Inspired by.....Airplane Food?

Yes, that's right. I'm about to show you a side that I ate on my flight to Europe. Airplane food has rarely been edible and the portion control is quite extreme (c'mon airlines...feed me).

Out of all the airplane food I've eaten, smoked salmon starters and cold sandwiches are all that stand out as tasty in my view.

However, this year I tried for the very first time, mashed celeriac or celery root. I'm casting this post as my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging #102, hosted by Ulrike at Kuchenlatein.

Celeriac is the root of the celery stalks that we are more familiar with. It can be eaten raw or cooked. It's not all that popular in North American cooking but this root vegetable is used quite abit in European kitchens.

I'm presenting you with a garlic mashed celeriac side dish. You should note that celeriac does have more water content than potato and therefore it does need some starch. Any recipe I've seen for mashed celeriac calls for some potato in the dish.

While boiling the celeriac, you will smell the obvious celery aroma and for some this may be strong but hang in there...the flavour is mellow and it has a turnip with nutmeg kinda' finish to the taste.

Finally, after you drain the the boiled celeriac, put the pot back on medium heat and allow for some more of the water to cook off.

Try mashed celeriac, especially for those looking for more ways to lower carbs in their diet. Celeriac is cheap (about $1/head) and above all, it tastes really good!

Garlic Mashed Celeriac

3 cups (1 whole celeriac), peeled and cut into cubes
1 large potato, cut into the same size as the celeriac cubes
3 cloves of garlic
water
1 good dab of butter
1/2 cup cream or evaporated milk
3 Tbsp of chopped fresh chives
1 Tbsp of chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

1. Start a pot of water. When it comes to a boil, add some salt and add your celeriac, potatoes and garlic. Turn down the heat to a medium-high boil and cook until fork tender for approx. 30 minutes.
2. When your veggies are boiled, strain the water and put the veggies back on to medium heat and lightly stir to allow more water to evaporate.
3. Mash your celeriac, potato and garlic with some butter until there are little or no lumps. Add milk, mash & stir well.
4. Adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper and mix in your chopped chives and parsley.
   

Melitzanes Papoutsakia

This past summer in Greece, I was looking forward to also having a cooking spree but I was too ambitious, unrealistic and outright silly to be think that I'd be in the kitchen all the time.

First, it was damn hot this summer and despite the dry heat, cooking in a kitchen with no AC is madness. Second, I live for the beach, tanning, listening to my music, long walks on the beach and of course swimming. Living in Canada, one takes advantage of the dry Mediterranean climate and the warm waters of the Aegean. To bad - so sad lil' kitchen.

The times that I did cook inside were the odd day that it was overcast or on the two mornings that in rained.

These stuffed eggplants are translated from Greek to mean "little shoes" as that's what the finished product looks like.

In Greek: μελιτζάνες παπουτσάκια (pronounced meh-leed-ZAH-nes pah-poot-SAHK-yah)

Melitzanes Papoutsakia

6-8 small to medium eggplants, halved
1lb of extra lean ground beef
4 tbsp of olive oil
2 large onions, diced
3 bay leaves
6 cloves of minced garlic
1 can of plum tomatoes, pureed (or Pomodoro)
1/2 cup white wine
salt, pepper
1 tsp dried basil
3 tsp dried oregano
3 Tbsp of chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1 recipe for Bechamel Sauce
1 cup grated Kefalotiri cheese

1. Wash and dry the eggplants, trim off the stems and cut in half, lengthwise. With a small spoon, scoop out the meat without breaking the skins (start at the centre with the seeds and then work carefully around. Discard the seeds and reserve the pulp. Drizzle the eggplant halves with olive oil and lightly sprinkle with salt. Place in a preheated 400F oven(middle rack) for 30-40 minutes or until firm. Reserve.
   
2. Start making your filling. In a heavy sauce pan, saute your onions, garlic, bay leaves, some salt for about 10 minutes, until the onions are soft and translucent. Now add your eggplant pulp and saute for another 5 minutes. Stir in the ground beef and and saute until browned. Add your wine, tomato sauce, oregano, parsley, dried basil and simmer until thick. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. In about 30-45 minutes you should have a thick sauce. Stir in your cinnamon and set aside.
3. Make your Bechamel Sauce and reserve .
4. You should have your eggplant halves in a roasting pan. Sprinkle some cheese on the bottoms, then spoon in the meat sauce into each cavity. Now spoon the bechamel sauce over the meat sauce and top with grated cheese. Bake in a pre-heated 375F oven for approx. 30 minutes. The tops should be a nice golden-brown.
   

