It's another round for memes. They're an interesting thing aren't they ? I must admit, I'm not really the biggest fan of these as I believe that if you want to say thank you to somebody head on over to their blog and say hi etc... BUT, I don't want to seem ungracious as the awards I have been handed in the last few days came from some very nice people. I mean if Miss Universe can accept her crown I suppose I could too...without the swimsuit competition that is! So I will be fair and pass this on because the people who took the time to award this deserve that back, at least.

Firstly, the lovely and talented Marianna handed me a Big E! For Excellent. Just wanted to say thank you to her. My manager will be in contact shortly. Secondly, The lovely chica Nuria, who hails from the very vibrant city of Barcelona and Helen from the Uk, have handed me the "Arte Y Pico" Award. It honours fellow bloggers for their creativity and their contribution to the food blogging community. Nuria and Helen, I really want to say "THANK YOU" out loud so the whole blogosphere can hear me! I really do appreciate it and the fact that you thought of me.

Now comes the hard part. I wont pass on the E! award because everyone I know has one already. That solves that. The "Arte Y Pico" award should really be given to ALL food bloggers. Yes I know that sounds cliched like in a "I wish world peace to all nations" kinda way, but I really mean it. Food blogging is a serious business these days. It can take a lot out of you. WE WORK HARD! There's cooking, photographing and lots of recipe writing involved. We should all be awarded for our skills and talent. But I digress. This award asks me to pass it on to 5 other people. There are a whole heap of rules associated with it. I've taken these from Nuria's bog and pasted them here.

1)You pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve this award with their creativity, design, interesting material, and also contribute to the blogger community, no matter what language.
2) Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.
3) Each award-winning, has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the ward itself.
4) Award-winning and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of "Arte y pico"blog , so everyone will know the origin of this award.
5) To show these rules.


Here's me contemplating who to give the award to....

Without further ado, I will pass this on to the following recipients. You can pass this on if you wish or not. It's entirely up to you...No pressure! If you've already ben handed this, no worries. Just do as you wish!

Peter from Kalofagas. This man is better than any Greek cookbook I have ever laid eyes on! You will find it all at his blog. He's been doing a great job educating a lot of people about Greek culture and about food in his very unique way. Γεια σου Παντελη!

Laurie from Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska. Laurie is the "Superwoman" of ingredients. She highlights recipes in a way that wants me to read more. Her use of varied ingredients and the things she creates in her kitchen are outstanding. I follow her CSA box arrivals religiously and I look forward to see what she will do next. I ALWAYS learn something from her.

Ben from What's Cooking. The Mexican Powerhouse of the blogosphere! This chico takes a poblano and makes a masterpiece out of it. His blog is a wealth of information. He has sections dedicated to "health", "Ingredient of the week", and my favourite "What's Cooking World?" where guest bloggers highlight dishes from their region. Seriously, his blog is better than any glamorous cooking magazine. Check it out!

Emiline from Visions Of Sugar Plum. Emiline is the baking Maestro. Cookies, sweets, slices and pies. She has it all. Her creations are masterpieces and really, who needs Martha Stewart when you have her showcasing her baking skills! Her take on the hospitality industry is hilarious...she has some very entertaining stories. I encourage you to read her blog....but be warned. You might get very hungry!

Maraianna from Swirl and Scramble. This woman's passion for food is a 10 on the Richter scale. She LOVES food and her recipes showcase fresh ingredients in a unique way. She travels the globe taking very artistic photographs of food (of course!), people and urban culture.

There you go! All done. I've got some olive flatbreads that I need to take out of the oven...

Tags:Blog

Tsourekia and Eggs

This Sunday coming, Greeks all over the world will be celebrating Easter. Its a very big event in Greek culture with many traditions and religious rituals. There's Lent with the fasting, the many cakes, breads, biscuits and of course the dyed eggs. Its a wonderful time with Easter Sunday being the "big day". Everyone feasts and eats so much food!!!

