Ouzo usually makes its rounds on Easter and I recommend you buy a bottle or two. The wine should flow on Easter and if there was ever a day you should drink Greek wine, Easter Sunday is a as a good of a day to try some wines out. If you’re looking for lamb, I recommend those living in the Toronto area to visit Kostas Meat Market. Kostas’ shop is in Scarborough and he brings in only farm-raised Ontario lamb.

Below are some links to recipes that I think you may want to have as part of your family’s Easter celebration. Greeks do Easter in a BIG way and I think you pull-off your own celebration just like we do!

Tsoureki (Greek Easter Brioche)

Easter Koulourakia

Magheritsa (Easter Soup)

Neo-Mageritsa (without offal)

Melitzanosalata

Taltsenes

Riganada

Htipiti

Asparagus and Roasted Red Peppers

Beans With Roasted Garlic, Capers and Parsley

Patsavouropita

Grilled Halloumi With Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Grilled Lamb Burger

Feta & Herb Pull-Aparts

Homemade Pita Bread

Tzatziki

Lamb Ribs

Cheese-Stuffed Souvlaki

Pork Butt Gyro

Tangy Maple-Mustard Lamb

Endless Summer Pork Cutlets

Spatchcock Chicken

Grilled Sweetbreads

Kokoretsi

Kontosouvli

Ellasonitiko

Seftalia

Grilled Pork Steakettes

Grilled Pork Belly & Halloumi

Lamb Souvlaki

Pork Souvlaki

Grilled Lamb Chops

Roast Lamb in Parchment

Rack of Lamb With Lemon Verbena

Spring Salad

Greek Salad on a Stick

Raw Asparagus Salad

Vine-Leaf Wrapped Lamb

Lamb Lemonato

Rotisserie Leg of Lamb

Oven-Roasted Leg of Lamb

Lamb on the Spit (Souvla)

Lamb Exohiko

Slow-Roasted Goat

Greek Roast Potatoes

Galaktoboureko

Ekmek Kataifi

Baklava

Creme Brulee with Mastiha

Lemon Merique Pie

Touloumbes

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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It’s been very busy around here and in case you missed the memo, I am currently working on the manuscript for my very first cookbook! The excitement of having a cookbook with my recipes and my name on it quickly wore off after I realized that there’s a lot of work involved!

Here are the basics: the book will contain about 300 Greek./Mediterranean dishes, it’s scheduled to be released this November and they have been re-tested to be made with ease. Greek cuisine for the masses! I’ll be using Greek ingredients that most have access to and if not, offering substitutions for those that live in a part of the world lacking in Mediterranean ingredients. I will also be showcasing ingredients you should try, like octopus!

See, the octopus releases its own liquid

Here’s an octopus dish that everyone can make (not everyone has a gas/charcoal grill). No water is added into the pot as over 50% of the cephalopod is water and it releases this liquid as it cooks. Here, octopus gets slowed braised with wine, pearl onions, tomato, herbs and spices in a stew us Greeks call Stifado.

Octopus Stifado

(serves 4)

1 large octopus (approx. 2 lbs.), beak removed

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium onions, sliced

1 1/2 cups blanched pearl onions (skins removed)

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 bay leaves

6-7 whole allspice berries

1/2 teaspoon orange zest

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

pinch of ground cinnamon

1/3 cup chopped fresh dill

1. Rinse your octopus and place in a large oven-safe pot and cover. Turn the heat to high and cook for 10 minutes then remove from the heat. Take out your octopus and allow to cool.
2. In the meantime, keep the octopus liquid in the pot and add the olive oil, onions, wine, vinegar, tomato paste, bay leaves, allspice, zest and bring up to a boil and stir. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
3. Separate the tentacles of the octopus with a knife and add (along with the head) into the pot and cover. Place in your pre-heated 350F oven for 90 minutes or until the octopus is fork tender. Uncover and bake some more if you would like the sauce to thicken.
4. Remove from the oven, add cinnamon and dill and stir in. Remove bay leaves, divide and serve. Serve with a bottle of Mediterra Mirambelo red from Crete.

This dish screams for good crusty bread, some gigantes beans or elbow macaroni.

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The first sign of Spring in Greece is the blooming of almond trees and soon after the wild, edible greens are young, flavourful and ripe for picking. It’s too early to pick dandelions and the like here in Canada but there’s lots of options at the market for using healthy greens in your diet.

Swiss chard, kale and spinach are found at the supermarkets, mustard greens and amaranth (vlita) can be found at Asian grocers. Use what’s fresh and affordable for this dish…very pragmatic we are!

Your choice of fish is also up to your tastes and budget. The best fish is the freshest fish and on the day I made this fish, it was halibut. Simply seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper and served with stewed greens and chickpeas. There’s tomato paste for sweetness, some red wine vinegar for acidity and dried Greek oregano to round’out the flavour. Here’s Greek Spring on you plate!

