Gigantes Sto Fourno (Baked Butter Beans)

Growing up, the only beans us kids ate were the canned variety. They were sweet, gooey, starchy and now that I think about it, tinny.

Step into the time machine with me and its Y2K and beyond. I've started dabbling more and more in cooking and I'm having a desire to enjoy the tastes and memories I had as a kid.

More recently however, I'm tackling Greek dishes that mom always made. I want those cooking traditions to continue and to share them with you.

Yesterday I showed you my beer batter fish and I told you I had them with beans. The beans I speak of are Gigantes or, baked Butter beans.

This is another classic Greek dish, served as a side or as a vegetarian main during a fasting period or Great Lent. Fast or no fast, I love these beans. Think of Gigantes as Greek comfort food.

In my family, we've enjoyed Gigantes with fish but you can try them as a side with any main you prefer. A pork roast and butter beans would make a nice twist on pork n' beans or try the leftovers like I do as a bean bruschetta.

Beans are good for you. Beans are tasty. Beans are inexpensive. Beans are available all year' round and, they are easy to prepare. Mark this entry as my contribution to Weekend Herb Blogging #107 and this edition goes back home to Utah and it's founder Kalyn at Kalyn's Kitchen.

Before I get on with the dish you should note that the first step in the cooking instructions is very important and that's boiling the beans for two minutes.

According to my mom, this process greatly reduces the prospects of having a "gas" of a time after dinner. It's now the day after and I have not had to make a run for the Beano!

Gigantes Sto Fourno (Baked Butter Beans)

450 gr. dried butter (lima) beans
1 large carrot, peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large stalk of celery, diced
2 large onions, diced
4 cloves of garlic, smashed
1/2 cup of olive oil
3 bay leaves
1 cup of fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup of fresh dill, finely chopped
1/2 cup pomodoro sauce
1 tsp. smoke paprika
a squirt of ketchup
1 Tsp. Vegeta seasoning
1 Tsp. black pepper

1. Place the beans in a large pot. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the beans. Bring to a boil, simmer for 2 minutes and drain.
2. Put the beans back in pot along with the carrot, celery, bay leaves and garlic and fill the pot with enough water to cover the contents. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for approx. 45 minutes or until the beans are soft (taste one). Take off the heat and reserve (including the liquid).
3. In a large skillet, add your olive oil and onions and saute them on medium heat for 10-15 minutes to soften. Add the tomato sauce, paprika, Vegeta, pepper, ketchup, parsley, dill and stir in together. Set aside.
4. Using a slotted spoon, place your beans, celery, carrot, bay leaves into a large baking casserole. Now add all of the contents of your skillet to the bean mixture in the casserole.
5. Pour in enough liquid from the reserved bean liquid to cover everything in the casserole. Mix well and place in a pre-heated 375F oven and bake for 45 minutes or until most of the liquid is gone and the top is nicely browned.
   

Fish and No Chips!

I've told you all that Toronto boasts of being quite multi-ethnic. I can dine at practically any type of restaurant I want and with some darting around the city, buy the most outlandish, obscure, foreign food item out there.

Conversely, it is getting harder and harder to find more traditional foods on a menu or at the market. One such instance is fish and chips. With Toronto's WASP dominance waning in the 80's, a good fish and chip store is ever harder to find. When I was growing up, I could have walked to at least 3 fish shops. Now...the nearest one is a 10 minute drive.

I've also tried making my own fish and chips at home with varying success and the main sticking point was of course, finding the right batter. My frustrations led me to use a "just add water" batter that I bought at a bulk food store. The result was very good but I wanted a "go to" recipe that I could make at home.

I recently caught an episode of The Main of Food Network Canada. It's hosted by Anthony Sedlak and he was the latest winner of Canada's Next Top Chef. He's got good credentials, the show is instructional and he's able to show some new things to viewers.

I was impressed with his Beer-Battered Cod and Chips episode. Last night I tried his batter out with some John Dory fillets I had and I also tried out his tarter sauce.

The end results were wonderful on both counts BUT....someone at Food Network Canada should re-check the ingredient amounts. The beer batter needed way more flower and his tarter sauce only had 1 egg yolk, no mayo!

Before I get on with the ingredients, let me explain my title "Fish and No Chips". You see, being in a Greek household, we usually sneak in a Greek twist to the meal and last night's accompaniment was Gigantes sto Fourno (Greek Baked Beans). You'll have to drop by my blog tomorrow for that recipe but in the meantime, click here to read about My Ultimate Greek French Fries.

Beer-Battered Fish

4 X 4oz. fish fillets (cod, haddock, halibut, john dory)
1 tsp. of active dry yeast
3 Tbsp. of warm (body temperature water)
1 bottle of cold beer
2 1/4 cups of flower (approx. as the batter should be as thick as pancake batter)
1 Tbsp. salt
pepper to taste
1/4 flour for dredging
1 liter vegetable oil for frying the fish

Tarter Sauce

1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp Dijon mustard
300 ml vegetable oil
1 shallot, finely minced (or 1/4 cup red onion)
2 Tbsp. minced cornichons
2 Tbsps chopped chive 2
Tbsps chopped parsley
2 Tbsps capers, drained and finely chopped
lemon juice to taste
pepper to taste (salty enough from the capers)

Mix all of the above sauce ingredients in a bowl and cover and refrigerate until dinner is ready to be served.

Fish Directions

1. To prepare the beer batter, combine yeast and warm water in a medium bowl. Let stand about a minute at room temperature; yeast should begin to foam slightly.
2. Add the beer and stir in sifted flour. Mix should resemble pancake batter consistency; adjust with additional flour or water if necessary.
3. To prepare fish slice fillets into approximately 12 x 2oz portions. (Each piece should resemble a chicken finger).
   
4. Dust the fillets with the remaining flour and season lightly with salt and pepper.
5. Dip one at a time into batter and fry, in small batches, in 360F oil until gloden. Remove fillets with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Season with sea salt.
   

Giouvestsi With Veal (Μοσχαράκι γιουβέτσι)

This is another traditional Greek dish and it's still often made in an earthenware pot, a kind of glazed terracotta vessel and baked in the oven.

Like many Greek dishes, Giouvetsi is a one-pot meal and in the old days this would have been baked in a home's wood burning oven. There were also many instances where a home did not have an oven but each village had at least one bakery supplying bread for the guaranteed demand of the villagers.

It was quite common for a family to lug the day's dish over to the bakery and have dish cooked in the baker's oven. Afterall, the day's bread had already been baked & sold and what was the breadman to do with a still burning oven?

In the early 80's, I was fortunate enough to witness this communal tradition of taking your meal to be cooked off at the bakery. It's kind of backwards but I wish it still existed today.

There are many variations on Giouvetsi. It's usually with veal, rooster, beef, rabbit, prawns and it's accompanied by a Krithiraki (a Greek orzo).

Once again, I employ the use of a pressure cooker to speed up this simple dish. I say simple because the ingredients are quite basic but it's one of those dishes that tastes way more complex. It's another testament to using good ingredients.

If you don't have a pressure cooker, one could boil/braise the meat but it will likely take about 90 minutes just to soften your meat. The pressure cooker will cut your time in half.

Giouvestsi With Veal (Μοσχαράκι γιουβέτσι)

1 1/2 lb. veal shoulder, cut into pieces
2 cups of water
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
2 cups of krithiraki or orzo
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 cup of pomodoro tomato sauce
6 cups of veal, chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
freshly grated Kefalotyri or Romano cheese

1. Season your veal with salt and pepper. Pour your water into the pressure cooker and place your veal in. Secure the lid and crank the heat to high. As soon as your seal forms, you will hear the cooker whistling. Turn down your heat to half (medium) and simmer the meat for 30 minutes. Take your cooker off the heat and release the pressure according to mfgr.'s instructions.
2. In a large pot with medium high heat, add your olive oil and your onions, garlic and red pepper and saute for 5-10 minutes or until the onions have softened.
   
3. Now add your krithiraki and paprika and stir to coat and toast the pasta (for about 5 minutes).
4. Add the tomato sauce, chicken stock and veal stock (from the pressure cooker) and bring to a boil while stirring. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
5. Once everything has come to a boil, add your veal, mix well and pour everything into a large casserole dish and bake in a preheated 375F oven for 45 minutes or until most of the liquid has absorbed and your top is golden brown.
6. Let stand for 10 minutes and serve in large bowls with freshly grated black pepper and Kefalotyri cheese.
   

