Tequila Chicken

There's just one more night before I head off to sunny, inviting, satiating and glorious Greece. Like anyone about to go on vacation, my days are filled with tying up loose ends at work, tidying up around the house and eating what I have left in the fridge.

To those that can look into your fridge and whip up an almost gourmet meal, I tip my hat to you! I'm faced with this challenge this week but I had all the ingredients needed for this simple marinated and grilled chicken dish.

If you take a look around the plate.....we have three flavours everyone should consider when prepping a dish.

The chicken represents heat. I don't mean by blow your head off heat but heat as in some spice. Next up is what I call an accordion potato, which represents the savoury part of the plate.

I throughly washed a whole potato and then cut the spud downwards but entirely to the bottom, thus keeping the potato in tact. I melted some butter, poured it over the potato (ensuring butter got into each crevice) and then seasoned it well with a Montreal Steak Spice mixture. Wrap her in a foil blanket at 425F for 30-40 minutes and you have a delish spud with a neat presentation.

Finally, there's a corn on the cob. If you've had corn here in the Americas, you know how naturally sweet the corn is here. This corn represents the sweet side of the plate.

I simply soaked the corn (with it's husk on) in water for a few hours and then I grill for a few minutes side, rotating the corn to grill evenly. No butter, seasonings or spices...just the natural sweetness of the corn.

Don't worry, here's the chicken recipe...it's quick marinade, it's easy and it's delicious.

The marinade makes use of some Mexican ingredients and I think my blogging amigo Ben of What's Cooking would very much approve.

Tequila....Jalapeno, citrus, cilantro. Break out the Mariachi band...we're having Mexican tonight!

Tequila Chicken

1 1/2 lbs. of chicken drums
2 good shots of Tequila
2 Jalapeno peppers, seeded & minced
2 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
juice of 1 lemon (or lime)
1/4 cup of honey
a few good splashes of hot sauce
1 heaping tsp. of ground cumin
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup vegetable oil
sea salt

1. Rinse the chicken thoroughly and pat-dry.
2. Add all your marinade ingredients into a zip-lock bag and before you add the chicken, taste to make any adjustments to your marinade and reserve about 1/3 of it for basting later.
   
3. Add your chicken, seal and squish the contents so that the marinade coats all the chicken drums. Place in your fridge for at least 4 hours.
4. Bring your chicken back to room temperature and pre-heat your grill to a medium heat. Season your chicken with salt & place your drumsticks on the grill for about 10 minutes a side or until crispy. Don't forget to brush some reserved marinade on the chicken while grilling.
5. Serve immediately with your favourite summer side dishes.
   

Frying Oysters

I do enjoy eating raw oysters on the half-shell but I admit, I'll pay someone else to shuck them. However, one can enjoy oysters in other ways and frying them up has to be one of the tastier alternatives.

The neighborhood Asian market always sells tubs of shucked oyster meat and from reading the label, this batch came from Washington state and I was pleased to see a "best before" stamp on the tub.

What ya get here today are fried oysters as an appetizer and then in the form of a sandwich. My craving for fried oysters was ignited by a "caesar salad with spicy fried oysters" dish.

The origins of the dish are bounced around between Kincaid's in Washington, DC, Louis's in South Carolina or Magnolia in Durham, NC. All three eateries are owned/operated by James Beard Award winners so it appears even the top dogs in food-dom seem to borrow ideas from each other!

The recipe calls for some Casear salad dressing but my gut was telling me "tartar sauce...yeah-yeah, go make some tartar sauce". I have a wonderful homemade tartar sauce from last year. It's easy, contains usual pantry items and tastes great.

Both dishes are simple...you'll need some hearts of Romaine lettuce, oyster meat, your favourite tartar sauce, a good toasted bun and some flour and spices.

My frying method uses the Greek taverna method of frying seafood by using a simple seasoned flour mix, then dunking in ice cold water and finally into the hot oil. The result is a thin breading where you actually see what you're eating and the crispyness is akin to a tempura.

Fried Oysters

1lb. oyster meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup corn flour
1 Tbsp. Old Bay Seasoning
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. smoked hot paprika
bowl of ice-cold water
sunflower oil for frying

1. Rinse and pat dry your oyster meat and then cut them up into bite sized pieces (my oyster was huge).
2. In a large bowl, mix the flour and seasonings with a fork and taste and adjust seasoning.
3. Pre-heat your oil until you get an approx temp. of 360F or drop a small piece of oyster (when it floats and starts frying, you're ready).
4. Set up your frying station from left to right, starting from your oysters, flour mixture, ice water and frying oil.
5. Dredge your oysters in the flour, then quickly dunk in the ice water and then carefully drop into the fryer.
6. Fry in batches for 2-3 minutes and reserve on a paper-towel covered plate.
7. Serve as an appetizer with some Romaine hearts of lettuce or in a toasted bun with some lettuce. Both dishes contain tartar sauce.

Shrimp Saganaki

Today (July 27th) is my nameday. I was named after the patron saint Agios (Saint) Panteleimon.

I was given the name of my father's uncle who took over as the family's "father figure" as my dad's family was left orphaned when his father died at an early age.

My dad's uncle also took on the title of "Papou" (grandfather) Panteli, as he and his wife Paschalina did not have any children and therefore I was given his name in his honour.

For Greeks, the celebration of one's nameday is much more significant and feted to a larger extent than one's birthday. It's my nameday and I get to eat what I want!

On one's nameday, it's tradition that the celebrant treat friends, relatives, guests and today I'm sharing with you one of my favourite Greek mezedes.

So, I feel like Garides (Shrimp) Saganaki. Saganaki is a cooking term that's used to described many a Greek dish. It goes well beyond just the flaming the cheese dish you see served at Greek restaurants with the usual "OPA" being shouted by the well-scripted waiter.

A "saganaki" is the cooking vessel with two handles, like the one you see my photos. So, there are many saganakis out there with different ingredients and many regional twists on flavours and preferences.

You might also see this dish described as Garides (shrimp) Giouvetsi, where a similar dish of shrimp, tomato base and feta are baked in earthenware vessels. Similar dishes with subtle differences.

Today, you get shrimp saganaki....one of the most beloved of the Greek appetizers (mezedes). Being from northern Greece, we like to some some heat and in Macedonia this dish is usually spicy.

I've added mushrooms into the mix. I've had Shrimp Saganaki at Toronto's Pantheon and I really like how well mushrooms and seafood complement each other.

When you take a bite of this meze, you get the sweetness of the shrimp and tomatoes, some heat from the hot peppers, a slight tartness from the Feta.

What you have hear is a shrimp bake with a sweet and chunky tomato sauce, some peppers, oregano, Greek feta and the result is an aromatic, eye pleasing appetizer that was made for bread-dunking, Ouzo sipping and a total disregard for time.

Invite some friends over, prepare an array of small mezedes, break out the Ouzo, the crusty bread and catch up with old friends or make some new ones.

