Lamb Kefte Pita Sandwich

When starting this Kefte Pita Sandwich, I remember how we would eat these keftes as young kids, and were a treat. We would even eat them like finger food with tzatziki. In this recipe I am showing you the kefte pita pita from the preparation to the cooking and the finished sandwich. You start by dicing the green and red peppers, shred the onions, finely dice the garlic, squeeze the lemon and add the Greek spices. Primary spices are cumin and mint. Next, add the ground chuck and ground lamb. Little more ground chuck, which is less fatty than the ground beef, and as much lamb. Lamb has Allot of flavor so do not need as much to get that flavor. Mix everything real well with your fist for 7-10 minutes. Then, put in the refrigerator until it is cold. When brought out, patty in egg shape patties and put on the char grill. Make sure you mark twice on one side and twice on the other side as shown on the picture. Do not overcook, make sure patties stay juicy, that will retain the flavor. Put on a fluffy pita bread with sliced tomatoes, red onions and some banana peppers and lettuce if desired. In this sandwich I did not use any of my Famous Gyro Sauce, because it came out of the grill with allot of aroma and very juicy.

Walnut, Strawberry cheesecake baklava & tiramisu Tray

I love putting together baklava trays. To me it is like baking a cake and then finishing it with all the decorations and and colors. Baklava Trays are usually pretty uniform, and are cut up triangle pieces smaller than the regular piece to put in a cupcake paper cup and make them bite size treats.
I have been making these trays for allot of years and I got a request for a birthday baklava tray Ms. Williamson's daughter wanted this tray for her birthday and picked from several types of baklavas including the Strawberry Cheesecake Baklava and the Tiramisu, set it up all together in a tray. The challenge was to make sure you would be able to see all the baklavas, cheesecake and Tiramisu displayed beautifully.

Gyro & Feta Bowl

This is the New Generation Greek. When you want all of the great flavors of our thinly sliced Gyro meat, set on top of our perfect Saffron rice, crumbled Greek feta cheese, our famous Gyro sauce topped with diced red onions, diced tomatoes, and fresh shredded lettuce, this is a hit! This dish (bowl) is very filling and bursting with flavor. There is also a Supreme Gyro & Feta Bowl version of this. If you prefer our grilled chicken, we also offer the Chicken & Feta Bowl, Regular or Supreme. Regular customers, friends or employees that tried this, WOWed the flavors! You have got to try it. Eat and enjoy! Kali Orexi!

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Greek Gourmet Baklava

I grew eating the traditional Old Fashioned baklava. My mom used to cook it in the sheet trays then she would cut it in triangles or squares and it would be a good snack too not just dessert. Baklava is one of the few desserts that have healthy and pure ingredients, like walnuts loaded inside. The great thing about the gourmet baklava is made in large swirls so when we pour the honey syrup on top of the baklava, it soaks in. There is no dry spots! and you can taste everything evenly, the cinnamon, the walnuts and honey syrup. I recommend the baklava should be heated back up again, that is how the flavor bursts out.

Papa's Lamb Shanks

The staple of Greek cuisine is Lamb. An outstanding Greek Restaurant is rated by its Lamb Dishes and lamb sandwiches. This Lamb Shank dish is the "King" of Lamb dishes. This recipe was cooked in our family's kitchen mostly on holidays especially Easter. This particular recipe is prepared with rubbing herbs and spices on each leg shank placing in oven with potatoes prepared the same way in large wedges. The lamb must be in the oven for over 5 hours at 300 degrees. This would be planned from the night before since it takes so long for cooking. It is also covered for the first 4 1/2 hours and the last 1/2 hour the lamb cooks without a cover for color. Serving this with vegetable is a good option since it tends to have a lot of meat on the bone. Each lamb shank is usually over 14 oz before cooking. This is also served with lemon dill sauce that makes it a great treat. This is Lamb dish should be "falling off the bone" to be a great success as a meal and and a great meal to remember as a Greek food favorite.

Strawberry Cheesecake Baklava

Everyone loves desserts or pastries. Not as much in the U.S., but in Greece there is a pastry and homemade ice cream shop in each corner. It is the neighborhood favorite. In Montreal, my wife's hometown, there is three pastry shops within a block of each other. In general people love baklava but they might go outside the box if it looks and sounds good. This Baklava gets creative and goes outside the box without the the walnut with cinnamon baklava that you would be used to seeing in a baklava. I start with the homemade cheesecake and topped it with the strawberry glaze. Wrap it inside the fillo with some buttered layers, and bake it til it's golder brown, then drizzle it with honey syrup when coming out of the oven. When it cools off I sprinkle some powder sugar on top and then you dive in. This to die for. This piece is made for two "this way you can share with your better half" and still feel satisfied at the end.

Falafel Greek Salad

For the Falafel itself, I start out with Fava beans, ground them down, mix the cilantro, fresh green onion,
and the mix of spices, then we fry the falafel golden brown. This of course is not a mix out of a box.
This is an authentic Egyptian falafel recipe that I have. It is one of the few recipes that I have that is not Greek from our region. The Greek Salad itself is mixed with the Iceberg and Romaine lettuce and surrounded by sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, banana peppers, and topped with crumbled feta cheese and kalamata olives. The falafel is set on top and a side of the Greek dressing to pour over and enjoy. Try this! It is a great alternative to a meatless salad with flavor you have been waiting for. Most guests I talk to cannot believe I use actual Fava beans and it is not a mix.

Pecan Birdsnest Baklava

Roasted Pecans have this great deep delicious flavor when are eaten with a little honey syrup. This baklava is filled with homemade custard and swirled, then on top go the roasted pecans with some cinnamon and our special recipe of pecans with a drizzle of honey syrup. It is recomended that you would warm this baklava up because it brings out the flavors and makes the custard on the inside more tasty. Check it out! It is a pretty big size piece. I would not pass it up.

Fried Smelts

I have been preparing Smelts all my life. Greeks eat these at Greek restaurants all over the Islands and are brought in fresh from the days fishing trip to serve their guests. These were easy to relate to when I was young and the breading was easy to do in order to help with preparation at my Uncles restaurant. Smelts was one of the first items to prepare and learn to work with. Hey, it was fun I got to be covered with breading and flour from head to toe and then I got to eat those little fishies when I took a break. They remind me of my past as a very young prep cook. This is my father's batter and breading recipe that I hold so close. Of course mixed with Greek spices and then deep fried to create a crispy outside and a juicy inside. This great tasting fish comes with my family's Greek dressing recipe. It is out of this world!!!. I found out recently that if someone loves smelts, they love smelts! I always here a story behind an experience in the past with family. Something like this "We used to catch them by the bunches and take them home and fry them and eat them. The whole family would love them." They go great with a white wine. Give them a try and let me know what you think of that flavor!!

Cappuccino Baklava

My newest creation came up when I thought, while making baklava, hey what goes great with Baklava!? Coffee!!!
I tested it for a couple weeks and thought about it for a couple of days and I decided to create the Cappuccino Baklava. It is pretty suttle coffee flavor without making you climb walls. The layers of fillo dough and the crushed walnuts are baked with butter and honey syrup is drizzled on top when coming out of the oven. Then I use some chocolate to for the top of the baklava to give it some extra zing. That cinnamon and coffee flavor along with the honey syrup give it an unforgetable and after a couple bites an addicting taste.
This is not a good time to watch my weight and enjoy this the way I would like! And then again, it never is. I put on some weight coming up with this Greek baklava recipe. Just like any good Greek food, the flavor is there as long as the recipe is done right! And of course cooked by a Greek makes all the difference.