Italian Wedding Soup

I've been to many weddings (including Italian weddings) but I've never been served this soup. I usually see Italian Wedding Soup at a soup & sandwich counter.

For those not familiar with this soup, it's a brothy soup with little bite-sized meatballs, lots of chopped pieces of greens and little pasta called Acini de Pepe (peppercorns).

When I'm out and I have to eat lunch on the go, I always see what the "soup of the day" is and then I'll choose my sandwich pairing.

When I see Italian Wedding Soup as the "soup de jour", I smile and order a ham & cheese, egg salad or Club House to accompany this earthy soup.

When I first made this soup, I used Rocco DiSpirito's version and I was very pleased with the end result as it tasted like the soup at the sandwich counter.

The one glaring omission in his recipe was the absence of the Acini de Pepe. It can be found amongst the other pastas and if you cannot find it, substitute it with another fine, small pasta. Don't overlook this little pasta, it's half the soup! Add it to your broth along with the meatballs.

The only substitute I made was that I used kale instead of escarole and just remember to trim the stems of kale as they can be too earthy in flavour.

Finally, using just ground beef (omitting pork) is perfectly okay and the same good, conforting flavours will come out. Chalk this soup as an easy, conforting soup to try this winter.

Risotto With Royal Trumpets

Ever notice how things you hated when you were little are now perhaps some of your favourite things to eat?

Well, mushrooms weren't one of them! I've always loved mushrooms and today with easier cultivation techniques, the average button, cremini and portobello are affordable and often found in everyone's fridge.

Another ongoing debate about mushrooms is whether to wash or not to wash? If you're part of the mushroom police, wipe them if you like but at least make your job easier by picking cleaner mushrooms at the market.

I myself give them a quick rinse as a little water won't do much harm and no matter how tasty or how rare or how wild the mushroom is...your guests will spit it out when they bite into the grit.

The mushrooms I used for my risotto today were a combo of cremini and royal trumpets. This mushroom has a delicate flavour, is meaty and only the bottom, woody part of the stem need be trimmed. This mushroom belongs to the oyster mushroom family and taste similar. Today I'm submitting this as my entry into Weekend Herb Blogging #106 and this week it's been hosted by Pille from Nami Nami.

The royal trumpet or king can be found in the wild growing on the buried roots of hardwood trees or in Europe, from the base of wild carrots. This stout, thickly fleshed mushroom is very popular in Europe and Japan. Popularity in the US & Canada is increasing as it becomes more available. The mushroom may grow quite large, up to 7 inches long but is generally harvested at a smaller size. It is the only Oyster species that ships well and has an extended shelf-life.

Risotto With Royal Trumpets

3 Tbsp olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 strips of bacon, finely chopped
1/2 cup cremini mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup royal trumpet mushrooms, cut into chunks
1 Tbsp fresh thyme
3 bay leaves
1 cup Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
2 1/2 cups hot chicken stock
3/4 cup of string beans
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese

1. Heat the olive in a deep, heavy skillet. Add the shllots, garlic, bacon, mushrooms, thyme, bay leaves and cook for 3-5 minutes or until the mushrooms have browned.
2. Add the rice and stir to coat the rice well. Add the wine and stir over medium heat until the rice has absorbed all the wine.
3. Add your chicken stock 1 ladle at a time, repeating this step after each time the rice absorbs the stock. At around 2 cups of stock, taste the rice for doneness. Your ristotto should be "al dente".
4. Stir in the beans and a dab of unsalted butter. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Stir in some grated Parmesan cheese and serve with Parmesan curls as a garnish.
   

Fillet of John Dory With Shrimp Sauce

About a week ago I was searching for new recipes that use flat/white fish recipes. I'm talking about sole, flounder, turbot or in this case, John Dory fillet.

There's a sight called Video Jug and it has quite an extensive video library of "how to's" in many categories (including cooking).

This recipe caught my eye as it sounded delicious and I wanted to try the cauliflower puree and I was intrigued by the shrimp sauce. I'd have to say it was quite delicious!

The cauliflower puree was good but I'd use a mashed celeriac in the future. As for the John Dory fillet, you could pan-fry the fish (as directed by the recipe) or broil it in the oven. Here in Toronto, I can easily find John Dory fillets frozen and one could easily use tilapia, sole, haddock or any other flat, white fish.

The highlight of this dish is the shrimp sauce. Concentrate your efforts here and you'll have an enjoyable meal and perhaps polish off a bottle of white with this elegant fish dish.

Hilopites With Feta Pesto

About a month ago whilst surfing the round-up of Weekend Herb Blogging, I paid particular attention to a Feta Pesto, made by Genie of the Inadertant Gardener. I bookmarked the recipe for future reference.

Fast forward to last week and I bought a weekend edition of a Greek newspaper which included a food/cooking magazine in it. These magazines from Greece help me keep in tune with what's "cookin" in Greece and keep tabs on food trends there.

So I'm flipping through the pages and what do I see? Feta pesto!

In my rendition, I've taken a little of The Inadvertant Gardener's version, a little of the Greek magazine's version and I've made my own rendition.

Before I lay out the ingredients, I want to point out that using good feta cheese is important here. The crumbled stuff in stores is very sharp, no depth of flavour, made from cow's milk and usually too salty. Good feta is sold in large pieces in a brine, is made from goat's/sheep's milk, is creamy, tart and not overly salty.

The next thing to point out is walnuts are a perfectly fine substitute for pine nuts. Finally, I added parsley and some dried oregano to mellow out the flavour of the basil. The end result was a light tasting pesto, creamy, tart sauce that stuck nicely to the egg pasta.

Hilopites With Feta Pesto

1 large handful of fresh basil leaves, washed and pat-dry of any water
1 large clove of garlic, smashed
2 tsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp fresh parsley leaves
1 slab of good feta cheese (200gr.)
1/4 cup pine nuts
2-4 Tbsp. of extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 package of Hilopites (Greek egg noodle pasta)
1 cup of pasta water

1. Into a food processor, add your basil, garlic, oregano, parsley and feta and pulse a few times to mix. Now puree your mixture and slowly add your olive oil until you achieve the consistency you like.
   
2. Add the pine nuts and pulse a few times to mix in but not break them up too much. Reserve.
3. Start a pot of boiling water. Add salt and then boil your egg pasta as per package instructions until "al dente".
4. Rerserve about 1 cup of pasta water and drain your pasta (do not rinse). Using the same pot, brown some unsalted butter and when it turns nutty brown, add your pasta back into the pot and stir. Add your pesto and some pasta water and mix. Repeat process of adding pesto and pasta water until you achiece the desired colour and creaminess of your sauce.
   

Apple Crisp

Some of the dishes I've shown you are from my mom's collection. You might think, "great...Peter shows us deeply secretive family recipes" but it's hard interpreting recipes from an immigrant Greek mother.

Picture this...young Greek woman at the age of 19, emigrates to Canada to marry a man she's never met before in a country with a new language, only two 1st cousins and an aunt to relate to and zero knowledge of cooking.

Fast forward to 2007, that same young woman has many friends outside of the family, is an exemplary employee at a bank and awaits retirement, raised a decent family, a noted volunteer in the Greek community and church and of course, an awesome cook and the greatest mom (but still annoying)!

Here's my problem...she learned English on her own. She once worked with British women at a factory and they told her to watch soap operas and read Harlequin romance novels to gain command of the English language. That she did but spelling is a big issue for her and now, for me.

You see, her recipes are jotted down from the perspective of a Greek person pronouncing English words in her mind, then writing it down.

How can I forget her "Cheeken An' Rize"? Or her "Cro-sans"? How about "Sheppers Pye"?

People, you should see how the ingredients and directions are written!!! Mom...I love you and get well soon!
Apple Crisp (in Greeklish it's App-elle Creesp)

4 cups of apples, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices
(any firm, slightly tart apple variety)
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/4 tsp salt
(you may add oats to this recipe)

1. Place the apples in a buttered baking dish/tray
2. In a bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and margarine/butter. Spread the topping over the apples.
3. Bake in a pre-heated 350F oven until the apples are tender, gooey and caramelized (about 30-45 minutes).
4. Serve warm with a scoop of good French Vanilla ice cream.
   

