How To..
Karydaki, which means small (or young) walnut, is one of the best Greek traditional spoon sweets. The spoon sweet is made with baby green walnuts in Spring, when the outer shell has not become hard. The procedure for making it is a bit labour intensive but it is worth while. Use the tenderest ones [...]
Continue reading about Glyko Karydaki – Fresh Walnuts Preserved in Syrup
When preparing spoon sweets we must be sure that the syrup is just right neither too watery nor too thick. Usually if they are not thick enough if they are left outside the refrigerator they will get mildew and if they are too thick the sugar will crystallize. In any case there is no need [...]
Traditional, homemade, spoons sweets are slowly disappearing. Working housewives have so little time to spare that they can’t devote to such time consuming work and prefer to buy them from supermarkets. As a result, traditional recipes are gradually being forgotten and whatever spoon sweets are made and consumed are all too often no more than [...]
Croutons are pieces of sautéed or rebaked bread, often cubed and seasoned, that are used to add texture and flavor to soups or salads. Ingredients: 2 cups stale bread, cut into cubes 1/3 cup olive oil 1 clove garlic Salt & Pepper Oregano or other herbs (optional) Directions: In a food processor or mixer add [...]
In Cyprus flaounes are made during Easter and the traditional recipe is much more complex but tastier, because in the dough we put a lot of other ingredients. The cheese used is made especially for this occasion but during other periods we make them with halloumi cheese. During next year’s Easter I will give you [...]
Vine leaves or grape leaves are the leaves from the grapes used for making wine or the grapes we eat. The best period to get the vine leaves is when they first appear, during April – May, when they are fresh and tender and before they are sprayed with pesticide. Leaves are quite light in [...]
Continue reading about How to.. preserve and store vine leaves
Dolmades are vine leaves stuffed with ground meat and rice. There are a few different kind of dolmades depending on the region. The most common in Greece is that with the Avgolemono (egg-lemon) sauce. In other regions, including Cyprus, they make add tomato and cinnamon. During Lent we make them vegan, only with rice and [...]
Continue reading about Dolmades me Avgolemono (stuffed vine leaves)
Ravioles is a Cypriot pasta dish, similar to ravioli, having its roots probably from the Venetian times. In Cyprus this pasta dish is filled with aged halloumi and the pasta is cooked in chicken broth. A few days ago my son came back from Crete and some friends from Crete, Sophia and her family, from [...]
Continue reading about Ravioles or Raviolia (Cheese Ravioli, as made in Cyprus)
If we buy a whole chicken from the butcher we have to wash and clean it. We remove any visible feather roots and any remaining which cannot be removed we burn them off. Take a piece of cotton and wet it with a one tablespoon of spirit. Light it in the sink and pass chicken [...]
There’s nothing like homemade mashed potatoes, the ultimate comfort food. Preparing mashed potatoes is so simple to make and cannot be compared with the dehydrated stuff you get in supermarkets. Mashed potatoes are made by pressing freshly boiled potatoes. Baking or starchy potatoes are recommended for mashed potatoes as they are high in starch with [...]
Continue reading about How to Make Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes from scratch
