That mouthful of a Greek word you see in the title of this post is compound word: “Kolokitho” refers to zucchini/courgettes and “keftedes” are a burger-like patty. What we’re talking about here are these light and delicious zucchini patties. Many people’s gardens are brimming with zucchini or they will be soon. Grated zucchini, chopped fresh [...]

It’s time for another pasta dish. Although I’ve cut down on the amount of pasta I eat, I still do love it and I have pasta at least once a week (maybe twice a week). Greeks enjoy pasta, the Spaniards, the French, Arabs, Turks and of course, Asians. Pasta also has a special place in [...]

Last year, one of the stops during my vacation to Greece was to Kastoria. Kastoria is the capital city of the Prefecture of…Kastoria. It’s located in northern Greece, northwestern Macedonia. This region of Greece is located on fertile, elevated plateaus and the economy is centered around its long history of fur trading, tourism and agriculture. [...]

Most of you are familiar with dolmades, where small packets of rice and aromatics are bundled using grape-vine leaves or “ampelofyla” in Greek. These small morsels may also contain meat or be wrapped with Swiss chard cabbage. The cabbage rolls are also often called “lahano-dolmades”. The use of grape-vine leaves is not limited to just [...]

How would you feel if I presented you feel if I presented you with a dish that presented you some of the favoured ingredients in Greek cuisine?  All wrapped-up in one dish? You get spinach (check), you get tomato (check), you get green pepper (check), you get tender pieces of lamb (check), Greek cheese in [...]

Easter is upon us once again. Today is Megalo Savato, on the eve of Easter and in practically every Greek home, family members are astir with preparations for tomorrow’s feast: an array of appetizers including grilled meats, salads, dips, breads, lamb as the centerpiece of the meal, roasted potatoes. vegetables and a fruit platter and [...]

One of the ways to cope with fasting for Lent is snacking and quite often, I’m left with the constant desire for sweets during this challenging time. No dairy, no eggs makes eating desserts almost impossible. Almost. Enter this easy Lenten treat that’s inspired by the Tahinopites of Cyprus. Close family friend and Cypriot-born Helen [...]

We (Greeks) are now into Holy Week, “Megali Evdomada” – less than a week until Easter Sunday. Both the Catholic and Greek-Orthodox Easters (as is the case from time to time) fall on the same day this year. It is a very spiritual time for Greeks and it is indeed more significant than Christmas. The [...]

Packages, surprises, bundles are all still welcome in this fickle world. Take the time to stop and enjoy the simpler things in life, including food. Serving little surprises are most welcome and they are usually met with a positive reaction from your dinner guests.Today we’re stuffing pasta shells. You know, the jumbo shells…the bigger the [...]

The first time I tried fish cakes were long ago when I used to work at one of Canada’s banks. Canada is a multicultural nation with peoples from all corners of the world. The fish cake I had back then was brought from a Portuguese lady and co-worker who proudly watched her cod fish cakes [...]