Shrimp Saganaki
(for one appetizer portion)

6 large whole shrimp
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 small red onion, sliced
1/4 green bell pepper, sliced
1/4 yellow bell pepper, sliced
some diced hot banana pepper
(depending how spicy you like your dish)
1 medium ripe tomato, diced
1/2 cup button mushrooms, sliced
half cup Greek feta, coarsely crumbled
1 tsp. dried Greek oregano
splash of Ouzo
Grated Mozzarella (or other white cheese)
salt to taste

1. In a saucepan, add your olive oil over medium-high heat and add your mushrooms and saute for 2-3 minutes or until they have browned. Now add your onions, peppers and tomatoes and simmer for another 5-7 minutes or until you end up with a nice thick sauce.
2. Take off the heat and add your crumbled feta, oregano and Ouzo and stir in. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt (if any required) and additional heat (if desired).
3. Pour the mixture into an oven-safe baking vessel (like the saganaki) and arrange the shrimp on top. Grate some Mozzarella on top and place under the broiler for about 5 minutes or until the shrimp have turned pink and the cheese becomes a golden brown.
4. Serve with crusty bread, Greek ouzo and with good company.
   

Herbed Sea Salt

First off, I want to thank everyone who responded and replied to my Blogging Rant (see two posts down in my blog) and also for joining the chorus of pissed off bloggers on the topic of ATK.

If you haven't heard what went on, then you were perhaps on a space shuttle mission or you live in a hippie commune, cut off from the rest of the world.

I recently caught an episode of Bobby Flay's Boy Meets Grill and I was pleasantly surprised to see him blend sea salt and herbs to dress some lamb chops.

Although I've seen sea salt and dried oregano used as a finishing seasoning in Greece for many grilled meats, Bobby's approach is to put the mixture on the meat just before grilling. Simple, but brilliant.

I've tried this "method", if you will on three instances...once with a grilled fish, another time with chicken on the barbecue and most recently grilling lamb chops.

Each time I was left with a deeply flavourful dish that's been simply seasoned with sea salt and your choice of fresh herb(s).

All one has to do is add some coarse sea salt and the herb of your choice in to a food processor and then pulse the mixture until it's well blended.

The other day I tried Bobby Flay's flavouring of sea salt with fresh rosemary and I simply brushed some olive oil on the lamb chops, sprinkle the rosemary salt on the meat and grilled the chops for 2 minutes a side for a nice, pink finish to my meat.

People, this is my summer grilling method of the year. Take your sea salt, food processor and pulse away with your favourite herbs. You'll find the herbs really flavour whatever you're grilling and this another one of those instances where you smack yourself on your forehead (okay, I did it twice) and say DUH!!!

Linguine με πάστα ελιάς (Linguine With Tapenade)

Here's another dish from that little gem of a book on olives called"Cooking With Olives and Their Oils".

This gleaming black sauce resembles a caviar, don't it? The French have a habit of giving a rustic dish a chi-chi-frou-frou name and then charging an extra 4 euros for the dish!

How much would you pay for a plate of this pasta?

The olives that work best here are black, oil-cured olives. In northern Greece, in the Prefecture of Halkidiki where my family's summer home is, these olives are widely produced and enjoyed. We call them Throumpes and I love them so.

If you can't find Throumpes, no fear. The French have their Nyons and I quite often see the Moroccan oil-cured olives here in many stores. Look for the black, shiny wrinkled olive.

If you want filling, rich, flavourful...this quick and easy pasta dish is easy to prepare and the ingredients are easily accessible.

My only word of caution is to seek out a milder white cheese to grate on. A Greek Kasseri, a Spanish Manchego or Italian Toscanello would do fine. The salt in this mixture is suffice in this pseudo-caviar looking plate of linguine.

Linguine με πάστα ελιάς (Linguine With Tapenade)

1 cup loosely packed oil-cured olives
2 Tbsp. of capers, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary
1 clove of garlic, smashed
2 anchovy fillets
1/2 tsp. sugar
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pkge (675gr.) dried linguine
chopped fresh chives
Grated Kasseri (sheeps milk cheese)

1. Place the first six ingredients, along with the 2/3 cup of olive oil and pulse until well chopped & combined. Scrape down the sides during this process.
2. Cook the linguine to "al dente" in a large pot of boiling salted water and then drain and toss your linguine with some olive oil (prevent sticking).
3. Arrange the pasta in a large platter (or individual bowls) and grate some cheese, spoon the sauce on to the top and garnish with your chopped fresh chives.

Blogging Rant

Yesterday, through the miracle of my Google Reader came the title of an entry called "illegal or not", from Melissa of Alosha's Kitchen.

Please read her saga here and then come back and tell me how you feel.

I'm about to tell you how I feel. Melissa, like any good food blogger went on a search for a potato salad and she found one she liked at Cooks Country, part of the conglomerate of America's Test Kitchen and Cooks Illustrated.

Although she made many changes to potato salad recipe, she still gave credit to the original inspiration (Cooks Country). Now imagine the shock and disbelief when Melissa received an email from them that they do not allow their recipes to be modified in print.

Yep...you read correctly.

Let me get this straight...the folks at America's Test Kitchen make their careers out of re-tooling food classics and they swear that their recipes are refined, tested and flawless. Bullshit!

Years ago, before my blogging days, I had made their Jambalaya and to my horror, it tasted like shit, looked like diarrhea and rightfully ended up being dumped down the toilet.

As food bloggers, the extreme case of plagiarism and passing off work and recipes as one's own is the extreme and rare case but by and large, most of us will link to an inspiration or laud with pride how a dish we made had turned out fantastically.

As true food lovers, we want to share our experiences with other lovers of food. It's our nature.

I can assure you I will not watch America's Test Kitchen (locally on PBS Buffalo), buy any issue of Cooks Illustrated or peruse Cooks Country for a recipe. Their attitude has left a bad taste in my mouth and until I see some serious reversal of policy on their behalf, they've been 86'ed.

While we're on the subject of linking to recipes and giving credit, here's my take on it...any dish that you see here is from myself, family or friends and the remaining dishes are linked back to the cookbook, chef, website, blogger, article or TV show.

One peeve I have is when people link to a recipe and they merely post something to the effect of "I got my recipe from here".

Why do the bare minimum? The inspired dish was good enough for you to try, make, eat and blog about it - why not give that dish it's 5 minutes of fame?

I'm delighted and humbled that many of my dishes have been cooked, enjoyed and blogged about by my peers here. All I ask is that you let me know you're going to post about the dish, link to my original post, citing myself and the site, "Kalofagas" and the courtesy will be reciprocated.

If you haven't gone over to Alosha's Kitchen by now, here's your second chance and don't be afraid to state your opinion. Melissa did and I salute her!

A Taste of Crete - Snails

This dish has been a long time comin'. Remember when I picked and jarred my own grape vine leaves for dolmades? Well...that same patch also was rampant with snails.

After consulting Maria of Organically Cooked, I went and harvested a bucket of snails which would have to be plumped and purged of any food they may have eaten of late.

Ideally, this process takes 4-6 weeks but it really wasn't that difficult and the final, delicious result was well worth the wait.

First off, I found and used a plastic hamper-type crate, the ones often used to cart and transport fruits and the holes in the crate were small enough to not allow the snails to escape and I covered it with a wooden board.

I placed the snails in my garage with some of the grape vine leaves, some corn meal and pasta to feed the snails.

Each week (wearing plastic gloves) I removed as much fecal matter as possible but this task became easier with each passing week as the snails were mostly now in their dormancy stage and food did not have to be replenished and little additional poops were to be found.

Yesterday, time was up for my snails. I removed them from the plastic crate and placed them in my kitchen sink. I plugged the drain and filled the sink with water up to about 1 inch high.

Almost immediately upon submerging the snails did they realize they were in cold water and they did awake from their dormancy and started peeking out of their shells...trying to crawl out of the sink!

At this point, it was time to ascertain if there were any dead snails in the lot and I started plucking any snails (most) that had peeked out their shells and showed signs of life and I placed then in a nearby colander (with a cover on top).

Out of the 70 or so snails, perhaps a dozen were devoid of life, they felt lighter than the rest and upon close inspection, I could see that the opening if the the shell had a dark discolouring to it...YEP, they were dead and they got chucked.

Before I go on to the dish at hand, I'd like to thank Maria of Organically Cooked for her immense patience in educating me, hand-holding and encouragement throughout this process. I've given you the abridged version of the preparation of snails but you may source, with great detail how to find, prepare, clean and cook snails.

Part A, Harvesting Snails

Part B, Cleaning & Cooking Snails

From here on...I'm on my own.

In order to rid the snails of any remaining impurities, I was instructed to boil the snails in in salted water until little or no scum was floating on the surface. I was lucky, as I only had to boil the snails two times (sometimes you need to repeat this process three - four times).

Before I get on to the dish, I must address the challenge of eating snails which for a novice like me, came with some difficulty at first.

I tried using a fork but that didn't work. I could have bought snail utensils but I don't eat snails that often to justify the purchase so...in a typical and resourceful Greek way, I used a wooden souvlaki skewer to poke, twist and pluck out the succulent snail meat from within the shell.

Eating snails are a delight. It's a messy affair but if you're like me, a "Kalofagas" who's in pursuit of delicious foods, then you'll want to give snails a try.

It's a messy affair but the flavour, the eating with your hands, the frequent sips of Raki in between bites along with many a dunking of bread in the sauce makes it all worth the trouble of harvesting, plumping and preparing snails.

I have never visited Crete but after enjoying this dish, I just got a little closer to enjoying a vacation on Crete.

Until next year, I leave you with Snails Stifado.

Snails Stifado

1 kg. of large snails
1 bunch of scallions, diced
1 large onion, sliced
1/2 cup of olive oil
2 pints of cherry tomatoes, roasted in the oven
7-8 cloves of garlic, roasted along with the tomatoes
3 bay leaves
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 cup of water
salt and pepper to taste
splash of balsamic vinegar

1. After boiling your snails to remove any remaining impurities, get a large pot on your stovetop and over medium-high heat, add your onions, scallions, bay leaves and rosemary and lower to medium and saute for about 5-10 minutes.
2. Now add the snails, roasted tomatoes and garlic, wine and water and bring to a boil. Adjust seasoning with some salt and pepper, cover with a lid and simmer for 30-40 minutes.
3. Ajust seasoning with salt & pepper and throw in a splash of balsamic vinegar to balance the sweetness from the onions and roasted cherry tomatoes.
4. Serve in bowls as an appetizer with good crusty bread and some Raki, Ouzo or Tsipouro.

Braised Lentils With Olive Rouille

Us Greeks commonly use lentils to make an oft' enjoyed soup called Fakkes. Yes, it sounds like you're swearing so, practice saying it...Fakk-es...Fakk-es...Fakk-es. Okay, lesson over.

When I recently met up with Judy of No fear Entertaining, I had a braised lamb shank that sat on a bed of braised lentils and I had a craving for it again.

One of my recent food book buys was "Olives, Cooking With Olives and Their Oils", by Ford Rogers. If anyone wants a primer on olives, picking, curing and of course, cooking with them - then this book's for you. It's inexpensive and it actually has some decent recipes , like the one I'm about to show you now.

It's a simple braised lentil dish, good warm or room temperature and it made a fine bed for my red snapper of yesterday.

The process is simple, lots of flavour gets coaxed out of the lentils but what makes this a standout is the accompanying red sauce called a Rouille.

A Rouille is a spicy French paste that's usually made to accompany a fish but contains no olives. This version provides the flavour and depth and it was reminiscent of a Romesco sauce.

If you're looking for a healthy, flavourful and guilt-free side dish, try these braised lentils and don't forget the Rouille!

Braised Lentils With Olive Rouille

3 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
2 cups of dried lentils, rinsed and drained
4 cups of chicken (vegetable) broth
1 bay leaf
a few sprigs of fresh oregano
a few springs of parsley
salt and pepper to taste

For the Rouille
2 Tbsp. of red wine vinegar
2/3 cup of soft bread crumbs
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
1/2 cup of pitted green olives
2 red chili peppers
1 small roasted red pepper
4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
splash of balsamic vinegar

1. Heat the oil in a pot over medium-high heat and then add your shallots, carrots and celery until soft and translucent (about 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the lentils, herbs and broth and bring to a boil. Now cover and reduce to simmer for about 30-40 minutes or until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Discard the herbs and adjust seasoning with salt & pepper.
3. While the lentils are cooking, make the rouille by combining the all the ingredients in a food processor except for the olive oil.
4. Process to chop everything and scrape down the sides to ensure all the ingredients get blended well. With the machine running, pour in the oil in a slow & steady stream until it's all incorporated and smooth.
5. Serve lentils with a small dollop of rouille on each serving.
   

Red Snapper Seared in Sesame Oil With Cilantro

Last month, my Apricot and Pistachio cake was voted as the top entry in the monthly Royal Foodie Joust, hosted by Jenn the Leftover Queen.

Each month, the victor chooses the three ingredients that must be included in the dish and then anyone who belongs to the forum may then vote for their favourite dish.

As the victor in last month's competition, I was awarded with (other than bragging rights) the coveted "Apron".

As part of my coaxing of votes, I promised (threatened) to wear nothing but the apron, should I win the Joust. I said it - I did it!

The three ingredients I've chosen for this month's Joust are seafood, cilantro (coriander) and sesame.

I found a very interesting recipe in a book called The Food of Korea and this red snapper dish jumped right out at me.

It's very simple...red snapper (or other white-fleshed fish) fillet, toasted sesame oil, salt and cilantro.

As a side, I braised some lentils with a bay, parsley and fresh oregano and and finished it with a French Rouille (more on that another day).

The original recipe called for the fish to be grilled but any hope of using my BBQ went out the window, what with over 30mm of rain yesterday.

I sauteed the fish in a non-stick pan over high heat and I must say...the result was an aromatic fish that was seasoning perfectly, succulent and flaky at the same time.

For those not keen on cilantro, parsley would work just fine here.

Red Snapper Seared in Sesame Oil With Cilantro

1-2 red snapper fillets per person
fine sea salt
toasted sesame oil
chopped fresh cilantro
sesame seeds for garnish
lemon slices for garnish

1. Ask your fish monger to scale and fillet the red snapper. Wash and pat dry your fillets and with your fingers, gently rub the meat of the fish to see if any pin needles need to still be removed. Use needle-nose pliers or tweezers to remove them.
2. A half hour before serving dinner, sprinkle some sea salt on the skin and flesh side of the fish and place back in the fridge for 30 minutes.
3. Remove the fillets from the fish and rinse and pat dry (do not re-season, the salt penetrated the fish).
4. Brush a some toasted sesame oil on both sides of the fish and pre-heat your non-stick fry pan.
5. Over medium-high heat, saute your fillets skin-side down first for approx. 3 minutes and then for another 1 1/2 minute on the flesh side. If sauteing in batches, keep the fillets warm in a pre-heated oven.
6. Serve on a bed of braised lentils with a garnish of sesame seeds, lemon and chopped fresh cilantro.

Greek Gazpacho

I've had this Ina Garten riff on the Spanish cold soup known as Gazpacho, on my mind for ages and the time is NOW, to enjoy this refreshing first course.

It's hot, it's humid, it's Toronto in the summer. Nothing beats the heat like jumping through the sprinkler, having an ice cream or having a cold, refreshing soup to start your backyard meal.

I've added my own twists to this Greek Gazpacho. I opted to roast the peppers in the soup for some added sweetness and smokyness and I've added a garnish of an olive oil ice cube.

Serve this cold soup on a hot day, plop the olive oil ice cube just before serving and relish the summer, the outdoors, this hearty cold soup.

Greek Gazpacho

2 slices of day old crusty Italian bread
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped Greek oregano 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley
5 Tbsp. good red wine vinegar
1/4 cup of good olive oil
1 roasted red bell pepper, skins peeled and seeds removed
1 roasted green bell pepper, skins peeled and seeds removed
2 red onions, roughly chopped
1 seedless cucumber (unpeeled, seeded & chopped)
4 large, ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
3/4 cup sun-dried black olives (Throumpes)
2 tsp. ground black pepper
8 oz. Greek feta, small dice
approx. 46 oz. of V-8 or other vegetable cocktail
(depends on how thin or thick you like your soup)
salt to taste

Garnish
extra-virgin olive oil
ice cube tray or shot glasses

1. Using shot glasses or an ice cube tray, fill the ice cube tray to the top with olive oil or the shot glasses half-way up. Place in the freezer to harden.
2. In a food processor, place the bread, garlic, oregano, parsley and process everything until it becomes a wet paste. Now add the olive oil and wine vinegar and pulse until mixed in. Remove and reserve in a large bowl
   
3. In the same food processor, add the cucumber, onions, tomatoes and olives and whiz until coarsely chopped. Add to the reserved bread/herb mixture in the large bowl and add the vegetable cocktail, black pepper and stir well. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt (if any) and pepper.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for alt least 3 hours.
5. For serving, ladle soup into each bowl with some cubes of feta. Take your olive oil ice cubes out of the freezer and pop one into the middle of each soup. If you used shot glasses, place them in warm water to free up the frozen olive oil. Serve cold.
   

Loukoumades

What's a birthday party without some dessert?

One of Greece's best known sweets/ desserts/snacks/street foods has to be Loukoumades. I knew that offering these sweet fritters up for my guests would be memorable.

Every Greek has had them. Loukoumades are the Greeks' answer to donuts and both are nowhere near in the vicinity of "health food".

The first time I ate Loukoumades was during my introductory trip to Greece in 1974 at the Tottis cafe located at Thessaloniki's Aristotelous Square.

Every Greek's had them, every Greek wants them but not every Greek can make them (or bother to make them).

Loukoumades can be found throughout Greece and although many good Greek home cooks can make them, most settle for simply buying them as a treat during the evening "volta" or walk.

The recipe I have here uses shortening (Crisco) and as I said earlier, much like donuts...Loukoumades aren't going to win any heart-healthy awards.

Each cuisine has it's sinful delights and Loukoumades are one of Greece's sweet pleasures. This recipe was retained from my mother, who used to volunteer at our parish's Summer Greek Festival.

Greek festivals are held by Greek churches in the diaspora to help fund expansions, courses or for philanthropic aid. Live Greek music, folkloric dance and Greek food were all on offer for parishioners and neighboring non-Greeks.

This recipe was the one used by our parish, St. Nicholas Greek-Orthodox Church here in Toronto. For those of you who have had Loukoumades before will be satisfied in knowing these are just like the ones you may have bought while in Greece.

Loukoumades are a deep fried dough which are then dunked in syrup, followed by a sprinkled of ground walnuts and dusted with ground cinnamon.

They are eaten warm or room temperature and the outside is sticky from the syrup but the delight in eating Loukoumades comes from the crunch one gets from biting into the walnuts, penetrating the fritter and then getting a little burst of the syrup which has penetrated the inside.

Anyone interested in trying Loukoumades?

Loukoumades

For the Dough
5 cups of all-purpose flour
1/4 lb. Crisco shortening (room temp)
1 1/2 cups of orange juice
1 1/2 cups hot water
1/3 cup tepid water
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. active dry yeast

Syrup
1 cup of honey
2 cups of sugar
1 cup of water

Topping
Ground walnuts
Ground cinnamon

1. Add the shortening to the flour in a large bowl and mix with your hands until the two ingredients become one. Set aside.
2. In a pot, add your orange juice and 1 1/2 cups of hot water and mix together and set aside.
3. In another bowl, add the tepid water, sugar and yeast and allow to rise for about 5 minutes.
4. When the yeast has risen, add your orange juice/water mixture and then add your wet ingredients to the dry. Mix with your hands until incorporated into a wet dough. Set aside to rise for about two hours.
5. Pre-heat your a large pot with vegetable oil (or a deep fryer) and you want the oil to reach approx. 350F. Set up a frying station of your bowl of Loukoumades batter, a glass with water and the fryer.
   
6. Take a handful of dough in your palm and then it out onto a waiting spoon that's been dunked in water, then drop it in the hot oil until golden brown. Fry off in batches until you've fried all your batter.
   
7. Prepare the syrup by adding into a pot the honey, sugar and water and bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes.
8. Now dunk your Loukoumades into the hot syrup and douse them with syrup a few times before removing to a colander. Repeat until all your Loukoumades are dunked in the syrup.
9. Plate your Loukoumades and then sprinkle some ground walnuts and ground cinnamon on top and serve warm.
   

Souvlaki

I don't think this blog can go on much longer without including a recipe for souvlaki. You've all had it at Greek restaurants and tavernas, at the diners owned by Greek families and at practically every eating establishment in Greece.

To truly enjoy a souvlaki, one should try it in the home of a Greek. Here, I marinade pork butt into tender grilled morsels.

I find pork butt to be the most flavourful and there's just enough fat in the cut to heighten taste and keep the meat moist. You may certainly use a leaner cut of pork but the butt (shoulder) is my preference.

Souvlaki is what I served at my Birthday party as the meat portion of the evening. As I was serving an array of dishes, I cut the pork into small, bite-sized pieces. When in Greece, you'll notice the souvlakis are smaller than what we see here at Greek restaurants, where the souvlaki and accompaniments are made into a dinner.

In Greeece, souvlaki is more of a street food. Within each block of a city, a small souvlaki and gyro shop will be present with few seats and lots of spots for patrons to stand up, eat a few "kalamakia" (sticks), with some Tzatziki, a beer and some bread.

This marinade is simple, it's got good taste and you can certainly apply it to chicken or lamb souvlaki.

Pork Souvlaki

1 boneless pork butt (shoulder)
1 medium onion, grated
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 heaping tsp. salt
1 heaping tsp. black pepper
1/4 vegetable oil
1 heaping tsp. dried Greek oregano
wooden skewers (soaked overnight)

1. Trim excess fat from your pork butt and cut into uniform pieces.
2. In a large bowl, add your remaining marinade ingredients along with the pork pieces and toss to mix and coat all the meat. Place in the fridge for at least 5 hours and for best results, overnight.
3. Place your wooden skewers in a shallow baking dish that's filled with water. Allow the wooden skewers to soak overnight (so they don't disintegrate when grilling).
4. The next day, a couple of hours before you are going to grill your souvlaki, allow the pork to come to room temperature and then start skewering your meat (it's easier when your meat's at room temperature).
5. Pre-heat your gas grill (or prepare your charcoal grill) and when you have a medium-high heat, grill your souvlakia for 3-4 minutes a side and then keep warm until all the souvlaki are cooked.
6. Squeeze fresh lemon juice on your souvlakia with a sprinkle of fine sea salt and dried Greek oregano.
7. Serve with some crusty bread and Tzatziki.
   

Htipiti and More Appetizers

I didn't think I had to go into further detail on the Htipiti dip (as photgraphed here) but I'll run it down for you. It's quite a free-form recipe as the measurements depend on how hot your peppers are and how salty your Feta is.

You need three ingredients for this recipe: Feta cheese, Myzithra (ricotta) and roasted hot banana peppers.

First, you roast your hot banana peppers on the gas or charcoal grill until charred on the outside. Then place in a plastic or paper bag and allow them to sweat for at least a half an hour or until cool enough to handle.

By this time the charred skins should be easily removed and you'll be left with a succulent roasted hot pepper. I like whizzing a few banana peppers in the food processor and then I set them aside as I prepare the rest of the Htipiti ingredients.

Now take an equal amount of Feta and Myzithra and add a little olive oil and start mashing the cheeses with your fork until they are incorporated and smooth.

Now add some pureed hot peppers in small amounts, mix and taste. Keep on adding until you acheive your desired heat. In Greece, Htipiti is served mildly spicy, not "blow your head off spicy". If the mixture is a little stiff, slowly pour in some olive oil and blend it in. You now have your own Htipiti!

At this point in my Birthday party I served a new favourite of mine - grilled shrimp and Chorizo skewers. Again, there's no real recipe here but to soak the bamboo skewers for at least overnight and then slice your Chorizo to the thickness of the shrimp and wrap the body of the shrimp around the arc of the sausage and secure with a small skewer.

Lightly oil your shrimp & Chorizo skewers and grill on high heat for 1-2 minutes per side. Serve them immediately.

Finally, this next dish doubled as another appetizer and a side dish...a green bean and cherry tomato salad.

I originally saw this cold bean salad on an episode of the Barefoot Contessa and I was immediately drawn to this salad. It had beans, olive oil, tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, oregano, garlic and parsley.

After exploring regional dishes of Greece, I discovered that this dish is a specialty from the Greek island of Kythera, situated just south of the Laconian peninsula.

Here's a family favourite - a wonderful summer salad of green beans and my own touch with roasted cherry tomatoes. The sweet tomatoes play off on the tart vinegar and the garlic and pungent dried Greek oregano offer a deep bottom to this symphony of herbs and vegetables.

Green Bean & Cherry Tomato Salad From Kythera

1 1/2 pounds slender green beans, trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 pints of cherry tomatoes, roasted
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 clove of garlic , minced
1 heaping of teaspoon dried Greek oregano
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
salt and pepper to taste

1. Place your cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in a pre-heated 450F oven and roast for 20-30 minutes or until they skins have cracked & shriveled a bit. Allow to cool and set aside.
2. Place a large pot of water on your stove-top and when it comes to a boil, add a good amount of salt and and place your beans in the water. Boil for 3-5 minutes until just tender (but still crisp).
3. Strain your beans and place in an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
4. In a large boil, add your balsamic vinegar, garlic, mustard and oregano and begin whisking in your olive oil. Add a little salt and pepper and now add your beans, cherry tomatoes and chopped parsley.
5. Toss the salad so that the dressing coats all the components. Ad just seasoning with salt an pepper and serve at room temperature or cold.

A Reprise of Greek Appetizers

Ask a bunch of Greeks over for dinner and drinks and it's expected that your spread's going to have some dips for noshing on .

In continuing with my replay of my Birthday dinner, today I'm offering up three Greek dips, Cretan Dakos and to help stave off palate fatigue, a simple and delicious fruit salad.

To greet my hungry guests...I surprised them with a platter of dressed Cretan Dakos. These double-baked rusks get drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil, some grated ripe tomatoes and finished off with crumbled Greek feta and pungent Greek oregano.

I then presented a trio of dips...first up was Tzatziki. Strained Greek yogurt that's flavoured with minced garlic and fresh dill and spiked with a shot of Ouzo. The Tzatziki vanished by the time the souvlaki was served.

Next is a specialty of Thessalonki called Htipiti or Tyrokafteri. It's a dip of mashed hot banana pepper, Greek feta and Myzithra cheeses and finished off with some good extra-virgin olive oil.

The last dip and one of my favourites is Melitzanosalata. It's a dip of roasted eggplant, garlic, olive oil and balanced with some chopped fresh parsley. To truly make this dip a head turner, the eggplants have to be roasted over open coals or at the very least, on a gas grill.

Finally, I've been reading alot about palate fatigue and I wanted to offer a course that would "cleanse" my guests palates.

Palate fatigue occurs when one is presented with multiple rich savory courses in a row. This fruit salad gave my guests a break as there were more delicious food to be had through the course of the night.

Taken from the latest issue of Canadian Living Magazine, this Mango Melon Salad was the perfect cleanser - offering a palate a break from the rich flavours, even thought we were only into the appetizers.

It's quick, it's summer and mangos are easily available now through much of the world. In fact, the mango has out-shined the banana as the most popular fruit!

Mango Melon Salad

3 Tbsp. each lime and liquid honey
2 cups of cubed mango
2 cups of cubed cantaloupe
2 cups of cubed watermelon
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint

1. In a microwave, zap your mint juice and honey for 30 seconds and then whisk to combine. Let cool.
2. Add mango, watermelon and cantaloupe, lime juice, honey and mint in a bowl and toss gently to combine. Serve slightly chilled.

Tomato Salad With Fried Feta

Last night I had a few friends & cousins over for a backyard party but the weather Gods were not compliant. It was my birthday this past Friday and I'm a fabulous 41!

Rain was forecast for most of the day and we packed up and headed indoors...twice!

Regardless, after settling indoors I was able to commence the onslaught of dishes to my awaiting guests.

I served up a combo of dishes that were sure people pleasers and with just enough uniqueness to evoke the "Ooooohs & Ahhhhs" from the dining room.

One such dish is a tomato salad on a bed of greens with fried feta. This time I used a Mesclun Mix of greens, some firm Greek feta cheese, a mildly sweetened vinaigrette made with honey and extra-virgin Greek olive oil.

Frying cheese can be a tricky task but here's a few of pointers:

• Seek a firmer feta cheese. Some crumble easier than others. A firmer variety works best.
• Chill your feta before frying. My good friend Sam of Greek Food - Recipes & Reflections shared this tip and it definitely helped my feta cubes keep their form during the frying.
• Shallow fry your cheese in a non-stick pan with an oil like sunflower oil.
• Coat your cheese simply with beated egg and flour.

This salad immediately catches the eye, my Greek guests were in awe of the Greek cubes of feta and when I was prepping the next course in the kitchen, I thought I heard them meditating with what sounded like a chorus of "Ohmmmmmmmm" - it was really a "Yummmmm"!

Tomato Salad With Fried Feta
Serves 4

Vinaigrette
juice of 1 lemon (1/4 cup)
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. of honey
2 tsp. dried Greek oregano splash of good balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. black pepper

1-2 ripe tomatoes, sliced
4 large handfuls of Mesclun (Spring) mix
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
Greek black olives
7oz/200 gr. Greek feta, cut into cubes
1 egg + splash of milk
some all-purpose flour
sunflower oil for frying

1. In a small Mason jar, add your vinaigrette ingredients and close lid and shake well. Taste and adjust seasonings and set aside.
2. Prepare the salad by arranging the tomatoes, onion, Mesclun mix and olives on individual plates or one large serving platter
3. Cut the feta cheese into cubes. Beat the egg and some milk in one bowl and have another separate bowl set up with some flour. Toss the cheese first in the egg, shale off excess and then dredge in flour. Place your dredged feta cubes in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to chill.
4. Heat the sunflower oil in a large, non-stick pan and fry (in batches) over medium heat, turning over the cubes of cheese until they are golden brown on all sides.
5. Scatter the fried feta over the salad and give your jar of vinaigrette a shake and spoon over the salad. Serve while feta cubes are still warm.
   

No Fear Blogging

One of the bonuses of food blogging is you sometimes get to meet your fellow bloggers. An even rarer occurance is when you meet one from your same town/city and you greet each other as though we were old friends getting together to play "catch up" and spend the day together.

Such was the case this past Thursday when Judy of No Fear Entertaining and family (posse) came to downtown Toronto to meet me for drinks, lunch and some shopping.

We had lunch in one of the city's dining jewels, located in Cabbagetown and then we headed over to Kensington Market to do some grocery shopping from street-side food stands and some fish from the Greek fellows I know.

As someone who love's food, there can be nothing better than being in the company of others like you who recognize and enjoy good food, never tire of talking about good food or seek out good food. That's how our day went and I wouldn't change a thing about it!

My advice as a blogger is get to know the people who frequent and comment on your blog, use some common sense with who to approach and seek others who share similar life paths. Judy and I grew up in the same era and our jokes, life experiences and Toronto upbringing brought us together (along with the attraction to each other's food).

Without throwing caution to the wind, try and organize a gathering, seek out bloggers where you might go to vacation or extend an invite to anyone who might be visiting your town. In my instance, I got lucky by meeting new friends...thanks Judy and Mr. T!

On to some food, as it's as much about sharing as it is about taste, flavour and aroma. I'll be having some friends over at my place for a BBQ and in the ensuing days, I'll share with you some of my favourite dishes (that Souvlaki recipe is coming) and some new ones and even a "Kalofagas Mama" recipe for a Strawberry Shortcake!

Not being the type to blog without offering up a dish, I leave you with a surprisingly delicious pork chop recipe that's easy to prep, gives neutral pork a punch and it's easy enough to whip for the family for a weeknight barbecue.

What we have here is a Cumin-Crusted Pork Chop with a zesty peach salsa. It's latin inspired with the use of crushed cumin seeds and cilantro perfuming the salsa. I added my own stamp on the dish with some oregano to complement the cumin.

This dish is obviously for those who enjoy the aroma and flavour of cumin. This dish works best if you pound or crush cumin seeds...the ground up crap doesn't cut here and the final result is a mellow, flavourful recipe that puts some new life in the staid grilled pork chop.

Margherita

In 1889, the pizza was named after Margherita, Queen consort of the kingdom of Italy. The pizza bears the three colours of the Italian flag: red tomatoes, green basil and white mozzarella.

To this day, the citizens of Naples still debate, argue, compete for what is the most authentic pizza, the best ingredients and argue about which ingredients are used and how it's constructed.

There's no way I'm going to walk through this mine field and even if I visited Naples, I'm sure I'd still piss off someone from there.

Having said that, you can be sure there's absolutely no tolerance for Hawaiian pizza with pineapple, no Greek pizza with feta or worst still, an improvised pizza of salami, use of any leftover white cheese left in the fridge or the use of canned mushrooms.

I will be in Greece soon and although I'll be elbow deep in fabulous Greek food, pizza will not be one of the foods I will enjoy.

Greeks (in Greece) love pizza but it's not pizza as the Italians or American Italians know it. Frankly, by and large it's horrible!

I still shudder at the use of leftover cheeses such as Gouda, Milner or even grated Kasseri as a topping. It gets worse...no pepperoni but greasy salami or ham becomes the meat portion.

There's very little sauce on the pizza and jarred or canned mushrooms make even the decent made pizzas soggy!

There are some good pizza makers in Greece now but the bad still outnumber the good pizzerias. The Greeks have always made wonderful dough and pizza crust and lately I'm seeing wood burning ovens and the use of more traditional pizza ingredients.

If it sounds like I'm slamming pizza in Greece, well I am. However, I'm doing you a favour...you'll be well rewarded by instead eating local, fresh and regional Greek cuisine. Leave the pizza behind for movie night or the big game. You're on vacation...eat local, eat Greek...why not try out the Ladenia or go old skool and have a whack at the Pizza Margherita.

Pizza Margherita
(makes 1 large pizza or 2 small)

For the Dough
1 cup warm water
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/8 cup olive oil
1 heaping tsp. active dry yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
Approx. 3 - 3 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour

For the Topping
hand crushed can of San Marzano plum tomatoes
2-3 cloves of minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
dried oregano
fresh Mozzarella cheese
hand-torn fresh basil leaves

Pre-heated 400F oven

1. In a large bowl, add your yeast, sugar, and warm water and allow about 7-10 minutes to activate (as evidenced with the bubbling). Now add your salt and olive oil add about 2 cups of flour into the mixture. Keep on adding flour while kneading on a floured work surface until your dough is pliable and no longer sticks to your hands. NOTE: (flour amounts vary from 3 to 3 1/4 cups flour, depending on the weather you are experiencing and how the flour and yeast react.
2. Spread some olive oil on your round baking pan and sprinkle some fine semolina flour. Roll out your pizza dough to the size of pizza you desire. You may now preheat your oven.
3. After hand-crushing your plum tomatoes, tear them up and spread the tomatoes over the surface of your dough. Season with some salt and pepper and sprinkle the minced garlic and dried oregano over the sauce.
4. Now cut (or hand tear) your Mozzarella cheese and spread it over the surface of your pizza (do not entirely cover your pizza with cheese, it will melt).
5. Bake on the middle rack for 15-20 minutes or until the edges start to brown and your cheese has just melted and browned just a bit.
6. As soon as the pizza is out of the oven, tear your basil leaves and spread them over the surface of the pizza.
7. Serve immediately with cold beer or a bottle of good red wine.
   

Prawns Tourkolimano

Tourkolimano is a small, natural harbour on the northeast coast of Piraeaus, near Athens. This dish gets it's name from here but it can be tasted all around the world, wherever one might find a Greek taverna.

This classic dish is extremely quick to make and the most difficult task is your prep work. Beyond that, it comes together in minutes and it'll taste like you slaved over the pot for an hour.

I've adapted this Greek meze from Aristedes Pasparakis' and Byron Ayanoglu's "New Greek Cuisine". Here we have a lusty sauce of fresh garden herbs, tomato, garlic and feta.

This appetizer is easy on the eye, you'll make some new food groupies you'll probably earn the praises of your Greek friends.

Go ahead...make their day!

Prawns Tourkolimano

1 lb. of shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt and pepper
3 scallions, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, sliced
1/2 cup olive oil
1 large tomato, diced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tsp. dry oregano
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 slab of Greek feta, coarsely crumbled
chopped fresh parsley and chives for garnish

1. Season your prawns with a little salt and pepper and toss to coat. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add your oil. Just when it starts to smoke, add your prawns and give them a quick saute for a minute or two, stirring often. Remove your prawns with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2. In the same skillet, add your diced tomatoes, scallions and garlic and saute over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Now add your wine and herbs and shrimp and simmer for another 2 minutes while stirring. Turn off the heat and gently fold in the crumbled feta
3. Cover and allow to rest for 2-3 minutes more.
4. Garnish with parsley and chives and serve immediately with crusty bread.
   

Chicken Giouvetsi

Greek cooking is filled with dishes that are cooked all in one shot, baked in the oven and ready to serve piping hot.

There are many takes on Giouvetsi...lamb, shrimp, beef, goat and today, it's chicken. All these dishes are traditionally baked in an earthenware vessel called a "gastra".

The north Africans have Tajines, us Greeks have the Gastra. Our family had one years ago but it unfortunately broke in a disputed accident (I say clumsyness).

Next month when I visit Greece, I'll be spending some time on the Greek island of Sifnos. The island is famous for it's pottery (and birthplace of Nikos Tselementes) and I have every intention of bringing back a nice Gastra back with me.

In the meantime, a casserole or baking dish works just fine. Here, I used chicken pieces (legs) that were first boiled down to extract a chicken stock and then used to flavour this simple yet tasty Greek dish.

Chicken Giouvetsi
(for 4)

1 large onion, diced
1 Cubanelle pepper, diced
1 cup tomato puree
1 1/2 cups of Kritharaki (orzo)
6 cups of chicken stock
1 whole chicken, separated into pieces
salt and pepper to taste
Grated Kefalotyri (Romano) Cheese

Pre-heated 375F oven

1. In a skillet, over medium heat, add your onions and peppers and saute for 5-7 minutes or until softened.
2. Add the Kritharaki and stir for a few minutes to toast the kernels.
3. Add the hot stock and tomato puree and bring to a boil while stirring. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
4. Transfer to an oven-proof baking vessel, add your pieces of chicken and bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes or until most of the juices have been absorbed and the top is golden brown.
5. Serve hot with some fresh ground pepper and grated Kefalotyri cheese.

Thank You's, Shout Outs and an Iced Tea

This morning I received wonderful news that I won the Royal Foodie Joust(RFJ) with my Apricot and Pistachio cake.

I would like to all of you for your comments and especially those that took the time to join www.leftoverqueen.com/forum and vote.

I would also like to congratulate Marija and Anniepooh, who were the other two finalists. After looking at both these gals' blogs and their food, it's only a matter of time until they win the coveted honour.

As the victor, I am to choose the three ingredients that must be included in this month's dishes in the competition.

Being a guy that enjoys the savory side of things, I've chosen cilantro (coriander), seafood and sesame (seeds, oil, etc). If you have a blog and want to test your creativity, try your hand at the RFJ...you'll improve your cooking, learn a thing or two and make some new friends!

Speaking of friends, may I offer you some iced tea? With July here, summer's finally arrived in Toronto. It's 30C, sunny and the deck out in the back never felt better!

To help cool things off, I made an iced tea made from lemon verbena. The leaves come from a shrub and the aroma and flavour of this tea is undoutedly on the lemon side.

For this iced tea, I used dried leaves but if you're lucky to know someone with a lemon verbena tree, ask for some leaves and try out this refreshing and delicious iced tea.

Lemon Verbena Iced Tea

12 cups of water
1 cup of dry lemon verbena leaves
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1. In a large pot, bring a large pot of water to a boil and then add the leaves in. Simmer the leaves for 5 minutes and take off the heat. Allow the leaves to steep for 15 minutes then strain and discard.
2. Add and stir in your sugar and lemon juice. Allow to cool to room temperature before refrigerating.
3. Serve cold on a hot day with a lemon slice and lots of ice cubes and what the Hell...throw in a splash of vodka.
   

Grilled Sesame Scallops

It's playtime by the grill again kiddies. We've been having some hot, dry days that are followed by cool, great for sleep evenings and there's no sign of rain for days. At last, summer as I know it is here.

This means that the cooking theater known as the patio is back in action. Everything tastes good on the grill: meat, chicken, vegetables and in this case, seafood.

Up for grilling today are some sea scallops. This appetizer is Asian inspired and it's very simple, the ingredients aren't hard to locate and it's a nice change from your usual bacon-wrapped scallop.

What we have at play here are scallops, ginger, lime zest, black pepper and toasted sesame oil....wanna taste?

Grilled Sesame Scallops

12 sea scallops, rinsed and patted dry
12 Cremini mushroom caps
12 wooden skewers
3 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1/2 lime
1 Tbsp. grated ginger
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
sesame seeds for garnish

1. Fill a container with some water and place your wooden skewers in and allow to soak for a couple of hours.
2. In a large bowl, add your sesame oil, lime zest, ginger, garlic, chives and black pepper and whisk to mix. Adjust according to your tastes and set aside some of the marinade to pour over your grilled scallops.
3. Add your scallops to the bowl and marinade for 1 hour (room temp.) or a couple of hours in the fridge. When you're ready to grill, Add the juice of 1/2 lime into the marinade and toss the mixture and place your scallops and mushroom cap alternately on the soaked skewers.
4. Season your skewers with coarse sea salt and grill on high heat for 2-3 minutes a side.
5. Pour over the reserved marinade as a finishing sauce and and serve immediately.
   

