Greece, A Trip of A Lifetime...

 

We were so pumped up for a much anticipated ✈ also coz it's been five years without one...

And where can we kickstart our travels again once school let out, none other than the unrivalled scenic blues and whites with that sun kissed Mediterranean Sea in.... Greece 🇬🇷🏺🌞 Opa!!

Exploring, discovering, dining and learning as much as we can while on this trip to bond as a family and most importantly expand my culinary repertoire on our kitchen table beyond my usual grilled souvlaki, roasted lemon potatoes and Greek salad which traditionally btw has no lettuce 🥒🍅! Even more so inspired after my lovely girlfriend went last year. 

How do I sum up a dream family vacation to Greece in one word?... Idyllic 🇬🇷🥴! My heart and belly was set on food and more food, but that really was a side story. What took centre stage wherever you look was the natural stone beauty and the stunning rustic cycladic whites and aegean blues setting the stage for the pops of gorgeous lush greens and fuschias 🌺🌺🌺! #heavencanwait

We began our journey from Athens- stayed 2 days and sea jetted to Paros for 3. Then cruised to Naxos for another 3. Almost a whirlwind but not, we made sure to make every day count and relished in the stunning moments!

Athens Olympic Stadium

The glass floor viewing in front of the Acropolis

The Grand Acropolis

Our first meal- lunch upon arriving in Athens! Gyros with all the traditional fixins'...

Meandering about and taking in all the surreal scenic views!

Ohh, how I love tiles and bowls and ceramics... that blue and white💙!!!

Rustic, lush green, charming beauty beckons at every turn. Too picturesque not to capture!

Stray cats abound... my youngest couldn't help stopping, stroking and staying a while...

... That pink fuschias 🌺🌺🌺🥰!

Kalimera my friends 👋🇬🇷!  So many striking moments, but if I had to choose one, it had to be this... Finding an empty unlocked soccer stadium with the most gorgeous mountainous backdrop in the last leg of our trip- in Naxos island. My son can tell his coach he indeed kept up with his soccer training while away ⚽️🙌 

But of course, the food.... why else? #travelforfood However, I did start my vacation posts from Greece about the stunning scenery that captivated all my senses and etched into my heart the most... yes, over food. It's time to touch upon that, you think?

Can you guess the top foods we ate on trip in the collage? From top left clockwise:

#1: Gyros- pork and chicken, tzatziki and fries in pita

#2: Dakos Salad- barley rusk,  lots of tomatoes, feta or mizithra cheese, oregano, herbs, olives (noted as one of the best salads in the world!)

#3: Fried eggplant, Horiatiki salad and dolmades

#4: Grilled snapper

#5: Grilled gyros and souvlaki platter 

#6: Grilled octopus

#7: Grilled sardines

#8: Fried small shrimps 

#9: Fried calamari 😋

Our favourite meal was our first dinner out in Athens at Restaurant Scholarhio on the busy patio. Loved all the large plate mezes, fresh quality, perfect for sharing with a set table menu that included wine and very friendly on the wallet (collage 1- #2, #3 and #9)- 90 euros (no taxes, no tips)- $150 Cdn 😯 A steal!

At Mezes Mezes at the port in Naxos

Dinner at a sea-side restaurant in Paros

Brunch at an art cafe in Naxos

If in Athens, check out ‘Zisis: Fish in the Cone’ an original street food concept in the heart of Athens, named in honor of Zisis’ late grandfather, Zisis senior. It provides a choice of eight delicious seafood options, served in a brightly-printed cone inspired by old newspapers, to eat on the go.

Ahhh, we can't forget Greek desserts and snacks (namely chips)... 

Fresh Greek yogurt with apricots & honey and a shot of Rakomelo, a warming liquor spiced with cinnamon and honey (a comp finish to our meal at Mezes Mezes in Naxos)

Gelato and icecream (so refreshing, so quality, so delish everywhere)

Chips (Lay's) in Oregano, Tzatziki and Cocktail Shrimp. It has to be garlicky tzatziki all the way 🙌

Loukoumades- crispy fluffy chewy Greek donuts drizzled with honey and cinnamon (OG) Crave it? Check out Mr.Puffs with many locations across GTA- lots of toppings to be had from Oreo to lemon meringue to caramel. OG is my favourite 😋

We probably stopped to have ice cream or gelato a dozen times! Quality-fresh!

Eggares Olive Press is one of Naxos’s oldest remaining olive mills. Recently renovated, the Eggares Olive Press dates back to, at least, the late 1800s when it pressed locally-grown olives for the village community. Today, the original stone built structure has been elegantly refurbished to evoke a sense of tradition updated in a contemporary white Cycladic design. It has been part of the Lianos family for five generations.

