Pizza Dough Recipe
This past summer (both in Canada and Greece), I found myself experimenting with different pizza dough recipes. I was looking for something easy, great tasting, didn’t take too long and with consistent results. The ingredients are basic: active dry yeast, tepid water, olive oil, honey, sea salt and all-purpose flour. I like substituting honey in […]
Kunefe
This past summer while in Greece I also took a side trip to Istanbul (Constantinople). I had previously gone to Istanbul one other time in ’97. The first time I visited this magical city I had spent most of my time seeing the more touristy sites like Dolmabahce, Blue Mosque, Aghia Sophia, the Egyptian Spice […]
Apple Betty
I know, I know – this dessert isn’t a Greek recipe but there is a Greek connection. This recipe comes from an old friend, Byron Ayanoglu. Byron was a client of mine back in my banking days in the 90’s and although Byron is through n’ through a Montrealer, he lived in Toronto at that […]
Cheat Dolmades
Me thinks this blog is overdue for focusing on a side dish. We all make side dishes to go with our mains and in the blogging perspective, the side dish does get short shrift. The title of this dish translated into English is Rice With Grape Vine Leaves, Raisins and Pine Nuts. What I’ve done […]
Koulouria Thessalonikis
Here is my first post since arriving back from Greece. Yes, I had a wonderful time, yes I wish I could still be there and yes, I am also glad to be back in Canada. I was in Greece for 42 days and I also squeezed in a side trip to Istanbul (Constantinople). I even […]
Baked Zucchini Patties – Kolokithokeftedes
That mouthful of a Greek word you see in the title of this post is compound word: “Kolokitho” refers to zucchini/courgettes and “keftedes” are a burger-like patty. What we’re talking about here are these light and delicious zucchini patties. Many people’s gardens are brimming with zucchini or they will be soon. Grated zucchini, chopped fresh […]
Makaronopita With Eggplant (Μακαρονόπιτα με μελιτζανες)
It’s time for another pasta dish. Although I’ve cut down on the amount of pasta I eat, I still do love it and I have pasta at least once a week (maybe twice a week). Greeks enjoy pasta, the Spaniards, the French, Arabs, Turks and of course, Asians. Pasta also has a special place in […]
Baked Gigantes Beans
Last year, one of the stops during my vacation to Greece was to Kastoria. Kastoria is the capital city of the Prefecture of…Kastoria. It’s located in northern Greece, northwestern Macedonia. This region of Greece is located on fertile, elevated plateaus and the economy is centered around its long history of fur trading, tourism and agriculture. […]
Vine-Leaf Chicken Stuffed with Feta
Most of you are familiar with dolmades, where small packets of rice and aromatics are bundled using grape-vine leaves or “ampelofyla” in Greek. These small morsels may also contain meat or be wrapped with Swiss chard cabbage. The cabbage rolls are also often called “lahano-dolmades”. The use of grape-vine leaves is not limited to just […]
Lamb Exohiko
How would you feel if I presented you with a dish that presented you some of the favoured ingredients in Greek cuisine? All wrapped-up in one dish? You get spinach (check), you get tomato (check), you get green pepper (check), you get tender pieces of lamb (check), Greek cheese in Cretan Graviera (check) and it’s […]
