Melitzanosalata (Eggplant Salad)
Recipe update from 06/06/2007 In the summer in Greece, this Greek dip can often be found at tavernas among the several Mezedes (appetizers) ordered by a group of friends and it’s most definitely on the table at home for family & friends. The “must-do” for this recipe is char-roasting the eggplant in a gas or […]
Grilled Sweetbreads, an intro to Offal
The sweetbreads I’m discussing and cooking with today are considered offal. To look at sweetbreads, one would make the common mistake of thinking they are brains (in fact they are not). Sweetbreads come from the thymus glands, located at the chest entry, just before the trachea. They are only found in young animals as they […]
Shrimp With Mastiha
Today I will be jumping back in fasting for Greek Lent. This is the home stretch, “Megali Evdomada” or Holy Week, culminating with a feast like no other on Easter Sunday for Orthodox Christians. One I say fast, I mean I will be abstaining from any meat or meat by-products until I go to church […]
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 […]
Shrimp With Capers and Dill
Doesn’t that plate of shrimp just scream Spring? Before I get on with today’s dish, allow me to do some “housekeeping”. I recently had another giveaway, this time the cookbook Greek Creative Cuisine was up for grabs. David Hall of of Book the Cook was the lucky winner, drawn randomly through a computer-generated lottery. Congratulations […]
Baked Feta
There’s no turning back. Spring is here and I’m excited that the days are getting longer, the sun now warms my back, birds chirping, buds on trees are forming. Although Canadians will grill even in the coldest months, we’re now upon outdoor grilling season and it won’t be too long before we’re eating outdoors. This […]
Vasilli’s Mushrooms With Ouzo
This dish comes from one of the most striking areas of Greece and we’re not talking about a Greek island or drop-dead gorgeous beach. I’m speaking of the Vikos Gorge, located in the northwestern province of Epirus. The first time I passed through this part of Greece was in 1988, on my way to the […]
Artichokes and Other Lenten Delights
Continuing on with the Lenten Feast I originally displayed for you last weekend, today I’m featuring artichokes, amaranth and cuttlefish. Cuttlefish are cousins to octopus and squid and they belong to the class of cephalopods. Much like octopus and squid, they too squirt ink, have internal organs and the shield-shaped cuttlefish bone is it’s spinal […]
Shrimp, Roe and Dolmades
One of the ways that I “survive” fasting during Greek Lent is by enjoying a diet of shellfish. Shellfish do not have blood and therefore they are acceptable sustenance during the 49 day fasting period. I do not fast for the full 49 days but I do fast on the first and final week (Megali […]
Many Mussels, Olive Bread and a Salad
My parents come from towns in northern Greece (Macedonia) that are located in the mountains but most of my time spent in Greece is near the sea. All of my relatives in Greece are on my mom’s side of the family and the majority of them live in Greece’s second largest city, Thessaloniki. One of […]
