Author: miakouppa

Join us in taking the guesswork out of Greek Cooking

Plakopites

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Plakopites

A traditional savoury crepe-like recipe from the Peloponnese

We have previously posted photos on our Facebook page of our dad making plakopites. Reading through the comments, we heard from so many people who were asking (begging) for the recipe, so we anticipate that this is going to be a pretty popular post. Most individuals told us that they remembered their parents or their grand-parents making these savoury crepe-like treats, which are typically served in a pile with grated mizithra and a bit of olive oil between each one. Many of the comments also suggested that this was a recipe people had forgotten about; plakopites are pretty regional, common in the Peloponnese, and very old-school fare.

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Apple and almond salad

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Apple and almond salad

Mixed greens tossed with apple wedges and slivered almonds, tossed with an apple cider vinaigrette

We try to have salad for lunch almost every day. It’s easy, nutritious, generally low-calorie and the options are limitless. In the summer, when the garden tomatoes are at their finest we tend to eat a horiatiki, or Greek salad, every day. Other seasons, we try to incorporate different ingredients, like apples in the fall.

This super simple salad is a breeze to make, but don’t let its few basic ingredients fool you; the flavour is big.

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Red lentil and bulgur wraps with a tahini slaw

~ miakouppa ~ 2 Comments
Red lentil and bulgur wraps with a tahini slaw

Vegan wraps filled with spicy red lentil and bulgur mix topped with a tangy vegetable slaw

There is so much going on here! These spicy wraps are exploding with flavour, nutritious ingredients and pretty colours. Inspired by a recipe we found on The Kitchn website, which credited Trader Joe’s as their inspiration, this is our version of a vegan wrap that we believe is going to become a favourite of yours.

We came up with this recipe last spring when one of us catered a lenten brunch for our church youth group. By making the wrap filling and the slaw the day before, the morning of the event, all that was left to do was assemble them. Delicious, and convenient!

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Potato Salad (Πατατοσαλάτα)

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Potato Salad

A light and delicious potato salad full of wonderful textures and flavours

We went to a lot of picnics when we were kids. In late spring, summer and early fall, when the weather was inviting, our family would spend Saturdays on the mountain. If you’re from Montreal, you know that the mountain refers to Mount Royal. Declared a heritage site by municipal authorities and the Government of Quebec, the mountain covers 10 square kilometers, right in the heart of Montreal.

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Bagels with “smoked salmon” and fried capers

~ miakouppa ~ 2 Comments
Bagels with "smoked salmon" and fried capers

A surprising and delightful vegan alternative to smoked salmon

Several weeks ago we received a complimentary review copy of The Buddhist Chef, 100 simple, feel-good vegan recipes written by Jean-Philippe Cyr, the creator of The Buddhist Chef. Published by Penguin Random House Canada, this book arrived at exactly the right time. We have just begun the Orthodox Nativity Fast, during which time we essentially eat a vegan diet (although there are certain seafood which are permissible during the fast). We were hoping that this book would offer new ideas and inspiration, and it did not disappoint.

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Tiganites (Τηγανίτες)

~ miakouppa ~ 16 Comments
Tiganites

Fried dough, sometimes called Greek-style pancakes, topped with honey

How fitting that we are posting this recipe for tiganites, sometimes referred to as Greek pancakes, in early November. Fitting, because November is when much of the olive harvesting in Greece is occurring. Our mother remembers that when the men of the village set out to begin their long and hard days of manually picking olives from the trees, they were sent off with their satchels loaded with tiganites. These disks of fried dough helped to sustain them and nourish them for the day. Tiganites, she explained, were a great option when options were limited as they are made from ingredients that even the poorest family likely had on hand.

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Fried potatoes and egg (Τηγανητές πατάτες με αυγό μάτι)

~ miakouppa ~ 4 Comments
Fried potatoes and egg

Home cut french fries tossed with crumbled feta and topped with an olive oil fried egg.

Our dad is the egg guy of the family. Although our parents usually cook together, and can each manage to make any number of dishes alone, there are certain recipes that belong almost exclusively to each of them. Our mom is the Queen of rizogalo for example, and our dad is the one who often turns to eggs to feed hungry mouths. This recipe which combines home cut fries, feta and an olive oil fried egg is one that he would make for us relatively often. Simple, satisfying, and a pretty well-balanced meal.

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Neopolitan marble cake (Κέικ βανίλια με σοκολάτα και φράουλες)

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Neopolitan marble cake

A pretty cake with vanilla, chocolate and strawberry swirls

Our childhood’s were predictable in many ways. Sundays were for church, summers were enjoyed in Greece or Cape Cod, and weekends were spent with friends and family. When it came to food, there were things we could expect as well. We knew that Fridays meant fakes for supper, that we would be expected to help forage for wild dandelion greens, and that ice cream would be neopolitan.

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Rice with mizithra and burnt butter (Ρύζι με μυζήθρα και καμμένο βούτυρο)

~ miakouppa ~ 2 Comments
Rice with mizithra and burnt butter

A simple and delicious rice dish with the nutty flavour of burnt butter and the salty goodness of mizithra cheese

If you’ve been following along on our Mia Kouppa trails over the past few years you will have learned a few things about us, and our parents. You would know that we are two sisters, who also have an awesome older brother, that we each have two darling girls, xeno (that is, non-Greek) husbands, and feathered and furry pets. If you haven’t been with us for very long, or tend to skip right to the recipe (that’s okay…we do it sometimes too!), then welcome! We’re so happy to have you join us!

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Spinach and feta pork roll-ups (Χοιρινό με σπανάκι και φέτα)

~ miakouppa ~ 6 Comments
Spinach and feta pork roll-ups

Pork roll-ups filled with Greek flavours!

Sometimes our parents like to get fancy. Lovers of food and cooking, to this day they still enjoy watching Greek and non-Greek cooking shows (Akis is a favourite) and perusing through recipes that they find in the local Greek paper or behind those daily calendars that they get from church or our local Greek supermarket. Of course, they don’t actually follow the recipes that they happen upon, because let’s face it, that’s not how they function. Instead they get inspired, and over the years have come up with some pretty delicious and even unexpected things. We remember their sudden interest in Asian cuisine and the resultant homemade egg rolls. We have no idea how or why they decided to make egg rolls, but once they did, egg rolls and their accompanying jarred plum sauce became staples at every family gathering. Their popularity resulted in our aunts and koubari and other family friends making egg rolls too and so there you had it; a buffet table filled with dolmades, moussaka, keftedes, and egg rolls. Of course.

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