The first real cold weather has finally arrived and although I didn’t put on a pair of Long Johns, I did tuck in for a comfy evening by the fireplace, a book and a glass of wine. The glass of wine afforded me the ability to use it for making this warm bowl of mushroom [...]
When one works from home (like I do), one can (and will get distracted) by many things: the knock on the door from the courier with another cookbook, responding to emails from readers of my blog, reading and commenting on a delicious, interesting or informative blog post or something (a rare instance) to make me [...]
This past summer while in Greece I also took a side trip to Istanbul (Constantinople). I had previously gone to Istanbul one other time in ’97. The first time I visited this magical city I had spent most of my time seeing the more touristy sites like Dolmabahce, Blue Mosque, Aghia Sophia, the Egyptian Spice [...]
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 [...]
Today, the World Cup of Soccer begins with the host nation being South Africa. Canada’s team did not qualify but Greece’s team did. Soccer (Football) [...]
It’s New Year’s Eve, December 31st, 2009. The end of one decade and the beginning of a new one. I’ve been thinking of all the ways I’ve spent New Year’s Eve. My earliest recollection was attending the Annual New Year’s dance of the Amynteon Association of Toronto. My parents are from this town in northern [...]
Aren’t mom’s the best? Just when I thought my mom showed me all the tricks in her book (brain) of kitchen techniques, she smacks-down this little ditty on the kitchen counter! I’ve seen these in assortment trays from Greek bakeries. I’ve eaten these at Greek festivals. I seen these offered by other cuisines (Middle-Eastern, Lebanese [...]
Regardless of whether you are Greek or not, live in Greece or among the Diaspora or if you are real lucky and you get to spend the holidays in Greece – I think a primer on the Greek Christmas is the call of the day. When Greeks speak of the holidays, we mean Christmas, New [...]
Finally…a baklava recipe and some background and opinion on this dessert, popular all around the world. The origins of Baklava can be traced to Turkey (which is fine by me) and rather than focus on the differences between Greeks and Turks, I try and focus on the similarities between the two peoples. Relations between the [...]
This dish comes from one of the most striking areas of Greece and we’re not talking about a Greek island or drop-dead gorgeous beach. I’m speaking of the Vikos Gorge, located in the northwestern province of Epirus. The first time I passed through this part of Greece was in 1988, on my way to the [...]