Cream of Butternut Squash Soup

I've been making this soup since discovering it in one of the local newspapers are are freee and usually found at the subway entrances.

I find that many people overdo butternut squash soup. You have a squash that's already naturally sweet. No need for maple syrup, honey or making it too busy. Let the squash's flavour come out!

I think the key to this soup is roasting your squash, using good chicken stock and then you're off to the sofa taking little nips of this soup while watching some reality show.

Cream of Butternut Squash Soup

1 whole squash, peeled and seeded and cut into chunks
salt, pepper and nutmeg
olive oil

1/2 stick of unsalted butter
1 whole large onion, diced
2 Tbsp of freshly grated ginger
2 cloves of garlic
8 cups of good chicken (or vegetable) stock
salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
sour cream

1. Preheat your oven to 425F. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin from the squash. Cut in half, scoop out the seeds and cut it up in chunks. Place on a roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and a but of nutmeg. Roast for 45 minutes or until fork-tender.
2. Place a medium-sized pot on medium-high heat and add your butter, onions, garlic and ginger. Reduce to medium and allow to cook for 5 minutes for the onions to soften.
3. Add your stock, squash and increase heat to high until boiling and then reduce to a simmer and place the lid on.
4. After about 30-40 minutes, take off the heat and taste for seasoning with salt and pepper. Now use your hand blender to puree your soup. Add parsley and stir in.
5. Serve in bowls with a dollop of sour cream.
   

Harvest Linguine With Clams

What's another linguine and clam dish gonna hurt? I've seen many pasta dishes with seafood, some look delicious, some are so-so and others well....I'll be nice!

I usually do enjoy a lighter clam & pasta dish in the summer months but it's the warmest October thus far in Toronto's history of recording the weather. The 26C weather beckoned me to taunt the coming winter with more "summery dishes".

I found this recipe in a cookbook by Anna & Michael Olsen's Cook At Home. They are a Canadian talent, a couple and, from the sounds of things, enjoy that symphony of cooking together (that's hot)!

Most people know Anna Olsen for her sweets TV show called Sugar but in this book, the couple opens up their kitchen and they share some sweet and savoury dishes with the reader.

I call this clam dish a harvest linguine because I noticed that all of the ingredients are at their prime now.

Clams are easy to clean, affordable, look pretty, a great dish for a romantic dinner and simply delicious.

Harvest Linguine With Clams

1lb. small clams
1/4 extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1 small red pepper, cut into strips
1 rib of celery, cut into strips
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp. of fresh thyme
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley
coarse salt & pepper
chili flakes
1/2 package of dry linguini

1. Rinse the clams in cold running water to get rid of the sand. Discard and broken clams or any that do close when tapped. Reserve in the fridge until you're ready to start cooking.
2. Take your clams out of the fridge and place them in a bowl of cold water and throw in some flour or cornmeal to soak for about 30 minutes. This process will further allow the clams to spit out any remaining sand. Rinse in a strainer and reserve.
3. Bring a large pot of water to boil and then salt generously. Add linguini and cook until "al dente".
   
4. In a large saute pan over medium heat, add oil, onion, red pepper and celery and saute for 2-3 minutes to soften. Add garlic and clams and toss to coat. Add wine and thyme, cover and steam for 8 -10 minutes. Once all the clams have opened, add parsley and season to taste (discard any clams that have not opened).
5. When your pasta is done, strain the water and then place the pasta back in the pot and toss some clam broth with the linguine.
6. Plate your pasta on a large platter or bowls, spoon over the clams and remaining broth and garnish with fresh parsley and some chili flakes.
   

Mâche Greens With Feta Dressing

The unusually warm autumn weather has allowed me to continue to eat some salads before the Canadian deep freeze sets in. We're just beyond a week until Hallowe'en, I'm wearing short-sleeves and there are still alot of trees with greenery on them.

I often also pass through my local Asian market. I find good, inexpensive and often more exotic produce.

Recently I found some mache (lamb's lettuce), by mistake. I thought I was buying some baby spinach but what when I went back to the market I saw what I had in fact bought and it (mache) was good.

Mache (lamb's lettuce) is a good source of B-group vitamins and Vitamin C. It has a mild taste with a peppery finish which I like. I found this green to take well to many flavours and I treated it as if I were making a spinach salad.

Mache is even better than spinach as it has 1/3 more iron than spinach! Next time you're out at the market, look for mache (lamb's lettuce) and try it for your salad.

I present my Mache Greens With Feta Dressing as my entry for this week's edition of Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted by Susan from the Well Seasoned Cook.

Mache Greens With Feta Dressing

1 bag of mache (washed and dried)
4 white mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cucumber, sliced into half moons
1/3 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
4 strips of crispy bacon, chopped
1 scallion, finely chopped
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
! Tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Feta Dressing

1/2 cup of strained Greek-style yogurt
1 clove of garlic, finely minced
2 Tbsp of mayonnaise
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup of crumbled good feta
2 Tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil

1. Mix your ingredients for dressing in a bowl and reserve.
2. Mix all of your salad ingredients and add salt and pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
3. Plate your salad and then spoon dollops of feta dressing on top. Garnish with Sumac.
   

Clafoutis of Berries

I recently won a cookbook through Food Network Canada's "blog" section. It's part of the overall site but here you can read all the upcoming Food Network shows, specials, previews, behind the scene interviews, and read from fellow bloggers who guest write.

I won a cookbook that features recipes from Chile. This South American country is well known for it's wines but why on earth they haven't promoted their rich cuisine is beyond me!

I've looked through the book a few times and one sees alot of Mediterranean flavours & influences mixed with some South American ingredients. I'm excited to try some of these recipes and actually introduce myself (and all of you) to some new ingredients!

I'll start off with something easy but I've never tried it before, clafoutis. I had a bag of mixed berries in my freezer and their time had come. Although a clafoutis is French in origin, I see that it's influence has reached as far as Chile!

A clafoutis is an easy dessert, whipped up in minutes and perhaps a good choice as a dessert offering if you have surprise visitors. It's easy, quick, forgiving and substitutions could be easily made, much like a pizza. Pick your fruit or array of fruit and try out a clafoutis.

Clafoutis of Mixed Berries

Butter
6 cups of assorted berries
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup Cognac or brandy
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup of sugar
pinch of salt
icing sugar for dusting (about a 1/4 cup)

1. Preheat your oven to 325F. Butter individual bowls/ramekins (I used 4 that were 5 inches in diameter) and distribute the berries in them and set aside.
2. In a bowl, place the eggs, milk and brandy and whip until blended. Add the orange zest, cinnamon, flour, sugar and salt and mix throughly. Pour into the reserved bowls over the berries (leave 1/4 of the berries exposed).
3. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve warm.
   

Thai Clubhouse Sandwich

One of the advantages of surfing others' food blogs is seeing visually enticing foods but the recipes do not always use traditional ingredients one keeps in their pantry.

Katerina of Daily Unadventures in Cooking made a lovely Curried Mango Chicken Salad and I had all the ingredients except for the curry powder (it's almost taboo in my home).

I went to my local Asian market and I found a mild curry powder and my thought process was I could always kick-up the heat with something else.

Not to make a carbon-copy of Katerina's sandwich, I thought of what flavours come from Asia? Asian food is about yin-yang, hot-cold, contrasts, soft and crisp and I came up with the Thai Clubhouse Sandwich!

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 Tbsp yogurt
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 green mango, diced
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 green onions, finely chopped
1/4 sweet red bell pepper, diced
a squirt of Sriracha hot sauce
a squeeze of lime juice
salt & pepper to taste

1. Combine all of the above ingredients in a bowl and mix well with a spoon. Adjust for seasoning.
2. Take a sesame seed baguette, cut in into the sandwich size you like, spread the Thai chicken salad on the bottom bun and then stack your cooked bacon slices, slices of red pepper and a leaf of lettuce and drizzle some sweet & sour sauce and munch on this heaping sandwich.
   

Greek Salad With Roasted Garlic-Tomato Dressing

If anyone's going to show you varying renditions of a Greek salad, it better be a Greek, um K?

I, like many of many probably got sick of the 90's food fad where everything seemed to have sun-dried tomatoes in them. I've only just started to get back into them. I liken the self-inflicted exile to tuning out to an overplayed song that's been overkilled...Stairway to Heaven anyone??

