Olive Oil French Fries
For as long as I recall watching cooking shows, we (consumers) have been told that one should not use olive oil for frying as it has a very low smoke point. Smoke point refers to the temperature an oil becomes unstable, burns and breaks down, giving off an unpleasant taste. With respect to olive oil, […]
Pickled Wild Grape Vine Shoots
Stories of my ancestors were usually related by my mother or one of her sisters. Stories kept my family connected with my mother’s side of the family who mostly still live back in Greece. My mom would paint stories of how my grandmother was like, how my grandfather was like, how aunts and uncles were […]
Herb-Stuffed Fish With Artichokes, Potatoes & Lemon Verbena
This dish came together rather quickly because A) I was hungry and way too busy to do otherwise and B) a couple of the components were from leftovers. The two leftovers were the Parsley Salad (dip) and the Artichoke Salad – both served at last month’s Greek Supper Club. The Parsley Dip was smeared on […]
Artichoke Salad With Fried Calamari
They are a pain to clean, artichokes are buy they are a seasonal vegetable, an ancient one for Greeks and I love that fact that such an odd vegetable was discovered to be edible. Who actually took the time to peel off the petals, remove the choke and declare triumphantly that artichokes are edible and […]
Grouper With Green Olives & Sultanas
I enjoy foods that offer contrasts: it could be heat and spice combined with a cooling element or a tender morsel in the mouth along with a garnish to offer some crunch. I also like contrasts in flavours – some yin & yang and in this case the savory is balanced with ever so slight […]
Floriniotiki Strapetsada With Feta & Kebapia
To understand where this dish comes from is to first get a hang of what Strapetsada is: basically a scrambled egg dish containing grated tomatoes, olive oil and crumbled Feta and often eaten as a meze or late evening Greek dinner. There are may variances to this dish but those are the basics. Like with […]
Riganada
A little while back I shared my memories of visiting the island of Lefkada and this time I’m back to share more but this time we’re going to touch upon the cuisine. Lefkada is located on the Ionian side of Greece, that which faces Italy and its no coincidence that many dishes hint of those […]
Hotel Estia, Finikouda Messinia
Stephanie Milliken (nee Gallos) and her husband Glen run a hotel in Finikouda, Messinia in the southern Peloponnese. Stephanie grew up in here in Toronto but spent her summers in Greece, mainly in her father’s home town (Finikouda). The couple came here for their honeymoon in 2003 and discovered off-the-beaten path trails, caves, catacombs and […]
Warm Citrus & Spiced Olives
If you’ve been invited for lunch or dinner at a Greek home then you’re likely to see olives also served on the table. There are literally hundreds of olive varietals and when it comes to Greece, some olive trees that were planted in the thirteenth century are still producing! Did you know that Kalamata olives […]
Candias Oil From Crete
Last month when I went down to “the Danforth” (Toronto’s Greektown) for the March 25th Greek Independence Day parade I sadly found out that one of the oldest Greek general stores was closing. Could it that many Greeks live in the ‘burbs and buy their ingredients elsewhere? Or do they buy from non-Greek businesses like […]