Not Your Average Souvlaki

One of the goals I have with this blog thing, outlet, mania, passion is to shed light onto what I think is good food and a natural focus on good Greek food. Greek food as I know it at a Greek family's table or as I've experienced in Greece.

There is much more to Greek food than souvlaki, gyros and Greek salad. Many Greek restaurants outside of Greece are missing the boat. They've lost touch with Greek inspired cooking and Greek ingredients.

What is Greek food? I think any dish that includes Greek ingredients is Greek. I think any dish that's Greek inspired is Greek. Often, one cannot find all the ingredients that are bountifully available in the Mediterranean. Improvise, substitute and keep the ingredients fresh!

One of my earliest recollections (when I started to enjoy seafood) was trying swordfish for the first time. It was in Skiathos, my very first Greek island. It was served as a souvlaki with a simple rice pilaf, good dry white wine, a horiatiki salata and of course bread.

Any time I go to buy seafood, I see shark laid out. The steaks are big, the flesh is a pink-white, it's fresh and it's affordable. I know of at least one person (and she'll read this) that's squeamish with the mention of eating shark but these are small, 1 metre long fish...hardly the man-eater type so all you people who think I'm in someway partaking in cannibalism, get over it!!

Shark is good eating. It's a clean, white-meated fish...it'll remind you of chicken or lean pork. Try the marinade I'm offering. I found this recipe here and I'm very happy with the results. It'll sound oriental but the flavours mellow upon grilling.

I'll make this again (no doubt) for the next grilling season.

Shark Souvlaki

2 lbs. of shark steaks, trimmed, boned and cubed
4-6 wooden skewers, soaked in water (at least a hour)
Veggies for the souvlaki (I used red onions, red & green peppers)

Marinade
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp. grated ginger
1/4 tsp. ground pepper

1. Mix all of the marinade ingredients into a large zip-lock bag. Add your shark meat cubes, seal and place in the fridge for at least an hour.
2. When you're ready to grill, take the shark out to resume room temperature. Cut up your veggies for skewering. Insert onion, red then green pepper then shark. Repeat until your veggies and shark meat have all been skewrered
3. Your BBQ/gas grill should be pre-heated to a medium-high heat. Shark is a lean fish and high heat will dry it out (treat them like chicken or pork). Grill for about 2-3 minutes per side (all four sides).
   

Beef Bourguignon

With the warm weather still hanging around and it officially now being autumn, I thought it was time to share a fall dish that's sure to warm anyone when the temperature soon drops.

Beef Bourguignon has many recipe variations. It's a beef stew. It just sounds fancy when uttered by the French. I've tried many different recipes & methods. Some call for a slow stove-top simmer, others a slow braise in the oven. Both methods work fine.

I've found what makes the difference is the cut of beef you use. Use a good "middle-of-the-road cut. This summer I discovered top sirloin and I found the meat to be very flavourful and fork tender when slow cooked...perfect for Beef Bourguignon.

Beef Bourguignon

1 Tbsp of olive
8 rashers of good bacon, chopped
2 1/2 lbs. of top sirloin, cubed
coarse salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 large carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces on a bias
2 large onions, diced
1 lb of button mushrooms, halved
3 tsp of minced garlic
1/2 cup of cognac
1 can (cup of beef broth)
1 bottle of good dry red wine
1 Tbsp of tomato paste
1 Tbsp of fresh thyme
3 bay leaves
8 small white potatoes, whole

1. Pour your olive oil into the pot and then render your bacon under medium heat. Remove and reserve the bacon after it becomes crispy.
2. Pat dry your beef cubes then season with salt & pepper. Sear the beef in batches in the bacon fat that's remained in the pot. Reserve your beef.
3. If necessary, pour a little more olive oil and saute your onions, mushrooms, carrots, garlic and bay leaves and some salt for 5 minutes and reduce to simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add your cognac to the pot, stand back and light the alcohol and wait until it burns off. Add your beef (and juices), beef broth, bacon, tomato paste, thyme and bring to a boil with the lid covered. Now reduce to a simmer and cook for another hour. Have a taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Add your potatoes and cook with the lid on for another 30 minutes.
5. If you want your stew to be thicker, mix 3 Tbsp. of unsalted butter with 3 Tbsp. of flour and stir into the stew. Serve with some good country bread and mop it up!
   

