How to Slice a Tomato for Greek Salad

Are you tired of making a Greek Salad and your tomato wedges look like something you'd put in a Corona?

Thanks to the good folks at wikipedia, I found this lovely slice of tomato all set to go.

I've drawn lines to show you the cuts, the first one being the one on the far right side of the tomato from top to bottom.

This tomato is nice and ripe... I like!

I'm better with a knife than I am with Microsoft paint. You get the idea...

Scrambled Eggs With Love

Here's a few tips when cooking scrambled eggs:

1. Don't scramble them until they go into the pan. Keep the heat at medium and fold the egg around. 
2. Always season with salt and pepper near the end of cooking, not at the beginning.
3. Try adding a dab of crème fraiche at the final stage of cooking. It makes for a nice fluffy egg and stops the cooking process in its tracks assuring the eggs are just right.

Do you have any tips to share on breakfast? Don't be shy, share!

Homemade Phyllo Pastry

I am going to take a shot and roll my own Phyllo pastry today to make a tiropita (cheese pie). I usually just buy the store-bought stuff.

I remember walking into my old kitchen where I grew up over the years. Weekly I'd see my grandmother in there rolling her own phyllo. Her rolling pin didn't look like something you'd see out shopping. It looked more like a broom handle only a bit thicker and about the same length. She used it well when rolling out these very thin and large sheets.

Homemade Phyllo Pastry


4-5 Cups of All-purpose Flour (use the good stuff)
2 Tsp. of Salt
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 Tsp. Baking Powder
1 to 1.5 Cups of Water
Extra Flour for dusting
(some use Corn Starch for Dusting too)

Dust a bowl or baking pan with flour and put it off to the side.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt  in a nice big bowl.
Make a well in the middle of the dry stuff and add some water slowly. Work it!
(Don't be shy to add more water if you need it)
Once you have a nice consistency, shape it into balls. Shape 1 ball per phyllo sheet.
(Make sure you dust each individual ball)
Put these balls back in a bowl and cover them with a damp cloth and let sit for 1-2 hours to rise.

Once these have risen, you can roll out your phyllo with a rolling pin. Make sure you ALWAYS dust the rolling pin, dough and area with a little flour or cornstarch. One ball per sheet of phyllo don't forget.

Roll them fairly thin (but not so thin they'll break). You're not making pizza.

Once you've rolled out a few of these you're on your way!

Now go make a spanakopita or something!

Feta Cheese and Tyropitas in Athens

Feta cheese...

What's not to love? It's salty, delicious in salads, works well with a lot of dishes and is a staple in many homes. At the bottom of this post, I'll release my all-time #1 Feta Cheese which is possibly available in your area. 

I always liked Feta cheese. Growing up, I'd always sneak into the fridge and grab myself a "feta". During my stay in Greece a few years back, I had time to enjoy it in many ways.

One of my favorite ways of having it is in a pastry filled pita. I prefer fresh phyllo but when I usually make any of these at home I take the shortcut and use the store-bought stuff (sorry grandma!). Before I get onto pitas though, here's something you may find interesting...

I remember one day, my aunt and I we're sitting on her balcony on the outskirts of Athens. The concrete jungle below called the City was in its full splendor. It was a wonderful view, a sea of white stretching for miles and miles. White like Feta!

It was brutally hot out.. and it caught me off guard when she brought out a plate of watermelon and feta.

"Try it." I was a little apprehensive considering she made me try sheep intestine in the past with the same two words.

The combination seemed a little odd to me at first, but after a few bites I was transported into a sweet and salty yet refreshing world. It is delicious. Together, along with the help of the feta, we devoured the whole watermelon.

Crazy, I know.

Next time the "heat is on" in your area I recommend trying this. Give a little feta and watermelon a try!

Another delicious little morsel was the different types of feta-filled pastries in the morning at the local bakeries.

Damn, that sesame bread was good too. My father in-law was a picky guy. He made sure we had fresh bread on the table daily and I can't say I blame him. He let it be known that this was my sole purpose in life during my stay there.

"Giorgo, every morning, you're on bread duty."

I was there for nearly six months and before I knew it, this chore of getting bread turned into a pleasant ritual.

"One bread with sesame, one tyropita please."
"One bread with sesame, one lahanopita please."