This dressing is a bright, vibrant one and I liked the complexity of the flavours and it's thick...sticks well to the salad. I found this salad in the most recent issue of Food & Drink and it's not on their internet database but I've got it here for ya! One final note...there's no need for salt in this salad as the the feta and olives take care of your seasoning.

Greek Salad With Roasted Garlic and Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing

1 head of garlic, unpeeled
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 to 2 Tbsp of water 2 sun-dried tomatoes, minced

Greek Salad
1/2 head of romaine lettuce, leaves torn
1 large ripe tomato, cut into wedges
1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/3 English cucumber
a handful of black olives
1 slab of feta, crumbled

1. Preheat your oven to 400F. Using a knife, slice off the top of the garlic head, just exposing the cloves. Place the garlic in a small oven-safe dish and drizzle with olive oil and cover with foil. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until soft.
2. Once the garlic has cooled, squeeze out the roasted garlic into a bowl and mash them with a spoon. Stir in your oregano, pepper, sun-dried tomatoes and whisk in your oil. If the dressing is too thick, whisk in some water until you get your desired consistency.
3. In a large bowl, add your salad ingredients. Add your dressing and toss. Top with feta and olives and serve.
   

Chicken Avgolemeno With Prunes

In the realm of Greek cooking, there's a renaissance in motion. The folks in Greece are traveling more than ever and expanding their palettes. Greeks of the diaspora have substituted/compensated traditional Greek ingredients with what's at hand and returning their focus to the classics, kicked up of course!

I'll give the example of Italian-Americans using American ingredients to create new Italian-inspired dishes. The same experience has been underway with Greek cuisine. I've heard of Greek-Canadian hunters making a stifado with Canadian venison. What you have are a cross-pollination of ingredients and a return to traditional ingredients.

What again I ask is Greek food? In my dictionary, it's like a Greek grandmother, embracing as many grandchildren as possible: if it can grow in Greece, it's Greek; if a new taste is discovered by a Greek, it's Greek; if non-traditional ingredients are used in Greek-inspired dishes, it's Greek. I've heard people in Athens lament that when they have Chinese food, it tastes "Greek"!

It's wide open for interpretation, as long as the emphasis is on quality and freshness. It's an exciting time for Greek and largely for the whole Mediterranean basin. Scientists and doctors confirm over & over that the Mediterranean diet is a boon to the long life span of it's people.

While I was in Greece, I noticed that they too have a "food thang" goin' on. Each morning show on the major networks has a cooking segment, there are at least 3 tv shows dedicated to cookery and I even saw Food Network segments dubbed in Greek!

One such show is called Boukia and it's host is the affable Ilias Mamalakis. His show travels around Greece and he discovers Greek dishes that are regional, family dishes and sometimes taverna editions.

Ilias Mamalakis has also endorsed the Greek version of BBC's Olive magazine (which I picked up in Greece). I tell ya there's some neat things goin' on in Greece, like this new dish I'm presenting to you all here. It's a chicken dish in an Avgolemeno Sauce With Prunes. It uses ingredients that are native to Greece but new to our palletes. Mark this one down as Nea (new) Greek Cuisine.

For this dish, I used a dry, Greek white wine and it comes from Santorini. Not only is Santorini popular amongst tourists and honeymooners but oinophiles boast that it's volcanic, shale-like soil produces a unique dry wine. I used the Boutari Santorini 2006 dry white. It's 100% Assyrtiko grape, only found in Greece.

Greece's unique grape varietals are one of the reasons that the cradle of wine production is quickly earning it's mark once again in the wine making industry and of course, creating a huge demand for a country that produces so little.

Here in Canada, The Kolonaki Group has brought this wine amongst others to your favourite dealer of wine & spirits. If you don't see a wine you like on the shelf, orders can be made by the case and picked up at your nearest wine dealer. Furthermore, having just come back from Greece where you pay for everything in Euros, the price points of these Greek wines is competitive with Europe and, affordable vs. our local and other more popular new world wines.

The next time you're out for Greek, try the Greek wine at the restaurant. Ask the waiter about the what region it's from, the type of grape and if they can help you pair the right wine for the right meal.

Chicken Avgolemeno With Prunes (Κοτόπουλο Avgolemeno με τα δαμάσκηνα)

1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
white flour for dredging
1/4 cup of sunflower oil for sauteeing
24 pitted prunes
1/2 cup of Boutari Santorini Wine
2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
1/3 cup olive oil
1 large onion, pureed through a box grater
2 eggs
the juice of 1 1/2 lemons
salt and pepper

1. Cut your chicken into pieces. Wash and pat dry all the pieces. Season the pieces with salt & pepper and dredge them in flour.
2. Under medium-high heat, pour into a large skillet your oil and when it starts to ripple, brown your chicken pieces in batches and reserve on a plate.
3. Drain the oil and replace with olive oil. Now throw in your onions and let them cook for about 5 minutes. Now add your chicken pieces back, your wine and place the lid on. Turn the heat down to medium & allow to simmer for about 10 minutes.
4. Now add your chicken stock and prunes and bring back to a boil. Leave the lid off, reduce the heat to medium and allow the skillet to simmer for about 45 minutes or until the liquid had reduced to half. Take off the heat and place the lid back on.
5. Make your Avgolemeno Sauce by separating your egg whites from the yolks. Add a splash of water and beat your egg whites until stiff. Blend in your yolks, then add your lemon juice and beat until thick. With a ladle, add a small amount of the hot broth to temper the heat. Now add the egg/lemon/stock mixture to the skillet, cover with a lid and surely shake the skillet to complete your Avgolemeno Sauce. Serve with a side of rice pilaf.
   

Fassoulada (φασολάδα)

Every single Greek person that I know and every single household has this hearty (usually vegetarian) soup in their family's roster of dishes. Fassoulada is often served on Fridays when no meat is prepared, during Great Lent or on any other religious fasting day.

I like abstaining from red meat on Fridays and this soup remarkably does fill you up. If you take a look at the photos, Fassoulada is accompanied by bread, olives and toursi (pickled veggies). Some Greek homes make this a spicy soup with a noticeable presence of peperoncino.

Another variance that I like for fassoulada is giving it a split-pea soup kind of twist by simmering a smoked ham hock in it and make it an even heartier soup. Before I get on to the recipe, remember that you must soak the dry beans overnight or else you'll have tough, chewy bean soup and to speed up the cooking time, use a pressure cooker.

Fassoulada (φασολάδα)

1 cup of small dry (white) navy beans
1 large stalk of celery, halved lengthwise then cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large carrot, halved then cut into 1/2 inch pieces on a bias
2 medium onions, diced
1/2 cup of pomodoro or tomato sauce
1/2 olive oil
2 bay leaves
1 whole chile pepper
2 tsp. of smoked paprika
8 cups of water
Vegeta seasoning for taste

1. The night before you are to make this soup, soak the beans in water overnight.
2. Drain the water from the beans and place them into a pressure cooker. Now add all of the remaining ingredients into the pressure cooker.
3. Close the lid of your cooker (according to mfgrs' instrcutions) and place in on high heat. You should have the cooker whistling in about 20 minutes.
4. Lower your heat to medium and allow the soup to simmer in the cook for an hour. Take your cooker off the heat, release the steam switch and ONLY open the cooker after you cease to hear any whistling.
5. Adjust for seasoning with with salt or I recommend Vegeta seasoning.
   

Potatoes "au Gratin" With Onions

When I first got back from my vacation I was jet-lagged, very relaxed, my mind was still on a beach in Greece and mentally I was nowhere near thinking of how to satisfy my hunger and ultimately, share my food with you.

Fast forward to a month from returning from Europe and I now have a backlog of food to present and I'm also indebted to some hosts who showed me an entertaining Sunday afternoon in Toronto.

It may sound like an oxymoron but yes...some fun can be had in stodgy, Toronto the Good.

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to attend "A Greek Odyssey" at Toronto's Cheese Boutique by by new friend, Steve Kriaris of The Kolonaki Group.

Steve (Kolonaki Group) brings some of Greece's best boutique wines to satisfy Canada's growing demand for wine and in particular, wine from Greece.

