The Classic, Basil & Pine Nut Pesto
When I first heard or and tried pesto, this was the only version out there: warm, aromatic, spicy fresh basil leaves from my garden, garlic, pine nuts and Paremesan cheese. Today, there are so many varieties and twists on pesto – I’ve lost count! Pesto is traditionally made in a mortar & pestle but a […]
Cypriot Style Lamb Souvla
A few years ago I attended the annual Cypriot Festival, as hosted by Toronto’s Cypriot Community here in Toronto. There were lots of regional dishes from Cyprus but I was intrigued the most by the large chunks of meat that were slow-roasting over a charcoal rotisserie. The Cypriots’ preferred way to roast lamb (or goat) […]
Warm Bean Salad With Cherry Tomatoes & Mint
One of my favourite salads for the warm months is this warm bean salad with cherry tomatoes and mint. Oh yes, I’ve snuck in some dried Greek oregano in there but mint alone is fine. Beans are very filling, a good way to skip some carbs and the dressing has a nice balance of sweet […]
Curley Calamari on Spanakorizo
I’ve been given the privilege to write/share recipes and food ideas on Inside Toronto’s web portal. I first shared this dish a couple of months ago at my Lenten Greek Supper Club. Basically you have fancy Spanakorizo molded on a plate then topped with a quick sauté of curly calamari. Click here to read the […]
Octopus Mosaic With Shaved Asparagus & Beet Dressing
I made this recipe a couple of weeks ago for my Aroma Messinia Greek Supper Club and it was a big hit. A successful dish delivers when it catches the eye, it’s presented well and it tastes great. What I’ve done here is take some ingredients used often by Greeks and use them in a […]
Octopus Stifado
It’s been very busy around here and in case you missed the memo, I am currently working on the manuscript for my very first cookbook! The excitement of having a cookbook with my recipes and my name on it quickly wore off after I realized that there’s a lot of work involved! Here are the […]
Strapetsatha With Poached Eggs
One of my favourite Greek dishes contains ripe, sweet tomatoes, Feta cheese, extra-virgin olive oil, eggs. I’m speaking of course of Strapetsatha, an oft-made dish by Greeks be for breakfast or for dinner (yes, Greeks love egg dishes for dinner). Strapetsatha is traditionally made by scrambling the egg and tomato mixture and there are the […]
Greek Salad on a Stick
I recently had the pleasure of catering an evening of Greek & Mediterranean nibbles on the occasion of a client’s 50 birthday. I was instructed to make appetizers, perfect for people who want to stand and mingle or sit and chat. The challenge with a small bite menu is that there are usually twice the […]
Seared Halibut With Greens & Chickpeas
Here in Canada we still have snow on the ground. A cruel joke served by Mother Nature after having a mostly mild winter here in the Great White North. Back in Greece, they survived a relatively mild winter, sparing many Greeks who feared the cold with little money or means to heat their homes. The […]
Artichokes ala Polita
A Lenten favourite as artichokes are in season during this period. The “ala Polita” refers to the dish’s origins…Constantinople. Artichokes a la Polita (serves 4) 12 fresh artichokes, trimmed & cleaned 2 medium onions, sliced 4 medium potatoes, peeled & cut into thirds 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 in. segments 1/4 cup olive oil 1 Tbsp. of […]