Now for the winner of the Ancient Grains Cookbook by Maria Speck….Cindy (Maddox) won with comment # 35.

Ladies, please email me at truenorth67 AT gmail.com with your mailing particulars and I’ll have the books mailed out to you as soon as possible.

Best,

Peter

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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.

Many Greeks believe in the evil eye and we’ll hang charms on cars, in homes, walls and even wear jewelry to ward off the evil eye. Take your pick of which you like and give some as Christmas presents.

If I can make bread, anyone can! Ever since I bought a pizza stone I can now make killer homemade bread and pizza better than most pizzerias.

The Euro Cup 2012 is on next year and one of “good news” stories to come out of Greece is that the Greek National team has already qualified. Wouldn’t you look good sporting a Greek soccer jersey as Team ELLAS tries to repeat 200 glory?

One of the best ways to enjoy Greek coffee is to prepare it using a brass Briki...the more traditional – the better I say.

Since we’re on the subject of Greek coffee, if you want to splurge or treat the Greek coffee lover – buy a “Hovoli” where the coffee is made in the Hovoli where the Briki is placed in hot sand then once it froths, the coffee is poured into the demi tasse. Pricey but the best way to make Greek coffee.

One of the cherished items I brought back from Greece was this mortar & pestle made of olive wood. I think you should have one too!

Pamper yourself and your skin with Greek olive oil soap. I swear, you’ll stay young-looking and delay that appointment with the plastic surgeon.

One of my favourite comprehensive Greek cookbooks has to be Tessa Kiros’ “From Many Greek Kitchens”. The photography is beautiful, nostalgic, the recipes easy and delicious.

Mastiha is a spice that comes from the island of Chios, in the northeast Aegean Sea. My friends at Mastihashop NY have created these gorgeous gift sets that include some products with mastiha, olive oil and other Greek food stuffs. Below are just some of the gift sets available and you can call or email them for prices, gift descriptions and prices.

Rosa Eskanazi was the Queen of Rebetiko music and this movie “My Sweet Canary” about her life and music is my favourite “foreign film” of the year and the soundtrack is amazing too!

Here’s a couple of book giveaways: The Mastihashop has donated the cookbook “Mastiha Cuisine” by my friend Diane Kochilas. This book’s recipes all contain the unique spice from Chios – mastiha.Earlier this year I met cookbook author Maria Speck when she came to Thessaloniki to visit her mom. Her book “Ancient Grains for Modern Meals” was included in the New York Times’ Notable Cookbooks of 2011 list! I am giving away her book as my Christmas present to my readers.

To be eligible to win one of the two cookbooks, all you have to do is leave a comment and tell me which cookbook you would prefer to receive. One comment only, draw to be held Dec. 18th, 2011. Book giveaway is open to Canadian and US residents only. Good luck!

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© 2011 – 2012, 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.

Betty, Eleni and Samantha Bakopoulos share family recipes with the reader with one eye on on tradition and the other with plating traditional Greek dishes with panache, flair and that “lady’s touch”.

pictured left to right - Samantha, myself, Betty and Eleni

I gladly accepted their offer to join them as they gave a cooking class to some Canadian military wives here in Toronto. The Three Greek Sisters (or as I call them, Trio Belle Greca) instructed the ladies on how to make their own Baklava (rolled) cigars.

All the ingredients were provided, instruction was given, a watchful eye overlooked some of the ladies who were timid with phyllo pastry but in the end…the military wives took to the ease of instruction from Trio Belle Greca and all participants took home their assembled Baklava Cigars for baking (and a quick vanishing act from the dessert table).

Christmas is upon us and “Around the Greek Table” would make for a wonderful Christmas gift. The book can be purchased from the Three Greek Sisters Website or at Amazon.

Why should you buy the book? Not because it’s self-published, or that the three sisters are like you and I, or that these women assumed a “take charge” attitude and recipe-tested, photographed, funded and self-published this book.

The cookbook contains:

112 photos,

105 easy to read recipes,

60 vegetarian dishes,

22 delicious dinners,

18 impressive appetizers,

13 desserts and,

12 menu suggestions.

The photography is excellent, the recipes work and the sisters even thrown in some clever techniques and plating ideas that I’m excited to try out too!

The Three Greek Sisters were kind enough to give me an autographed copy to me for a giveaway promotion. All you have to do is leave a comment ON THE BLOG (only one comment will count in the draw) and a winner will be chosen by this Friday, December 18th at 6PM EST.

For your comment to qualify, please share with us all a special memory, be it funny, sentimental, touching you have about a sibling (or close relative for those only children). When I met the Three Greek Sisters, I could definitely sense a strong blond amongst them…almost telepathy and I want to see if anyone else has such a strong family bond.

The giveaway is open to all readers and the winner will be contacted via email.

Καλή τύχη (good luck)!

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.

© 2007-2009 Peter Minakis

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© 2009, 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.

Today is March 25th, the celebration of Greek Independence Day and it draws inspiration from one of the holiest days for the Greeks, the Annuciation of the Theotokos. On this day, Gabriel the archangel announced to Mary that she will bear a child.