Pickled Red Cherry Peppers

One of my favourite times of the year us autumn. It's mild, the evenings are cool and comfy, Canada's crops are up for harvesting and one seems to savour each day as you know winter comes all to quick.

With autumn also comes preserving, canning, pickling, jarring, salting, curing, smoking, drying. All of these methods of preserving foods were a necessity to survive the winter. Today's generation of kids does not know what life is/was like without a TV remote and all of us do not know what life is like without a fridge.

Preserving captures the essence of food. It's trapped in time, suspended - on "lay away" until desired. Through the course of autumn, I'll show you some of the ways our family preserves foods.

Today I'm showing you one of my favourites. Pickled red cherry peppers. They can be found hot and sweet and we pickle both. This pickled pepper was introduced to our family by my Aunt Aphrodite. To this date, she's one of the best cooks I've known in our family.

This recipe is not difficult and the ingredients are simple. The flavour is in the pepper. Like any direction for pickling, ensure your jars are clean & sterile, use new jar seals each year and you won't fail. Go get a bushel of Thea Dita's red cherry peppers. Have it as a side with a Fasoulada (bean soup) or Fakkes (lentil soup) or as part of your spread of Greek winter mezedes.

Pickled Red Cherry Peppers

1 large pot
1 dozen medium-sized mason jars (with lids and seals)
1 bushel of sweet or hot red cherry peppers
5 cups of white wine vinegar
3/4 cup of pickling salt
15 cups of water
1 heaping Tbsp. of whole black peppercorns
1/4 cup of vegetable oil

1. Sterilize your mason jars. Click here for a easy to understand run-down.
2. Cut/trim the the stems of the peppers and soak and rinse the peppers. Allow the water the drip dry in a large basin sink.
   
3. Into your large pot, add all the ingredients (except the peppers) and bring to a boil.
4. Add the peppers in batches. As soon as you see a rolling boil, start a 4 minutes count and then remove the peppers for jarring. Repeat with remaining batches until the peppers are all boiled. Contents of the jar should just reach the neck. Pickled jars need what's called "head space".
   
5. You may try and stuff as many peppers as you can into each jar. Pour pickling juice into each jar of peppers. When done, have a look at each jar to see if more pickling juice needs to be poured in. Sometimes the peppers absorb the juice. Each jar should should have submerged peppers in pickling juice.
6. Using paper towel, wipe the rim of the jar of any excess liquid. Place seals on all the jars and tighten the metal screw bands.
   
7. Within a 1/2 hour, press your finger on each lid to see if a seal has been created. If a seal has not been created, read this and review your process and try again with a new seal on the jar.
   

Garlic Sauce, Aioli, Skordalia

Greeks are big on dips and today's particular dip is called Skordalia. Skordo means garlic, so Skordalia is simply garlic sauce or an Aioli. Skordalia can be often served to accompany thinly sliced deep-fried zucchini, fried salt-cod filets or as dip with veggies or fries.

There are many varying recipes for Skordalia using a different main ingredient as the "glue" to the dip. The most common skordalias are boiled potato or white bread based. Today, I'm using neither. I'm going to show you the Cadillac version...using toasted pine nuts!

If you think Tzatziki is garlicky, wait 'til you taste Skordalia. It's heavy on the garlic but it's creamy and I love it with a fried Bakaliaro (salt-cod fish). I really don't get why people still fear garlic. As long as you don't have an important client meeting and everyone else at the table is eating it...bring it on!

Besides, we all know that garlic is healthy for you. I'm submitted this post as my entry for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging which is hosted this week by Myriam at Once Upon A Tart.

Despite garlic tasting so good and adding another dimension to the food we eat, here are some of the health benefits:

• hearty-healthy, fights cholesterol
• fights and prevents the common cold
• prolonged consumption can help reduce blood-sugar levels
  

Also, one must not forget that garlic will protect you from lurking vampires!

Skordalia is the perfect showcase for garlic. It's bold, it's creamy, it's delicious. However, when making skordalia, the biggest problem is having it separate. This usually occurs because one is adding the oil in too fast. Take it easy!

The version of Skordalia that I'm presenting to you today is simply the best I've ever had and it has yet to separate on me.

Skordalia

1 egg
1 1/2 Tbsp white wine vinegar + 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup safflower or sunflower oil + 1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

1) Place in a blender or food processor your egg, vinegar, lemon juice and garlic and blend for a few seconds.
2) With the processor running, gradually (slowly) pour in your olive oil/safflower oil mixture in a fine, steady stream. The mixture should attain the consistency of a mayonnaise.
3)Add your toasted pine nuts and pulse just enough to puree and incorporate it.

