Lost in Translation

Unless you know a second language or your family's mother tongue, you really cannot grasp the the full meaning of "lost in translation".

Every time I visit Greece I encounter a new, warped translation, funny spelling flubs or something literally translated from Greek to English.

On the Greek Islands, you will often find very helpful wait staff who are eager to take your order.

"Yes Please"?, asks the waiter...he/she has offered to be of service to you. The Greek way of saying "may I help you" is "Parakalo" but often literally translated as "YES PLEASE".

Greece is nowhere near perfect when it comes to serving it's tourists but at least you'll often be greeted by a menu that will show the restaurant's offerings in your language (something I found to be absent in many other tourist destinations).

You might, however, still have some difficulty reading the English menu as some food items get, well...lost in translation.

Greeks are apt to offer a menu of Greek classics and and some international dishes to appease the homesick traveler. I often see "Gordon Blue" on such menus.

I've seen in in the Greek Islands, in Athens and around Thessaloniki. Gordon Blue.

I think that many Greek proprietors, in their haste to add an international dish and keep up with their competition, have hastily copied a menu item lost in translation, such as the Chicken Cordon Bleu.

Cordon Bleu is a stuffed chicken breast that's rolled and usually filled with ham and Swiss cheese.

I've had this dish often when grabbing a quick lunch away from home but I was triggered by the memory of seeing "Gordon Blue" in Greece and I thought I'd save you all the trouble from ordering it if you go there (Greece).

Folks, if you're going to travel to some new, foreign land...for heaven's sake...embrace the local cuisine. I cringe when I see folks from the west cramming into a McD's or ordering something off the menu like a fast-food chain burger.

Try the local cuisine. Ask the server for help with choosing your order. Ask for the specials. The day's features are usually of fresh, seasonal produce and you're going to get a dish that's probably made with some heart from the kitchen staff.

Meanwhile, back here in Canada...I'm 6 months away from taking my vacation and I do still enjoy trying out different cuisines and some old classics. Chicken Cordon Bleu is easy, it's healthy and it looks snazzy for a weeknight meal.

The Cordon Bleu did not remain as a leftover meal. The chicken breast was moist, some ham gave it a taste contrast and the Swiss some tang. I enjoyed the cream sauce (which actually didn't need much cream) and I finished it off with some chopped tarragon.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 slices of Swiss cheese
4 slices of ham
some toothpicks
1/4 cup flour
slat and pepper
1 tbsp sweet paprika
Wax paper
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup whipping cream
3 Tsp. dry tarragon

1. Rinse and pat dry your chicken fillets. Butterfly each chicken breast (Place chicken breast on the cutting board with thickest part furthest from you).
2. With a sharp meat knife, slicing away from you, cut horizontally through the breast meat with out cutting all the way through so that you have one large thin piece of breast.)
3. Lay Swiss cheese on half of the breast. Top with ham. Roll up breast starting with the cheese side. Use a tooth pick to secure the end to the roll. Sprinkle flour and paprika onto a piece of wax paper and roll the breast until coated.
4. Place in hot oil, working from the outside of the pan in. Keep turning until all sides are brown. Remove from pan. Pour wine and chicken stock into the pan and completely deglaze (get all the brown bits off of the bottom of the pan).
5. Return chicken to pan. Cover and simmer, at low, turning occasionally, for 30 minutes.
6. Add the cream and reduce for another 5 minutes, until thick. Stir in your tarragon and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
7. Serve with potatoes or rice and mixed vegetables.
   

Carcass and Spuds

Before I get on with my latest meal I want to thank everyone for their kind words for my recent blog entries. You all know how to make a guy's ego swell but I promise I won't have to walk through the door sideways because of it!

I also want thank everyone for their comments on the Spanakopita as I've shown my mom what was being said and she was moved.

On to the dish. I realized last night that I haven't had a good slab of carcass (steak) in perhaps over a month and that's heresy!

I also finally perfected Rosti potatoes. Rosti are a Swiss potato fritter/pancake/pattie but up until tonight, I've not had much luck with them. They would fall apart...until now.

Here's what I found to be keys to successful Rosti:

• Use Russet or baking potatoes. The starch in Russets seem to work best for binding (Yukon Golds just didn't give a good result).
• Use vegetable oil for frying.
• Use 1 egg for binding. This step proved to be invaluable and the Rosti held together when I had to flip them.

