Greek Independence Day Supper Club Recap
March 25th is a double celebration for Greece – both a historical and a religious one. Greeks celebrate the beginning of the struggle for independence from the Ottomans in 1821. The Greek-Orthodox church celebrates the Annunciation by Archangel Gabriel to Virgin Mary, and that she should become the mother of Christ. Forty guests attended this […]
Smoked Eggplant Macaroni & Cheese
This dish came about after brainstorming with “The Dragon” on our recent trip to Chicago. I had prepared as part of the main course a braised lamb in tomato sauce on a bed of smoked eggplant purée. Hunkar Begendi for those who know Istanbul-Constantinople food. The key to pulling off this dish is getting the […]
Seared Lemon Salmon With Green Beans and Bulgur
When I’m in Greece, I notice lots of folks there buying and eating salmon, even though it comes from Norway and Greeks have a wide array of small, medium and large fish from Mediterranean waters. When in Greece, I don’t eat salmon but now that I am back in Canada, we have plenty of wild […]
Stuffed Zucchini (Kolokithakia Gemista) With Avgolemeno Sauce
When I travel to Greece each summer, my parents are already there as they are both retired and they do like to plant and tend to a vegetable garden. One of the vegetables they plant are zucchini (or courgettes) and in Greece, they usual kind are the light green skinned ones they are called marrow […]
Zucchini & Eggplant Stack With Smoked Metsovone Cheese
This recipe riffs of one of favourite Greek appetizers, fried zucchini chips. Tavernas all over Greece serve this easy but delicious dish in the summer months, when zucchini are in season. They are often served with Tzatziki. Another fave, although not as common are fried eggplant chips. I like combining both to make for a […]
Curley Calamari on Spanakorizo
I’ve been given the privilege to write/share recipes and food ideas on Inside Toronto’s web portal. I first shared this dish a couple of months ago at my Lenten Greek Supper Club. Basically you have fancy Spanakorizo molded on a plate then topped with a quick sauté of curly calamari. Click here to read the […]
Pizza With Rapini & Italian Sausage
While I was writing my book and researching info on Mediterranean cooking, I learned that the foraging of wild greens went beyond Greece – folks in Italy, southern France and in the Balkans like their bitter greens…and so should you! Here in Canada, we don’t have the wealth of wild greens available to us in […]
Seared Halibut With Greens & Chickpeas
Here in Canada we still have snow on the ground. A cruel joke served by Mother Nature after having a mostly mild winter here in the Great White North. Back in Greece, they survived a relatively mild winter, sparing many Greeks who feared the cold with little money or means to heat their homes. The […]
Monkfish With Kritharaki, Fennel & Orange
One of my favourite fish is monkfish or angler fish. In Greece they call this fish peskandritsa and it usally is big, it’s fugly but it’s versatile and delicious. If you’re the type that doesn’t want to fuss with pin bones, no worries. Monkifish is large, triangular with the the body tapering as you near […]
Greek-Inspired Nachos
Forgive me for stating the obvious but there’s no such thing as Greek nachos but I can assure you lots of Greeks enjoy Tex-Mex flavours and that when I saw Bittman’s take on Greek-Style Nachos…I wish I thought of it first! It’s not a stretch of the imagination that one can think of using baked […]