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

Kampanoules With Peppers and Basil (καμπανούλες με πιπεριές και βασιλικό)

It's been awhile since I've posted a pasta dish. It's not that I haven't been eating pasta (I have) but I'm also not going to bore you with another Bolognese recipe or any other standard pasta dish that most of us regularly enjoy.

Instead, it's time to showcase another rustic dish, filling yet light on the pocket and the palate. Last year Misko of Greece sent me some samples of their Greek pasta and one of the more unique shapes were their "kampanoules" (καμπανούλες) or in English - "little bells".

The package reads that they are indigenous to the province of Thessalia, which sits between Macedonia and and Attica. The shape of this pasta also mimics the shape of the little bell-shaped flowers that grow wild on the mountainsides.

Enough with flowers, pasta tastes better, no?

This recipe comes from the side of the package of Kampanpoules. This is a simple dish, using only vegetables, herbs, olive oil and the pasta itself. I've made this dish a few times and it always satisfies me with it's fresh flavours and I never feel bad about eating a big bowl.

Another Greek cheese that's grated on top of pasta dishes is the aged, dry Myzithra. Myzithra comes fresh and aged and it's made like ricotta cheese (from the leftover whey).

Dry Myzithra comes in large, grapefruit sized balls, it's a hard and salty cheese. When grated it has the characteristics of a mild Romano.

Kampanoules With Peppers and Basil (καμπανούλες με πιπεριές και βασιλικό)
(for 4)

2 cups or 500gr. of "καμπανούλες"
1 cup of diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)
1/3 cup olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small red onion, diced
1 cup of fresh button mushrooms, sliced
1 green pepper (banana or cubanelle), sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1/3 cup pitted black olives, rough chop
1 cup of fresh basil, chiffonade
Grated dry Myzithra cheese

1. Place a large pot of water on your stovetop and bring to a boil. Add a good amount of salt and cook your pasta (kampanoules) for 10-13 minutes.
2. In a large skillet, add your olive oil over medium heat and add the onions and garlic and saute for a couple of minutes. Now add your mushrooms, tomatoes and peppers and simmer for about 8-10 minutes over medium-low heat. Add the chopped olives and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Set aside and keep warm.
3. When your pasta is cooked, drain it and add to the sauce along with your basil and toss to coat all the pasta with the sauce.
4. Divide pasta into four plates and grate the dry Myzithra over each serving.
   

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

Thyme Scented Mushrooms (Αρωματικά μανιτάρια με θυμάρι)

Greeks take pride in serving up quality appetizers/mezedes for their friends and relatives. Like most of you, we are in full festive season gear with friends dropping by and dropping in on friends.

One thing you'll notice about the hospitality of the Greeks is that one never gets the sense of being rushed.

In good mood? Pull up a seat, let me whip up a couple of appetizers and let's have a few drinks...let's share your infectious good mood.

In the dumps? What better than to vent, discuss, analyze what's got you down, what's pissing you off.

Regardless of the situation..."mi casa, sou casa"...make yourself at home and never feel (or act) like a stranger in a Greek's home.

Greeks love to talk. Greeks love to eat and often some kind of fuel is required. That is to say some alcohol! Greek wine is now thoroughly enjoyed at the Greek table but the Anise-flavoured Ouzo still gets fair use and regional homebrews of Raki, Tsipouro and Tsikoudia or in Cyprus, Zivania also fill up our glasses (and egos)!

I think many of us are over-thinking appetizers - making them too complicated. There's nothing wrong with hosting a more formal dinner but let's not get carried away and start prepping the type of appetizers one would find in a hotel.

Conversely, I cringe at the sight and taste of those processed, frozen & baked, "I'm too lazy to whip up a few appetizers for my guests" -type of commercial appetizer.

Instructions:
"Keep frozen until use, place on a baking sheet and pre-heat oven and bake for 15 minutes"

OR

"Set your microwave to high and cook for 5 minutes"

YIKES!

Here's a simple rule to follow when making appetizers...offer a few, make'em simple, make them well.

