Dad’s Rice Pudding
I grew up having not one great cook in the household but two! My dad emigrated to Canada in the 1950’s, on the encouragement of his older brother and uncle, Pantelis ( the fellow I was named after). Like many other immigrant stories, families left their homelands en-masse to greener pastures and in the case […]
Slow-Roasted Pork Belly
I’ve been using this marinade with pork shoulder for a few years. Resplendent with the aroma of fennel, rosemary and thyme, citrus and a bottom end of smoked paprika and coarse ground peppercorns. Light garlic flavour, coarse sea salt offering just the right amount of seasoning and the natural pork flavours come out in this […]
Apple Crumble Pie
A fruit that’s still available in the Winter, is abundant in Canada and delicious almost all year’ round is the apple. It’s one of my favourite fruits: crispy, crunchy, juicy, sweet and sour and good for ya! Besides the usual “an apple a day will keep the Doctor away”, apples are also versatile as they […]
Cinnamon Rolls, Like the Ones at Cinnabon!
One of the main advantages of blogging is that one comes across a recipe that’s been tested by someone who’s food and tastes you admire. We’ve all tried out recipes from a newspaper clipping or a food show but the best ones seem to come from friends, relatives, mother, aunts and the alike. Friends from […]
Braised Lamb Shanks & Beans
I had a steak earlier this week and it was just okay. I’m not eating as much meat as I used to and certainly less steak. At the same, I am greatly enjoying the tougher cuts of meat, the challenges in the kitchen to make them tender and relishing the triumph of tasting a delicious, […]
Greek Christmas Gift Guide
This year I’m going to post some gift ideas for those with an an eye towards a more Greek Christmas. I’ve compiled some gifts from stocking-stuffers to more substantive presents and the gifts range in price for all budgets. For starters, why not buy some miniature calendars with Greek recipes? I would certainly like to […]
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 […]
Baked Quince With Mavrodaphne & Pine Nuts
Quince are is season and they are found in Greece, Italy and throughout most of the Mediterranean basin. Quince or Cydonia Oblonga (Kydonia in Greek) grows on a small deciduous tree and it is related to the apple and pear. Quince has a high pectin content and it’s often used to make jams/marmalades. Quince have […]
Apple Betty
I know, I know – this dessert isn’t a Greek recipe but there is a Greek connection. This recipe comes from an old friend, Byron Ayanoglu. Byron was a client of mine back in my banking days in the 90’s and although Byron is through n’ through a Montrealer, he lived in Toronto at that […]
Keftedakia With a Paprika Sauce
Here’s a bookmarked recipe that I finally got around to trying this summer. Keftedes are a seasoned Greek meatball and here we have the use of the the diminutive, “keftedakia” or little meatballs. The recipe comes from Ethnos, one of Greece’s daily newspapers. It seems every paper in Greece has a section dedicated to food, […]