Category: Main dishes

Quick pork ragu with zucchini and Parmesan cheese

~ miakouppa ~ 2 Comments
A delicious and super simple recipe from Chefs Plate

A delicious and super simple recipe from Chefs Plate

Quick and easy meals like this quick pork ragu with zucchini and Parmesan cheese that you don’t even have to shop for?! Are you wondering what sort of sorcery we are talking about? Not sorcery friends, just meal kit delivery services, like Chefs Plate, a division of HelloFresh in Canada. If you have never treated yourself to a meal kit delivery service like Chefs Plate, let us tell you all the reasons why you should.

The concept is simple. You go online, find recipes that you think you would enjoy making and eating, click a few buttons and then voila! Like magic a box full of all the ingredients you will need shows up at your door in perfectly measured amounts along with a detailed and clear recipe card. Chefs Plate takes the stress out of cooking!

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Lamb sandwich

~ miakouppa ~ 2 Comments
A delicious Greek lamb sandwich full of Mediterranean flavours

A delicious Greek lamb sandwich full of Mediterranean flavours

Σάντουιτς με αρνί. Most years Pascha is a huge celebration in our family.  Immediate family, extended family, friends who are like family gather together to eat, drink, laugh and be merry.  Many people means much food and you can read all about our usual Easter celebrations over here.  This year, like last, our plans were usurped by the pandemic and each of us celebrated at our own homes, with our husbands and daughters.  Different, but still lovely.  As a result, our usual entire lamb on a souvla was replaced by a leg of lamb and a couple of shanks on the smoker at one of our homes, and grilled lamb chops at the others.

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Vegan moussaka

~ miakouppa ~ 8 Comments
A recipe for a plant-based, soy-free version of the classic Greek moussaka.

A recipe for a plant-based, soy-free version of the classic Greek moussaka.

Νηστίσιμος Μουσακάς. Settle in guys, this is going to be a long one. No, not the post…don’t worry about that. If you’re here only for the recipes, you’ll be happy to know that this particular blog entry doesn’t come with any nostalgia, no family stories, and no personal anecdotes that some people seem to find annoying on food blogs. Also, some people love them and if you happen to be in that group of people, head on over to posts like Horta and How to dye really cool Easter eggs…and Thea Voula’s cheesecake. Heck, most of our posts come with a healthy dose of, well, US!.

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Greek stuffed calamari

~ miakouppa ~ 2 Comments
Baked squid stuffed with rice and herbs and baked in a tomato sauce.

Baked squid stuffed with rice and herbs and baked in a tomato sauce.

Καλαμάρια γεμιστά με ρύζι. Greek stuffed calamari is a spectacular meal. If you have never had stuffed calamari we strongly encourage you to give this recipe a try. Calamari were made for stuffing. With their long, hollow (once cleaned) and supple body (which is technically called a mantle), you can easily fill them with an assortment of good stuff. In this Greek stuffed calamari recipe we use rice, some vegetables and herbs to create a wonderful lenten meal.

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Octopus and pasta

~ miakouppa ~ 3 Comments
Greek recipe for octopus in a tomato sauce and small shaped pasta, baked in the oven.

Greek recipe for octopus in a tomato sauce and small shaped pasta, baked in the oven.

Χταπόδι με κοφτό μακαρονάκι.. There are certain scenes which are immediately recognizable as being part of the landscape and story of Greece. The white washed walls and bright blue roofs of homes in Santorini is one. The expansive aqua-blue sea and pink sand of Elafonisi is another. Donkeys carrying satchels of whatever the mountainous village has to offer. The Acropolis at night. The sunset in Meteora . The dozens of octopus hanging and drying in the sun as if they were freshly laundered button-downs, while the fishermen look on and nearby psarotaverna (fish tavern) patrons rest assured that the menu is certainly fresh.

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Maple glazed smoked ham

~ miakouppa ~ 2 Comments
A maple, brown sugar and Dijon glazed ham served with a pineapple salsa

A maple, brown sugar and Dijon glazed ham served with a pineapple salsa

If you’ve been with us for a while then you know that both of us are married to men who are not Greek. Although they have both embraced our Greek culture, religion, heritage, customs, language and traditions, they are xeni (the Greek way of say not Greek). Both men are a beautiful medley of English, Irish and Scottish descent and with a Canadian lineage that goes back a few generations at least.

