Happy Birthday Canada

July 1st is Canada Day or our nation's birthday. Tomorrow this young country will turn 141 and I'm every bit a proud Canadian as I am Greek.

Canada is a nation of the Native peoples, the French and English majority and the multicultural mosaic that's made up of all the other ethnicities.

I'm grateful for the opportunity Canada gave to my parents and my family to begin a new life where hard work was rewarded, that one could achieve any goal if they set their mind to it, a country full of tolerance, peaceful and safe.

Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict emailed me to see if I was interested in participating in a food event that captured the essence of Canadian flavours and foods.

Canada has some of the best that International cuisine has to offer and this is large part due to the rich tapestry of ethnicities within our borders.

After asking my parents and brother what food(s) captured the essence of Canada's food...a unanimous reply was French Fries and Gravy.

What's unique about Canada's fries & gravy is the Montreal specialty of Poutines. Poutines are basically a dish of french fries, cheese curds and gravy.

This dish will NOT appear on the menu of any diets currently being exercised but you only live once, life's not a dress rehearsal and Poutines are too damn delicious to not indulge in every now & then.

Cheese curds have the combined texture of Mozzarella and Halloumi and although widely available in Canada, some difficulty will be had in finding them elsewhere.

What you need here are french fries, cheese curds (Mozzarella is the closest alternative) and a deep brown gravy made from a rich beef stock.

There's no real recipe here other than to do your French Fries properly, seek out cheese curds and make a kick-ass, deeply flavourful and thick beef gravy.

Happy Canada Day!

Korean BBQ (Kalbi)

This past week I was downtown and between meetings and I was left with a few free hours in between.

After scouring Yonge Street for a dinner, I finally settled on having some Korean BBQ. What you have here is beef short ribs that are marinated over night and then quickly grilled over high heat to give you a slightly smoky, sweet and spicy serving of beef that's best eaten with chopsticks or your hands.

I remember reading Ruth's post on Korean BBQ and I knew it was time to try my hand at this fantastic beef dish.

Drawing from deep into the bookmarked abyss of recipes, I tried out the marinade as provided by Jen Lee, as shown on Bobby Flay's Boy Meets Grill.

Now allow me to go on a brief tangent on trying out a recipe from a foreign cuisine. If you're going to test/try a recipe...may I suggest going to the source or a trusted person in that cuisine?

If I'm looking for THE Italian recipe...I seek a recipe from an Italian. Same goes for Greek food. Does some bloke who's spent six weeks in Greece and has been brought up eating watercress sandwiches really have a perspective on Greek food?

In the case of Korean BBQ, even a Top Chef like Bobby Flay stepped aside and allowed Jen Lee (Korean gal) to show him the basics of Korean food and some great "mothership" recipes.

I've done the same here.

Korean BBQ's best know dish is Kalbi (pronounced Galbi) and it uses the cut known as beef short ribs.

The easiest route to finding this cut to visit your local Asian market. They aren't that expensive and one should find them for, at the most $2/lb. When buying these short ribs, look for a lean cut of beef and buy about 8-10 lbs. if serving a family or as part of a party. There's some bones in there and although they look like alot, you'll be surprised at how quickly they are eaten!

When I ate the Kalbi at the Korean restaurant...I had a food epiphany and I knew at that moment that I was, er HAD to try and emulate them at home.

This recipe is bang on and although I won't go through the trouble of making all the accompanying Korean sides...Kalbi will surely make future appearances at summer grill.

A few notes about the recipe: marinate overnight to get the full effect of the flavours and give the meat sufficient time to marinate. As for the pear, you're using the Asian pear here, looks like a light-brown skinned apple but tastes like a mild pear. Finally, these beef short ribs come thin sliced and have been marinated so, 2-3 minutes per side over a highly heated grill works best.

How do I describe the flavour of these short ribs? How about tender, succulent, sweet, savory from the Soy, spicy from the black and red pepper (paprika). If you like a little more heat, squeeze some Sriracha Sauce into the marinade and always....taste & adjust your marinade before adding the meat into the mix but do include the 7-UP...it's a must.

Korean BBQ, I love you!

Psari Plaki (Ψάρι πλακί )

Both of my parents come from towns in the Prefecture of Florina, about 2 1/2 hours NW of Thessaloniki.

My dad comes from a town call Amynteon and my mom's from the neighboring village of Agios Panteleimon. Although I go by Peter in English, my Greek name is Pantelis, which is the patron saint to which my mom's village got it's name from.

Both parents grew up in the mountains (rather than the sea), a rich bounty of fresh water fish was available from rivers and mostly Lake Vegoritida.

Lake Vegoritida is the deepest lake in Greece and local fishermen claim that sometimes (when the lake is clear) they can see the ancient Via Egnatia (Ἐγνατία Ὁδός) that was built by the Romans on the lake's deep bottom.

The folks on my mom's side knew their way around fish and this next dish is a Psari (fish) Plaki dish that my remembers being prepared for the family from when she was a child.

There are many variations (ingredient-wise) to a Plaki dish but basically it's a baked fish dish with an array of vegetables. This is my family's take on it and whole fish (bone in) is recommended.

If you don't have a large fish available, lay smaller whole fish and serve each person their own whole serving.

With today's Psari Plaki, I used red snapper as it's a family favoutite and it was the freshest of the large fresh fish. A large European sea bass like Lavraki (Loup de Mer) also would work wonderfully here.

The interesting facet of this recipe is the use of a "slurry" made of olive oil, flour and paprika. Many Greeks who have had Psari Plaki will attest that sometimes the sauce that's formed from the baking of the fish and vegetables can resemble more of a pool of liquid than a sauce.

The paprika mixture seems to solve this issue, forming a thicker sauce and undeniably more flavour.

Bread lovers...Psari Plaki is a perfect meal for those lovin' the dunkin'...dip that bread in this lush sauce and enjoy this baked fish, the Greek way!

Psari Plaki (Ψάρι πλακί)
(for 4)

1 large whole fish, scaled & gutted
1 bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
2 Cubanelle peppers, sliced into rings
5 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1 medium tomato, diced
1 medium tomato, halved & cut into slices
4 medium sized potatoes, cut into wedges
4 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano (half the amount, if dried)
3 heaping Tbsp. flour
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp. sweet paprika
1 cup water
salt and pepper

Pre-heated 350F oven

1. In a large baking dish, lay the bottom with the layer of chopped parsley and followed by your wedges of potatoes, pepper slices, diced tomatoes and garlic and oregano.
2. Season the fish (inside & out) with salt and pepper and fill the cavity with some garlic, parsley and oregano. Now place the fish on your bed of herbs and vegetables and arrange the slices of tomatoes around the fish.
3. In a large measuring cup add the olive oil, flour and paprika and whisk to incorporate with a fork. Now pour the slurry over the fish and then pour the cup of water over all the surrounding herbs & vegetables.
4. Season with sea salt and ground pepper and place in the middle rack of your oven for 40-45 minutes.
   
5. Carefully remove the fish from the baking vessel and serve each plate with a bed of vegetables, a fillet of the fish and spoon over some sauce.
   

Apricot and Pistachio Cake (Κέικ με φιστίκια και βερίκοκα)

I have a pleasant surprise here for you all. I'm presenting you with a Greek dessert that's not in my family's recipe book, I've never personally heard of nor tried this cake...until now.

I'm also excited to present this cake for this month's Royal Foodie Joust, hosted by Jenn the Leftover Queen. Think of it as our own Iron Chef but the twist here is that your dish must contain three ingredients, as chosen by the victor from the previous month.

For those interested, you have a few days yet in June to get your entry in.

This month's challenge was to prepare a dish that contained butter, apricots and ginger.Check!

This recipe comes from a Greek cookbook I have called "Food of the World - Greece" and this cake uses some of Greece's favourite ingredients and satisfies the criteria for this month's Joust and most importantly, it tastes great!

There are three components to this easy cake: the cake itself, the syrup and the topping. Before I go on with the recipe I would like to add that I surprised my toughest food critic - my mom!

Her reaction after trying this cake? "Where did you get this recipe and write it down for me"!