Seared Halibut With Greens & Chickpeas

(serves 4)

4 fillets of fresh halibut (6oz. each)

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 bunches of scallions, thinly sliced

4-6 cloves of garlic, minced

3 Tbsp. tomato paste

2 bunches of greens (kale, swiss chard or amaranth)

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 cups hot water

3 cups of cooked (or canned) chickpeas

salt and pepper to taste

extra-virgin olive oil

2 tsp. dried Greek oregano

1. Rinse your fish fillets and pat-dry. Drizzle olive oil on them and run all over the fish. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper and place in the fridge. Trim/remove the thick stalks of your greens and rinse well or soak in a basin of water (repeat 2-3 times if necessary to remove dirt). Reserve.
2. In the meantime, place a large pot on your stovetop over medium heat and add the olive oil, onions and garlic and sweat for 5-6 minutes or until translucent. Add the tomato paste and stir for 2 minutes (to cook).
3. Now roughly chop the greens and add into the pot with some sea salt and cover. Allow the steam to wilt the greens for about 6-7 minutes  and then add the wine vinegar, chickpeas and hot water and bring up to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook with the lid ajar for another 15-20 minutes.
4. Remove the lid and simmer uncovered until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt, pepper and add the dried Greek oregano. Keep warm.
5. Take your fish out of the fridge and allow about 5 minutes to return to room temperature. Place a large skillet on your stovetop over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add a good drizzle of olive oil and place the fillets skin side down and saute for 4 minutes then flip and saute for another 2-3 minutes or until the fillets are just opaque.
6. Turn the heat off and remove from pan from the heat source. Allow to rest. Divide and plate the chickpeas and greens as your base then place a fillet on top. Pour some of the liquid from the greens over the fish, garnish with some scallion greens (or chives) and Greek oregano.
7. Serve with a Gaia Notios Red Agiorghitiko.

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© 2013, 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.

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Pasta’s popularity goes beyond the happy bellies of Italian diners and besides the many dishes (with so many pasta shapes to choose from), the other key to its popularity has to be its simplicity in preparation.

Anyone can boil water, add salt and cook the pasta according to packet instructions and most can whip-up a quick and delicious sauce to toss said pasta. It’s the everyman’s meal, it’s quick, it’s filling – it’s delicious!

Last night I came home late hungry and as I opened the fridge I prayed that the tub of roasted cherry tomatoes was still waiting for me to use. They were. Late winter/early Spring is still early to be buying good tomatoes but the hot house cherry tomatoes are usually good.

Be it for salads or sauces, cherry tomatoes are reliable and they sing when slow-roasted in the oven with Greek olive oil, garlic and some sea salt. You can toss the cherry tomatoes in a salad, use for appetizers or use in  pasta sauce.

Many Greeks love pasta simply tossed in crumbled Feta or in this case, a dry mizithra cheese – generously grated over the pasta and tossed to melt into  creamy, buttery consistency.

Dry mizithra cheese is a hard cheese, usually in a ball form and it usually comes from the whey leftover from making Feta cheese (much like Manouri cheese). It’s medium in saltyness and best when freshly and finely grated over pasta. Italian foodie-philes will think ricotta salata as an alternative and I’d say correct! In fact, I was served a similar dish on New Year’s Eve, inspired by a recipe from Lidia.

Boil the pasta, have previously roasted cherry tomatoes on hand, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, some fresh ground pepper and a rub of a dried Greek oregano over the pasta make this dish a wonderful, easy and delicious meal in a pinch.

Spaghetti With Roasted Cherry Tomatoes & Dry Mizithra Cheese

(serves 4)

1 – 500 gr. package of Misko no. 6 pasta (spaghetti)

2 pints of ripe cherry tomatoes

Acropolis Organics extra-virgin olive oil

8-10 whole cloves of garlic

coarse sea salt

approx. half cup grated dry Mizithra cheese

dried Greek oregano to taste

1. Make a batch of roasted cherry tomatoes ahead of time by pre-heating your oven to 350F. Rinse your cherry tomatoes and place in  shallow pan with whole cloves of garlic, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Toss to coat and slow roast for about one hour or until they just begin to shrivel and the juices begin to run out of the tomatoes. Remove from the pan, cool and store.
2. Place a pot of water on your stove-top and bring to a boil. Season generously with salt and cook pasta according to packet instructions. Bring roasted cherry tomatoes to room temperature.
3. When the pasta is cooked, drain and reserve. In the same pot place a handful of cherry tomatoes  (one handful for each portion) and mash them with  fork to release their juices (add some roasted garlic too).
4. Add the pasta, some olive oil and toss to coat. Add fresh ground pepper, some dried Greek oregano and toss again, divide and plate.
5. Grate lots of dry Mizithra on top of each portion and serve. Pair with a bottle of chilled Kanenas Rose.

