Freshest food for free

The best Greek food is reliant on really fresh ingredients. Nothing can be fresher than from out of your own garden. So why not grow some of your own?

Most people can't be bothered as they relate it to hours and hours of back-breaking effort for little reward at the end of the day.

Well, I just came across this superb step-by-step instruction book and video by Jonathan White, Environmental Scientist and Horticulturalist, which promises to show 'garden newbies' how to save up to $5000 on their fresh food bill each year in return for just 8 hours of light work each year!

Take a look at it for yourselves: Click Here!

In Praise of Wonderful Soutsoukakia!

I am a big fan of meatballs. They come in so many interesting varieties, from small Swedish ones to huge burgers in the USA. About my favourite, however, are soutsoukakia; the sausage-shaped meatballs found in Greece and, especially, here on Crete.


Now soutsoukakia recipes are a little like belly-buttons in as much as everyone has got one of their own. To my mind what makes them unique is the addition of mint & cumin but I was surprised recently while chatting with a chef from northern Greece to hear he would dream of putting mint in them. The point I'm making is that it has always been my belief that recipes should be guidelines rather than absolutes. If you don't like mint, put parsley in. Jazz the sauce up with a couple of chillis if you want, The food police will not come round and arrest you!


Here's my recipe. As usual, don't worry too much about the grams. If you want to test the seasoning, fry a small patty and taste it before making all of the meatballs up.


You will need:

For the meatballs;

1kg Lean minced pork

A good tablespoon of salt (or more to your taste)

Half a tablepoon of ground cumin

A handful of chopped fresh mint

Juice of a lemon

Teaspoon or black pepper

1 Very finely chopped onion

2 or 3 Cloves of garlic, very finely chopped

A couple of handfuls of fine white breadcrumbs (fresh or manufactured)


Ok The fun bit: Roll up your sleeves and get in there mixing it together completely. It's great to get your hands on your food (clean them first) to feel the textures and get the aromas as you squeeze all of the ingredients into each other. It's also important as you are checking the texture of the meatballs. Too 'wet' and they will dissolve in the pan, too 'dry' and they will crack and fall apart when baked. You are after a moist but sticky consistency. Adjust by adding either a drop more lemon juice or some more breadcrumbs.

Before making up all the meatballs, make a small 'burger' and fry it up to check the seasoning is as you want it.

Then start to roll into balls a tad larger than a golf ball. When you have done this roll the ball between your hands to create a shortened, fat sausage shape. When you have done this heat some olive oil in a non-stick frying pan or skillet. roll the meatballs in a little flour and knock off excess then add to the oil and brown them. When they are browned, put them into a baking tray.


Time to put the oven on at 170 degrees celcius.

Now the sauce:

1 Onion chopped

Couple cloves of garlic, chopped

A handful of chopped flatleaf parsley

2 x 800g Tins chopped tomatoes

Eh..that's it. Apart from a pinch of salt and a glug or two of olive oil.

Slowly saute the onion & garlic in the oil until just translucent. Add the parsley, fry for a couple more minutes, then add the tomatoes. Simmer for about 15 minutes, adding a bit of water if its too dry.

Pour the sauce over the meatballs, cover with foil and chuck it in the oven for an hour.

Phew. Time for a glass of wine or a cold beer. This will make enough for quite a few portions. As its a bit of a clat, why not cook double and freeze some for future suppers?

Serve them with rice or roast some potato wedges with oregano in some olive oil in the oven. Mmmm. Now I'm hungry!

This recipe first appeared on 'The Paleochora Site'

A Delicious Lemon Chicken Soup

Author: Yianni Chalkias

As a young boy living back home in Greece, I always remember those rainy winters. Our home did not have heat so we relied on dressing cozy inside the home and eating plenty of soups, one of the most popular being the Chicken Lemon Soup, also known as Avgolemono soup. Coincidentally my godmother, who lived across the street, had several lemon trees and a fence that we had to jump over regularly to pick them before it got really cold! As the whole world knows chicken soup is great and great for you if you are coming down with a cold. Chicken lemon soup does the same but it is twice as effective because of the vitamin C in the lemons. Many of my customers and friends wonder why it works so well but when I explain the vitamin C and the lemon effect, they see why it does the trick so well! We start off making this Columbus, OH Greek Food favorite by boiling the chicken. Leg quarters are great or a whole chicken is also good. Then we chop the vegetables, celery, carrots, yellow onions, and also cook them in some water. As the chicken is done, sift anything floating on the top and combine the chicken stock with the vegetable stock, bring to a boil and then add the orzo (small pieces of pasta) to this with some butter. When the orzo is very close to be done (aldente), turn off the heat under the soup. Debone the chicken in strips and add it in the soup. You can add some salt, lite pepper and fresh squeezed lemons all to your taste. If you wish you can add some fresh dill for more fresh flavor. Use parsley for garnish if desired. It seems like unlikely combination at first, chicken soup and lemon but once they try it, many people enjoy it frequently. In fact, it is one of the most-ordered dishes in our Columbus, OH, Greek food restaurant! This is a hearty soup and one everyone should try it. Grandma would be proud to serve it, so I am proud to serve it for Grandma! Dine in, Take out, or Drive-thru at King Gyros Greek Restaurant - 400 South Hamilton Road, Columbus, OH. Order online at KingGyros.com , or call them at (614)866-9008! King Gyros serves wonderful Greek food in Columbus, OH . The staff is friendly, the portions are huge, and the flavor of the food is unique and superb. What’s more, all the prices are very reasonable. They even have a drive-thru, so you can get your Greek food fix on the run at lunchtime. You can visit King Gyros Greek Restaurant of Columbus OH on the web at www.kinggyros.com. Follow them on Twitter at @kinggyrosgreek.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/soups-articles/chicken-lemon-soup-a-columbus-oh-greek-food-favorite-1313739.html

About the Author:
King Gyros owner Yianni Chalkias was born in Rodos Island, Greece. As the oldest of four brothers, he helped his father in the spice business since the age of eight. Yianni's family moved to Ohio from Greece in 1976. King Gyros Greek Restaurant was opened with the family in 1991 to give people in Whitehall and the east side a fast casual dining experience.