Greek

Lamb Souvlaki (Αρνίσια σουβλάκια)

Feb 11th, 2010 | By Peter Minakis
Lamb Souvlaki (Αρνίσια σουβλάκια)

Last Thursday was Tsiknopempti in Greece (and anywhere in the world where Greeks celebrated the most popular meat-grilling day of Greek Carnival). I had three options: stay home and simply make a meat dish using my oven’s broiler or a grill pan. Option 2 was to head down to Toronto’s Greektown (the Danforth) and be [...]



Mushroom Bouyiourdi (Μπουγιουρτί με μανιτάρια)

Feb 9th, 2010 | By Peter Minakis
Mushroom Bouyiourdi (Μπουγιουρτί με μανιτάρια)

Some of you might remember my post with the classic Bouyiourdi with tomatoes, peppers and cheese – baked until everything melds together and awaits your anxious dipping of thy crusty bread.
This spin on Bouyiourdi will also satisfy those who love the act of dunking bread into food. Those of you who like the whole fondue [...]



Chicken Wings tou Kalofaga (Φτερούγες του καλοφαγά)

Feb 4th, 2010 | By Peter Minakis
Chicken Wings tou Kalofaga (Φτερούγες του καλοφαγά)

In Greece, festivities are well under way. It’s Carnival time in Greece and one of the biggest days is centered around grilled meats. The period of Carnival in Greece is called “Apokries” and today marks “Tsiknopempti”.
Tsiknopempti is a compound word that describes the smell of grilled meats and Thursday: “Tsikno-pempti”. Tavernas will have lit up [...]



Portokalopita (Πορτοκαλόπιτα)

Feb 2nd, 2010 | By Peter Minakis
Portokalopita (Πορτοκαλόπιτα)

From the photo, can you guess what a Portokalopita is?
Portokalopita is an Greek compound word translated into “orange pie”. The first time I ever saw this dish was recently at my friend Maria’s blog, “Kali Orexi”. I have never before heard of this dessert, I have never ever eaten a Portokalopita. I was awestruck by [...]



Tzatziki

Feb 1st, 2010 | By Peter Minakis
Tzatziki

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 menus. [...]



Cod in a Mussel Broth

Jan 28th, 2010 | By Peter Minakis
Cod in a Mussel Broth

This dish is the creation of Greek chef Sotiris Evangelou. Chef Sotiris is currently in charge of the kitchens of the swank King George hotel in Athens. He was inspired by the cuisine of Thessaloniki, with its diverse, vibrant culinary scene. Thessaloniki has seen many different peoples enter it’s old city walls through time and [...]



Pear Croustade

Jan 26th, 2010 | By Peter Minakis
Pear Croustade

Back when my blog was in its infancy and I was still using the Blogger platform, I had participated in many blogging events and one of the more interesting events was where food bloggers would participate in a kind of “Secret Santa“. Participants would draw names from a hat and then send a small amount [...]



Pumpkin Fritters

Jan 24th, 2010 | By Peter Minakis
Pumpkin Fritters

A friend of the family’s gave us the big, honkin’ pumpkin last year and the first thing to go were the pumpkin seeds. Salted and [...]



Avgotaraho (plus a recipe)

Jan 21st, 2010 | By Peter Minakis
Avgotaraho (plus a recipe)

Today, I wish to share a dish that uses an ingredient that’s been harvested, salt-cured and enjoyed since Byzantine times. I find it amusing when some people try to predict food trends and declare a certain ingredient as “passe” when the cuisine and ingredient itself have survived the ages.



My Amaretto Mousse Makes it to Greek TV

Jan 18th, 2010 | By Peter Minakis
My Amaretto Mousse Makes it to Greek TV

Last year’s trip to Greece was unique in many ways: it was my 20th visit, I traveled to parts of Greece that were new to me and I met many wonderful new friends. All of these vacation activities enhanced by my presence in this food blog.
One of the new friends I made last year was [...]