Artisan Bread in Five Minutes

"The weight of 10 sacks of flour have just come off my shoulder. I feel a great sense of triumph to be able to easily make bread." (myself)

"Peter, how did you make this bread? We buy our bread from the Italian bakery and this reminds us of the crusty bread they produce." (Italian neighbor)

"Now this is bread!" ( my father)

"This is the best homemade bread I've ever had. My bread is good but I can never get my bread to get that crusty outside and fluffy inside". ( my mother)
"Where did you buy this bread?" (my brother)

One of the most important aspects of sales, marketing or convincing someone of an idea or belief you hold is through testimonials.

I can now proudly proclaim to be able to make bread, without worry, without much effort and with some patience, make it esthetically appealing and delicious.

My friend Judy of No Fear Entertaining convinced me to order Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day in a matter of moments. I read her blog entry, trusted her proclamation and ordered the book through Amazon.

Zoe Francois and Jeff Hertzberg are childhood friends who remain pals and colleagues after all these years (rare these days) and through trial & error, they've come up with a method to baking artisan bread with little effort and easy to follow instructions.

Let's get one thing out of the way...you will not make bread in five minutes but what you will make is wonderful, artisan-style bread that does NOT require kneading, you mat place a large batch of dough in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or freeze dough portions for future baking.

The book centers around their "master recipe" and with this in hand, one can go off on many bread-making tangents such as baguettes, pizza dough, fougasse, pita bread and array of peasant loaves.

With this book, you'll be armed with 100 bread making recipes, all backed by the master recipe for "no- knead" bread.

Zoe and Jeff also have a website and I urge you to have a peek about what they have to say and if you're ready to buy the book, please note they there are some error's & omissions in the book but they've been upfront about that I've already made notes in my book to reflect those changes.

Now that you're ready to buy the book, I should also mention that you'll need some basic equipment to guarantee an "artisan-style" bread each and every time:

• broiler pan
• pizza peel
• pizza stone
• plastic tub (or pail)

You need all of the above tools for re-creating artisan bread in your home. The broiler pan gets placed in the oven with hot water to create steam in the oven while baking.

A pizza peel is where you lay your dough to rest before baking and you'll easily slide the dough into the oven just like your neighborhood baker.

The pizza stone goes into your oven to be pre-heated, re-creating the brick oven atmosphere of your local bakery and finally, the plastic tub (or pail) is where your wet dough is allowed to rise and be stored in your fridge for future baking.

There's no real trick to makig artisan bread. The ingredients are tepid water, yeast, salt and flour...nothing else!

You're probably wondering, where's the recipe but I'm really hyped on this book, I think everyone should own a copy and everyone should tell their friends about buying this book...it's that good!

I think Zoe and Jeff deserve all the success and rewards from the book sales, they went through alot of experimentation and time to offer up this book.

For those still on the fence about buying this book and in lieu of the artisan bread recipe, I'm giving away one book per 1oo (hundred) comments. Just leave a comment at the bottom of this post by no later than Friday February 6th, 2009 EST.

A draw will be held through a computer-generated random draw.

Good luck and happy baking!

P.S. Already have the book, no worries. You can still enter and if you win, give it to someone as a gift!




If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.blogspot.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.
© 2007-2009 Peter Minakis

A Simple Greek Sandwich

Roast some red peppers. Place in a paper bag to sweat for 30 minutes or so and peel the charred skins off. Season with sea salt and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

Get yourself a slab of Greek Feta cheese.

Toast a homemade sesame seed bun and place some roasted red peppers in the bun, with a slab of Feta. Sprinke some dried Oregano and enjoy one of the easiest and tastiest sandwiches will ever have.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.blogspot.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author. © 2007-2009 Peter Minakis

Fish à la Spetsiota (Ψάρι α λα σπετσιώτα)

Many, many years ago...1990 to be exact, I was working for a Canadian bank in my first "adult" job and being at the bottom of the ladder, I was given a mere ten days for vacation and that vacation could only be taken after the summer holidays (when those with seniority and children came back from vacation). The only window of opportunity for me to visit Greece with some decent swimming weather was September.

I actually booked and stayed in Greece for 2 weeks! Some of you might be thinking, "I'd take two weeks to Greece" but let me put things in perspective for you. Two weeks for a Greek who's accustomed to spend an entire summer in Greece is almost a tease of a vacation.