Today we're going to nibble on mushrooms. Mushrooms are a food item I've enjoyed since a child...always liked them - always will.

I recently ordered a new Greek cookbook from Dimitra Vergou titled "Mushrooms - From the Forest to the Kitchen.

Dimitra is from the northern Prefecture of Grevena and although mushrooms can be found all over Greece, Grevena is considered the "capital" of Greece's mushroom industry.

As far as I know, this book is only available in Greek but if it sells well, perhaps an English edition will be published.

In the meantime, I patiently await the arrival of my new cookbook but in the meantime, allow me to share a simple, deliciois side dise and meze of mushrooms.

Remember...keep them simple but do it well!

Thyme Scented Mushrooms (Αρωματικά μανιτάρια με θυμάρι)

4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
3 bay leaves
1 Tbsp. good red wine vinegar
12 oz. of button mushrooms, halved
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
coarse sea salt to taste
1 Tbsp. of water (optional)

1. In a small, heavy saucepan, combine half the olive oil, the ground pepper, bayleaves and half the vinegar and warm over very low heat.
2. Now add the mushrooms, some salt and 2 sprigs of thyme and holding lid in place, shake the pan to swirl and coat all the mushrooms. Continue simmering the mushrooms in their own juices for about 10 minutes or until they just start changing colour.
3. Stir occasionally and if too try, add some water into the mix.
4. Add the remaining vinegar and olive oil and and set aside for another hour. Adjust seasoning with sea salt and serve with a sprig of thyme as a garnish and serve with some bread and a glass of Greek wine or my current fave...Tsipouro.
   

Roasted Red Pepper and Potato Salad (Πατατοσαλάτα με πιπεριές Φλωρίνης)

I hope you enjoyed my travel and food journey through New York over the past couple of weeks. There have been many times since my return where I wished I could jet off each weekend, see some new friends again and sample more of the city's great food.

I'm thinking New York could become a yearly thing and I have some ideas for the next time! I have one more (final) post to add about my New York stay but I'll delay that one for a bit as I'm kinda hungry to get back into my regular blogging step.

I'm most comfortable creating or trying new dishes, photographing it (quickly as possible as my food photo subjects are also meal subjects) and ultimately sharing the dish with you.

This dish involves two of my favourite ingredients...potatoes and red peppers. Potatoes are filing, potatoes taste great and potatoes are versatile. Potatoes can be boiled, friend, baked, steamed and used in both sweet and savory dishes.

Peppers...Oh how do I love thee pepper. As the son of two parents from the northern Greek prefecture of Florina, it's almost by default that I would adore peppers. Greeks by and large enjoy peppers but I think the Greeks in the north love them just a little bit more.

My dad will have peppers in some form or the other in his meal. My father also has a thing for hot peppers. We're not talking spicy but hot, blow your head-off, speaking in tongues /I think I see God kinda-hot.

I had an uncle who was so enamored with peppers (especially hot ones) that he would bring small chilis with to a wedding reception and snip some into his banquet dinner!

Red peppers all across Greece are referred to as "Πιπεριές Φλωρίνης" or "Florina Peppers. Yes folks, we're that fond of peppers that the red ones are associated with the Prefecture of Florina!

As most of your will agree, tomatoes around this time of suck. Well, most of them. Here in Canada, we have quite the hot-house industry for growing vegetables indoors and I even saw some imported Ontario "on the vine" tomatoes at Whole Foods in New York!

I usually stick with cherry tomatoes in the winter as they are the only option for anything with taste but don't give up - there's an alternative....make the red pepper your winter tomato!

Red peppers have more vitamin C than an orange and so on a health aspect, you want red peppers in your winter diet and some of you might even have a phobia about scurvy. Eat red peppers!

The best way to roast red peppers is on a gas or charcoal grill. Us Canadians are crazy that way (we'll grill all year 'round) but we're also realists....standing for hours charring peppers is a sure way to get sick.

