Vrasto (βραστό)

Across Greece and especially around the city of Thessaloniki, one will find these shops that are open all night, serving up hot bowls of soup, be it summer or winter.

These joints are called "Patzatzidika", serving up the main soup known as "Patsa". A Patsa is a soup that contains boiled tripe, pigs feet and heavy on the garlic and vinegar. Patsa is also known for warding off hangovers. One sees many Greeks patronizing a Patzatzidiko late at night, just before returning home.

I don't do Patsa. I tried my mom's once again this year and it still was not appealing at all to me. I do however, adore her Vrasto which also appears on many menus at Patzatzidika.

Today, we're going to enjoy Vrasto. It's a chunky Greek soup and it gets it's name (Vrasto), which means boiled. This soup is straightforward, easy to make with ingredients available to just about anyone.

Once again I save lots of time by using my trusty pressure cooker. I know there are some "fraidy-cats" ou there who are timid at the mention of pressure cookers but again I insist, get one added to your roster of kitchen utensils.

A pressure cooker is very safe and easy to use: place contents into the pot, close lid and secure. If the lid has not been closed properly, there will be no seal (safe). Conversely, when a seal is formed, it's impossible to open the pressure cooker due to the amount of pressure formed. Finally, there's a valve that allows you to release the pressure and when the whistle stops blowing, your pressure cooker will open safely.

Ask Santa for a pressure cooker.

Vrasto is a chunky soup of onions, carrots, potatoes and celery simmered in a beef/veal broth and brought together by a wonderful and very Greek Avgolemono Sauce. I'm a big fan of soups that eat like a meal and a Vrasto hits that spot.

Vrasto (βραστό)

1 kg. of veal shoulder
enough water to cover the meat
1/4 cup of olive oil
3-4 carrots, roughly chopped
1 large potato, grated
4 potatoes, rough chop
6 small onions, halved
4 stalks of celery, roughly chopped

Avgolemono
2 eggs
juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp. of flour
1/4 cup water

1. Rinse your veal shoulder and place in the pressure cooker. Fill up with enough water to just cover the meat. Secure the lid on your pressure cooker and turn the heat to high. As soon as your pressure cooker has formed it's seal and starts to whistle, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 20-30 miniutes. Release the pressure before opening the cooker.
2. Remove the meat and reserve on a plate. Skim the fat from the broth and and pass through a strainer.
3. In another large pot, add the olive oil over medium heat and add the onions, carrots and celery and saute on low heat until the onions have become soft and translucent (about 15 minutes). Grate the 5th potato and stir so that it doesn't stick or burn (add some water if too dry).
4. Add the stock (about 10 cups) and bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cook for another 30 minutes. Add the meat into the soup to warm through. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and take off the heat.
   
5. Make your Avgolemono by adding the eggs to a large bowl and beat them with a whisk. Now add the lemon juice and flour, the water and whisk to incorporate. Take a ladle of your soup and add it to your Avgolemono while whisking.
   
6. Now slowly pour your Avgolemono into the pot of soup while gently stirring it. Serve the soup hot with each portion having chunky vegetables, a piece of meat and some crusty bread at the side.
   

Fassolakia With Veal or....Without

(note...updating entry from 2007)



If you're reading my blog, no doubt you love food and all the trappings that come with it. One of those trappings is grocery shopping and I still do get excited when a product or a particular produce appears in the stands.

If I was in Kansas, born a girl and had a little runt named Toto, I would jump up and click my heels in glee. Instead, I did the dude-thang and pumped my fist in the air. Runner (pole) beans are back!

If there's a dish that's made in every Greek household, it has to be Fassolakia. This is a braised beans dish that's simmered in a pot and usually served as a vegetarian meal. If one searches on the internet or Greek cookbooks, you're bound to find an array of recipes for this simple yet wholesome and delicious dish.

The main (and most important) ingredient in this dish are the fassolakia or beans. The particular bean used for this dish are known in Greek as Barbounia and in English they are known as runner (pole beans).


The runner bean is different from your regular bean. The runner bean is a broader, longer bean than the green bean we're all used to seeing. It differs from the common bean in several aspects: the cotyledons stay in the ground during germination, and the plant is a perennial with tuberous roots (thought it is usually treated as an annual). The main difference between runner beans and plain ole' green beans is...they are sweeter and tastier!

