Simit Kebab (σημίτ-κεμπάπ)
While I’m not in Greece during the summer, I’m still connected and wired to the homeland via internet, Skype, telephone and satellite radio and television. Few television shows can resist including a cooking segment. I recently caught Greek cookbook author and TV personality, Maria Loi on a weekend show where she prepared a dish called […]
Spetsofai Skewers (Σπετζοφάι-σε-σουβλάκι)
Regular readers of my blog will know that I like to share dishes from a Greek magazine insert in the daily Kathimerini known as Gastronomos. This magazine comes out each month and it features the month’s seasonal ingredients, introduces new products entering the Greek market and it showcases new artisan and crafted foods made by […]
Bouyiourdi
This dish (Bouyiourdi) comes from Greece’s second largest city and the capital of the province of Macedonia, Thessaloniki. Thessaloniki gets it’s name from Alexander the Great’s half-sister and much like walking in any other part of Greece, one is aware that they are walking on history. Although the city’s main character has always been Greek, […]
Grilled Pork Belly (Παντσέτες-στα-κάρβουνα)
Today, I’m going to share with you another fabulous, affordable and delicious treat brought to you from the Greek grill. The subject matter is none other than pork belly. Pork belly comes from the underside (belly) of the pig and it’s used to make bacon, rillettes, confit or a terrine. The Italians make their own […]
Parsley Salad (Μαϊντανοσαλάτα-Σύρου)
In Greek cuisine, dips are often referred to as a salad. This salad contains a most unusual main ingredient, one that is abundant, isn’t expensive, available everywhere and it’s a surprising taste sensation. Want to surprise guests at your next dinner? Serve them some Parsley salad and see if they can guess what it’s made […]
Grilled Calamari
For those that have been fortunate enough to visit Greece and enjoy some of the world’s freshest seafood, you would have been offered calamari either fried or in this case, grilled. I didn’t always eat calamari (squid) but the deep-fried variety is what converted me. However, grilled squid (or calamari) is what cemented my love […]
Roasted Eggplant With Feta
Although alot of Greek cuisine is simple and straight forward, the execution of entertaining with the onslaught of mezedes/appetizers to your guests can create quite the whirlwind in the kitchen. At typical evening with friends and family, one can witness dozens of meze plates being brought to the table through a long evening of eating, […]
Greek T-Bone Steak
One aspect of Greek cuisine that I’ve found to be under-represented is grilling. Greeks love grilled food yet I see very little mention of it. Since the days of the caveman, humans have been throwing meat and other foods onto an open fire. It’s the most primitive method of cooking yet today, it’s probably the […]
Melitzanosalata (Eggplant Salad)
Recipe update from 06/06/2007 In the summer in Greece, this Greek dip can often be found at tavernas among the several Mezedes (appetizers) ordered by a group of friends and it’s most definitely on the table at home for family & friends. The “must-do” for this recipe is char-roasting the eggplant in a gas or […]
Grilled Sweetbreads, an intro to Offal
The sweetbreads I’m discussing and cooking with today are considered offal. To look at sweetbreads, one would make the common mistake of thinking they are brains (in fact they are not). Sweetbreads come from the thymus glands, located at the chest entry, just before the trachea. They are only found in young animals as they […]