GreekIsh, a new cookbook by Georgina Hayden, explores simplified Greek and Mediterranean recipes. The recipes are firmly rooted in Greek food and culture, but Hayden describes them as being family-friendly and 'low-effort, high-reward dishes' still full of flavor. If you're a fan of Milk Street Mediterranean or Meals Made Simple, you'll love this book.
I received this book for free from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. While I haven't cooked from this book, I evaluated its usability, recipe structure, and overall appeal.
Author
Georgina Hayden is a cook, food writer and food stylist from London. She is the author of four cookbooks in total, GreekIsh being the most recently published. Per her biography, she grew up above her grandparents' Greek Cypriot taverna, which greatly influenced her love of cooking and the recipes she makes.
Mission
This book is meant to help the average home cook find easy Greek recipes to add to their weeknight rotations. Some show-stopping recipes would work well when hosting or for special occasions. She also provides a list of menus for all sorts of events, from fancy parties to daily dinners.
GreekIsh certainly succeeds in being a useful resource for the average person cooking for their family. The book is laid out nicely and the section dividers list what to expect in each section. Photographs are beautiful and generally show a styled final dish, so if you are one to compare, this book would work well for you.
Her language and tone are very informal, which continues to make the book feel like home. Each recipe has a story, either what it means to the author personally or how beloved the recipe is to the Greek Cypriot community. Overall, it's a great book with unique recipes for a home cook to try daily.
The one thing that the book is missing, in my opinion, is a total time count on the recipe page. Even a general estimate helps a home cook gauge how long they need to start if they need dinner on the table at a certain time.
Audience
Any seasoned home cook would enjoy adding GreekIsh to their library. Fans of Mediterranean or Greek cooking would also find this book enjoyable to cook through. If you're looking for advanced, technical recipes to further your cooking skills or extremely basic skills to learn how to cook better, this is not the book for you.
FAQ
Yes, definitely.
GreekIsh has moderate recipes. None of the techniques are too advanced, but it doesn't go through basic techniques step by step. It assumes the reader knows how to mince garlic or do other foundational culinary skills. The recipes don't feature intense skills though in order to be able to create a dinner recipe.
Recipes are labeled as vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free and gluten-free when applicable.
The photos that are included are beautifully styled. Most recipes are included somewhere in the photos, though some sections are far more clear than others about what is being made. A couple of recipes have some in-depth photos of the process of cooking, but the vast majority of photos are of a finished product.
No unique tools are obvious. General Dutch ovens, knives and kitchen implements are necessary, but all are likely present in a well-stocked kitchen or easy to order from a local store.
Ingredients are generally easily found at an average grocery store. There are 2-3 specific Mediterranean ingredients that could be hard to source if you do not have a good international grocery store near you, but they are only necessary for a few recipes and have alternatives that are more likely to be found.
GreekIsh has 120 recipes.
To-Make List
Youvetsi: a meat and orzo stew (pg 175). Pulled chicken gyro (pg 168). Psari plaki: baked fish with tomatoes and olives (pg 158). Filo-wrapped feta with spiced honey (pg 64). Patates antinahtes: pan-fried potatoes (pg 194).
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