Heads & Tales: Saturday Night at Ammos

Saturday would be my first full day in New York. In any city a Saturday is going to be exciting but in New York, we're talking electric.

The day started off with myself making my usual fry-up of bacon & eggs, toast, juice and coffee. Soon after, I headed out and took the train to the bottom of Manhattan and paid hommage to the site of Ground Zero.

Security was very tight with respect to people taking photos and the property was fenced off and covered by a green tarp to block any decent photos from beingt taken. The most logical explanation I heard was that the World Trade Center was being rebulit and that the location of safes & storage is what security was trying to protect. Any other theories out there?

The rest of the day was spent exploring TriBeCa (Triangle Below Canal), Greenwich Village and Chelsea. I have been to all three of these neighborhoods before but one new attraction was the Chelsea market.

It's a converted warehouse that's turned into a long market with many shops catering to food enthusiasts and it also houses some office space, including the operations of the Food Network.

The late afternoon saw me return to my apartment, feed and walk Stiva the wonder-pooch, recharge my batteries and plot the evening ahead.

My first contact with a New York area food blogger was with Maria of "Kali Orexi". Maria is a native of Astoria who now lives in Queens and she's only just begun her Greek food blog, which translates into "bon appetit".

I left the dinner & drinks suggestions open to Maria's choosing...afterall, I was the visitor with no idea of the New York Greek food scene.

It was agreed that we'd meet at Ammos (literally translated as Sand). Ammos is located just behind Grand Central Station and for those of you who have not been to New York, a visit to the main hall is well worth the subway trip to take a few snaps, watch the hustle & bustle or perhaps even take it a drink or a bite from one of the cafes & restaurants perched atop of the hall.

I arrived early at Ammos but I was promptly greeted by Maria, her sisters and husband. As with Greeks, formal introductions melted away and we all became quite comfortable with each other as we sat down, shared in array of Greek dips and pondered what to eat for dinner.

Maria turned out to be as friendly, charming and hospitable as her blog is. I encourage you to visit her blog as she shares some wonderful Greek dishes enjoyed by her family.

Most of us chose seafood and I was pleased that much of the fish was grilled whole and as a bonus, presented to the customer de-boned.

I chose the grilled lavraki, which is also known as Loup de Mer in French. Lavraki is also known as a European sea bass, much of it is today farmed but it's a wonderful product and perfect for either baking or grilling.

After dinner, we ordered an array and desserts and shared the different offerings of Karydopita, yogurt with sour cherry spoon sweets, kataifi.

After all that food, wine and dessert...us Greeks have to burn off those calories and lucky for us, a small ensemble band was geared and ready to perform comtemporary Greek hits.

The music was loud, the liquor flowing, Greeks on their feet and dancing up a storm!

From being seated at the door to being driven home to the apartment I was staying at, Maria and her husband were most gracious hosts and I hope to soon return the gesture of their warm hospitality.

In the meantime, I'd love to share a new way that I like to grill and present sardines. Fresh caught sardines are still affordable and are one of the most enjoyed fish by Greeks.

Although they can be fried or baked, grilled sardines seem to be the favourite to prepare them. Here, I've taken the souvlaki concept and applied it to grilling sardines.

The method helps keep your fish in tact, allows you to easily flip the fish during grilling and the presentation is no doubt an eye-opener when you're served a plate of these beauties.

As always, I prefer buying whole fish as this allows me to inspect the fish and confirm it's freshness (bright- not-sunken eyes, firm body, bright red inner gills and smelling only of the sea).

I was delighted to see fresh sardines being sold through much of New York City and I hope some fish mongers in Toronto are paying attention: WE NEED MORE FRESH SARDINES!

There's no rocket-science here. The sardines are scaled and gutted, heads left on (to help secure the skewers) and the fish is brushed with vegetable oil, seasoned with salt and pepper and adorned simply and deliciously with a Latholemono.

Pre-heat your gas grill, brush(clean) your grill surface well, wipe the grill surface with some vegetable oil and grill your fish.

Sardines take a mere two or three minutes a side and a warm potato salad and some sauteed bitter greens round out this wonderful Greek seafood dish.

Kali Orexi!

Grilled Smoked Mackerel (Ψητά καπνιστό σκουμπρί)

The other night I finally played catch-up with one of my cousins as we hadn't seen each other since before my trip to Greece.

