It’s New Year’s Eve, December 31st, 2009. The end of one decade and the beginning of a new one. I’ve been thinking of all the ways I’ve spent New Year’s Eve.
My earliest recollection was attending the Annual New Year’s dance of the Amynteon Association of Toronto. My parents are from this town in northern Greece [...]

Aren’t mom’s the best? Just when I thought my mom showed me all the tricks in her book (brain) of kitchen techniques, she smacks-down this little ditty on the kitchen counter!
I’ve seen these in assortment trays from Greek bakeries. I’ve eaten these at Greek festivals. I seen these offered by other cuisines (Middle-Eastern, Lebanese & [...]

Regardless of whether you are Greek or not, live in Greece or among the Diaspora or if you are real lucky and you get to spend the holidays in Greece – I think a primer on the Greek Christmas is the call of the day.
When Greeks speak of the holidays, we mean Christmas, New Year’s [...]

Finally…a baklava recipe and some background and opinion on this dessert, popular all around the world.
The origins of Baklava can be traced to Turkey (which is fine by me) and rather than focus on the differences between Greeks and Turks, I try and focus on the similarities between the two peoples.
Relations between the Greeks and [...]

This dish comes from  one of the most striking areas of Greece and we’re not talking about a Greek island or drop-dead gorgeous beach. I’m speaking of the Vikos Gorge, located in the northwestern province of Epirus.
The first time I passed through this part of Greece was in 1988, on my way to the island [...]

Here in Toronto, I visit our Greektown (locally known as The Danforth) at least once a month. One of the reasons I head down there is to pick up the monthly edition of Gastronomos (included in Kathermerini).
Gastronomos keeps me posted on new developments in Greek cookery and the issue is always good for resurrecting  an [...]

The sister dessert to Baklava has to be Kataifi. The more common and popular dessert is baklava but don’t let that keep you from trying out this dessert that’s easy to assemble, fabulous to look at and ever a delight to eat.
Much like Baklava, Kataifi exists in the dessert repertoire of Greek, Turkish, Middle Eastern [...]

One of the most wonderful ingredients in the fall has to be mushrooms. Many people’s tastes change but ever since my childhood I’ve love mushrooms.
Here in Canada, Gordon Ramsey’s the “F-Word” is now showing and although it’s been viewed in the UK for a few years now, it’s finally reached our shores.
The “F-Word” stands for [...]

If I were living in Paris, I would still have a BBQ set up in my cramped balcony or even on the roof of the building!
A classic French dish is Chateaubriand with Bearnaise Sauce but we’re on the cusp of summer. Who wants to stay indoors by the oven?
My solution was to take Chateaubriand outdoors, [...]