Before we get to the recipe, look for runner beans. This dish just isn't the same with regular beans and it has to be one of the easiest and tastiest of the Greek "one-pot" dishes.

Fasolakia With Veal

1/3 cup olive oil
3 medium onions, sliced
2 lbs of fassolakia (runner beans), washed and ends broken off
5 cloves of garlic, sliced
1/2 bunch of parsley, chopped
4 Tbsp. of finely chopped mint
1/2 bunch of fresh dill, chopped
3 large ripe tomatoes, passed through a box grater (skins discarded) or 3/4 cup
pomodoro (strained) tomato sauce
1 kg. or 2 lbs. of good stewing veal, cut into large portion sized pieces
salt & pepper
2 large potatoes, skinned

1. Using a pressure cooker, place your veal (season with salt & pepper) and enough water to cover your meat in the vessel. Close the cooker (according to manufacturer's instructions), bring it to a whistle, lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Allow sufficient time for the pressure to subside, open your pressure cooker and reserve the meat and good veal stock.
2. In the same pressure cooker (now you're simply using it for braising), add your olive oil and onions and saute for 5 minutes to soften. Now add your beans, garlic, parsley, dill, mint, tomato and bring to a boil. Season with salt & pepper, cover the pot and lower the heat. Simmer for 30 minutes.
3. After 30 minutes, add your veal, some of the veal stock (depends how thick or thin you like your stew) and the potatoes and simmer for another 30 minutes. Adjust for seasoning and serve.

(FYI...no need for a knife here as the veal is fork tender, moist and flaky).

Drunken Veal (Μεθυσμένο μοσχάρι)

Today's June 1st and when a new month begins, it's customary for Greeks to salute one & other with a "Kalo Mina" or a wish for a "good month".

With the onset of a new month also comes the notion of new ideas. I thought it would be neat to "try out" a new dish and use my parents as the "guinea pigs".

I couldn't decide what to eat today...no....we (the family) couldn't decide on what to eat today. Negotiations for dinner ideas went all morning and then finally it was decided...we were going to have Μεθυσμένο μοσχάρι or Drunken Veal. For those that can read Greek, my approach to this dish took a little detour from the original linked recipe but I think I've done the recipe justice.

My mother has never cooked a Greek traditional dish in this way using beer but I have seen some Greek recipes floating around with the use of beer and this dish sold me.

For those more familiar with Greek cuisine, this dish was reminiscent of a Kokkinisto but here beer is used as the braising liquid rather than wine.

For those not familiar with Kokkinisto, the closest dish I can think of is the French Beef Carbonnade.

I know we're almost into summer but you can count on "iffy" Canadian weather to through a wrench into grilling plans. If you hankering for a comfort dish, perhaps it's a cool, rainy day outside or you one of those folks living in the souther hemisphere...come into my kitchen, have a seat and let's try some Drunken Veal.

Veal (Μεθυσμένο μοσχάρι)
(for 6)

1 kg. stewing veal, cut into large cubes
1/2 cup olive oil
flour for dredging
2 large onions, roughly chopped
4 carrots, peeled and cut into thin, round slices
1 cup of good canned plum tomatoes, hand crushed
1 can of lager or pilsener
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of water
3 bay leaves
6-7 whole allspice
1/2 cups of cremini or button mushrooms, quartered
salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heated 350F oven

1. Cut your veal into cubes and pat-dry. Season some all purpose flour with salt and get an oven-safe pot or Dutch oven warmed over medium-high heat. Add your olive oil and just when it gets hot, brown your veal in batches and reserve.
2. In the same pot, add your onions, carrots and saute for 5-7 minutes to soften. You may add some water to help deglaze the brown bits.
3. Add your bottle of beer, bay leaves, allspice berries, crushed plum tomatoes, mushrooms and water and bring to a boil. Season with some salt and pepper, place the lid on and throw into your oven.
4. Allow your Drunken Veal to braise for 90-120 minutes or until the meat is tender and separates with a fork. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and serve hot over a bed of egg noodles or rice pilaf (as I've done here).
   

Okra Two Ways (μπάμιες με δυο τροπους)

Another staple of the Greek kitchen are okra. Okra is used alot in southern US cooking, Afro-American "soul food", the Louisiana dish of Gumbo's main ingredient is okra and in the Caribbean, Callaloo gets the okra treatment.