The week leading up to Easter Sunday is termed as "Holy Week" with church services on every night. Its a busy week with the majority of the food preparation being done during this time. I remember when I was growing up the house being so frantic. "Koulouria" (the traditional Greek Easter cookies), "kourabiethes" (icing sugar covered almond crescent biscuits) and "tsourekia" (Greek Easter Brioche bread) were staples for us during the lead up to Easter. And the eggs. And the offal soup a.k.a "magerista"...and the lamb ready for the spit....you get the idea! There is so much food surrounding you, it made fasting during this time all that much harder!

This year, I set out for the first time to make my own "tsourekia" and dye the eggs red. Well lo and behold I got mixed results! The first batch of tsourekia turned out like bricks! On closer inspection I realised I had been using an old packet of yeast! So of course they didn't rise. Oh well you live and learn! Eventually I made them and they turned out gloriously plump and golden. My eggs turned out ok. A few blemishes here and there but otherwise fine. They're probably not the traditional version but they certainly tasted as I remembered. I love eating tsoureki in the mornings, toasted with some marmalade on top. I'm actually going to use the recipe for this and make something else in the near future. Tsoureki are traditionally made with a 3 plait twist. Each plait symbolising an element of the Holy Trinity. They are also baked with an red egg in them as a symbol for the blood that Christ spilt dying on the cross. They are similar to brioche and can store for a few days (if they last that long).

Delicious with a spread.

RECIPE FOR TSOUREKIA

• 250ml of milk
• 80g of unsalted butter
• 750g of plain flour
• 1tsp of salt
• zest of 1 grated orange
• 3/4 cup of caster sugar
• 1 packet of instant dried yeast
• 1/2 a cup of orange juice
• 3 eggs

FOR THE GLAZE

• 1 egg yolk
• a splash of milk
• flaked or slivered almonds

1. Warm the milk in a saucepan over a very low heat. Add the butter stirring it into the milk so it will melt. Allow to cool.
2. In a large mixing bowl place 100 grams of the flour with the yeast, salt, orange zest and a tsp of the sugar.
3. Pour in the cooled milk/butter mixture in and beat with a wooden spoon to obtain a lovely batter.
4. Cover with a saran wrap and a towel and leave it for about half an hour.
5. When you return you should have a lovely bubbly mixture. Place in the remaining flour, sugar, orange huice and eggs.
6. Mix until you have a lovely soft dough. If you find its sticky add more flour. But be careful not to add too much. We're after an elastic, silky dough.
7. Give it a good bash and knead for about 5 mins. Work that gluten baby!
8. Once kneaded place in an oiled bowl and lightly oil the top of the dough. Cover with saran wrap and a few tea towels and leave it to do its work. (I left mine for about 2 hours in a very warm room and it more than doubled! It was glorious!).
9. When you notice it has doubled take it out and divide the mixture in two. With one of the halves, divide into three equal portions and shape these three portions into "ropes". They should be of equal width and length. Now, remembering scouts, form a plait, tucking the ends in underneath on the top and bottom.
10. With the remaining dough, I played around a did a few double twists and whole loaves.
11. Brush with the egg yolk/milk glaze and sprinkle with the almonds.
12. Bake in a 180 deg C pre heated oven for about 25 mins. They should be golden and sound hollow when you tap them underneath.
13. Leave to cool and transfer them to wire racks

Enjoy!
ΚΑΛΟ ΠΑΣΧΑ ---HAPPY EASTER

Tags:recipes recipes baking recipes Greek

Warming Pea and Spinach Soup

I always keep frozen veggies on hand. They come in very handy when a quick meal is needed and can rescue a dull meal. My "always on" stand by frozen vegetables are peas. They're great for a quick pea mash to accompany a roast or grilled meat and I love their use in pasta. They're sweet, juicy and full of flavour. It's a vegetable that doesn't lose any nutrients from being frozen. I made a batch of this soup the other day and it was all done in about half an hour. I had some leftover mint and threw that in as well. Peas and mint are a classic combination and the flavours marry well together. A big hunk of crusty bread for dunking (and to make some cheesy croutons) and I was set. You may choose to add cream at the end for a bit of a "lift" but the soup also works well without it (so does my waistline!).