As for the main attraction (steak) I was in heaven tonight. I pan-seared a beef tenderloin, finished it off in the oven and then complemented it with a cranberry/fortified wine reduction...it kicked some serious donkey and it reminded me a bit of my ex...a little tart!

One final note to the ladies in "da haus"...if you're still stuck on what to make for the man in your life...go with steak...you might even get him to do dishes, give you a foot massage or take you out for some shopping on his card.

I wonder what I'd get if I made the steak?


Beef Tenderloin With Rösti Potatoes and a Double Cranberry Reduction
( for 4)

4 beef tenderloin steaks
coarse sea salt
cracked black pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. of butter
1/3 cup of diced shallots (or red onions)
3 Tbsp. dried cranberries
1 cup of fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup of beef stock
1 cup of Mavrodaphne (or other fortified wine)
2 tsp. fresh thyme

Pre-heated 375F oven

Rösti potatoes

4 Russet potatoes, peeled and grated
4 Tbsp. of chopped fresh chives
coarse salt and pepper
1 egg
vegetable oil

1. In a small saucepan, add some butter and saute your shallots on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add your stock, fresh cranberries and wine and bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Take off the the heat after 20 minutes or desired thickness and adjust seasoning.
2. Using a box grater, grate your potatoes into a fine sieve, add some coarse salt and allow the water to leech from the potatoes for about 30 minutes. Squeeze any remaining water from the potatoes with your hands and place in a bowl. Whisk an egg and add it to the bowl along with the chives, some salt and pepper. Toss to mix well and reserve.
3. Remove the steaks from the fridge and allow them to come to room temperature before cooking. If not tied by your butcher, tie some butcher's string around the steaks to give them a plump, round shape.
4. Season the steaks with salt and pepper.
5. Place your oven safe skillet on medium high heat and add a good pad of butter and the olive oil. When your oil & butter start to sizzle, place your steaks in the skillet and sear on one side for 3 minutes. Flip the steaks and place in the oven for 15 minutes.
6. Using a kitchen mitt, remove the skillet from the oven and keep your steaks warm (tented foil is fine). Keep the skillet and pan drippings handy, we're going to soon deglaze.
   
7. Using your hands, make patties out of your grated potato mix and get a non-stick pan on to your stove, medium-high heat.
8. Add some vegetable oil and in a minute or two, you should drop your Rosti into the pan. Cook your potatoes for about 5 minutes a side or until golden brown. Keep warm and reserve.
9. Place the skillet you used for the steaks back on the stove and turn the heat on to a medium-high heat.
10. Add a splash of water and scrape the skillet with a wooden spoon to loosen the brown bits. Take your reserved cranberry-wine reduction and add it to the skillet and bring everyone to a simmer while stirring. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, add your fresh time and the dried cranberries. Throw in a pad of butter to finish off the sauce.
11. Cut the string off the steaks and plate with your Rosti potatoes, some green veg and a good Zinfandel.
    

Dolmadakia (ντολμαδάκια με κιμά)

Update, Feb.14th/08:

A question was asked about how to approach making Dolmadakia if one has fresh grape leaves on hand.

One simply boils the leaves in salted water (blanching) for 3-4 minutes and remove the stem before making the parcels.

This instruction plus how to jar your own leaves are nicely laid out here.

Dolmadakia (little Dolmades) are delicate little parcels made from grape (vine leaves). The name comes from the Turkish word "Dolma" or "stuffed".

They are usually stuffed with rice and other various fillings as a vegetarian option or more commonly served with rice, ground meat and herbs.

Again, as a child I was not a fan of Dolmades but I'm so glad to be blessed with being open-minded and pragmatic about many things, including food (I'm still waiting for someone to convert me to liver & onions).

Practically everyone I've met who's enjoyed Greek food has eaten Dolmades. I'm going to show you the most common recipe, with rice and ground beef.

I'm also going to show you how to roll the Dolmades into parcels and a slightly different way to cook them. If you search other Dolamades recipes, you'll see that most employ the stove-top method whereas, my mom insists the oven works better and there's no need to use a plate to weigh down your dolmades.

Your first task will be to find grape (vine) leaves at the market. Look for them in jars in the ethnic/international aisle in your supermarket or a Greek-owned market, or Middle-eastern market. I've also seen the leaves at Gourmet stores but you'll be paying extra cash for what's basically the same product everywhere.

Dolamades are great served as part of a buffet spread if you're expecting lots of family or friends at your home. They can be served as an appetizer (meze) or as a main course. What's the difference between the appetizer and the main? About 6 more Dolmades on your plate!