Giaourtlou (Γιαουρτλού)

For anyone who's traveled to Greece knows that dining "al fresco" is a neccessity, not a luxury like here in Canada with our short summers. Greece's hot nights force one to eat outside and when my good neighbor, Gregory invited my family for a "spesial" dinner, I knew it would be good and of course, outdoors.

We traveled about 30 minutes from our home by car...all 6 of us in a cramped in a car. However Greeks are resourceful and Gregory's wife, Clio, insisted upon sitting in the very back...how nice!

We arrived in the town of Zografou to be greeted by a very friendly proprietor who welcomed us to his family operated taverna.

We sat down, ordered water, beer, retsina, salads and waited for the owner to spout off the eatery's offerings. I went for the slow-cooked wild boar (which fell off the bone) and my family ordered some biftekia stuffed with cheese. What struck me was what Clio ordered...Giaourtlou.

I had heard of this dish but never before had I tried it. It's a warmed pita bread (acting as the bed), layered with yogurt then a large bifteki (greek burger) and then topped by a tomato sauce. "Ooooooh, this looks good"! I didn't even wait for Clio to offer me a taste of her dish but I did kindly ask and wow....what a cool presentation and the taste combo was different yet very tasty. It was something foreign to me. I know why....it's a dish with Turkish origins.

So today I bring you Giaourtlou...tasted in Greece, originally from Turkey and presented to you by a Canadian. Now that's international cuisine!

Giaourtlou (Γιαουρτλού)
for 4

1 recipe of keftedes

For the Yogurt Sauce
500 ml of strained Greek-style yogurt
4 cloves of minced garlic
1 Tbsp of white wine vinegar
1 tsp sea salt
3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp of smoked paprika
a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil

For the Tomato Sauce

2 Tbsp of butter + 2 Tbsp of olive oil
2 medium-sized onions, diced
4 very ripe tomatoes puree, from a box grater (skins discarded)
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
salt to taste

1) In a bowl, mix your ingredients needed to make a batch of Keftedes. Form them into hamburger-like shapes and refrigerate until they are ready to be grilled.
2) Start your tomato sauce. Into a saucepan under medium-high heat, add your butter and olive oil and then saute your onions under medium heat for about 10 minutes. Now add your tomato puree, smoked paprika, wine and simmer for another 15-20 minutes or until the sauce is thick. Adjust for seasoning and add your chopped parsley. Reserve.
3) In a bowl, mix your yogurt, minced garlic, vinegar, salt, paprika and parsley. Adjust seasoning and refrigerate.
4) Grill your Biftekia (shaped like hamburgers). When you're finished grilling, take your pita bread and brush it with olive and place on grill to just warm the bread on both sides and take away your pita and Biftekia for assembly & plating.

Assembly
1. Place your pita bread on the plate. Sprinkle some dried oregano on the pita.
2. Spoon and spread some yogurt sauce to generously cover the surface of the pita bread.
3. Now top the yogurt with the Bifteki(a) and then top with the tomato sauce. You may garnish the finished dish with sliced red onions and parsley.

Chick Pea Soup

As the weather gets cooler my appetite slides away from salads and gives more to soups. During the summer (when there's little on TV) I caught an episode of Laura Calder's French Food at Home and I was struck by her Chickpea Soup recipe.

Through most of my life, I can't recall chick peas ever being a staple of my family's diet. My earliest recollection of chick peas was seeing them being offered in a bowl along with other finger foods like peanuts, cashews, walnuts. The chickpea bowl used to always stay full. The only time I'd reach into the bowl was to pluck out the yellow sultana raisins and reject the poor chick pea.

Fast-forward thirty some odd years and Peter is a food-crazed, open-minded, "I'll try anything once kinda guy" and here I am getting over my chick pea aversion. Times change, tastes change. Change your attitude about food. Try something you never liked, again...you'll surprise yourself!

Now back to the Chickpea Soup recipe. I bookmarked the recipe for cooler days and the wait paid off. It's an easy recipe, tastes complex and the cumin gives a nice smokiness to the soup. It's one of those velvety soups you could also serve up for a dinner party.

I stayed true to her recipe but I used canned chickpeas which are a time-saver and they worked just fine for this first course. I also added some chopped chives for garnish and colour. It was a good side to my grilled cheese & bacon sandwich!

