Forgive me for stating the obvious but there’s no such thing as Greek nachos but I can assure you lots of Greeks enjoy Tex-Mex flavours and that when I saw Bittman’s take on Greek-Style Nachos…I wish I thought of it first!

It’s not a stretch of the imagination that one can think of using baked pita bread wedges in place of nacho chips. After that, the remaining toppings are up to your discretion and taste and this is where I diverge. This party snack/appetizer is made with a combo of leftover and fresh ingredients: pita bread, crumbled Feta, leftover meat sauce and fresh-diced vegetables and grated cheese to finish-off the dish.

This past year I’ve become a big fan of Pita Bros. pita bread (located here in Toronto). I like that are small (5 1/2 inches diameter), made fresh daily with NO preservatives. They come in packages of five and when fresh, you can easily cut into two by using a serrated knife to make two thinner pitas…perfect for making into baked pita chips.

The pita wedges are brushed with oil then lightly baked to firm-up then placed on your platter. The main topping for my nachos is a meat sauce I use for Greek Makaronada, Pastitsio and Moussaka. After that I add diced tomatoes, red and green peppers, red onions, grated Graviera  and crumbled Feta cheeses and finally some sliced Kalamata olives, pickled Jalapenos and a finally topping of cooling Greek yogurt sauce, scallions and dried Greek oregano.

The recipe feeds for as an appetizer but I’m also embarrassed to say I ate the whole thing myself. At least I know it was that delicious!

Greek-Inspired Nachos

(makes an appetizer platter for 4)

2 Pita Bros. pita bread, carefully halved (like a bagel) to make 4 rounds of bread

extra-virgin olive oil for brushing

1 cup Greek meat sauce

1/4 cup diced tomato

1/4 cup diced red pepper

1/4 cup diced green pepper

1/4 cup diced red onions

1/4 cup grated Graviera cheese

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup Greek yogurt sauce

1/4 cup pitted and sliced Kalamata olives

dried Greek oregano

1/4 cup sliced scallions

sliced pickled Jalapeno peppers (to taste)

1. Pre-heat your oven to 300F.  Cut your pita bread into wedges and brush the tops with olive oil and place on a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes or until just golden. Carefully take out of the oven and as soon as the pita wedges are cool enough to handle, arrange on an oven-proof platter. Crank your oven to the broil setting.
2. Spoon the meat sauce over the pita wedge then sprinkle half of the tomatoes, red & green peppers, red onions then sprinkle the grated cheese and crumbled feta. Now sprinkle the remaining tomatoes, peppers, red onions and place back in the oven and broil until the cheese has melted.
3. Carefully remove from the oven, top with sliced Jalapenos, olives, scallions and spoon over the yogurt sauce, followed by a sprinkle of dried Greek oregano. Serve immediately while the nachos are still hot. Serve with an ice cold Alfa beer from Greece.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

© 2012, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

I’ve been making baguettes for a couple of years now but the consistency hasn’t been there…until now. Making your own bread IS therapeutic, almost magical as a I am still amazed that a gloop of wet dough can be transformed into something  that smells wonderful, looks fab and tastes great. The measure of any good dinner table is the the quality of bread you offer your guests and since learning how to make my own bread, I rarely buy it.

I love baguettes because one can tear off a piece at the dinner table and pass it on to your fellow dinner guests. A smear of unsalted butter or a dip in exta-virgin olive oil are my faves. You can make a delicious sandwich with baguette or turn day old bread into crostinis. That rarely happens as the bread usually gets all eaten up.

For the time being, this method of making baguettes has been the most successful for me. Making bread is a constant evolution and I am learning along the way. Keep trying and you’ll have a triumphant moment when some awesome looking (and tasting) bread comes out of your own own. Trying making your own bread…you’ll pat yourself on the back and likely never buy rustic bread again.

Fabulous Baguettes

(makes 4)

3 1/2 cups tepid water

2 Tbsp. active dry yeast

1 tsp. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/4 cup olive oil

 6 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1. In a large bowl, add the water, yeast, sugar, salt and olive oil and gently stir. Allow the yeast about 10 minutes to activate then add the flour and stir in with a wooden spoon. If the mixture is too dry, add small amounts of water and mix in.
2. Place a lid/cover on the bowl but allow the for some gases to escape with the lid/cover being slightly open. Store your bowl of dough in the fridge or a cool place (like cellar or garage) overnight.
3. The next day, your dough should have doubled. Transfer the bowl of dough to a warm room (like your kitchen). Sprinkle some flour on your work surface and on the dough (to make it easier for you to handle). divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and use your hands to stretch the dough and tuck underneath (do this about 4-5 times) to form a round ball of dough. Sprinkle flour on each ball of dough and allow to rest for an hour.
4. After an hour, deflate each ball of dough and press into and stretch the dough until you have a flat rectangle (make your baguettes as long as you wish). Now roll-up the dough to form a baguette shape. Sprinkle flour on top of each baguette and then sprinkle cornmeal on parchment (one that will fit on your pizza pee or baking tray). Allow to rest for another hour.
5. Place your baking stones/tiles in the oven and pre-heat to 45oF. Carefully transfer your bread to your pizza peel or baking tray and as soon as your oven has reached 450F, slash your bread with a sharp knife or razor blade. Place a small pan of hot water on the top rack in your oven and slide the baguettes in the hot oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until  the bread is a deep gold, almost brown colour (bake in batches if necessary).
6. Remove your baguettes and allow to cool on wire racks.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

© 2012, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

© 2012, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

Omonia Square, Athens 1932

• Young Greeks leading the charge to showcase and practice Greece’s ages old knowledge in agriculture and food
• David Rosengarten sends us a video postcard from Thessaloniki
• Another episode of Joanna Lumley in Greece – follow her travels along Greece’s northern frontier, from Corfu to Thrace
• A Seed For Change, an initiative to collect GMO-free seeds and grown your own fruits and vegetables
• Greece’s Ministry of Agriculture to spend 10 million Euros to promote olive oil in foreign markets

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

© 2012, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

Many of us have had pretzels but have you tried pretzel bread? The first time I had pretzel bread was back in 2007, the year this blog began and I paid a visit to Vienna (Austria) for a 3 day stay on my way back to Canada from Greece. When one walks Vienna’s streets, one will pass countless displays of sweets (including the famous Sacher Torte), the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee is everywhere and you’ll soon notice that many types of bread will tantalize you at bakeries, cafes and markets.

