A rapid-fire Q&A with cookbook author Georgina Hayden left me hungry for Greek food.
Because I look at so many cookbooks each year, I’ve become more selective.
Most cookbooks get just a handful of Post-Its.
Simply Recipes / Photo Illustration by Wanda Abraham / Kristin Perers
Georgina Hayden’s cookbook,Greekish, on the other hand, kept me busy.
I flagged the very first recipe in the book (Burnt Butter Eggs and Goat’s Cheeseyum!)
I believe that there’s a sweet spot for most recipes at the intersection of effort and flavor.
My highly-flagged copy of ‘Greekish’.Simply Recipes / Megan Scott
Or call it an effort-to-flavor ratio.
In other words, how good can you make something taste while still keeping it easy and attainable?
Georgina Hayden has mastered this ratio.
From her filo-wrapped feta with spiced honey to her one-pan (!)
Simply Recipes / Megan Scott
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Weeknight, post-work, school friendly.
Less tied up with authenticity and more about taking hero flavours and having fun with them.
Its a bit Greek, but also a lot of other stuff.
What is the first recipe someone should make from your cookbook and why?The one-pan pastitsio.
It is one of the first recipes I developed and is what I wanted to base the book on.
Also the baklava cheesecake because it is delicious!
What is one recipe from your cookbook you keep making over and over again?The youvetsi.
I use short rib of beef in mine and honestly I just think it is stunning.
Effortless and perfect when you have guests over.
Whats your favorite kitchen tool and why?I adore my microplane grater.
Lemon zest becomes snow.
Whats your most-used pan?
It gives the best flavour, and colour, plus it goes in the oven.
I love charred spicy tomato prawns finished with feta.
It’s a great combothere is a recipe inGreekishfor this in kebab form.
?I will eat whatever you cook for me.
I am just grateful that someone else is doing the cooking!
The simpler and more homely the better.
I’ll always prefer someone’s mother’s cooking to a fine dining restaurant.
If I like you, youre getting that.
Whats your go-to midnight snack?Houmous, chilli crisp oil, and a fried egg.
Whats the one food you could eat over and over?Halloumi and apricot jam sandwiches.
Whats your go-to emergency dinner?Pilafi, a Greek Cypriot way of cooking bulgur wheat.
you’ve got the option to add any protein you might have or just eat as is!
Things like kleftiko, or my favourite tava, are on rotation in the summer months.
That would be a dream to write about.
