Warm Octopus, Beans and Fennel Salad

 

Octopus has a unique texture, much “meatier” than that of its’ relative the squid. It requires a longer blanching and cooking time, which is why I don’t often use it.
However, as I’ve read somewhere that when it is blanched, cut into smaller pieces, frozen and thawed, it requires much shorter cooking time – I’ve decided to give this option a try.

Pasta Salad With Broccoli and Feta Cheese

Finding a new, at least for me, type of pasta, was a good enough reason to think about making pasta salad, which I haven’t made much during the extra hot days of summer.

This type of pasta, called “Mafalda” looks like a mini version of the larger lasagna pasta sheets, with their crinkly edges. I thought this unique shape could work well in a salad.

Savory Puff Pastry Pinwheels and Cheese Dip

The following crispy puff pastry pinwheels, are loaded with colorful and flavorful Mediterranean ingredients, that complement each other beautifully: garlic cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, Feta cheese, oil cured black olives, sun dried tomatoes, and fresh rosemary and thyme – all create an aromatic and tasty filling for the buttery crispy dough.

Turkey Patties with Mushrooms, Parsley and Sun Dried Tomatoes

Although I rarely use store ground meat, I’ve had good experience with a local farm product of ground dark turkey meat, and decided to use it once more. This time again, I wanted to add some bold flavors to the somewhat bland meat, and at the same time, add more interesting texture to the patties.

Pan Fried Gulf Shrimp with Tomatoes, Anchovies and Capers Sauce

Hot summer days mean quick to prepare light dishes, and the one I have here is a good example of that. The sauce can be cooked in less than 15 minutes, the shrimps cook quickly, and a tasty dish is served in no time.

Angel Hair Pasta with Lobster Tail and Lemony Sun Dried tomatoes and Capers Butter Sauce

Whenever I prepare lobster rolls (click HERE for the recipe), I cook one or two extra lobster tails, to use in different dishes.
This time, I decided to use the cooked lobster in a quick and light pasta dish. I opted for a lemony butter sauce, as the lemon beautifully complements the somewhat sweetish flavor of the lobster meat, and butter, as it simply makes everything better.

Chicken Breast with Lemon Cream Sauce

This colorful, quick and tasty “all in one pan” dish, can be prepared in about half an hour. It is heartwarming and bursting with bold flavors – just perfect for a cold day.

Goat Cheese Mini Quiches

These beautiful and tasty goat cheese quiches will fill your kitchen with amazing aroma, and even more so, if you choose to use the mature goat cheese on top of the fresh one in the filling.

Corn Muffins with Italian Sausage and Goat Cheese

These quick and easy to prepare corn muffins, are the perfect breakfast or brunch bread. They are moist and crumbly, savory and a bit sweet and hot at the same time, and with the added sausage and goat cheese, they make a meal on their own. For brunch, or light lunch, serve them with a green salad, or with a bowl of light soup.

Bread Roulade with Bacon-Onion Chutney

This tasty bread is the result of an inspiring post by Nancy from the lovely “Feasting with Friends” blog, combined with some leftover spelt and semolina pizza dough I had in my fridge (recipe for which was posted here a couple of months ago).

Colorful Chicken Patties

These colorful tasty chicken patties are great for summer, as they can be served warm or cold.