Gratin of Zucchini and Squash (Kabak Graten)

When I was in Greece this past summer I also took a spontaneous trip to Turkey. Turkey's largest city is Istanbul and us Greeks still call it by it's old name of Constantinople. To this day, it remains the center of Greek Orthodoxy and I believe every Greek and philhellene should visit this enchanted, warm, vibrant and historical city.

Istanbul has a population of close to 20 million and for a city this large, it functions quite well. Oh, there's traffic and such but the city moves.

I was also charmed by the city's beauty, landmarks, history and the warmth of it's citizens. I was part of a Greek group and everywhere we visited we were greeted as neighbors, valued tourists and we were made to feel as though we were not far from home.

We stayed in the Pera district where nearby it, runs Istiklal Street with it's pedestrian mall, no automobiles and only a trolley and shoppers allowed to pass through it. Istiklal has many shops and eateries to choose from and most (if not all) the diplomatic offices (Consulates) are housed here.

This where I had my first meal in Istanbul. We had traveled all night by motorcoach and we were sightseeing all morning. I was famished and I was eager to try Turkish cooking to taste the similarities and differences between Greek and Turkish cuisine.

As in Greece, one can find many eateries with open kitchens. This is where one can view the day's offerings or specials of the day. This means one gets to eat the freshest and seasonal foods of the day.

I ordered some roast chicken, some rice pilaf and this pie-like baked dish made of zucchini and squash. It was to die for! It reminded me of the filling us Greeks use for cheese pies, heavy in cheese, onion and dill.

I've though long and hard to jar my memory and try and recreate this food memory from Istanbul and I proud to say, I did it!

If anyone of Turkish origins knows what this dish would be called, I'd be more than happy to amend this post and acknowledge it's Turkish name.

One last thing about Constantinople....I'll be back!

Gratin of Zucchini and Squash

1/2 stick of unsalted butter
1 large onion,
large zucchinis, cut into round slices
1/2 carrot, box grated
1 sweet banana pepper, diced
1 1/2 cups of squash, and diced
1/2 cup of flour
1 1/2 cups of milk
1 cup of aged white cheddar
A few springs of thyme
1/2 cup of chopped fresh dill
2 scallions, chopped
2 Tbsp. of chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of nutmeg
some grated cheese for topping

Preheated 375F oven

1. Take a large skillet and melt your butter under medium high heat. Add your onions, carrots and red peppers and reduce to medium and allow to soften for 10 minutes.
2. Add your zucchini and squash and a pinch of , thyme and reduce to medium and cover and cook for another 10 -15 minutes or until the zucchini and squash have softened. Add your scallions, dill and parsley and stir in until warmed through.
   
3. Add your flour and stir it in to incorporate well and cook out the rawness of the flour. Add your milk and gently stir until the mixture becomes creamy.
4. Add your cheese into the skillet, stirring to mix and melt into the vegetables. Adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper and add a dash of nutmeg.
5. Pour the mixture into a greased casserole and top with some grated cheddar and bread crumbs.
6. Bake for 30-40 minutes on the middle rack or until the top is golden brown.
   

Cabbage Rolls (λαχανοντολμαδάκια)

Most people associate cabbage rolls with slavic cuisines but the Greeks have had cabbage in their cooking as well. It's a winter staple and our family's had cabbage rolls as part of our winter roster of meals.

For as long as I can remember, our family has enjoyed cabbage rolls with an Avgolemeno Sauce. The more familiar cabbage roll comes accompanied with a tomato sauce but I think you find cabbage rolls with Avgolemeno Sauce to be a refreshing new take on this comforting dish.

First, I'm going to show you how to get your cabbage leaves and then I'll make a filling and then close off with a Avgolemeno Sauce.

Cabbage Rolls (λαχανοντολμαδάκια)
(makes 30)


1 large cabbage
1 1/2 cups of Arborio Rice (this rice adheres best)
1/4 cup olive oil
3 medium onions, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup tomato puree
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
1 tsp. black pepper
3 tsp. of salt
1 cup chopped fresh dill
1 cup chopped fresh parsley

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil with a little salt. Meanwhile, remove the outer leaves of the cabbage and the hard stalk (root) of the cabbage. Wash it and put into the boiling water for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the cabbage from the water by using a large fork.
   
2. Using some tongs, carefully peel away each leaf and unwrap the head of boiled cabbage. Remove the the bottom part of the main rib from each leaf. Repeat this process with all your leaves and reserve.
3. Bring a large saucepan to medium-high heat, add the olive oil, onions and garlic. Simmer to soften the onions for about 10 minutes.
   
