Giaourtlou (Γιαουρτλού)

For anyone who's traveled to Greece knows that dining "al fresco" is a neccessity, not a luxury like here in Canada with our short summers. Greece's hot nights force one to eat outside and when my good neighbor, Gregory invited my family for a "spesial" dinner, I knew it would be good and of course, outdoors.

We traveled about 30 minutes from our home by car...all 6 of us in a cramped in a car. However Greeks are resourceful and Gregory's wife, Clio, insisted upon sitting in the very back...how nice!

We arrived in the town of Zografou to be greeted by a very friendly proprietor who welcomed us to his family operated taverna.

We sat down, ordered water, beer, retsina, salads and waited for the owner to spout off the eatery's offerings. I went for the slow-cooked wild boar (which fell off the bone) and my family ordered some biftekia stuffed with cheese. What struck me was what Clio ordered...Giaourtlou.

I had heard of this dish but never before had I tried it. It's a warmed pita bread (acting as the bed), layered with yogurt then a large bifteki (greek burger) and then topped by a tomato sauce. "Ooooooh, this looks good"! I didn't even wait for Clio to offer me a taste of her dish but I did kindly ask and wow....what a cool presentation and the taste combo was different yet very tasty. It was something foreign to me. I know why....it's a dish with Turkish origins.

So today I bring you Giaourtlou...tasted in Greece, originally from Turkey and presented to you by a Canadian. Now that's international cuisine!

Giaourtlou (Γιαουρτλού)
for 4

1 recipe of keftedes

For the Yogurt Sauce
500 ml of strained Greek-style yogurt
4 cloves of minced garlic
1 Tbsp of white wine vinegar
1 tsp sea salt
3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp of smoked paprika
a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil

For the Tomato Sauce

2 Tbsp of butter + 2 Tbsp of olive oil
2 medium-sized onions, diced
4 very ripe tomatoes puree, from a box grater (skins discarded)
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
salt to taste

1) In a bowl, mix your ingredients needed to make a batch of Keftedes. Form them into hamburger-like shapes and refrigerate until they are ready to be grilled.
2) Start your tomato sauce. Into a saucepan under medium-high heat, add your butter and olive oil and then saute your onions under medium heat for about 10 minutes. Now add your tomato puree, smoked paprika, wine and simmer for another 15-20 minutes or until the sauce is thick. Adjust for seasoning and add your chopped parsley. Reserve.
3) In a bowl, mix your yogurt, minced garlic, vinegar, salt, paprika and parsley. Adjust seasoning and refrigerate.
4) Grill your Biftekia (shaped like hamburgers). When you're finished grilling, take your pita bread and brush it with olive and place on grill to just warm the bread on both sides and take away your pita and Biftekia for assembly & plating.

Assembly
1. Place your pita bread on the plate. Sprinkle some dried oregano on the pita.
2. Spoon and spread some yogurt sauce to generously cover the surface of the pita bread.
3. Now top the yogurt with the Bifteki(a) and then top with the tomato sauce. You may garnish the finished dish with sliced red onions and parsley.

Chick Pea Soup

As the weather gets cooler my appetite slides away from salads and gives more to soups. During the summer (when there's little on TV) I caught an episode of Laura Calder's French Food at Home and I was struck by her Chickpea Soup recipe.

Through most of my life, I can't recall chick peas ever being a staple of my family's diet. My earliest recollection of chick peas was seeing them being offered in a bowl along with other finger foods like peanuts, cashews, walnuts. The chickpea bowl used to always stay full. The only time I'd reach into the bowl was to pluck out the yellow sultana raisins and reject the poor chick pea.

Fast-forward thirty some odd years and Peter is a food-crazed, open-minded, "I'll try anything once kinda guy" and here I am getting over my chick pea aversion. Times change, tastes change. Change your attitude about food. Try something you never liked, again...you'll surprise yourself!

Now back to the Chickpea Soup recipe. I bookmarked the recipe for cooler days and the wait paid off. It's an easy recipe, tastes complex and the cumin gives a nice smokiness to the soup. It's one of those velvety soups you could also serve up for a dinner party.

I stayed true to her recipe but I used canned chickpeas which are a time-saver and they worked just fine for this first course. I also added some chopped chives for garnish and colour. It was a good side to my grilled cheese & bacon sandwich!

Steamed Clams in a Spicy Tomato Broth

One of my goals during my holidays was to come back armed with new food ideas and experiences.

