In Greece, festivities are well under way. It’s Carnival time in Greece and one of the biggest days is centered around grilled meats. The period of Carnival in Greece is called “Apokries” and today marks “Tsiknopempti”. Tsiknopempti is a compound word that describes the smell of grilled meats and Thursday: “Tsikno-pempti”. Tavernas will have lit [...]

One of my family’s favourite Sunday meals centers around a Prime Rib Dinner. It’s not a cheap cut of meat (Prime Rib) but it’s fitting for a Sunday meal. From Medieval times, the wealthy used to get to eat the tender, more expensive cuts and the rest of us were left with scraps, offal and [...]

The traditional Greek diet wasn’t so meat-centered as it is today but meat always was part of the diet. My parents (both from the the northern Prefecture of Florina) recall when the family pig was slaughtered. Nothing went to waste. The whole pig was used from snout to tail to hoof…everything but the pig’s squeal. [...]

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 [...]

How was your Christmas? Are you enjoying yourselves? Spending time with family and friends? Having some richer, more indulgent foods? An extra drink? Good, ’cause I am! The family’s Christmas dinner went splendidly. All the dishes turned out very well, we had some good chuckles and reminisced of Christmases past.  The centerpiece of our Christmas [...]

I made this dish last Sunday and if it weren’t for the fact that I’m making Prime Rib today, I’d probably be having this entire meal again. One of the best things about Sunday dinner is that you have lots of time. There’s no real pressure, you can leisurely cook, open a bottle of wine [...]

Recipe update from November 2007 This is one of my favourite soups, one of my favourite Greek dishes. It’s Giouvarlakia Soup. It’s a soup made of meatballs and rice, good stock and finished off with beaten eggs and lemon juice…Avgolemono. This dish is Greek comfort food. I’ve enjoyed it as a child and I will [...]

Last week I was given an advance copy of New York Chef Michael Psilakis’ first cookbook, “How to Roast a Lamb”. It turns out my copy wasn’t so advanced. Yesterday, I popped into Toronto’s “World’s Largest Book Store” and there it was! For those not familiar with Michael Psilakis, here’s a recap: Michael is a [...]

This week, Indian food was demystified for myself. The long list of exotic ingredients had intimidated me and I was all too content to simply go out for Indian food instead. Toronto is very multicultural and one can easily go out and dine any cuisine their heart (and belly) desires. Toronto also has a large [...]

This dish is inspired by a recipe I’ve seen in a few Greek cookbooks and the recipe involves lamb (or goat), boiling the pasta in meat stock and the result is a meal that tastes way more complex than the ingredient list would lead you to believe. The village of Anogeia is located over 700 [...]