Walking out of that bakery onto a crowded Athenian street with a deliciously warm tyropita and a coffee at 8 a.m , to me, was heaven. The sun was still low and not torturing your skin. It was very comfortable. I'd grab an English paper at one of the many kiosks and I'd chill out and people watch on a park bench.

I'd bite into that pie and the savory tastes would hit my mouth: the egg , the cheese, the pastry... now this is a breakfast sandwich!

If you ever go to Greece, don't rip yourself off. Make your way to any of these bakeries and grab a tyropita, lahanopita, prassopita, galopita or whatever they're offering. If it has Feta cheese in it, go for it!

____________________________________________________________________________

Now for my favorite Feta.

This is by far the best: Dodoni Feta.

"Having won worldwide recognition for its quality, DODONI Feta is produced exclusively from pasteurized goat's and sheep's milk from the region of Epirus.

Tasty, nutritious, with its white colour and delicate scent, DODONI Feta is well-known for its high , consistent quality that has conquered Greek and foreign consumers and has been awarded by Greek and international institutions many times." 

Is your mouth watering yet? Have you seen this Feta before at your local grocery store? Oh you have? Well aren't you lucky! I am miles and miles away from any Dodoni Feta. If you aren't near an urban center that has Dodoni, then you may be in luck with something similar I found at Costco recently.

It's a Greco-Canadian Feta made by Skotidakis Farms.

"Skotidakis Feta cheese has a crumbly, semi-soft texture and comes immersed in its brine solution to keep it young and fresh. Skotidakis Feta cheese is made from cows' and goats' milk, has distinctively sharp and quite tasty. Since Feta is packed in its brine solution, it often tastes saltier than it should. A simple way to unmask the real flavor of the cheese is to soak it in cold water for 5 minutes to remove the excess salt. It can be used for appetizers, salads, and cooking." 

Notice the difference? Dodoni is made from goat and sheep's milk. The latter is made with cow and sheep's milk.

Skotidakis is also great Feta and good value. One of the Greek restaurants I used to work at in Montreal used to serve both of these: the Dodoni for the Greek salad, and Skotidakis for everything else.

Cheese please!

Can't get enough of Gordon Ramsay?

I know I can't get enough of this guy, Gordon Ramsay. I've seen all of his shows, including the stuff from Britain. From "Boiling Point" to early "Kitchen Nightmares" and beyond, his episodes have shown me what it takes for a restaurant to succeed.

Here's a side of him most of you haven't seen. The star chef is interviewed here by one of the best, George Stroumboulopoulos.

Panang Curry

I thawed out some chicken last night and have to cook something with it soon.

It's time for some Thai Curry - George's way.

What is that do you ask? Well... whatever vegetables I have in the fridge that have to go, usually find their way in there. That's my kind of curry.

I try to limit the mess I make by cooking the majority of it in one sauce pan. A pot can be used as well. Using one cooking vessel for everything helps layer the flavors by keeping all of those wonderful juices in the pan.

I don't make my paste from scratch. What is the point when you have a product that is as good as the one below? At any Asian market, you will find this delicious paste: "Brand MAESRI".

I love Maesri. I need to give a thank you kiss to that 'lil old lady on the can.

It comes in red, green, yellow, panang and massaman and probably others too. You don't need to be sitting there grinding up spices and chilis when you have ready made quality like this.

I'm going with the Panang Curry today. The paste consists of chilies, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, sugar salt, kaffir lime, galangal, coriander, cardamon and bay leaves.

With any of these pastes, all you need is your meat (I usually use chicken), coconut milk and some veggies. It is so easy to make.

Let's see what's in the fridge!

Today's Panang Curry


- 1 Can of Maesri Panang Curry Paste
- 2 Cans of Coconut Milk
- 3 Chicken Breasts
- 2 Diced Onions
- 1 Large Carrot
- 1 Cubed Potato
- 2 Sliced Peppers (One Red, One Orange)
- A few tbsp. of oil
- Salt
- Bay Leaf

Let's do this!

Alright. One pot. Let's do this. Every step requires a bit of seasoning. Don't over do the salt though. Just add a touch during each step and you won't have to add any in the end.

Start off by sautéing your onions. I am greek and I usually use olive oil. To the Thai food purists that may be blasphemy, but I like the way it tastes. You can use whatever you'd like really. If you only have canola oil it's not a problem.