Each September, my family roasts bushels of sweet and hot peppers for the long Canadian winter. If your don't have a charcoal or gas grill, use your stovetop to char your peppers but be prepared for a hearty post-charring clean-up...it will be messy.

Bushels of peppers get charred/blackened on the grill and then they are placed on a large tray and covered so that they can "sweat" before being preserved.

My family's favourite method for preserving roasted peppers is to freeze them. In one of my earliest blog posts, I go into detail on how we do this but the short story is...bag them in zip-lock bags and freeze them for up to the next summer.

When you freeze your peppers, leave the charred skins on. The skins will provide added protection to your peppers from freezer burn and when thawed, the skins peel off rather easily, leaving you with perfectly roasted peppers that are ready for a salad or side dish as part of your winter meal.

Today, I'm going to show you one of my favourite combos, that is to say roasted red peppers and boiled potatoes. Here, I've also added some roasted red garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, chopped fresh chives, parsley and briny capers.

Roasted Red Pepper and Potato Salad (Πατατοσαλάτα με πιπεριές Φλωρίνης)
(for 2 or as a side dish)

1 large Yukon Gold potato
1 large red bell pepper, skins peeled and cut into ribbons
3 cloves of roasted garlic
(or 1 raw clove)
1 Tbsp. capers
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. chopped chives
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
red wine vinegar (optional)
sea salt
fresh ground pepper

1. Place a small pot of water on your stovetop and bring to a boil. Add some salt to the boiling water and carefully place the potato (with skin on) into the water and reduce heat to medium and boil until fork tender. Place under to cold water to cool the potato until you're able to comfortably handle the potato (you still want it to be warm).
2. Using the dull side of a knife, peel of the skin of the potato. Now carefully slice your potato into slices and set aside.
3. Wrap each slice of potato with a ribbon of roasted pepper and plate in a circular, overlapping pattern.
4. In a small bowl, add roasted garlic and mash it into a paste with a fork. Now add the olive oil and whisk the two ingredients until blended.
5. Sprinkle some sea salt over your roasted red pepper and potato salad and pour the olive oil and garlic mixture over the salad.
6. Grind some fresh black pepper over the salad, garnish with chopped fresh parsley, chives and capers and drizzle a little wine vinegar (optional) as a finishing touch.
7. Serve with grilled or fried fish or some good, homemade sausages.
   

Miskotini With Feta

I've been enjoying Greek-made pasta of late. The folks at Misko who make an array of pasta were kind enough to send me samples of their Greek pasta varieties.

Most Greeks will acknowledge we didn't invent pasta but most Greeks will assure you (and demonstrate if you like) their love of eating pasta.

I'll be heading off to New York City tomorrow but upon my return, I plan to showcase some more Greek pasta dishes. We have noodles from Asia, everyone loves Italian pasta, the Spanish have been enjoying in for ages and the Greeks round-out the roster with age-old dishes, enjoyed by generations.

One such combo is a simple delight of eating pasta with Feta cheese. I can remember my mom boiling some spaghetti, browning some butter and finishing the dish off with some crumbled feta.

I'd assume most Greek families enjoy this quick, easy and delicious dish and yes, it's been done for awhile...for as long as feta has existed.

For anyone who's bought a large quantity of feta, you'll know that crumbled pieces of Feta are usually to be found at the bottom, when you've reached your last slab of cheese.

With Greeks pursuit to "waste not - want not"...even those lonely last remaining feta pieces get consumed...for pasta with Feta!

You may certainly crumble your own Feta to make this easy dish but this is a frugal dish that stretches the ingredients boundaries...using those last bits of feta at the bottom.

The most common approach to this dish is browning some butter, adding the cooked spaghetti in to the skillet and tossing the crumbled Feta which slightly melts and coats the pasta with Feta goodness.

Here, I've upped the ante by adding some roasted garlic, cream, black pepper, parsley and some Greek oregano into the mix.

As soon as you toss the ingredients into the boiled pasta and smell the aroma from the skillet, you'll know this is a winner!

