Mushroom Risotto
The first real cold weather has finally arrived and although I didn’t put on a pair of Long Johns, I did tuck in for a comfy evening by the fireplace, a book and a glass of wine. The glass of wine afforded me the ability to use it for making this warm bowl of mushroom […]
Leek and Potato Soup
This soup can be a base for many other cold weather or winter soups. I used this base to make a cream of asparagus soup and it can be adapted to many other “creamy” soups. Of note is that I’ve greatly reduced the use of cream to make the soup…well, creamy. I like using grated […]
The Vine Grower’s Lamb (Arni tou Ampelourgou)
This dish screams of the many memories that vividly replay in my mind from my vacation in Greece this past summer. I started off in Thessaloniki (northern Greece) and settled in at my parents’ summer home in Halkidiki. Soon after, I embarked on my first foodie-related excursion by traveling a mere 6km to a neighboring […]
Baked Whiting With Potato Gratin
Have you ever tasted the fish whiting before? If not, this dish might nudge you in that direction. Whiting is also known as hake and it’s found in both the Atlantic and Mediterranean. In Greek, we call whiting “bakalarakia” or little cod as they are related to the larger species. The fish is mild-tasting, slightly […]
Roasted Yellow Bell Pepper Soup With Beet Croutons
Another Thanksgiving in Canada has passed and all that are left are some serving platters to put away and some leftover turkey. I try and choose a turkey that will be just a little more than what we need, ensuring we don’t have to eat turkey for a week! The first course that I served […]
Cheat Dolmades
Me thinks this blog is overdue for focusing on a side dish. We all make side dishes to go with our mains and in the blogging perspective, the side dish does get short shrift. The title of this dish translated into English is Rice With Grape Vine Leaves, Raisins and Pine Nuts. What I’ve done […]
Kotopoula sta Karbouna
UPDATE: Summer 2012 – CLOSED Here I am, writing to you from my family’s summer home, just outside of Nea Kallikratia, Halkidiki in northern Greece. The beach is just minutes away by foot and bars, tavernas, farmer’s markets are all nearby. My family has had a summer home here since 1989 after spending some summers […]
Grouper With Green Beans
It’s 2010 and Greece is pretty well wired with the rest of the world and depsite the distance from Toronto to Greece (9 1/2 hour flight), the interwebs has brought the diaspora closer to the Patrida. One of my friends in Greece recently sent me some cooking magazines & booklets and one of them was […]
Ravioli With Horta and a Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Last week I shared some photos and links to the recipes I cooked up for my Birthday and BBQ. One of those recipes keeps on reappearing at dinners and that’s my roasted red pepper dip. This dip is full of flavour, complex in that most people try and pick out the ingredients in it but […]
Backyard Birthday BBQ
This past Sunday was my birthday and I invited some friends over for some good drink, delicious food and hearty laughs. The weekend forecast was for hot summer days, little humidity. The clouds rolled in just before guests arrived and there was a little bit of rainfall. The clouds left, happy to have teased us […]