The Olive Press exhibition area features original production materials once used at the site. Here, visitors can enjoy a free tour and brief presentation of how olive oil was originally produced at that time.

Olive Press Museum in Eggares, Naxos

In ancient Greece, there was a close connection between gods and heroes and the olive tree. The olive tree is the symbol of goddess Athena following her victory over god Poseidon in their competition about who will win the city of Athens as a place of worship.

Characteristically, Hercules's truncheon was made of wild olive wood. Hercules himself transported and planted a wild olive tree in Olympia. It is worth mentioning that 'kotinos' was a wreath of wild olive branches with which Olympic game winners were rewarded.

Olive oil was a fundamental element in funerary rites as it was used to wash and rub the body of the deceased prior to cremation and burial.

Visiting the Temple of Apollo during sunset is the most biggest attraction in Naxos.

So hard to get a good family photo with a lovely view. This may be it 📸!

What better menu than going Greek fresh from vacation, for my son's soccer family friends poolside to entertain 💦🤽‍♂️🥙🥗🍻! 

Greek Quinoa Salad is the perfect crowd-pleaser salad to make with it's healthful Mediterranean ingredients and tasty flavours! I taught this all the time in my classes to the old and young...  and they all loved it. A large fresh bed of both romaine and mixed greens topped with textured nutty grains of quinoa and a medley of crunchy colourful vegetables you'd find in a Greek salad dressed with garlicky lemony dill. Mmmm.... Served alongside both pork and chicken souvlaki and my very garlicky tzatziki in pita (thin Middle Eastern style so they can eat more) with DIY toppings and grilled thyme vegetables, everyone was going for seconds ✌. 

These memories linger and leads my heart astray down the Greek lane...

Your unrivalled beauty is cherished, and we will be back to immerse in you once again.

Thank you Greece! OPA! 💗

Let's Hear It For May Asian Heritage Month...

Proudly celebrating Asian Heritage Month has everything to do with my roots... a background story and then my food adventure romps in May.

Maybe 6, shyly taking a photo in front of my father's delivery car at his first Chinese Canadian dine-in and take out restaurant Jade East in rural town Barrie, Ontario. He was there, and we were here in Toronto.

Yeah, those early days in Canada were hard for my immigrant parents. My dad working long hours while my young mother took care of us three was exceptionally trying. His 'not being there and always at work' became the worse point of contention for ma when he wasn't present at my birth. These memories flooded back as I watched Woking Phoenix in the Spring at Theatre Passe Muraille with my husband. Landing front row seats, we really got to see and connect with the passion in the actors' performances as each of the talented quartet came into character.

It was an epic exploration and a rollercoaster of emotions highlighting two decades of a family’s survival. Woking Phoenix tells the story of three siblings, their mother, and their restaurant as they seek to find belonging within small-town Ontario. An intergenerational Chinese love story about creating community and the food that reminds us of home. 

For us, Jade East was sold by the time I was 10, then six years later in my teens my father did it again. He opened another Chinese Canadian takeout counter in North York with his younger brother called K Brothers Chinese Food (my father Ki, my uncle King). This time, my brother and I were old enough to help-- taking phone orders, packaging and organizing inventory. I learned so much about food, working hard and running a family business, but the biggest take away was understanding the sacrifice my father took in those early years of our lives for us, and that love and taking care of his family were not simply expressed in words but by doing and providing. Thank you ba, for everything. We ❤ you!!!

Now onto the food magic... 😍 Rediscovered a nostalgic Cantonese treasure this May and returned already three times! Oh and did I mention, I am in ❤ with their old school vibes 🤙...

Flashback 25 years ago, they were my family's go-to Chinese restaurant in Scarborough for a decade (when my grandma was still alive and my husband and I were just dating!) Little did I know they relocated not too far from OG... they just dropped the Seafood from their Royal Chinese name and was operating this whole entire missed times 😲! Never too late... It was all smiles, visiting with my boyz and the entire family for banquet style dinner to celeb Mother's Day and my parents anniversary too! 

Some of my faves- their deep fried shrimp crab claws, salt and pepper fried squid, HK Style chili garlic and pork clam stir fry, salted egg yolk coated shrimps with broccoli, pork loins and onions with maggi sauce and Yang chow fried rice. Their generous dinner for 10 menu $368 is incredibly priced and so delicious! Bet you can't find this anywhere else 🙏

Another AmaZing thing... I still recognize three of their servers... older and grey but still warm with great auntie and uncle table service. Nostalgic comfort just like old times 😊😊😊🍚🥢 #sicfanla

Momos! Who can resist??! 🥟🥟🥟

Cute and busy hidden gem on a lower level restaurant in Cabbagetown happily patroned by two Friday night celebrating a birthday at Momo Ghar with @lisaeats😋. Momos are made fresh daily, and pumped out of this kitchen until they sell out with a steady coming in and out for dine in and takeout.

