Seafood Cabbage Rolls (Λαχανοντολμάδες-με-Θαλασσινά)
WhenI first scanned over this recipe in a recent issue of Gastronomos, I was smitten with the concept of filling cabbage with seafood. In Greek cuisine, cabbage rolls are usually filled with mince and finished with a creamy Avgolemono (egg/lemon) sauce. This recipe is an obvious take or twist on the Greek classic: shrimp and […]
Lemon Meringue Pie
We (Greeks) are now into Holy Week, “Megali Evdomada” – less than a week until Easter Sunday. Both the Catholic and Greek-Orthodox Easters (as is the case from time to time) fall on the same day this year. It is a very spiritual time for Greeks and it is indeed more significant than Christmas. The […]
Grilled Butterflied European Sea Bass
Each time I go to Greece I have to stop by the “Kourdisto Gouroni” (Wind-up Pig) in the Agia Sophia neighborhood of central Thessaloniki. This eatery has been in operation since the early 1990’s and the feel of the place and the food could be best described as “Greek Bistro”. Lots of beers on tap […]
Cabbage Salad (λαχανοσαλάτα)
Greeks eat according to the seasons. In the summer, Greeks will have the bounty of their garden with tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers to make the world famous Greek salad. Although these vegetables are now also available in the winter, there’s a definite shift in ingredients during the winter months. Taste, cost and a little bit […]
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 […]
Chicken Wings tou Kalofaga
In Greece, festivities are well under way. It’s Carnival time in Greece and one of the biggest days is centered around grilled meats. The period of Carnival in Greece is called “Apokries” and today marks “Tsiknopempti”. Tsiknopempti is a compound word that describes the smell of grilled meats and Thursday: “Tsikno-pempti”. Tavernas will have lit […]
Cod in a Mussel Broth
This dish is the creation of Greek chef Sotiris Evangelou. Chef Sotiris is currently in charge of the kitchens of the swank King George hotel in Athens. He was inspired by the cuisine of Thessaloniki, with its diverse, vibrant culinary scene. Thessaloniki has seen many different peoples enter it’s old city walls through time and […]
Pork With Leeks & Celery
The traditional Greek diet wasn’t so meat-centered as it is today but meat always was part of the diet. My parents (both from the the northern Prefecture of Florina) recall when the family pig was slaughtered. Nothing went to waste. The whole pig was used from snout to tail to hoof…everything but the pig’s squeal. […]
Sea Bass Baked in Coarse Sea Salt
Recipe update from Feb,01, 2008 This dish isn’t unique to just Greek cuisine. I’ve seen fish baked in coarse sea salt in many countries that hug the Mediterranean basin. Everyone’s in on baking whole fish in a salt crust: Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Greece. If I haven’t noted your country, do you folks also […]
Loin of Pork Stuffed With Prunes
How was your Christmas? Are you enjoying yourselves? Spending time with family and friends? Having some richer, more indulgent foods? An extra drink? Good, ’cause I am! The family’s Christmas dinner went splendidly. All the dishes turned out very well, we had some good chuckles and reminisced of Christmases past. The centerpiece of our Christmas […]