John is Billie’s husband, and he is a gem. As a child he spent a lot of his time with his maternal grandparents, Viola and Eldon, surrounded by love, kindness and food that his grandma served with pride. This was a very traditional home where the man of the house worked and the woman kept the home pristine and comfortable, and every night dinner was a committed affair. The table was always set perfectly, manners were paramount, and meals began with a prayer and thanks. John relished the time he spent with his grandparents and thrived under their care. Sleepovers with grandpa and grandma were the highlight of young John’s week. It’s no wonder that when John and Billie were married, Viola and Eldon were the two people who walked him down the aisle. They were so proud.

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Baked Greek feta and mushroom pasta

~ miakouppa ~ 2 Comments
Baked Greek feta and mushroom pasta

A rich and creamy pasta dish with a delicious feta and roasted mushroom sauce

Who doesn’t love a good trend? We sure do! Whether it was the stirrup pants that were hot items in our teenage wardrobe, or the crimped hair and teased bangs that drew attention to (or away from) our blue shadowed eyes, we appreciate a good thing when we see it! But trends come and go, and sometimes that’s a good thing! Fashions evolve, and even food trends change with the times. You would be hard pressed to find a gelatin salad on a modern dinner table, but there was a time that these colourful, molded atrocities delights were the centerpieces of any successful party.

There are some trends however that we think will stick around for a very long time, maybe forever! You may have seen the viral baked feta and pasta recipe that was shared on Tik Tok; this recipe posted by Jenni Hayrinen, a Finish food blogger. The recipe became so popular that Finland experienced a country-wide shortage of feta as everyone scrambled to make this easy, and delicious dish. Since then this recipe, in its many variations, has been tried by perhaps every single person who has access to feta in the world, including us.

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Biftekia with roasted lemon potatoes

~ miakouppa ~ 4 Comments
Biftekia with roasted lemon potatoes

The best biftekia with the most lemony roasted Greek potatoes

Hearty, easy, humble food! That is what this meal is. Biftekia sto fourno (or meat patties baked in the oven) are like mini meatloafs or large meatballs. These oval shaped hamburger patties are perfectly Greek, and our recipe is perfectly delicious!

Growing up our parents would sometimes take our biftekia and serve them in a hamburger bun, their oval shape causing a bit of dead space resulting in bites of plain bread with ketchup. Most often however, biftekia were served just as they are here – no bread and with a side of slow roasted, creamy and lemony potatoes. So good!

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Spanakopita mac and cheese

~ miakouppa ~ 4 Comments
Spanakopita mac and cheese

Greek-style macaroni and cheese inspired by the flavours of spanakopita

It’s hard to know what constitutes comfort food for some people. Often comfort comes from memories that are associated with a particular food, even more so than what it actually tastes like. Ultimately, we believe that comfort food tastes like home, safety, happiness and love. It’s not unusual for comfort food to be hearty and humble. They are often stews or soups, meals with rich sauces, and very frequently, they are full of cheese.

Mac and cheese is a popular comfort food, and it rates high in our families as well. For one of our husbands, a rough day at work or a need for indulgence means boxed mac and cheese (you know, the kind with the powdered orange cheese in the package) with fried ground beef mixed in. Topped with ketchup and freshly cracked black pepper, and you have a very satisfied man.

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Chicken fingers

~ miakouppa ~ 6 Comments
Chicken fingers

Battered, fried and incredibly flavourful and moist chicken tenders

As you may know, each of us has 2 daughters and although they are now teenagers and adults (when did that actually happen?) memories of them as little girls are as vivid as if they happened yesterday. The adorable frilly dresses. The pony tails and animal shaped hair clips. The innocent wonder of eyes gazing into the world, full of curiosity. The sweet, darling voices asking for one more book before bed.

But let’s be honest, we also remember the temper tantrums in the mall. The permanent marker all over the bedspread. The defiance, the whining, the sibling rivalry. The refusal to eat anything green or the insistence to eat only a handful of items, over and over again. One of those things, asked for regularly, were chicken nuggets or fingers.

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