Dutch oven lemon roasted lamb shoulder with potatoes 🍋.

Happy Father’s Day! ❤️ We intended to have a bbq to celebrate today though weather seems to have other plans. So a lamb roast, it is!

How are you celebrating μπαμπά (dad) today?

This recipe also works great with lamb leg and works just as well with a baking tray tightly covered with aluminium foil.

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C. In your Dutch oven add the olive oil along with the onion and garlic. Sauté for approximately 2 minutes before adding the white wine. Allow the alcohol from the wine to cook off for a minute and then add the stock cube or paste, oregano and the lemon juice. Add salt and plenty of pepper.

Pour in the water and place the lamb shoulder into the pot. Spoon liquid over any exposed pieces of lamb. Cover and place the pot in the oven for approximately one 2 hours.

After approximately 2 hours, remove pot and check the lamb is beginning to soften then add the potatoes around the lamb. Place the lid back on and cook for an additional 30 mins or until potatoes are cooked through. Squeeze some extra lemon and enjoy!

 Dutch oven lemon roasted lamb shoulder with potatoes 🍋

I am very excited to present my first savoury recipe tea towel and it's no surprise this design would be my most re-made recipe, Soutzoukakia. Fragrant baked meatballs spiced with cumin and cinnamon in a rich tomato sauce with potatoes.

I really enjoyed the process of creating this design and painting each ingredient that makes this dish so delicious.

Perfect to collect or gift to your loved ones. Made from 100% premium cotton, it’s ultra absorbent and quick drying. Designed and printed in Australia.

Available from the shop gallery tomorrow, Tuesday 31st August at 8pm AEST, shipping worldwide.

As always, thank you for your support 💐💐.

 I am very excited to present my first savoury recipe tea

Cabbage leaf rolls filled with beef, rice & plenty of fresh herbs in an egg lemon sauce. So homely and comforting, it’s childhood on a plate.

Peel away a few outer leaves of the cabbage if they’re damaged or dirty & discard. Cut out the core of the cabbage, place it in a large pot and fill with water, vinegar & salt. Allow it to boil and gently remove the leaves as they pull away from the body and set aside.

For the filling you can either cook the beef fully with 4 tbsp olive oil or keep it raw then combine all ingredients into the one bowl. Set aside & prepare the leaves.

To prepare the leaves, cut out the large vein running through the the leaf, this will make the dolmades easier to roll. Do not discard. Then cut the leaf in half which is now ready to fill. Refer to my highlights to watch a more in-depth description.

Line your large pot with the leaf cut offs & any odd pieces you cannot use to roll. To fill your prepared leaves, add approximately 1.5 Tbsp of filling toward the bottom of the leaf. Begin to roll up, bring in the sides to seal then continue rolling tightly. Place the dolmades seam side down tightly in your pot, fill with water (add stock paste if you wish) until it just reaches the top layer but not fully covering them. Place a plate on top & simmer on medium heat for approximately 1.5 hours or until the rice is cooked.

Prepare the avgolemono by whisking the eggs & lemon until frothy. Scoop out some of the stock from the dolmades and pour it into the egg & lemon whisking vigorously. Pour the avgolemono mixture back into the pot and let it stand for 10-15 minutes before serving.

 LAHANO DOLMADES . Cabbage leaf rolls filled with beef, rice

So many requests from Sunday’s BBQ for this recipe. Recipe to follow shortly, enjoy this vid! 🤩.

Featured is my 🍋 Lemonia tea towel and wooden spoon, available from my website, maryskouzina.com.au .

 RICE 🍚. So many requests from Sunday’s BBQ for this recipe

Fluffy and perfect on the side of any dish. The addition of kritharaki (orzo) is a delicious Middle Eastern addition. This recipe also works perfectly without it if you wish to prepare plain rice.

1 Tbsp vegetable stock paste (you can use a stock cube or liquid stock).

Begin by browning the kritharaki and olive oil over medium high heat. Once browned add the washed rice and toast the rice for a few minutes also. Add the water, stock paste , bay leaves, salt and pepper.

