As mentioned last week, this month I’m focusing on the Blue Zones Cookbook, a collection of recipes and stories from the regions of the world where people live the longest and healthiest lives. One of these regions is Ikaria, a small island in the Aegean Sea, where people enjoy a simple, stress-free lifestyle and a delicious, plant-based diet. I picked this chapter, at the back of the book, because with the cold weather coming in the Seattle Area, I thought some of the recipes looked to bed filled with warmth. I tried two of the recipes: honey cookies and winter ratatouille. Here is how it went.
Honey Cookies
Jump to Recipe
The first recipe I tried was honey cookies, or melomakarona, which are traditional Greek Christmas cookies made with olive oil, orange juice, honey, and spices. They are soft, moist, and aromatic, and perfect for a cozy winter day. I’ve been enjoying them with my Christmas tea. The recipe itself was easy to follow and the ingredients were easy to find. When looking over the ingriedients the fgirst thinbg I noticed that one, there was no salt and two no butter. I couldn’t image a cookie revipe with the deliciousness of butter, mbut the oil oil adds a disrtinct flavor and the necessary fats that make he cookies jusdt work.
The batter turned out a lot stickier that what I would’ve expected but, once baked, they turned out amazing. They were tender, fragrant, and not too sweet. They had a nice balance of flavors, with the citrus, honey, and spices complementing each other. I think next time I might add in move of the lemon to punch up the citrus flavor.
Winter Ratatouille
The second recipe I tried was the Winter Ratatouille, made with potatoes, zucchini, onion, tomato, garlic, and herbs. The recipe was also simple and straightforward. I just had to chop the vegetables, toss them with olive oil and herbs, and bake them in the oven. The only problem was that the ratatouille came out a little under cooked and although I do love my vegetables, it was just that, roasted vegetables. Something more like something I’d find in a one sheet cookbook, or as a side dish rather than a main course.
I decided to make some changes to the recipe to make it more of a main course for my family. First, I increased the temperature of the oven and cooked the ratatouille a little longer, so that the potatoes were cooked through. Second, I made a quick red sauce with tomato paste, water, salt, pepper, and oregano, and poured it over the ratatouille. Third, I threw in some of the sausages I got from my most recent Butcherbox, which added some protein and smokiness to the dish.
Conclusion
I had a lot of fun cooking and eating these two recipes from the Blue Zones cookbook. I learned a bit about Ikarian and discovered some new flavors and ingredients that I will use again in my baking. If you are interested in trying these recipes yourself, you can find them in the Blue Zones cookbook and if you would like to cook alongside me, you can also join my virtual bookclub, where we read and cook from different cookbooks every month.
Next week, we will be pulling recipes from the chapter on Sardinia, another Blue Zone region where people live long and healthy lives. Sardinia is an island in in Italy, with a unique culture and cuisine that reflects its history and geography. I hope you are excited to join me on this culinary adventure. Let me know what you think in the comments section. Have you ever cooked or eaten Ikarian food? What are your favorite recipes from the Blue Zones? I would love to hear from you. Until next time, happy cooking!
Honey Cookies
Materials
- 3/4 cup orange juice
- 3/4 cup honey
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 2 Tbls lemon zest
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/2 oz rum
- 3/4 cup exra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 1/2 cup flour
- pinch cloves
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- In a large bowl, whisk together orange juice, honey, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla and rum. Gradually add in the olive oil, whisking to combine.
- In a separate bowl, combs e baking soda, baking powder, flour, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Slowly add dry ingredient mixture to wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not overmix, as the dough will become tough.
- Let rest for 39 minutes at room temperature.
- Roll the dough into walnut-size balls a d score with a fork. PkacePlace bakks kn a baking sheet, about aninchan inch apart.
- Bake for 14-18 minutes, or until golden.
- Drizzle with honey, if desired.