Miskotini With Feta
(serves 4)

500 gr. packet of Miskotini pasta
4 cloves of roasted garlic
approx. 200gr. crumbled Feta
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp. dried Greek oregano
salt and pepper to taste
some reserved pasta water

1. Get a large pot of water to boil. Add a good amount of salt and cook your pasta according to package instructions.
2. In a small saucepan or "briki", add your cream and roasted garlic and mash it into the cream. Add the crumbled Feta and over medium low heat, stir until most of the cheese has melted and melded into the cream. Turn heat off and keep warm.
3. When your pasta is cooked, reserve some pasta water and drain the pasta. Pour the pasta back into the pot, add the Feta/cream mixture and toss to coat. If the sauce is too dry, add some pasta water.
4. Now continue to toss by adding the chopped fresh parsley and dried Greek oregano and adjust seasoning with some ground black pepper (salt rarely needed).
5. Serve immediately.
   

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.
   

Soup and Salad (Σούπα και Σαλάτα)

The next phase of the Greek themed Thanksgiving Dinner involved soup and salad. As I've written before, I'm more of a soup guy when the cooler weather arrives but this is here is an autumn salad, featuring a blend of seasonal greens and a vinaigrette with a Greek ingredient that's very ancient...Petimezi.

I first saw the dressing used here on a Greek food show called the Nistiko Arkoudi (Hungry Bear) and the show's title is a play on a Greek saying, "the hungry bear never dances". In the show's intro, the bear's dancing alright...a testament that the bear (and viewer are fed well).

The dressing is a sweet & sour combination involving Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard and Petimezi. Petimezi is a grape syrup or mollasses that was produced and used in ancient times before the arrival of sugar on the scene. Back then, natural sweeteners like Petimezi were used.

The dressing was finished off with some minced garlic, salt and pepper and given a good shake in a jar to emulsify the dressing.

The salad ingredients are quite interesting too...bitter rocket leaves, red cabbage, leafy green lettuce and some Napa cabbage to round out the mix. The salad goes further with the sweet & savory theme with a topping of pomegranate seeds, sesame seeds, walnuts and roasted red peppers.

I had this salad during my stay in Naxos this past summer and I promised myself to recreate this wonderful salad. On the menu it was listed as Smyrneiko Salata, homage to the Greeks who fled Smyrna in haste, but brought their wonderful recipes back to mainland Greece with them.

The soup course of the night involved beets. My original soup idea was a roasted red pepper soup but despite it's wonderful flavour and result, it proved to be too good, a bold flavour especially since turkey and fixins' were next on the menu.

The pureed beet soup proved to be a wonderful surprise to me (during it's testing) and for my dinner guests. Everyone was expecting a very sweet soup - something more dessert than savory but this recipe makes it very much a savory soup with onions, potatoes, thyme and oregano to take the sweet edge off the soup.

Before I get on with the soup recipe, I must give due mention to the wine pairing for the soup and salad course: Steve Kriaris of Kolonaki Group recommended the Skouras Cuvee Prestige White.

The Skouras Winery is located in the northeast Pelleponese and the the wine is made from a 50/50 split of Roditis and Mosxofilero grapes.

Again, we agreed that a crisp, no oak white would complement the soup and salad course and I could detect the light florals as per the tasting notes from Skouras.

I'm really enjoying this Greek wine and food pairing and I'll endeavour to showcase more qaulity Greek wines in future posts.

In the meantime, here's that Beet soup recipe...

Beet Soup With Oregano
( serves 4, I doubled the recipe)

approx 400gr. of medium-sized beets
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large russet potato, peeled
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 bay leaf
chicken/vegetable stock
2 tsp. of ground coriander
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp. of dried Greek oregano
strained Greek yogurt

1. Place your beets in some aluminum foil, wrap well and place in a pre-heated 450F oven for about 40 minutes. Allw to cool enough to be handled. With the help of a knife, peel away the skins, discard and cut the beets into chunks.
2. In a pot, add your olive oil and over medium heat add the onions and garlic, bay leaf, ground coriander and saute for 15-20 minutes. Now using your box grater, grate the potato into the pot and stir and simmer for another5 minutes (add some water if too dry).
3. Now add your beets and enough stock to just cover your beets and bring to a boil. Now simmer for another 30 minutes until thickened somewhat. Add salt and pepper to taste.
   