RECIPE FOR PEA AND SPINACH SOUP

• 2 cups of frozen peas
• 1 big bunch of coarsley chopped spinach leaves
• 1 small bunch of finely chopped mint leaves
• 1 small red onion finely diced
• 1 clove of garlic finely diced
• 2-3 cups of chicken stock
• salt and pepper to taste
• a "splash" of cream

1. In a medium sized pot fry off the onion and garlic on a medium heat till they become translucent
2. Add the peas and give everything a good stir. At this stage you can also place in the mint leaves.
3. Add the chicken stock and let the peas simmer for 10-15 mins
4. Add the spinach towards the end and let it all soften
5. Whizz with a stab blender in the pot or use a blender or food processor
6. Add the splash of cream and salt and pepper and give it all a good stir

Top with cheesy coutons and serve. N.B. The croutons or toasts are very easy to make. Cut some small pieces of bread and top with parmesan or cheddar cheese and place under a griller to melt or alternatively bake in a hot oven for about 5 mins.

If I'm having guests over for dinner and I'm not serving a soup as a starter I serve this soup in a shot glass as a canape. Its a great way to receive "oohs and aaahhs" from your guests and it also warms them up a little (especially in the cooler months). Try it...its so easy!

On another note I got tagged by Pixie to play along in a meme. I had to compose a 6 word memoir about myself and tag some other bloggers in the process. Whilst I'm not a huge fan of memes myself, this one's quite quick and I suppose I can do it. I won't tag anyone else to play but what I'll do is give you a list of SOME (there are so many!!!) blogs that I really enjoy reading over my morning coffee here in Australia. If any of you are reading this then its up to you if you wanna play. There is no pressure at all! Ok here's my memoir:

• Hungry..all the bloody time
• Passionate...about all my activities
• Funny...when the occasion strikes
• Stubborn...my way or no way
• Ostentatious...you gotta stand out
• Talkative...love a chat..did I say how much I love to talk?..no really..I do!

• Heather from Gild The Voodoolily for the most entertaining read on the web. Ever. Period. (and her recipes are A++)
• Ben from What's Cooking for real Mexican food.
• Laurie from Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska because I could eat at her place the whole year and never go hungry!
• Ivy from Kopiaste...right from her kitchen we get to see the Best and Tastiest Greek and Cyprian recipes
• Allen from Eating Out Loud because he always tries something different. His latest experiments with Indian cooking had me inspired!

Have fun and enjoy the soup.

Tags:recipes peas quick

Chicken drumsticks with rosemary and lemon

The weather's gone haywire. Here we are midway through autumn and its gloriously warm with temperatures in the mid 20's. A few weeks ago I started to see brown and red leaves on the trees and today I see flowers in beautiful bloom! Anyway, I was in no mood for soups or stews so I decided to roast some chicken drumsticks. I could have done a "whole bird" but opted for those instead as I wanted a quick roast. Actually, if you're after a fantastic roast chicken recipe with great commentary head on over to "Gild the Vodoolily" and read Heather's post on the perfect roast chicken. Highly entertaining and delectably delicious!

I decided to roast the chicken "drummies" using rosemary, olive oil and cut lemon pieces. The flavour of rosemary is pungent and suits the chicken well. When the lemons roast in a hot oven they release all of their juice and create a lovely sauce combined with the olive oil. The final touch was to dot the drumsticks with some sun dried tomatoes approximately 15 mins before the they are due to come out of the oven. The sun dried tomatoes crisp up slightly and provide another element to the dish. I love picking up the drumsticks with my fingers and chewing through the perfectly cooked flesh and tasting the medley of flavours created by the oil, rosemary, lemons and tomatoes. Please note. This isn't a recipe as such. It's a "put together with whatever's on hand" type of meal. You could use other chicken parts, maybe substitute the rosemary for thyme or oregano. You could use some roasted capsicums instead of the tomatoes. You get the idea.

