Penne All’Arrabiata
There’s one week left until the Greek-Orthodox Lent commences. This is the third and final week of Carnival, the final farewell before a fast up until Greek Easter (April 4th). This week is called Tyrini, where meat is dropped from the diet but cheeses, dairy products and eggs are allowed. Shellfish is still allowed. In […]
Risotto With Shrimp, Mushrooms and Asparagus
This dish arose from thoughts of what to do with some leftover asparagus. I had about a bunch of grilled asparagus left and they deserved a better fate than laying under plastic cling wrap for a week in the fridge. I also had a bag of mushrooms in the fridge (I store mine in a […]
Lamb Souvlaki
Last Thursday was Tsiknopempti in Greece (and anywhere in the world where Greeks celebrated the most popular meat-grilling day of Greek Carnival). I had three options: stay home and simply make a meat dish using my oven’s broiler or a grill pan. Option 2 was to head down to Toronto’s Greektown (the Danforth) and be […]
Chicken Wings tou Kalofaga
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 […]
Cod in a Mussel Broth
This dish is the creation of Greek chef Sotiris Evangelou. Chef Sotiris is currently in charge of the kitchens of the swank King George hotel in Athens. He was inspired by the cuisine of Thessaloniki, with its diverse, vibrant culinary scene. Thessaloniki has seen many different peoples enter it’s old city walls through time and […]
Pork With Leeks & Celery
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. […]
Sea Bass Baked in Coarse Sea Salt
Recipe update from Feb,01, 2008 This dish isn’t unique to just Greek cuisine. I’ve seen fish baked in coarse sea salt in many countries that hug the Mediterranean basin. Everyone’s in on baking whole fish in a salt crust: Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Greece. If I haven’t noted your country, do you folks also […]
Loin of Pork Stuffed With Prunes
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 […]
Sea Bream Baked With a Crispy Potato Crust
Those who read my blog on a regular basis know that I prefer eating whole fish rather than fillets. This preference is not an inflexible rule and nor does it mean that one cannot enjoy a fish fillet. Today’s dish features a fillet sliced off of a whole sea bream (porgy). The main reason why […]
Chicken Breast Stuffed With Roasted Red Peppers, Feta and Pistachios
This dish can be as quick or as difficult as you want it to be. For me, the toughest part about this dish was tying up the chicken breasts. I’ve always been a visual learner and this YouTube video clip shows one how to properly tie up a roast or in this case, a stuffed […]