Lamb burgers with feta

August 5, 2021February 7, 2022 ~ miakouppa ~ 4 Comments

Home » Mains » Beef, Pork and Lamb

Delicious Greek-style grilled lamb burgers with feta topped with tzatziki, tomatoes, lettuce and red onions.

Αρνίσια μπιφτέκια με φέτα. We love lamb. We didn’t always; its strong flavour was not consistently appreciated by our developing palates, but we came around. It is a special ingredient that we don’t have too often, but when we do we like to treat it with as much care and attention as possible.

We are always taken aback when a non-Greek assumes Greeks eat lamb more often than any other meat. We wonder if it was only in our family that lamb was a special occasion food. But then we remember that although lamb is popular in Greece, other meats such as pork, are much more so. In some areas, goat even surpasses the consumption of lamb. And then we also remember that the Mediterranean diet we were privileged to be raised on prioritizes less meat and more other stuff. Lamb, pork, goat, beef and even chicken are less frequently enjoyed than fresh fish and seafood and vegetarian recipes.

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Grilled lamb chops

June 24, 2021April 11, 2022 ~ miakouppa ~ Leave a comment

Home » Mains » Beef, Pork and Lamb

Perfect recipe for marinated and grilled lamb chops for any occasion.

Παϊδάκια αρνίσια στη σχάρα. Lamb is really a special occasion meal in our family. Perhaps this because it is so closely associated with our Pascha (Orthodox Easter) celebration (which you can read about here), and also because it tends to be a pricey meat protein option. In any case, when lamb is on the menu, you just know that both the meal and the gathering will be amazing.

Although there is a general assumption that Greeks eat a lot of lamb, in our experience this isn’t really the case. In Greece, pork tends to be a more popular meat choice because of its availability and affordability. Also, pork is delicious and makes some of the best souvlakia. Furthermore, many Greeks also follow Orthodox lent and fasting periods, during which the diet is primarily plant-based. All this means that lamb is enjoyed, but not as frequently as you might imagine.

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Prime rib roast

May 21, 2021December 20, 2021 ~ miakouppa ~ 2 Comments

The best prime rib roast recipe for any special occasion.

If you have a special occasion coming up, or if you just want to indulge in a fancy meal (you deserve it!) we have the perfect recipe for you. Our prime rib roast is a celebratory meal and we often serve it for family birthday dinners, Father’s Day, Christmas lunch, or any other event that we feel is worthy of it, like a weekend!

What is prime rib, actually?

This is the portion of beef which is cut from the primal rib between ribs 6 – 12. It is also called standing rib roast. This alternate name is used because prime rib is often roasted standing on the rib bones. Although a prime rib includes the section of beef between ribs 6 – 12, it doesn’t have to; it can be a smaller subsection of this.

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Lamb sandwich

May 5, 2021December 26, 2021 ~ miakouppa ~ 2 Comments

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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Maple glazed smoked ham

March 31, 2021April 9, 2022 ~ miakouppa ~ 2 Comments

Home » Mains » Beef, Pork and Lamb

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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Biftekia with roasted lemon potatoes

March 5, 2021December 26, 2021 ~ miakouppa ~ 4 Comments

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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Pan-fried pork chops (Χοιρινές μπριζόλες στο τηγάνι)

June 29, 2020December 31, 2021 ~ miakouppa ~ 2 Comments

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!