Below you will find some traditional main recipes, which have been preserved on Crete for centuries.

Rabbit Stew (Stifado) Ingredients: 1 medium sized rabbit ½ kilo roughly chopped onions 2 or 3 cloves of garlic ½ cup olive oil 100 ml red wine ½ kilo ripe tomatoes, finely chopped half a tbsp concentrated tomato pulp 2 cinnamon sticks 5 or 6 cloves 2 or 3 bay leaves, salt, pepper, cumin. Preparation: Cut the rabbit into portions and brown it in the oil on all sides. Pour the wine and let it simmer for 12 minutes. Then add the onions and when they are half cooked add the tomatoes and the tomato pulp diluted in a little water, the garlic, the bay leaves, the cinnamon sticks and 1-2 cups of water. Cook for about one more hour.

Lamb with okra Ingredients: 1 kilo meat cut in pieces 1 kilo okra ½ kilo chopped tomatoes ½ cup olive oil 2 chopped onions 4 tbsp vinegar salt & pepper Preparation: Wash the okra, cut of the steams, douse with vinegar. Brown the meat in the pot with the oil and the onions. Add the tomatoes and 1-2 cups water and simmer till the meat is almost tender. Then add the okra, salt, pepper, and a little water if necessary, and simmer for another 30-40 minutes.

Octopus in wine. (Krasato xtapodi) Ingredients: 1 kilo octopus ½ cup olive oil ½ cup red wine pepper Preparation: Wash the octopus and remove the ink sac and the mouth. Cut into small pieces. Heat olive oil in a pot, add octopus and let it cook on low heat until all liquid has been absorbed. Pour in the wine, let it simmer and add pepper. Simmer until the octopus is soft, adding some water, if necessary.

Boiled Snails with vinegar (Boubouristi) Ingredients: ½ kilo large snails ½ olive oil 3-4 tbsp vinegar 1 tbsp rosemary Preparation: Wash and clean the snails in salted water. Spread a thin layer of salt in a frying pan and place the snails upon. After 7-10 minutes add olive oil and cook for 10 more minutes stirring occasionally. Pour in vinegar and rosemary and serve the together wit the juice of the pan.

Marinated red mulled Ingredients: 1 kilo red mullets ½ cup olive oil flour 100 ml white wine 2 tbsp vinegar 2 tbsp rosemary Preparation: Scale, gut and rinse the fish. Add salt and leave them aside for 1 hour. Heat olive oil in a frying pan, dredge fish with flour and fry until golden brown on both sides. Place on kitchen roll so that the oil is absorbed. Strain the frying oil, put it pack into the pan and heat. Add 2tbsp flour, wine, vinegar, salt, rosemary and pepper. Stir for 5 minutes and pour the sauce over the fried mullets.

Stuffed vine leaves (Dolmadakia) Ingredients: 500 grams vine leaves ½ kilo rice 2or3 artichoke hearts 2-3 onions 2 or 3 courgettes 2 potatoes 1 cup olive oil 1 lemon salt & pepper 1 cup finely chopped parsley ½ cup finely chopped mint Preparation: Bleach the vine leaves for 5 minutes. Strain them and prepare the stuffing. Place the rice in a bowl, grate the potatoes, the courgettes, the onions, the artichoke hearts and mix all with rice. Mix with the finely chopped mint, the parsley, the salt, the pepper and the oil. Stuff the vine leaves and place them in a pot. Put a plate over them, cover with water and simmer gently. Just before removing them from the heat, pour the lemon. Over them.

Split pea puree ( Fava ) Ingredients: 2 cups split peas 5 cups water 1 onion quartered 1 teaspoon salt olive oil Preparation: Put split peas in salted water and simmer. The lid must sit tightly because the yellow lentil expands and can be spill. When most water has gone, stir often until it becomes mushy. Serve the puree with olive oil, raw onion and olives.

Courgette Balls (Kolokithokeftedes) Ingredients: 1 kilo courgettes ½ kilo potatoes 1 kilo onions 2 or 3 eggs 1 cup grated cheese 1 teaspoon salt flour and olive oil Preparation: Boil and then strain the courgettes, the potatoes and the onions. Combine with the eggs, the cheese and sold. Shape the balls dredge with flour and deep fry on both sides until golden brown. Place on kitchen roll so that the oil will be absorbed and serve.

Ntakos ( Ladouristo) Ingredients: 1 rusk 1 finely chopped tomato 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp sour mysithra or crumbled feta cheese salt & oregano Preparation: Sprinkle the rusk with very little water to dampen and soften slightly. Place it on a plate and drizzle with olive oil, tomato, salt oregano and cheese.