Apricot and Pistachio Cake (Κέικ με φιστίκια και βερίκοκα)

1/2 cup dried apricots
zest and juice of 1 large orange
1 stick of unsalted butter (room temp.)
3/4 cup icing sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 2/3 cups fine semolina flour
1 Tbsp. ground ginger
1 cup ground almonds

For the Syrup
3/4 cup Greek honey
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tsp. lemon juice

For the Topping
1 1/2 cups Greek Yogurt
2 Tbsp. icing sugar
couple of drops of almond extract
2/3 cup shelled, unsalted pistachio nuts, chopped

1. The evening before you want to bake this cake, put the apricots, zest and orange in a bowl and allow to soak for at least 12 hours (in the fridge). It's also good to place your yogurt in a mesh strainer(with a pot underneath to catch the water) and place that in the fridge overnight to strain.
2. The next morning, pre-heat your oven to 35oF and grease and line a round, 9 inch(23 cm) loose-bottomed cake pan. Transfer the apricots and juice to a food processor and blend until smooth.
   
3. Add the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat together until light & fluffy. Add the egg yolk, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the semolina and ground almonds and mix well together and now add the semolina and ground almonds and mix well together. Fold in apricot puree.
4. Whisk the egg whites until stiff then fold into the batter mixture. Turn the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the top is a light, golden brown.
5. In the meantime, make the syrup by adding the orange juice, honey and lemon juice into a small saucepan and bring to a boil, then simmer for 2-3 minutes. Keep the syrup just hot.
   
6. When has baked, let it stand in the pan for about 5 minutes before removing, then remove from the pan and place on a wire rack (with a plate underneath). Prick the top of the cake all over with a skewer and then spoon over the the hot syrup over the warm cake and leave on the wire rack to cool.
7. When the cake has cooled and all the syrup has been absorbed, place in the fridge until ready to serve. When you're ready to serve the cake, bring to room temperature and mix the icing sugar and almond extract with the strained yogurt.
   
8. Spread the yogurt over the cake and top with the chopped pistachio nuts.
   

Lemon Linguine

Most of you who are food enthusiasts (freaks) like myself, you've noticed by now that many items on your grocery bill have gone up.

One glaring spike in prices is with lemons. Limes I can find for 6 for $1, oranges are decently priced but lemons? The best deal I've found so far this year is 2 for $1.

Are lemons going to become a luxury item? Will we have to resort to using bottles of "real remon" juice? I don't think so.

Citrus is a staple in our house and if Canada didn't have a pipeline of oranges, lemons & limes heading up north, we'd be the scurvy capital of the world.

To help ward off any signs of scurvy, I whipped up this light but substantive pasta dish, borrowing from the style of Carbonara , where egg yolks make the sauce.

I originally was inspired (forced) to make such a dish from watching Paula Deen make a similar dish using sour cream, milk and lemon juice.

Do not make this dish. My insticts were telling me this would be too sharp, tart & sour - and I was right. The two bowls of pasta were chucked in the garbage.

On to the second attempt and Lemon Linguine Carbonara and the YES....success. Basically, I'm slowly sauteing some onions and garlic 'til translucent, then I hit the pan with some fresh squeezed lemon juice and take off the heat and reserve.

While your pasta is boiling, whisk some egg yolks with cream, grated Romano and lots of cracked black pepper and sett aside until your pasta is done.

Lemon Linguine Carbonara
(for 2)

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, smashed
juice of 1/2 lemon
zest of 1 whole lemon
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup cream
grated Romano cheese
lots of cracked black pepper
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
approx. 4 oz. of dry linguine
reserved pasta water
salt to taste

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a good amount of salt upon boiling and add your linguine. Cook as per package's directions.
2. In a skillet over medium heat, add your olive oil and onions and garlic and saute on medium to low heat for about 5 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add your lemon juice and set aside.
3. In a bowl, whisk your eggs, cream, black pepper and grated cheese and set aside.
4. When your pasta is done, reserve some pasta water then drain and now add the linguine into the skillet along with the egg/cream mixture, lemon zest and some pasta water.
5. Toss the egg/cream mixture until the residual heat of the pasta has turned the mixture into a creamy sauce. Taste and adjust for seasonig and add the chives and parsley before giving one final toss.
6. Plate and serve immediately.
   

Tomato Fritters (Ντοματοκεφτέδες)

Yesterday's post with the fried calamari triggered fond memories of when I visited the island of Santorini in 1988.

These photos are from deep, deep, deep in the Kalofagas photo vault and they were taken at a little fishing outlet, situated below the village of Oia.

To this day, I fondly remember eating fresh caught squid that was turned into fried calamari and the now famous Santorini tomato fritters.

Santorini's tomato fritters are special as these small tomatoes are stressed into ripeness from the blazing sun, little moisture and volcanic soil. The result is the sweet, ultra-flavourful, dwarf-like Santorini tomato or "domatinia".

These little tomatoes are nearly impossible to find outside of Santorini and my challenge was to emulate as much as possible, the sweet and concentrated flavour of these "pseudo-keftedes".

I decided the best approach would be to roast some ripe cherry tomatoes under high heat with only the coaxing of olive oil, salt, pepper and a few cloves of garlic to add flavour.

There are several recipes for these tomato fritters and the usual binding ingredients are self-raising flour, eggs and breadcrumbs. I've take a slight departure and omitted the breadcrumbs as I find them to unnecessarily blacken the fritter.

Instead, I opted for a baked potato's starch to act as the glue. As for flavourings, the usual trinity of dill, parsley and mint are the herbs of choice but this time I opted to substitute dill with fresh basil and the outcome was a pleasant surprise.

Being the kind of person that likes to tweak a recipe (just a bit), I added some crumbled feta for even more flavour, some tartness to offset the sweet tomatoes and just because I love gooey, warm cheese.

For anyone that's made a vegetable fritter, you should note that the mixture (and final result) is a little softer than your usual fritter mixture. I found an ice cream scooper to be a fine way to scoop and drop each fritter into the hot oil.

Your final result should be a deep red pattie that's speckled with green herbs, crisp on the outside and and soft on the inside.

Tomato Fritters (Ντοματοκεφτέδες)
(makes approx. dozen patties)

1 kg. of ripe cherry tomatoes
1 bunch of scallions, chopped
Approx. 1 cup of self-raising flour
1 baked potato, mashed
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
fresh ground pepper to taste
1 egg
crumbled Greek feta to taste
vegetable for frying

1. In a roasting pan, toss your cherry tomatoes with some olive oil, salt, pepper and some cloves of garlic and roast in a preheated 450F oven for about 30-40 minutes or until they are slightly shriveled the the skins have just burst. You may also bake your potato while the oven is roasting. Allow to cool to room temperature and strain the excess liquid and reserve the roasted tomatoes in a large bowl along with the mashed potato.
   
2. In a skillet, add some olive oil to the pan over medium heat and add your chopped scallions and saute until they have softened and translucent. Allow to cool and add to the bowl with the tomatoes.
3. Add your flour, egg and herbs and black pepper mix throughly with a wooden spoon. The mixture will be soft and wet but sticky. Add more flour for binding as needed.
4. Add some crumbled Feta and taste test your mixture. Adjust flavourings with herbs, pepper or with some more cheese.
5. Add your vegetable oil to a large, non-stick frying pan (about 2.4 cm high) over medium high heat and drop a bit of the mixture in. When it starts to sizzle, your oil is hot enough for you to begin frying off your fritters.
6. Use an ice cream scooper to drop your fritter mixture into the oil and flatten each fritter into the shape of a pattie. Fry each fritter for about 2 minutes per side and reserve on large plate or platter that's covered in paper towel.
7. Fry off in batches and reserve in a warm oven until the entire batch is ready to be served.
8. Serve as part of an array of Greek mezedes with some Ouzo and ice.
   

Something Old, Something New - Seafood Edition

Last Friday was one of the few evenings where it hasn't rained around dinner time. We're now officially into summer and it's been quite rainy. Me thinks summer in Toronto might be cancelled. This is one of the few instances where I hope I'm wrong.

I have two dishes at the plate today. The "something old" would be fried calamari - you know...squid.

Here, I've deep-fried calamari rings. You'll find decent, frozen calamari rings at your supermarket and if you love calamari, this good convenience product saves you from the trouble of having to clean squid.

There's no rocket science here, the calamari rings are dredged in a seasoned combo of all-purpose and corn flour. If you want to have fried calamari at your home just the way you first tasted it at the Greek "psarotaverna", the simple and straightforward approach can be viewed here.