Greek Garden Pesto

I don't think I've shown you the herbs that are grown in my garden and in the end, used in the dishes I make.

Photographed and currently growing are Genoa basil, flat-leaf parsley, rosemary, mint, Greek oregano, thyme, sage, chives, Greek basil, French tarragon and lemon thyme.

The Genoa basil was produced by using the seeds of last year's plants, the parsley was purchased and planted from a gardening center, the rosemary is a carry-over from last year, the mint is a perennial that pops-up each & every year, the thyme is new purchase, as is the sage, the chives are another perennial and the French tarragon and lemon thyme are also new additions.

I have had some decent success with bringing some herbs indoors during the colder and winter months. My herbs are in the backyard, facing north and I will bring the basil, thyme, rosemary and some parsley indoors.

Around mid-October, I will move these plants into a shaded and protected area to accustomize the plants to an indoor existence and protect it from an early frost. After about a week, they will then move indoors, this time facing South and in direct sunlight in the front of the home.

Come Spring time, around the third week of May (and surely beyond any late frosts), the herbs come out again....first into the shaded outdoors (again just under the roof) and about a week later, back into the full exposure to the elements.

This method is not without it's fatalities but I've once had a rosemary tree for five years, basil for three years and some thyme for four years. Even with this track record, an attempt to bring your garden's herbs indoors for winter use is worthy of a try.

I don't have access to bunches of herbs through this method but I can have fresh thyme in a pinch, some basil leaves for pasta if needed and garnishes for many dishes.

In the meantime, I have lots of fresh herbs at my disposal and earlier this week I made a Mint Pesto.

I'm not going to try and pass this off as anything Greek as Pesto IS ultimately Italian but the three herbs in this pesto are commonly found in a Greek garden, hence the name of the dish, Greek Garden Pesto.

Greek Garden Pesto

1 cup of fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup of fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
Approx. 1/2 cup Greek feta
1/3 cup toasted almonds
1/2 extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. black pepper

1. Wash and pat-dry your herbs, then throw into your food processor along with the garlic, feta and black pepper.
2. Process on high until you get a good, green paste and scrape the sides with spatula and process again until everything is smooth.
3. Now pour a slow and steady stream of olive oil until you've reached your desired consistency. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
4. Add your almonds and pulse until you get your nut consistency.
5. Boil some water, add salt and cook according to the package's instructions.
6. Drain the pasta and add as much (or as little pesto) as you wish to your pasta and toss to coat.
7. Serve immediately.
   

Strawberry Salad

After experiencing a longer and colder winter than usual, it comes as no surprise that Ontario's seasonal produce is appearing later on the shelves.

Local field strawberries are appearing in the markets and one bite into them reminds me that local is always best.

No need to steep these in sugar or any other flavour enhancer - a simple bowl of strawberries after dinner is fine by me.

Or I also like strawberries as part of my salad. The sweet and tart flavours of a strawberry play well against savory in a salad.

Here, I pretty much winged this salad, used what was on hand and I think I came up with a harmonious mix of ingredients, seasonal fare and as always, delicious.

When you're ready to eat this salad, hunch your back over, turn away from the others and protect yourself and the salad...the last time I made this, someone else's fork just dived into my salad and stole a forkful!

Strawberry Salad
(for 4)

4 large handfuls of Spring Mesclun Mix
1/2 pint of strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon

Vinaigrette
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 small clove of garlic, minced
4 Tbsp. raspberry balsamic vinegar 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Wash & rinse your salad greens and ensure most of the water has been removed from the leaves and reserve.
2. In a large bowl, add the mustard, garlic and vinegar and start whisking the ingredients until a paste has formed. Now continue whisking while adding a slow and steady stream of olive oil until you get a creamy, emulsified mixture. Taste and adjust seasoning and add salt and pepper according to taste.
3. Add your salad greens, strawberries and tarragon into the bowl and gently toss to coat all your salad leaves.
4. Divide your salad and top with the walnuts and crumbled blue cheese.

Ladenia (Λαδένια)

Doesn't this look an awful lot like a pizza? This is the specialty that comes from the Greek island of Kimolos.

Each Greek island can boast of a specialty dish (and I'm going to enjoy trying each & every one of them) but for now, let's focus on Ladenia from Kimolos.

It's a pizza crust that's allowed to rise, then treated with olive oil, followed by a topping of sliced onions and very ripe tomatoes. The finishing touches are coarse sea salt, black pepper and the fabulously pungent dry Greek oregano.

Laurie of Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska is the lady responsible for bringing Ladenia to my attention and from a brief search on the internet - to several others.

I'm not going to toy much with this recipe - I'm sticking to the pizza dough, oil, onions, seasonings and herb combo. Simple is best here. Your choosing of quality ingredients will shine through when you taste the finished product.

Some key factors in making a good Ladenia:

• Allow the dough to rise at least a half hour to thicken up. I'm a thin-crust pizza kinda' guy but thick works best here. The olive oil and juices from the onions and tomatoes will provide ample flavour.
• Choose ripe, not too watery tomatoes. No matter how long you bake (roast) them, a shit tomato will still taste like well, "skata".
• Use regular olive oil when covering the dough and then drizzle the primo, good extra-virgin olive oil just as the Ladenia comes out of the oven.
• Top off with dried Greek oregano. Again, it's the one herb that's superior dried (rather than fresh).

Eat this as a lighter lunch, make a large Ladenia for a party as offer as an appetizer or snack but do make it. This was a big hit throughout the household - I know it will be in yours too!

Ladenia (Λαδένια)

For the Dough
1 cup warm water
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/8 cup olive oil
1 heaping tsp. active dry yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
Approx. 3 - 3 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour

Topping
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large onions, sliced
2 large tomatoes, cut in half then cut into half-moon slices
coarse sea salt
ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. dry Greek oregano
extra-virgin olive oil (for finishing)

Pre-heated 400F oven

1. In a large bowl, add your yeast, sugar, and warm water and allow about 7-10 minutes to activate (as evidenced with the bubbling). Now add your salt and olive oil add about 2 cups of flour into the mixture. Keep on adding flour while kneading on a floured work surface until your dough is pliable and no longer sticks to your hands. NOTE: (flour amounts vary from 3 to 3 1/4 cups flour, depending on the weather you are experiencing and how the flour and yeast react.
2. Spread some olive oil on your round baking pan and sprinkle some fine semolina flour. Roll out your pizza dough to the approx. circumference of your pan and allow the dough to rise for about 30 minutes in a warm spot in the home. You may now preheat your oven.
   
3. Pour and evenly spread the olive oil over your dough, followed by spreading out the sliced onions all over area of the Ladenia. Now top with your tomato slices, coarse sea salt, black pepper and dry Greek oregano.
4. Bake on the middle rack of your oven for 40 45 minutes until the edges have just browned and the top has a light brown colour.
5. Serve hot or cold, as a meal or a snack.