Ivy Liacopoulou

Ivy Liacopoulou grew up in Limassol, Cyprus, a beautiful island in the eastern Mediterranean, where her passion for cooking began as a child, helping her mother in the kitchen. Ivy belongs to a new generation of home cooks who loves to experiment and create new recipes of her own. She is the author of two cookbooks and she owns and manages Cooking Classes, in Nafplio, Peloponnese.

Cypriot pitta bread are much different to the Greek pitas. They are flatbread like the other pita but are different in shape and in taste.

It is not usual here in Greece when buying baby goat or lamb you have to buy the organs and sometimes the head, as well. When my husband bought half of a baby goat he had to buy the organs as well. When he brought this along I couldn’t think how to cook it. Besides …

Arni Psito pronounciation “ar-KNEE psee-TOH” is roasted meat cooked in the oven. It could be made with lamb or goat and it is the perfect Sunday meal.

Melitzanosalata is a traditional Greek vegan dip / appetizer made with eggplants which have been charred over charcoal or over an open flame, until the skin blisters, to get a smoky taste. The skin is then removed, as well as the seeds, if any, and the eggplant is either finely chopped, mashed with a fork or pureed.

Melitzanes Papoutsakia (pronounced pah-pou-TSA -kya) are stuffed eggplants with meat sauce, topped with a rich bechamel sauce and then baked. The word “papoutsakia” in Greek means little shoes and probably they are named after their shape.

It’s difficult to cook for a family when you can’t get the whole family to eat the same thing. My children are not very fond of legumes and most of the times I have to cook two meals so that everyone will eat. I have made it a rule to cook legumes at least …

Giouvarlakia, pronounced yiou-var-LA-kia, is a Greek soup with meatballs using ground veal, pork or chicken, rice, herbs and spices cooked and thickened with a lemony avgolemono sauce.

Eliopsomo is a Greek Olive bread made with Kalamata olives. The salty olives add a depth of flavor to this rustic bread recipe!

Koupes with Mushrooms is a snack we love eating in Cyprus, during the fasting period. These are available in most bakeries but you can also buy them frozen in the supermarkets.

Jacket potatoes are potatoes that have been cooked in the oven with the skin on. They have to be scrubbed and washed well before cooking. Pricking the potato with a fork or a skewer allows steam to escape during the cooking process.