Fruits of the Forest (Φρούτα του δάσους)

Ever since I was a child, I've always enjoyed eating mushrooms. My earliest recollection of eating mushrooms were a batch sauted and smothered in butter and garlic, like Greek mom's do.

I enjoy mushrooms on pizza, mushroom soup, a baby spinach salad with sliced mushrooms, mushroom crepes, pasta with a mushroom sauce or part of a tart or stuffing. They are really quite versatile and I love mushrooms so.

I have lots of Greek cookbooks and although there are some mushroom recipes, there aren't much. Last year I discovered a Greek language blog called Manitarosyntages (mushroom recipes) and it was af if I have discovered my own batch of edible mushrooms during a hike in the forest.

The blog's author is Dimitra Vergou-Evanggelopoulou and after reading a few of her posts, I discovered that she had also just released a cookbook full of Greek recipes with mushrooms...SCORE!

I inquired about ordering and shipping the book to Canada and Dimitra was very generous in offering me a complementary copy. The book arrived just before Christmas and it's one of the best Christmas presents I've received in awhile.

Dimitra comes from the Greek prefecture of Grevena, which is located in Greece's northernmost province, Macedonia. The area of Grevena has long been recognized as a bountiful area when it comes to mushrooms and most recently, truffles have been found.

Most of the truffles go to export but this delicacy is starting to appear in Greek dishes too! The book contains seventy recipes from soups & salads to appetizers and main courses and even some applications in Greek spoon sweets!

At this point in time, the book is only available in Greek but one could always buy the book, befriend a Greek and get a translation, no? For those interested in buying this fine cookbook, you may visit the publisher's website here.

In the meantime, I'd like to thank Dimitra for her generosity in sending me the book and in typical Kalofagas style, it's time for food and for sharing.

The other day I found some finger-food sized ouster mushrooms that had short stems and not woody at all. If you're wondering...yes, the oyster mushrooms have that slight seafood taste and the stems can be too woody to eat. Simply break snap off the stems and they will break in their natural spot (much like asparagus).

This recipe makes for a quick and delicious meze or appetizer. It's fried oyster mushrooms but you can use any mushroom you wish. What's unique about this dish is that the batter uses white wine and that, my friends complemented the taste of the mushrooms.

It's winter time in Greece, people are entertaining in their homes, dining with friends at tavernas and wine is flowing freely. Pick up a bottle of dry Greek white wine, make some of this batter, fry up some 'shrooms and sip on the wine and discover how this appetizer complements the wine so well!

For this dish, I sipped on the Domaine Porto Karras Malagouzia. Malagouzia grapes, a Greek varietal that was almost extinct has made a resurgence and it made for a wonderful pairing with the fried mushrooms. The fruity finish complements the earthy mushrooms and a slight sweet aftertaste is left on the palate.

What are you waiting for? Go grab some Malagouzia and some mushrooms!


Fried Oyster Mushrooms (Μανιτάρια Tηγανητά)
(makes 1 appetizer plate for 4)

Approx. 1 lb. of Oyster mushrooms, stems trimmed
2 eggs
1 glass of dry Greek wine
approx. 1 cup of all-purpose flour
sea salt and black pepper
vegetable oil for frying

1. In a large bowl, crack your eggs and add the wine and whisk to incorporate. Now add the flour while whisking until you get a thickness akin to pancake batter. Add about a tsp. of salt and pepper and allow to sit.
2. Heat your deep fryer or other vessel used for frying and your oil should get to about 360-370F before frying.
3. Dip your mushrooms in the batter and fry in batches until golden-brown. Set on a paper-lined plate, season with sea salt and serve warm with a dry Greek wine.
   

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Diples (Δίπλες)

My family comes from the northernmost province of Greece, Macedonia but today's recipe is from the opposite end of mainland Greece, Laconia. Although Diples are home to much of the Peloponese, the Byzantine town of Mani is where these Greek fried turnovers come from.

One would expect a rich heritage of cuisine and recipes to come from a bountiful region but the area around Mani is rugged, unkind to agriculture. Many of our ancestors lived in poverty, having to feed many mouths with creativity and resourcefulness.

Diples are one of the many examples of Greeks and their ingenuity in the kitchen. Many of the best Greek dishes are simple, using few ingredients and to this day, enjoyed by Greeks and lovers of Greek food.

My introduction to Diples came from the many Greek festivals I attended at our parish, St. Nicholas. Much like ancient times, the ladies (including my mom) would team up and make an array of dishes and treats to sell for the Festival.

From old times until present, Diples are still made to be presented at the grand table for a special occasion like a wedding, engagement, baptism or nameday.

Recently, my father (and our parish church) celebrated the nameday of St. Nicholas and my mom and I were keen on attempting this Southern Greek treat for donation at the church bake sale.

