Strawberry ricotta cake with olive oil

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Strawberry ricotta cake with olive oil

An Italian-inspired dessert full of summer strawberry goodness

Have you ever heard of philotomo? Even if you have never heard the word, if you have had the joy of visiting Greece, or known any Greeks, you have experienced it we’re sure. We’ve wanted to write about philotomo for a while, but have been hesitant because we suspect that anyone unfamiliar with the term would not be able to appreciate its significance by simply reading about it. Alas, that’s all we can do for now, so we’ll do our best. We’ll also somehow link it to this strawberry ricotta cake with olive oil, we promise!

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Pan-fried pork chops (Χοιρινές μπριζόλες στο τηγάνι)

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Pan-fried pork chops

Simple yet delicious way to prepare tender and flavourful pork chops

We feel that we need to apologize. Close to 300 recipes later, we still haven’t shared what is probably one of the most popular family meals in many Greek homes. Yikes!  What were we thinking? (Well, we guess we were thinking about moussaka, youvetsi and baklava…but still!)

Growing up we ate a lot of pork chops, called hoirino bridjoles, (or brizoles) in Greek.  The word bridjola actually means steak, and can be either pork or beef. However, in our home, if our mom said we were having bridjoles, we automatically knew she was referring to pork chops.  Steak from beef was simply called steik!  

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Blueberry almond cake

~ miakouppa ~ 6 Comments
Blueberry almond cake

A dairy-free coffee cake loaded with blueberries, almond flavour and a subtle hint of orange

It’s not quite blueberry picking season here in Quebec; that activity usually begins in August, but we like to plan ahead. Having experienced days under the hot sun, with legs stiff from squatting down for hours plucking berries off of low bushes, we know that it can be exhilarating, but overwhelming to face baskets of blueberries, with no clear idea what to do with them all. This blueberry almond cake is one delicious option.

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Ouzo with blueberries

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Ouzo with blueberries

The classic Greek liquor infused with Quebec blueberries and a touch of basil.

We are all the product of so many different parts. Today, we thought it would be fitting to marry two flavours, from two different parts of the world, both of which are integral to who we are. The first, ouzo from Greece. Our parents’ homeland, the land of our cultural heritage, our family, our deep-rooted identity. And second, blueberries from Quebec. Our birthplace, the province where we have lived our whole lives. It seems fitting especially today as we celebrate the Quebec National holiday of Saint-Jean-Baptiste, and the Christian holiday of the nativity of the Forerunner, John the Baptist, a very important day in our Orthodox faith tradition. So, we decided to mark the occasion in the best way we know how – through food, and drink.

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Focaccia with tomatoes, olives and feta

~ miakouppa ~ 2 Comments
Focaccia with tomatoes, olives and feta

A focaccia full of Greek flavours

Want to taste a slice of Greece? This focaccia, topped with tomatoes, herb-infused olive oil, Kalamata olives and feta will help you get there! Not bad for an Italian flatbread!!

Focaccia is quickly becoming one of our favourite things to prepare and eat. Once you find the perfect dough recipe (and this one might be it), you have a blank canvas to work with! Top the focaccia dough with anything your heart and palate desires, and you can create a personalized focaccia to suit any taste.

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Cedar planked salmon

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Cedar planked salmon

An elegant and delicious way to serve grilled salmon

Isn’t it lovely when you can present a meal to family and friends that makes it look like you either spent hours in the kitchen, or possess master culinary skills? We love that! And we also love to explain to impressed eaters that sometimes looks can be deceiving. Like this cedar planked salmon. The beautiful presentation of this salmon is so simple and so elegant that it can be served on a busy weeknight as easily as it can be served at a fancy weekend dinner party.

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Greek yogourt cake with lemon

~ miakouppa ~ 4 Comments
Greek yogourt cake with lemon

A perfect snacking cake with a hint of lemon

If you’re looking for a basic, delightful, slightly tangy snacking cake, this is it. Nothing fancy, nothing complicated, and nothing else required. Although fancier cakes are often welcome, sometimes you want a cake that can easily pass for breakfast and we think that this one does.

It’s always nerve-wracking exciting to allow a bundt cake to cool and to then flip the pan over and see a thing of beauty emerge. That is, if the cake comes out in one piece. No matter how delicious your cake has the potential to be, if you don’t grease your pan thoroughly and carefully, you could wind up with a bit of a disaster. Don’t believe us? You should, we speak from experience.

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Deviled eggs

~ miakouppa ~ 4 Comments
Deviled eggs

The perfect appetizer; seasoned deviled eggs with a briny kick.

The summer months tend to make life seem simpler. Maybe it’s the longer days, the warmer weather, the fact that the school year is done, or the simple breezy summer dresses that make getting dressed, well, a breeze! Whatever the reasons, we find that summer entertaining always seems easier than hosting during the other seasons. If you’re fortunate enough to have an outdoor space, where food like souvlaki or grilled veggies can be thrown on the grill and you don’t have to worry about tidying up your house, all the better. But even if you entertain indoors, summer fare is usually lighter, easier and quicker; who wants to spend hours in the kitchen cooking when there are summer cocktails to make and sip?

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Pasta with Nea Fytini (Mακαρονάδα με Νέα Φυτίνη)

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Pasta with Nea Fytini

Pasta tossed with the classic Greek vegetable shortening and kefalotyri cheese

Mediterranean cooking prides itself on wholesome, nutritious food. Fresh ingredients, balanced diets heavy on fresh vegetables and just the right amount of animal protein. We love that we have been able to offer you so many of these healthy meal options, foods like Greek lentil soup, green beans and potatoes and spanakopita. Vitamins, minerals, and goodness, oh my!

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Roasted bone marrow

~ miakouppa ~ 6 Comments
Roasted bone marrow

A luxurious spread for crackers and crostini

If you consider the current bone broth craze you might conclude that deriving food from animal bones was a new phenomenon. It’s not. Bones, and more specifically bone marrow, have been consumed in Europe and Asia long before their present popularity in mainstream North America. Even within our continent however, Native Americans and the Indigenous people of Canada have included bone marrow in their diets for ages. And long before this there is evidence that our paleolithic predecessors chomped on animal bones; it’s no surprise that proponents of the bone broth movement are following the Paleo diet.

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