Much like a carrot cake or zucchini bread the beets are grated and mix into the batter raw – NOT boiled or cooked in any other way. There’s plenty of time for the beets to cook in the batter and did I mention the inside of the bread looks fantastic with the red beats speckles? (Yeah I did)

The most important steps to making Beet & Walnut muffins (yes they are sweet) or cake is tossing both the walnuts and grated beets in some flour. The is process is important because you’ll help your walnuts from sinking to the bottom of the loaf while baking and the beets will not bleed to the point of making your cake turn all red. Bottom line: mix your grated beets with some flour and mix into the batter just before pouring the batter into a muffin tin or loaf pan.

I opted to make muffins this time as I gave these to the hostess who had me over for a luncheon/tea this afternoon and there was no way I was going to give her a cake that was missing a slice or risk giving someone an insipid cake. Muffins it was, I tasted a couple, took some quick snaps and I have wonderful, quirky and sneaky way to have your kids eat vegetables…in cake or muffin form. Oh, beets are in season…enjoy!

Beet & Walnut Muffins

(makes 12 muffins or 1 loaf)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 level Tbsp. of baking powder

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup milk

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cups grated beets (raw)

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

extra flour for dredging beets and walnuts

pre-heated 375F oven

1. In one bowl, add your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, cinnamon and mix with a fork. In another bowl, lightly beat your eggs, milk and oil and set aside. Pre-heat your oven to 375F, middle rack.
2. Chop your walnuts and add enough flour (approx. 1 Tbsp.) to coat the nuts, toss well. Peel your raw beet and pass through the side of your box grater with large holes. You should have approx. 2 cups loosely filled. Add flour while mixing with a fork until the grated beets appear a light pink (almost dry) in colour. Set aside.
3. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix quickly with a spoon. Add add the walnuts and mix in. Finally, add the grated beets into the dough mixture.
4. Grease your muffin tins or place the paper muffin cups into the pan and spoon in or use an ice cream scooper to insert the dough into each muffin mold. Place in your pre-heated oven for 20 minutes (stick a toothpick into a muffin to check for doneness  – no dough should stick to it).
5. Remove the muffins from the oven and carefully remove them from the tin and allow to slightly cool on a rack. Serve warm or room temperature.

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© 2011, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

The first time I ate a fig (beyond a Fig Newton) was during my first trip to Greece back in 1974. Back then my relatives lived in Thessaloniki and they had no fig trees on their property. Fast-forward 6 years and the same relatives owned property here in Halkidiki – fig trees are everywhere and probably as common as the maple tree here in Canada.

Figs can be found at farmer’s markets, supermarkets and even better…free and up for grabs dangling from one of the thousands of trees that grow throughout Greece. A ripe fig is soft to the touch, the skin peels off easily and some figs (the royal’s skin) is so thin that you may certainly eat in whole. A ripe fig is undoubtedly sweet, almost to the point of being like a jam. This is the way figs should taste and I refuse to pay or eat one of those figs that arrives at the market back in Toronto after traveling for two weeks on a truck from California.

If you live in a part of the world where figs grow then you ca relate to what I’m talking about. For the rest, booking a trip to Greece or another country that grows figs is worth the price of the ticket alone. You’ve never tasted a fig until you’ve picked a ripe one off a tree. Here in Greece, most figs are ripe by mid-August ( there are some fig trees that bear ripe fruit in June as well) but the figs this year were delayed by a week or so. The delay of figs ripening combined with many Greeks heading back into the city after August 15th left us here in Kallikratia (Halkidiki) with a glut of figs. Figs everywhere…gorge yourself on figs!

I usually eat figs as they are  – ripe and picked off the tree but a yogurt parfait is also delish and now I’m in love with this fig jam that comes by way of our family friend Haryklia. Again, you’re going to need ripe figs, sugar, water, lemon, a bit of vanilla extract and the kicker in this recipe? Fresh basil! Yes, fresh basil is what gives this particular fig jam the pep, that somethin’-somethin’ that will have family and friends guessing what else is in the fig jam. Once again, the philosophy of “what grows together goes together in cooking” remains true. A new ritual of also making fig jam every August has just begun.