The "something new" is a shrimp dish I saw, gawked at, and tried. Now I'm sharing it with you. It's easy, quick, hard to screw up and delicious.

This recipe comes from Bobby Flay's Boy Meets Grill but interestingly (and refreshingly) this dish is not his but it comes from Bobby's inlaws.

Bobby Flay married Stephanie March, best know for her work in Law & Order. In this episode, she and her sis and mother make an appearance and share their family favourites with Bobby and the viewer.

I love this shrimp dish because it's easy, a little spicy, incorporates some quick grilling and when you taste the shrimp, you get the tangy zing from the lime and then bite into a contrast of naturally sweet, succulent shrimp.

Folks, this is a family favourite from Texas and now I know why...it's easy and tastes "dang good".

One final note...as instructed, leave the shrimp shells on. Eat this shrimp dish with your hands...suck the juices out of it, peel & eat to your enjoyment and damn to all who insist on cutlery.

Leave that for the the loopy characters in Seinfeld who ate the Snickers Bar with a fork & knife!

Cretan Dakos

Greece is a small country geographically. It's northernmost borders abut Albania, FYROM, Bulgaria and Turkey and the rest of the country is surrounded by sea.

This makes Greece a peninsula but one cannot forget the hundreds of islands that dot the Mediterranean and host as Europes's playground each summer.

Greece's largest island is Crete (South of the mainland). If you ask any Greek, they will tell you Crete is a "must see" island.

Cretans are an independant bunch, leaders rather than followers and if one took a look at their lifestyle, you'd think their motto would be " why fix something that's not broken". This is certainly true of the Cretan Diet.

Although most Greeks eat much of the same foods on a daily basis, Cretans are steeped in the old ways...buying and consuming locally sourced produce, meats and other goods that arrive on the kitchen table. The Cretans are blessed with still being able to live off the bounty of their land.

Here are the basics of the Cretan Diet:

• Eat local and eat seasonally.
• Incorporate as much wild greens into your daily diet as possible.
• Eat a moderate amount of dairy and milk products.
• Limit the consumption of meat to once or twice a week.
• Eat a moderate amount of seafood.
  
• Olive oil is the principle fat in the diet.
• An abundance of local and seasonal fruits and vegetables are consumed.

I have not been to Crete (yet) but I will go, perhaps next year. It's a big island and I believe that a two week tour of the island will do it justice and give me a good taste of what I like of the island. That way, I can pinpoint where to visit on Crete during future visits.

For a few months now, I've been getting a daily glimpse into Cretan life through the eyes and words of Maria of Organically Cooked. Maria is an ex-pat New Zealander of Greek extraction who now lives permanantly in Crete with her husband and children.

Maria writes in depth accounts of Cretan life, diet, recipes, traditions and the struggle of an ancient society trying to buck the changing world around them. It's an uphill battle but Cretans are strong - they will prevail.

One of Crete's most popular gifts to Greek cuisine is the Cretan Dakos. Dakos are a twice baked rusk made of whole wheat or barley flour and bread has always been an important part of Cretan and Greek diets.

Dakos or Paximadi have been known in Crete since the Middle Ages. These rusk-like rolls are shaped into rings and baked once before being sliced in two and dried slowly in a cooling oven.

After searching on the 'net for a Dakos recipe...all I would come up with are instructions with how to dress a Dako...DUH!

This recipe is from a chef named Ioannis Lappas. Three types of flour are used here: regular all-purpose, whole-wheat and barley.

If you're wondering where to find barley flour, check out a health food store or a bulk food store (that's where I found mine).

Dakos are Greece's own Bruschetta. When preparing a Dakos, be generous with the extra-virgin olive oil and allow a couple of moments for them to become thouroughly impregnated. Not only does it provide the bread with a great taste but it prevents the juices of the tomatoes from making the bread soggy (crunchy is good here).

Finally, although most Cretans wouldn't do this, I recommend mincing some garlic into the grated tomatoes or brushing the Dakos with a clove of garlic to impart some flavour.

Cretan Dakos (baking)
(makes 48 halves)

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup barley flour
1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
some warm water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. salt
3 cups of warm water

Pre-heated 400F oven

1. In one bowl, add your yeast with some sugar and tepid water and allow for the yeast to activate for a few minutes.
2. In another bowl, add all three of your flours and salt and mix well.
   
3. When your yeast is readyand active, add the olive oil to your yeast mixture and then make a well in the middle of your flour and add the yeast mixture into the flour and gradually add your warm water while drawing in more flour.
4. Knead the mixture on a work surface that's been treated with bench flour for about 5 minutes. The dough should be moist but not stick to the work surface (add flour as needed). Form into a ball then cover with plastic cling wrap and a tea towel and allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes (room temperature).
5. Divide into small balls and then roll each out into a long piece of dough, then form into a ring.
6. Place each ring onto a oiled baking tray and cover. Allow the dough to rise (expand) for another hour or so.
7. Place your tray in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes and bake in batches. When the bread is still warm but safe to handle, cut each ring into half and place back on the baking tray.
8. Turn your oven off and place your trays of Dakos back in the oven for about 40 minutes to dry up in the oven's residual heat.
   
9. When the Dakos have returned to room temperature, you may dress your Cretan Dako.

Dressing Cretan Dakos

4 Cretan Dakos
Extra-virgin olive oil
clove of garlic
1 large very ripe, sweet tomato
crumbled feta cheese
dried Greek Oregano

1. Take a clove of garlic and use it to scrape on the Dako to impart the garlic flavour on the bread.
2. Now generously drizzle extra-virgin olive oil onto each Dako and allow for the oil to soak in for a few minutes.
3. Make a puree of fresh tomato using the side of your box grater with the largest holes and discard the skin.
4. Spoon the tomato puree onto each Dako.
5. Now top with crumbled Greek Feta and finish off with dried Greek oregano.
6. Serve as an appetizer, meze or snack.
   

Chicken in 360 Degrees

One of my favourite ways to prepare chicken is in my grill, summer time, beer can chicken style.

Last year, one of the earlier posts I made was for a more classic version of this American gift to BBQ.

This year, I kick it up a notch, shake up the ingredients and use the same, "shove the beer can up the chicken's ass" method.

One of the best sources of outdoor grilling has to be Steve Raichlen's Barbecue University.

Today, I'm showing you his Ragin' Cajun' Beer Can Chicken recipe or rather, his method of beer can chicken.

I've dumbed it down a bit as I'm using a gas grill but you get the same, smoky effect from the ingredients, moist, aromatic meat and crispy as Hell skin...Umm UMM GOOD!

Ragin' Cajun Beer Can Chicken

1 can of beer
1 whole chicken
1 tsp. liquid smoke
1 1/2 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning
1 1/2 Tbsp. Old Bay Seasoning
2 tsp. vegetable oil

1. Open your can of beer pop the tab off and using a can opener, make two more holes in the can. Now pour in your liquid smoke ad stir with a skewer to mix it well. Reserve.
   
2. Remove the giblets, etc. from the cavity of the chicken and throughly wash the chicken and pat dry. Remove any excess fat and place the chicken in a large bowl. Pour about a third of the beer & liquid smoke mixture over the chicken ans place in the frdge for an hour (turning a couple of times).
3. Place your can of beer onto the stand (if you have one) until your chicken is ready.
4. Return the chicken to room temperature and mix the Cajun & Old Bay seasonings in a bowl.
5. Rub some vegetable oil on your chicken (olive oil will burn) and rub some seasoning in the cavity and the rest all over the outside of the chicken.
6. Place your chicken on top of the beer can (and stand) and place a tray underneath to catch any drippings.
7. Preheat your grill with one side of the grill's gas turned on and the other side being turned off. Close the lid and wait until the temperature reads 360F.
8. Transfer your chicken over to the side of the grill that's not turned on and close the lid.
9. Roast your chicken for 70-80 minutes or until the juices run clear.
10. Allow 15 minutes for the chicken before carving.
    

Kourkouto With Zucchini (κουρκούτo με κολοκυθάκια)

Despite being a ten hour plane ride away from Greece, technology and media has brought the world (and myself) closer to our respective homelands.

I measure the pulse of Greek food through the internet, Greek magazines, word of mouth, frequent visits to Greece and through the miracle of satellite TV.

