Category Archives: THE OMNIVORES

Proper Greek Nomz: Tzatziki

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Proper Greek Nomz: Tzatziki

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There is a lot of “pretend” Greek food going around and there are also a lot of “authentic” Greek recipes. I’m a bit fed up, to tell you the truth. So I’ve enlisted the help of my mum Despina (who is a bit of a rock n roll gal) to make some videos with proper Greek nomz. We are not claiming these are authentic, ancient Greek or anything like that. This is the type of food we, as Greeks, make and enjoy.

Today, it’s tzatziki, a super yummy and garlicky yoghurt based dip. It goes down a treat with barbecue but do try not to kiss anyone after you’ve eaten it (it’s the garlic).

Do drop us a line if you have any more ideas for Greek food videos.

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Lots of love to the bands below for allowing me to use their pod safe and brilliant songs.

Greek Christmas Honey Cakes | Melomakarona

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Melomakarona | Μελομακάρονα
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So this is one of those Greek words that means you will probably end up with tongue injury: Melomakarona 

The word should not concern you however – just call them Christmas Honey Cakes or some such. The taste is a LOT more important.

Basically, unless there are melomakarona or kourabiedes (don’t ask) somewhere about the house, it’s probably not Christmas.

The recipe is by Katerina and I did a video of it – I know, it’s all Greek to you. I’ve translated the recipe below and added some comments that should help you out. Do try making them – they are absolutely divine and go down a treat with tea or some Greek/ Turkish coffee.

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Rocking Movember

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See the Greek version of this postFor about two years now each November I’m thinking “yes, I’ll stick on a moustache and do a a video like that in support of Movember”

Once more things have been seriously hectic, the end of the month approaching and I still don’t have a video. Damn. Note to self: Must plan better.

So anyhow, here is the Digital Scullery photo-contribution to an amazing idea, worthy of loads of support. Now that you’ve seen me like this please consider donating to Movember. 🙂

Digital Scullery <3 the Mo

Digital Scullery <3 the Mo

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btw I did my hair for a swing conert & dance thing I went to today. It is a very poor version of the amazing video on doing a half victory roll by Cherry Dollface

Vine harvest and wine juice in Greece

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Vine harvest - Atalanti, Greece

See the Greek version of this postI don’t know if you’ve watched old films with vine harvests and wine juice making or wine making but they always seem to contain plucky villagers without shoes stepping on the grapes. That’s all very well and dandy but apparently it hardly ever happens any more.

The team in Atalanti, Greece, went about finding out what actually does happen nowadays to get wine juice. This is effectively the process before one starts wine making. A lot of people in Greece with their own grapes will just take them to a patitiri (the place where the grapes are literally ‘stepped on’) to get wine juice. They then take the wine juice and make their own wine at home.

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Chocolate truffles by Daphne

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See the Greek version of this postDaphne (deadendmind) sent me a step by step photo recipe for yummy chocolate truffles.

Here’s a note on culture. When it’s our name day or our birthday we traditionally do a kerasma in Greece. It means to offer a bit of food or dessert at work or to friends and family to celebrate. So this is Daphne’s favourite kerasma recipe.

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When we are celebrating or its our birthday we usually offer some dessert to colleagues. However, in the middle of the economic crises this can be a bit of drain on resources, especially if one wants to offer nibbles to 30 people. What could be better than just making something yourself? However, we are not all be professionals nor have a lot of time. So, here is an easy recipe which yields a lot of chocolate pieces and everyone likes!

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The Real Greek moussaka, their souvlaki and the gossip

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Chef Alan is funny too!

See the Greek version of this postSo this might seem a bit weird. Why would a Greek go to see The Real Greek chef make moussaka? “Isn’t it like your national dish?”, “Don’t you know how to make it from birth?” Yes, thank you I get the point, even though I learned how to make it when I was 23.

When I got the e-mail for a moussaka making experience from the lovely Megan I thought exactly that. However, I’m always learning so I really wanted to see this staple of the Greek family table done from a professional chef. Secondly, I had completely stopped going to The Real Greek three years ago so I was super curious.

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A recipe for Greek wild greens and pics from my mum’s garden

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Wild greens

See the Greek version of this postThese days my sister and I are at my mum’s and my stepdad’s house in Atalanti Greece. You can imagine the mayhem.

On Friday we had amazing weather so we went out in the garden to gather wild greens. They are called χόρτα (chorta – wild greens) in Greek and we gather them from gardens and fields. I imagine that in an English garden some of those yummy wonders are killed off as weeds. They are boiled and then served hot or cold with olive oil and lemon. They go amazingly well with fish, but I love them any old way.

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Feta pie in a cake tin by Mrs. Eleni

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Cheese pie in a cake tin by Mrs. Eleni

See the Greek version of this postA few months ago Mama Despoina (my rocking mum) called to inform me that at a dinner with friends she had a mythical cheese pie. I initially failed to grasp the significance of this since my mum rarely expresses such admiration for food. Even rarer is for her to gobble down THREE PIECES of feta pie in one go. So this was clearly a feta pie I needed to know all about.

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Greek Easter, the Resurrection hymn and a soup with lamb intestines

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My London Magiritsa

Let’s get the scary stuff out of the way first. This is a post about soup with INTESTINES. (Wait! Come back!)

So, now that we are left with the brave folks here goes the story.

Mama Despoina (also my mum – she simply rocks) blogged the recipe for Magiritsa the other day, the Greek traditional soup eaten after the Resurrection. It’s incredibly yummy even though I know it sounds weird.

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Magiritsa – the Greek Easter soup with intestines

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Μαγειρίτσα

See the Greek version of this postGreek Orthodox Easter is near and I thought I should write about Magiritsa (aka Magheritsa, Mageiritsa, Mayeritsa, Mayiritsa), the soup we eat after midnight, after the Resurrection.

This is the tradional Greek recipe so it has intestines (Sofia wrote an explanatory post as this might seem a bit yucky). However, if you can’t get intestines where you are (or if you just find them disgusting) just omit them.

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Purple sprouting broccoli with sesame and honey

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Purple Sprouting Broccoli with sesame and honey

See the Greek version of this postSince we started getting an organic fruit and veg box delivery each week I have been trying out all sorts of new things. It’s so exciting to be getting vegetables every week that you’ve never tried. It makes you look for information, learn and do new stuff. Sort of brilliant.

Especially since we are going through Lent (and the Greek version is a bit weird as I was saying the other day) it’s great to be doing different things with veggies.

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Lagana bread recipe for Clean Monday

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La la la la la la lagana!

See the Greek version of this postLent for the Greek Orhodox people starts on a Monday. Much neater that way, don’t you think?

I already posted the other day on Tsiknopempti, our BBQ Thursday. Then there is the Sunday of Apokreo – very similar to Halloween, but probably a bit more Dionysian in nature – when we dress up, eat, drink, dance and generally go a bit crazy.

The next day is Clean Monday, the start of the Great Lent, 40 days of no animal products whatsoever. Supposedly. Most Greeks don’t fast during Lent anymore. However, I’ve heard it’s quite good for detox to abstain from animal products now and again.

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Tsiknopempti – the Greek BBQ Thursday and some survival tips

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If you ever happen to be walking around a Greek town or village and it seems that there are BBQ smells everywhere chances are it’s probably Tsiknopempti. (It could also be Easter Sunday but in that case the smell is the roasting lamb on a spit so you’ll know quite quickly which is which).

Tsiknopempti comes from the words tsikna (the characteristic bbq meat smell) and Pempti (Thursday). It comes about once a year, about two weeks before Lent starts.

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