OUR PICK

AEGEAN

Marianna Leivaditaki Growing up on the Greek island of Crete, Marianna Leivaditaki would help out in her parents’ taverna and watch her fisherman father haul in the day’s catch. These days she lives in London, where she’s head chef at Hackney’s Morito, but she returns to the island whenever she can. Aegean is a reflection of her upbringing and those many trips home. Divided into sections focusing on ‘the sea’, ‘the land’ and ‘the mountains’, as well as ‘afters’, the book features recipes for every meal. Choose from simple seafood dishes, including whole charcoal-grilled fish with lemon, oil and parsley, and a fisherman’s soup called kakavia, or try tempting desserts such as tahini cake with metaxa and samos wine butter sauce. The recipes are interspersed with photographs of scenery, seaside and street life that really anchor the book in Crete, and several dishes are introduced with personal stories. The bougatsa (a salty-sweet cheese pastry) was inspired by a version Marinanna used to enjoy after a night out, while the mussel saganaki with feta, fennel and ouzo was a staple in the family restaurant. £26, Octopus Books