Do you like sesame? Normally we get discreet tastes of it on bread or burger buns. You might be using its oil on salads or scooping up dollops of houmous on pita bread for its distinct flavour. In Greece we are very well acquainted with the humble sesame seed and we have a very soft spot for golden sweet honey. We use them both to make pasteli and this preparation is so old, it is only fair to call them the energy bars of the Gods. Continue reading
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When it comes to Greek names Michalis, Mike comes just after Yannis, Nikos and Kostas in popularity. Last Sunday was a big name day – one third of Greece must have been celebrating their Michaels and Michaelas. I was celebrating a very special Michalis too, my dad, and he has a a special request, karidopita, Greek walnut cake with syrup! Continue reading
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Still on food blogging competition mode and all I think about is re-using. Last week I re-used my chickpea soup into chickpea burger, I had a few onions cooked into a sharp chutney and made my materials go a little further. This week, it is all about the pie and a bit of dessert, well, from leftovers fillo pastry. Making your ingredients go a long way, have something savoury and something sweet.
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Being frugal, eating well and reusing! Who wants to see their food going to waste? I certainly don’t and I am not one for extensive food planning either. I prefer to get creative with leftovers and give them a little push to make them go a little further. My second challenge for the VIMA gourmet food blog competition asks for a dish that re-uses yesterday’s ingredients to create a scrumptious dish that no one could guess it has been reheated. As promised, it’s all about the chickpeas! Continue reading
Remember the challenges for the food blog awards? We were set a couple of tasks to work on, themes to draw inspiration from, that will roll out from now until the 14th of December, the closure of the competition. For my category, Best Greek Cooking in English, we will be tackling austerity: can you be frugal and eat well? It could not be more apt a subject, especially for Greece where belt-tightening has become second nature. I will be working with humble ingredients to create nutritious dishes, rich in flavour. My mind is running from the cocina povera concept to austerity living and 100% traditional Greek recipes. Thus, my first one is a super traditional, two ingredients soup: chickpeas & onion – revithosoupa. Austerity and wholesomeness served on a plate. Continue reading by
As far as traditional desserts go, we have a soft spot for syrupy ones over here. In general we have a sweet tooth in the family and we are very fussy on what comes through the door. Dessert has to be perfect! Greek patisseries will never seize to surprise me with their selection of classics and also very innovative desserts. Be it chocolate gateaux, tiramisu, profiteroles or oriental delights, there is always temptation around. Of course every place has its speciality too, but I should come back to this on another post. Home-made, of course, always wins hands down. Continue reading
Easter has come and gone and normally there is a tone of leftovers. Perfect for making kleftiko or exohiko, but for me Easter held a different sort of present this year: home-made pastrami! Dad had made some himself and of course he kept some for me. Pastrami is one of the most exotic cured meats with a long history and a very special pie to honour it, pastrami pie!