4. Remove from the heat, take out the bay leaf and using your hand blender, puree the soup until smooth. Return to medium heat and simmer for another 15 minutes or until you've achieved your desired consistency.
5. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and allow to cool a bit.
6. Serve in bowls with a dollop of strained Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of dried Greek oregano.
   

Mezedes at the Greek Table

Mezedes are Greek appetizers and there are two approaches when approaching the Greek "trapezi" or table.

One is to offer up several little bites and tastes to your guests throughout the night. This type of evening has no 1st, 2nd or main course...just meze after meze after meze with conversation and drink to accompany the food.

The other approach is to offer up some small bites (again) mezedes but to nudge your guests' appetites, not satisfy it. This latter approach is the one I took for my Greek-themed Thanksgiving Dinner.

I made three - no four mezedes, all were simple, all easy executed and big on flavour. I also made sure there weren't too many as I've gone too far in the past with the appetizers and have left my guests stuffed and not so quite ready for the main courses of the evening.

The first appetizer I brought for my guests was the "Greek sushi". The Greek sushi reference was inspired by an print ad I saw from a Greek food company that produces many ready-made appetizers for the Greek homekeeper who's too busy to prep such mezedes.

Assembly of the Greek sushi was quite simple: make Dolamadakia Yialantzi cooked long grain rice that was flavoured with sauteed scallions, fresh mint and dill, olive oil and lemon juice, salt and pepper. The tangy filling was contrasted by the natural sweetness and smokey undertones of the roasted peppers. For breaking the colour monotony, I roasted red, yellow and orange bell peppers.

To complete the Greek sushi, the dolmadakia had to be binded to the peppers. I bought a bunch of fresh chives, boiled them in salted water for a couple of minutes and then blanched them in cold water (to retain their colour). The final step was to obviously bind the dolmadakia to the peppers with the chive string and snip of the excess. Ta-da...Greek sushi!

The next platter of mezedes that I served up were whole wheat crostinis with warm caremelized onions tossed with pitted Throumpes olives from Thassos and some fresh thyme and dried Greek oregano.

Again, a simple process of slowly rendering and sauteeing your onions on medium-low heat was the key to getting soft, sweet and tender onions. This process took about 30 minutes and then I simply tossed the pitted olives in along with the thyme and Greek oregano.

The crostinis were made by cutting thin slices off a baguette and then I simply baked them for about 8-1o minutes in a pre-heated 350F oven. This meze can also be made ahead of time...just reheat your olive and onion mixture.

Next up in the succession of mezedes were my phyllo cups filled with a spinach and cheese mixture. The inspiration for these cups came from my mom's recipe for Spanakopita and in particular, the filling she uses and that I prefer.

Store bought phyllo was used here along with olive oil cooking spray to make the cups. For the filling, I used convenienient and time-saving frozen spinach that was thawed, hand-squeezed of excess water and I made a filling that included the spinach, sauteed scallions, 50% Feta & 50% mizithra (ricotta), eggs to bind, chopped fresh dill and salt and pepper to taste.

The phyllo cups consisted of 5 layers of phyllo, with each layer getting an olive oil spray treatment. The muffin tins were also sprayed so that your phyllo cups popped out easlily after baking.

After your phyllo sheets have been sprayed, cut the layered phyllo sheets into twelved equal squares and stuff into each muffin tin. Now fill each muffin cup with your spinach & cheese mixture and if baking immediately, place in a pre-heated 350F oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden-brown. Take out of muffin tins immediately and allow to cool just a bit.

If like me you pre-made these spinach & cheese phyllo cups, then you can cover the muffin tray with plastic wrap (or bag) and place in the freezer for future use. I baked these phyllo cups from frozen to straight into the oven and they came out wonderfully after about 30-35 minutes in a pre-heated 350F oven.

