Soutzoukakia Smyrneika With Olives

Homebase for me when in Greece is the fishing and tourist town of Nea Kallikratia in Halkidiki. It's situated about 30 minutes south of Greece's second largest city, Thessaloniki.

It's home away from home and I'm welcomed by family and friends. The people who have summer homes here are mostly from Thessaloniki and the rest are tourists and Greeks from the Diaspora who have bought summer homes (like our family).

Thessaloniki has "dopia" Greeks from Macedonia (my family), Pontions, Vlachs and Greeks who fled Asia Minor from Constantinople (Istanbul) and Smyrni (now Izmir).

If one ever gets into the middle of a Greek chat on food, references to the rich cooking legacy brought back from Constantinople and Smyrni arise almost every time.

"This lady from Constantinople works magic in the kitchen" or "that lady from Smyrni turns the simplest foods into gold". Ya get my drift?

Our family is lucky to have "Effie from Smyrni" amongst our close family friends. My mom swims out to sea with her gal pals and the ladies will discuss the days issues...kids, grandchildren, Greece's rising costs, the weather and...food. These ladies wade in the warm blue waters and discuss recipes, exchange ideas.

I often do the same with my walks along the beach. I get restless just sitting on my beach chair but do still want a tan and I do enjoy socializing.

I do my walkabout, pace the beach, greet family & friends, ask what's going for the evening, extend or accept invites for "kafe" and I ask the ladies "what's cookin'"?

Effie from Smyrni brings leftovers to the beach and feeds her grandchildren (sometimes me). On one such day she brought Soutzoukakia Smyrneika With Olives.

This is a departure on the classic Soutzoukakia Smyrneika which are a sausage-like meatball simmered in an aromatic sauce - a favourite for many Greeks.

This version is slightly different but surprisingly refreshing and wonderful in taste and aroma. When the meatballs were simmering in the sauce, I was thinking, "this dish screams Greece meets East"!

The olives used here are green olives from Halkidiki and they provide the unique flavour and aroma to this dish.

When making the meatball mixture, avoid the temptation to overseason the meat. The flavour will balance out when the olives simmer in the aromatic sauce.

I loved this dish for it's simplicity, the aroma made me wait in anticipation and the flavours of the meal rewarded my patience when I finally plated the meal.

Soutzoukakia Smyrneika With Olives
(serves 6)

1lb. lean ground beef
1/lb. lean ground lamb
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup of breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp. cumin
4 Tbsp. red wine
1 tsp. of salt
1 tsp. of black pepper
3 Tbsp. olive oil

Sauce
2 large, ripe tomatoes, passed through a grater
1 large onion passed through a grater
1 tsp. tomato paste, diluted in 1 cup of water
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 cup of green olives
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients of the meatballs and knead with your hands until mixed. Fry off a small meatball and taste-test. Adjust seasoning accordingly.
2. Shape the meat mixture into sausage shaped meatballs and reserve on a plate.
3. Place a large skillet on medium heat and add your olive oil and grated onion and simmer for about 3-5 minutes. Now add your tomatoes and tomato paste mixture and bring to a bowl. reduce to a simmer and cook down for about 10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
4. Now gently lay the meatballs into the simmering sauce along with the olives and simmer slightly covered for another 10 minutes. If the sauce is too runny, carefully remove the meatballs and simmer the sauce until you've achieved the desired thickness. Place the meatballs back in the sauce to heat through.
5. Serve hot with rice pilaf or fried potatoes.

Linguine Carbonara

This is an Italian classic but I first tasted this dish when I visited the Greek island of Corfu in 1988. The Italian food Caribinieri will insist that this dish NOT contain any cream.

Lucky for the Italians, I can pull off this dish without cream but if you're the type that likes it in the mix, who am I to stop you?

Carbonara is very popular in Greece and it's often found on menus alongside other pastas & pizzas on offer.

After spending five weeks in Greece, I craved something a little different and this quick, filling and most satisfying dish always hits the spot.

There are many legends as to the origins of the dish...you pick the one you like and spout it off to your dinner guests...they'll think you cooked under the tutelage of Mario Batali!

Linguine Carbonara
(per serving)

1 handful of dry linguine
2 egg yolks
cracked black pepper to taste
grated Romano cheese
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup of diced bacon, pancetta or guanciale
splash of dry white wine
pasta water
chopped fresh parsley

1. Get a pot of water to boil and then add a generous amount of salt and cook your pasta to just under al dente (6-7 minutes).
2. In a large skillet, add your bacon and some water and place over high heat. The water will boil down to nothing and then your bacon will render better and crisp up nicely. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, remove most of the remaining fat (save a Tbsp.) and reserve.
   
