I was not a fan of Greek grape-leaf dolmades when I was a kid, but I have thankfully gotten my act together. However, cabbage rolls are just as good… and so much bigger!
Continue reading Lahanodolmades (Greek Cabbage Rolls with Avgolemono Sauce)
First things first: it’s pronounced “YEE-roh”. Not “euro”. Not “ji-roh”. Not “guy-roh”. Please. And it is never, ever, ever, ever properly made with meat paste. Or lettuce. Just. Stop.
Continue reading Authentic Pita Gyro (Greek Pita Sandwich)
Cooking is a form of relaxation for me. However, sometimes I want to relax on the couch, thank you very much. You want dinner? Open a can!
Continue reading Super Easy Southwest Style Bean Soup
Each spring the family gathers together to participate in their most beloved activity: harvesting grape leaves. They pretty much hate it.
Continue reading Dolmades (Greek Stuffed Grape Leaves with Tomato and Meat Filling)
Several days ago I gave the Old Man and the Medium Boy the task of putting in a new pond liner for our back yard. It’s hard work. I fed them these empanadas as payment.
Easy recipe? Check! Using flavorful ingredients that you thought you were going to throw out but have found another use for? Check, check, check!!!
You know the old saying “close only counts with horseshoes and hand grenades”? Well, close is seldom close enough when it comes to certain foods, it’s either get the real-deal or go home and make it yourself.
I recently carried out my first experiment fermenting whole cabbage heads. I did it solely to be able to make these cabbage rolls. I waited six weeks. Six whole weeks. That’s how good these are. (Psssstt… I have a shortcut if you’re in a hurry.)
Continue reading Traditional Romanian Cabbage Rolls (Sarmale)
Each year around Christmas I’ll buy a ham. Ironically, we never eat it for Christmas dinner. I just get it because I want ham and that’s usually the best time to find a good one.
There are a couple of staples that my spice cabinet is never without because they help make meal prep so much easier. One is an “Italian Seasoning” salt-free herb blend, and the other is a vegetable and spice mix. Blend them together with a little olive oil and you have an instant rub for every roast or chicken feast.
It never fails, holiday meals around here leave us with a plethora of leftovers. After a while, I begin to resent the space they take in my refrigerator, but they’re also too good to let go of.
It’s easy to get in a rut when it comes to preparing certain types of foods. It’s not so easy figuring out a way to get out of said rut. Sometimes I manage to make it happen. Yay me!
I managed to actually have some success this year growing cabbages. I pretty much grew them to make stuffed cabbage leaves. Could I buy them at the store? Of course, but where’s the fun in that?!
The best souvlaki I ever had was from a street vendor in my mom’s village in Greece. I lost track of how many I ate that summer, but I’m sure the guy was amused by this little American girl’s appetite. The meat was served right off a small wood-fired grill with a chunk of bread stuck on the end of the stick. I couldn’t get enough of it then, and I still can’t now.
Roasts are wonderful for a couple of important reasons: they tend to be cheaper cuts of meat, and they make a lot of food so I get to have leftovers and don’t have to cook every night.
They are humble, plain, and sometimes less-than-attractive when cooked, but humans have been cultivating and consuming legumes for thousands of years. In fact peas and lentils have been used in Greek cooking since ancient times. You don’t get a much better example of “withstanding the tests of time” than that.
Mostly Greek 