Pasta

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 [...]



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.



Shrimp & Pasta of St. Nicholas

Dec 12th, 2009 | By Peter Minakis
Shrimp & Pasta of St. Nicholas

Do you want the recipe for five or for one hundred?? I knew you would say five. A couple of weeks ago, my mother was asked by her friends in the lady’s auxiliary (Philoptichos) of our parish, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, for a pasta recipe to feed one hundred on the eve of St. [...]



Ricotta Dumplings With Crispy Chorizo, Mushrooms and Sage

Nov 30th, 2009 | By Peter Minakis
Ricotta Dumplings With Crispy Chorizo, Mushrooms and Sage

It’s less than a month away from Christmas and many of you are in the holiday mode with parties, work functions and thoughts of  Christmas with family and friends.
Some of your early birds have already begun shopping for gifts. The foodie in you (or your friends) always has room for another good cookbook. Why not [...]



Athens: History, Culture and Lobster

Oct 22nd, 2009 | By Peter Minakis
Athens: History, Culture and Lobster

How can one summarize the city of Athens in a blog post? That would be a fool’s game. Athens is the capital of Greece, practically in the center of the mainland, the economic and government hub of the country and home to half of Greece’s population.
For those who have traveled to Greece, you will understand [...]



Anogeia Lamb With Macaronia

Oct 9th, 2009 | By Peter Minakis
Anogeia Lamb With Macaronia

This dish is inspired by a recipe I’ve seen in a few Greek cookbooks and the recipe involves lamb (or goat), boiling the pasta in meat stock and the result is a meal that tastes way more complex than the ingredient list would lead you to believe.
The village of Anogeia is located over 700 metres [...]



Greek Macaroni & Cheese

Jul 27th, 2009 | By Peter Minakis
Greek Macaroni & Cheese

Toronto is experiencing one the coolest summers and definitely a wet one with a couple of rainfalls a day. The thermometer has breached 30 Celsius a mere three times.
Toronto has also seen some labour unrest with some summer strikes (major one being a strike by the city’s garbage collectors). Me thinks summer is on strike [...]



Spaghetti With Tomato and Basil

Jun 15th, 2009 | By Peter Minakis
Spaghetti With Tomato and Basil

Of all the Italian dishes that one could (and can love), for me there is a no equal to the quick, delicious and simple Spaghetti with tomato sauce and basil.
Living in Canada, we are blessed to be living in a harmonious and multicultural country that is Canada. Here in Toronto, we boast of having approx. [...]



Hilopites With Mushrooms and Mint

Jun 11th, 2009 | By Peter Minakis
Hilopites With Mushrooms and Mint

Hilopites (pronounced “HEE-lo-Pee-tez”) are a class of pasta that are made in Greece and some families still have their own recipe, many festivals have ladies selling their artisan pasta and other dry noodles and they are definitely available at Greek supermarkets.
The most common Hilopites are a small square pasta that are often used in soups [...]



Making Gnocchi With a Side of Veal Milanese

May 20th, 2009 | By Peter Minakis
Making Gnocchi With a Side of Veal Milanese

Last year I finally splurged and bought myself a pasta maker and although I do still use dried (store bought) pasta, nothing can compare to the ritual and rewarding meal one has with making and eating pasta.
Another food journey has taken me to making my own bread. I’ve become kind of a bread snob, raising [...]