This past September found me attending a wedding – the food was nothing special but the bread basket included some pretzel bread. I reached for a small loaf, opened it with my hands and smeared butter into the soft, brioche like inside. These savory breads with a hint of sweetness took me back to Vienna and I found myself almost fighting with a boy at the table who also wanted more.

No, I didn’t strong-arm the lad but I did have 2 mini-loaves. I’ve been craving these ever since and now, I can make them at a whim. The production of this bread doesn’t take too long by bread making standards but they get poached (kinda like bagels do) before going into the oven. The pretzel bread can be made into round rolls. small sandwich-sized batards (loaves). I would make them into regular sized loaves but that would mean using a large pot of water and carefully removing them without damaging their shape.

Many recipes for pretzels and pretzel bread use a food-grade lye in the water for poaching the pretzel bread. There is nothing wrong with this method but I’ve found the combo of baking soda and sugar up to the task of making excellent pretzel bread. If you want your pretzel bread to have a nice sheen to them, brush with egg wash then sprinkle with coarse Kosher or sea salt.

Pretzel Bread

(approx. 12 small loaves)

4 tsp. of active dry yeast

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1/4 cup warm milk

2 cups tepid water

3 Tbsp. melted butter

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

4 1/2 -5 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. sea salt

extra flour for work surface

For poaching the bread

approx. 5 cups water

1/4 cup baking soda

1/4 cup sugar

For finishing

cooking spray

corn meal

1 large egg, well beaten with a splash of water

coarse sea salt

Pre-heated 400F oven

1. In  a large bowl add your brown sugar, yeast, warm water, melted butter and oil and swirl with a spoon and allow 10 minutes for the yeast to activate. In the meantime, add the flour and salt in another bowl and stir with a fork. When you see the yeast has activated, pour the flour into the wet ingredients and stir in with a wooden spoon (add more flour if too wet/more water if too dry). Knead into a shiny ball of dough that should only slightly stick. Rub oil on the dough, cover in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to double in size for about an hour.
2. When dough has doubled, sprinkle flour on your work surface and divide into 12 equal pieces and form fold the dough down and inward to form round balls. Sprinkle flour on each loaf and allow to rise for n hour. After an hour, press down on each dough ball and stretch out then reform into the shape of a small loaf (batard) or boule (round loaf). Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise again for one more hour.
3. After an hour, place a pot of water on your stovestop and add the sugar and baking soda and bring up to gentle boil.  In the meantime, cover two large baking trays with parchment paper and treat with cooking spray. At this point you may pre-heat your oven (set rack to just below the middle).
4. When thw water starts to boil, place about three loaves (facing down) in the water at a time and poach for 30 seconds on each side. Use a spider or spatula to remove the dough from the water and gently place on your baking trays.
5. Brush each load with eggwash and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. When the oven reaches 400F, slash your loaves and place in the pre-heated oven for 25 minutes. Remove and allow to cool ( I bet you will eat one when it’s still hot!)

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

© 2012, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

The post Pretzel Bread appeared first on Kalofagas - Greek Food & Beyond.

Have you ever had chamomile tea? Long used by Greeks (Dioscorides) used to prescribe it during Roman times and today most are familiar with it as a tea to fight colds. It’s sold in tea bags or loose at bulk stores and better tea shops and most of it can be found at an affordable price.

I’ve always loved the aroma of chamomile, reminiscent and apple and flowers and if you buy the good stuff, the aroma alone can calm your nerves. I’ve recently found it is also good for cooking uses and today I am trying it out as part of  rub with roast chicken.

I took dried leaves and flowers of chamomile and rubbed them in my hands and into a bowl along with dried Greek oregano, garlic, paprika, lemon zest. The rub is complex, you can smell the chamomile, garlic, lemon and a hint of oregano. To smell the rub in a whole is inviting. To smell the chicken roasting in the oven is promising and to taste the chicken rubbed with chamomile confirms my instinct – its delicious!

This evening I wasn’t in the mood for a sauce or gravy as I didn’t want to mask the flavour of this crisp, aromatic skin but I also didn’t want to throw away the drippings. Mashed potatoes are ideal for roast chicken and instead of using butter and milk (or cream for the mashed potatoes I used the drippings in the roasting pan.

When the chicken is done I remove it from the pan, deglaze the drippings with hot water then pour into a cup. After a couple of minutes the fat rises and I skim it with a spoon and use the rest – full of flavour. Butter and milk are skipped here and in its place is flavour chicken drippings that give your mashed potatoes a fabulous flavour with hints of chicken and herbs. For that extra oomph and texture in your mash, mix in some crispy fried onions. We all need more comfort food in our lives, don’t we?