Cover completely and turn the heat down to medium allowing it to simmer until all of the liquid is absorbed, approximately 15 minutes. As soon as you can no longer see any liquid boiling or bubbling, turn the heat off (if left too long, the bottom can burn).

Leave the rice to sit with the lid on for another 10 minutes. Fluff up the rice with a fork and enjoy.

Featured is my hand painted watercolour Lemonia tea towel available from my website, maryskouzina.com.au worldwide 🍋🍋.

 RICE 🍚 . Fluffy and perfect on the side of any dish. The

I used a mixture of Gouda, gruyere and parmesan ✨

 Cheese Omelette & Golden and Crispy 🔥 I used a mixture of

Yesterdays kolokithokeftedes sent my dms into a frenzy. New friends, be sure to check out out my website where all of my recipes are categorised for you to navigate easily. Here’s the recipe with a little ‘how to’ entertainment to go with it. Enjoy!

Don’t forget, you can replace the pumpkin with zucchini too 💚.

5 spring onions - chopped finely (here I used brown onion).

After the pumpkin has been grated, sprinkle a a little salt onto it and place it in a cheese cloth or tea towel to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Combine all ingredients then gently fold through the feta cheese last.

In a large pan drizzled with a little olive oil place a tablespoon amount of mixture onto the hot surface. It’s always best to do one test kolokithokefte first, this way you can check for seasoning and/or if you need to add more flour to stabilise the mix. You’ll know if your mixture needs adjusting if it is difficult to flip in the pan and is a little too soggy once cooked. Once you’ve made the adjustments continue with the rest of the mixture and enjoy!

Featured is my Ble hand painted and designed tea towel, available worldwide on my website, maryskouzina.com.au .

 Yesterdays kolokithokeftedes sent my dms into a frenzy. New

Κουνουπίδι κεφτέδες - Cauliflower fritters.

Resharing this recipe on my grid as requested! These are a must try for vegetarian night and even better with tzatziki!

Break apart the washed cauliflower into florets. Add the cauliflower, onion (roughly chopped), garlic, herbs and capsicum to a food processor and process until everything is combined and very fine. Pour this mixture into a bowl and add the flour, cumin, eggs, the cheeses and salt and pepper (use the salt sparingly as the cheese will add saltiness).

Using a non stick pan, add extra virgin olive oil (enough to shallow fry). Once it’s hot, do a test fritter first to check the seasoning.

Once you’re happy with the taste add a tablespoon amount of cauliflower mix to the pan and fry till golden before flipping. Once they’re ready transfer them onto an absorbent towel and serve with tzatziki.

 Κουνουπίδι κεφτέδες - Cauliflower fritters. Resharing this

Hit the save button cause you’ll want to make it ASAP! 🌶 This recipe also works wonderfully in the oven as a roast too. Be sure to check out my post from November 18, 2020 for the oven roast version. Also accessible from my website under the poultry category.

Combine all ingredients into a food processor and blend completely.

Wash, pat dry and butterfly the chicken. Pour half of the peri peri marinade all over and the chicken leaving it to marinate for a few hours in the fridge.

With the other half of the marinade, pour it into a small saucepan and cook it over medium high heat for 5-10 minutes to cook the ingredients. Set aside until serving.

Cook the whole chicken flat on your bbq until ready and serve with the peri peri sauce. Be sure to keep some distance between the chicken and your hot coals when barbecuing, this way it doesn’t cook to quick, burn or remain raw on the inside.

 BBQ PERI PERI CHICKEN. Hit the save button cause you’ll

Looking forward to having visitors post lockdown! The number one requested coffee is a Freddo Cappuccino, of course.

Made using the kalko ice frappe appliance from

_frappe_aus . Makes the best freddos every time! I mean look at that frothy cold milk 🥤.

Kalimera! ☀️ find a full how to make Freddo in the next post.

 Looking forward to having visitors post lockdown! The

 Breakfast 🍳 #delicious #breakfast #sydneyeats #sydney

My husband thought he’d capture what, “Afew things from the shops” looked like 🤣.

