Cypriot Inspired Meatballs
The Cypriots are known for their Seftelia, which are seasoned pork crepinettes wrapped in lamb caul fat. They are slow cooked over glowing embers. The fat in caul fat melts, keeps the ground pork moist and the combo of pork and lamb is to die for! Not everyone can find caul fat so this easy […]
Tiganopsomo
Last summer while in Greece, I took my mom and my aunt for a day trip to the islands of Aegina and Agistri, both about 90 minutes away from Athens with the ferry boat. After a long day of swimming, long lunch, more swimming…we went back to the taverna where we ate lunch and had […]
Charred Zucchini Dip
One of my favourite Greek appetizers is Melitzanosalata – a smoked eggplant dip that really shines in the summer with local, sweet eggplant from the garden. Another vegetable that’s abundant in the summer is zucchini, the star of today’s dish. I am using inspiration from Melitzanosalata and instead of eggplant we’re using zucchini. Got a […]
Halloumi Fries
Here’s an easy, playful and delicious dish using one of my favourite cheeses, Halloumi. Authentic Halloumi comes from the island of Cyprus (although you may find some domestic brands). It’s a hearty cheese that stands up well to heat: can be grilled, pan-fried and in this case, deep-fried. Halloumi tastes amazing and it’s also a […]
Jerk Chicken
Update: original post appeared June 14, 2007…about a month after I began the kalofagas blog. It was time to update the photos and revisit how I cook the chicken. Look at the photo from 2007! I used to grill direct heat but now I prefer a slower cooking method using indirect heat. This method can […]
Short Cut Cherry Spoon Sweet
My favourite of the spoon sweets is Sour Cherry (Vissino glyko). It’s not as sweet as the others and it pairs well with so many things like ice cream, yogurt, the best topping for cheesecake and I’ve even used it as part of a BBQ sauce! Like many spoon sweet recipes, they are easy […]
Baked Ouzo Shrimp
I love shrimp, they are affordable, sustainable, plenty, easy to prepare and cook and most importantly, they are delicious! Sometimes I butterfly them like this instance so that they can absorb all the flavours of this Ouzo-forward sauce. Although this dish is baked, you could adapt by placing in aluminum pan and baking in your […]
Carrot Spoon Sweet
The past few years while visiting in Greece, I’ve seen Carrot Spoon Sweet (Glyko Karotou). Spoon sweets are a category of fruit and vegetable preserves that are offered by hosts/hostesses when a guest visits their home. Restaurants/tavernas are known to also offer a “kerasma”..a treat if you will to their dining guests. On a few […]
Sour Cherry Ice Cream
There’s a whole sub-section in Greek cooking called “spoon sweets”. In essence, fruits (and sometimes vegetables) are preserved in sugar and jarred with syrup. The most common are citrus, stone fruits and they are served to guests of a home with a glass of cold water. My favourite is sour cherry (Vissino) – served on […]
Strawberry Shortcakes
I’ve gone head-first into the abundance of local strawberries. Last weekend I went to pick my own from a farm just north of Toronto and I knew I had to make strawberry shortcake(s). The recipe can be assembled as cake (use a round spring form pan, cut cake in half to make two cake rounds), […]