Today, I caught a morning Greek show and I was fortunate enough to catch the cooking segment, hosted by Chef Dina Nikolaou.

Today she featured a dish that I suppose one could call a "cheater's pita" as there's no phyllo involved yet the ingredients and flavour would mimic one.

In reality, this is somewhere between a quiche and a frittata, utilizing Greek ingredients to offer up a flavourful, light main course for lunch. Serve this with a side salad and consider lunch served.

The dish's title contains the word Kourkouto (from Kourkouti), which means a "batter" and a major component of the dish is flour. This dish is easy, it's Greek, you won't freak out about how to handle phyllo and it's wonderful hot or cold.

In the ingredient's list, the two cheeses used are Feta and Kasseri.
The name Kasseri is also a protected designation name (PDO) and it's a mild, sheep's or goat's milk cheddar. Many Greek markets and delis carry Kasseri. If you can't find it, a mild cheddar would do just fine here.

Kourkouto With Zucchini (κουρκούτo με κολοκυθάκια)

5 large eggs
1 cup of strained Greek yogurt
1 cup of self-rising flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup olive oil
3 bunches of scallions, finely chopped 3 zucchinis, diced
1 cup Feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup Kasseri, grated
1 cup of chopped fresh dill
ground pepper to taste
sweet paprika to taste (and for garnish) slices of zucchini rounds (for finishing)
a 15" X 10" baking tray, greased with vegetable oil

Pre-heated 350F oven

1. Into a large skillet, add your olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add your chopped onions and diced zucchini (with some salt) and saute over medium heat for about 20 minutes to soften and have most of the water content evaporate (should reduce to about half). Take off the heat and reserve.
2. In a large bowl, whisk your eggs for a couple of minutes until mixed well and then add your flour and baking powder and mix in. Add your yogurt and stir in to mix.
   
3. Now add your grated cheeses and sauteed vegetables and mix to incorporate. Add some ground black pepper and sweet paprika. Have a taste and adjust seasoning (probably will not need any salt).
4. Stir in the the chopped fresh dill and pour the mixture into your greased baking dish.
5. Top with round slices of zucchini and sprinkle some sweet paprika over the entire mixture.
6. Place on the middle rack of your pre-heated oven and baked for approx. 1 hour.
   
7. Allow to rest for about 15 minutes and then cut up into slices.
8. Serve warm or room temperature with a side salad.
   

Rocket (Arugula) Pesto

At the pub where I imbibe my many alcoholic beverages of choice, sits a CD jukebox with an eclectic array of tunes.

One of the CD's in there is by William Shatner...yes, Captain Kirk of Star Trek fame. The dude also dabbled in some "music". I'm not sure if his musical tangent was sarcastic or serious - you decide.

Here, he sings or rather...narrates the lyrics to Elton John's Rocket Man. This version is bad that it's good! Little bored with the same song mix in your CD changer? Need to shake up the tunes at your next party? Throw in some Bill Shatner tunes. You might not fill the dance floor but the you'll stir up some good conversation and a gaffaw or five.

So, it's here that I tie Rocket Man, Bill Shatner and my dish du jour...Spaghetti with a Rocket Pesto.

Elly of Elly Says OPA! is the hostess of Eat to the Beat where food bloggers post a food or beverage related to a song.

If you're interested in contributing, you still have until June 30th to create a dish and submit a tune.

Arugula is pesto and pesto is arugula. I planted some rocket this year in my garden and it was looking full, lush and green but it's starting to grow long, look a little weedy and I figure, save (eat) what I can of the rocket before it goes into the composter.

So, without further ado, here's the Rocket Pesto recipe.

Rocket (Arugula) Pesto
(for 4)

2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
2 cups of fresh rocket
1 cup of fresh basil leaves
2 Tbsp. of chopped walnuts
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. black pepper
splash of good balsamic vinegar
500gr. package of dry spaghetti
salt

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil and then add a good amount of salt. Add your pasta and cook according to package's instructions.
2. Wash and pat-dry your rocket and basil leaves. Add the greens into your food processor along with the garlic, balsamic vinegar, grated cheese and half of your walnuts.
3. Pulse until the mixture is blended and then run your processor at a high speed. Now gradually add your stream of olive oil into the pesto mixture.
4. Adjust seasoning and consistency of pesto (more oil, cheese or any other ingredient lacking). Add the remaining walnuts, pulse a few more times.
5. Empty the pesto into a tub and reserve for upto 1 week in your fridge.
6. When your spaghetti is cooked, drain and add your your pesto while tossing to coat. Add some grated cheese and fresh ground pepper and serve immediately.

A Salad That Makes You Go...WHOA!!!!!!

A common theme that seems to repeat itself over the past few days is the demise of Tastespotting and many of you have already lamented of the void it left when it shut down.

In a healthy, free-enterprise and spirited punch of creativity, many of you have offered up to replace, emulate or substitute a site like Tastespotting, where we will be able to lick the screens of our computer screens again.

Dhanngit of Dhanngit's Kitchen contacted me this morning and invited me to join her new site called Recipe Muncher. I've joined the collective and I must say that enrolling was easy and painless.

I know there will be some other entitities that will pop-up in wake of the Tastespotting demise but for now, I've chosen Recipe Muncher, why don't you?

Isn't it also fitting that a salad like this would even make Granny wet and make Gramps dump all his Viagra?

Look at this beauty! In the Pantheon of foodporn, this salad dilates the eyes and if that weren't enough, it's mighty F-ing fantastic.

This salad is the work of Jose Andres and I recently caught one of his episodes in Made in Spain.

Unfortunately for most of us, Jose's site is stingy with dishing out recipes but after Googling the recipe, I smirked, smiled and then grinned as I found the recipe, as created by Amy and Jonny of We Are Never Full.

I made a few departures from the original salad but relax...I stayed true to the salad's approach: I left the apple peel on, added a squirt of Dijon to emulsify my dressing and garnished with some Chive flowers.

Once again, the star of this dish is the Spanish blue cheese called Cabrales. If you can't find it where you live, any other quality bleu should do.

Here, I've presented the salad in a one plate serving for two. Got a date coming up? Wanna WOW your S.O? Feeling a little frisky?

Break out a bottle of crisp Moscato wine, share this salad and see if you can finish the evening without licking each other in the process.

Salad of Green Apple and Cabrales
(for 2)

1 large Green apple
Approx. 2 oz. of Cabrales (or other) blue cheese
3 hazelnuts
3 Tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil
a dash of Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. of good cider or red wine vinegar
chopped fresh chives
sea salt and fresh ground pepper

1. Rinse and then core your apple. Now using a mandoline, thinly slice your apple (from top to bottom) and if making ahead of time, squirt some lemon juice to slow down the browning of the apple.
2. Arrange your apple slices on a plate, overlapping each other and crumble your Cabrales cheese over the apples.
3. In a small jar, add your vinegar, olive oil and Dijon with a pinch of salt and pepper. Shake well to emulsify and spoon over your salad.
4. Now using your microplane, grate the 3 hazlenuts over the entire salad. This is your "hazlel nut" salt and in my opinion...this simple little attention to detail is brilliant.
5. Finish the salad with a topping of fresh snipped chives.
6. Uncork a crisp, chilled bottle of Moscato and share the plate of salad.
   

Preserving Grape Vine Leaves

First off, allow me to wish all the dads out there a Happy Father's Day and may you never EVER again receive the gift of an ugly neck tie!

Next, a little follow up. Some people have been wondering about Petimezi, which I used in a glaze for my grilled quail.

Petimezi is made from the Must of grapes, during the harvest period. It can be found in a jar in better Greek markets, it's known as Saba with the Italians and one can often find or ask for "grape syrup" at a middle eastern market. All are one and the same.

Many of you read my blog as you love and enjoy Greek food. You also know that Greeks cook alot using grape vine leaves.

Many of us will go to a market and easily purchase a jar of these tender leaves which are packed in a brined solution. Some are fortunate enough to be able to have a local source of fresh grape vine leaves, which are used to make a Greek fave, Dolmades

There are two paths one can take to preserving fresh grape vine leaves: one is to freeze them and the other is to jar your own. For those that prefer to freeze them, Lulu at Mama's Taverna has a wonderful, easy method to which you can follow.

My "mama" likes to jar her own. It's been years since we've jarred our own grape vine leaves, due in large part to fear of harvesting grape vine leaves that might have been sprayed with pesticides.