My mom used to assist is making Diples with the other ladies from the church auxiliary and the preferred method was to utilize a pasta machine. From scanning many recipes on the Internet, the machine is not necessary (no pasta machine in ancient times either) so you may want to still attempt this delicious treat by simply rolling out the dough as thinly as possible.

If you're experienced with handling dough and have made some pasta, you should get have no problem in preparing the dough but as my friend Ivy from Kopiaste concurs, the skill is in quickly folding the dough during the speedy frying process.

Diples are a very traditional dish, little has changed with how they are made and I encourage you try this wonderful dessert from Mani. If it's your first time, get someone to help you.

I'm submitting Diples as part of Eat Christmas Cookies, the second anniversary event hosted by Susan of Food Blogga. Diples are a Christmas and festive treat and I have it on Susan's good authority that Diples rock!

My mom & I put some Greek CD's on and set to make Diples (which took an afternoon). This is a large recipe and you might want to halve if but if I may say, make this Big, Fat Greek batch and give some to friends and relatives. Here's to some southern Greek comfort, by way of Diples.

Diples (Δίπλες)

12 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
5 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup olive oil
juice & zest of 1 lemon
2 shots of Ouzo or Metaxa brandy
vegetable or olive oil (or 50/50 combo) for frying

Syrup
2 kg. bag of sugar
1 cup of honey
5 cups of water

Garnish
finely chopped walnuts
ground cinnamon

1. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and set aside. In another large bowl, add the eggs and beat with a hand mixer for about 7-8 minutes. Add the oil and liquour and mix until incorporated. Now add the zest and lemon juice and mix well.
2. Add dry to wet in gradual amounts and mix with your hands. Drop the mixture onto a floured work surface and knead your dough becomes a smooth ball, slighty firm. Divide into small pieces (size of a small apple) and cover with plastic cling wrap. Allow the dough to rest for about 10 minutes and use this time to set up your pasta machine.
3. Treat a dough ball with flour (and flour the pasta machine) and pass through the either of the thinnest two settings. Fold your sheet and pass through the pasta machine (set to the same position) and repeat 6-7 times. Lay out the sheet on a table-clothed lined surface and cut into approx. 1 foot in length. and cover with plastic wrap.
4. Add oil to a large frying pan to the depth of about 1 inch. Your oil should be at about 350F. You will need two forks to fold the sheet of dough like a rolled carpet.
5. Carefully place your dough sheet into the oil and tap it a couple of times to submerge it entirely in the oil. Now quickly fold it three times to form a rolled shape like a carpet. Remove as soon as light yellow colour has formed and place on a paper-lined baking tray. Repeat until all your sheets of dough have been fried into Diples.
6. To make the syrup, add all the ingredients into a large pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes and then keep the syrup warm.
7. Have a large colander nearby with a large bowl underneath it so as to capture draining syrup. Dip your Diples in the hot syrup and toss them about three times to coat them with syrup remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to the colander. Repeat until all the Diples have been dipped in syrup.
8. Sprinkle with finely chopped walnuts and sprinkle with ground cinnamon. Diples can be served immediately or stored in trays covered tightly by plastic cling wrap in a cool, dry place.
   

Greeked-Up Jalapeño Poppers

Today, I'm introducing you to a new ingredient called Pastourma. Pastourma, it is said, is where the origins of pastrami came from.

Pastourma is stronger than pastrami and upon tasting this thin sliced cured beef, one immediately tastes garlic, paprika and notes of cumin and fenugreek.

The origins of pastourma come from the Ottoman/Armenian cuisine but it has remained popular in Greek circles and no doubt brought back to mainland Greece from the Asia Minor Greeks.

Legend has it the best pastourma was made from camel but today it's mostly made of beef. Greeks will offer up thin slices of pastourma as part of an array of "mezedes", in omelets or use it as an ingredient (like I'm doing here today).

If you're curious to try pastourma, some Greek & Cypriot delis will carry it, Turkish, Armenian and Middle Eastern stores will also often sell this fabulously flavoured meat.

Today, I decided to "kick up" a roadhouse/pub classic, the Jalapeño Popper. For those not familiar with bar food here in Canada & the US, Jalapeño poppers are the spicy peppers that are filled with cheese, coated in a batter and then fried. An accompaniment of cool sour cream is also often served.

I've played around with the Jalapeño popper idea a few times and although the origins of this dish are Tex/Mex, my goal was to add a Greek twist to this favorite "bar food" of mine.

In Greece, we have our own cream cheese, commonly known as "katiki domikou". Here, the cream cheese is the vehicle that delivers the Greek flavours here...mashed Feta and tiny pieces of pastourma.

