Olive Oil

Octopus Salad “Mosaic” (Χταπόδι σαλάτα “Μωσαϊκό”)

Mar 9th, 2010 | By Peter Minakis
Octopus Salad “Mosaic” (Χταπόδι σαλάτα “Μωσαϊκό”)

Readers of this blog should know by now that Greek food goes beyond souvlaki, spanakopita and pastitsio. There’s nothing wrong with these dishes but as Greeks, we do not eat them every week. The traditional Greek diet is weighted towards vegetables and pulses, grains and bread, fruits and nuts and fish and seafood. It’s a [...]



Baked Sole Stuffed With Seafood

Mar 4th, 2010 | By Peter Minakis
Baked Sole Stuffed With Seafood

Tuna has gotten a bad wrap in the past, being labeled as the “chicken of the sea”. In my opinion, the real “chicken of the sea” is the sole. Sole (the flatfish) has to be the chicken breast of the sea. It’s lean, it’s white and in need of some flavour. That’s the minus side [...]



Eggplant Parmesan

Mar 2nd, 2010 | By Peter Minakis
Eggplant Parmesan

What if I told you that there’s a dish that you can make at home (affordably), be transported into an Italian home and taste authentically Italian? You with me? What if that dish was also vegetarian but was as filling as a meat dish? Look no further than Eggplant Parmesan. This recipe comes to you [...]



Scallops Saganaki (Xτένια Σαγανάκι)

Mar 1st, 2010 | By Peter Minakis
Scallops Saganaki (Xτένια Σαγανάκι)

I get my inspiration from many sources: my mother and other family members and friends who I consider culinary wizards, frequent visits to Greece, chatting about food with other Greek food enthusiasts, other bloggers who I respect and consider friends and of course, the well known food and cooking celebrities who enter our homes via [...]



Steamed Brocccoli

Feb 28th, 2010 | By Peter Minakis
Steamed Brocccoli

You have to eat your vegetables. One of the most nutritious, affordable and delicious vegetables is broccoli. It’s loaded with vitamins A, C and K, a good source of fiber. It’s a boon to your immune system and and beneficial for the prevention of heart disease. Another positive for broccoli is that it’s available in [...]



Hummus

Feb 23rd, 2010 | By Peter Minakis
Hummus

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 canned [...]



Risotto With Shrimp, Mushrooms and Asparagus

Feb 22nd, 2010 | By Peter Minakis
Risotto With Shrimp, Mushrooms and Asparagus

This dish arose from thoughts of what to do with some leftover asparagus. I had about a bunch of grilled asparagus left and they deserved a better fate than laying under plastic cling wrap for a week in the fridge. I also had a bag of mushrooms in the fridge (I store mine in a [...]



Grilled Lobster (Αστακός στη Σχάρα)

Feb 20th, 2010 | By Peter Minakis
Grilled Lobster (Αστακός στη Σχάρα)

So the first week of Greek Lent is behind us and it really wasn’t that hard adjusting from my regular diet to one without meat or any meat by-products in it. Each year I’ve been steering my diet towards one with more fish and seafood, beans and legumes and less meat. I don’t think I [...]



Linguine With Clams

Feb 18th, 2010 | By Peter Minakis
Linguine With Clams

This is one of my favourite pastas dishes and it’s also one of the simplest to prepare. The dish is also versatile as one can substitute ingredients you like or replace with seasonal or local ingredients.
Don’t have fresh clams? Why not try this with mussels? Don’t have access to fresh clams? You could certainly use [...]



Olive Oil Harvest at Kalikori

Feb 16th, 2010 | By Peter Minakis
Olive Oil Harvest at Kalikori

One of these days, I’m going to go to Greece when the olive harvest takes place in autumn. Olives can be found all over Greece and as if taunting me, I pass by the idle olive oil cooperative in the town where our summer home in Halkidiki is. All over Greece, farmers and families with [...]