Upon entering the Cheese Boutique, I was greeted with the sounds of Greek music, witnessing a lamb being roasted on the spit and the whiff of cheese emanating from the store itself.

The Cheese Boutique is located in Toronto's west end, just minutes from the Bloor West Village and it boasts of having the best of cheeses, deli meats, olives, bread, dried and fresh pasta, coffee, teas, fresh produce, meat and many spices and marinades to heighten taste.

Walking out of the Cheese Boutique is a hard thing to do without leaving empty handed. What caught my eye (although I've seen it before) is a Mimolette. It's a spherical cheese that looks like a cantaloupe on the outside and on the inside, it's a bright orange, aged cheddar that achieves it's bright orange colour naturally. SOLD!

As my ode to the Cheese Boutique, I used the Mimolette to make my Potatoes "au Gratin" With Onions or if you like...a fancy scalloped potatoes.

Potatoes "au gratin" with Onions

4 medium-sized Yukon Gold potatoes, washed, scrubbed and thinly sliced (I used a mandoline)
1 medium-sized red onion, thinly sliced (mandoline)
3 Tbsp of fresh thyme
2 Tbsp of fresh chopped parsley
4 Tbsp. of unsalted butter
1/3 cup flour
1 1/2 cups of milk
2 cloves of garlic, roughly minced
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup of grated Mimolette
1/2 cup of grated Graviera (a Greek white cheddar)
pinch of nutmeg
salt & pepper to taste
bread crumbs

1. Preheat your oven to 375F. Slice your potatoes and onion using a mandoline and toss in a bowl with the thyme and parsley. Reserve.
2. Using a medium-sized saucepan, melt your butter under medium-high heat; then add the flour and with a wooden spoon, stir constantly for a few minutes to cook off the flour.
3. Take the saucepan off the heat and add your milk, garlic, bay leaf and stir constantly under medium-high heat until your white sauce (bechamel) has thickened. Turn your heat down to low and while stirring, add your cheese in batches to melt into the sauce. Add the nutmeg and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Reserve with the lid on.
4. Grease a casserole dish. Now spoon some cheese sauce on the bottom then start layering your potatoes in an overlapping fashion until the layer has been covered. Spread some sliced onions over the potatoes. Repeat the process until the potatoes, onions and cheese sauce are done (you should finish with a final layer of cheese sauce).
5. Sprinkle the top with some bread crumbs and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Let you casserole rest for 5 minutes before serving.
   

Pastitsada (Παστιτσαδα)

Yesterday, I volunteered to clean & organize our freezer as it's been getting difficult to find things...it was a mess.

I literally took every thing out, cleaned the inside of the freezer and separated then organized each category of food.

I found a good piece of stewing veal that was getting to the "6 months" stage and it was
crying , "cook me, cook me"!

I have a good backlog of "to try" recipes and this veal would be perfect for trying a Pastitsada. This is a slow-braised dish that originates from the Greek island of Corfu. Corfu (Kerkyra) is on the Adriatic coast, faces Italy and Pastitsada's origins are Venetian.

If you have a less expensive beef, veal or even some chicken pieces, try this slow-braised dish. It was the perfect, Greek comfort food for a cool, overcast Sunday in TO (Toronto).

Also, you may use any pasta you like as the bed for this spicy (not hot but flavourful spicy). The traditional dish calls for the use of Perciatelli. It's the pasta that looks like thick spaghetti but it's also hollow. I used Tortiglioni because this pasta is new to me, it's ridged like penne and hollow.

This is not a 30 minutes dish but it's easy and if you around the house on a Sunday doing your New York Times crossword...start a pot of Pastitada!

Pastitsada (Παστιτσάδα)

3 lbs. stewing veal or beef
4-6 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large onions, finely chopped
1/3 carrot, grated
1 cinnamon stick
5 allspice berries
3 whole cloves
3 bay leaves
1 cup of dry white wine
3 Tbsp. of balsamic vinegar
1 can of good plum tomatoes, pureed
pinch of smoked paprika
1 lb of Tortiglioni (penne, ziti or rigatoni is fine)
1/2 cup butter
2 oz. of grated parmesan cheese
2 oz. of grated Kefalotyri (or romano) cheese

1. Set the oven to heat to 350F. Rub the veal with coarse salt and fresh black pepper. Make shallow cuts all over the meat and insert the think slices of garlic (use about half).
2. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a oven-safe pot or casserole; then add the meat and sear on all sides. Reserve the meat.
3. Into the same pot, add some more olive oil and saute your onions, grated carrot, the remaining garlic, bay leves, cloves, allspice and cinnamon stick under medium heat for 10 minutes (enough to soften the onions).
4. Deglaze your pot with the balsamic vinegar and white wine and scrape up to loosen all the brown bits. Add your tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and once everything has come to a boil, add your meat into the pot and place the lid on and throw it into the oven for 3 hours. (Part of the meat will be exposed, turn the meat each hour to keep all of it moist. The meat should be tender and flake off using tongs and a fork).
5. Remove the bay leaves and set the sauce aside while you boil your pasta.
6. When the pasta is almost al dente, strain the pasta and reserve for a few minutes. Using the same pot that you boiled the pasta in, put the butter in and melt over medium-low heat and let the butter brown. Once it's turned "nut-brown", add your pasta and half of your grated cheese and and some of the sauce and toss to coat well.
7. Lay your pasta out on a platter and lay the pieces of juicy, flaky meat on top and pour more sauce over top. Finish the dish with more grated cheese and the bay leaves for garnish.

Piperies Gemistes (Stuffed Peppers)

For as long as I can remember putting food in my mouth, I've been eating stuffed peppers. This dish is another Greek standard and it can be made summer or winter. I don't think I've met a Greek who doesn't eat them, who doesn't like them . In fact, I don't think I've ever heard any complaints from my non-Greek friends.

This recipe is also versatile. You can use different coloured peppers, use tomatoes or any other vegetable you can think of stuffing. Today I'm using sweet red peppers which are in season and they are deliciously sweet.

This is an easy dish. I was intimidated for years but when you think about it, all you do is hollow out your peppers, cook off your onions & herbs, add meat and rice, stuff then bake....Ta-DAAAAA!

I'm submitting Piperies Gemistes as my entry for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging. This week's round-up is special as this blog event is celebrating it's second anniversary and the founder Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen has asked us to feature vegetable and and herb in our dishes. Check for the round-up of mouth-watering, original and diverse dishes at Kalyn's Kitchen.

My Piperies Gemistes use red peppers and 3 herbs but I'll highlight mint for today. Mint is a perrenial, has many varieties, thrives in the shade (but can also grow in the sun) and they even survive cold Canadian winters. If left unchecked, they can overun your garden so keep an eye on your mint. When it comes to cooking and mint, again exercise caution as a little mint goes a long way in your dish.

Red peppers. What can be said about red peppers? They are super-tasty, they have more vitamin C than an orange, contain vitamin A and folic acid. Also, did I mention they are delicious?


Piperies Gemistes (Stuffed Peppers)

2 lbs. lean ground beef
12 red peppers, washed, tops cut and inside cored
2 medium onions, diced
1/3 cup olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup of fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup of fresh dill, finely chopped
2 tsp. fresh mint, finely chopped
1 cup of good tomato sauce (pomodoro)
1/4 cup arborio rice
salt and pepper to taste

1. Wash then cut the tops off your peppers. Hollow out the peppers to rid them of any ribs or seeds. Reserve
   
2. Place a large skillet on your stove and heat under medium high heat. Pour in your olive oil then add the onions and garlic and lower to medium heat and simmer for 10 minutes to soften the onions.
3. Add your parsley, dill, mint and and tomato sauce and simmer until most of the liquid is gone and you have a thick mixture. Take off the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
4. Add your rice and ground beef to the onion/herb mixture and and mix all the ingredients using a wooden spoon. Add 2 tsp. of salt and pepper and mix. To taste for seasoning, take a spoonful of the mixture and fry it or cook it in the microwave to taste for seasoning. Afterwards, adjust the seasoning in the mixture to your liking.
5. Using a spoon, stuff your peppers and line the bottom of a roasting pot. Pour 1 cup of water over the peppers and place them in a preheated 375F oven for 1 hour.

Pizza Quatro Gusti

Over the summer, I caught an episode of Jamie Oliver's Jamie at Home and he did a piece on pizza. As many know, pizza in Italy is far different from how it's presented in the rest of the world.