Roast Chicken With Camomile & Oregano (Κοτοπουλο με Χαμομήλι & Ριγανη)

(serves 4)

1 whole chicken, approx. 2lbs.

for the rub

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

2 tsp. fine sea salt

3/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

1 clove of garlic, minced

zest of 1 lemon

2 Tbsp. of hand-rubbed camomile

1 Tbsp. dried Greek oregano

1 tsp. sweet paprika

1 lemon, halved

Pre-heated 375F oven

Mashed Potatoes With Drippings and Crispy Onions

4 medium Yukon Gold (yellow) potatoes, peeled

4 cloves of garlic

3/4 – 1 cup chicken drippings (strained of fat)

1/2 cup crispy onions

salt and pepper to taste

1. Rinse your chicken well and pat-dry with paper towel. In a small bowl, add the rubbed camomile, dried oregano, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic and lemon zest and mix well. Now drizzle the olive oil on your chicken and sprinkle the rub mixture evenly on the entire body of the chicken (go on, use your hands). Insert the lemon halves into the chicken’s cavity, tuck the wings and tie up the bird with butcher’s twine.
2. Place the chicken in  roasting pan with a bit of water and place uncovered in your pre-heated oven for 80-90 minutes or until an internal reading of 180F is reached. Remove from the oven, take out of the pan and cover and allow to rest.
3. Add about 1 cup of hot water into the roasting pan and deglaze, scraping up the brown bits with a wooden spoon. Assuming your potatoes have boiled, strain the water and mash the spuds and garlic and add a slow stream of chicken drippings. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and stir in the crispy onions.
4. Serve with your choice of vegetables and try a bottle of Chatzimihalis Chardonnay.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

© 2012, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

The post Roast Chicken With Chamomile & Oregano appeared first on Kalofagas - Greek Food & Beyond.

Terrace of the Lions, Delos island

• In conversation with Christina Boutari on Greek wine
• More Joanna Lumley in Greece, this time she visits the Greek islands
• David Rosengarten visits the Varvakeios central market in Athens
• The best places in Athens to enjoy Raki & Tsipouro
• Are you interested in buying or selling Greek products? Importing or exporting? Made in Greece B2B web portal can help

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

© 2012, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

The post Greek Food Gazette 16/11/2012 appeared first on Kalofagas - Greek Food & Beyond.

I am delighted to share recipes that highlight Greek ingredients. This creamy salad is brought to you by one of Greece’s most popular exports – Greek yogurt. This salad is creamy without resorting to mayonnaise, there’s reconstituted dry figs, lemon zest, fresh thyme and another best- Greek olive oil.

If that ingredient list didn’t convince you, there’s also some Mousto Balsamic vinegar, a wonderful product from my friends at Acropolis Organics. Mousto refers to grape must or, the first crush of grapes (think grape stomping) and it is rather sweet. There is some tang in this vinegar so I’ve also added some lemon zest and lemon juice to balance the flavour.

There’s some fresh thyme to offer some savory and sliced hazelnut to compliment the figs. Ahhh figs. Even though they aren’t season any more I still love dry figs. I reconstitute them in boiling water then soak them in a bit of Metaxa. The hint of Metaxa, the sweet figs, tart yogurt and savory thyme play against the peppery arugula greens.

I love this salad, a great for the cold months and easy to prepare for family or for guests.

Arugula Salad With Creamy Greek Yogurt & Fig Dressing

(serves 4-6)

8-9 dry figs

hot water

approx. 2-3 Tbsp. Metaxa

1/2 cup strained Greek yogurt

2 Tbsp. Mousto Balsamic vinegar

1/4  cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp. thyme leaves

zest of 1 lemon

lemon juice to taste

salt and pepper to taste

about 4-6 cups of rinsed and dried arugula leaves

sliced hazelnuts for garnish

1. Place your dried figs in a bowl large enough to just contain them and cover with boiling water. Cover the bowl with a plate and allow the figs to rehydrate for 10 minutes. Remove the figs and quarter – place half the figs in a food processor along with the lemon zest, Mousto balsamico, yogurt, olive oil, lemon zest and 2-3 Tbsp. of the water used to rehydrate the figs.
2. Place the remaining figs in a bowl and drizzle some Metaxa over them and toss. Allow to steep in the Metaxa for 10 minutes.
3. Process until just blended and adjust taste with salt and pepper, lemon juice to taste and stir-in the thyme leaves.
4. Toss your salad greens with the dressing and plate with a topping of macerated (figs soaked in Metaxa) and sliced hazel nuts. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and fresh ground pepper.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

© 2012, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

The post Arugula Salad With Creamy Greek Yogurt & Fig Dressing appeared first on Kalofagas - Greek Food & Beyond.

Last Sunday I cooked a more traditional dinner for over 30 guests (more to be written soon) and one of the Greek classics that was enjoyed was Chicken Avgolemono Soup. This soup is our panacea for the common cold. It’s Greek comfort food and anytime I’m feeling a cold coming on, I have Avgolemono soup.

This soup means Egg/Lemon soup (Avgolemono) and it’s made by slowly adding hot stock into a bowl of vigorously whisked eggs & lemon juice so that you don’t end up with scrambled eggs. The slow tempering of hot liquid into the egg/lemon mixture prevents the scrambled egg disaster from occurring.

My family prefers using Fide or vermicelli noodles but rice is more commonly made by Greeks. Aalways, the key to a great soup is using homemade stock. Leftover chicken or turkey carcasses make for good stocks or you can ask your butcher for chicken carcasses and use those.

After you’ve made your own stock, this soup is very easy and the only twist(s) I’ve added is to add some finely diced celery and carrots along with some chopped kale to life the dish’s presentation and add more goodness.

If you’re patient and slowly add the hot soup into your egg/lemon mixture, you have no worries and you’ll have made your very own Greek comfort in  bowl – Chicken Avgolemono Soup.

