Confession. Hummus wasn’t my favourite dip. Until today. I recently tried a Hummus that was made with chickpeas that had been soaked overnight. I’ve used canned chickpeas and I will continue to – they are a good convenience product and one that I keep on hand in my pantry. You can make a Hummus using [...]

Recipe update from June 2007 What would a food blog from a Greek dude be without touching upon Tzatziki? I’ve been disappointed with the representation of Greek food in North America and in particular, Toronto. I found that once very good Greek eateries are going the way of serving pre-made foods & dips on their [...]

One of the most well-known foods in Greek cuisine is pita bread. It’s used to scoop-up dips that are usually included in the mix of mezedes (Greek appetizers). We wrap souvlaki in them, we wrap gyro in them, we use pita bread to scoop Taramosalata, Melitzanosalata, Tzatziko, Red Pepper Dip, Parsley Salad, Htipiti, Fava, Hummus. [...]

One of the many highlights of the Greek table are the array of dips and spreads. Dips and spreads are often called salads (salates) in Greek and they pair wonderfully with our food culture that depends on bread so much. Greeks are scooping, mopping and dipping with breads. Taramosalata is a dip made from fish [...]

Last week I hosted a BBQ for friends on the occasion of Canada Day and many of my American readers are full-on celebrating Independance Day. As a Greek, dips figure prominently on the table and one or two dips are on offer when serving guests (or ordered at a taverna). One dip that’s on practically [...]

In Greek cuisine, dips are often referred to as a salad. This salad contains a most unusual main ingredient, one that is abundant, isn’t expensive, available everywhere and it’s a surprising taste sensation. Want to surprise guests at your next dinner? Serve them some Parsley salad and see if they can guess what it’s made [...]

Receipe update from 06/06/2007 In the summer in Greece, this Greek dip can often be found at tavernas among the several Mezedes (appetizers) ordered by a group of friends and it’s most definitely on the table at home for family & friends. The “must-do” for this recipe is char-roasting the eggplant in a gas or [...]

Today is March 25th, the celebration of Greek Independence Day and it draws inspiration from one of the holiest days for the Greeks, the Annuciation of the Theotokos. On this day, Gabriel the archangel announced to Mary that she will bear a child. The Bishop of Patra, Germanos sparked the struggle for Greek Independance from [...]

One of the ways that I “survive” fasting during Greek Lent is by enjoying a diet of shellfish. Shellfish do not have blood and therefore they are acceptable sustenance during the 49 day fasting period. I do not fast for the full 49 days but I do fast on the first and final week (Megali [...]

Last week I cam across a dip that was presented by Astra of Food for Laughter. The dip caught my eye because it was simple, the ingredients would allow the delicate flavour of artichoke come through and finally, easy to make. As I told Astra, this recipe was too easy to NOT try – so [...]