*Mizithra is a traditional Greek whey cheese with Protected designation of Origin (PDO). It has been manufactured in Greece for thousands of years and is considered the ancestor of all Greek whey cheeses. Mizithra is manufactured from whey derived from ewe’s, goats or cows milk or mixtures of milks in the regions of Macedonia, Thrace, Thessalia, Sterea Hellas, Peloponissos, Ionian islands, Aegean island and Crete island. There are two types of Mizithra; Fresh Mizithra which is unsalted or slightly salted and consumed a few hours or days after its manufacture and Dried Mizithra which is salted, dried and consumed as grated cheese. Fresh Mizithra contains up to 70% moisture and at least 50% fat in dry matter, while Dried Mizithra contains 40% and 50%, respectively (from www.expoaid.gr)

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© 2013, 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.

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September is a wonderful time of year to visit Greece – less tourists, cheaper airfares and hotels and better service. This the period I use to wander and discover more hidden gems in Thessaloniki and last year I found one right under everyone’s nose – near the Kamara.

The Arch of Galerius (Kamara) was built in the early 4th century AD and commissioned by then Roman Emperor Galerius. Today, the Kamara remains one of Thessaloniki’s most recognized landmarks (second only to the White Tower) and thousands of rendezvous have been arranged here.

Got a date? Meet in front of the Kamara. Arranged to take an out of towner for a tour of the city? Meet at the Kamara. Friends/parea from all over the city need a meeting point? Kamara!

I found myself waiting around the Kamara and just to the left of the arch did I find this corner eatery on Egnatia called Dia Xoipos. As you can guess from the name of the shop, these guys specialize in pork from souvlakia to kontosouvli, there’s some chicken through in there too!

What attracted me to this shop is the tied and rolled meats that were slowly roasting in their rotisserie: classic pork kontosouvli, beef and a tied and rolled pork belly that I just had to try!

The outside of the belly was crisp, the inside juicy and the belly had a stuffing of chopped sun-dried tomatoes, cracked coriander seeds and oregano (or so I remember).

The fellas at Dia Xoipos called it Ellasonitiko (from Ellassona, Thessaly) and today I’m going to share with you my version. You will need a whole side of pork belly (about 15 -17lbs) with the rind/skin on, some butcher’s twine, herbs, spices, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, sea salt, ground pepper and lots of time. Lots of time. This recipe requires that you prep 3 days in advance – mostly for ensuring crisp crackling.

I recently was given some wonderful Prince Edward Island (PEI) pork from friend and butcher, Rob Brady of Brady meats in Waterloo, Ontario. The quality of meats at Brady’s is never questioned, the butchering…impeccable!

The joy in eating this meet is the juicy, flavourful meat contrasted with the crisp, crackling that you are rewarded with after treating this wonderful piece of meat with tender loving care. Make no mistake, pork belly does contain alot of fat but much of renders, leaving you with a delicious, moist meat and crisp crackling.

Ellasonitiko (Slow-Roasted Pork-Belly With Crackling)

(makes 25 servings)

1 whole pork belly (approx. 15-17lbs)

olive oil

fine sea salt

Filling

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes

1 Tbsp. fennel seeds, crushed

1 Tbsp. coriander seeds, crushed

sea salt & fresh ground pepper

3-4 Tbsp. of finely chopped fresh rosemary

3-4 Tbsp of fresh thyme leaves

2-3 tsp. sweet paprika

12-15 cloves of garlic, smashed

1. Get a kettle of water boiling and place a wire rack over a sink and place your belly on the rack. Once the water is aboil, pour it over the skin of the belly then pat-dry (this step helps crisp the skin). Score the skin with a very sharp knife and set aside.
2. In the meantime, add your sun-dried tomatoes in a food processor and pulse until the sun-dried tomatoes  are chopped into small pieces.
3. Coarsely crush your fennel and coriander seeds with a rolling pin, heavy bottomed pot or spice grinder and set aside. Flip your pork belly to expose the inside and season generously with sea salt, ground pepper and now sprinkle the fennel, coriander, rosemary and thyme and paprika smear in the minced garlic.
4. Now lay the chopped sundried tomatoes lengthwise along the center of the belly. Roll-up the belly and tightly tie-up the pork belly. Place on a wire rack over a baking tray and place in a fridge uncovered for 3 days (the dry air of the fridge will again help crisp the skin later).
5. On the third day, take your pork belly out of the fridge and allow to come to room temperature. Pre-heat your oven 450F and position the rack in the upper-middle of the oven.
6. Rub the outside of your pork belly with olive oil and generously sprinkle with sea salt and rub into skin (and cracks). When your oven reached 450F, place the pork belly in the oven and roast for about 30 minutes or until you see the ski crisp, bubble and crackling has formed.
7. Remove the pork belly, lower your rack to the middle of the oven and lower the heat to 300F. Slow roast your pork belly for 4-5 hours, occasionally draining off the fat from the roasting pan (allows for a dryer roast).
8. Remove from the oven, allow to cool uncovered for at least an hour before slicing. Serve with Greek fries or roasted Greek potatoes. Pair with a Kechbari Savatiano-roditis restina.

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© 2013, 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.

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