One of the few positive initiatives of Mayor David Miller has been to ban the use of pesticides in the city. Rejoice...fresh grape vine leaves are back!

I've featured Dolmades on my blog and you can have a peek here or if that won't convince you, take a look at my friends' who loved my mom's recipe...it's a keeper.

Pixie's Dolmades

White On Rice Couple's Dolmades

Closest Cooking Kevin's Dolmades

Jenn, the Leftover Queen's Dolmades

Now let's jar our own fresh grape vine leaves.

The best time to pick these leaves are in the Spring. You want to pick large leaves (easier to roll dolmades) and the leaves will still be tender.

If you're having a peek at the recipe, you'll see what appears to be a large amount of grape leaves but no worries. For anyone that's bought jarred grape leaves from the store, you'll know that there's always some ripped and torn leaves in the jar. The home made ones are no different, there's some wastage.

Jarring Fresh Grape Vine Leaves

6 medium Sterilized Mason jars
approx 360 fresh grape vine leaves, stems snipped
1 cup pickling salt
12 cups of water
1 egg

1. Wash and pat dry your grape vine leaves and then divide them into piles of 20. Roll each pile like a cigar or multi-leaved dolma and place three rolls into each jar.
2. In a large pot, add your water and pickling salt and bring to a boil. In order to test if your brine solution is salty enough, carefully drop an egg into the brine. If the egg floats, then your brine ratio is suffice.
3. Take your brine off the heat and carefully pour the solution into each jar, enough to cover your grape vine leaves. When you're done filling up all the jars, pour more brine into any jars that have absorbed the liquid.
4. By this time, you will have noticed that the brine has changed the colour of your leaves from a vibrant green to olive hue. It's perfectly normal.
5. Using a tea towel, place the lids on each of the jars and tighten. A seal should form for each jar.
6. Store in your cellar for up to one year.
   

Grilled Quail

The first time I ever had any sort of wild game was during my first visit to Greece in 1974 (do the math, I'm that old).

My Uncle Pavlo was a farmer and avid sportsman who would go on hunting trips. His usual catch would be wild hare, partridge, pheasant and quail.

A few things about offering up quail...it's probably best to offer them as part of an array of grilled meats. They are little birds, lots of bone, little meat. If offering up as an entree, I'd suggest three per person.

Quail should be eaten with your hands so you probably don't want to serve these up for a formal dinner. Imagine your boss fumbling with quail in their hands?

Either way, quail are delicious and very easy to grill. My preference is to halve them and then pass skewers through the breast and leg portion of the half. This keeps them in tact during grilling and it makes for a nice presentation when serving, rather than a floppy piece of grilled birdie.

The main inspiration came from a book called "Game & Fish Cuisine", written by a Greek-Canadian named George Politis.

I've taken his quail marinade and adding my own little "stamp", if you will. On of the detours I take is to use all the leftover marinading liquid and reduce it with the addition of Petimezi. Petimezi is essentialy a grape molasses and you can read about it here.

If you're the type that likes their savory to be savory then skip the Petimezi step but if you're like myself and you enjoy the combo of sweet with savory, give this recipe a try..right down to brushing the Petimezi glaze on the quail.

Petimezi was used in ancient times as a sweetener and to this day, Greeks use it for making several traditional Greek desserts.

Petimezi is a welcome addition to my Greek pantry.
Grilled Quail With a Petimezi Glaze

6 quail, halved
Juice of 1 large lemon
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 large clove of garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano
2 Tbsp. Metaxa brandy
3 crushed bay leaves
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
2 -3 Tbsp. of Petimezi
wooden skewers, soaked in water

1. In a medium-sized bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients (except for the Petimezi and quail) and whisk to emulsify. Taste and adjust for seasoning an set aside.
2. Using a butcher's knife or kitchen scissors, cut the quail carcasses in half and ensure no organ meat is still attached on the insides, cut on the neck and rinse in water and then pat dry.
3. Add your quail halves to the marinade place in the fridge for alt least 4 hours or overnight.
4. Bring your quail back to room temperature before grilling. Using your soaked wooden skewers, pass the the stick from the leg, right through the entire breast. This will keep the half firm and secure while grilling.
5. Pour your remaining marinading liquid into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium and simmer for 2-3 more minutes. Add as much or as little Petimezi as you wish (depending on how sweet you would like your glaze). Take off the heat and keep warm.
   
6. Season lightly with salt and pepper and grill (skin side down first) for 5 minutes and then turn and grill on the other side for another 2-3 minutes.
7. Brush the glaze onto your quail and serve immediately as part of a mixed grill, appetizer or as a main.
   

The Burger

The hamburger has to be one of the most popular and enjoyable sandwiches on the planet. Throw away your fast food chain coupons, don't tempt getting sick after eating a Big Mac and you don't have to buy those frozen shit-patties they sell at the market as hamburgers.

Make your own burger. It's easy, you tailor the flavour to your liking and the superior taste comes through.

Alot of you will invite friends and family over for a BBQ. Quite often the kids are tagging along so it's probably easier to just serve burgers & dogs.

However, do you have to serve hot dogs and frozen shit-patties? If you're going to invite friends and family over, have the decency to offer up home-made burgers and grill some quality sausages. Leave the hot dog for the baseball park.

I've got nothing fancy here. Upon closer inspection of my hamburger I have a homemade bun topped with sesame seeds, ripe Canadian (Salmonella-free) red tomatoes, Vlasic pickles, Bick's relish, slices of red onions, grilled bacon and old cheddar cheese.

Let's not forget the beef...a wonderful hamburger made with Pete's own hands and my perverted food imagination.

Please note: I use regular ground beef for burgers. The lean stuff leaves me with a dry burger. Not cool.

The Kalofagas Homeburger
(make 4 good burgers)

1 lb. of regular ground beef
1 medium onion, grated
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 stale hamburger bun, moistened in water, squeezed the crumbled
1 Tbs. of dried oregano
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbsp. of liquid beef boullion concentrate
1 egg
1 tsp. salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix all of the above ingredients with your hands until incorporated. Fry off a small meatball to taste test seasoning. Adjust accordingly.
2. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours to allows the flavours to marry.
3. Form into burgers and return to room temperature before grilling.
4. Pre-heat your grill to hot. Brush off any residue from prior grilling and then wipe the grill with a towel that's been doused in vegetable oil.
5. Grill your burgers for about 3-4 minutes a side.
6. Toast your buns and serve immediately with fries and your preferred burger condiments.
   

Fassolakia With Veal or....Without

(note...updating entry from 2007)



If you're reading my blog, no doubt you love food and all the trappings that come with it. One of those trappings is grocery shopping and I still do get excited when a product or a particular produce appears in the stands.

If I was in Kansas, born a girl and had a little runt named Toto, I would jump up and click my heels in glee. Instead, I did the dude-thang and pumped my fist in the air. Runner (pole) beans are back!

If there's a dish that's made in every Greek household, it has to be Fassolakia. This is a braised beans dish that's simmered in a pot and usually served as a vegetarian meal. If one searches on the internet or Greek cookbooks, you're bound to find an array of recipes for this simple yet wholesome and delicious dish.

The main (and most important) ingredient in this dish are the fassolakia or beans. The particular bean used for this dish are known in Greek as Barbounia and in English they are known as runner (pole beans).


The runner bean is different from your regular bean. The runner bean is a broader, longer bean than the green bean we're all used to seeing. It differs from the common bean in several aspects: the cotyledons stay in the ground during germination, and the plant is a perennial with tuberous roots (thought it is usually treated as an annual). The main difference between runner beans and plain ole' green beans is...they are sweeter and tastier!

Before we get to the recipe, look for runner beans. This dish just isn't the same with regular beans and it has to be one of the easiest and tastiest of the Greek "one-pot" dishes.

