Chicken Chops aka Paidakia Kotopoulo
In Greece, butchers will break down a whole chicken into pieces (leg, thigh, breast, etc) then with a heavy cleaver, cut them across the the bone into smaller pieces. They call these “kotopoulo paidakia” aka chicken chops. I like leg/thigh meat and that’s what I recommend for my recipe. The seasoning and flavouring of the […]
Fried Skate Wing
Readers of my site will know that I love eating fish and seafood. One lesser known fish is skate. The edible parts are the wings and stand-alone fish mongers and many Asian markets will carry this delicious fish. Buy skate (and any fish and seafood) from a trusted fishmonger. Skate deteriorates quicker than other fish. […]
Feta Saganaki
Feta cheese, the King of cheeses (sorry Parm), a PDO appellation product made in Greece and consisting of a combo of sheep and goat milk cheese has come of age. It’s found in many households, surely most supermarkets carry it but you want to ask/purchase Greek Feta. Why settle for an ersatz version? The usual […]
Eggplant With Sour Trahana
This is a dish that is great for summer – eggplants, tomatoes are local, parsley from the garden and all brought together with Greek extra-virgin olive oil, sweet onions and garlic. A NOTE ABOUT EGGPLANT: They are a summer vegetable and that’s when they are at their peak, sweet and not bitter. I presalt eggplant […]
Sweet Potato Gnocchi With Creamy Feta Sauce
One of my fave ‘nouveau Greek’ combos is the pairing of sweet potatoes and Feta cheese (check out this salad). Today, that combo returns with a recipe for sweet potato gnocchi topped with a creamy Feta sauce. Gnocchi are usually made of potatoes and they fall into the dumpling category. They are easy to make […]
Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Dip
As a Greek, dips figure prominently on the table and one or two dips are on offer when serving guests (or ordered at a taverna). One dip that’s on practically every taverna menu is Melitzanosalata, where eggplant gets charred on the grill, the meat is scooped out and a dip is made with the addition […]
Octopus Meatballs
The first time I saw or heard of octopus meatballs were from Maria’s blog at Kali Orexi (BonAppeti. Maria is a Greek blogger resided in the NYC suburbs and she shares dishes she’s created or ones inspired by her ancestral homeland of the island of Kalymnos. For those not familiar with Greek geography, Kalymnos is […]
Roasted Beets With Greek Yogurt, Pistachios and Chives
I first made this appetizer a few years ago for a Supper Club organized for the local Cretan Association. Seeing chive blossoms in my garden triggered this memory and I want to share this easy and delicious appetizer you can serve. Strained Greek yogurt is spread on the bottom of a platter. wedges of roasted […]
How to Make Pita Bread
Original post appeared Nov. 11, 2009 One of the most well-known foods in Greek cuisine is pita bread. It’s used to scoop-up dips that are usually included in the mix of mezedes (Greek appetizers). We wrap souvlaki in them, we wrap gyro in them, we use pita bread to scoop Taramosalata, Melitzanosalata, Tzatziki, Red Pepper […]
Bianko From Corfu
The first time I visited the Greek islands on the Ionian side of Greece was back in ’88 when I took a bus from Thessaloniki to Igoumenitsa and from there the short ferry boat ride to Corfu. Until about a few years ago this trip took a day with a 7 hour ride through winding […]