At the beach where I swim daily, I see others diving, snorkeling for octopus, squid, sea urchin and γυαλιστερες or clams. For years I very much resented that others would dive in and reap the "fruits of the sea"....until now!

I asked a friend of the family to show me where and how to look for clams on the sea bottom. His answer was to simply dive in waters that are 2-3 metres deep and look for 2 holes in the sand...there's clams there!

You what's better than fresh seafood? Fresh seafood caught by yourself and for free!

Steamed Clams (γυαλιστερες) in a Spicy Tomato Broth

1 kg. of fresh clams
1/3 cup olive oil
2 large ripe tomatoes, grated into a puree by a box grater
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 sweet red onion, sliced
1 small hot pepper
1/4 dry white wine
salt to taste
2 Tbsp dried oregano
1 slab of good feta, crumbled
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 scallion, roughly chopped

1. Place your clams in a colander and rinse them. Now put them in a bowl with water and add some cornmeal or flour. This will feed the clams and thus allow them to expel any sand they might contain. This process requires at least 1 hour.
   
2. Before cooking, rinse your clams one more time and reserve. In a medium to large pot, pour in your olive oil, grated tomato puree, garlic, onion and hot pepper and simmer for 10 minutes. Adjust for seasoning.
3. Add your white wine and clams and cover the pot. The clams should take about 10 minutes to cook. You know they are ready when they have all opened up. Discard any clams that have not opened.
4. Add and stir in your oregano, feta, parsley and scallion and serve hot with lots of crusty bread.
   

I'm Back!!!!!!

Sadly, my summer vacation has ended. I return to Canada with many warm memories with friends, family and new acquaintances. I spent most of my time chilling on the beach. No phones, no computers, no traffic, no work.

I primarily spent my holiday in Greece and I took a couple of side trips (more later). I promised myself not to get entangled in the usual heated discussions that Greeks love to have concerning politics. I was in Greece during an election campaign and despite my pleas to change the subject, politics aways entered a conversation.

Politics and the mad, saddening fires that torched much of Greece also gripped the conversation of Greeks at the cafes, bars, eateries, dinner tables, plateias and even at the beaches. Despite my efforts to insulate myself from the heated discussions, only a heartless person devoid of any emotion could manage to avoid all the the static, media frenzy and dinner table exchanges on the topic of the burning country's state.

What else could be added about the summer fires of 2007? It was heartbreaking, maddening and of course disturbing. The silver lining in all this is that Greeks rally and come together like no other people when in met with dire circumstances. For those that have been to Greece, you know there's alot of work to be done with it's infrastructure, red-tape and sometimes backward way of approaching business. Greeks and Greece will be better after 2007. They got a big kick in the rear and it's in these circumstances that Greeks shine best.

In between my swims, sun-tanning and sightseeing, I also tried new foods, new combos and tried some new dishes. One dish I waited to try in Greece was a lemon tiramisu. I first saw it being offered on David Rocco's Dolce Vita and I just had to try it out in the summer.

I didn't use his recipe but I simply used a method of tiramisu that's worked well in the past and saves on mascarpone and subsitututed the coffee ingredients with lemon ingredients. This is an easy, make ahead summer dessert that will be loved and devoured by family & guests. The lemon tiramisu I made vanished in 1 day!

Lemon Tiramisu

36 Saviardi lady fingers
1 bottle (500ml) Limoncello
zest of 1 lemon for filling, zest of 1 lemon for topping
6 egg whites,
1/2 cup of sugar,
2 Pkges. (8 oz.) cream cheese, room temperature
1 (8oz.) container of mascarpone cheese
500ml bottle Limoncello, slightly warmed

1. In a large bowl mix the cream cheese, mascarpone with the lemon zest and a couple of shots of Limoncello until it's smooth and has been mixed in well. Reserve.
2. In another bowl, mix your egg whites and sugar and whip until they have formed stiff picks. Quickly & gently fold the egg whites into your mascarpone.
   
3. In a large bowl, pour the rest of the bottle into a large bowl and zap the liquer for a 30 seconds to warm the liquid.
4. Dip your lady fingers into the Limoncello and line the bottom of your tray with the soaked cookies. Now spread a layer of the mascarpone/cream cheese mixture over the cookies. Repeat with another layer of soaked cookies and top with remaining cream cheese/mascarpone.