I showed her my pictures, relayed the good and bad parts (what bad parts?) of my trip and enthused about the wonderful food I ate.

If you're a regular reader of Kalofagas, then you know that I do enjoy (love) seafood. One such love is for mackerel.

Not just any old mackerel but I REALLY like smoked mackerel. It's a fish that's often overlooked but when it's fresh, damn is it good.

Mackerel also seems to available all around the world and in a smoked format. Upon my recent trip to the market, I found some locally smoked mackerel and bought in hopes of reproducing a meze (appetizer) I enjoyed during my stay in Athens.

I had the pleasure of meeting and becoming friends with Johanna of Food Junkie, Not Junk Food. Johanna is a native of Athens who's an archaeologist by day, gourmet cook by night.

She razzles & dazzles her readers with original Greek dishes and her food has yet to disappoint me. When Johanna learned of my return to Greece, we immediately agreed that we should meet over food and drinks - a taverna.

Our decision to dine at" Logia Tis Ploris" was unanimous. We were both wowed and inspired by the rave review our fellow blogger Laurie gave of Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska. I was picked up by Johanna and her husband and we were also joined by a her childhood friend.

The taverna was very quiet, the music kept to a minimum and the service prompt. We ordered off the menu like a kid in a candy store with mom's stolen purse...we barely had any elbow room on the table!

All of the dishes at Logia Tis Ploris were fabulous, whimsy and affordable. One such dish that both Johanna & I enjoyed was the grilled smoked mackerel.

There really is no recipe here other than to find a good source of smoked mackerel and to employ some fish boning and grilling skills.

To grill some smoked mackerel, one simply has to butterfly the fish, pull the sping column out and remove any pinbones in the fish.

I'm then left with two mackerel fillets, whereby I carefully remove the skin so as to keep the fillets in tact. I then separated each fillet into two. Each half of a fish naturally separates into two smaller fillets: the top part of the fish and then the bottom part.

The bottom part is not as firm and it really doesn't an appealing form. Save those portions for a fish or seafood pie.

I then pre-heated my gas grill, brushed it well to remove any remnants of my previous grilling and wiped the grill surface with a towel treated with vegetable oil.

As smoked mackerel is already salted, all one has to do is brush some vegetable oil on each side and place on your pre-heated grill. You'll need a medium-high heat in your grill and as your fish is already cooked, all you're looking to do is give your mackerel some nice grill marks and warm it up.

Use a heat-resistant spatula to flip your fillet and voila...you're done!

Place your grilled smoked mackerel, drizzle with some extra-virgin olive, black pepper, dried Greek oregano and a wedge of lemon for some squeezin'.

I served my grilled smoked mackerel with a roasted pepper and potato salad, a warm bean salad, crusty bread and some Tsipouro (Greek anise moonshine) on ice.

Johanna, I dedicate this smoked grilled mackerel to you....next time we cook for each other, endaxi?

Warm Green Bean Salad (αμπελοφάσουλα)

For those not in the know, today is Thanksgiving Day here in Canada and it's Columbus Day in much of the US. You might find blogging traffic a little slower and these two holidays are probably part of that absence today.

Regardless, I find myself wanting to share more food and travel experiences from my recent trip to Greece.

You will recall that I visited the island of Sifnos and that as a food enthusiast, one of the criterion I chose when picking a travel destination is it's food.

Sifnos did not disappoint. I had one of my most memorable meals on the last night of my stay in the island.

Picture this:

I had just finished a full tan of swimming and tanning, I had a light lunch and for those that swim alot will know that one's appetite is increased after a good swim.

I plopped myself into the seat of a seaside taverna, covered to protect us from still hot sun, Greek music playing in the background, the sounds of other Greeks eating, cracking jokes and dreading their return to the city.

I order grilled & stuffed calamari, a baked feta with tomato and hot peppers and I had ordered a plate of vlita. Al this would be accompanied by the day's fresh baked bread and a carafe of Tsipouro (raki).

The waiter-dude comes back and tells me there's no more vlita but that I should try the "αμπελοφάσουλα" or, warm bean salad. "It's good with seafood", he assures me.

Myself, tired and hungry - I comply.

This one of food's weird, surprising and most enjoyable food finds. It's so simple yet when the ingredients are fresh, the easy preparation only heightens the taste and overall eating experience.

Essentially, this warm bean salad is boiled in salted water to an "al dente"stage, it's then shocked in an ice bath (to retain it's vibrant green colour) but strained quickly enough to keep the beans very warm.