Okra look and taste similar to beans but then are obviously thicker and taper like a thin pepper. One of the advantages of okra is that the vegetable also acts as a thickening agent and that's the main reason why it's used in stews..

Here, I'm showing you two okra dishes from the Greek kitchen. One is a vegetarian Okra stew and the other is a stew of okra with veal or beef. The recipes have minor differences but the approach is the same and the great flavour is enjoyed in both.

The vegetarian dish can be served as a side, made into a main course or offered up as a meze. The meat version is of course, a stew that feeds a healthy and balanced meal.

Spice-wise, we don't get too fancy here, allspice berries are the star here and from tasting this dish, you'd think other spices and were added but nah...it's just the allspice.

Lis of La Mia Cucina is hosting a food event called Weekend Cookbook Challenge, an event created by my fellow left-coast Canadian, Sara of I Like To Cook. The only pre-requisite for this challenge is to cook something using a pressure cooker, dutch oven or slow cooker. These okra dishes are perfect for this event...you have here a pressure cooker, some braising and tender, flaky veal in a stew of tomatoes and okra...Yum!

Okra With Veal

1 kg. of stewing veal or beef, cut into large chunks
1lb. of okra (fresh or frozen), stems removed
3 medium onions, sliced
1/2 cup of parsley, chopped
1/2 cup of plum tomatoes, pureed 4-5 cloves of garlic, sliced
8-9 allspice berries
1/4 olive oil
beef/veal stock
salt and pepper to taste

1. Using your pressure cooker, place your veal inside with a little salt and cover with enough water to just cover the meat. Turn the heat to high and when your cooker starts whistling and the seal has been made, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes. Take the pressure cooker off the heat and safely release the pressure.
2. In a separate large pot, add your olive oil, sliced onions and simmer for 10 minutes over medium heat.
3. Add your tomato puree, then the okra, parsley, allspice, garlic and top with the veal. Now pour enough of the veal stock from the pressure cooker to just cover all the ingredients in your pot.
4. Bring to a boil, taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Cover, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 1 hour. Taste for seasoning and let stand for 15 minutes (the okra will thicken the sauce).
5. Serve with some feta cheese, crusty bread and mop-up!

Vegetarian Okra Stew

2 medium onions, sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup parsley
1 lb. okra (fresh or frozen), stems removed
1/3 cup plum tomatoes, pureed
3-4 cloves of garlic
5-6 allspice berries
Approx. 2 cups of vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a pot over medium-high heat, add your olive oil and onions and saute for 10 minutes to soften.
2. Add your okra, tomato puree, parsley, garlic, allspice and vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
3. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 30-45 minutes.
4. Serve warm with bread and feta.
   

Awesome Osso Bucco

Osso Bucco is a northern Italian dish, from the Lombardy region (near Milano). The old school Osso Bucco did not include tomatoes (as they appeared in Italy after the dishes creation).

This dish is made with veal shanks and icing on the cake for this dish has to be the marrow inside each bone.

I made the familiar Osso Bucco with a tomato base and I haven't deviated too much from what I've researched on the 'net.

I've used aspects of Tyler Florence's and Mario Batali's Osso Bucco and I created what I think will be a delicious meal for Italian guests.

I'm a big fan of braised meats and the I knew the Osso Bucco would taste great - just from the aroma coming from the kitchen. But I knew I also forgot something (first time making it).

I forgot to tie the shanks with butcher's twine. Oh well, next time!

Today I've invited Maryann of Finding La Dolce Vita and Maria of Proud Italian Cook. The "donas" are hosting a food event called, Festa Italiana and you're all invited.

Simply create a dish or drink of Italian panache and the gals will let you in the door.

Make yourselves at home, this Greek dude is cooking up some Osso Bucco for "da ladies" and before we get on to the dish..."Tutti a tavola a mangiare!"

