Photo by Sarah Pannell
Philoxenia: A Seat At My Table offers many joys, not all of them edible — by which I mean that it’s a book that fills the heart quite as much as the stomach. In it, Kon Karapanagiotidis pays tribute to the wisdom he’s learned — in and out of the kitchen — from his mother Sia and his late father, Leo, as he expresses, on every page, the meaning of Philoxenia — the act of caring for others and offering respite and comfort and a true hospitality of the soul.
These virtues are rooted in the recipes, both vegetarian and vegan, and I love the way that Karapanagiotidis strives to make each dish accessible to as many people as possible, always adding a note as to how to make each recipe gluten-free, if it’s vegetarian how to make it vegan, and offering ideas for leftovers. There’s so much I want to make from it: Halloumi Chips; Tomato Fritters; Zucchini (Courgette), Pomegranate and Goat’s Cheese Salad; Broad Beans and Artichokes in Lemon and Olive Oil; Roasted Lemon Potatoes; a glorious, meat-free Pastitsio, in other words, a vegetarian version of the supreme baked pasta of Greece. That just the half of it, not even taking in the sweet side of things, amply represented by Tiganites, plump Greek Pancakes with feta and honey; Easter Sesame Cookies; meltingly tender Shortbreads; and Kataifi, which taste like baklava made Shredded Wheat pastry. It is indeed from this section that I’ve chosen a recipe to share with you today, as it is such a favourite of mine: the irresistible Galaktoboureko, which is a particularly gorgeous custard pie.
A Seat at My Table: Philoxenia by Kon Karapanagiotidis (Hardie Grant, £25).
Photography © Sarah Pannell.
