta into chunks, deseed and slice the peppers, and peel and slice the cucumber and onion. Slice the tomatoes.
Combine all the ingredients except the oregano, oil and vinegar in a salad bowl.
Just before serving, sprinkle the salad with the oregano, season with freshly ground black pepper and dress with the oil and red wine vinegar.Mixed nut & honey baklava
Sweet filo pastry treats
Ingredients
100 g walnuts
100 g almonds
100 g pistachios
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
200 g butter
2 X 270g packets (12 sheets) of filo pastry
300 g sugar
100 ml Greek honey
1 cinnamon stick
2 strips of orange zest