Hummus
Confession. Hummus wasn’t my favourite dip. Until today. I recently tried a Hummus that was made with chickpeas that had been soaked overnight. I’ve used canned chickpeas and I will continue to – they are a good convenience product and one that I keep on hand in my pantry. You can make a Hummus using […]
Penne All’Arrabiata
There’s one week left until the Greek-Orthodox Lent commences. This is the third and final week of Carnival, the final farewell before a fast up until Greek Easter (April 4th). This week is called Tyrini, where meat is dropped from the diet but cheeses, dairy products and eggs are allowed. Shellfish is still allowed. In […]
Risotto With Shrimp, Mushrooms and Asparagus
This dish arose from thoughts of what to do with some leftover asparagus. I had about a bunch of grilled asparagus left and they deserved a better fate than laying under plastic cling wrap for a week in the fridge. I also had a bag of mushrooms in the fridge (I store mine in a […]
Grilled Lobster
So the first week of Greek Lent is behind us and it really wasn’t that hard adjusting from my regular diet to one without meat or any meat by-products in it. Each year I’ve been steering my diet towards one with more fish and seafood, beans and legumes and less meat. I don’t think I […]
Mushroom Bouyiourdi
Some of you might remember my post with the classic Bouyiourdi with tomatoes, peppers and cheese – baked until everything melds together and awaits your anxious dipping of thy crusty bread. This spin on Bouyiourdi will also satisfy those who love the act of dunking bread into food. Those of you who like the whole […]
Pumpkin Fritters
A friend of the family’s gave us the big, honkin’ pumpkin last year and the first thing to go were the pumpkin seeds. Salted and baked and snacked on whilst passing the time (passa-tempo). I then cut the pumpkin into large pieces and baked them in the oven until for tender. No need to remove […]
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. […]
Grilled Octopus (xταπόδι-σχάρας)
One of the reasons I started this blog is because I noticed a disjoint from the notion people have of Greek food here in Canada and the United States and what is actually eaten in Greek homes or served if you were to go to a Greek estiatorio (restaurant) or taverna (tavern). This gap is […]
Imam Baildi
Imam Baildi are stuffed eggplants. This is a vegetarian dish and it falls into the category of Greek cooking called “ladera” or lathera. Ladera dishes were born out of necessity, peasant families stretching-out food to feed families with what was fresh and what was seasonal. Ladera comes from the Greek word for oil, lathi and […]
Fried Calamari
One of my first and favourite seafood dishes that I enjoyed in my earlier vacations to Greece is calamari. In particular, fried calamari. Calamari are squid. Squid belong to the cephalapod family, which include octopus and cuttlefish. If you’re squeamish about cleaning squid, be kind and ask your fishmonger to do this for you. Barring […]
