Moussaka With Zucchini
I can recall having Moussaka from as early as my memory takes me. Every Greek home has a version of Moussaka and surely any of you who read my blog on a regular basis also (of course) enjoy Greek food and you’ve likely had a Moussaka. Moussaka usually is made with slices of fried eggplant […]
Pasta With Wild Leek Pesto
The “early summer” edition of the LCBO’s Food & Drink is now circulating and this one’s pretty good. There’s two or three Greek-inspired recipes worth trying, a write-up on Ouzo and some other dishes I’ve bookmarked for trying out. This pesto made for a quick and delicious lunch yesterday. It calls for the use of […]
Roasted Eggplant With Feta
Although alot of Greek cuisine is simple and straight forward, the execution of entertaining with the onslaught of mezedes/appetizers to your guests can create quite the whirlwind in the kitchen. At typical evening with friends and family, one can witness dozens of meze plates being brought to the table through a long evening of eating, […]
Lamb Lemonato
This past Easter, our family came to a consensus that we would not roast a whole lamb on the spit. Greek Easter fell earlier on the calendar (April 19th) and the weather was indeed cooler than seasonal norms. We opted for a whole leg of lamb on the spit and decided to offer “lamb two […]
Anixiatiki (Spring) Salad
Yesterday was May 1st and in Greek tradition, a Greek will greet their fellow Greeks with a “Kalo Mina” or “Good Month”. May 1st is also the European equivalent of the North American Labour Day. In Greece and much of Europe, a celebration and remembrance of the social and economic achievements are marked with parades […]
Greek T-Bone Steak
One aspect of Greek cuisine that I’ve found to be under-represented is grilling. Greeks love grilled food yet I see very little mention of it. Since the days of the caveman, humans have been throwing meat and other foods onto an open fire. It’s the most primitive method of cooking yet today, it’s probably the […]
Baklava (Μπακλαβάς)
Finally…a baklava recipe and some background and opinion on this dessert, popular all around the world. The origins of Baklava can be traced to Turkey (which is fine by me) and rather than focus on the differences between Greeks and Turks, I try and focus on the similarities between the two peoples. Relations between the […]
Creme Brulee With Mastic
Cooking, food, menu planning is as much about your culinary upbringing as it is about your instincts. Sometimes I’m wrong about a recipe or new riff on a classic. Thank goodness I’m right most of the time. Case in point was this Creme Brulee with Mastic. Although there are some savory applications for mastic, it […]
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 […]