Regardless, I went to Greece for two weeks but it was one of the funnest and action-packed trips to Greece. Not one day wasted, every hour savoured, every moment with friends and family precious.

Some friends of mine set up to meet me in Athens upon my arrival and we were spend a night in Athens then take a short ferry boat ride to two islands in the Saronic Gulf, Hydra and Spetses.

These islands are very popular with Athenians as they are only a short distance away by car and ferry or just a ferry from Athens. Both islands picturesque, transporting you far away from the hustle & bustle of Athens and offering the city folk a slower pace, a sip of the good life and a breath of warm sea air. Today, we'll dine in Spetses.

I remember a pretty town lined with old mansions, horse drawn carriage rides and many roads finished with mosaic patterns. Days were spent taking leisurely strolls or taking a short ferry to the mainland for a nice swim at Kosta beach.

The evenings? What else but to dine in one of the many quaint and affordable eateries that cater to foreign and Greek tourists alike.

This baked fish dish comes from Spetses and it's basically a baked fish (Plaki) with whole or fish fillets, tomatoes, parsley and breadcrumbs. There are obviously many slight variations to this dish but here, you get simplicity, you get a healthy dinner option, a viable weeknight meal that will transport you to one of Spetses' many tavernas.

Fish à la Spetsiota is also in keeping with my goal to eat lighter and healthier during the month of January. I have cracked a bit and I will share some of the richer meals real soon.

But in the meantime, go to the market and see what the catch of the day is. It's Friday and I'm sure your fish monger is brimming with some fresh fish. Fancy a whole fish on the bone? Or would you like the "no fuss - no muss" of a fillet?

Either way, this dish can accomodate you. Sole, tilapia or snapper fillets will work fine here and on the instance I made this dish, I used sea bass filllets.

The dinner was accompanied but a simple yet delicious salad of Romaine lettuce, scallions, dill, extra-virgin olive oil, wine vinegar, sea salt, pepper and some Feta cheese.

Greeks enjoy rice with fish and I've paired the Spetsiota dish with baked rice and a side of blanched green beans.

Try Fish à la Spetsiota with the rice and green beans. The rice is your obvious starch but the beans and fish pairing really work here. Place the fish fillet on top of a bed of beans and allow some of the tomato sauce to get on the beans. The two work beautifully together!

If using fresh tomatoes, a little tomato paste will help bring the sauce together but here I used a good quality canned plum tomatoes. Finally, don't even think about using that store bought crap they label as breadcrumbs. It's more akin to sawdust than anything else.

Grab some old bread and pulse it in your processor or even take some good bread, cut in cubes, bake it in low heat (300F) for 30 minutes and turn the heat off and allow the bread cubes to cool and dry out for another hour so. Place in your processor and you have the tastiest breadcrumbs ever!

Fish à la Spetsiota (Ψάρι α λα σπετσιώτα)
(serves 4)
adapted from The Food and Wine of Greece, Diane Kochilas

4 fish fillets
1 1/2 cups of plum tomatoes
3-4 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup fresh parsley
1/2 cup dry white wine
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
1 cup cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/4 cup olive oil
extra-virgin olive oil for finishing

Pre-heated 375F oven

1. Rinse your fish fillets and pat dry. Lightly season your fillets with salt and pepper and stand for about 30 minutes.
   
2. In a food processor, add the plum tomatoes, parsley, garlic and wine and pulse until the mixture is blended but some pieces of tomato remain. Allow the mixture to marry for 30 minutes. Pre-heat your oven.
3. Season the fish with a little more salt and pepper and place in a lightly treated baking tray with olive oil. Pour some of the sauce on the tray then lay your fillets down. Pour the tomato sauce over the fillets and sprinkle with your homemade breadcrumbs.
4. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and bake until the sauce has firmed up and the breadcrumb topping has formed a crisp, light-brown crust (approx. 30 minutes).
   
5. Serve warm with some baked white rice, a bed of boiled & blanched green beans and a green salad. Drizzle each fish with some extra-virgin olive oil.
   

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.blogspot.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author. © 2007-2009 Peter Minakis

Iberian Acorn Ham

Last month, just in time for Christmas, my dear friend Nuria of Spanish Recipes sent me a package containing vacuum-sealed Iberian Acorn Ham. For those not in the know, Iberian Acorn Ham is a cured ham which is only produced in Spain the meat comes from free-range hogs that feed on only what's in the wild, including acorns.

