Eggplant With Sour Trahana
This is a dish that is great for summer – eggplants, tomatoes are local, parsley from the garden and all brought together with Greek extra-virgin olive oil, sweet onions and garlic. A NOTE ABOUT EGGPLANT: They are a summer vegetable and that’s when they are at their peak, sweet and not bitter. I presalt eggplant […]
Whipped Olive Oil Butter
I love butter and I don’t think I will ever eliminate it from my diet but being Greek, olive oil is in our daily cooking, used when children are baptized and used in Greek-Orthodox funerals. It’s big thing for Greeks. We used it in our daily cooking and when I saw my friend, Chef Manolis […]
Octopus Meatballs
The first time I saw or heard of octopus meatballs were from Maria’s blog at Kali Orexi (BonAppeti. Maria is a Greek blogger resided in the NYC suburbs and she shares dishes she’s created or ones inspired by her ancestral homeland of the island of Kalymnos. For those not familiar with Greek geography, Kalymnos is […]
Patatopita
Greeks and Orthodox Christians recently celebrated Easter and many observed the Lent for about 6 weeks prior to Easter. Our fast means abstaining from any meat or animal by-products. I made this for myself during Lent and I sold a few Patatopitas (Potato Phyllo Pie) to some customers. I first heard of this carb-on-carb pie […]
Macedonian Halva With Spoon Sweet and Cinnamon
This post isn’t so much of a recipe but more so instructions on how to assemble a dessert from ready to eat products. The star of this dessert is Sesame Halva, something us Greeks called Makedonikos Halva. This treat is made by pulverizing sesame seeds and adding honey and often some kind of nut (almond, […]
Black Eyed Peas Salad
I first featured a black eyed peas recipe way back in 2009. In Greek, we call them “mavromatakia” which is pretty close to the English description. Last year I visited New Orleans for the first time and I became familiar with the local cuisine and traditions. I also read about the southern tradition of eating […]
Greek Style Peas – Arakas Latheros
This dish really shines when you’re using local, fresh green peas; in season late Spring/early Summer. Thankfully, we have high quality frozen vegetables that are “flash frozen”, preserving them for use in the off season. Frozen green peas shine. Arakas (green peas) Latheros are often found in open kitchen restaurants (magiria). They can be had […]
Chestnut Stifado
If you’re familiar with Greek cuisine, then you’ve heard of Stifado. It’s a slow cooked dish usually containing lots of onions, spices and either rabbit or hare. In modern Greek cooking, beef or veal have also become a favourites. Like many cuisines, there are regional differences and such is the case with this Cretan inspired […]
Sea Urchin Pasta
This first time I saw sea urchins was in Halkidiki (where our family’s summer home is), clinging to rocks under the sea. Another sea urchin memory was eating them on the half-shell with a squeeze of lemon juice in Mykonos (summer ’92). Fast forward to 2009, first visit to Crete and I have a big […]
Seafood Pilaf
This dish was supposed to be served this coming Sunday for a Supper Club (since post-poned due Corona Virus upheavel). Inspired by a seafood pilaf dish I had in Kavala, I’ve made it super easy to make and the dish utilizes a seafood medley: a frozen package of mixed seafood. You could easily make this […]