Packed with flavour

RECIPE FOR ROSEMARY CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS

• 4-5 chicken drumsticks
• 4-5 rosemary sprigs
• 1 whole lemon cut into 8ths
• a handful of sun dried tomatoes
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 180 deg C
2. Arrange all ingredients, except the sun dried tomatoes (add these about 15 mins before the taking the chicken out)
3. Cook for about 45 mins...keep a check on this because every oven is different
4. Let these rest for about 5 mins
5. Serve with some freshly steamed asparagus and crusty bread to mop up all the juicy goodness.

Tags:recipes recipes chicken quick herbs

After a few weeks of playing around with different themes I launch the autumn/winter edition of Souvlaki For The Soul. Now, it may not be to everyone's taste but I really like this design for its ability to use 3 columns. Something I haven't utilised before. I maintained the "wooden" look by incorporating a deep mahogany red as my background. And I think its very fitting for autumn/fall. Tomorrow we wind our clocks back one hour so "officially" the "cooler" months are underway. Whilst we manage to get temperatures in the low 20's during the day with glorious sunshine the mornings and evenings are certainly crisp.








I share some images of leaves I snapped the other day...(ok, I know its not food but hey! lets create some atmosphere). I also want to briefly touch on about the future direction of the blog/website. I have a few ideas up my sleeve and I'm currently testing them out but I'll inform everyone as the time approaches. I'm hoping a few people will get on board...but I can't say too much. I will continue to photograph and highlight food as the main part of this blog. I'll also be including a few more travel write ups as I'm heading to a few new places in the near future with my work. Like I said before this new design might not be to everyone's taste but I'm happy to hear feedback. I'm kinda geeky I suppose and enjoy the whole "Web 2.0" thing! I've updated my blogroll to include a few extra blogs and other websites I follow.

Now, getting back to food blogging I came third in a food blogging photography contest known as "Does My Blog Look Good In This?" or DMBLGIT. It's a great competition and its held monthly. There are a lot of talented bloggers out there! You can find out information for the next DMBLGIT here.



Just a word of warning...I may be publishing the site a few times tonight and fingers crossed it will work perfect. However as you can imagine, some bits of code play funny in certain browsers so bear with me until I get it right. Cheers!

Tags:Blog

I only realised the other day that I had officially forgotten to thank Ivy on my own blog, for giving me an "excellent Blog" award. Oops! I'm so sorry for that. I know I left a comment in your comments section but I realised I hadn't done that here. Thank you again and it is really nice to be appreciated. All the other bloggers that I would have liked to award it to have already received one! So much love in the foodie blogosphere at the moment!

So on with today's recipe...


Beautiful, soft, delicious figs

When I was at the markets the other day, I noticed some fresh figs on display and I noted to myself that I hadn't really cooked with them this summer. The owner explained they were nearing the end of their cycle and that this batch would be very ripe. I picked up a few and got home thinking about creating a dish with them. They're very popular in Greek cooking often served dried and with cheese and walnuts. They are used in sweets and in jams. I wanted to go a different route with them. I had seen a few recipes about on the net and on many cooking shows where fresh figs are often baked in an oven wrapped in prosciutto and stuffed with a gorgonzola cheese. Well I have issues with strong smelly cheeses. So I opted to bake my figs with mozzarella or the little balls of mozzarella often known as bocconcini. The taste was simpler but before baking them I drizzled some extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. They turned out a treat! The cheese had melted through and the balsamic had slightly caramelized. Try this for something different.



RECIPE FOR BAKED FIGS WITH MOZZARELLA

6 freh figs cut with a criss cross shape
Fresh Buffalo Mozzarella or fresh Bocconcini Balls or pearls
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
a good "splash" of balsamic
salt an pepper to taste

Once you've cut a cris cross shape on each fig, gently stuff it with a piece of mozzarella or bocconcini. Drizzle a little amount of good quality extra virgin olive oil and a good "splash" of balsamic. Season with a little salt and pepper. Bake in a 200 deg C preheated oven for 10 mins. Serve warm and enjoy this soft, sensual dish.


