YaDa Chef Private and Personal Chefs

Traditionally Greek salad  is made with pieces of tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, onion, Feta cheese (served in a single rectangular-shaped cutting put over the vegetables), and olives (usually Kalamata olives), typically seasoned with salt and oregano, and dressed with olive oil. GREEK CUISINE AND THE 19TH CENTURY INVASION OF THE TOMATO Amazingly, it’s the same dish that is also one of the most popular lunch options in the United States – the Greek Salad In  Greece  we call it  ‘Horiatiki’ , which means village or peasant salad – basically a combination of tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, green peppers, olives and feta cheese, dressed in olive oil and sprinkled with oregano. Please also note that an authentic Greek salad does not include lettuce. It is quite common for Greeks to eat seasonally. A Greek salad is primarily a summer dish, and since lettuce only grows in Greece during the winter months a traditional  ‘Horiatiki’  salad does not include lettuce. Before we take a c

A staple in most Greek and Middle Eastern restaurants and bakeries.  There is no mention of it until  after 1299, which is the beginning of the Ottoman Empire.  Filo/a dough originated in what is now Turkey, but it is the Greeks that refined it into the paper thin dough we know today.  In Greece, baklava is supposed to be made with 33 dough layers, referring to the years of Christ's life. Any recipe we have ever found used no more than 24 (which is what is found in the pre-made 1 pound/450g packages. This recipe is a combination of two of our favourites.  The one from Greece adds in cinnamon which the one from Turkey did not have.  You choose.   1/2 pound/225g about 12 sheets thawed filo dough, covered with a damp towel 1 1/2 cups/174g chopped walnuts, pistachios or almonds 2 1/2 tablespoons/30g granulated sugar (you don’t need much the syrup is sweet) 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional) 1 stick/1/4 pound/8 tablespoons/113g melted butter For the syrup: 2/3 cup/1