Deep-fried, pan-fried, steamed, or served sizzling on a skillet with accompanying sauces such as achar, you can choose from pork, chicken, beef, cabbage, paneer, potato which presents like art on a plate.

Their cold Laping hand-rolled starch appetizer wraps a medley of garlic, chillies, tomato, red onion, cilantro, fine potato bits and alfalfa sprouts served in a tasty chilli-soy sesame oil emulsion, was our fave for its burst of flavours and textures! #24hourstarchgame We also shared steamed cabbage momos, pan fried chicken momos and crunchy deep fried breaded beef momos alongside refreshing mango lassi perfumed with cardamom to counter the spicy 🥭🥤.

The owner hails from Tibet, and extends his love for Himalayan cuisine at their newest spot on 2392 Bloor Street West. Check them out 📣❤

Momo Ghar in Cabbagetown

Yet another celebration-- Oguz Uyghur Cuisine (a wonderful blend of Asian and Turkish cuisines) for our 21st Anniversary with the kids! Xinjiang, an autonomous territory in northwest China, is a vast region of deserts and mountains and is home to many ethnic minority groups, including the Turkic Uyghur people.

Delicious refreshing homemade yogurt for app dressed with honey, pomegranate seeds and golden raisins.

Their flavourful hand pulled noodles stir-fried with fresh veggies, dried chili peppers and beef.

Their main event with an aromatic array of meat kebabs served with palau and grilled tomatoes.

Finished with Turkish coffee and these baklava beauties with pistachios.

Beautiful Friday 🌞 entertaining friends, with take-out Korean and homestyle Chinese dishes to celebrate the last day in Asian Heritage Month. But the truth in the matter is, we celebrate Asianness everyday!

On The Menu: Delicious Korean Kimbap- beef bulgogi and shredded crab surimi sans rice (egg strips instead) and Korean boneless fried chicken- spicy and sweet gangjeon and honey soy from K-Food Kitchen

Shanghai fried noodles stir fried with pork, shrimp, cabbage and bak choy

Pang Pang Chicken noodle salad- shredded chicken, chopped garlic, and cilantro in a tangy sesame sauce served on top of green bean noodles

It is also Dragon Boat festival soon (June 10th) and my mom has already made steamed Sticky Rice in Bamboo Leaves Parcels (Zong Zi) as a traditional celebratory food. Happy to share a bit of Chinese culture with my non-Asian friends🤗

Dessert: refreshing Coconut Jackfruit Tapioca with gels (not shown)

Saving the best of all visuals last, and this time, it's not food-related lol. 

Not quite cherry blossoms in my yard but I'll take it 🌸😎

Not quite fully bloomed, but give and take 2 weeks before they cascade into my pool... Their delicate and short visit reminds us of how precious and brief life is and why we need to live to the fullest and savour every moment. And so embrace the fleeting beauty of life just like cherry blossoms do... 🌸🌸🌸 

Here's looking at you kid... for one more week... Kanpai! 🌸🌸🌸🍶 #fullybloomed #beautybush

#savourthemoment #sakura #hinami #mylittleoasis #enjoylifesbeauty #arigatougozaimasu💕

Homemade Cocktail Sausage Rolls...

 

Good ol' oven-baked sausage rolls without any sausage. Homemade meat filling with ground chicken, minced onions and celery, garlic, salt and pepper, Kashmiri chili spice and a few dollops of my favourite Polish hot mustard by Babci (I get it at Freshco near me). So savoury flavourful and gives more than a spicy kick added to the filling and as the dip! This is the secret to a lot of my marinades and sauces 🤗. I made it super easy by using ready prepared puff pastry and brushing the tops with beaten egg, sprinkling sesame seeds and dried parsley before baking.

Homemade Cocktail Sausage Rolls 

Makes 24 bites

1/2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk , finely chopped
1 lb ground chicken, or ground pork (medium)

2 Tbsp. Dijon or other mustard

1/2 tsp salt
Ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 tsp. cayenne or kashmiri chili
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten and divided

2 sheets puff pastry , thawed then each cut into half

Sesame seeds or chopped parsley for sprinkling

Super flavourful and gives a good kick!

Heat oil in a non stick fry pan over medium high heat. Sauté garlic, onion & celery for two minutes.

Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Add pork and remaining ingredients; mix well.

Lay out a rectangle of pastry, long edge closest to you. Brush egg along one long edge. Take 1/4 of the filling and shape into a long log shape down the middle of the pastry. Ensure the meat is tight and compact, without gaps.