Most of you are familiar with prosciutto but I urge to look for and try a few slices of Iberian ham. It's flavour can be described as buttery, a slight tang to the taste and a warm, brown finish as it melts in your mouth.

Iberian ham is best served when brought to room temperature and little accoutrement is needed with this fine product.

Here, I cut up some small logs of Greek Manouri cheese, wrapped the ham around it, added some greens for colour and contrast and served this with a pickled cherry pepper from our family's cellar.

No olive oil is needed here (as the ham is quite oily) but I dressed this appetizer with some lemon zest and freshly cracked black pepper. Don't forget that in the background stands oneof my mom's homemade and delicious bread rolls.

Nuria, thank you so much for your generosity, your warm friendship and always delicious food on your blog. I urge all of you to pay a visit to Nuria's site, tell her "Peter sent ya" and only visit her site on a full stomach, otherwise you'll be instantly hungry.



If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.blogspot.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author. © 2007-2009 Peter Minakis

Artichoke Pie (Ταβερνίσια αγκιναρόπιτα της Τήνου)

Another island in the Cyclades of Greece is Tinos. Tinos is the island just before reaching party-central Mykonos.

The contrast in vacationers that attend both islands is that of the late nights of Mykonos, loud thumping Techno & House and all-nighters and the more normal Tinos with vacationers seeking the beach, idlyllic town life, a fine taverna and it's popular religious attraction of Church of Panagia (Virgin Mary).

One of the holiest days in the Greek-Orthodox calendar is August 15th and many pilgrims visit Tinos to crawl up it's long incline of steps in hopes of being one of the blessed with a miracle from the icon of Panagia.

Tinos is also famous for it's artichokes and in keeping with the Greeks' natural ingenuity, taverna owners have come up with creative ways to showcase this local produce in an array of dishes.

I found an interesting recipe from Diane Kochilias who has written many cookbooks on Greek and Mediterranean cuisine.

She describes this dish as being inspired by the taverna owners' many renditions of their Artichoke pie. The Greek island of Kefallonia (on the Ionian side of Greece) also has their own Artichoke pie but we'll chat about that another time.

This dish stood out for me because one of the main ingredients here is bread slices. I have a feeling the origins of this dish are very peasant and in keeping with the Greek tradition of stretching your ingredients to utmost limit.

I'm sure day-old bread was used to make Artichoke Pie (you can too) but I've found that lighter, less dense bread works best here for absorbing moisture and flavour in the end result.

In this dish I used preserved, jarred artichoke hearts, some grated Graviera cheese (sheep's milk Grueyere), Bechamel sauce and some fresh thyme.

This dish is easy, great offering for a buffet, part of a light lunch or serve a wedge as a snack. It also came in handy as I was able to use up a jar of artichokes staring at me in the fridge and it hit the spot for wanting a light lunch with a salad on the side.

Artichoke Pie (Ταβερνίσια αγκιναρόπιτα της Τήνου)

a buttered 13X9X2" bakiing dish
1/4 cup olive oil
3 large onions, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large loaf of rustic bread, crust removed & cut into thick slices
2 tsp. of fresh thyme
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
approx. dozen artichoke hearts, cut into bite-sized pieces (poached if fresh, I used jarred)
1 1/2 grated Graviera cheese (Gruyere is fine)
3 cups of Bechamel Sauce (or 1/2 of my recipe)
thyme sprigs for garnish

1. Melt the olive oil in a large skillet and add your onions and garlic and saute over medium-low heat for about 20-30 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add your fresh thyme and season with salt and pepper. Allow to cool and set aside.
2. Pre-heat your oven to 400F. Now make your Bechamel sauce as per my instructions with the 1 cup of grated Graviera and set aside and keep warm.
   
3. Spoon some Bechamel Sauce on the bottom of the baking dish and lay your first layer of bread slices. Now spoon half of your sauteed onions over the bread, followed by half the artichoke pieces, some Bechamel sauce and some grated cheese. Repeat with the remaining ingredients in the same order.
4. Bake until tender and the top is golden-brown, about 30-40 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, slice into portioned squares and serve.
   