1. The reason I’m so passionate about Greek cooking is because it keeps me closely connected to my heritage. I want to encourage people to cook where they come from, introduce the younger gen to cultural flavours and pass down the recipes our grandparents and parents brought us up with 🙏.

2. I’ve been cooking since the age of 12. My mum went back to work and food was no longer waiting for us after school. So I decided to get food started for her when she got home. The first thing I ever cooked for my family was, Ψαρόσουπα (fish soup). I continued to cook for my family up until the day I was married and moved out ❤️❤️.

3. I spent four years at National Art School practicing as a Ceramic artist 👩🏽‍🎨🏺. I mastered a technique called Reduced Lustre that began in the 9th Century AD in the Middle East. I’m also a painter, drawer and high school Visual Arts teacher 👩🏽‍🏫.

4. It took me almost two years to get the one macaron recipe correct. For anyone learning, the secret is not in the recipe but in your method 👌.

5. It’s difficult to be a practicing ceramic artist in suburban Sydney, I’d have to live in the Southern Highlands to perform ceramic firings. This is why cake has become my new art form temporarily 🎂🧁 🍰. A mix of food an art? Yes please 🤩🤩.

 My husband thought he’d capture what, “Afew things from the

Still loving these Reels! 🤩. Beef with green beans in an aromatic Greek style tomato sauce 🍅 🌿. Recipe can be found in the previous post 📖. Happy Tuesday!

 Still loving these Reels! 🤩. Beef with green beans in an

The Christmas baking continues as I made Αμυγδαλωτa Amygdalota today.

Almond cookies with orange blossom and rose water.

Perfect with a cafedaki (coffee) after a Christmas feast. 🎄 .

 The Christmas baking continues as I made Αμυγδαλωτa

Today I was in my element making fresh pasta. Beautiful Orecchetti prepared for dinner tonight. 🍝 👩🏻‍🍳 .

 Today I was in my element making fresh pasta. Beautiful

Good morning! Kalimeraaa!! Some Galaktaboureko for your Saturday morning 🥧. Felt cute, so I thought I’d repost 🤤.

Still enjoying the holiday period with my family ☀️. I will be getting back into sharing lots of cooking very soon 👩🏻‍🍳.

Enjoy this extremely satisfying vid! You can find the recipe in my feed 📖 .

 Good morning! Kalimeraaa!! Some Galaktaboureko for your

Lentil and trahana fritters inspired by our very favourite

_petretzikis . Watching his journey travelling in Lefkada and other parts of Greece, exploring many areas and their specialties inspired me to create something similar to one of his recipes. If you know me you know I love my fritters! This here is a variation of his recipe using the trahana and lentils as the base for the fritters I created today.

1 handful chopped mint, parsley and dill.

1/4 cup of aquafaba (canned chick pea water or you can use two eggs).

Check out my highlights to follow the full method to create these crispy, crunchy and soft fritakia 🤩.

 Lentil and trahana fritters inspired by our very favourite

 joined me in my kouzina for the day. We chatted all things Greek food whilst she photographed me preparing one of my favourite and most remade dish on Instagram, Soutzoukakia mai patates (spiced meat balls baked with potatoes topped with an aromatic tomato sauce).

I must say, I was a little out of my comfort zone but as we chatted I began to feel comfortable and relaxed. It was a great experience to be able spend the day with food lovers like Lucy and

Like Julia Child once said. "Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it." And I thank these ladies for their support 💗. Be sure to check out

 online to see the array of photo essays Lucy has captured. She is truly something else 📸 .

 Last year, @lucyleonardiphotography from @whodoesthedishes 

Happy Saturday, insta fam! 🌞 How about some of Despina’s Galopita with your cafedaki ☕️🥤. In the past I’ve described it as just like eating the semolina custard in galaktaboureko except this is a little more dense and perfect to grab and go when you’re in need of something a little sweet!

In a pot over medium heat add milk, semolina, and sugar and stir frequently till warm. Now use a whisk as the semolina will begin to thicken, add the vanilla and continuously whisk. Once mixture has thickened significantly whisk in the butter until it dissolves then whisk in the eggs. The mixture should resemble a custard like consistency.