Avgolemono Soup With Chicken, Rice & Kale

10 cups of Chicken or Turkey Stock
1/4 cup finely diced celery

1/4 cup finely diced carrot

1/4 cup Arborio/Carolina rice

chicken meat harvested from chicken/turkey carcasses
salt to taste

1/4 cup Cookin’ Greens chopped kale

Avgolemeno

2 eggs
juice of 1 lemon

1. Bring your stock to a boil. Once it’s boiling, add the celery, carrots, rice into the boiling stock. Boil for 10 minutes and turn off the heat. Start making your Avgolemeno by adding your eggs and lemon juice in a big bowl and whisk them together.
2. Take the pot of soup off the element. While whisking, s-l-o-w-l-y add one ladle at a time of the soup to the Avgolemeno mixture (bout 4-5 ladles) to temper the heat of the Agvolemeno).
3. Add the contents of of the bowl back into the soup and stir in the reserved chicken meat and chopped kale.  Let the soup rest for about 5 minutes.
4. Adjust seasoning with salt and serve with cracked black pepper,  crackers or homemade bread.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

© 2012, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

The post Avgolemono Soup With Chicken, Rice & Kale appeared first on Kalofagas - Greek Food & Beyond.

Parthenon, Athens

• Join the 3 Greek Sisters as they lead a cooking class for singles demonstrating Greek Tapas on Nov. 27th
• Joanna Lumley continues her travels in Greece, this time reaching Mount Olympus
• Thessaloniki opens-up some of its architectural treasures to the public this weekend (Open House)
• Toronto’s Greek food scene grows with the opening of new resto/bar, Retsina

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

© 2012, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

The post Greek Food Gazette 23/11/2012 appeared first on Kalofagas - Greek Food & Beyond.

I made this dish last week for a dinner organized by my friends at Reel Eats. They host dinners that are inspired by food-centric movies. They picked My Greek Fat Greek Wedding and asked me to create a menu.  The main course was lamb shanks with kritharaki…Giouvetsi as Greek call it but to pull off this dish for over 30 people meant that I had to be organized, creative and effective. Effective meaning the food had to be delicious.

Lamb shanks are one of my favourite cuts of meat and when properly cooked they are fall-off-the bone, juicy, succulent. The lamb shanks were browned then braised with wine, stock, herbs and spices. For very best results, use a homemade stock using lamb or veal.

The other component of this dish was the kritharaki of orzo as most of you know it. Kritharaki is loved by Greeks ans it appears in many a recipe (many versions) called Giouvetsi. The dish is rustic but it can be made to look fit for a king (or Queen) and I have no problem serving this for family or for a more formal affair. Great taste and comfort food trumps all!

Lamb Shanks With Kritharaki (Κοτσι Αρνιου με Κριθαρακι)

(serves 4)

4 lamb shanks

salt and pepper

3 bay leaves

7-8 whole allspice berries

1/2 cup dry red wine

approx. 2 cups lamb/veal stock

1 large onion, rough chop

5-6 cloves of garlic, smashed

1 carrot, rough chop

1 celery rough chop

1 heaping Tbsp. of tomato paste

10-12 sprigs of fresh thyme

For the Krithraki/orzo

1/3 cup olive oil

2 cups of kritharaki

1 mediun onion, diced

1 red pepper pepper, diced

3 Tbsp. of tomato paste

6 cups of lamb/veal stock

salt and pepper to taste

1. Season your lamb shanks with salt and pepper and place an oven-safe pot on the stovetop over medium-high heat (just big enought to contain all the lamb shanks. Drizzle some olive oil in the pot and brown all sides of the shanks. Pour in the wine and deglaze the botton of the pot scraping up the bits. Add the  tomato paste, bay leaves, allspice, garlic, onions, celery, carrots, thyme and enough stock to come halfway up the shanks. Season with salt and pepper and cover. Reduce heat to medium-low and braise for 90-120 minutes or until shanks are fork-tender. Take off the heat, reserve the shanks and place the braising liquid in a gravy separator to skim most of the fat.
2. Remove the allspice, bay leaves and thyme and place in a pot and return to the stovetop. Reduce to half then puree with a food processor to thicken. Reserve.
3. In a large pot over medium heat, add your olive oil and your onions and red pepper and sweat for 5-6 minutes or until the onions have softened.
4. Now add your kritharaki/orzo and toast the pasta (for about 5 minutes) while constantly stirring. Empty the kritharaki into a casserole/baking dish along with the lamb shanks and add the hot stock (approx. 3 parts stock to each part kritharaki). Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
5. Mix/stir well and bake in a preheated 375F oven for 45 minutes or until most of the liquid has absorbed and your top is golden brown.
6. Let stand for 10 minutes and plate some kritharaki on the plate and top with  lamb shank. Pour sour sauce over the lamb and top with some sauce and grated dry Mizithra or Kefalotyri cheese. Serve with a Kir Yanni Paranga Xinomavro, Syrah, Merlot.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

© 2012, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

The post Lamb Shanks With Kritharaki appeared first on Kalofagas - Greek Food & Beyond.

Just over  a week ago I cooked a meal for over 30 food and cinema enthusiasts organized by my friends at Real Eats. The evening’s theme was centered around the very popular comedy “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” and I was given the pleasure of creating a menu that would pay homage to the movie. As the movie played in the background, my trusty “sous” and I prepared a dinner of Greek classics that both Greeks an philhellenes would both appreciate.

The dinner was prepared using Acropolis Organics olive oil and vinegars and the fabulous photos in this post were snapped by my friend Kyla Zanardi. The venue for the dinner was at the cooking studio at Aphrodite Cooks. Many thanks to the gang at Reel Eats, our servers Paula, Amanda and Sharan, our dinner guests (some came from Buffalo, New York) and Christine Cooper and her friends/family who chose to celebrate her 29th Wedding Anniversary with hubby, Dennis. As us Greeks say, Na Zisetai!

When guests arrived, we handed them  shooter of Windex, the cure-all as urged by Mr. Portokalos in the movie. This Ouzo-flavoured shot was just thing to put people at ease and set the tome for a fun, delicious dinner amongst friends.

As a meze/appetizer offering I made Dolmades Gialantzi with pita bread and my homemade Tzatziki. These were very popular and although there were some leftovers…many took doggy bags to enjoy them at home.

I do like featuring traditional Greek dishes and nothing is more authentic than a homemade Spanakopita…made with phyllo opened by hand! The spinach was kindly donated by Cookin’ Greens.

Next up was a bowl of comfort, the Greeks’ cure for the common cold – Chicken Avgolemono Soup with kale from Cookin’ Greens.

The main course was braised lamb shanks with baked kritharaki…my ode to Lamb Giouvetsi and finished off with some grated dry Mizithra cheese.

To accompany the main, I served arugula salad with  fig and Greek yogurt dressing.

Dessert was Galaktobroureko..one of the best desserts from the Greek kitchen – semolina custard blanketed into buttered phyllo and baked ’til golden then given a bath of lemon and cinnamon-scented syrup.

Greek coffee capped the evening and another wonderful dinner ended with new friends being made and anticipation of my next Greek Dinner…Dec.11th with a Greek Christmas menu.

Below are lots more photos of this fun, delicious evening. Enjoy!

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

© 2012, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

The post Recap: My Big Fat Greek Dinner With Reel Eats appeared first on Kalofagas - Greek Food & Beyond.

I decided to organize some Christmas dishes for you to consider when you’re planning your Christmas, holiday and New Year’s menus. These are some options divided simply in savory and sweet categories. Eat when you drink, drink when you eat and reach out and invite someone extra to the table. You’ll feel good!

Savory

Braised Lamb Shanks With Kritharaki

Arugula Salad With Creamy Yogurt-Fig Dressing

Fabulous Baguettes

Pumpkin Pastitsio

Warm Mushroom Salad With Feta & Crispy Onions

Warm Citrus & Spiced Olives

Crab Kritharotto

Politiki Salata

Pickled & Stuffed Peppers

Phyllo Feta Cigars With Agourida & Niagara Ice Syrup

Roast Pork With Sage, Honey & Thyme

Loin of Pork Stuffed With Prunes

Phyllo Cheese Triangles (Tyropitakia)

Baked Brie With Roasted Garlic & Cranberry-Mavrodaphne Sauce

Roasted Pork Shanks With Crackling (Crispy Skin)

Slow-Roasted Pork Belly

Slow Prime-Rib

Roasted Cornish Hens Stuffed With Goat Cheese & Figs

Roast Leg of Lamb

Whole Roast Turkey

Pork Belly & Quinces

Roast Pork Belly & Potatoes

Pork Tenderloin With Liastos Wine & Vissino Sauce

Pork Tigania

Macedonian Sausages

Pork Lado-Rigani

Grandma’s Pork & Quinces

Pork Chops Krassates

Roast Loin of Pork With Fennel Crust

Pomegranate-Glazed Chicken

Papia Portokali

Tangy Maple-Mustard Lamb

Vine-Grower’s Lamb

Lemon Verbena Rack of Lamb

Roast Lamb in Parchment

Slow-Roasted Goat

The Best Steak

Rib-Eye Steaks With Blue Cheese Sauce

Cross-Rib Pot Roast

Hunkar Begendi With Beef

Dolmadakia

Cabbage Rolls

Pastitsio

Beef Tenderloin With Port Wine Sauce

Batzos Saganaki

Mussels With Fennel & White Wine

Lobster Saganaki

Goat-Cheese Stuffed Onions

Phyllo-Wrapped Shrimp

Potato Croquettes

Crispy-Fried Shrimp

Feta & Herb Pull-Aparts

Mussels Saganaki With Mustard

Spanakopita

Tyropita

Kotopita

Oysters With Mignonette Sauce

Baked Oysters

Patsavouropita

Octopus Salad

Mushroom Bouyiourdi

Pumpkin Fritters

Pitakia Kesarias

Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Rabbit Stifado

Caesar Salad

Rocket Salad With Figs & Graviera

Potato Salad With Blood Oranges

Cabbage Salad

Salad of Rocket, Cabbage & Apple

Rocket, Pear & Feta Salad

Spinach Salad

Red Pepper & Potato Salad

Sweet

Baked Quinces With Metaxa, Cinnamon & Clove

Mille Feuille With Pistachio Paste & Creme Anglaise

Feta Cheesecake With Sour Cherry Preserve & Sesame Snaps

Lemon Meringue Phyllo Tarts

All-In-One-Pan Squares

Egg Nog Ice Cream With Salted Caramel Rum Sauce

Sublime, Sexy Walbut-Stuffed Figs

Baklava French Toast

Melomakarona

Kourabiedies

Baklavas

Margarites (Baklava Daisies)

Baklava Cigars

Saragli

Medley of Thessalonikeon Delights

Ekmek Kataifi

Phillipino Fruit Salad

Ultimate Cheesecake

Paximadia

Paximadia With Figs, Walnuts & Star Anise

Creme Brulee With Mastic

Hosafi – Dried Fruit Compote

Greek Mess

Aspro/Mavro

Dad’s Rice Pudding

Apple Crumble Pie

Vanilla Ice Cream

Cinnamon Rolls

Baked Quince With Mavrodaphne & Pine Nuts

Kunefe

Lemon Meringue Pie

Amaretto Mousse

Kazan Dibi

Creme Caramel

Melomakarona Cheesecake

Kataifi

Chocolate Baklava

Diples

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

© 2012, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

The post Greek Christmas Recipe Round-Up appeared first on Kalofagas - Greek Food & Beyond.

The first time I ate lamb riblets were at Kellari Taverna in Manhattan back in ’08 and I’ve also heard about the fantastic riblets served up at Kokkari in San Francisco. This cut of lamb is not something you’ll find at the supermarket and you’ll likely have to ask your butcher to prepare them for you.

Lamb riblets are the end bones from the animal’s rib cage that are sawed off in order to make the more popular and coveted lamb shops. They are every bit as tender as lamb chops but you’ll need more of these as there is also more bone but that means more bone-suckin’ goodness!

My approach to lamb riblets is similar to my method for pork ribs…most of the cooking is done in the oven, tented with foil then finished uncovered until deep brown or, you may finish them on the grill. These take about 1 1/4 hours slow roasting time then bout 15 minutes to brown before being able to enjoy. This is Greek cooking here and “fall off the bone” is where it’s at.

The lamb riblets are finished with an olive oil/honey-mustard glaze that offers some sweetness and tang to complement these savory morsels. A tzatziki would also complement the meat very well.

Lamb Riblets

(serves 4-6)

approx. 1 kg. or 2 lbs. of lamb riblets

2-3 Tbsp. olive oil

3 tsp. minced garlic

zest of 2 lemons

fine sea salt and fresh ground pepper

2 tsp. sweet paprika

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground allspice

2 tsp. of fresh thyme leaves

2 tsp. of fresh rosemary leaves

For the Glaze

1/3 cup olive oil

1 Tbsp. Dijon style mustard

1 tsp. honey

1 tsp. dried Greek oregano

juice of 1 lemon

salt and pepper to taste

1. Trim excess fat that may lay on top of the ribs and remove the silver skin underneath each rib bone (use a knife to loosen skin then tear away and discard). Rub the olive oil, minced garlic and lemon zest all over the meat then season with salt and pepper and sprinkle the paprika, cumin, allspice, thyme and rosemary evenly on all the ribs. Place in the fridge for 2 hours (covered).
2. Before cooking, remove the riblets from the fridge and allow to return to room temperature. Transfer to rack that sits on  baking tray and pre-heat your oven to 375F. Pour about a cup of water in the pan and cover the riblets well with aluminum foil. Place in the oven (middle rack) for approx. 1  1/4 hours or until you see the ribs almost come off the bone.
3. Remove the foil and bake the ribs for another 15 minutes or finish off on your gas or  charcoal grill over medium heat. Mix all the glaze ingredients in a bowl and brush on the riblets when done.
4. Serve with thick cut fries and pair with an Estate Hatzimichalis Cabernet Sauvignon.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

© 2012, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

The post Lamb Riblets appeared first on Kalofagas - Greek Food & Beyond.

Roasting peppers on an open fire, a Florina tradition

• Athens Tourism gets progressive with a smart phone app. called Amazing Athens
• Estiatorio Milos is still one of Montreal’s finest restaurants
• Diana Farr-Louis explores the cuisine of Corfu
• Estiatorio “Alpha Vefa” opens in Maroussi, exclusively featuring dishes from Vefa Alexiadou‘s repetoire
• David Rosengarten travels to Santorini and shares the local cuisine including lobster pasta
• Some seats left for my Greek Christmas dinner on Tuesday, December 11th

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

© 2012, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

The post Greek Food Gazette 30/11/2012 appeared first on Kalofagas - Greek Food & Beyond.

This year I am jumping in early and joining the other Christmas wish lists out there circulating. If you’re a regular visitor of this site then you are Greek, have Greek friends or family or you just love everything Greek.

Below are some gift ideas I have compiled with a little Canadiana mixed in. Some gift items are ideal for stocking stuffers and others are more substantial purchases and there’s a few in between. Something for everybody, remember the ones you care about in your life and even though gifts are nice to receive it’s really about who spends Christmas with you gathered around the tree – not what’s under the tree.

Two summers ago my brother got married and instead of giving wedding guests kitschy bombiniere, we chose to give something with meaning, reflecting the family’s values and something that everyone would use. We gave bottles of olive oil and and I’m suggesting you do the same. Acropolis Organics (Toronto based) brings their olive oil from Chania, Crete and they also have a wonderful Mousto Balsamic vinegar that has become a must with our salad dressings.

Acropolis Organics now is selling these olive oil and mousto balsamic gift sets at better food/grocery stores around Canada or through mail-order.

With holiday entertaining full-on or at least you’ve contemplated how and what you are going to serve…time evaporates with Christmas shopping, attending work-related parties, house parties. Why not buy one of my homemade phyllo pies (pites) for your next gathereing? There’s Spanakopita, Tyropita, Prassopita and the very popular Bougatsa me krema. The phyllo pies can be purchased then just need re-heating or you may bake from frozen.

Want a stress-free holiday season? I do home catering from making Moussaka to Pastitsio or preparing a whole menu for a dinner party. Send me an email and let’s talk.

This past summer I had the pleasure of visiting Nafplio, Greece for the first time and the memories are still vivid in m mind.  While I was wandering the alleyways I tripped upon  fantastic souvenir shop that sold lots and lots of olive wood products for the home and kitchen. Cheese boards, mortars & pestles, salad bowls and utensils are just some of the products you can buy. Won’t your home look better with some olive wood?

Another gift item I think you should by for the Greek food fantastic is Prospero’s Kitchen by my friend Diana Farr-Louis. This book details the origins and recipes of the cooking of the Ionian Islands and Kythera.