Fasolakia With Veal

1/3 cup olive oil
3 medium onions, sliced
2 lbs of fassolakia (runner beans), washed and ends broken off
5 cloves of garlic, sliced
1/2 bunch of parsley, chopped
4 Tbsp. of finely chopped mint
1/2 bunch of fresh dill, chopped
3 large ripe tomatoes, passed through a box grater (skins discarded) or 3/4 cup
pomodoro (strained) tomato sauce
1 kg. or 2 lbs. of good stewing veal, cut into large portion sized pieces
salt & pepper
2 large potatoes, skinned

1. Using a pressure cooker, place your veal (season with salt & pepper) and enough water to cover your meat in the vessel. Close the cooker (according to manufacturer's instructions), bring it to a whistle, lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Allow sufficient time for the pressure to subside, open your pressure cooker and reserve the meat and good veal stock.
2. In the same pressure cooker (now you're simply using it for braising), add your olive oil and onions and saute for 5 minutes to soften. Now add your beans, garlic, parsley, dill, mint, tomato and bring to a boil. Season with salt & pepper, cover the pot and lower the heat. Simmer for 30 minutes.
3. After 30 minutes, add your veal, some of the veal stock (depends how thick or thin you like your stew) and the potatoes and simmer for another 30 minutes. Adjust for seasoning and serve.

(FYI...no need for a knife here as the veal is fork tender, moist and flaky).

Agape's Spaghetti With Mint

A food event co-hosted by the mother & daughter duo of Giz and Psychgrad of Equal Opportunity Kitchen has just kicked off. The goal of the food event is to raise the awareness and need for organ donation. The food event is called Tried Tested and True Two and participants have until July 21st to offer up a healthy, innovative and tasty dish that's a winner in your books.

Many prizes are up for grabs and the event's judge will be Canadian chef and food personality, Christine Cushing. I encourage to take part, get those old recipe cards out, find one of your family's winning recipes and share the wealth!

Once again...SIGN YOUR ORGAN DONATION CARDS!!!!

This dish comes courtesy of one of my new cookbook's called New Greek Cuisine. What struck about this dish was initially the title. You see, Agape is also the name of my maternal grandmother, which means Love in English.

The second thing that made me perk up were the ingredients: tomatoes, fresh herbs, olives and olive oil and a barely cooked sauce. An intriguing melange of ingredients yet still Greek.

Thirdly, the ingredients were unusual bedfellows for a sauce but it's almost summer, the herbs in the garden are flourishing and cherry tomatoes are quite good these days.

This dish is easy to make, the ingredients are accessible, in season and it's a healthy pasta choice. To underline the healthy aspect, I also used and recommend a multi-grain spaghetti - loaded in fibre.

The dish is also low on salt. The only real salt used here was in the boiling water for the spaghetti. The remaining ingredients provide sufficient seasoning for this refreshing and easy pasta dish.

The most decadent aspect of this dish would be the grated Kefalotyri and Manouri cheeses - both of which can be found at your Greek market or deli. The key to this pasta is the very ripe tomatoes. Got that - you've got an easy, healthy and delicious pasta on the table!

Agape's Spaghetti With Mint
(adapted from New Greek Cuisine)
For 4

2 pints of very ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cups of roughly chopped mint
2 cups of arugula, hand torn
2 Tbsp. drained capers
16 pitted green olives, roughly chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1lb. package of multi-grain spaghetti
6 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup of crumbled Manouri cheese Grated Kefalotyri or Romano cheese fresh ground pepper

1. Get a large pot of water boiling. Add enough salt to make the water as salty as the sea.
2. In the meantime, add the tomatoes, mint, arugula, capers, olives, oil in a large bowl and set aside.
3. In a large skillet, add a swirl of olive oil and the garlic and infuse the oil over medium heat for about a minute. Now add all the ingredients from the bowl and toss to warm through and take off the heat.
4. Drain the spaghetti and immediately add to the tomato mixture. Now add the grated Manouri and toss to mix well.
5. Portion the pasta into bowls and top generously with grated Kefalotyri and fresh ground pepper.
   

Porgy (Φαγγρί)

I'm thrilled to have found a reliable source of seafood in Toronto, near my home and at fair market prices.

I've been enjoying walking into the shop, having a look around at the "catches of day", surveying what's freshest and pair that with whatever food mood I'm in.

Porgy is also known as the Gilt-head bream, sea bream, Dentex, Dorada, Daurade, Pargo.

There are about 15 different species of porgy found in the western Atlantic and the Carribbean and about 20 more types exist in the Mediterranean and the eastern Atlantic.

Porgies get their name from a Native American word meaning "fertilizer, for which they were commonly used.

Most of the Porgy and sea bream that you'll find at your fish monger will be from a fish farm but don't let that scare you. They have a firm, succulent white flesh with excellent flavour. Most porgies are sized for 1 portion but at times I've seen huge ones...good for two!

Porgy is best cooked whole and once again, I've employed my gas grill to turn this fish into seafood manna. You know I like my fish simple, with crisp & clean flavours to complement the fish's flavour.

Grilling a fish should be kept simple but attention to detail will yield you wonderful and surprising results. Here, I decided to grill three types of citrus....lemon, lime and orange and then I squeezed the warm, mildly sweet juices onto my just grilled fish. Ummmmmm!

Grilled Porgy With a Three Citrus Sauce
(for 2)

2 whole Porgies, scaled and gutted
coarse sea salt
fresh ground pepper
slices lemon, lime and orange
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Herbed Caper Dressing
1 Tbsp. chopped capers
1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
wooden skewers (pre-soaked in water)

Pre-heated gas or charcoal grill

1. If your fish has been sitting in the fridge, allow for it to come back to room temperature before grilling.
2. Rinse the fish and pat dry (inside & out). Season the inside and outside of the fish with coarse salt and fresh ground pepper. Place your slices of lemon, lime and orange on a skewer and brush with some oil.
3. In a small jar, add the olive oil, capers, chives and oregano and shake well to emulsify. The capers should make the dressing salty enough but you may adjust seasoning at this time.
4. Brush the surface of grill to rid it of any prior grilling residue and treat the grill by wiping vegetable oil.
5. Over high heat, grill your porgies for approx. 5-6 minutes a side and your citrus skewers should only need about 2 minutes a side.
6. Transfer your porgies to a large plate and spoon the Herbed Caper Dressing over the fish, followed by squeezing the juices of your citrus skewers.

Dr. Kalofagas or Mr. Hyde?

Somewhere between when I started this blog just over a year ago and now, some people have gotten the impression that I'm some Wally Cleaver or something. The nice guy next door who will never say the wrong thing or curse or swear.

I think the reality is that I'm probably closer to an Eddie Haskel, use profanity to help express myself and to the chagrin of some women, I've told them exactly how I feel if they are annoying, nagging or expect the world handed to them on a silver platter. I was just called a Prick (again) last night.

The George Carlin clip is a classic and he's still relevant. So, do you want me to recite my favourite cussin' words? Really? I knew you'd say that.

I got fired up this past weekend watching Giada's Everyday Italian. She appeared on an episode called "Greek Fusion".

If it wasn't for her great set of tits I'd write her off completely. At least she has tits...Rachel Ray doesn't.

The 5 foot titted wonder blasphemed Greek dishes by trying to put an Italian twist on Greek classics. Giada, you're a nice gal, I'm happy that you're now the proud mother of a baby girl but ya fucked up.

Greek Caponata? Look here, Tits...the dish is called Tourlou, it's not a stretch of the ingredients to make it like a Greek.

Orzo Stuffed peppers? What's wrong, in all of Italy or Los Angeles...you couldn't find one cup of rice to stuff some peppers? Oh yeah...your hubby stuffs his crotch with them.

Crispy Smoked Mozzarella With Honey & Figs? This sounds like something Pizza Hut would serve me for dessert rather than at a Greek taverna.

Her pinnacle of fucking up Greek food came with her take on baklava. Her simple baklava was phyllo pastry jammed into muffin tins with the expertise of a 12 year old applying her first tampon and she had the nerve to call it baklava.

Oh, I forgot...her show's called Everyday Italian and, apparently she forgot too.

Allow me to bring everything home here. To my Italian friends...imagine the horror in my adding crumbled feta in a Spaghetti Bolognese?

Would you fancy a Greek adding 7-Up to a FATTORIA LE PUPILLE SAFFREDI MAREMMA ROSSO 2004 or wouldn't it be cute...no, brilliant if I blogged about my ultimate pasta dish and put my Greek twist on things...the perfect pasta...cooked in 20 minutes (almost to a polenta)?

I think you get my drift. You as bloggers have every right to cook anyway you see fit but if you're stepping out and trying a dish outside your culture then pay some respect to the dish and to the cuisine.