Transfer to a well greased tray 12 or 14” tray, sprinkle with cinnamon and bake for approximately 50 mins at 170 c (it will develop a thin crust). Remove from oven allow to cool then refrigerate (the galopita needs to set). Once cooled dust with more cinnamon and use a sharp knife to cut slices and enjoy with coffee.

 Happy Saturday, insta fam! 🌞 How about some of Despina’s

One of my favourite Greek sweets, Semolina Halva with almond, walnuts and cinnamon. Usually eaten during fasting periods, as it is a vegan dessert but I enjoy it all year round 🤤.

I have received the strictest orders from my Yiayia that I am not allowed to ever make halva! She considers it dangerous and something I should not attempt unless she’s around 🤣. Why? Because the sugar and semolina boil to a higher temperature to reach a thick consistency which causes it to spit and burn.

(But I know it’s because she really just enjoys making it for me 🥰🥰🥰).

 One of my favourite Greek sweets, Semolina Halva with

A week or two ago ago I posted the tomato based version of, Aginares mai araka (artichokes with peas). I received many requests to also share the lemon version that we love and enjoy also 🌿🍋. So, here it is! Happy cooking!

1kg pack of frozen artichokes, peas and carrots. I use

 . (You could definitely find these separately and use fresh carrot or artichokes).

Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil over medium high heat till soft. Add artichokes, peas and carrots as well as potatoes and half the fresh dill. Cook for about 5 minutes mixing occasionally.

Add the three cups of water and the bouillon cube. Season with salt and pepper.

Turn the heat down to medium and cook with the lid on for about 20-30 mins until half the water has reduced and potatoes have begun to soften.

Now add lemon the juice and continue to cook fully covered until the remainder of water reduces and somewhat thickens (between 10-20mins). Taste and season! 🧂if necessary.

Garnish with plenty of fresh dill and cracked pepper. ENJOY!

 A week or two ago ago I posted the tomato based version of

Cooked in red wine vinegar till soft, then grilled for a beautiful char🔥served with a splash of fresh lemon juice 🍋.

 Greek style octopus 🐙. Cooked in red wine vinegar till

Μανέστρα {Manestra} - Kritheraki / Orzo cooked in a red sauce 🍅🍅.

Simple ingredients that make such a great side dish or main meal if you love pasta like I do 🤤.

4 cups of water – you may need additional.

In a pot over a medium-high heat, add the olive oil, onion and garlic and sauté for approximately 2 minutes or until soft. Add tomato, bay leaves, oregano, water and bring to the boil.

Once the ingredients have come to the boil, turn the heat down to a medium heat and add the kritheraki (depending on your pot, you may need to frequently stir if it is a not non-stick pan). Add salt and pepper and cook for approximately 15-20 minutes or until the kritheraki has cooked through. During the cooking process the sauce will become thick, if it becomes too thick before the kritheraki has cooked, you will need to add additional water.

When ready, serve immediately as manestra tends to thicken as it cools 🍅🍅.

 Μανέστρα {Manestra} - Kritheraki / Orzo cooked in a red

Κοτό σουπα Αυγολέμονο (Kotosoupa Avgolemano) 🍋 🍋 .

Our family has a little tradition. Each time someone comes back from an overseas trip, we make beautiful egg lemon chicken soup for them to come home to.

Such a comforting dish, we believe it nourishes the body.

It’s Greek chicken soup for the soul. .

 Κοτό σουπα Αυγολέμονο (Kotosoupa Avgolemano) 🍋 🍋 . Our

Yiayias Sfougato. Something yiayia would make for us growing up and she still continues to do so ❤️.

If you’d like to see how yiayia makes this dish, you can find it in the highlight titled ‘Yiayias 🥔 🍳’. The ingredients for the Sfougato pictured are:

You can add cheese into the egg mix before pouring or even sprinkle feta cheese on top 🤤🤤.

 Yiayias Sfougato. Something yiayia would make for us

Αρακά με αγκινάρες! Peas with artichoke hearts. My sister and I were never a fan of peas growing up. I guess as we got older we got over it and just took our parents advice. “Σκάσε και φάε!“ (Shut up and eat) 😂.

