Athens is a city of beautiful contradictions. Michelin-starred dining rooms share sidewalk space with decades-old taverns. Modern rooftop bars overlook 2,000-year-old monuments. Everywhere you look, the past and present converge to create an unparalleled multilayered metropolis.
Greek salads are incredibly underrated, whether you're making them at home for yourself or ordering one from your favorite local Greek spot alongside your favorite Greek dishes. A Greek-style salad is usually packed with fresh ingredients - think lettuce, red onion, Kalamata olives, cucumbers, a basic vinaigrette - and topped with the one ingredient that makes Greek salad, well, Greek salad: feta cheese. It's fatty, milky, salty, and flavorful, elevating the entire mouthfeel and giving you reason to order yours with extra on top.
Irish desserts are, in one word, resourceful. They have to be; in a nation that grappled for centuries with conflict, famine, and outright war, luxurious ingredients were not accessible to most people. Instead, the Irish turned to local ingredients like sea moss, apples, and an impressive array of dairy products to satisfy their cravings for something sweet.
The star of the show, the meatballs, get seasoned with a mix of crumbled feta, smoked paprika, and cumin, resulting in a tender, flavorful meatball that tastes far more complex than its trim ingredient list might suggest. The rice underneath is just as fun. Speckled with salty pistachios and plump golden raisins, and perfumed by a cardamom pod and a stray cinnamon stick, it strikes the ideal ratio of salty to sweet, contrasting with the savory meatballs.
Walk through Boston's neighborhoods today and you'll find Thai, Korean, Italian, Indian - the city's food scene has come a long way. But in the 1930s, if you wanted something beyond American fare, your options were sparse. That's what makes Deeb G. Salem's decision to open The Nile all the more remarkable. Right in the heart of the Depression, this Syrian immigrant and his wife Rose decided to open a restaurant on Hudson Street, transforming it into one of New England's most talked-about dining destinations.
Dynamic duo beans and greens come together again in this pantry-friendly soup. Toasted garlic, tomato paste, and smoked paprika boost store-bought vegetable stock (use a base like Better Than Bouillon for superior potency) into a rich broth. Chickpeas and Swiss chard hang on to their texture in the brew, but use whichever white beans and hearty greens speak to you.