Recap – Μπάρμπεκιου – Greek Supper Club
Last weekend I hosted my annual outdoor Greek Supper Club at the Manor (Bob Rumball Centre). The weather was perfect: no humidity and not a cloud in the sky! Nisos Importing provided Cretan Olive oil, Balsamic Vinegar and other specialty items from Greece for the dinner. Wine Connoisseur Apostolos Gerakinis poured Greek wines throughout the evening. […]
Recap – Hasapotaverna Greek Supper Club
Last weekend I hosted an al fresco/outdoor Greek Supper Club for the meat lovers out there. Inspired by the Hasapotavernes (butcher/meat tavernas) in Greece. None of this could have been possible without the kindness of Tony Barkas, who allowed me to use one of his rotisseries. The main event for this dinner was Kontosouvli and […]
Rotisserie Pork Ribs
One of my favourite dishes is pork ribs, generously painted with BBQ sauce and I enjoy it both winter and summer. My usual recipe is a foolproof oven method…apartment ribs as some call it (because they don’t have grills).I do have a grill, both gas and charcoal but I’m often using my new Napolean grill, […]
Cypriot Style Lamb Souvla
A few years ago I attended the annual Cypriot Festival, as hosted by Toronto’s Cypriot Community here in Toronto. There were lots of regional dishes from Cyprus but I was intrigued the most by the large chunks of meat that were slow-roasting over a charcoal rotisserie. The Cypriots’ preferred way to roast lamb (or goat) […]
The Lancaster Smokehouse
Torontonians and those in/around the GTA would be be wise to head over to the 519 (area code) and pay a visit to another one of Kitchener-Waterloo’s gems, the Lancaster Smokehouse. Owner Chris Corrigan took over the historical tavern and turned into a BBQ joint that hits your nose as soon as you enter…BBQ! The […]
Pork Butt Gyro
This past summer in Greece I cemented my affections for pork butt, a particular cut of pork that’s diverse, very forgiving to cook with and it always come out juicy and delicious. The pork butt comes from the front end of the pig (nowhere near its rear), located near the shoulder. It’s not as pretty […]
Kontosouvli
In Greece, there are many souvlaki and gyro joints all over the country and on nearly every corner. Then there are tavernas, small eateries that specialize in grilled meats that go beyond souvlaki and gyro, serving pork chops, biftekia, sausages, lamb chops, whole roast lamb on the spit, kokoretsi and kontosouvli. Kontosouvli another rotisserie offering […]
Grilled Kebabs
This past summer saw me travel to both Greece and Turkey: neighbors, once foes, current rivals and friendly neighbors. Confused? There’s a lot of history between these two nations and to this day, ripples from the Ottoman Empire are felt in Greece (some good, some bad). Greece and Turkey also share some similarities when it […]
Beer-Can Chicken With Lemon Verbena & Thyme
I’ve been enjoying this method of preparing chicken for years now. I have yet to find anyone not like it…what’s not to like about moist chicken with crispy skin? Beer can chicken works as such: open a can of beer, drink about 1/3 of the beer, you may add add aromatics into the beer like […]
Harvey’s Hamburger (Home Version)
Growing up in Canada and the US, one is never too far from a burger joint. I can’t think of any friends who didn’t enjoy a hamburger – be it at home or out with family or friends. One of my earliest memories of a eating hamburgers was at McDonald’s….long time ago when they were […]