He showed a really neat idea, which was to make a rectangular pizza that would like satisfy everyone's tastes at your party or for your family.

He made the pizza dough, rolled it out onto the baking tray, saved some dough and rolled into 2 thin strips and he made a cross on the surface of the dough. This cross would be your borders for the four uniquely flavoured pizzas you will make out of the large rectangular one!

I tried this method out and it's a great presentation, offers something for everyone and it allows you to experiment a little.

Today I chose to make the Quatro Gusti pizza with the following toppings:

• The Greek pizza with olive oil, garlic, olives, red onions, sun-dried tomato and feta
• The Margherita with tomato sauce, mozzarella and fresh basil
• The Pesto with Grano Padano, basil pesto, artichoke hearts and mushrooms
• The Canadian with smoky bacon, mozzarella, pepperoni and sauce

Have fun with your pizza, try different combos, make it for guests...they'll love it, you'll love it and you become a master at gourmet pizzas!

Turkey Pot Pie

I finally got to the pot O' gold at the end of my rainbow of leftover turkey. We ate turkey for Thanksgiving, had the same dinner as leftovers on Tuesday, made turkey sandwiches, made hot turkey and stuffing sandwiches, made turkey club-houses and boiled the carcass for some tasty turkey stock.

With the turkey stock also comes some flaky turkey meat. I had two options...make turkey salad and push my limits of eating turkey or try something different. I'm glad I chose the latter and tried my hand at a turkey pot pie.

Growing up in '70's Toronto was as Wonderbread, Anglo-Saxon, WASP as one could get. Back then the Greeks, Italians had begun to encroach upon the English neighborhoods and their sanctuaries of boiled beef, beer and fish & chip joints.

Back then as a Greek boy, I felt out of sorts with what were considered my "weird lunches" or pleading to my mom to make something "normal" for when friends came over. One of those foods was beef or chicken pot pies from the supermarket.

My how times have changed! I'm kinda glad that our family tried foods other than Greek, We would try lasagna, roast beef, trifle, beef stroganoff and intersperse all these new foods with our Greek food.

I remember my mom chastizing me for wanting "English" food. She would yell, "waat, arr YOu Crraay-zee, YOU waant thaat Garr-beeje? Greeek food eez the best you VLAKA...we eat THA food of the GODS!

Fast forward to 2007. Toronto is a very cosmopolitan city. I'd say Toronto has as many ethnicities (if not more than New York) with a multitude of international produce and foods available to us. It's evident in the grocery stores. Where strawberry ice cream used to be found, I now see green tea ice cream. Where waffles were found, I now see Udon noodles. Where chicken pot pies were found, I now see frozen Durian fruit!

This recipe (turkey pot pie) took me back to 1970' s Toronto. It was remarkably simple, the taste factor was 10 out of 10 and my only complaint was with the biscuit crust. Although edible, it appears that I forgot to add the cream...DOH!!!!

Turkey Pot Pie
(recipe made 4 portion-sized servings)

1/2 stick of unsalted butter
1 large onion, diced
2 stalks of celery, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces (reserve the leaves for later)
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch circles
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh thyme
1 tsp dried sage
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup of flour
2 cups of turkey (or chicken/vegetable) stock
1/2 cup of half/half cream
1- 1 1/2 lbs of torn cooked turkey meat
1 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 Tbsp of chopped fresh parsley
3 scallions, diced reserved celery leaves
salt & pepper to taste

1. Place your butter into a large saucepan to melt on medium-high heat. Add your onions, garlic, celery, carrots, red pepper, thyme, sage and bay leaves. Turn down the heat to medium-low and let them cook & soften for about 15 minutes.
2. Add your flour, turn up the heat to medium and stir constantly to mix the flour. Allow the flour to cook off for about 5 minutes. Add your stock and cream and bring the heat back up to high. Once it starts boiling, turn the heat back down to medium, stir constantly and allow the sauce to simmer until it thickens to a consistency of a creamed soup.
3. Remove the bay leaves. Now add your frozen mixed veggies and stir in to incorporate and heat through. Add your turkey meat, stir to mix in and then add your parsley, scallions and mix them in as well. Adjust seasoning with salt ( I didn't need any) and some black pepper. Reserve.

Sour Cream Biscuit Dough

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup frozen butter
1/2 cup half/half cream
1/2 cup sour cream

1. Into a bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a food processor. Using a box grater, grate the cold butter into the flour. Add your sour cream and half/half cream. Pulse a few times until the mixture looks dry with some buttery lumps.
2. Take the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough several times. Roll the dough out and cut it into the shape & size of the vessels you'll use to bake your turkey pot pies.

Assembly

1. Preheat your oven to 425F, rack in the middle.
2. Spoon your pie filling into your baking vessels of choice.
3. Set the biscuit dough over the pie filling and brush the tops with an egg wash (1 lightly beaten egg with 3 Tbsp. water).
4. Place the baking vessels on a baking sheet and place in the oven for about 20-30 minutes or until the tops are golden-brown.
   

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Is there anything more North American than Cranberry Sauce? It's as integral to the Thanksgiving table as turkey is.

Like many of you, I used to buy the can of jellied or whole cranberry sauce and no one at the table ever complained but we all knew it had a slight tinny after-taste.

Fast forward to a few years ago and I'm grocery shopping and I see a pile of fresh cranberries in plastic bags.

After all these years I finally pick one up, take a look up at the price (yeah I'll buy it) then I flip the back of the package and what do I see? A recipe for homemade cranberry sauce!

This recipe comes courtesy of Ocean Spray and I've added my own twist...some orange zest!

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

1 cup of sugar
1 cup of water
1 package of fresh or frozen cranberries
1 tsp. of orange zest

1. Mix sugar and water in a medium saucepan; stir to dissolve. Bring to a boil. Add cranberries, return to boil.
2. Reduce heat, add your orange zest and boil gently for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
   
3. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature before refrigerating.

Rounding Out Thanksgiving

Another Thanksgiving standard at my table is the stuffing and cranberry sauce. Both are made from scratch. No need to buy the boxed variety of stuffing or the tinned cranberry sauce...here are the easy, home made versions.

A little about the stuffing, if you're the type that wants it in the turkey, go ahead but please allow the stuffing to cool before actually placing it in the turkey and do not overstuff the turkey. Both cooking errors can lead to a false reading in the stuffing which leads to bacteria which leads to a post-Thanksgiving tummy-ache!

Play it safe, bake your stuffing in a casserole dish...it'll taste just as good and you could always place the turkey on a bed of stuffing if you're looking for a nice presentation. Also, this stuffing can be made ahead of time, refrigerated and then placed in the oven and timed to be ready for dinner.

Finally, don't worry about the giblets & other organ meat in the stuffing. They are finely chopped and no one will know they were even in the stuffing. I hate organ meat but this stuffing is actually complemented by it and others won't even know it's in there...SHHHHH!

Turkey Stuffing

1 baguette or equivalent dry bread, cubed into Croutons(or cube some other bread then dry out in the oven for 30 minutes at 200f).
1 packet of turkey giblets, finely chopped
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 large onion, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
1 bay leaf
3 mild to medium Italian sausages, casings removed and broken up to the consistency of mince
3 Tbsp. of chopped fresh sage
5 Tbsp. of chopped fresh parsley
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups of turkey, chicken or vegetable
1/2 cup of cream
salt and pepper to taste

1. Place your Croutons in your casserole/baking vessel and toss with the parsley, sage some salt and lots of black pepper and reserve.
2. Using a skillet, melt your butter and saute your onions, celery, bay leaf until softened (10 minutes) under medium-low heat.
3. Add your giblets & sausage and saute until browned for another 10 minutes under medium heat. Pour in and stir the cream and reserve to cool to warm.
   
4. Add your stock to the Croutons and toss to coat and wet the entire mixture. Allow to cool for a few minutes then add the egg and mix well.
5. Add your sausage/giblets saute to the casserole and fold until the entire mixture has blended.
6. Bake in a pre-heated 350F oven for 30-40 minutes or until the top has turned a golden brown.
   

Turkey Gravy

As time allows, I'm posting the remainder of my Thanksgiving fixins'. One of the most comforting parts of the meal is eating the velvety gravy....on the turkey, on the stuffing, on the vegetables!