The Bishop of Patra, Germanos sparked the struggle for Greek Independance from Ottoman rule on that day, back in 1821. To this day, cries of  “Zito H Ellas” (Long live Greece) and “Eleftheria H Thanatos” (freedom or death) are still heard today.

Greeks were under Ottoman rule for more than 400 years but we resisted all attempts by the Turks at assimilation. For eight years, until 1829 when Sultan Muhammed II was under seige by Russian troops at the gates of Constantinople, Greek independance was won with the Treaty of Andrianople.

This is a mere fraction of Greece’s long and storied history. My parents, aunts  & uncles recall how history class was the toughest subject. Whenever I visit Greece, I’m in awe, not only of it’s sheer natural beauty or it’s warm, hospitable people.

The food and the perfect climate are natural magnets to this land of “milk and honey” but what gets me each and every time is the thought of buried treasures everywhere.

Ruins and cities buried by thousands of years. The generations that lived off the land and seas, the great people of history who walked on the land I stand on, the wars and struggles that brought Greece to where it is today and churches, graves and elderly who can still speak of this glorious past.

It’s Spring time and if you haven’t already decided on a vacation for the year, I encourage you to visit Greece. The food and drink will satiate you but the history, culture and people will change you. You will come back being a little more Greek, a little more humble and a whole lot more appreciative of the simpler things in life.

One of your best resources for investigating a trip to Greece is the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO). The site is available in eleven languages, offers advice on resort vacations, trips to the islands, agrotourism, conventions, historical sites and a listing of cultural events around Greece.

Toronto also boasts of having our very own GNTO office and I recently paid a visit to their offices. I was greeted by the friendly staff and although I know alot about visiting Greece, I got the sense that I had stepped onto Greek soil the moment I entered the premise.

The GNTO was also kind enough to give me a cookbook that I could give away to my readers. The book is titled, ” Greek Creative Cuisine” and this hardcover has some classics with some modern flare.

I’m delighted to hold a draw for this book giveaway. Just leave a comment below this post and you’re elligible to win this book by a random-generated computer draw to be held on April 1st, 2009 noon, EST.

On to the dish…Bakaliaros Skordalia. This dish is served all year’ round but it’s tradtion to serve it especially on March 25th. Bakaliaro is cod fish and Skordalia is a garlic aioli, most often made with bread or potato.

As an accompaniment, I also like a plate of Vlita (amaranth) that’s boil until tender, strained and then seasoned with sea salt, extra-virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Traditionally, salt cod is used for this dish and at least one full day of preparation is needed where the salted cod is soaked in several water baths to extract the salt. If you don’t have access to salt cod, the other usual fish for frying like haddock, halibut or pollock will also work wonderfully here.

Bakaliaros Skordalia (μπακαλιαρος σκορδαλια)

approx. 1lb. of salt cod fillets (soaked & water changed 3-4 times until salt is removed)

1 bottle of beer

1  to 1 1/2  cups of all purpose flour

1 heaping tsp. of corn starch

salt and pepper to taste

flour for dredging

sunflower oil for frying

Potato Skordalia

3 Russet (starchy) potatoes

5-6 cloves of garlic, minced

approx. 1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil

good wine vinegar to taste

sea salt to taste

1. Place your potatoes (skins on) in a pot of water that’s lightly salted. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cover. Boil until the potatoes are fork tender. Allow the potatoes to cool or drain and replace the pot with cold water to speed the cooling process.
2. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel with the back of your knife and and pass through a ricer. Add your minced garlic and mix with a fork.  Pour a slow stream of olive oil while continuing to stir. Add sea salt and some wine vinegar and taste and adjust  seasoning. Cover with cling wrap and set aside (or place in the fridge if making much ahead of time).
3. After you’ve sufficiently soaked your salt cod, pat dry and cut into small portions. Season with salt and pepper and dredge in flour and set aside.
4. Add all your dry ingredients in to a bowl and mix with a fork. Now while whisking, gradually add the beer to the flour until you get a thick batter (slightly thinner than pancake batter).
5. Heat your oil (about 2 inches deep) to about 360F and then dip your cod fillets in the batter then place carefully into the hot oil. Fry in batches until golden brown. Place the fried fillets on a platter covered in paper towels. Sprinkle some sea salt on them, serve with lemon wedges, Skordalia and some Vlita.

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.

© 2007-2009 Peter Minakis

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© 2009 – 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.

I’m going to give away two books, as chosen by a computerized random number generator.

The first winner is #11, comment left by Elsee;

The second winner is #109, comment left by Dimitra.

Congratulations ladies and welcome to a whole new world of baking bread. Please email me at truenorth67 @ gmail DOT COM and provide me with your full name and mailing address.

Thank you again to everyone who left a comment…I think I’ll do more giveaways…this is fun!

Finally, see you all soon at my new blog’s address….stay posted!

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.blogspot.com 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.
© 2007-2009 Peter Minakis

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© 2009, 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.