Sautée these onions until they are nice golden color. Remove them and put them off to the side.

In the same pot, add a touch more oil and sautée the potatoes for a little bit (after they've been cubed and rinsed). Remove that off to the side with the onions.

Then, sautée your carrots and peppers for a couple of minutes. Just enough to release a bit of flavor. Remove them off to the side as well.

Now let's cook this lovely chicken that we've sliced up. Keeping to our one-pot theme, add a bit more oil and sautée your chicken until it cooks on the outside and turns white. Again, put this off to the side when it's done. Don't cook it fully as the chicken will continue to cook in the sauce.

Now for the fun part.

Add a bit more oil, and sautée the curry paste. This is a very important step.

Look at that deliciousness!

Once you've heated up the paste, add your two cans of coconut milk slowly, whisking at a gentle pace to combine the two evenly and create a sauce.

Bring this to a soft boil and add all of your ingredients into the sauce including the bay leaf. Cover and let it simmer on a medium-low heat. Let this cook slowly for about 35-40 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked and the sauce has "tightened" up a little bit. You don't want it runny.

Be sure to stir it often and inhale the wonderful aromas. Mmm... it smells terrific!

It's almost done! Looking good. I love the color of that Panang Curry paste.

This will serve 4-5 people, maybe more. Serve it with jasmine rice... and make sure you cook plenty of it!

Here's the final product. Presentation could use some work but we we're hungry. The curry was far too hot for my girlfriend (she's a massaman lover).

Spicy!

I enjoyed it!

Fakies - Greek Lentil Soup "Telos"

3:30 p.m.

The lentil soup is on the stove simmering on a low heat.

I've attached the recipe below for all of you to see, but first we must taste!

Most folks like to add a little bit of vinegar to the soup before they start eating it. I do that as well. I also add a crumble of feta cheese, but that is entirely up to you. I suggest you try it first without the feta... the traditional Greek way.

5:00 p.m.

I'm stuffed.

Faki/"Fakies" Recipe

- 1 Diced Onion

- Can of Diced Tomatoes/ 3 Ripe Peeled Tomatoes

- 500 gr. of Brown Lentils

- 3 to 5 Cloves of Chopped Garlic

- 2 Bay Leaves

- 1.25+ Litres of Water

- Olive Oil

- Pinch of Sugar

- Red wine Vinegar/Oregano/Feta Cheese (optional)

Before you rinse your lentils, quickly sift through them and try to pick out anything that may look out of the ordinary. Get those defects out! Now give your lentils a good rinse. Cover them with water and boil them for about five minutes. Strain them and leave them off to the side.

In another pot or pan, heat up your olive oil and start cooking your onion and garlic. Once it starts to caramelize, add a few tbsp. of water and continue cooking until everything is nice and soft.

Now in your main pot, start heating up your tomatoes and season them with salt/pepper and a dash of sugar to cut the acidity. Once they start to cook and it looks like a sauce add your garlic and onion mixture. Then, add your lentils and about 1.25 litres of water. You'll have to add a little more water near the end of cooking if you find your "faki" to be too thick.

Bring this all to a boil, add the bay leaves and reduce to a medium-low heat. The last thing you want to do is burn it. If your stove's low level setting is hotter than average, then keep it on low. Let it simmer for about an hour (or until the lentils are fully cooked and soft).

During the last five minutes of cooking, add a tbsp. of red wine vinegar and oregano to taste.

Here's what mine looked like during the cooking process. It's nice and hearty for this cold fall evening!

Enjoy!

Where's the lentils?

Oh... there they are.

Mmm... good for you!

This is how I like it. Nice and hearty. 

Fakies - Greek Lentil Soup

Well here it is. My first post.

My love affair with greek food started at an early age. When you're force fed fish stew by your grandmother you learn to love her cooking pretty quickly.

I am just playing around though, she was a terrific woman and a wonderful cook. She'd take the cheapest ingredients and turn them into something delicious. One of my favourite dishes of hers was lentil soup. This is a hearty traditional greek soup that I plan on making later on today. Let's just hope my girlfriend likes this hearty dish. If not, I'll be eating a whole lot of lentils over the next few days.

To be continued...