Making gravy is not rocket science, just have a good eye when making your roux and keep on stirring and you'll have lump-free turkey gravy!

Turkey Gravy

• Drippings from a roast turkey
• 5 cups turkey stock or deglazed stock & drippings
  
• 6 Tbsp. flour
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• salt & pepper to taste
• dash of garlic powder

1. Transfer your turkey to a platter to rest. Place the pan back on the heat and deglaze the brown bits with white wine or some water and scrape to loosen the brown bits. Now pour all the drippings into a meauring cup. Leave the brown bits in the bottom of the cup...that's tasty stuff!
2. Let the drippings stand until the fat rises to the top of the measuring cup. Spoon off the fat and reserve.
3. Place a sauce pan on medium-high heat and add your butter. As soon as it bubbles, add your flour and constantly stir until the flour has cooked and has turned a light brown colour. Add your stock/drippings to the pot and bring to a soft boil. If you encounter lumps, use a potato masher to break up the lumps and then continue stirring.
4. Simmer your gravy until you achieve your desired thickness. Check for seasoning with salt and pepper and if you like, some garlic powder can add a nice dimension too!
   

The Rest Of the Thanksgiving Table

As tasty as the turkey was and as much as I'd love to be solely eating turkey, we also had "fixins" at the table. I made garlic-mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce and roasted brussel sprouts.

I'm not trying to be fancy here and show you something new flavour combo...it was Thanksgiving and you want good, tasty dishes that will take your memories of all your previous Thanksgiving dinners.

Garlic-Mashed Potatoes

6 large Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into chunks
6 cloves of garlic
milk
unsalted butter
1/2 bunch of chives, chopped
salt & pepper

1. Place your potatoes and garlic in a pot and bring to a boil. Add a couple of Tbsp. of salt, lower the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
2. Strain your potatoes and place them back in the pot and put the them back on the heat to quickly cook off any residual water. Turn the heat off and add your butter and thoroughly mash (or use a ricer) your potatoes (and garlic) to achieve your mashed potatoes.
   
3. Add some milk and stir in. Add some more milk depending on how think or thin you like your mashed potatoes. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper
4. Add your chives, mix well into the mash and keep warm.
   

A Stress-Free Thanksgiving

The weather-man delivered! We were promised a hot Thanksgiving Day in Toronto and that's what we got...a record 31-point-something Celcius record high.

With weather like this, there was no way I was going lose out on an October tan in Canada. I had a stress-free day enjoying the weather and preparing a Thanksgiving dinner.

Thanksgiving is a day of reflection, appreciating what you have in life and who you have in your life. I don't stray or deviate from my Thanksgiving menu too much. Thanksgiving is not the day to experiment with new dishes. Stick to what you know and what will work, thus allowing you to enjoy this day of giving thanks.

Although unorthodox, I have cooked many meats on my BBQ using the rotisserie and with yesterday's hot weather...I gave Thanksgiving a Greek flare by making a Turkey Souvla (rotisserie).

Another method I ALWAYS use when cooking turkey is to "brine the turkey". I know many have heard of this method but I also know few have tried it. What are you waiting for?

Years ago, I too used to dread Thanksgiving, Christmas or....leftover turkey. Brining a turkey wipes away any anxieties that remain for turkey.

Brining a turkey is easy, it guarantees you a moist, succulent cooked bird each & every time and even the leftovers are moist and I actually look forward to eating turkey all week! People always ask me, " but, but, but isn't the turkey salty"? NO! The turkey takes in water, not the salt. I use the analogy of one eating salty foods...thus wanting to drink water. Your turkey becomes thirsty!

Brining the Turkey
(preparation should commence 1 day ahead of roasting)

First of all, you'll need a thawed turkey, some kosher salt, a clean bucket or other vessel (with a cover) that will hold your turkey, water and some space in your fridge (in case it's not cold enough outside).

1. Wash your turkey and remove any livers, necks, organ meat from inside the cavity. Place your turkey in the bucket and fill it with water until the bird is submerged. Now take your bird out of the water for a moment and add 1 full cup of kosher salt to the water and stir until the salt has thoroughly incorporated. You know have a brine.
   
2. Place your turkey back into the bucket, hold down the bird so that water enters the cavity and thus ensuring your bird stays submerged. Cover with the lid and keep in the fridge or outdoors if it's cold enough. Keep your turkey in the brine for about 24 hours.
3. The next day, say 1 hour before you need to roast...clean your turkey. Remove it from the brine, rinse it thoroughly with cold water and then pat dry. Truss, season, treat your turkey using any method that's preferred by your family. This method is about retaining a moist, roasted turkey. The rest is up to you!

There is so much info out there on cooking the perfect turkey and I've found Butterball's website to be very helpful (they even have a toll-free line)! Try brining your turkey. I've been using this method for 10 years and the turkey has always ended up with the same moist, succulent results.

One last note before I move on to rotisserie turkey is that after you've allowed the turkey to rest and you've started to carve your bird, you'll notice some of the meat is pink....relax! The brining of the turkey will cause some of the meat to turn pink but rest assured your turkey is well cooked. If unsure, invest in a meat thermometer and you can check the breast and leg meat for safe doneness.

Rotisserie Turkey

I have found that one can practically throw anything on a spit and spin it, cook it to a juicy perfection. I found turkey to be an excellent meat for rotisserie use.

However, here's what I learned yesterday about roasting turkey on the rotisserie:

1. Truss your bird. It will be rotating for hours and it needs to be secured so that wings and legs aren't flopping around as it revolves.
2. Ensure that your gas grill is large enough to hold a turkey inside. Measure the dimensions of your grill (lid closed) and see if your turkey will freely revolve without hitting the inside of your grill's lid.
3. Take out the grids and place a drip pan with water under your bird as it's cooking. This method is VERY IMPORTANT. The drip pan with water will prevent grease drippings from smoking, discolouring your bird and ultimately prevent grease fires. Check & replenish water in drip-pan every 30 minutes or so.
   
4. Cook your turkey with the lid closed and use the "slow & low" method. My turkey took about 3 1/2 hours to cook and I maintained an internal gas grill temperature of no more than 325-350F.
5. Finally, I know I being repetitive but DO allow your bird to rest (20 minutes) before carving.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Snacking....Greek Stylez!

When one visits Greece, one drinks. When one drinks in Greece....one eats! Almost always, when out for a drink, the server will provide you and your friends with something to nibble on. It could be nuts, veggies, cold cuts or potato chips.

The Greeks have their own tastes and this is even evident with their "junk food". The most common potato (and tastiest) flavour potato chips has to be sea salt and oregano. I can eat a whole bag!

I've researched on the 'net and came up with my own way to make Potato Chips...in the oven!

Oregano & Sea Salt Potato Chips

2 medium-sized Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandoline)
olive oil
sea salt
black pepper
dried oregano

1. Preheat your oven to 400F. Treat a baking tray with olive oil. Toss your potato slices in olive oil and lay out on the baking tray (no overlapping).
2. Bake until golden-brown, approx. 15 minutes.
3. Season with salt, pepper and oregano and transfer to a rack to cool and crisp well.
   

Is It Soup Time Yet?

I live in Canada, albeit southern Canada but we still have long winters and the summers never last long enough (for me).

I think many of us have noticed changes in the seasons, local climate, Mother Nature having drastic mood swings. Living in Canada is like this: one day you have the air conditioner on - the next day you're flicking on the furnace (no wonder Canadians talk the most about the weather).

It's October in Toronto and the highs for this week will hover above 25 celcius! I'm loving this mild weather but it just ain't right.

I still have my herbs outside and there's no sign of the first frost yet or, a cool day that calls for a comforting soup.

I've had this soup on the backburner since spring, when I watched another episode of Laura Calder's French Food At Home. She made a simple yet delicious soup that uses zucchini and that French cheese with the laughing cow.

The soup is called Vache Qui Rit Soup or Laughing Cow Soup and the ease with which is made is remarkable. I also searched the 'net for varying recipes but basically the soup remains the same.

Have a look at Mme. Marie-Josie Diacre's recipe as well. Add your own twist to this "laughing cow soup".

