Pickled Green Beans – Φασολακια Τουρσι (Στίπα)
A few weeks back I made Hosafi, a dish from the Pontian Greeks and I alluded that I would share with you in due course and the time has come. This past summer in Greece, I spent a weekend visiting the diverse, delicious and distant city of Xanthi…a Greek city closer to the Turkish border […]
Imam me Metsovone
A Turkish dish that’s entered the kitchen’s (and bellies) of Greeks is Imam Baildi – the literal translation being “the imam fainted”. From the all the olive oil ingested in this olden dish. I’m calling this Imam as the canoes of eggplant filled with vegetables and topped with cheese still resemble this classic. I’m avoiding […]
Purslane Tzatziki
One person’s weed is another person’ dinner. Purslane grows amok in Greece and the other nations that surround the Mediterranean. This succulent can be found growing in gardens, roadside and yes, even at the farmer’s markets. In Greece, purslane is often made into a salad (or a salad component), stewed or simply added as a […]
Pasta Salad With Feta, Sun-dried Tomato & Spinach
Pasta salads are hit and miss….usally more miss. The reasons why a pasta salad may flop could be too much fat (usually mayonaisse), too much acid, the pasta is tossed while still warm or hot, pasta is under-seasoned or simply no flavour. I created this pasta salad with an eye on flavour and the other […]
Spinach & Feta “Gratin”
My visit to Greece this past May consisted of two parts: the first part was spent attending the Sani Gourmet Festival and the second was with family and friends in Thessaloniki. I stayed at my uncle’s house in Elaiones, a suburb that sits overlooking Thessaloniki on one side and nearby Panorama – still lording high […]
Pastitsio Gialantzi
I came up with the name of this riff on Pastitsio last week and I rather like the title of it too…”Pastitsio Gialantzi”. Pastitsio is a favourtite Greek dish made by arranging one layer of tubular pasta followed by a ground meat mixture and then sandwiched with another layer of pasta. A deep dish baking […]
Potato Pizza
Last year I was watching a local Greek program that also has a cooking segment included in each episode. I’m interested in this show as I like to keep abreast of local Greek community affairs and, see what other dishes are being presented (I too have appeared on this show). A dish that I had […]
Stuffed Peppers (Meatless Version)
Who’s your favourite famous vegetarian? In Canada we have Pamela Anderson, Alannis Morisette, Shania Twain. There is Bridgette Bardot, Albert Einstein, Paul McCartney, Natalie Portman, Mahatma Ghandi, Da Vinci, Gaudi! Greece has too many vegetarians to name. There are many out there in the world and the list in growing. I don’t think I’ll ever […]
Pasta With Cherry Tomatoes, Feta, Halloumi & Basil
With regards to my tastes, I often find Feta and Halloumi cheeses competing for my attention in the kitchen. When the call for Greek cheeses is made, I often answer with either Feta or Halloumi. Feta cheese is made from either sheep or goat’s milk (or a combo of both). Have you ever read the […]
Asparagus Salad in the Raw
This recipe can be pulled-off with using any one of the following gadgets (yes I own all three of them). The first is a box grater and considered a “must” in the Greek kitchen. The box grater is used to grate ripe tomatoes and the pulp is used in many Greek dishes. The second kitchen […]