Pumpkin Pastitsio
Each year I see people throw out their carved pumpkins when they can use the flesh to make another good dish or two. Hold on to those pumpkins after Halloween, we’ve got a Greek dish to make! Inspired by Diane Kochilas’ version of Pastitsio with pumpkin, I took this riff on Greek’s answer to lasagna […]
Baked Quinces With Metaxa, Cinnamon & Clove
Another summer has come and gone and once again our little quince tree did not bear any fruit. Although quinces are associated with the Mediterranean, they can grow in the lower parts of Canada (like here in the Toronto area). It seems the few quince tress that are in Canada are on family plots or […]
Pan-Seared Sea Bream With Spinach, Fennel & Avgolemono Sauce
This dish comes from Greece, handed to me from my mom who tried the dish via a family friend, Kuria (Mrs.) Anna. For this dish I used sea bream (tsipoura) filets but you can use any white fish filets (preferably with skin on). I like the skin on fish – when it is crispy and […]
Makaronada With Fried Baby Eggplant
There are still lots of eggplants in the markets here and this year’s crop has been sweet with very few having the usual bitterness one finds in eggplants. Not all eggplants are the same: the usual big purple ones often have some seeds and bitterness and one sprinkles salt on the exposed flesh to draw […]
Mushroom Strapetsada With Halloumi and Crispy Bacon
Every Saturday I like to treat myself to a big breakfast. That is to say I enjoy eggs (scrambled or sunnyside up), some bacon or breakfast sausages, toast, orange juice, fruit, coffee. Yesterday I broke-up the monotony of having the same breakfast by adding some mushrooms leftover from last week and one of my favourite […]
Individual Meatless Moussaka
I recall seeing these really stylish pieces of Moussaka that were perfectly plated in a Greek food magazine a couple of years ago and (finally) I got around to trying my hand at these stylish individual portions using these metal ring molds used often by chefs. These ring molds are used to structure a salad, […]
Keftedes With Roast Potatoes
Here’s a dish my Dad loves to make: it combines three of his favourite foods: potatoes, peppers (with some heat) and kebapia (Florina speak for keftedes/soutzoukakia). This is a comforting fall/winter dish where youget a pan of roasted potatoes with a delicious, spicy sauce perfumed with bay, peppers, paprika and oregano. There’s a spike of […]
Taltsenes – A Florina Meze
Had a chat about some food the other day (what else is new) and I was being asked questions about some Greek foods that I casually replied to. Some people go “gaga” for what Greeks make in the kitchen as if it were some mysterious culinary secret. I still get questions on how to make […]
Baked Eggplant With Beef and Cheese
Truth be told, this past Summer’s trip to Greece was one of the most memorable with my usual visits to my family’s home in Halkidiki, frequent trips to nearby Thessaloniki, a side trip to Constantinople (Istanbul), down to the capital of Athens, a wonderful first visit to beautiful Nafplio, a visit to the Prefecture of […]
Walnut Skordalia
Rather than have you search other recipes with the nest egg hidden in there, I’m posting the walnut skordalia recipe on its own. Skordalia is a dip/condiment most often paired with battered and fried salt cod and it is wither made with a base of stale bread or boiled potatoes. Down south in Laconia they […]