Cookbooks We Love
3 Tasty Mediterranean Recipes With A Cypriot Twist To Try
Published on May 6, 2025
Recipe developer, food stylist and photographer Irene Matys’ first cookbook, My Cypriot Table, is a love letter to Cyprus, her homeland. With beautiful, sun-soaked food photography and more than 100 recipes, the book features Mediterranean dishes with a Cypriot twist including Tirokafteri, a spicy feta dip using hot peppers, sheep’s milk cheese and Greek yogurt, and Cypriot Meatballs, which combine pork, beef and potatoes with parsley and mint. Don’t miss Baklava Butter Tarts, a fun blend of Irene’s two cultures — she’s lived in Canada since 1976. Below, discover three Mediterranean-inspired recipes from Irene’s debut cookbook.
Keftedes (Cypriot Meatballs)
“Keftedes is a special childhood comfort food that I absolutely loved and looked forward to. For those who grew up enjoying them, they invoke a wave of nostalgia and fond memories. Infused with the essence of fresh or dried herbs, they are addictively delicious.” — Irene Matys
Get Irene’s recipe for Cypriot Meatballs here.
Tirokafteri (Spicy Feta Dip)
“Serve as a delicious sandwich spread.”— Irene Matys
Get the recipe for Spicy Feta Dip here.
Baklava Butter Tarts
“Butter tarts aren’t just a dessert; they’re a taste of Canadian history and a sweet reminder of the country’s warm and welcoming spirit. For Greek Cypriots, the same things hold true for baklava. This recipe is a culinary marriage of these two classics and my two heritages: the rich, gooey sweetness of butter tarts pairs perfectly with the aromatic cinnamon and cloves, nuts, and layers of flaky pastry that define baklava.” — Irene Matys
Get the Baklava Butter Tart recipe here.
Excerpted from My Cypriot Table by Irene Matys. Copyright © 2025 Irene Matys. Photographs by Irene Matys. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved