Brownies are my greatest weakness of all—especially the good old fashioned out of the box stuff. When I’m really craving a chocolatey fix, nothing beats the convenience of just dumping all the premixed ingredients into a bowl, stirring in some extra liquid, and sending them to the oven. They come out simple and scrumptious every … Continue reading Greek Coffee Brownies
Introducing: French onion soup with a Greek twist! I was inspired by a photo I saw on Peter Minaki’s aka “Kalofagas” page and decided to give it a try myself. For my version, I added Greek flavors I enjoy at home, like garlic and oregano, plus tested batches with both Kasseri and Halloumi cheeses. I … Continue reading “Greekified” French Onion Soup
During the weekdays, my breakfasts consist of coffee or a protein shake. Sometimes, as I'm rushing out the door for work, I grab a muffin or a banana. Truly, I don't care for breakfast, and have noticed I function better at work by putting off eating until lunch time. When the weekend comes around I'm … Continue reading Mizithra Pancakes
Stuffed in pies, beaten and transformed into a dip, topped on a salad, or drizzled plain with olive oil, feta finds a way to tables no matter the time of day. There’s really no wrong way to enjoy Greece’s most beloved cheese. One of my favorite feta focused dishes is coated in sesame seeds, fried … Continue reading Fried Feta with Sesame Seeds
Everyone knows BAKLAVA. Layers of flaky phyllo pastry blanketed with ground nuts plus plenty of spice (and everything nice), soaked in a sweet honey syrup. Many consider baklava as the gold standard of Greek desserts. I’m not sure if this constitutes a mortal sin against Greek culture but I will say it anyway: I’m not … Continue reading Baklava
DISCLOSURE: I don’t condone stealing. There is just one instance, however, where I do pardon a group of thieves because their act of stealing eventually gave the world a glorious gift. The thieves I’m speaking of are the klephts, an indigenous population that descended from the Greeks who fled into the mountains to escape--and from … Continue reading Lamb Kleftiko
How to impress a foodie: serve them BOUGATSA creaminess. How to impress a history buff: serve them bougatsa knowledge. Both the history buff and the foodie will wonder where bougatsa have been their whole lives. They say bougatsa originated in Serres, a city north of Thessalonaki where many Greeks immigrated during the Greco-Turkish war that … Continue reading Bougatsa
At the Salt Lake City Greek festival, almost every family plays a role, often with specialties they claim as their own and which they work on for months before the festival. My good friend John Timothy and his entire Pappas family are always on tyropites (cheese pie) duty. Another friend, Jeff Chipian and his family … Continue reading Stifado (Beef Stew)
Whenever I spent the night at my grandparents’ home, breakfast was always an egg sandwich with a cold glass of milk. My Yiayia Saltas would toast two slices of bread, spread some ketchup on the toast, and then put a fried egg in the middle. As a final touch, she would cut the sandwich into … Continue reading Strapatsada (Eggs with tomatoes)
Crispy on the outside, light and gooey on the inside--that’s what makes kolokithokeftedes (zucchini fritters) one of the finer ways to utilize zucchini. Although these fritters can be time consuming, it’s worth the wait as they are my favorite way to enjoy zucchini. They are made with a similar filling that goes into a kolokithopita, … Continue reading Kolokithokeftedes (Zucchini Fritters)