Fig Jam (Μαρμελάδα σύκο

(makes 3 large jars)

65-70 ripe medium/large figs

2-2 cups granulated sugar (depends how sweet you like it or how sweet your figs are)

1 cup water

splash of vanilla extract

1 branch of fresh basil

zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

1. Rinse your figs and snip off stems then cut in half. Place in a pot with sugar, water and vanilla and bring to a boil. Simmer for 45 minutes then allow to cool completely (takes about 4 hours). Mash the figs to your desired consistency (I liked some chunks of fig in my jam).
2. Return the pot to the stovetop over low heat and add the basil and reduce to medium and simmer for another 4 minutes.
3. Add the lemon zest (plus lemon juice if you like) and simmer until desired consistency achieved. Remove basil leaves and allow to cool completely. Jarring the jam is easy and one must remember to keep everything clean throughout the process.

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© 2011, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

After sitting down for a coffee and getting settled into our seats, I noticed one of the gals behind the counter piping some creme patisserie onto layers of puff pastry. As it turns out, she’s also been to Toronto and stayed at her uncle’s place. Her uncle is someone I know in Toronto. BINGO! Another connection in Thessaloniki.

Thessaloniki is littered with cafe’s and shops where one can stop in for a brief drink, snack or both or simply grab something to take with you on the go. Yesterday I had the good fortune to enjoy a coffee at the Paradosiako deli in Thessaloniki’s shopping district, just south of Tsimiski. In Greek “Paradosiako” means traditional and although the shop(s) are new there’s an eye towards tradition and making things from scratch like their coffees, sandwiches, tarts and other desserts. Next time I’m going to try out their Mille Feuille and their yummy croissants are some of the best I’ve seen in the city!

This central location of Paradosiako is great for people watching, friendly and attentive service and in case you’re not in the center of the city, there are a few other Paradosiako stores out there.

enjoy this slide show I’ve prepared for you and i’m sure this will give you yet one more reason to visit Thessaloniki!

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© 2011, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

Here in Greece, there are those who have a coffee and smoke for breakfast, others take the time to sit and eat in the morning and most are on the run and will grab a quick breakfast to-go or on foot. One of Greece’s most delicious offerings is Bougatsa and the best Bougatsa is said to originate in a city in eastern Macedonia called Serres. Here in the province’s capital (Thessaloniki) there are hundreds of Bougatsa shops with most doing brisk business in the morning and early afternoons.

Bougastsa is made of handmade phyllo that treated with butter and filled with cheese, meat, spinach & cheese, chocolate or custard (cream). Basically, the filling is placed in the middle of a rectangle of phyllo thats folded like an envelope to make a pouch around the filling. One more pouch of phyllo is folded to complete the Bougatsa.

This post isn’t about which particular Bougatsa shop in Thessaloniki, Serres or other parts of Greece has the best Bougatsa shop but when in Thessaloniki, you’re going to find these shops everywhere. Some are better than others and today I was lucky to have discovered Serraikon Bougatsa on Bas. Herakliou (just outside of Modiano Market).

Serraikon Boutgatsa was established in 1952 and despite the company now being franchised, the quality and consistency at each shop still rates high with the citizens of Thessaloniki. I’m recommending you grab some Bougatsa from this location if you visit Thessaloniki. It’s central, easy to find and you’ll likely be hungry from seeing all the food and goods that surround you in the nearby Kapani and Modiano Markets.

Grab an order of Bougatsa and have it with Greek coffee, a frappe or chocolate milk and if you’re really nice (I love comments), I may just share a Bougatsa recipe with you!

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© 2011, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

One morning, my Pappou (grandfather) asked me to go to the bakery and buy some raisin bread. He have me a fifty drachma note and reminded me that I should also be receiving some change with the bread. My grandparents ( lived in the Neapoli area of Thessaloniki) and off I went to the bakery and and I was easily distracted by the toy store that I passed on the way to the bakery. I stopped and noticed a display of toy soldiers in the store front. They were those small plastic ones and the box (if purchased) would contain an army of blue and red soldiers.

Back in 1974, Greece had just ousted a Junta-run government and in the summer of ’74, Greece was embroiled in the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. The mood between Turks & Greeks was not good and I was even dressed by one uncle in camouflage fatigues and plastic machine gun. I thought to myself, this toy set of plastic soldiers would be the perfect complement to my military attire and another outlet for me to play-out slaying “bad Turks”.