Dolmadakia (ντολμαδάκια με κιμά)

30 grape leaves (fresh or jarred)
1 lb. lean ground beef
2 bunches of scallions, fine chop
4 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint
Approx. 2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 cup tomato puree
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper

Avgolemeno Sauce
2 eggs
juice of half a lemon
2 Tbsp. flour

1. Prepare an ice water bath and set aside.
2. To prepare grape leaves, bring a medium pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat, add grape leaves, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes (depending upon the size of the leaves) or until leaves are tender but still hold their shape.
3. Remove grape leaves from the water and submerge them in the ice water bath. Allow the leaves to cool for 5 minutes and then strain.
   
4. Using a paring knife, remove the stem from each vine leaf and reserve. Let's move on to preparing the filling.
5. In a large skillet, add your olive oil to the pan and medium heat, saute your scallions for about 5 minutes to soften.
6. Add your chopped herbs, tomato sauce and mix well while cooking for another five minutes. Take the skillet off the heat and allow to cool for a 10 minutes.
   
7. Add your ground beef and rice to the skillet and mix it in well with the rest of the filling.
8. Place the shiny side of the leaf face down (the veins should face inward). Drop about a tablespoon of filling in the center.
   
9. Flip the bottom part of the leaf over, then fold the sides of the leaf in then, roll the leaf towards the top to form your parcel (each parcel should be snug, but not tight).
   
10. Place your Dolmadaki into a casserole dish and repeat steps 8 and 9, filling your casserole with Dolmadakia, side by side until the the bottom is completely covered. Continue layering the Dolmadakia until the casserole is filled with your parcels.
11. Pour the stock into the casserole (enough to just cover the dolmades) and put the lid on the casserole (or cover) and place into a preheated 375F oven and cook for 60-70 minutes.

For the Avgolemeno

1. In a large bowl, beat eggs and flour with a fork or a whisk until they begin to get foamy, about 3 minutes.
2. Add lemon juice in a steady stream, and continue beating for an additional minute.
3. Add the hot cooking liquid (one ladle at a time) from the dolmathes, and beat for 1 minute more.
4. Pour some sauce back into the casserole with the dolmathes and the rest into another medium pot.
   
5. Stirring constantly, heat sauce over low heat for about 3 minutes (do not let it come to a boil. Adjust seasoning with salt.
6. Pour over the warm Dolmadakia or serve on the side.

Soup With Mussels and Ginger

Lately I've been noticing the use of ginger in Greek cooking. In my household, I can't say that we have any family dishes that include ginger but like most of you in the western world, you were introduced to ginger through Asian cooking.

Ginger is inexpensive, a lovely, zesty flavour comes from it and it also has a multitude of health benefits attached to eating it.

Ginger is good for settling a stomach, can fight off nausea, is good for your blood circulation and it promotes the production of bile in your gall bladder.

Ginger is used to make the popular Ginger Ale, used often in the making of sweets, teas and of course, savory dishes.

This soup was a surprise in flavour and in appearance. The ginger and the mussels are pronounced and the red bits of red pepper provide the soup with some sweetness to offset the bold taste of mussels and mellow out the spicy ginger.

You can use fresh steamed mussels or use the frozen varieties out there which are perfectly fine for this quick soup. I thawed some mussels and threw them into the soup at the end to cook through.

Add a swirl of heavy cream at the end and you have an exotic, restaurant type of creamy soup that will impress your dinner guests, despite the minimal effort.

With Mussels and Ginger

1 lb. of shucked or thawed from frozen mussel meat
1/3 cup Muscat white wine
2 Tbsp. of grated fresh ginger
1 large onion, diced
1 leek, white part only, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp. of flour
6 cups of vegetable or seafood stock
1/2 red pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp of Old Bay seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a medium sized pot, add your olive oil and heat up under medium-high heat. Add your onions, leek and ginger and saute for 7-10 minutes to soften.
2. Add your flour and stir with a wooden spoon to cook the flour out for about 2 minutes.
   
3. When the flour becomes a paste, add your wine, stock and red peppers and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover with a the lid ajar for about 30 minutes.
4. Remove the lid, adjust seasoning and cook for another 10 minutes for the soup to thicken.
5. Add your mussel meat, turn off the heat and cover your pot. Give the mussels about 10 minutes to cook from the residual heat.
6. Add your cream and adjust your seasoning with salt and pepper.