They almost look like flowers...

Tags:recipes fruit recipes baking quick

Ok. I can hear the cries and screams of protest (I think I can!). I want to welcome you to the new look for my blog and website. It's the fourth time I've changed themes or templates this year. Blogging was a new activity that I undertook at the beginning of this year. Well, who knew that my inner geek was going to come rushing out! Apart from writing and photographing about my passion, which is food, I also have a passion for web design. I wanted a site to represent my foodie passion. And I specifically wanted it to look good. So after 3 previous attempts at html, css and Photoshop I bit the bullet and had it professionally designed.

My blogging platform of choice is Rapidweaver. It's a made for Mac product that specialises in producing cool and good looking websites. All made on an Apple of course! For all you Macheads and fanboys this is a must see. I contacted one of the 3rd party theme designers and he came up with this great design. Florian over at ADHD Graphics is a very talented young individual with a great passion for designing websites. And he's done a great job here at SOUVLAKI FOR THE SOUL.

Notice the cool spotlights on top of the page. Similar to the downlights you find in kitchens. In fact, the website/blog has a feel of a warm wooden kitchen environment. Where I hope to conjure up a whole lot of epicurean creations. Just a warning. This site plays well in most browsers. However, you won't get the full benefit of it if you are using Internet Explorer 6. It'll show up but you won't see any of the cool Web 2.0 effects.

Ok. Let's get on with the show. I have a whole heap of posts that need updating. Now that I have my new look completed I can start to ramble on about food!

Pete

Tags:Blog

The Acropolis...a sight to behold

Why hello! Its been a while. Yours truly has been holidaying in Greece and lapping up every minute of it. I've mainly been visiting friends and relatives in the Peloponnese and checking out a lot of ancient ruins. There are many food adventures to re tell and lots of photographs of my quick visit. Today I provide a sample, but look out over the next few days as I provide a more detailed description of my holiday.


The stunning coast of the Mediterranean...viewed from the port city of Napflio

Tags:Greece

Food bloggers are a unique bunch. Apart from writing about their passion for food, they have to actually cook something and then photograph the results to make it look edible. Sure you can type away on a keyboard as long as you like but generally with food blogging some kind of evidence, usually through pictures is required.

We also tend to be ignored in a lot of blogging circles. Not anymore. A very passionate food blogger, The Leftover Queen or Jenn as she is really known has come up with a way to get food bloggers noticed. She came up with the Foodie Blogroll. The Foodie Blogroll allows everyone with a food blog to join a very long list of food bloggers and place a bit of code on your blog's sidebar. Instant Blogroll and links! It's a great idea and I think you should check it out.

Talk about using leftovers wisely! She has a cool website with forums, where foodies can exchange ideas and talk about culinary delights. Head on over there and give it a shot.

Pete

Tags:Blog

Just a short note to explain to everyone that my feed has a new address with Feedburner. I just only discovered the other day that my feeds were out of sync!!! I was posting entries only to discover that my feed was still stuck at the 30th of May. (I forgot to put in one line of code... aahh the pleasures of being a geek!).

Click here to subscribe to this new feed. Or just click on to the bright blue button on your left in the sidebar or use the RSS feed icon located there. Thats to all of my 7 fans out here!!! Lol! It all counts and I appreciate it.

Posting some new entries in the next few days.

Pete

Tags:Blog

Our good friends Noel and Sarina were married yesterday. It was a beautiful day. She the stunning bride and him the handsome groom. A beautiful autumn day saw them married in the company of their families and close friends. Enjoy the slide show. Just press the controls in the bottom left corner if you want the slide show to go faster or to pause it.