 Αρακά με αγκινάρες! Peas with artichoke hearts. My sister

Χταπόδι Τουρσί - Pickled Octopus 🐙 🥕.

We always have a variety of mezzedes on our table. Olives, taramasalata or pickled veggies to name a few. This would have to be one of our favourites. It’s brilliant alongside dishes such as Spanakorizo and Fakies and many more.

1:1 quantities water and white vinegar. Depending on the size of the jar you’re using.

Enough olive oil to cover the surface of the jar once filled with the octopus and the pickle.

Add your washed, tenderised and uncut octopus to a pot along with water over medium high heat. Cook with the lid on for about 1 hour or until the octopus has softened. The octopus will release its own water as well which is why you don’t need much.

Once it has softened, remove from the pot and cut the legs of the baby octopus or if you’re using a large octopus, cut the tentacles into chunks and set aside. Once octopus has slightly cooled add it to your sterilised jar along with the carrot, celery, garlic and oregano.

Combine the water and vinegar and bring it to the boil. Whilst hot, pour the liquid into the jar of octopus and vegetables and pour a layer of olive oil approximately 1-2cm thick over the surface.

Seal your jar and  allow it to cool before placing it in the refrigerator. Allow the octopus for pickle for a week before opening.

Enjoy as a meze and eat within 10 days 🐙.

Note: the octopus might produce a jelly like substance when served straight from the fridge, this turns back into liquid at room temp.

 Χταπόδι Τουρσί - Pickled Octopus 🐙 🥕. We always have a

Super simple and sooo comforting. A winner every time, we absolutely love it. Don’t forget the bread! 🥖.

1 organic vegetable bullion cube (you could also use vegetable or chicken stock).

Note: You can add the pumpkin two ways to your soup. Roast it with a drizzle of olive oil until caramelised and charred or add straight to the pot raw. I’ve tried both ways and love each outcome.

Add olive oil, onion, garlic and chilli to a pot over medium heat and sauté till soft.

Add pumpkin (roasted or raw) along with potatoes, bay leaves, bullion cube and water (as much as you need to just cover all ingredients in the pot).

Continue to cook on medium high heat until potatoes start to soften, break down and water starts to thicken. Remove bay leaves.

Use a stick or stand blender that is safe to use with hot contents to blend all ingredients (if you’re using a stand blender, be sure to portion each batch ensuring you don’t overfill your blender).

Once blended, if you feel the consistency is too runny or watery, return soup to the heat and cook stirring occasionally to allow excess water to reduce until you’ve reached your desired soup thickness. Check for seasoning and enjoy! 🧡🧡

 Vegan pumpkin soup 🥣. Super simple and sooo comforting. A

Chicken & Prawn Paella 🥘 🇪🇸 Suuppper tastey!🤤🤤🤤 Onion and Garlic

I made my own prawn stock from the shells which took this dish to 💯 💯 💯 !! I wouldn’t even bother with quantities of ingredients, can’t go wrong!!👌👌

 Chicken & Prawn Paella 🥘 🇪🇸 Suuppper tastey!🤤🤤🤤 Onion and

Quinoa stuffed peppers and tomatoes🍅🌶.

We’ve been quite indulgent these past few nights during dinner. Tonight we’re taking a step back and enjoying a healthy vegan meal with tones of fresh mint, parsley and dill together with crushed tomato pine nuts. Perfect👌.

Our vegan days have been a little inconsistent as well, time to get back into our alternating days 🌱 🌿.

 Quinoa stuffed peppers and tomatoes🍅🌶. We’ve been quite

Baked salmon with lemon potatoes. You know I love my lemon 🍋 it’s ones of my fav ingredients 🤷‍♀️. Tonights one tray wonder is nice and simple with few ingredients. All you need is:

Head to my Instagram highlights to watch how I prepare this, it’s an easy one! 👌👌.

 Baked salmon with lemon potatoes. You know I love my lemon

Sydney, you were beautful today. And for that reason... 🐟 🥗 ☀️ .