Striftaria Pasta With Chickpeas, Shrimp & Crispy Bacon
The cold weather is here and last week I made three soups with the latter being this thick, rustic and very filling chickpea soup. The soup eats like a meal with maybe just some crusty bread on the side or serve a smaller serving if you wish the soup to be merely a starter. This […]
Cuttlefish Stuffed With Tomato, Basil and Feta
Here in Toronto, we’ve experienced the first real cold days (and evenings) where one just wants to tuck in at home and read a book, watch a movie or look back at photos of warmer times…summer in Greece. I find the act of looking through summer photos by the sea, swimming, long, drawn-out meals […]
Italian Wedding Soup
Recipe update from October 2007: I love this soup kitchen classic and I make it at least once a year during soup season. It’s winter and we have soup season! I don’t tinker much with this Rocco DiSpirito recipe other than to use what leafy greens are available in the market. It could be escarole, […]
Greek Christmas Gift Guide
This year I’m going to post some gift ideas for those with an an eye towards a more Greek Christmas. I’ve compiled some gifts from stocking-stuffers to more substantive presents and the gifts range in price for all budgets. For starters, why not buy some miniature calendars with Greek recipes? I would certainly like to […]
Salad With Figs, Feta & Radish Greens
Just more than a year ago I discovered that I in fact liked radishes. That’s right,. for most of my 43 years of existence I didn’t like radishes and that’s why I think it’s important for people to always revisit foods they think they don’t like. I was at a New Year’s Eve party last […]
Grilled Kebabs
This past summer saw me travel to both Greece and Turkey: neighbors, once foes, current rivals and friendly neighbors. Confused? There’s a lot of history between these two nations and to this day, ripples from the Ottoman Empire are felt in Greece (some good, some bad). Greece and Turkey also share some similarities when it […]
Mushroom Risotto
The first real cold weather has finally arrived and although I didn’t put on a pair of Long Johns, I did tuck in for a comfy evening by the fireplace, a book and a glass of wine. The glass of wine afforded me the ability to use it for making this warm bowl of mushroom […]
Bacon-Wrapped Scallops & Mushrooms
This dish is rich, definitely decadent with it’s unashamed use of bacon and inspired by a recent visit I had at a Japanese (Izakaya) bar here in Toronto. The most outstanding appetizer of the of two nights I spent at Izakaya was this dish made of scallops and enoki mushrooms wrapped in slab bacon. Presented […]
Leek and Potato Soup
This soup can be a base for many other cold weather or winter soups. I used this base to make a cream of asparagus soup and it can be adapted to many other “creamy” soups. Of note is that I’ve greatly reduced the use of cream to make the soup…well, creamy. I like using grated […]
The Vine Grower’s Lamb (Arni tou Ampelourgou)
This dish screams of the many memories that vividly replay in my mind from my vacation in Greece this past summer. I started off in Thessaloniki (northern Greece) and settled in at my parents’ summer home in Halkidiki. Soon after, I embarked on my first foodie-related excursion by traveling a mere 6km to a neighboring […]