In my research, this warm bean salad is served with Skordalia - a Greek aioli if you will. In my instance, it was served warm, obviously tasting of lots of garlic, tossed in extra virgin olive and fresh lemon juice and seasoned with sea salt.

Vlita or boiled wild greens are a favourite accompaniment for many Greeks but "ampelofasoula" will give them a run for their money.

That last dinner in Sifnos was most memorable and I'd have to say this warm bean salad was truly the highlight for me.

Warm Green Bean Salad (αμπελοφάσουλα)

Approx. 1lb. of green beans, trimmed
3 cloves of roasted garlic
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon sea salt
black pepper

1. Take a whole bulb of garlic and just cut the top off with a knife. Place inside some aluminum foil, drizzle with olive oil, wrap it up with foil and place in a pre-heated 400F for 30-40 minutes. You now have roasted garlic - reserve.
2. Place a large pot of water on your stove top and bring to a boil. Add a good amount of salt and drop your green beans inside. From the time the water returns to a boil, count 5 minutes and your beans are done. Blanch in an ice bath or pass under cold water but you still want to keep the beans warm. Strain and place in a large bowl
   
3. Add 3 cloves of roasted garlic with the beans, along with the olive oil and lemon juice. Toss to coat and adjust seasoning with salt & pepper.
4. Serve warm as a side dish to your favourite seafood.

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!!!

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.
   

Lemon Linguine

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lemon Linguine Carbonara
(for 2)

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

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

Grilled Mackerel (Σκουμπρί)

I writing and sharing about my delight in enjoying this often maligned fish, the mackerel. We often associate mackerel with it being smoked or canned (including myself).

It's a fish I see at the fish monger's all the time, it's fresh, it's cheap. Why didn't I try it sooner?

For those that have eaten an array of Mediterranean seafood and in particlular, sardines...you're going to really enjoy mackerel.

First off, let me tell you about the health benefits: mackerel are loaded with omega-3 fatty acids.

Secondly, this fish has no scales and merely has to be gutted so...it's an easy fish to handle and again, the large spinal structure makes for an easy fish to eat.

Thirdly, mackerel taste wonderful. It's a fish high in oils and I found the skin to have a hint of a smoky flvour (which I like). The meat very much reminded me of sardines so for those who like sardines, give mackerel a try.

Before I get on with the simple preparation of this fish, I must emphasize that you buy ONLY the freshest of mackerel. It spoils quicker than other fish and frankly, no fish is edible when it's not at it's peak freshness.

Once again, I'm enjoying a fresh fish in a very simple manner: oil, salt, pepper, herbs, fresh squeezed lemon juice. I first had grilled mackerel last year in Greece, based solely on the recommendation of my Greek fish monger. I'm glad I listened to him.

A trick I recently read of and found to work quite well is to generously season your fish with coarse sea salt on the outside. The coarse salt will season your fish and act as lubricant against your grill. I was able to flip my fish without tearing or losing any of the fish. As you can see, my mackerel was plated in tact.

Finally, I'm using a new herb to my garden...lemon thyme. It looks just like regular thyme but a pronounced lemon aroma hits your senses when you brush the leaves. It was perfect for my grilled mackerel.

Grilled Mackerel (Σκουμπρί)

Fresh mackerel, gutted and cleaned coarse sea salt
fresh ground pepper
vegetable oil
sprigs of lemon thyme
sprigs of fresh rosemary
toothpicks
extra-virgin olive oil
fresh lemon juice

1. Rinse and pat dry your your mackerel. Season on the inside with salt and pepper and place a sprig of rosemary and lemon thyme inside. Close the cavity with a toothpick.
2. Get your gas or charcoal grill pre-heated (say 400F) and brush the grill and free from any grilling residue from your previous grilling.
   
3. Using a sharp knife, make three slits into each side of the fish. Rub some vegetable oil on both sides of the fish and well with coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper.
4. Before grilling, wipe some vegetable oil on your grill to lubricate it and help prevent any sticking.
5. Place your mackerel on the grill and cook for 5 minutes to a side.
6. Remove your fish and plate. Remove the tooth picks and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and hit the mackerel with a fresh squeeze of lemon juice.
7. Serve with grilled packet potatoes and a seasonal salad. Have some bread handy to mop-up the tasty olive oil in the plate.

