My Greek Family Table

Description

Greek-Australian Maria Benardis welcomes you to her table to enjoy Greek food the way her family has always done. In these 100 recipes, passed down the generations, you will find time-honoured classics such as moussaka and souvlakia, as well as modern adaptations of traditional dishes - spicy ouzo keftedes and filo pizza with lamb. Alongside are the intimate tales of family life: an aunt learning to make Greek Easter bread in war-ravaged Kalamata; a generation of relatives arriving to make a new home in Australia, their suitcases bulging with their beloved ingredients; the author as a child keeping a secret vegie garden on the island of Psara. My Greek Family Table is a personal invitation to experience all the depth and flavour of Greek food and the wonderful spirit of kerasma - the offering of food to those we love.

Author description

Maria Benardis was born to Greek immigrants in Australia, but at the age of three was sent to live on the island of Psara, Greece, with her grandmother, because her mother was gravely ill. As a teenager she returned to Australia, but Maria kept going back to visit the islands of Greece that are home to her extended family. She lives and breathes Greek culture and tradition, and is a passionate ambassador of its cuisine, running her own Greek cooking school in Sydney. A note from the editor: This book is as inviting to read as it is to cook from. The intriguing family stories woven through the recipe text reminds me of Tessa Kiros's Falling Cloudberries.