As a side, I serve up a cooling and refreshing Romesco Sauce, which fairs very well with this tasty snack/appetizer.

As for the batter, I found a good fish batter works best here and after seeing wonderful results from Kevin at Closet Cooking and Nina of My Easy Cooking...I'm chiming in to add that this batter recipe rocks!

So, go out & look for pastourma and if you like it, give these Greeked-up Jalapeño Poppers a go. You'll need some readily available tools in your kitchen and beyond hollowing the peppers, this ain't no sweat!

Greeked-Up Jalapeño Poppers

15-20 Jalapeno peppers
1/2 cup cream cheese, room temperature
1 slab of Greek feta cheese
3 slices of Pastourma, finely chopped

Batter
1 bottle beer
approx. 2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg (lightly beaten) salt and pepper to taste
sunflower oil for frying

Tools
piping bag/or plastic bag
paring knife
cork screw

1. First, make your batter. Add the salt and baking powder to the flour in one bowl and beat an egg in another bowl and add the beer. Now gradually whisk the flour into the beer & egg until you get a thickish pancake-like batter. Set aside and prep your peppers.
2. Using a paring knife, cut off the stem part of the peppers and reserve them (you'll cap your peppers with these later). Now using a cork screw, stick it in the pepper and gently wiggle, ream and twist inside the peppers to hollow them out.
   
3. Get a small pot of water boiling and then throw the Jalapenos in for about 3 minutes and then blanche in cold water and then drain (you may skip this step if you like your peppers crunchy).
4. In a small bowl, add the cream cheese and Feta and mash together with a fork until one. Now add your finely chopped Pastourma and mix until incorporated. Now place the cheese filling in a piping bag or a plastic bag and simply snip a small hole in the bottom corner.
5. Now fill each Jalapeno with the cheese filling, to the point of where the cheese is just slightly exposed (this will be the glue to seal your peppers with the stem parts).
6. Now "glue" the stem part of the peppers back on.
7. Get your frying hot, to an approx. temperature of 360F. Dip your Jalapenos into the batter and then carefully drop into the hot oil. Fry until golden-brown (about 3-4 minutes) and then reserve on plate lined with paper towel.
8. Serve your Greeked-Up Jalapeno Poppers with a cool Romesco Sauce.
   

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.

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.

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.
   

Tomato Fritters (Ντοματοκεφτέδες)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Marinated Red Mullet (Μαριναρισμένο μπαρμπούνι)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Marinated Red Mullet
(for 2)

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

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

Fried Calamari (καλαμαράκια τηγανητά)

ATTENTION: RECIPE UPDATE

The original entry for fried calamari was made on 07/07/07/ and I'm updating this post as, I've found out how to fry calamari, just like at a "psarotaverna" or seafood tavern in Greece.

A little while back I showed you how I deep-fried mussels well, the same process is followed here, with calamari.

The key is dunking your dredged calamari in a bowl of cold water and then placing them into the oil.

Amazingly enough, this frying technique is much like how the Japanese make Tempura batter so crispy.

That's it folks...scratch off, throw out, amend any previous methods you have for deep-frying calamari. This is the real deal: dredge, dip in cold water then, fry.

The only other point I should mention is that this time around, I also used a candy thermometer to measure the temperature of the oil. No more guessing if/when my oil is hot enough. The candy thermometer is my new toy! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This appetizer/meze has got to be one of the most popular dishes from the Mediterranean. It's crispy, it's soft inside and it's lightly fried and of course tasty!

Theses days, plenty of markets have frozen calamari rings which are perfectly okay and very edible. In fact, most of the calamari you order (even at the finest restaurants) is from a frozen product so, don't be fooled by the expensive menu price. I bought the frozen package for $2 and I'll show you how easy it is to make at home!

If you like the tentacles (as I do) then you can buy a box of frozen squid/calamari but they involve some cleaning. If you would like to learn how to clean squid, just click here.

The key to any good frying is good, hot, clean oil, your breading/batter and seasoning.

Fried Calamari (καλαμαράκια τηγανητά) 1lb. of calamari (tubes cut into rings and, tentacles)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. black pepper
a bowl of ice-cold water
sunflower oil for frying
lemon wedges for garnish

1. Thaw & rinse your calamari. Pat dry with paper towels.
   
2. In a bowl, add your flour, corn flour, salt, pepper and mix well.
   
3. Dredge your calamari in the flour and shake off excess flour.
   
4. Dip the calamari into the cold water and then carefully place into the hot oil.
   
5. Fry your calamari for 3-4 minutes per batch. Season with sea salt.
   
6. Serve with lemon wedges.
   

Fish and No Chips!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Beer-Battered Fish

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

Tarter Sauce

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

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

Fish Directions

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