The reception followed at the QVB Tea Rooms. The place had an eloquent old world charm to it. We ate fantastic food and supped on beautiful Australian wines and danced to the cool vibes of the band. A great night was had by all. Congratulations Noel and Sarina. All the best for a happy future together.
Pete

Tags:wedding

That beautiful selection of food you see here was a sight to behold. Unfortunately we didn't get to enjoy it in its intended environment!!! Let me explain. Our hard working Biteclub secretary Jason, had organised a boat cruise on Sydney's magnificent harbour to celebrate the end of summer. A group of friends, enjoying the last rays of sunshine, eating and drinking together whilst taking in the beautiful sights of Sydney harbour. Unfortunately for him and us, Mother Nature unleashed her anger in the form of a tropical storm one hour before we were due to depart!!! Of all days. Anyway, with a mountain of food we made our way to his cool inner city premises to enjoy our "Clayton's" cruise.

There was food everywhere!!! Pea and Pancetta Tart, herbed ricoota fritters, roast chicken with stuffing, home made vegetarian lasagna, Maltese pastizzi, Jason's home made sausage rolls...the list was endless. Party food at its best!!! It was good to see everyone had made an effort. We feasted and drank and danced to some old LP's Jason had from his teen years. Who needs the SS Minnow now?


A variety of cous cous salads and Michael's home made veggie lasagna. It was all perfect and we need that recipe Michael.

Myself and Maria on the left. Nessy and Ryan on the right.

Jason, our Biteclub Secretary and boat cruise organiser, is in the orange, on the left with Lisa and Hilbert. Sal, on the right with Katie and Juliet.



And finally the desserts came out. A beautiful selection of Italian and Greek cakes. Arthur and Ryan had also made their famous Peach and Raspberry Tart. A fun night indeed and we were quite full by the end of it. All that food and dancing. I also wanted to say thank you to Jason again for going to all the effort of organising this event. It might not have gone the way we intended it to but we certainly made it up for it other ways. Thanks again Jason.
Pete

Tags:food friends fun

I've been a little busy this last week and haven't had the opportunity to get cooking. That will all change by tomorrow.

I have some fantastic recipes lined up that I'm planning on trying. Firstly I will be hightlighting some greek food. Otherwise known as soul food cooking for me!!! Of course these will be free recipes and I hope you get a chance to put them into action. Also, even though the weather is a little humid at the moment I plan on doing some baking.

Food, glorious food!!!
Pete

Tags:Blog

Phew!!!....It's been a hell of a day!!!! I was up quite early this morning trying to put the final touches to this blog and website in general. I had to cook some souvlaki and then set it up for a photography session. I think its come up well though. Not bad for a first timer, I say. Thank god I'm using advanced software that comes with easy instructions. I credit the lovely people at Rapidweaver for that. The Information Age nearly aged me today!!!

Its quite late/early, whatever your preference is and the effects of staring at my beautiful Apple keyboard are starting to take its toll. I have to blog on another BiteClub tonight. Should be fun and am looking forward to see what Tony and Michael have got planned.

See you tomorrow.

Tags:Blog

Welcome to Souvlaki For The Soul. I hope you can join me on this wonderful journey of food, recipes, cooking and travel. I'm not sure where this web adventure will take me but I hope it will be enjoyable for you as it will be for me.

I've wanted to participate in the Information Age for a while now. I just wasn't sure how to enter this arena. You see, I love food and I love technology. Somehow I thought I could marry those two very opposite perspectives of me and turn it into this project. I love to cook and I love to eat. I also love computers. Specifically Apple Macs. (I only learnt about them a year ago!!! Where had I been? I should have guessed. They are named after a food item!!!).

So lets have some fun. Part cooking, part recipes, part restaurant reviews, part food styling/photography and the occasional foray into the world of computers. Sometimes, I'll even let you in on what's going on in other parts of my life. I will also attempt to blog about the setup of a business venture, a food one, I hope to make a reality.

I aim to be light hearted and funny. As TIME magazine pointed out recently, YOU are in control of the Information Age. So, this is my contribution to it.

Welcome!!!

Tags:Blog