Latholemono (λαδολέμονο)

Latholemono literally translates to oil-lemon. Oil and lemon are ingredients indigenous to Greece and found in every kitchen, used by every Greek cook and enjoyed by millions who love Greek food.

Greeks love their seafood. If it weren't for it's northernmost borders, Greece would be an island, surrounded almost entirely by the sea.

Years ago I watched a video of a concert by famed Greek singer and performer, Giorgios Dalaras. In the concert during his in between song banter, he asked the audience, "who here's from the mountians"?

His question was returned with loud applause.

"Who here is from the sea"?

Again, Dalaras was met with loud applause.

In Greece, despite half the population now lives in the cities, a Greek is either from the mountains or the sea. Yesterday, I took you to the mountainous area of Florina, northern Greece and today, I take you to the sea.

My second "patrida" (home) in Greece is where our summer home is, Nea Kalikratia, near Thessaloniki, capital of Greece's northernmost province, Macedonia.

From my many summers spent in this fishing and resort village, I've honed my seafood "chops" from the locals, relatives and enough "psarotavernas" to consider myself an authority on seafood.

Greeks love their seafood not just for it's healthy properties but because it tastes good. There's nothing better than bargaining with the fishermen who have just docked with the night's catch.

There's a saying..."the best fish is the freshest fish" and I lucked out with this "rule of thumb" yesterday. I found a fresh, smelling of the sea red snapper and although I had other dinner plans, I bumped them so that I could enjoy this red snapper.

The best way to eat fish is whole. A whole fish will give you all the clues to it's freshness. First, get up close & personal with the fish...smell it. If it smells anything other than the sea...leave it alone.

Touch the fish. It should be wet but not slimy. Thirdly, the eyes should be bright and not sunken into the head.

Finally, use your fingers to pull open the gills. The inside should be a bright red...any other colour means the fish is old...avoid it.

Now that you have your fresh fish...grill it, unadultered with the ingredients practically every Greek enjoys...Olive oil and lemon.

There are many variations on Latholemono but the base is oil, lemon juice and salt. My personal preference is to add the flavours of garlic and oregano.

Latholemono (λαδολέμονο)

juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 heaping tsp. of dry oregano

1. Add all the above ingredients into a jar. Close the lid tight and shake to emulsify. Adjust for seasoning. After grilling your fish, pour your Latholemono over your fish and enjoy!
   

Avgolemeno Soup

As I've written previously, Avgolemeno (eggs & lemon) are one of the most used bases and flavours for Greek cooking.

Here, we see Agvolemeno being used in it's most rudimentary yet most satisfying and comforting way, as a chicken soup.

Avgolemeno soup is the Greek's answer to chicken noodle soup. I swear, this soup will cure the common cold, warm you on a cold, winter night, or satisfy you for lunch with a sandwich.

The key to any good soup starts with good stock. Avgolemeno requires good chicken or turkey stock. If you don't have any (nor the patience), then use some good quality (low sodium) commercial stock.

Greeks will enjoy this soup with or without the chicken meat inside. This time around is just soup and noodles.

Another variance is Avgolemeno can be served with rice in it. I could eat it with rice or with noodles, but I prefer the family favourite, noodles.

Greeks will often use φιδές (fee-thess) or Vermicelli nests as the noodle of choice. One of my biggest pet peeves as a kid was trying to negotiate those long, awkward noodles found in Campbell's chicken noodle soup...φιδές solves that problem!

Avgolemeno Soup

10 cups of Chicken or Turkey Stock
6 nests of φιδές or Vermicelli (fine) nests
salt to taste

Avgolemeno

2 eggs
1 tsp. flour
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 cup cold water

1. Bring your stock to a boil. Once it's boiling, break up the φιδές with you hand and drop into the boiling stock. Boil for 10 minutes and turn off the heat.
2. Start making your Avgolemeno by adding your aeggs and flour in a big bowl and whisk them together with a fork.
3. While still beating, whisk in your lemon juice until incorporated and then whisk in the cold water.
   
4. Take the pot of soup off the element.
5. While whisking, add one ladle at a time of the soup to the Avgolemeno mixture (to a total of 4 ladles) to temper the heat of the Agvolemeno).
6. Add the contents of of the bowl back into the soup and stir in. Let the soup rest for about 5 minutes.
7. Adjust seasoning with salt and serve with cracked black pepper, chives, crackers or bread.