Slow baked baby aubergines – preserved and served!

This recipe is really about those baby aubergines and the delicious olive oil that is infused with all the aromatics. This dish makes for the perfect brunch, with the added benefit the aubergines will last a couple of weeks submerged in the oil to use on anything else you want!

Ingredients

12 baby aubergines

Handful sea salt

1 bulb garlic

3 strips lemon rind

3 bay leaves

Pinch chilli flakes

Few sprigs of thyme or rosemary

Pinch pink peppercorns

750ml Aloades extra virgin olive oil 

Tahini dressing Ingredients:

1 tbsp tahini

1 tbsp yogurt

1 tbsp water

Few drops lemon juice

1 tsp honey

Garnish Ingredients:

250g Halloumi cheese

Pinch toasted almond flakes

Few basil leaves

4 sundried tomatoes

Method:

Preheated oven 160c FAN

Halve the baby aubergines, place in a colander above a bowl and food through a handful of sea salt then leave for 1 hour. 

Shake off the salt, place the aubergines on a kitchen towel and dry. 

Pour half the olive oil into a roasting tray just big enough to fit the aubergines then scatter in the remaining ingredients for the aubergines (breaking up the cloves from the garlic bulb). Pour over the remaining oil or enough to almost cover the aubergines.

Bake in the oven, uncovered for 1.5 to 2 hours. Leave to cool and place in a sterialised jar. 

Mix all the tahini dressing ingredients together and reserve.

Slice the halloumi in inch thick slices, and place onto a hot griddle pan for a minute then turn to do the other side.

To assemble the dish, place a couple of slices of halloumi onto each plate, top with a few aubergines including a drizzle of the olive oil. Squeeze in a couple of sun dried tomatoes and sprinkle over a pinch of almonds and dot the tahini dressing in places. Garnish with a few basil leaves. Serve on flatbreads for a heavier meal.

Delicious Magazine podcast – Interviewed by Gilly Smith on Greek food, my family and…

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…

Heirloom Tomatoes with white balsamic and pomegranate dressing
Heirloom Tomatoes with white balsamic and pomegranate dressing
Stuffed seabass wrapped in vineleaves
Stuffed seabass wrapped in vineleaves
Gilly Smith, Theo Michaels and gorgeous friend!
Gilly Smith, Theo Michaels and gorgeous friend!

Twitter HQ – book signing and serving a few of my dishes for lunch.

Theo at Twitter HQ in London

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…

My Seabream and Watermelon Ceviche
My Seabream and Watermelon Ceviche
Susi and Erica the Fooditude team and me, gatecrashing as usual.. 🙂
Theo book signing Orexi at Twitter HQ
Signing copies of Orexi
Salad of the Soul with Feta Spinach Balls and Roasted chili feta dressing
Salad of the Soul with Feta Spinach Balls and Roasted chili feta dressing

ORZO LEMON CHICKEN TRAY BAKE – ALOADES OLIVE OIL

Aloades_Chicken_Orzo_Bake_theomichaels

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.

CANNELLINI BEAN DIP WITH PRESERVED LEMONS – ALOADES OLIVE OIL

Bean Dip Preserved Lemons

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 200ᵒC (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.

My third cookbook – Orexi! Out today!

Orexi Theo Michaels

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:

A feast for the senses

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

Working with Aloades Olive Oil by Besios Limited

Aloades Olive Oil

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

#18 – Harissa Seabass with Medley Super Greens – David Lloyd Clubs Video Recipe

Seabass Harissa Greens David Lloyd Clubs Theo Michaels

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.