Official Website of Theo Michaels
Theo Michaels – Chef | Author | TV
Have a listen to my first ever podcast with the lovely Gilly Smith for one of Delicious Magazines ‘How to cook like…’ series.
Listen to the sizzle and spits of me cooking two recipes from my new book Orexi and chatting all things Greek, family and few laughs for good measure…
Well, how cool is this! I was honoured to be invited by the cool cats at Twitter HQ in London to sign a few copies of my new book Orexi and the awesome food team (Fooditude) prepared a few recipes from my book to serve the Tweeps for lunch.
Loved it! Here are some pics…
Easy, slow cooked pork belly with crackling; perfect for socialsing with friends and family!
A deliciously simple and fresh tasting one-pan supper inspired by the popular yiouvesti Greek dish. Using top quality olive oil at the end finishes the recipe perfectly with a squeeze of lemon. Feta cheese crumbled on top and a few lemon wedges always looks great on top if you like.
Find out more about Aloades Olive Oil
Ingredients
Half onion, diced
2 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp smoked paprika
800g chicken, diced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1.5 cups orzo pasta
1 cup white wine
1 pint chicken stock
Handful Kalamata olives
1 lemon, juice and zest
Salt and Pepper
Handful fresh coriander, chopped
1 preserved lemon, thinly sliced
Method:
Dust the chicken with salt, pepper, oregano and smoked paprika and fry in olive oil till golden brown all over then remove from the pan. In the same pan, fry the onions till soft, about 10 minutes, then add the garlic, followed by the orzo pasta.
Fry the pasta for a minute before adding a cup of wine and simmer until reduced by at least half then reintroduce the chicken to the pan plus any leftover juices along with the olives and lemon zest.
Pour in the stock and simmer on a low heat, without stirring, for about 12 minutes or until chicken is cooked then turn off the heat. Finish with a drizzle of Aloades Extra Virgin Olive oil, the juice of half a lemon and a scattering of the fresh coriander and preserved lemons. Rest of 10 minutes before serving.
A deliciously easy and tasty smashed cannellini bean dip with crispy pitas. This is great for sharing with friends and family, the key to this recipe is using the best quality olive oil you can afford.
Ingredients
1 tin cannellini beans
120ml Aloades extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp water
1 clove garlic, crushed
Juice ½ lemon
½ tsp salt
1 preserved lemon, diced
Generous pinch dried oregano
4 pita breads
½ tsp chili powder
Salt and Pepper
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 200áµ’C (400F) Gas 6
Blend together the butter beans, half the olive oil, water, garlic, lemon juice and salt until you have a smooth consistency.
Spread the dip into a bowl, drizzle over with a generous glug of Aloades olive oil, garnish with a pile of the preserved lemon cubes and oregano.
To make the pitas, simply cut into strips and place into a mixing bowl with the remaining olive oil and dust with the smoked paprika and chili powder.
Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
This vegan delicious Mediterranean orzo salad topped with crispy harissa tofu is the ideal summer dinner dish. Ready and on the table in less than 20 minutes, enjoy as a quick mid-week meal or packed lunch – get the full recipe from the David Lloyd Blog.
I had a wonderful time at the beautiful Saira Khans house last week as I cooked a six course summery lunch for a bunch of the Loose Women (Stacey Solomon, Nadia Sawalha, Jane Moore and of course lovely Saira) plus a bunch of other gorgeous girls.
Luckily I had Saira’s husband Steve there for moral support 🙂
My next video recipe for David Lloyd Clubs is this delicious healthy mid-week dinner. Tender, grilled garlic-lemon marinated chicken breast sits on a bed of fluffy couscous and brilliantly colourful and sweet honey glazed rainbow carrots. Delicious and perfectly balanced, it provides a healthy balance of veggies, carbs and protein.
Visit David Lloyd Clubs Blog for the full recipe
Writing a cookbook is an emotional affair, but man, the day of publication is filled with excitement, trepidation, nerves, the lot.
I’ve wanted to write this book for ages; “Orexi! Feasting at the modern Greek table”. A book that champions Greek and Cypriot food and showcases as much of the old as the new.
Anyway, I won’t bang on about it – but suffice to say, I’m well chuffed and I hope you enjoy reading it and using it as much as I did developing it.
Published by Ryland Peters & Small, Photography by Mowie Kay, Words and recipes by moi!
Here’s a review:
Lynda Dickson on Apr 16, 2019
Fresh ingredients feature heavily in the recipes, which are divided into seven sections. The author states that “… the heritage of Greek food is not simply about the ingredients, […] but it’s also the stories that cradle a plate of food, the childhood memory of eating something all together and the conversations around a table.” To this end, at the beginning of each section, he brings us a slice of Greek life, explaining the traditions behind the dishes or childhood memories associated with particular foods. He also introduces each recipe with a brief story detailing the origins of the dish or his inspiration for creating it. The recipes don’t follow the boring, traditional format we’re used to in other cookbooks. These are more conversations with the author, in which he provides tips and tricks learned through experience, as well as humorous asides such as, “tomatoes are very self-conscious and would hate to feel overdressed” and “serve with a green salad and smug expression”.
The author’s personality and humor radiate from the pages. This cookbook is as entertaining to read and look at as it will be to cook from. Mostly it’s about combining fresh ingredients with splashes of ouzo, glugs of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, and of course, family. As the author states, “I always find that food never fails to start a conversation and bring people together.” Kali Orexi!
Full review (18 April): https://www.booksdirectonline.com/2019/04/orexi-by-theo-a-michaels.html
I’ve been using Aloades Olive Oil for over a year now; they create incredible olive oil and are steeped in ethics which I love. Check out my first recipe for using their delicious olive oil.
You can now buy Aloades First Harvest Olive Oil online here.
Here’s what they have to say:
“Rooted in Pelion and Thessaly, our grandfathers’ olive groves have raised and maintained our families. For us, olive oil is life, flavour, company, remedy, an offer of nature to people. In every bottle we produce, we make sure to include in the ingredients the authentic Greek cultivation of olive oil”. Besios Limited
My delicious harissa seabass and green medley recipe is super healthy and packed with flavour! You can make this in (literally) 10 minutes and has everything you need to keep healthy. Seabass (a great source of protein and healthy fats) sits on a bed of fresh green veggies including asparagus, spinach, peas and marinated courgette which is full of fibre, antioxidants and iron.
Get the full recipe at David Lloyd Clubs Blog.
A delicious, warming recipe of roasted aubergine with a homemade chili dressing on a bed of aromatic and fragrant cauliflower tabbouleh. Vega, Gluten Free, what more could you want!
Visit the David Lloyd Blog for the full recipe; in the meantime; here’s the video!
