Author: miakouppa

Join us in taking the guesswork out of Greek Cooking

Hilopites with chicken (Κοτόπουλο κοκκινιστό με χυλοπίτες)

~ miakouppa ~ 2 Comments
Hilopites with chicken

Greek noodles and chicken prepared in a delicious tomato sauce

Have you ever had square pasta? Like small little squares of egg noodles that are delicate and full of flavour? If you’re Greek, or have ever visited a Greek home, we think that the answer might be (should be) Yes!

Hilopites are the small, square-shaped egg noodles that we grew up with. In fact, we have very vivid memories of our parents gathering with aunts and uncles and dear friends, spending the day making hilopites from scratch. Flour, water (or was it milk?), salt, eggs all worked together and transformed to make long strips of noodles that were then cut by hand into perfectly imperfect squares.

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Zoï’s salad

~ miakouppa ~ 6 Comments
Zoï's salad

The perfect combination of lettuce, tomatoes, walnuts and parmesan cheese tossed with a sweet balsamic vinaigrette

If you’ve been following along, you’ll know that for us food is intimately and intricately connected to family. We love to share our family stories and memories related to the recipes we post. And, we are so appreciative and humbled when others invite us into their worlds so that we may share their special recipes as well.

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Turkey and cranberry kataifi parcels

~ miakouppa ~ 3 Comments
Turkey and cranberry kataifi parcels

Roasted turkey and cranberry sauce packaged in buttery kataifi pastry

So technically speaking, this is not a traditional Greek recipe and it is not something that our parents ever made. In fact, for most large gatherings and holidays it was lamb on the menu instead of turkey, and if we were in the mood for poultry, rooster made an appearance. Our parents also never made cranberry sauce; in fact they only ever tried it when we started to make it ourselves. The North American festive holiday meal of roasted turkey, complete with stuffing, gravy and homemade cranberry sauce became our purview once we began to host celebratory dinners in our homes.

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Seafood salad

~ miakouppa ~ 6 Comments
Seafood salad

A creamy salad made with crab-flavoured seafood and mixed vegetables

This is a tale of two sisters. One sister has, for years, been bringing this seafood salad to every family gathering, holiday celebration and casual potluck. It is her signature dish. “What shall I bring?” she asks, and the answer is usually “Oh, why don’t you bring your delicious seafood salad?”. She agrees and everyone is happy, even the second sister. Sister #2 anticipates this amazing salad while she is busy making a moussaka or galaktoboureko as her contribution; a little tired and maybe frazzled, she is excited to know that there will be seafood salad on the table.

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Plakopites

~ miakouppa ~ 4 Comments
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

~ miakouppa ~ 4 Comments
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 ~ 4 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)

~ miakouppa ~ 2 Comments
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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