Veal Osso Bucco
(serves 4)

1 cup all purpose flour
salt and ground pepper
4 veal shanks, tied into taute rounds
olive oil
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 lemon, zest peeled off into strips
3 bay leaves
4 cloves of garlic, smashed
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 bottle Italian red wine
3 cups of chicken stock
2 cups of good tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme

Gremolata

1/2 cup of chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp. lemon zest
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. of fresh thyme

1. Mix your salt and pepper in a bowl with the flour and taste to be sure the seasoning is correct. Dredge your shanks in the flour and shake off any excess.
2. Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat and add your olive oil (3 count) and the butter. Brown your shanks in batches (do not overcrowd or they will boil). Reserve the shanks on a plate.
3. Preheat your oven to 375F.
4. Using the same pot, saute the onions, celery, carrots, lemon peels, garlic, parsley and bay leaves over medium heat (for about 7-10 minutes).
5. Add your shanks (and any juices) back into the pot and add your red wine, thyme and simmer until the wine has reduced by half.
6. Add the chicken stock and tomato sauce, bring to a boil and cover with the lid.
7. Braise your Osso Bucco in the oven for 90 minutes. Remove the cover and continue to cook for another 20-30 minutes (enough for the sauce to become thick).
8. Serve on a bed of garlic mashed potatoes or risotto Milanese and top with the Gremolata.

Stew of Veal With Carrots (Μοσχαρaki με καροτα)

When I was young, I didn't like having the "Greek" meals like the one here. I didn't like carrots, I thought bay leaves and spices were weird.

What led to my awakening to good food and all food Greek? Perhaps it was spending summers traveling and being absent from my mom's home cooking or perhaps it was eating too much of one of my aunt's bad cooking or combination of both.

How can one not love this dish? Look at it. Look at the ingredients. Look at the flaky meat! I prepared this dish using a pressure cooker to save time but you may certainly brown the veal and then braise all the contents in a dutch oven. My way took one hour, the slow way takes 2 1/2 hours. Your choice.


Stew of Veal With Carrots (Μοσχαρaki με καροτα)

1 kg. of stewing veal, cut in large pieces
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup of canned tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 cup of dry white wine
3 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 large onion, roughly chopped
3 bay leaves
3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 tsp. dried rosemary
5-6 carrots, sliced into
1/2 inch rounds
5 peppercorns
4 whole cloves
1 Tbsp. sea salt
1 tsp. black pepper

1. Cut your veal into large pieces and place in the pressure cooker.
2. Add the remaining ingredients into the pressure cooker and stir well.
3. Close the lid of the pressure cooker and turn your heat to high. Your seal will have formed when the pressure cooker starts whistling.
4. Reduce the heat to medium and allow the pressure and steam to do it's work for 45 minutes and break down the meat and other ingredients.
5. Turn off the heat, remove the pressure cooker from the burner and switch the valve that releases the steam and pressure.
6. Only open the pressure cooker when the whistling and steam have all escaped.
7. Stir your stew and taste for seasoning, adjust with salt and pepper.
8. Continue to simmer if you wish the sauce to be thicker or combine 1 Tbsp of corn starch with 1 tsp. of cold water and mix into the stew to thicken.
9. Serve with roast potatoes and crusty bread..."kai VOUTA"!
   

Giouvestsi With Veal (Μοσχαράκι γιουβέτσι)

This is another traditional Greek dish and it's still often made in an earthenware pot, a kind of glazed terracotta vessel and baked in the oven.

Like many Greek dishes, Giouvetsi is a one-pot meal and in the old days this would have been baked in a home's wood burning oven. There were also many instances where a home did not have an oven but each village had at least one bakery supplying bread for the guaranteed demand of the villagers.

It was quite common for a family to lug the day's dish over to the bakery and have dish cooked in the baker's oven. Afterall, the day's bread had already been baked & sold and what was the breadman to do with a still burning oven?

In the early 80's, I was fortunate enough to witness this communal tradition of taking your meal to be cooked off at the bakery. It's kind of backwards but I wish it still existed today.

There are many variations on Giouvetsi. It's usually with veal, rooster, beef, rabbit, prawns and it's accompanied by a Krithiraki (a Greek orzo).

Once again, I employ the use of a pressure cooker to speed up this simple dish. I say simple because the ingredients are quite basic but it's one of those dishes that tastes way more complex. It's another testament to using good ingredients.

If you don't have a pressure cooker, one could boil/braise the meat but it will likely take about 90 minutes just to soften your meat. The pressure cooker will cut your time in half.

