Bright, olive-oil-forward cooking from around the Mediterranean — feta bakes, roasted vegetables, and dishes that taste like summer even in winter.
Black garlic aioli is an immersion-blender emulsion: one egg yolk, half a head of squeezed black garlic cloves, a teaspoon each of lemon juice and balsamic, then about half a cup of olive oil. Start the blender flat on the bottom of the cup and lift slowly — it thickens exactly like mayo, sweet-savory and almost chocolate-dark. The potatoes are just the excuse. Makes about 6 servings.
Crunchy corn salad is built on air-fryer roasted corn: foil-steamed cobs roll over a block of butter (the hot cob melts its own path), get dusted with garlic powder and Herbes de Provence, roast 10 more minutes bare, then the kernels are shaved into a bowl of cucumber, red onion, halved cherry tomatoes and feta with a tangy sour-cream-yogurt dressing. BBQ-ready in 40 minutes. Serves 4.
A whole 200 g block of feta bakes alongside 4 eggs in the air fryer at 180°C (350°F) for 10 minutes, then everything is forked together right in the dish into a creamy, feta-streaked scramble. There is no stirring at the stove: the raw eggs go in around the cheese with dried oregano, dried tomato flakes, and a drizzle of olive oil, and the heat does the rest. The fork-through at the end is the key step; stop when the eggs are creamy, neither dry nor wet. Spoon the scramble onto a tortilla and roll it up. About 15 minutes start to finish for 2 servings.
These are skillet arayes: pita rounds coated with a thin layer of spiced beef, cooked meat-side down so the beef sears onto the bread instead of steaming. Grating the onion lets its juice season the 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) of beef evenly and keeps the layer moist. Spread the meat right to the edges; a thin coat cooks through in 4–5 minutes and grips the pita, so nothing slides off when you flip. The meat should look deeply browned before you turn it, and the bread side needs only 2–3 minutes more to crisp. Garlicky strained yogurt, cucumber, and red onion cool the plate.
These baked tortilla rolls take their kebab-shop flavor from paprika, garlic and parsley worked into ground beef, pressed thin across the tortillas so every slice cooks evenly. Pressing the meat right to the edges matters: it glues the tortillas together, so the roll holds its shape when you cut it. Shredded mozzarella goes on before rolling, and a brush of BBQ sauce caramelizes in a 200°C (400°F) oven. After 15–20 minutes the tortilla should be deeply browned and crisp at the edges, with the beef cooked through. Ground lamb swaps in well for a more traditional taste. Serve the rounds with the quick garlic-yogurt sauce.
Eggs poached in a fresh tomato and mozzarella sauce, all in one pan in about 20 minutes. The trick is steaming halved tomatoes cut-side down with a splash of water for 5 minutes: the skins loosen enough to peel straight off, no boiling pot or ice bath needed. Mash the peeled tomatoes with garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper, stir in shredded mozzarella, then crack in the eggs and leave them alone. Covered, the whites turn opaque and set in about 5 minutes while the yolks stay soft. If they still jiggle like liquid, give it another minute. Serve with toast for the sauce.
This burek-style cheese spiral swaps phyllo for rice paper, which crisps in the air fryer with no butter brushing between layers. Dipping the sheets in beaten egg rather than plain water is the key move: the egg softens the paper just enough to roll and helps it blister into a crackly golden shell. Crumbled feta is bound with an egg and shredded mozzarella so the filling stays put as the spiral cooks. Overlap two or three softened sheets into one long base, roll the filling into a log, coil it, and scatter sesame seeds over the top. Fifteen minutes at 180°C (350°F) takes it to golden and crisp.
Think of this as a quick quiche with a tortilla standing in for pastry. Pressed into a silicone mold, the tortilla crisps underneath while the eggs bake, so the finished pie lifts out and slices cleanly. Layer fresh spinach, diced ham and crumbled feta on the base. Pour over three beaten eggs with a pinch of salt, then scatter halved cherry tomatoes on top. Air fry at 170°C (325°F) for 30–35 minutes. The moderate heat keeps the eggs tender; the pie is done when the centre feels just set, with no jiggle. Any cooked meat can stand in for the ham.