Pilgrimage to Inner Mani
I believe that every Greek should visit each corner of Greece, get to know/understand where other Greeks came from, learn their story and see their patrida from their perspective. My family is from towns in Florina, that’s northern Greece and less than an hour away from Greece’s border from former Yugoslavia. Place your finger on […]
Kalofagas Souvla Dinner, a Recap
I’ve roasted a whole lamb on the spit many times…mostly for Greek Easter but there’s the odd occasion when it’s done to celebrate as well. The tradition of roasting whole on the spit came from Roumeli (central Greece) but this method of cooking lamb became so popular that Greeks from all over Greece have […]
Pork Gioulbasi Stuffed Kefalotyri & Sour Cherry Sauce
There’s a Constantinople dish from around 1900 called Gioulbasi. Traditionally, a leg of lamb is studded with garlic and stuffed with pieces of sharp, aged Greek cheese. The meat is wrapped in parchment paper and slowly roasted until the meat is fork-tender, aromatic and about to fall off the bone. In mainland Greece there are […]
Individual Meatless Moussaka
I recall seeing these really stylish pieces of Moussaka that were perfectly plated in a Greek food magazine a couple of years ago and (finally) I got around to trying my hand at these stylish individual portions using these metal ring molds used often by chefs. These ring molds are used to structure a salad, […]
Sithonia, You Have to Visit Here
This past summer I took a day trip to the middle finger or peninsula of Halkidiki, known to Greeks as Sithonia. Halkidiki comprises of three peninsulas, it’s located just east of Thessaloniki with the nearest being the peninsula of Kassandra and the most distant being Agio Oros. To visit Halkidiki one gets the feel of […]
Taltsenes – A Florina Meze
Had a chat about some food the other day (what else is new) and I was being asked questions about some Greek foods that I casually replied to. Some people go “gaga” for what Greeks make in the kitchen as if it were some mysterious culinary secret. I still get questions on how to make […]
Artisinale – French Country Dining in Guelph
There’s a lot going on in Toronto these days, so much that sometimes you just want to get out of the city, away from the traffic, the phone calls, kids and any of life’s daily pressures. A trip out of the city can recharge your batteries and despite Toronto’s growing problems we have the countryside […]
Mousto-Balsamico Flank Steak With Greek-Style Chimichurri
My buddy Panagioti runs a nifty little business here in Toronto selling his family’s olive oil and this very unique product called Moust0-Balsamico. This vinegar is made of balsamic vinegar and grape must (mousto) is added to sweeten the pot (just a little bit). Combine this extraordinary vinegar with Acropolis Organics extra-virgin olive and you […]
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, […]
Windows in Niagara Falls by Jamie Kennedy
Jamie Kennedy has long been associated with local, seasonal cooking in the Toronto area (some say he led the movement) and now he’s spread his wings to Niagara Falls where he treated some lucky guests to a dinner atop of the Sheraton Hotel’s Windows restaurant overlooking both the American and Canadian Falls. Born and raised […]