3. Allow your skillet to cool down a bit and add your diced onions and garlic (add a bit of olive oil if the skillet has too little fat) over medium heat and stir frequently for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add a splash of white wine and deglaze the pan and take off the heat (you may remove the garlic cloves now, if you wish).
   
5. In a small bowl, whisk your egg yolks, black pepper and Romano cheese and reserve.
6. When your pasta is ready, strain while remembering to reserve some pasta water. Add the pasta to the skillet (off the heat) along with some pasta water and your egg yolk mixture.
7. At this point the residual heat of the hot pasta and pasta water should cook and bind your mixture into a thick & creamy sauce.
8. Add your chopped parsley and adjust seasoning with salt (rarely needed) and cracked black pepper to taste. Grate some additional Romano cheese on top if desired.
   

Caper Salad (Καππαροσαλάτα)

I had every intention of writing and sharing about my vacation and food experiences in chronological order but it's my prerogative to change my mind. This is a food blog afterall...no place here for orderly behaviour!

This year I visited three islands in the Cyclades. The Cyclades are the most famous of Greek islands which are located in the Aegean Sea, southeast of Athens.

I stopped by Naxos, Paros and Sifnos. If one looks to a map you'll see that each island is quite close to each other but from ancient times, the waters made travel between the islands seem worlds apart.

It was comforting to see that each island had retained it's own character, feel, sub-culture and style.

One common food theme I found was the heavy use of capers in the islands' cuisines. Order a Horiatiki (Greek) salad and you'll likely see the addition of capers in the mix.

One dish that was new to me was the Caper Salad. I sampled two versions: one being a stewed onion based dip with peppers and a faint presence of capers and the second one being a plate of whipped mashed potato (cold) with the bold presence of capers in it.

I preferred the second Caper Salad and it's one I'm going to share with you.

Again, simplicity dictates this dish with the use of few fresh ingredients, all local and of course, delicious.

Offer this up at a picnic, as a dip with bread or as a side alternative for your starch.

It's easy, it's delicious and it will transport you to the Greek Islands each time you take a bite!

Caper Salad (Καππαροσαλάτα)

3 large potatoes
3 large Tbsp. of capers (drained), finely chopped
2-3 green olives, coarsely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, miced
2 Tbsp. wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives + some for garnish
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1 tsp. dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

1. With the skins on, place your potatoes in water and bring to a boil. Add a generous amount of salt and cook until fork tender. Remove from the heat and cool until the potatoes are safe to handle. Peel the skins and mash the potatoes in a bowl.
2. Add your minced garlic, vinegar, minced capers, olives, diced onions and mix in until incorporated. Now slowly add your olive oil until you've achieved your desired consistency.
3. Add the chives, oregano and fresh chopped dill and mix in as well.
4. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and serve room temperature or cold with a garnish of some chives and whole caper berries.
   

Greece 2008 Comes to a Close

I'm back and in a bitter-sweet way. It's good to be back in Canada after another wonderful, memorable and fantastic time vacationing in Greece.

Although I wish I could still be in Greece, all things must come to an end and I don't want to get sick of Greece and I always leave unfinished business (an excuse to go back to Greece each year).

Most of the goals I had set out to accomplish on my vacation were met. I met up with friends, caught up with family, made some new friends and took in some winery tours and did a taping for a "Kalofagas" promo.

Throughout my entire vacation, good food & drink was shared and I'm delighted to bring back more fresh & exciting Greek food ideas for you.

Each year that I go back to Greece I learn more about the best cuisine out there (Okay, I'm biased) with the help of the food wisdom from friends and relatives.

To me, the resumption of blogging just after my return from Greece is like a "a new season" for Kalofagas! There will be plenty of days and posts to share my vacation with you (so please be patient).

Let me start off with a quick and easy dessert or breakfast option for you.

In Halkidiki, Greece from August 15th until early September, tree-ripened figs can be had and if you lucky like me, you're surrounded by countless fig trees where one cannot pick or eat all of nature's bounty.

This yogurt parfait is inspired by a product I ate made by Activia, who offers a fruit bottom yogurt with figs.

The concept is quite simple...instead of serving honey with strained Greek yogurt, my not substitute with marmalade-like center of the ripened fig?

Yes, that's right...a tree-ripened fig is that sweet...like marmalade.

Simply spoon in some dollops of strained yogurt into a bowl (or go a little fancy with a tall glass) and layer the meat of the figs with the yogurt.

The tangy Greek yogurt plays off really well against the very sweet insides of the figs.

If you haven't eaten a tree-ripened fig, you must make it a personal foodie goal...you'll never buy a basket of those bland excuses for figs you find at the market for a $1 a piece.

Enjoy!