![Summer pasta salad]()
While it looks like rice, orzo, risoni or "
kritharaki" in Greek, (meaning little barley) is a form of pasta in the shape of large grains of rice. Here Greek cook and author Maria Benardis shares a fresh and easy summer salad using
kritharaki.
Pasta has its origins in Asia and then it spread to Europe including Greece. Greece has many pasta based dishes and risoni is one of the many varieties widely used in Greece.
In Greek cookery it is often added to soups, baked dishes cooked in a “
youvetsi” (clay pot), or braised dishes.
Traditionally you will not see
kritharaki in salads; however this is how I enjoy this pasta in the summer months.
I sometimes use
kritharaki instead of rice in my “
gemista” (stuffed vegetables).
We continue our journey through the city of Istanbul with Somer Sivrioglu from Sydney’s Efendy Restaurant. Somer tells us how to find the best food in the city, and speaks about the local fish industry, as well as sharing tips on how to cook fresh fish. Here he gives us a recipe for duck breast covered with a sour pomegranate sauce.
While it looks like rice, orzo, risoni or "kritharaki" in Greek, (meaning little barley) is a form of pasta in the shape of large grains of rice. Here Greek cook and author Maria Benardis shares a fresh and easy summer salad using kritharaki.
Bread making was passed on to Greece from the Egyptians and then the Greeks taught the Romans how to make bread. The Ancient Greeks considered bread making an early mark of civilisation that lifted them above other people. The Romans were unfamiliar with bread until they met the Greeks. They favoured gruel (porridge). The Romans grew to love Greek bread so highly that almost all the bakers in the entire Roman Empire were Greeks. Author and chef Maria Benardis of 
When you say “kebab” most Australians think of a doner kebab, shaved meat wrapped in flat bread with additions of salad and sauce. Here we discover what a traditional Turkish kebab is, originating from the Gaziantep region: chunks of meltingly sweet lamb mixed with pistachio nuts, cooked on a charcoal BBQ and served with a smoked eggplant and garlic yoghurt sauce, as explained by 
This thick pea soup with smoked sausage is best made a day ahead, so that the flavours intensify. Soak the peas overnight, changing the water about every 4 hours.
To make egg sandwich, mash eggs with chopped butter and 1 tbsp mayonnaise, and season with salt and pepper. Spread 4 slices of pumpernickel with the remaining 2 tbsp mayonnaise. Top each with egg salad and dill, and season with pepper.
In Bosnia, 
Host nation Azerbaijan is sure to introduce lots of visitors to their national dish of saffron rice topped with meltingly tender lamb.
For best results, it is important that the kitchen space and all the ingredients are warm when preparing the dough.
Preheat oven to 160°C. Place milk and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 6 minutes or until butter melts. Combine breadcrumbs, 60g sugar and lemon zest in a bowl. Pour over milk mixture and stand for 30 minutes. Stir in egg yolks until combined. Pour into a greased shallow 2L baking dish and bake for 30 minutes or until just firm to touch. Spoon over jam and spread to cover.
“My family would travel by car from Zaragoza to Madrid for Christmas. On the way, we would stop in Medinaceli to eat a bowl of this garlic soup. Temperatures drop at that time of year, so a hot bowl of soup was welcome,” says Pablo. You will need 6 x 10cm deep ramekins.
The word plaki comes from the word plak, which means “flat”. Plak was the name of the Ancient Greek griddle stone that worked like a flat oven for food to be cooked on. From this we derive the English words “plate” and “platter”, as well as other words which all still mean “flat”.
You cannot think of Greece and not have images of seafood and shots of ouzo by the seaside. Mainland Greece and its islands are fortunate to be surrounded by sea and an abundance of wonderful seafood. This includes mussels.
The word rice derives from the Greek word 
