Join me on Sunday, December18th for an afternoon cooking class where I will show share my tips and tricks to make some of my favourite seafood offerings. The class will take place at St. Lawrence Market Kitchen.. The Best Taramosalata Tender Octopus Fried Calamari   Whole Lavraki (Branzino) Baked in Salt Crust A light lunch (samples of all dishes demo’d) and refreshments will also be served during the class. Cost is $120.00, class size limited to 14 spots. Payment may be made via paypal or Interac bank transfer using my email, truenorth67@gmail.com in the name of Peter Minaki. If ..read more

Join me on Sunday, October16th for an evening cooking class where I will show share my tips and tricks to make some of my favourite seafood offerings. The class will take place at St. Lawrence Market Kitchen.. The Best Taramosalata Tender Octopus Fried Calamari   Whole Lavraki (Branzino) Baked in Salt Crust A light lunch (samples of all dishes demo’d) and refreshments will also be served during the class. Cost is $120.00, class size limited to 14 spots. Payment may be made via paypal or Interac bank transfer using my email, truenorth67@gmail.com in the name of Peter Minaki. If us ..read more

At my last Greek Supper Club, I served this meze offering of Tyrokafteri paired with drunken figs. Both are recipes of mine and I simply put the two together and the result is a sinful and delicious meze. Tyrokafteri is a Greek compound word that translates to “spicy cheese” and it this case it’s whipped Feta with a bit of heat. You’re going to need Greek Feta and Greek-style yogurt do head to a Greek specialty shop and while there, go get the dried figs, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, some cinnamon sticks and star anise. Hopefully you have some Mavrodaphne wine but if not, you may use another ..read more

Inspired by a wedge salad with shrimp recently posted on Honest Weight’s Instagram, I was immediately drawn to the idea and I made it with my own Greek twist. Whipped Feta on a wedge salad, some diced tomatoes, shrimp and if you think about it, it has elements of Shrimp Saganaki. Simplicity rules here – simple, quality ingredients complementing each other for this eye-catching delicious salad. Let’s do it! Wedge Salad With Whipped Feta, Shrimp (serves 4) For Whipped Feta 3/4 cup strained Greek yogurt 3/4 cup crumbled Feta cheese 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil For the Salad Half head of Iceberg ..read more

Today’s recipe is inspired by a dish I ordered when in Boston last month. It was a whole lobster, split in half and grilled. I am fine with that but the icing on the crustacean cake was this flavourful red curry sauce. There are many styles of curries (Indian, Japanese, West Indian) but this one is a thai-style. Most supermarkets now carry chilli pastes, making your sauce game much easier and you don’t have to buy a slew of ingredients that will wallow in your pantry cupboard. You could also go with a green curry but I think red on red lobster looks better! This is an easy recipe: steam your ..read more

A couple of weeks ago I hosted a Lent-friendly Greek Supper Club commemorating Greek Independence Day. When Orthodox Greeks fast, that means no dairy, no meat so it can be a challenge when it comes with offering Lent-friendly desserts. Enter sesame Halva, made of sesame paste (tahini) and sweetened with sugar or honey, this has become a go-to sweet for those fasting in the lead-up to Easter. Halva is found at Greek specialty shops, Middle-Eastern and Turkish shops as well! It comes plain or with some kind of nut in the mix. While you’re there, you can also buy your phyllo pastry (unless you al ..read more

Legumes figure prominently in the Greek kitchen, we’ve cooked with them since ancient times and thank goodness we still eat them. The most well know dish is Fakkes (a lentil soup) and this dish riffs off that soup but here it’s a salad. The same flavour profile as Fakkes so for Greeks, the taste will be familiar. To others, you get a nutty lentil flavour, the aroma of bay leaves, the mire brightening things up and in the end, roasted red peppers are added along with garlic, parsley, oregano, Greek extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar and finally, salt and pepper. I served this at last wee ..read more

Earlier this year, I shared a recipe for Bread with Carob, an ancient ingredient that has gone through a renaissance of late. Many ingredients containing carob flour have appeared on Greek grocery shelves. Carob is much like cocoa powder and if someone is allergic to cocoa then carob is your go-to ingredient. Here in North America, look for it at health food stores and there are some sources to order online. Today, I am making Paximadia with carob, hazelnuts and cranberries. Paximadia are twice-baked dried cookies…the predecessor to biscotti. You should know by now that Greeks invented everyth ..read more

I am excited to be once again offering a Greek Easter baking workshop. We’ll share our family’s recipes for making Easter Koulourakia (cookies), and finally, I will show you how to make the best Tsoureki and finally, a chocolate covered tsoureki. The class is limited to just 16 spots so get’em before they’re gone! Learn to make: Koulourakia (Greek Easter cookies) How to make Tsoureki Chocolate covered Tsoureki Price: $110 (includes printed copies of all recipes, refreshments and light snacks) **No refunds for cancellations made after March 27, 2022. Tickets are, however, transferable to ..read more

One of my earliest fond food memories (1974) was noticing how Greeks (in the summer) were always eating outside. Of note were the tavernas that would come alive for the evening service: tables and chairs being arranged outside of the premise, tablecloths, plates, glassware laid out. Greeks eat dinner late (say 10ish) and menu items would be plenty and shared by those at the table. Back then there were no hamburgers but one could order Brizoles (pork chops), biftekia, keftedakia and today’s dish, soutzoukakia. Much like the mixture for Smyrneika, these go on the grill and are nibbled on with s ..read more