It’s almost Christmas! For the past week I have little bells jingling in the back of my head shuffling numerous Christmas tunes. I hope you are all set for great feasts with friends and family and there is no last minute present rush. Well, there might be – get them chocolate! Keeping in line with Greek Christmas traditions, I made a pork roast with honey glaze and a very festive beetroot salad, with carrots and green apple. Continue reading
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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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If Popeye the sailorman was Greek the only thing he would gulp down would be spinach pies, made by grand-ma Nia. And I wouldn’t blame him. There is crunch in the filo, there is succulence in finely chopped spinach leaves and wonderfully baked feta. I have a very soft spot for spinach pie, many Greeks do, but my affection for this pie has deep-deep roots. Continue reading
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!
Among the wonderful Easter treats and smells, Easter biscuits compete with tsoureki. Continue reading
Greece is a paradise for fish and sea-food. Personally, I will be forever divided between kalamari (squid), octopus and prawns – not to mention the smaller delicacies like clams, scallops and even… sea-urchins! We love our kalamari fried, but honestly this is more of a tavern specialty, perfect to enjoy with a glass of ouzo on a sunny day. At home it’s a different story. We relish squid and make it go a long way with a stew.
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