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.
   

Greek Coffee (Ελληνικός καφές)

In my last entry, I told you have I've cut smoking but I still have plenty of other sins such as drinking alcohol, decadent foods (and other things your dad warned you about).

For about a month now I've been exclusively drinking Greek coffee. I've rediscovered Greek coffee and I've been enjoying making it:

the ritual watching over the coffee coming to a boil, of waiting for the coffee grounds to settle and then, sipping it until you taste the mud at the bottom.

Greek coffee is a strong brew, served with foam on top (Kai-maki) and the coffee grounds on the bottom. One is served a Greek coffee in a demi-tasse cup (like an espresso cup).

In Greece, the ritual of drinking Greek coffee occurs twice a day. The first Greek coffee is sipped in the morning as a jolt to wake up the the morning and the second jolt comes after waking up
from the afternoon siesta or "mesimerianos ipnos".

Greek coffee is always served with a tall glass of cold water and a small cookie lika a Koulouraki or sweet on the side, like a biscotti (Paximathi), Melomekarena or in this case, Amygdalota.

Greek coffee is easy to make. You'll need to buy Greek coffee, which is a fine grind and you'll find in small, vacuum packed bags at most stores that sell Greek food and drink items.

To make Greek coffee, you'll need a briki, cold water, sugar and of course, the coffee. Greek coffee can be made in four different ways. It can be sketos (without sugar, strong and bitter), metrios (medium, usually with one teaspoonful of sugar), glykys or vari glykos (almost honey-sweet) and glykys vrastos - sweet but boiled more then once so it loses most of its froth.

Depending on which kind of Greek Coffee you like, measure and add into the briki the coffee, a teaspoonful of coffee per cup, and the sugar. For a medium coffee the best balance is to add the same amount of sugar as coffee. For a medium coffee the best balance is to add the same amount of sugar as coffee.

Greek Coffee (Ελληνικός καφές)

• Greek coffee
• Sugar (if used)
• A briki (μπρίκι)
• Demitasse cups
• Cold water
• Water glasses

1. Using the demi-tasse cup, measure the amount of cold water will need to make your servings of coffee and add the appropriate amount of sugar (you can only make one kind per order).
2. Using a spoon, stir to dissolve the coffee and sugar in the water. Place the briki on your flame and watch over your coffee closely (do not leave it alone).
3. You want to serve Greek coffee with the foam (kai-maki) and as soon as you start to see the coffee rise and foam, quickly take the briki off the heat and pour into your guests' demi-tasses.
4. Serve with a glass of cold water and a cookie or a sweet.

Cafe Frappe

Cafe Frappe ("ka-fay - fra-pay") is how it's pronounced and this beverage rivals the oft drank Greek coffee.

This is the Greek version of an ice coffee, simple to make, refreshing and delicious. Play around with the flavours...add some chocolate or french vanilla syrup, top it with whipped cream.

Before I lay out how to make it, you'll need either a cocktail shaker, frappe shaker or a hand-held mixer. Purists will tell you that only the Greek market Nescafe will do but I find the North Amercian kind to work just as good!

Cafe Frappe

Nescafe instant coffee
water
sugar
evaporated milk/cream
ice

1. Put 1 Tbsp into your glass or shaker along with 1 Tbsp of sugar and a splash of water.
2. Shake vigorously or whiz until about almost 1/2 of the shaker/glass is frothed.
3. Transfer froth to a glass and/or add cold water to almost fill the glass.
4. Add cream/milk, 1 ice cube and serve with a straw and a glass/bottle of water on the side.
   

White Wine Sangria

WARNING: Drinking this Sangria will cause you to finish the whole pitcher!

Traditionally, Sangria is made with red wine but I tried this version out last summer and much to my satisfaction, I made pitchers of it to the delight of my imbibing guests.

There must be hundreds of different recipes for Sangria...the Spanish can't even agree on what to call it. In some parts of southern Spain it is called Zurra.

Sangria is not a huge effort but making it ahead 1 day will give you superior results.

Try out this recipe to see if you like it but if you are expecting guests, you would be wise to quadruple the recipe!

Sangria

• 3/4 cup sugar
• Grated zest of 1/2 lemon
• Grated zest of 1/2 orange
• 1/2 lemon juice
• 1/2 orange juice
• 1 1/2 cups of Fruitopia Strawberry Passion
  
• 1 1/2 cups mineral water, chilled
• 1 chilled white wine (Sauvignon Blanc)
• 1 peach, thinly sliced
• 1 orange, segmented
  
• 1 cup of frozen mixed berries

1. In a saucepan, combine the sugar, zest and citrus juice. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Pour into a pitcher , add the whole bottle of wine and refrigerate overnight.
   
2. Just before serving, add the mineral water to the citrus syrup.
3. Put some ice and a few frozen berries in each glass and serve.
   

Weekend Herb Blogging - Lemon Verbena Mojito

This is my 2nd entry into the Weekend Herb Blogging and from last week's entries...it's quite the parade of tasty food!

This week's hostess is Rachel from Rachel's Bite and I'd like to thank her in advance for putting up with all the fuss to amass and post the week's entries.

Today, I thought I would highlight a more obscure herb, not often used but perhaps that can change. I'm showcasing Lemon Verbena. It's an herb that looks like a small tree and it's aroma can be described as a minty-lemon. I first encountered lemon verbena in Greece, where it can be found in many gardens. I've also learned that it came from the Americas and brought back to Europe by the Spanish (there it is called Luisa). The leaves can be dried and stored to later make a lovely, aromatic herbal tea. Great for those winter colds.

So, keeping with a Spanish theme (Cuban), I thought lemon verbena would be put to good use in a Mojito cocktail! I lifted this cocktail recipe from Bacardi....I'm sure you'll try one tonight!

Here's what you'll need for a single recipe:

1 part white rum
3 parts club soda
12 lemon verbena leaves
3 tsp sugar

Place your lemon verbena leaves, lime and sugar in a glass and muddle with a pestle. Add rum, top off with club soda, stir well and garnish with a leaf and/or lime wheel.