I reached into my pocket, told the shop-owner I wanted the toy soldiers and handed over the 50 Drachma note. The transaction was complete and I headed back to my grandparents’ home with toy soldiers in hand – but no raisin bread. Oooops! I could do no bad in the eyes of my grandparents but my mom was none too pleased. I remember feeling the wrath of the pantofla (the sharp sting of a slipper) and I followed instructions thoroughly when sent on future errands.

My grandfather went to the bakery and bought the raisin bread that I was supposed to buy. I had it for breakfast, still warm from the bakery and unsalted butter smeared on the slices. I loved that rustic bakery-style bread and it’s been a fave of mine ever since. Back here in Canada (and likely where you live), one can easily find loaves of raisin bread that resemble slice bread with raisins in them. If that’s what you’re looking for here – sorry.

This raisin bread recipe pays homage to that raisin bread I had in Greece (Thessaloniki) back in ’74 with a nice crust, soft inside with some good chew. What you have here is a riff on your usual crusty bread one buys from a good bakery or…if you’re like me – you bake your own. There’s a few departures here: the first and obvious one being the inclusion of raisins….lots of raisins. Second, the bread has to be a little sweet and being a Greek guy, I chose honey rather than sugar to make this bread as wholesome as possible. The final ingredient I’ve added is milk powder, something many of us can buy at the supermarket or bulk stores.

The milk powder’s function is to help impart a sweeter flavour to the bread, a more tender crumb) and it helps the bread achieve the warm brown colour to the crust. Powdered milk is often used in bread recipes instead of milk so as it doesn’t interfere with the rising process of bread making. The end result was outstanding: a lovely aroma wafted out of my kitchen, the texture of the bread (tender crumb with good crust) was a delight and smearing unsalted butter on some lightly toasted raisin bread took me right back to Greece in 1974. Who woulda’ thunk that an oven could also double as a time machine?

Raisin Bread (Σταφιδόψωμο)

2 Tbsp. active dry yeast

3 1/2 cups tepid water

1/2 cup of honey

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp. of coarse sea salt

3 Tbsp. of powdered milk

6 1/2 cups of unbleached (or all-purpose) flour

1 1/2 cups of dark raisins

cornmeal for crust and topping

1. In a large bowl or plastic container,  add the tepid water, yeast and honey and stir and for the yeast to foam & activate for 10 minutes. Now add the salt, olive oil, milk powder and add in the flour – one cup at a time mixing with a large wooden spoon, your hands.
2. At about the 3 to 3 1/2 cups of flour stage, add your raisins into the dough while the dough mixture is still soft. Once the raisins have been mixed in, add the remaining flour and mix until well-incorporated (no dry patches of flour). If the dough mixture is too dry, add a bit of water, mix in. The dough should be smooth, not too tacky (sticky) or wet.
3. Cover but leave the lid slightly ajar (allow gases to escape) and place and allow to rise for at least 6 hours (or overnight). You may also place in your fridge but allow the dough to come to room temperature (about 1 hour) before working with it.
4. Your dough should at least double in size when ready. Empty your dough on a lightly floured work surface and cut the dough into three equal pieces. Ensure you have some flour on your hands and shape the dough into three loaf shapes. Sprinkle the tops of your loaves with flour and allow the dough to rise for an hour to 90 minutes.
5. Place your pizza stone on the middle rack of your oven and pre-heat to 425F.  Sprinkle cornmeal on your pizza peel/paddle and place one or two loaves on top (your bread should not stick anymore) and sprinkle tops of the bread with cormeal as well. Allow your oven to heat for another 20-30 minutes after it’s signaled that it’s reached 425F. Fill a baking tray with hot water from your tap and place on a rack set to the highest position in your oven.
6. Slash the tops of your dough and slide into your oven and bake for 30 -35 minutes or until golden-brown. Remove the loaves and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Bake your next batch in the same fashion.

NOTE: If you want the same results with your bread, then use a pizza stone to bake the bread on and a pizza peel/paddle to form your bread and slide into the pre-heated oven. Go on splurge on these two items – a couple of the best investments in the kitchen.

* Omit milk powder and this raisin bread is Lent-friendly.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at  http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

© 2007-2011 Peter Minakis

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© 2011, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.