Vache Qui Rit Soup

2 medium sized zucchinis, washed and sliced into rounds
1 medium onion, halved & sliced
2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
2 cloves of garlic, minced
fresh thyme to taste
1 container wheel of Vache Qui Rit Cheese
salt and pepper to taste chopped fresh chives for garnish

1. Put the sliced zucchini, onions, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper in a saucepan and just cover with stock. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer until the zucchini is just tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Puree with a hand blender - solids first. Now add the cheese and puree again until the cheese is incorporated. Adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.
   
3. Pour into bowls and serve with chopped fresh chives.
   

SHUT THE DOOR....

It's cool inside! It looks like I'll be flicking on the A/C today. That's right, it's October 5th in Toronto and the air conditioner is in use. I thought I had bought everything needed for Thanksgiving but it looks like I'll have to go out and get some sturdy paper plates for my outdoor Thanksgiving Dinner. Cook, serve, eat...slide everything into the waste bin...drink & relax! It's gonna be 30C and I'm spending the whole day in the kitchen, dammit!

For those with cooler weather (Los Angeles will have a high of 20C today) and you're stuck in the kitchen cooking, I've have the perfect meal for you...pan-seared steak! It's a great autumn dish....beef, mushrooms, thyme, port, potatoes, veggies.

If you're the type (like me) that prefers grilling, you'll survive winter doing steaks like I'm going to show...pan-seared, finishing in the oven and served with a pan-sauce...YUM!

Pan-Seared Rib Eye With Mushrooms and Port Reduction (for tw0)

2 rib eye steaks (at least 1 inch thick)
2 Tbsp of olive oil
some unsalted butter
coarse salt and fresh cracked black pepper
1 cup of mushrooms, sliced
1 shallot, minced
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh thyme
1/3 cup of port wine
1/2 cup beef stock
1 tsp Dijon mustard
A splash of whipping cream

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350F. Place an oven-safe pan on the stove, high heat. Rub butter on your steaks and then season with salt and pepper. Add olive oil to your pan and just when the oil starts to smoke, place your steaks in the pan and reduce to a medium, medium high heat. For medium, medium rare, flip your beef after 3-4 minutes then finish of the cooking in the oven (middle rack) for 8 minutes.
2. Using your oven mitts, take out the pan, place your steaks on a plate and reserve. Place the pan back on your stove, medium-high heat and add a little more olive oil and start to saute your shallot and garlic and mushrooms and stir to brown evenly for 5 minutes.
3. Add your port wine, beef stock, thyme and turn up the heat to high and reduce to about half the volume. Lower your heat to just below medium and stir in your mustard, add your cream then taste and adjust for seasoning.
4. Place your steaks into the sauce, turn off the heat and allow the beef to heat through. Serve on a bed of mashed potatoes, pour sauce over the beef and serve with a side of veggies.
   

Al Fresco Thanksgiving?

It seems that global warming is in full throttle. Toronto only saw 28 cm. of rain for all of Septemeber, I'm currently wearing shorts, I might have to flick on the air conditioner this weekend and...it might well be warm enough to eat Thanksgiving Dinner outside!

For those not Canadian, we celebrate (as do the British) Thanksgiving Day this upcoming Monday (Oct.8th). I like Thanksgiving for the obvious feast that it is but also because it's a holiday every Canadian can celebrate...giving thanks to the harvest and the blessings brought to our family.

Back to the dinner. Have you thought about what you're making this year? I don't stray too much and nor do I make this a "Greek-a-fied" Thanksgiving. I prefer the roast turkey with all the usual trimmings.

I'll be showing you how I celebrated Thanksgiving and hopefully you can apply some of what I learned. You won't get any never before heard of recipes but consistent, easy and delicious courses that will make your Thanksgiving manageable, enjoyable and delicious.

Over the next few days, I'll be eating anything but poultry. Tonight I made a lasagna that I saw on Michael Chiarello's Easy Entertaining.

It's not just any lasagna but a roasted butternut squash lasagna. At first, I was worried about the sweetness and the spices and having this dish turn out into a pumpkin pasta pie!

But no...this rocked! First of all, the roasted butternut squash could be eaten as a side dish for Thanksgiving (hint-hint). The lasagna itself has a sweetness but it's offset by the ricotta, parmesan and mozarella. Also, this recipe uses a Bechamel Sauce which I now firmly believe is a must to hold lasagna together.

As always, when I'm making a dish for the first time, I make few if any changes to the original recipe. This one is no exception other than my halving the recipe.

This roasted butternut squash lasagna is a great alternative to meat, it's exotic in flavour and aroma, it sticks together and it's moist. I was impressed - you will be too when you make it.

Bringing the 'Barbie Back Indoors

Have I mentioned that I love BBQ and outdoor grilling? I love it so much that even in the midst of winter, with a strong cold wind, blowing snow and nostril-freezing temperatures...I will grill a steak!

During the fall months one feels the temperature change more and until I get used to the cooler weather, I stay indoors more.

Yesterday was no different. My stomach was telling me BBQ, my instinct said, "make something indoors".

I took out a chicken to thaw from my freezer and I wanted beer can chicken but it was a cool & rain day. I thought to myself, why can't I do beer can chicken in the oven?

It's real simple...you can buy the cheap beer can stand, place the can of beer in the stand then slide the chicken onto the beer can. You also need a tray to catch the drippings and save yourself from a grueling oven-cleaning.

I'm pleased to say that beer can chicken indoors works just as well in the oven, perhaps better! I saw the juicy pan drippings sitting in the tray and I couldn't let that go to waste so...I also roasted some potatoes in there!

This recipe for roasted potatoes comes from my mom's sister, Theia Angeliki who (don't tell my mom) cooks even better than her! She once made a roast with these lemony potatoes with rosemary and they were a bright yellow. These were roasted potatoes with ballpark mustard! I'm naming these potatoes after my aunt's (and family's hometown, Amynteo, Florina).

Greek Roasted Potatoes a la Amynteo

6 medium to large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into large wedges
olive oil
salt and pepper
2 springs of fresh rosemary, chopped
2 Tbsps of ball-park or French's mustard

1. If adding potatoes with a roasting chicken, season lightly with salt, add pepper, olive oil, rosemary and toss to coat and lay the potatoes around the chicken(about 45 minutes before the chicken will be cooked). If you're roasted the potatoes alone, coat the potatoes with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper and toss with the rosemary.
2. The potatoes cook best in a preheated 425F oven. Roast the potatoes for 30-40 minutes and when removed, spoon your mustard on the potatoes and toss them to coat the mustard on all the potatoes.
   

Movie Night

Before I left on vacation, I had promised some cousins to get together and watch a couple of movies, laugh, eat some nibblies and courtesy of one of my cousins, do a round of "card reading" and...laugh some more!

This was a movie night where I wanted to be sitting in the den with my cousins, not tied up in the kitchen. For those wondering, I chose to show the movies Mediterraneo and The Party (featuring Peter Sellers). I picked "make ahead" dishes that could be stored in the fridge or baked as they are needed.

One of the offerings I had were chicken wings, using mainly Mediterranean ingredients. This dish was inspired by Giada's Balsamic Chicken Drumettes. I've found her version to be a little sweet and I've tweaked this dish to satisfy my tastes. Her chicken is quite sweet. I've made my version with chicken wings and made it "xino/gliko" or sweet & sour.

If you want sweet, try hers but if you want something more savory...give Pete's a go!

Xino/Gliko Chicken Wings

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp grated ginger
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup Mavrodaphne (Greek fortified wine)
1/4 cup soy sauce
5 sprigs of rosemary, bruised
5 cloves of garlic, minced
50 chicken wings
2 Tbsp sesame seeds

1. Combine the balsamic, ginger, honey, Mavrodaphne, soy, rosemary, garlic, in a large re-sealable bag or a large bowl that can hold the marinade and wings.
2. Add the chicken wings and seal/cover the bag/bowl and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours,
3. Preheat the oven to 450F. Place the wings on a foil-lined baking sheet (for easy cleaning) and bake until the skin has caramelized and very dark (35-40 minutes).
4. Meanwhile, pour the remaining marinade (minus the rosemary) into a saucepan and reduce uncovered for about 20 minutes or until reduced to about 3/4 to 1 cup (it should be almost syrupy). Reserve.
   
5. When the wings are done, pour the reduced marinade over the wings and toss the wings with a spoon to coat the wings throughly with your sauce.
6. Place and sprinkle sesame seeds over your wings.