Fresh Salad

During this past vacation in Greece I again returned to the warm embrace of Athens.

I visited some old friends, made some new ones and I also had to cook and film a pilot to promote the concept of "Kalofagas" as a TV show.

If you would like a sense of where I'm coming from when it comes to food and in particular, Greek food, visit Wandering Educators where you can read a brief interview that I recently conducted.

As for the sharing the footage from the taping in Athens, please be patient...it's a matter of time 'til I unleash my video debut!

The majority of the filming took place at the Fresh Design Hotel in the center of Athens, at the foot of the Parthenon.

Basically, we filmed some footage at the nearby Barbakeios Market and then I along with two of the hotels' chefs, Christos and Athinagoras,
cooked a few dishes.

I would like to thank the staff at the Fresh Hotel, especially Christos and Athinagoras who made me feel like part of their cooking team and for selecting the quality ingredients.

The biggest "thank you" goes to Dimitri Vorris, the writer/producer/director who originally contacted me about creating a flim version of Kalofagas.

The day was long, the work hard but when one is deep in something you love (look food & cooking), it was damn good fun.

We almost forgot to eat but during a break to a relocation of camera equipment to the rooftop restaurant & bar, we had a chance to catch our breath, chat a bit and have a well-deserved lunch in one of the hotel's cafe's.

One of the offerings was a play on the Cretan Dakos, which is a barley rusk served with grated ripe tomatoes, olive oil and crumbled feta (or Myzithra) with a final topping of Greek oregano.

This salad uses "almyra koulourakia" or dry savory biscuits, kinda like a Greek pretzel but with anise seeds in them. Ask for Taralli at an Italian grocer, they should do the trick.

The presentation caught my eye, the idea novel and the flavour with those anise seeds, fantastic!

Fresh Salad
(inspired by the Fresh Design Hotel's offering)

Some almyra koulourakia (savory cookies)
1 medium sized tomato, diced
1 Tbsp. diced red onion
1 small clove of garlic, minced
extra-virgin olive oil
Crumbled Greek feta
coarse sea salt
ground pepper
Dry Greek oregano

1. Arrange some Paximadia (savory cookies) on a plate to form a bedding for your salad (break them in half if they are too big).
2. In a bowl, add your diced tomato, red onions, garlic, some sea salt, pepper, oreegano and some olive oil and allow the mixture to stew for about 15 minutes.
3. Spoon the tomato mixture over the paximadia and then top with crumbled Feta, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and top with dry Greek oregano.
4. Share the plate with friends, spoon some onto your plate, crack the paximadia and eat each forkful with some paximadi, tomato and feta.
   

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.

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.
   

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.
   

Tsoureki (Greek Easter Bread)

Today is "Megalo Savato" or Great Saturday in the Greek-Orthoodox calendar. Yesterday and today are filled with church services and lots of preparation for the festivities tomorrow.

I'm at ease knowing that Easter Sunday will greet us with mild, sunny temperatures...perfect for Greeks who enjoy the outdoors. Greek Easter Sunday is meant to be spent outdoors.

Before I get on to the Tsoureki, I'd like to thank all of you who left your kind words and thoughts on my previous post about the potato salad and on my getting in print in Greek media. It meant a lot!

On to the Tsoureki, every Greek household will have this Greek Easter bread as part of the table. As I've seen it described by others, it has the consistency of a Brioche or even a Challah bread but make no mistake...the similarity begins and ends with the texture. I find Tsoureki to be way more flavourful.

I've tried many a Tsoureki as it's also customary to give and receive a Tsoureki amongst family and friends. From this custom, I've tasted many Tsourekia but I like mine to be slightly sweet, aromatic from the citrus, mastic and mahlepi.

This recipe does read like an army-sized one but again, it's customary to give loaves of Tsoureki to family & friends. Easter is not complete in our household until the aroma of the Tsoureki baking in the oven permeates the whole home. Yesterday it was church incense, today was the heavenly aroma of Tsoureki, tomorrow it will be lamb on the spit!