I gave my guests a bonus appetizer which was inspired after reading an article on a Greek-Australian chef who was often left with the dilemma of leftover Hortiatiki (Greek) salad after get-togethers.

Rather than dump the soggy leftover salad, his frugal mind opted to puree the leftover salad and turn it into a dip. Upon trying this experiment out I knew that my guests would love this and scoop up every last bit of dip.

Again, no real recipe here, just build your Greek salad (no iceberg lettuce here) and then place in a food processor and whiz away until your have your desired consistency. You might have to add some breadcrumbs if too runny. I served these with baked pita bread triangles.

I think the key to good mezedes is to make them simple, but make them well and if part of a dinner party, keep the samples small as you want your guests to enjoy the rest of the evening's meal.

Finally, in keeping with the Greek Thanksgiving meal, I offered up Greek wines that were paired with each course.

Steve Kriaris of the Kolonaki Group recommended the Kir Yianni Akakies Rose. This wine uses 100% Xinomavro grapes (grape indigenous to to Greece and harvested from Naoussa and Amydeon).

This rose is a no oak rose that's crisp, best served chilled and it served as a perfect quaff for my Greek mezedes. I detected notes of strawberry and hints of lemon and according to my guests, the rose was a refreshing surprise to a gang that normally doesn't drink rose.

To quote one guest..."I normally don't drink rose but if I were presented with a bottle of Kir Yanni Akakies, I would drink it (rose) more often"!

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.

Yes, I Ate Soup in the Summer (ρεβιθόσουπα)

Ahhh, the things I do for those who follow my blog. One of my food quirks is that by & large, I eat salads in the summer, soups in the winter.

Oh, there are always exceptions like the odd, cold summer day or a cold soup but a hot soup in Greece with the blazing 35C heat? Yes, I ate soup.

It wasn't just any soup but the very well-known and traditional chickpea soup of Sifnos. My last day on Sifnos was a Sunday and it would be my last and only chance to eat the real deal.

Yes, I could have eaten the soup on any other day but the Sunday soup would be special. You see, the bakeries do run on Sundays here and for many people on the island, the tradition of sending your pot of soup to the bakery to be cooked still exists.

This tradition was a neccesity for many homes in the villages across Greece where they were old and not equipped to host an oven. Necessity led to resourcefulness and tradition whereby the lady of the house would take the family's meal to the local bakery for cooking.

In Sifnos, surely there are many varieties of soups, depending on that family's tastes (or rather the man of house's tastes).

Each "noikokyra" (housewife) prepares the soup in a large earthenware pot and lugs the contents down to the bakery on a Saturday evening.

The chickpea soup simmers all night at the bakery until it becomes lunch time, Sunday afternoon.

I am so glad that blogging has prodded me to try ingredients I once thought I did not like. Such was the case with chickpeas. I can't say they are my favourite ingredient but I find myself increasing my use of them each year.

They are healthy, cheap and I find quite delicious. Speaking of delicious...this chickpea soup will surprise you with it's aroma and fabulous flavour.

There are alot of onions in this soup and the tag-along veggies of celery and carrot round out the flavours. Add a slow simmer, some good stock, a pinch of fresh ground cumin and a squeeze of lemon and you have a soup that eats like a meal.

Chickpea Soup From Sifnos (ρεβιθόσουπα )
(serves 6)

1 500gr. can of chick peas
(rinsed and drained)
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 carrot, finely diced
1/2 stalk of celery, finely diced
1 tsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
6-8 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
(depending how thick/thin you like your soup)
a pinch of fresh ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
squeeze of lemon juice

1. Into a pot, add your olive oil over medium heat and throw in your onions, celery, carrots and paprika and parsley and simmer on medium low for about 15 minutes for the vegetables to soften.
2. Now add your stock, bring to a boil and simmer medium-low heat with the lid slightly ajar for one hour, By this time you should have a thick, chunly chick pea soup with broth still eveident.
3. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, add a small pinch of ground cumin and serve with a wedge of lemon.
4. Serve hot, squeeze just a little lemon juice, add some fresh ground pepper and enjoy this comforting, rustic soup.

