Mediterranean life is all about sharing good food and stories with loved ones, Australian-Greek food writer and cookbook author Meni Valle believes.

The region’s cooking is generous and guided by each new season’s produce. Rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole grains, olive oil, nuts, seeds and seafood, it can be surprisingly sophisticated too, with complex and refined dishes.

“My passion for food lies in home cooking and especially that of the Mediterranean,” Valle writes in her new cookbook The Mediterranean Cook. “It is the food of my childhood, the food I cook for my own family, as well as the dishes I have discovered during my travels.”

Her latest recipe collection includes tips for using leftovers, ideas for pairing meals and advice on how to pick the best produce. Here are four recipes to try at home.

Cauliflower fritters with yoghurt sauce

Cauliflower is a vegetable that I often serve as a salad, boiled and dressed with an olive oil and lemon dressing. In this recipe, I’ve put cauliflower to a different use to make these aromatic fritters, served with a refreshing yoghurt sauce. You will notice that the onion is used raw in the fritters, which adds a lovely crunch when you bite into them. This dish has become one of my favourite ways to celebrate this humble vegetable.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 small cauliflower (about 400g), cut into florets
• 1 small brown onion, finely diced
• 1 garlic clove, finely diced
• 3 eggs
• 100g (⅔ cup) plain flour
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley, plus extra leaves to serve
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 250ml (1 cup) olive oil, for shallow-frying
• lemon wedges, to serve

Yoghurt sauce

• 300g Greek-style yoghurt
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• zest of ½ lemon, plus all the juice

METHOD

1. Place the cauliflower in a large saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 5-6 minutes, until tender. Drain the cauliflower, then transfer to a large bowl and use the back of a fork to break down the florets. Set aside to cool.
2. Prepare the yoghurt sauce by stirring the ingredients together in a bowl. Season to taste.
3. In a large bowl, combine the onion, garlic, eggs, flour, cumin, cinnamon and parsley. Gently whisk to mix well and season with salt and pepper. Add the cooled cauliflower and combine well.
4. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over high heat. For each fritter, spoon about 3 tablespoons of the cauliflower mixture into the oil. Continue in small batches, but don’t overcrowd the pan as this will lower the heat of the oil.
5. Shallow-fry the fritters for about 3 minutes on each side, flattening them slightly with a spatula as they cook, until golden. Drain on paper towel.
6. Place the fritters on a serving plate, scatter over some parsley leaves and serve warm with the yoghurt sauce and lemon wedges.

Serves 4

Pumpkin and feta pie

With the earthy sweetness of pumpkin, spices and plump currants all wrapped in golden, crunchy, flaky pastry, I could eat this scrumptious filo pie at any time of the day. Don’t be tempted to skip the drizzle of honey at the end – it complements the buttery pastry and savoury filling fabulously. Alternatively, you can serve it with Greek-style yoghurt.

INGREDIENTS

• 800g pumpkin, cut into 2cm pieces
• 125ml (½ cup) olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 60g currants
• 100g Greek feta, crumbled
• 3 eggs
• 2 tbsp finely chopped mint leaves
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 50g butter
• 250g store-bought refrigerated filo pastry
• honey, to serve

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 200C fan-forced (220C conventional).
2. Place the pumpkin on a large baking tray in a single layer. Drizzle with a little olive oil and bake for 20-25 minutes, until soft and golden around the edges. Remove the pumpkin from the oven and allow to cool.
3. Place the pumpkin in a bowl and smash the pieces using a fork. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, currants, feta, eggs and mint. Season well with salt and pepper and stir to combine the ingredients.
4. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat and add the olive oil. Brush a 24cm round baking tin or dish with a little of the butter and oil mixture.
5. Lay out a sheet of the filo pastry with a long edge facing you and brush with some of the butter and oil. Scatter 3-4 tablespoons of the pumpkin mixture over the filo pastry, then, starting with the edge of the pastry closest to you, concertina the filo into a long strip, then coil it in on itself to create a spiral. Place the coil in the centre of the baking tin, then continue with the remaining pastry, most of the butter and oil mixture and all of the filling, adding the concertinaed strips to the central spiral, until you have a large spiral-shaped pie.
6. Brush the pie with the remaining butter and oil, sprinkle with a little water and bake for 30-40 minutes, until crisp and golden brown.
7. Serve warm with a drizzle of honey.

Serves 6-8

Green minestrone

The classic Italian minestrone but with a twist. Traditionally, minestrone is simmered in a rich tomato broth, but here I maintain a white base and lean heavily on earthy winter greens and scented herbs, topped with shaved parmesan. Not only is this minestrone nutritious and full of flavour, it’s perfect for using up any green vegetables that might be languishing in the crisper drawer. It’s also easily adapted for the warmer seasons – simply swap out the winter veg for summer produce, or replace any of the vegetables here with your favourites.

INGREDIENTS

• 80ml (⅓ cup) olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 1 brown onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 2 celery stalks, diced, plus celery leaves to serve
• 1 leek, white and pale green parts only, washed well and sliced
• 1 potato, roughly chopped
• 1 × 400 g tin cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 150g ditalini or any tiny pasta
• 1 dried bay leaf
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• 155g (1 cup) frozen peas
• large handful of greens, such as kale or collard greens, roughly chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste
• small bunch of parsley, leaves picked
• shaved parmesan, to serve

METHOD

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the onion and saute for 3-4 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, then add the spring onion, celery, leek and potato and cook for a further 2 minutes.
2. Add the beans to the pan and cover with 2 litres of cold water. Bring the mixture to the boil and stir in the pasta, then cook until the pasta is al dente. Stir through the bay leaf, oregano, peas and greens and cook for 5-6 minutes, until the greens have wilted. Season well with salt and pepper.
3. Divide the soup among shallow bowls and top with the parsley, celery leaves and some shaved parmesan. Finish with an extra drizzle of olive oil and serve.

Serves 4

Batzina (crustless zucchini pie)

Batzina is a crustless zucchini pie from the region of Thessaly in Central Greece, where it was traditionally made as a thin slice to enable quick cooking and for it to stay crisp for more than a few hours. It was a meal that farmers could easily take with them to the fields and children could take to school. It makes a perfect summer’s day dish, and even breakfast, when zucchini is in abundance and at its best. It’s delicious served with olives and pickles!

INGREDIENTS

• 1kg zucchini, trimmed
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp finely chopped mint leaves
• 2 tbsp finely chopped basil leaves
• 1 tbsp finely chopped dill fronds
• 3 eggs
• 350g Greek feta, crumbled
• 250g (1 cup) Greek-style yoghurt
• zest of 1 lemon
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 125g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional). Lightly grease a 25 × 35 cm baking dish with oil.
2. Grate the zucchini using the large holes of a box grater. Transfer to a large bowl, sprinkle over a little salt, then use your hands to massage the zucchini and squeeze out any excess moisture. Set aside for 15 minutes.
3. Place the zucchini in a clean tea towel and squeeze out the extra water, then transfer to a clean bowl. Stir through the herbs, then add the eggs, feta, yoghurt, lemon zest and olive oil, season to taste with salt and pepper and mix well to combine.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking powder, then add this to the zucchini mixture and mix well until no bits of flour remain. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and use the back of a spoon to smooth the surface. Transfer to the oven and bake the batzina for 40-45 minutes, until golden around the edges and set in the middle.
5. Allow the batzina to cool, then cut into slices and serve warm or at room temperature. Any leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Serves 6

This is an edited extract from The Mediterranean Cook by Meni Valle, published by Smith Street Books, $55. Photography by Stephanie Stamatis and Hugh Davison. Buy now