Tsoureki (Greek Easter Bread)

1 lb. room temp. unsalted butter
4 cups of whole milk
5 cups of sugar
28 cups of all purpose sifted flour
12 eggs, very well beaten
2 Tbsp. of ground Mahlepi
1 Tbsp. of ground Mastic
zest of 1 lemon
zest and juice of 1 large orange
3 heaping Tbsp. of active dry yeast some warm water

1. In a large pot, add the butter, sugar and milk and simmer over a low heat until the 3 ingredients are incorporated. Add the zest of the lemon and orange and the orange juice. Set aside and keep warm.
2. In another bowl, add two cups of water, the sugar and yeast and allow the yeast to activate and rise.
3. In another large bowl, add the sifted flour, Mahlepi and Mastic and reserve.
4. In another bowl, beat your eggs and add them to the milk & butter mixture and then add the yeast mixture as well.
5. Now add wet to dry ingredients. Dust your work surface with flour and knead your dough into a very soft ball and place in a large bowl. Treat the top of your ball with some vegetable oil and cover with plastic wrap. Allow your dough to to double in a warm spot or a pre-heated oven.
6. Once the dough has doubled, push the dough again and allow to rise again.
7. Grab three handfuls of dough and roll them into 3 equal-lenght strips of dough, this will make one braided loaf of Tsoureki. You may choose to make a long braided loaf or a round braided loaf (as in the photo).
   
8. Create a braid with 3 strips of dough and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Allow enough spacing between each loaf that's equal to the width of the loaf (the loaf will expand again). Allow for the loaves to double in size. Repeat steps 7 & 8 to form your remaining Tsourekia.
   
9. Using an egg and milk wash, brush the tops of your Tsourekia and sprinkle sesame seeds or slivered almonds.
10. Bake in a pre-heated 350F oven for 40-45 minutes and allow to cool.
    

Olive Bread (Ελιόψωμο)

Next week is home stretch for the Greeks' Great Lent. Our family (like many other Greeks around the world) will surely fast right up until when the bells strike midnight on "Megalo Sabbato" and we crack those first Easter eggs and shout "Christos Anesti" or Christ has risen!

One of foods we will be eating is this olive bread. This recipe comes courtesy of inlaws by marriage who are natives to Halkidiki, the northern Greek summer playground.

Halkidiki is the prefecture that produces a large amount of olives. The most famous olives from Halkidiki are the large, green Gaidouria (donkey) and the black, sweeter & wrinkled Throumpes.

Another thing one will notice near the shorelines of Greece is the growth of wild rosemary. Where our summer home is, residents often have hedges of rosemary doubling as fences around their properties.

This olive bread is a celebration of the bounty of Halkidiki...olives and rosemary. The filling is of sauteed onions, fresh Spring mint and Black Throumpes. The tops of the olive bread are brushed with olive oil and finished off with rosemary. It's rich in filling, rolled up much like a streudel and served alone or as an accompaniment to a soup.

Olive Bread (Ελιόψωμο)
(makes 8 loaves)

1 heaping Tbsp. of active dry yeast
1 tsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. salt
6 cups of warm water
1 cup olive oil
8 cups of whole wheat flour
4 cups of all-purpose white flour

Filling
24 medium onions, diced
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
4 cups of black Throumpes, pitted and chopped

1. Add 1/2 cup olive oil into a large pot and over medium heat add your onions and then saute on medium-low heat for about 30 minutes while stirring and until the onions are translucent and there's little water left. Add your chopped mint and olives and stir in. Allow to cool before add mixture to the dough.
2. In a large bowl, add all the dry ingredients (except sugar) and reserve. In another large bowl, add your warm water, sugar and yeast and allow some moments for the yeast to activate. Now add your olive oil to the yeast starter and then add your wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
   
3. Knead your dough for about 5 minutes until you get a soft dough. Roll into a large ball and place your dough back into the large bowl. Cover your dough with some olive oil and some plastic cling-wrap. Allow the dough to rise in a warm part of the kitchen for approx. 45 minutes.
4. Knead your dough for another 5 minutes and then form into smaller dough balls (which will become your loaves.
5. Roll each dough ball out into the size of a large pizza. Spread a layer of the filling across the area of the dough and then roll it up and place on baking tray (seam side down) that's been treated with cooking spray. Repeat until your dough and filling have been used up to make a total of 8 loaves.
6. Brush the tops with olive oil and sprinkle with fresh or dry rosemary. Bake in a pre-heated oven (middle rack for 45 - 60 minutes or until light brown.
7. Place your baked olive bread on a counter to cool with a tablecloth covering. Allow to rest for 30 minutes before slicing.