Sifnos - History, Culture, Food

This past summer I had the pleasure of visiting the Greek island of Sifnos for the first time. It lies in the middle of the Cyclades between Serifos, Kimolos and Antiparos and is about 80 nautical miles from Piraeus.

Sifnos is also known for it's contribution to the sciences and the Greek literary tradition.

The island can boast a large number of Sifnians who contributed to the social development and reconstruction of the modern Greek state: politicians, teachers, religious leaders, journalists, lawyers and economists.

Sifnos is known today as a summer resort, an island of natural beauty, with its hospitable and courteous inhabitants, its white washed traditional houses, its beautiful churches and chapels, its old monasteries and its popular as well as hidden-away beaches.

For me, Sifnos also attracted me with it's reputation of having great food, unique recipes cooked in earthenware vessels due to it's thriving pottery industry and it's the birthplace of Tselementes.

Tselementes is perhaps the best known chef and food writer and he's credited with catapulting Greek cuisine to new levels after his training in Europe and stints at some of the finest hotels.

Today, Greece's food philosophy is a mix combining naturally grown and seasonal foods with the best herbs and spices to create simple, fabulous dishes and the "Tselementes effect" in the creation of a class system based on food. Wealth, sophistication, and status were associated with his creations.

This juxtaposition of cooking also exists with the patrons of Greek eateries. It is quite often that one will see the everyday Greek person dining side-by-side with Greece's rich and famous.

I witnessed this phenomenon in Sifnos. One of the first things I noticed upon arriving in Sifnos was the long row of yachts that were docked in it's port.

One night at a taverna, I was smack in the middle of ordinary vacationing Greeks and a large table filled with the clan of one of Greece's wealthiest families, dining side by side with their Greek common-folk (this family owns one of Athens' soccer teams).

Although this wealthy family dined on the prohibitively expensive lobster spaghetti (80 euros/kilo), the rest of us were more than happy to be feasting on Sifnos' local dishes.

One such dish is Revithokeftedes or chickpea balls. Revithokefetedes can be simply described as Greek falafel. Chick peas get pulsed and mixed with herbs and spices and then deep fried to a golden perfection.

From gleaning the internet, I've seen revithokeftdes served up in hamburger pattie size and also in little meatball-sized format. When I was in Sifnos, all I saw were the small, meze-eat in two bites kind of Revithokeftedes.

There are two approaches to making Revithokeftdes...one is to soak the dried chick peas overnight or in a more modern and time-saving way, using perfectly acceptable canned chick peas.

Revithokeftedes are a wonderful addition to the repotoire of Greek appetizers. The mixture here is pulsed chick peas, onion, garlic, salt and pepper and chopped fresh dill.

Grab a bottle of ouzo, invited some friends, offer up some simple seafood dishes, a seasonal salad, cheeses, olives and throw in a plate of Revitokeftedes.

Revithokeftedes

500 gr. can of chickpeas
(rinsed and drained)
2 small onions, chopped
1 clove of garlic
1 bunch of fresh parsley leaves
1 egg
4 Tbsp. of chopped fresh dill
salt and pepper
sunflower oil for frying
flour for dredging

1. Into your food processor, add the chickpeas, onions, garlic, parsley, dill and egg and pulse until a smooth paste. Add some salt and pepper to taste. If the mixture is too wet, add some bread crumbs to tighten the mixture.
   
2. Form the mixture into small meatballs and reserve on a plate. Place in the fridge to set for at least an hour.
3. When you're ready to fry, bring the revithokeftedes back to room temperature and dredge in flour.
4. Pour about 3/4 inch of sunflower oil into a frying pan and shallow fry your Revithokeftedes until golden brown. Blot on paper towels to absorb excess oil.
   
5. Serve immediately as part of an array of Greek appetizers (meze).