When I make an international dish, I always think to myself, "will the Chinese, Italian, Frenchman or Japanese person sit down and genuinely enjoy the dish I've just served?

Giada failed miserably and many bloggers are guilty of it too. Please stop...it's fucking annoying.

While I'm "at it"...allow me to remind some people that a Greek salad consists of ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, red onions, salt and pepper, dried Greek oregano, extra virgin olive oil, Greek feta and that red wine vinegar & olives are optional.

Solomillo With Cabrales Sauce

Today was a glorious day. I had nothing to do but relax all day, enjoy the hot weather and reward my week's hard work with a nice BBQ. WRONG.

Just as I lit my grill did it start to get really dark and overcast...rain. SHIT!

Onto to Plan B.

My craving for steak would not be denied. I employed the use of my trusty indoor grill pan and I seared some rib-eyes to near perfection.

To spruce up my steaks and keep up with ever fleeting appetite, I tried out the combo of beef with blue cheese.

Today's particular blue cheese is called Cabrales. It's a cheese from Spain's northern mountains in the Asturias region. Cabrales is aged from two to six months in the limestone mountains of the area. The relative humidity is 90% and a cool 7-13 C - ideal for the development of a mouldy cheese.

For the record, I was iffy on the combo of blue cheese with beef but this sauce has changed my opinion on the matter...the pairing is as natural as Sid Vicious with Nancy Spungen (yes I was listening to the Sex Pistols today).

If you're a fan of blue cheeses, next time ask for Cabrales. It's a sharp blue but wonderful in flavour and it made for a complex sauce that was blended and mellowed with the magic of Spanish sherry.


Solomillo With Cabrales Sauce
(for 4)

2 Tbsp. butter
1 swirl of olive oil
4 Rib-eye or
fillets of beef
coarse sea salt
fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup Spanish sherry
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 oz. of Cabrales (blue cheese), crumbled
chopped fresh chives for garnish

1. Heat the butter and oil together in a heavy frying pan over high heat. Season the steaks with salt and pepper and fry them for 3-4 minutes a side, for rare to medium-rare. Remove steaks and keep warm in a pre-heated oven.
2. In the same fry pan, reduce the heat and add the sherry and stir with a wooden spoon to pick up the brown bits.
   
3. Add the crumbled Cabrales and mash it into the sauce with your spoon and then add your cream and simmer to heat through and thicken. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly.
   
4. Serve steak with some sauce and a garnish of chives and with a side of some grilled or roasted potatoes and a seasonal salad.
   

Paximadia With Anise

Paximadia have been enjoyed prior to any memory I have of when biscotti started appearing in cafes and coffee houses.

Greeks will often enjoy a Paximadi as part of a breakfast or as a side with a Greek coffee. Since the autumn of last year, I've been enjoying my Greek coffee each morning and some Paximadia on the side is always nice for dunking.

With a a little Greek twist, my mom's basic recipe has the addition of pounded anise seeds (just enough to release their flavours).

For those not in the know, anise seeds are used to flavour and aromatize Greece's national booze of choice, Ouzo.

If you have your own Paximadia recipe, try adding some anise seeds into the mix. The aroma of these cookies baking will send you floating and the hint'O licorice flavour against the strong brew of Greek coffee is a simple joy.

Paximadia With Anise

4 cups of all-purpose flour
(approx. as the dough should be dense yet easy to roll).
1 cup vegetable oil
1 shot of Ouzo
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup chopped almonds
2 tsp baking powder 2 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. of cracked anise seeds

(preheat your oven to 350F)

1. Using your hands, mix the oil, Ouzo, sugar, vanilla, anise seeds and eggs (add 1 at a time) and incorporate well.
2. In another bowl, add your baking powder and sifted flour and mix well.
   
3. Add your wet to dry and knead with your hands for about 5 minutes. You should at this time have a soft dough.
   
4. Form your loaves on parchment paper and leave as much empty space between each loaf.
   
5. Bake on the middle rack of your oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off your oven. Let cool until you're able to safely handle them.
6. Slice your Paximadia widthwise (serrated knife) and lay them back out on the cookie sheet. Place them back in the turned-off oven for at least an hour to dry out. The residual heat of the oven will do the rest of the work.
   

Marinated Red Mullet (Μαριναρισμένο μπαρμπούνι)

One of the most prized fish with Greeks has to be the red mullet. It's popular for it's colour, it's ease in cleaning and it's flavour.

Red mullets are a smaller fish and usually you'll need two of them per person. I've been lucky enough to find them at my local fish monger and hey...they were fresh, they were affordable. Who knows how long it will be until I find them again?

Many Greeks enjoy red mullet fried and I asked my mom about this and she concurred..."there's something about Barbounia (red mullet) and frying them up...they become something magical."

So most of you know, I'm a big fan of grilled fish so frying up a fish is going out on a limb for me but boy, am I glad I followed through.

First off...crispy skin. When the skin of a fish is crisped up...it's like bacon of sea....really. Secondly, the meat of the fish is flaky but firm, kind of like salmon but much milder.

In Greek cookery...marinating seems to take on a couple of different meanings: it could be that something is left to marinate in a compound prior to cooking to infuse flavour or in this case, the compound is poured over the fish after cooking. Both methods are labeled as "mαριναρισμένο".

After looking at several red mullet recipes, I've noticed that this fish was paired with orange alot and I liked this. The fruit sounds like a good match for this orange/red coloured fish.

I've adapted this recipe from Gourmed and I've incorporated oranges into the mix. This recipe was an experiment and a successful one at that. I was intoxicated by aroma of the rosemary and fresh orange juice hitting the just fried fish.

I'm offering up a recipe for four fish, which was for two. Do the math and multiply the ingredients if serving others. Please note, a non-stick pan was used here as I didn't want any chance of half my fish remaining in the skillet.

Finally, don't forget the crusty bread. The sauce that accompanies this fish was sopped up with delight.

Marinated Red Mullet
(for 2)

4 red mullets, scaled & gutted
olive oil
2 tsp. fresh rosemary
2-3 Tbsp. of good red wine vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
salt and pepper
juice of 1/2 orange
flour for dredging

1. After scaling and gutting your fish, sprinkle some sea salt on them and allow the fish to sit for an hour. Rinse the fish and pat dry.
2. Season some flour with salt and pepper and dredge your fish and shake off any excess flour.
3. Pour your oil (about 1/2 centimetre high) into a large non-stick pan and add your oil over medium-high heat. After about three minutes, place your fish in the pan and fry for about four minutes a side. Fry in batches and keep warm in the oven.
4. Using the same pan over medium heat (you may add more olive oil), add your rosemary and vinegar and simmer for a couple of minutes while gently swirling the pan.
5. Add the garlic, a good squeeze of fresh orange juice (about half an orange) and simmer for 1 more minute. Adjust seasoning (more vinegar or more juice and salt to taste).
6. Pour the hot marinade over your warm red mullets and serve immediately with some new potatoes and a seasonal salad. Oh yeah...don't forget the crusty bread!
   

Tagliatelle With Zucchini, Tomato and Fresh Herbs

It's time again to thrust another blogger into the spotlight, this time it's Mary from Feeding Groom. On Monday I was cruising through the latest entries that were coming through on my Google Reader and Mary's latest dish had popped up and it was lunch time for me...

Mary insists "keep it simple" and here I'm adding, "keep it fresh" and "keep it seasonal". The ingredients here scream of Spring and Summer...fresh garden herbs and in much of the norther hemisphere, zucchini's a poppin'.

Mary's dish comes courtesy of a Patricia Wells, who's put out her own array of cookbooks and you Barefoot Contessa fans will be pleased to learn they are good friends.

For my take on this pasta dish, I decided to use some Tagliatelle and I changed the herb mix to fresh oregano and basil. Tagliatelle come in in their package in the form of nests and fresh oregano and basil make this pasta dish "jump".

Folks, this is another dish that deviates from the usual but it's still remarkably simple and wonderfully flavoured by the garden fresh herbs.

As a neat twist, I saw that Mary had added long, thin strips of zucchini into the pasta and as you can see for yourself...the dish excites the eye and it gently nudges you as you sit at the table..."won't you please eat me now"?