Brush edge of pastry with egg. Then roll up, finishing with the seam side down.

Preheat oven to 350F. 

Cut each log into 6 or 4 equal lengths, depending if you want cocktail or regular size. Brush with remaining beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds or finely chopped parsley.

Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper (or sprayed with oil). Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until the pastry is deep golden brown. 

Cool slightly on trays. Serve hot or warm.

Just the perfect little flaky tender snack anytime!

We served it with more Babci mustard as a dip.

Crispy flaky exterior, tender flavourful interior

Homemade Cocktail Sausage Rolls (full recipe)

Makes 24 bites

1/2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk , finely chopped
1 lb ground chicken, or ground pork (medium)

2 Tbsp. Dijon or other mustard

1/2 tsp salt
Ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 tsp. cayenne or kashmiri chili
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten and divided

2 sheets puff pastry , thawed then each cut into half

Sesame seeds or chopped parsley for sprinkling

Heat oil in a non stick fry pan over medium high heat. Sauté garlic, onion & celery for two minutes.

Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Add pork and remaining ingredients; mix well.

Lay out a rectangle of pastry, long edge closest to you. Brush egg along one long edge. Take 1/4 of the filling and shape into a long log shape down the middle of the pastry. Ensure the meat is tight and compact, without gaps.

Brush edge of pastry with egg. Then roll up, finishing with the seam side down.

Preheat oven to 350F. 

Cut each log into 6 or 4 equal lengths, depending if you want cocktail or regular size. Brush with remaining beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds or finely chopped parsley.

Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper (or sprayed with oil). Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until the pastry is deep golden brown. 

Cool slightly on trays. Serve hot or warm.

TIP: add chopped bacon to cook with the onion, garlic and celery mixture, for smokiness and extra flavour.

Newcomer Kitchen and The Depanneur Connection...

 

Beautiful Open House event with The Depanneur on March 27th inaugurating Len Senater's new office/event space @csitoronto Spadina down the hall from us at Newcomer Kitchen and to celebrate the launch of his new cookbook! #neighbours 

"In one small, beautiful place, The Depanneur captured the soul of Toronto. Diversity. Surprise. Openness. Randomness. Deliciousness. And fun."-- David Sax

Ditto!! Three years in the making and the cookbook is finally published (100 recipes, 100 cooks) and getting into the hot hands of foodies, chefs and the like as one of most anticipated cookbooks this year! Congrats Len @thedepanneur and cofounder of @newcomerkitchen, it is evident you poured your heart and soul into it 💞. Partly because he didn't want to miss out on anyone's contribution in creating the lifelong memories at the little corner store that could- The Dep. 

Flashback to 2016: Len Senater heard that many Syrian refugees who came to Canada were living in hotels and had no kitchens to make their own food. He did have a kitchen and wanted to provide a space where Syrian refugee women could cook. Read about Newcomer Kitchen's humble beginnings here.

Accolades to everyone involved including the lovelies in this contribution gallery @maryfreij @chefdorisfin @mamashack @queenkeisha_luke @chefsangkim @manningcanning @newcomerkitchen @cheferikaaraujo 🙌🙌🙌! Stunning photography, captivating storytelling and mouthwatering recipes! Can't wait to dig into it all 💞 Buy @indigo @amazonca

I got my copy personally autographed at Len's cookbook launch reception I catered for with the women in my daytime program @newcomerkitchen Cuisine Connections. It was an E.P.I.C interesting learning experience for the group 🥳🎊🎉🍻

The contents in this book is "a powerful reminder that food is our common ground" 👊🥄💥

A gorgeous menu of mixed cultural appetizers welcomed the crowd who also came to celebrate and pick up Len's newly launched cookbook "The Depanneur" with a lovely Moroccan and Nigerian sit down dinner menu to follow. The women from our W2W daytime food business program collaborated with a few from the XP program to cater a wonderful experience that night ⭐!

Nigerian chicken sausage rolls, kala chana chaat on endive leaves
and Moroccan roasted red pepper dip with toasted pita chips

The deliciousness of the sit down dinner catered by the XP Program women were Moroccan roasted chicken with preserved lemons and olives, beet salad, Indian corn chaat salad with Moroccan orange cake and Nigerian upside down pineapple cake (not shown) for serve yourself desserts.

Yayyyy! Another term under our belts, another sense of accomplishment! My last teaching group for now as I pursue other challenges within our organization. Congrats Cuisine Connections and Seven Senses Kitchen @newcomerkitchen #winterterm for 14 weeks of fun, learning and achievement together 💫! 

I wish you each all the best in your endeavours as I will work with some of you again while continuing your entrepreneurship journey with us in our next XP Program! Cheers 🙌!!