Salad With Figs, Feta & Radish Greens
Just more than a year ago I discovered that I in fact liked radishes. That’s right,. for most of my 43 years of existence I didn’t like radishes and that’s why I think it’s important for people to always revisit foods they think they don’t like. I was at a New Year’s Eve party last […]
Grilled Kebabs
This past summer saw me travel to both Greece and Turkey: neighbors, once foes, current rivals and friendly neighbors. Confused? There’s a lot of history between these two nations and to this day, ripples from the Ottoman Empire are felt in Greece (some good, some bad). Greece and Turkey also share some similarities when it […]
Grilled Manouri & Roasted Beet Salad
It’s been awhile since I’ve blogged about Manouri cheese and I promise not to allow this lapse of cheese to occur again. Cheeses are an integral part of Greek cuisine: we have Feta for salads or at the table with olives and bread, we have a wide array of firm sheep’s milk cheeses served at […]
Seftalia From Cyprus (Σεφταλιά)
A couple of weekends ago I had the pleasure of visiting the Cypriot Community of Toronto’s Cultural Centre, where they held their annual Summer Festival on their grounds. After straightening out a mix-up (someone thought I was a politico and asked me to sit at a head table), I located some friends, had a seat […]
Potato Salad With Radishes & Smoked Octopus
I recently was sent some samples from a Pitenis Bros. in Greece that produces dips, pickled vegetables, dips and smoked fish and seafood. One of the more intriguing and delicious items in the care package sent to me was the smoked octopus. Yes, smoked octopus. Much like eel, trout or mackerel, the octopus also gets […]
Grilled Eggplant and Zucchini Salad With Feta & Mint
Toronto had a very mild winter (the mildest I can remember) and Spring has arrived early. Snow melted by the second week of March, trees and flowers bloomed early and the lilacs brief two weeks of aromatic bloom is but a memory. I write this post in shorts, T-shirt and itching to flick-on the air […]
Grilled Halloumi and Orange Salad
Today is Mother’s Day and I would like to extend my best wishes to my mother, all mothers, grandmothers and mom’s to be. You rock, you make the world go round and I send this dish out to you. My love affair with Halloumi cheese continues. This slightly briny, semi-firm sheep’s milk cheese hails from […]
Grilled Halloumi Salad With a Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette
I’m not sure which ingredient is the star here – the Halloumi cheese or this dressing made primarly of processed Kalamata olives? The Kalamata olive is best known as topping the famous Greek or Horiatiki salad. The Halloumi cheese, born in Cyprus, enjoyed equally throughout the Middle East and gaining new fans around the world. […]
Potato Salad With Blood Oranges (Πατατοσαλάτα-με-σαγκουίνια)
This salad comes to you with inspiration of the season, my visit last year to southern Greece (Laconia) and timely in that it’s also a Lent-friendly dish. Let’s examine the ingredients: a new shipment of Greek extra-virgin olive oil, just shipped from the old country and courtesy of a family friend. The early harvest of […]
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 […]