Tagliatelle With Zucchini, Tomato and Fresh Herbs
(for 4)

2-3 good swirls of olive oil 1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large zucchini, cut into long, thin ribbons, lengthwise
(use a mandoline or vegetable peeler)
1 can of good plum tomatoes, hand crushed
1/4 cup of good white dry wine
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh oregano
4 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste grated
Romano or Parmesan
1 package of Tagliatelle
(or 3-4 nests per serving)

1. Get a large pot of water boiling and generously salt when you've got a rolling boil. Add your Tagliatelle and swirl the nests around to unravel them and prevent sticking. Cook according to package's instructions.
2. In a large skillet, add your olive oil and and heat up on medium-high heat. Add your ribbons of zucchini and quickly saute them and season with salt. Continue to toss for a couple of minutes and then remove with a slotted spoon and reserve.
3. In the same skillet, add your onions and saute for about 5 minutes to soften (over medium heat). Now add the minced garlic and white wine and simmer for another minute or so and then add your crushed plum tomatoes (plus any of the juices) and simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the desired thickness is reached. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
4. When your pasta is "al dente", strain well and then toss into the sauce along with the zucchini ribbons and chopped fresh oregano and basil.
5. Toss your sauce with the remaining ingredients to incorporate thoroughly and serve with grated cheese and some freshly ground black pepper.
   

Lamb and Artichokes Avgolemeno

More cool and rainy days upon us but this weekend's supposed to be sweltering hot. For those familiar with hot weather on the east coast, we're expecting hot & humid weather for the weekend.

This cooler weather is allowing me to squeeze in some Greek comfort dishes before I'm in "full-on" grilling weather.

It is still Spring which means lamb is season along with lemons and artichokes. Following me so far?

It's wonderful to be able to have affordable lamb in the Spring and celebrate each & every time it's on the table. What you have here is a dish that would be served to you in a Greek home or at one of the many "open-kitchen" style eateries that are still quite popular in Greece.

Lamb and Artichokes Avgolemono
(for 6)

1 shoulder of lamb (approx 1 kg.)
12 small artichokes, peeled and cleaned
1/2 cup olive oil
6 scallions, finely chopped
3 medium onions, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup chopped fresh dill
2-3 cups of water
salt & pepper to taste

Avgolemono
2 eggs
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 Tbsp. flour
splash of water

1. Clean/trim your artichokes and place in a water bath that's heavily spiced with lemon juice and reserve.
2. In a large pot, add your olive oil over medium-high heat and then add your onions, scallions and garlic(add toward the end) and simmer on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes to soften and almost all the liquid is gone. Using a slotted spoon, remove the sauteed vegetables and reserve on a plate.
3. Using the same pot, add your lamb shoulder (some more oil if necessary) and brown over medium-high heat for about 5-7 minutes or until a nice colour has formed. Add back your sauteed onions and scallions and season with salt and pepper and add enough water (2-3 cups) to cover.
   
4. Place the cover on the pot and simmer for about 90 minutes or until the meat is fork tender and becomes easy to remove from the bone.
5. Add your artichokes and chopped fresh dill and simmer for another 20-30 minutes (or until the artichokes are tender). Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and take off the heat. Remove the bone and separate the meat into pieces.
   
6. Meanwhile in a bowl, prepare your Avgolemono Sauce by beating your eggs and flour and while still beating, add your lemon juice plus a splash of cold water.
7. Take a ladle of stock from the the pot and whisk into the Avgolemono mixture. Continue whisking and add another ladle of stock.
8. Add your Avgolemono back into your pot and shake the pot gently to allow the Avgolemono to set with the rest of the stew.
   

Spaghetti "al Cartoccio"

Yesterday, I was greeted with the return of seasonal, warm weather. The weather was very important and some friends and I played "hookie" and ditched work for a day at the amusement park, Canada's Wonderland.

This amusement park is situated just north of Toronto and my return was long overdue...25 years! We hit the roller coasters and dizzying rides, challenged our stomachs and pushed the limits of what G-forces our bodies could take.

After a long day filled with laughs, screams and thrills, I got home late for dinner and I was famished. A pasta dish always does the trick when you're tired and hungry yet, you want to treat yourself to something special.

I finally tried a Spaghetti "al Cartoccio" which simply is a pasta baked in paper. First of all, it's easy. Secondly, it's rustic and finally...it's also an impressive presentation.

People love surprises. Next time you have friends over, treat them to a dinner surprise. Bring the baked bag of pasta in the plate and cut open the cartoccio and listen to the Ooooohs and AHHHH's.

Bon Appetito!

Spaghetti "al Cartoccio"
(for 5)

1/3 cup olive oil
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
5 cloves of garlic, minced
2/3 cup pitted black olives, chopped
4 sun-dried tomatoes, rough chop
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. dried Greek oregano
1/4 cup dry white wine
1lb. of frozen(thawed) or fresh seafood medley
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 package of spaghetti (500gr)
4 paper lunch bags

Pre-heated 350F oven

1. Spray your paper lunch bags with cooking spray or brush them with vegetable oil. Place on a baking sheet and reserve.
2. Get a large pot of water boiling. When it starts boiling, add a generous amount of salt and cook your pasta for about 5-6 minutes (under al dente). The pasta will cook through when baked.
   
3. In a large skillet, add your minced garlic and infuse your oil for about a minute. Add your halved cherry tomatoes and sundried tomatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes to soften and cook through. Add your chopped olives, oregano and chilli flakes and adjust seasoning with sea salt. Reserve.
4. When your pasta has cooked for 5-6 minutes, drain and add it to your sauce along with the reserved mixed seafood, white wine and chopped fresh parsley. If the pasta looks dry, drizzle some more olive oil.
5. Carefully place a portion of pasta into each paper bag. For a nice presentation, tie some butcher's twine at each end of the cartoccio to give them a tapered look.
6. Place the baking sheet in the pre-heated oven for another 10 minutes. Carefully place each cartoccio onto a plate and serve to your guests. Carefully cut open each cartoccio with kitchen scissors and enjoy!
   

Drunken Veal (Μεθυσμένο μοσχάρι)

Today's June 1st and when a new month begins, it's customary for Greeks to salute one & other with a "Kalo Mina" or a wish for a "good month".

With the onset of a new month also comes the notion of new ideas. I thought it would be neat to "try out" a new dish and use my parents as the "guinea pigs".

I couldn't decide what to eat today...no....we (the family) couldn't decide on what to eat today. Negotiations for dinner ideas went all morning and then finally it was decided...we were going to have Μεθυσμένο μοσχάρι or Drunken Veal. For those that can read Greek, my approach to this dish took a little detour from the original linked recipe but I think I've done the recipe justice.

My mother has never cooked a Greek traditional dish in this way using beer but I have seen some Greek recipes floating around with the use of beer and this dish sold me.

For those more familiar with Greek cuisine, this dish was reminiscent of a Kokkinisto but here beer is used as the braising liquid rather than wine.

For those not familiar with Kokkinisto, the closest dish I can think of is the French Beef Carbonnade.

I know we're almost into summer but you can count on "iffy" Canadian weather to through a wrench into grilling plans. If you hankering for a comfort dish, perhaps it's a cool, rainy day outside or you one of those folks living in the souther hemisphere...come into my kitchen, have a seat and let's try some Drunken Veal.

Veal (Μεθυσμένο μοσχάρι)
(for 6)

1 kg. stewing veal, cut into large cubes
1/2 cup olive oil
flour for dredging
2 large onions, roughly chopped
4 carrots, peeled and cut into thin, round slices
1 cup of good canned plum tomatoes, hand crushed
1 can of lager or pilsener
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of water
3 bay leaves
6-7 whole allspice
1/2 cups of cremini or button mushrooms, quartered
salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heated 350F oven

1. Cut your veal into cubes and pat-dry. Season some all purpose flour with salt and get an oven-safe pot or Dutch oven warmed over medium-high heat. Add your olive oil and just when it gets hot, brown your veal in batches and reserve.
2. In the same pot, add your onions, carrots and saute for 5-7 minutes to soften. You may add some water to help deglaze the brown bits.
3. Add your bottle of beer, bay leaves, allspice berries, crushed plum tomatoes, mushrooms and water and bring to a boil. Season with some salt and pepper, place the lid on and throw into your oven.
4. Allow your Drunken Veal to braise for 90-120 minutes or until the meat is tender and separates with a fork. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and serve hot over a bed of egg noodles or rice pilaf (as I've done here).