Giouvestsi With Veal (Μοσχαράκι γιουβέτσι)

1 1/2 lb. veal shoulder, cut into pieces
2 cups of water
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
2 cups of krithiraki or orzo
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 cup of pomodoro tomato sauce
6 cups of veal, chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
freshly grated Kefalotyri or Romano cheese

1. Season your veal with salt and pepper. Pour your water into the pressure cooker and place your veal in. Secure the lid and crank the heat to high. As soon as your seal forms, you will hear the cooker whistling. Turn down your heat to half (medium) and simmer the meat for 30 minutes. Take your cooker off the heat and release the pressure according to mfgr.'s instructions.
2. In a large pot with medium high heat, add your olive oil and your onions, garlic and red pepper and saute for 5-10 minutes or until the onions have softened.
   
3. Now add your krithiraki and paprika and stir to coat and toast the pasta (for about 5 minutes).
4. Add the tomato sauce, chicken stock and veal stock (from the pressure cooker) and bring to a boil while stirring. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
5. Once everything has come to a boil, add your veal, mix well and pour everything into a large casserole dish and bake in a preheated 375F oven for 45 minutes or until most of the liquid has absorbed and your top is golden brown.
6. Let stand for 10 minutes and serve in large bowls with freshly grated black pepper and Kefalotyri cheese.
   

Pastitsada (Παστιτσαδα)

Yesterday, I volunteered to clean & organize our freezer as it's been getting difficult to find things...it was a mess.

I literally took every thing out, cleaned the inside of the freezer and separated then organized each category of food.

I found a good piece of stewing veal that was getting to the "6 months" stage and it was
crying , "cook me, cook me"!

I have a good backlog of "to try" recipes and this veal would be perfect for trying a Pastitsada. This is a slow-braised dish that originates from the Greek island of Corfu. Corfu (Kerkyra) is on the Adriatic coast, faces Italy and Pastitsada's origins are Venetian.

If you have a less expensive beef, veal or even some chicken pieces, try this slow-braised dish. It was the perfect, Greek comfort food for a cool, overcast Sunday in TO (Toronto).

Also, you may use any pasta you like as the bed for this spicy (not hot but flavourful spicy). The traditional dish calls for the use of Perciatelli. It's the pasta that looks like thick spaghetti but it's also hollow. I used Tortiglioni because this pasta is new to me, it's ridged like penne and hollow.

This is not a 30 minutes dish but it's easy and if you around the house on a Sunday doing your New York Times crossword...start a pot of Pastitada!

Pastitsada (Παστιτσάδα)

3 lbs. stewing veal or beef
4-6 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large onions, finely chopped
1/3 carrot, grated
1 cinnamon stick
5 allspice berries
3 whole cloves
3 bay leaves
1 cup of dry white wine
3 Tbsp. of balsamic vinegar
1 can of good plum tomatoes, pureed
pinch of smoked paprika
1 lb of Tortiglioni (penne, ziti or rigatoni is fine)
1/2 cup butter
2 oz. of grated parmesan cheese
2 oz. of grated Kefalotyri (or romano) cheese

1. Set the oven to heat to 350F. Rub the veal with coarse salt and fresh black pepper. Make shallow cuts all over the meat and insert the think slices of garlic (use about half).
2. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a oven-safe pot or casserole; then add the meat and sear on all sides. Reserve the meat.
3. Into the same pot, add some more olive oil and saute your onions, grated carrot, the remaining garlic, bay leves, cloves, allspice and cinnamon stick under medium heat for 10 minutes (enough to soften the onions).
4. Deglaze your pot with the balsamic vinegar and white wine and scrape up to loosen all the brown bits. Add your tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and once everything has come to a boil, add your meat into the pot and place the lid on and throw it into the oven for 3 hours. (Part of the meat will be exposed, turn the meat each hour to keep all of it moist. The meat should be tender and flake off using tongs and a fork).
5. Remove the bay leaves and set the sauce aside while you boil your pasta.
6. When the pasta is almost al dente, strain the pasta and reserve for a few minutes. Using the same pot that you boiled the pasta in, put the butter in and melt over medium-low heat and let the butter brown. Once it's turned "nut-brown", add your pasta and half of your grated cheese and and some of the sauce and toss to coat well.
7. Lay your pasta out on a platter and lay the pieces of juicy, flaky meat on top and pour more sauce over top. Finish the dish with more grated cheese and the bay leaves for garnish.