Steamed Clams in a Spicy Tomato Broth

One of my goals during my holidays was to come back armed with new food ideas and experiences.

At the beach where I swim daily, I see others diving, snorkeling for octopus, squid, sea urchin and γυαλιστερες or clams. For years I very much resented that others would dive in and reap the "fruits of the sea"....until now!

I asked a friend of the family to show me where and how to look for clams on the sea bottom. His answer was to simply dive in waters that are 2-3 metres deep and look for 2 holes in the sand...there's clams there!

You what's better than fresh seafood? Fresh seafood caught by yourself and for free!

Steamed Clams (γυαλιστερες) in a Spicy Tomato Broth

1 kg. of fresh clams
1/3 cup olive oil
2 large ripe tomatoes, grated into a puree by a box grater
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 sweet red onion, sliced
1 small hot pepper
1/4 dry white wine
salt to taste
2 Tbsp dried oregano
1 slab of good feta, crumbled
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 scallion, roughly chopped

1. Place your clams in a colander and rinse them. Now put them in a bowl with water and add some cornmeal or flour. This will feed the clams and thus allow them to expel any sand they might contain. This process requires at least 1 hour.
   
2. Before cooking, rinse your clams one more time and reserve. In a medium to large pot, pour in your olive oil, grated tomato puree, garlic, onion and hot pepper and simmer for 10 minutes. Adjust for seasoning.
3. Add your white wine and clams and cover the pot. The clams should take about 10 minutes to cook. You know they are ready when they have all opened up. Discard any clams that have not opened.
4. Add and stir in your oregano, feta, parsley and scallion and serve hot with lots of crusty bread.
   

I'm Back!!!!!!

Sadly, my summer vacation has ended. I return to Canada with many warm memories with friends, family and new acquaintances. I spent most of my time chilling on the beach. No phones, no computers, no traffic, no work.

I primarily spent my holiday in Greece and I took a couple of side trips (more later). I promised myself not to get entangled in the usual heated discussions that Greeks love to have concerning politics. I was in Greece during an election campaign and despite my pleas to change the subject, politics aways entered a conversation.

Politics and the mad, saddening fires that torched much of Greece also gripped the conversation of Greeks at the cafes, bars, eateries, dinner tables, plateias and even at the beaches. Despite my efforts to insulate myself from the heated discussions, only a heartless person devoid of any emotion could manage to avoid all the the static, media frenzy and dinner table exchanges on the topic of the burning country's state.

What else could be added about the summer fires of 2007? It was heartbreaking, maddening and of course disturbing. The silver lining in all this is that Greeks rally and come together like no other people when in met with dire circumstances. For those that have been to Greece, you know there's alot of work to be done with it's infrastructure, red-tape and sometimes backward way of approaching business. Greeks and Greece will be better after 2007. They got a big kick in the rear and it's in these circumstances that Greeks shine best.

In between my swims, sun-tanning and sightseeing, I also tried new foods, new combos and tried some new dishes. One dish I waited to try in Greece was a lemon tiramisu. I first saw it being offered on David Rocco's Dolce Vita and I just had to try it out in the summer.

I didn't use his recipe but I simply used a method of tiramisu that's worked well in the past and saves on mascarpone and subsitututed the coffee ingredients with lemon ingredients. This is an easy, make ahead summer dessert that will be loved and devoured by family & guests. The lemon tiramisu I made vanished in 1 day!

Lemon Tiramisu

36 Saviardi lady fingers
1 bottle (500ml) Limoncello
zest of 1 lemon for filling, zest of 1 lemon for topping
6 egg whites,
1/2 cup of sugar,
2 Pkges. (8 oz.) cream cheese, room temperature
1 (8oz.) container of mascarpone cheese
500ml bottle Limoncello, slightly warmed

1. In a large bowl mix the cream cheese, mascarpone with the lemon zest and a couple of shots of Limoncello until it's smooth and has been mixed in well. Reserve.
2. In another bowl, mix your egg whites and sugar and whip until they have formed stiff picks. Quickly & gently fold the egg whites into your mascarpone.
   
3. In a large bowl, pour the rest of the bottle into a large bowl and zap the liquer for a 30 seconds to warm the liquid.
4. Dip your lady fingers into the Limoncello and line the bottom of your tray with the soaked cookies. Now spread a layer of the mascarpone/cream cheese mixture over the cookies. Repeat with another layer of soaked cookies and top with remaining cream cheese/mascarpone.