Despite the doom and gloom that’s been painted upon Greece, tourism this past summer flourished and one of the jewels of Greece hs to be Costa Navarino resort. Not only do they off first class accommodation in Messinia but they also embrace and promote the local artisans who make some of Greece’s best olives, olive oil, jams and honey. A basket of Costa Navarino products would be bringing Greece right into your home and hearts.

Greece also produces beauty/healthcare products and a nice stocking stuffer would be some olive oil soap. Great for the skin, all natural and affordable. Greek olive oil soap is going to be the next big thing!!

This next gift idea isn’t Greek but it involves grapes and that’s kinda Greek, right? Just 90 minutes south of Toronto is Niagara Falls and that flourishing Niagara Wine Region. One of the unique products to come from this region is Niagara Ice Syrup. There’s no alcohol in it but the syrup is great for salad dressings, sauces, reductions and desserts. Watch for this product to make a splash in 2013!

As a cook, I like to have a stocked pantry and that means lots of herbs and spices.  I also need to be organized and I splurged on these magnetic spice rack containers. Set the containers on a magnetic strip on your wall or stick to the fridge or just stack in the cupboard.

Next to your hands being your greatest asset in the kitchen, you need good knives and ever since I got this knife set from Happy Chef I’ve been cooking with much more ease. Quality knives are safer to use and you cut, chop and slice with precision. Be it a home cook or chef, you need good knives.

Christmas is a good time to say “thank you” to the people that did awesome things for you this past year. Send thanks to friends or good clients with  gift basket from Peter & Paul’s, a Canadian company run by Greeks (support Greek businesses).

Another great idea is to give someone some art. Georgia lives in the US but every time she goes back to Greece she’s inspired by the country’s natural beauty and she puts memories into canvass. Have a look at Georgia’s prints and send someone a memory of Greece. Again, support Greek business.

I love taking photography and this year I upgraded from the Canon S90 to the latest model, the Canon S100. It’s compact, takes fabulous photos and even shoots HD video!

I love my Greek coffee and this past summer I discovered a small shop specilaizing in brass and copper works. I bought a “gazaki” that runs on fondue fuel and its perfect for making a cup of Elliniko! They also make brikia, sugar and coffee containers and the serving trays waiters still use to deliver coffee to shop owners.

Finally, why not treat yourself or you and your friends to a Christmas dinner created and cooked by me in an open, cozy kitchen studio here in Toronto? Some seats left for my Kalofagas Greek Christmas Supper Club this December 11th.

Feel free to add any other product/service (keep it Greek or Greek-owned) in the comments section below.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

© 2012, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

The post Greek Christmas Gift Guide 2012 appeared first on Kalofagas - Greek Food & Beyond.

I’ve always loved mushrooms (ever since I was a kid) and besides them being healthy for you (great boost to your immune system), they are also versatile. Mushrooms are a great side dish, they add great flavour to stocks and sauces, you can add them to an omelet, make a soup, fry them, grill them, pan sear them, roast or slow poach them. I like them in place of meat, in rice and in today’s dish…a pasta.

You can pull off this dish with your usual button or cremini mushrooms but if you add some more exotic ones like King, Oyster or Shitake you’re going to get different textures and an array of mushroom flavours. Dried mushrooms are also great here and you can re-hydrate some in hot water, chop them up and use the mushroom stock that you unknowingly just made.

Reconstituted mushrooms with fresh mushrooms, herbs and cheese are a delicious combo. Today, I felt like using crumbled goat’s milk Feta for some tartness and some grated sheep’s milk Kefalotyri cheese to give some sharp high end to the dish. If you’re looking to take a break from meat, mushrooms are one way to fill your belly and satiate your meat cravings.

Rigatoni With Mushrooms & Cheese

(serves 4)

1 lbs. of assorted mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 cup mushroom or vegetable stock

7-8 sprigs of fresh thyme

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup crumbled goat’s milk Feta cheese

Grated Kefalotyri cheese (or Peccorino sheep’s milk cheese) to taste

4 cups of dry rigatoni pasta

1. Place  large pot of water on your stovetop and bring to a boil. Season the water with salt and add the pasta. Cook for about 8 minutes, drain and reserve.
2. In  a large skillet, add your olive oil over medium heat and then add the mushrooms. Season with some salt and pepper and stir occasionally to brown all sides of the mushrooms. After 5 minutes, add the onions, garlic, thyme and sweat for another 5 minutes.
3. Now add the wine, stock and bring up to  boil then lower to a simmer. Cook uncovered for about 15-20 minutes or until most of the liquid is gone. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and add the cooked pasta and stir-in along with the crumbled Feta.
4. Add the chopped parsley, lightly toss then finish-off with grated Kefalotyri cheese and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Pair with a bottle of Estate Hatzimichalis Chardonnay.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

© 2012, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

The post Rigatoni With Mushrooms & Cheese appeared first on Kalofagas - Greek Food & Beyond.

When in Greece you’ll likely dine at one of the tavernas that dot the entire country. These eateries are more informal, great meeting/gathering places for family and friends and usually the prices are affordable. I love taverna fare as you often get a combo of classics and some of the chef/owner’s creativity in the menu (and on your plate).

Some tavernas serve this meze of Feta cheese wrapped in phyllo pastry and either baked or fried. I like the latter as the Feta retains its form, the phyllo is lightly fried and the crisp texture vs. the soft, warm Feta is one I adore. As always,  prefer butter to oil for brushing on phyllo and besides, butter is also part of Greek cusine…margarine isn’t!