4. Take the saucepan off the heat and add your tomato puree, ground beef, ground pork, rice, parsley, dill, salt and pepper and mix until thoroughly incorporated.
5. Take a cabbage leaf and place a heaping Tablespoon of the meat mixture near the bottom of the leaf. Fold the two ends of the leaf inwards and roll it up into a long narrow shape. (do not roll too tightly as the rice will expand and may break your leaves)
6. Place some spare cabbage leaves on the bottom of your roasting pan and start placing the stuffed cabbage leaves in concentric circles.
7. Place some more loose cabbage leaves over the stuffed cabbage and you may even place a heavy plate on top to prevent them from breaking open.
8. Add 3 cups of low sodium chicken (or vegetable) stock into the roasting pan, cover with the lid and place into a pre-heated 375F oven for 90 minutes. Reserve and prepare the sauce.
   

Avgolemeno Sauce

5 Tbsp of olive oil
4 Tbsp. of flour
Juice of 2 lemons
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt

1. Beat your eggs and lemons in a bowl and reserve. Bring a saucepan to medium high heat and add the oil and flour and stir with a wood spoon for 5 minutes.
2. Take a cup of the cabbage roll stock and pour it slowly into your flour/oil roux and mix it throughly.
   
3. Now beat the stock and flour mixture and slowly pour the egg & lemon mixture into your saucepan. Take off the heat, adjust seasoning with salt to taste.
4. Pour the Avgolemeno Sauce over all the cabbage rolls and holding on to the handles of the roasting pan, gently shake it back & forth to throughly blend the Avgolemeno Sauce with the remaining stock in the cabbage rolls. Serve warm.
   

Spaghetti With Squid and Artichicoke Cream

This past Friday I was in a seafood funk and I really couldn't decide on what to eat. Many food companies have websites that also include a myriad of recipes to try with their product.

Barilla pasta has a wonderful site with a ton of pasta dishes that use alot of different pasta shapes.

This Spaghetti With and Artichoke Cream dish jumped out at me from my computer screen, I was really intrigued by artichoke cream.

I used canned artichokes for this dish and frozen baby squid (as the recipe calls for). This dish's consistency is reminiscent of a carbonarra but there's no egg and I added some lemon zest to bring out the tangyness of the artichokes.

I love artichokes and they are well worth the fuss to clean them. They are native to southern Europe and the entire Mediterranean basin. Today, artichokes are manily cultivated in France, Italy, Span and the U.S. (with California producing nearly 100% of the crop).

This entry counts as my submission for Weekend Herb Blogging and it's hosted by the founder Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen. Have a look at her site, her lean and mean recipes that are delicious yet very healthwise. Kalyn will also publish a "roundup" of all the contributors.

Kali Orexi!

Baked Potato a la Greque

My family comes from northern Greece (province of Macedonia) and it's capital is Thessaloniki. It's a city of 1.5 million and it's still considered a big town where you'll always bump into someone you know!

Our summer beach home is close to Thessaloniki and my brother and I went into the city to have a walkabout, grab a bite and have a few drinks.

We were dropped off in the suburb of Kalamaria and we were famished. We tripped upon a busy eatery called "DERLICATESSEN", Kouskoura 7, Thessaloniki and it was 9ish (early for a Greek dinner but we were hungry).

One of the food items that were flying out the doors of this bustling eatery was their baked potato. These guys were using old, cast iron ovens to slowly baked these spuds to perfection.

Think baked potato as a Greek would do it...a Mr. Potato-head sized spud, a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, coarse salt, cracked black pepper, creamy feta sauce mixed with Greek cream cheese and lots of scallions to top off this tasty side.

Baked Potato a la Greque

4 large baking potatoes, skins scrubbed and washed
extra virgin olive oil
coarse sea salt
cracked black pepper
1 slab of good Greek feta
2 Tbsp of milk
1 tsp of lemon zest
2 Tbsp. of cream cheese
2 Tbsp dried Greek oregano
chopped scallions

Preheat your oven to 350F

1. Adjust the rack to the middle position. Rinse and scrub each potato as skins are delicious to eat too. Dry each potato throughly.
2. Pierce each potato with a fork or knife a few times on each side to allow the steam to escape and prevent the potatoes from exploding. For a soft skins, rub the skins with olive oil.
3. Bake on the middle rack for 90 minutes.
4. Make your feta sauce by first adding your milk and feta into a bowl and mash the feta into the milk with a fork. Now add your lemon zest, cream cheese and oregano and mix well.
5. Assemble your baked potatoes by cutting a slit into the top of the potato and use your hands to squeeze in the potato and open it up.
6. Drizzle each potato with extra virgin olive oil, season with salt and pepper, spoon over some feta sauce and top with lots of scallions.