Additional flavourings here are sesame seeds and sesame seeds love mastiha so a sprinkle of it (ground) goes on top of the Feta before being wrapped up. Greek honey is the best in the world (YES IT IS) and a drizzle of it balances the tart and salty Feta. Add  sprinkle of thyme leaves, maaaybe a lemon squeezer and pour the Ouzo on ice. It’s meze time!

Feta Cheese in Phyllo With Mastiha, Sesame, Thyme & Honey

(meze for two greedy Greeks, serves 4 usually)

1 slab of Epiros Feta cheese (found in Canada at Costco)

2 Tbsp. of butter, melted

a sprinkle of ground mastiha

1 sheet of phyllo pastry

1 tsp. of olive oil

black and white sesame seeds

drizzle of Attiki honey

fresh thyme leaves

1. Take your slab of Feta cheese out of the container and pat dry (or slice evenly to about 1/2 inch thick) and set aside. Now place  sheet of phyllo on your work surface and brush the entire surface with melted butter then fold over and brush the top layer again.
2. Place the slab of Feta at one end of the phyllo (about two inches in from the edge) and sprinkle the ground mastiha over the cheese. Now fold the short end of phyllo over the cheese followed by folding the two sides in towards the cheese. Now roll-up the phyllo until it has been completed wrapped to form a phyllo packet.
3. Brush the seam where the end of the phyllo sheet endsd and brush the remaining butter over the rest of the phyllo packet.
4. Place  hevy skillet or cast iron pan on your stovetop over medium heat and add  tsp. of olive oil. Once hot, gently place your phyylo packet in the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes a side or until just golden. Use  spautula to carefully flip and fry the other side until just golden.
5. You may serve “saganaki” style in the pan or transfer to a serving plate. Drizzle with honey, sprinkle with sesame seeds and fresh thyme leaves. Serve as a meze with an Ouzo (or tsipouro) on ice and a squeeze of lemon juice (optional).

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

© 2012, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

The post Feta Cheese in Phyllo With Mastiha, Sesame, Thyme & Honey appeared first on Kalofagas - Greek Food & Beyond.

I love fish and seafood and when I am in Greece I probably eat it in some form every day. Despite living in Canada where we have a very good supply of fish and seafood, there’s a lack in Mediterranean seafood and that’s okay. Eat local, right?

This past summer I did a cooking gig where I made fried fish sandwiches, using Nova Scotia fresh haddock fillets brought here in Ontario from FisherFolk. I can still remember opening the styrofoam containers: the immediate fresh smell of the sea and sweet aroma of fresh fish. If anyone has been to sea, the smell of the sea is a desirable one – fish should not smell fishy.

This past summer I hosted a Greek Supper Club where the entire menu was of fish and seafood – enter fresh haddock again. This time I gently poached the fillets in Acropolis Organics olive oil. Good olive oil is not just for salads or drizzling a finished dish. You can sauté, you can make French Fries and you can poach fish in olive oil. The trick here is to get the oil to gently quiver and slowly poach the fish.

The great thing about this method is that the fish retains its delicate flavour, the oil imparts a lovely aroma and flavour and the best part? The oil can be re-used for other cooking uses. So, this method is healthy, it’s delicious and it’s economical.

My olive oil-poached fish was served with this wonderful rendition of Spanakorizo from the Dassios family, worth another look and indeed, another helping!

Olive Oil Poached Cod With Spanakorizo

(serves 4)

4 fresh haddock or cod fillets

extra-virgin olive oil

sea salt and fresh ground pepper

lemon zest and lemon juice to taste

Spanakorizo With Green Olives

2 lbs. fresh spinach, rinsed well, rough chopped

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves minced garlic

1 cup long-grain rice, rinsed

1 1/2 cups chicken/vegetable stock

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill+ 1/4 cup finishing dish

 juice of 1 lemon

salt & pepper to taste

sliced green olives for garnish

1. Heat olive oil in heavy pot over medium heat, add onions and garlic, sweat for 5 minutes. Add rice, cook for a couple of  minutes while stirring.
2.  Add chopped spinach in batches until it starts wilting. Add  the stock and half the dill. Cover & steam until liquid is absorbed about 20 minutes. Add more stock if necessary. When rice is done, add lemon juice, rest of dill. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into serving dish, fluff rice with a fork, top with crumbled feta and chopped green olives and dill.
3. Alternatively, you can finish this dish in the oven: After the spinach has wilted in the pot, pour contents into a deep casserole dish, cover with foil and place in a pre-heated 375F oven for approx. 30 minutes. Again, fluff rice, mix remaining dill and lemon juice and top with green olives. Reserve and keep warm.
4. To olive oil poach your fish, ensure the fillets have been rinsed and patted-dry. Choose a pot that will snugly fit your fillets in it then pour about 1 inch of of olive oil in and turn the heat onto medium-low. Place an oil or candy thermometer in the oil heat to  temperature of 210F (the oil should be just quivering).
5. Carefully lower your fish into the oil and poach the fish for approx. 6 minutes or until it turns opaque.
6. Use a slotted spoon or spatula to remove the fish from the oil and serve on top of each helping of Spanakorizo. Serve as a main or side with a Kir Yanni Samaropetra.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

© 2012, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

The post Olive Oil Poached Cod With Spanakorizo appeared first on Kalofagas - Greek Food & Beyond.

It’s all about pork, Varvakeios Central Market, Athens

• Qatar airlines announces year ’round  daily flights from new York to Athens
• National Geographic includes Thessaloniki in “Best of 2013″
• Greek wine exports to Germany drop – another victim of the financial crisis
• A round-up of Montreal’s favourite Greek restaurants
• For Kalofagas, Christmas comes early

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

© 2012, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

The post Greek Food Gazette 08/12/2012 appeared first on Kalofagas - Greek Food & Beyond.