Spanakopita

Prepare the spinach:

For this pita, trademark of the Greek cuisine you can use fresh baby spinach or frozen blocks of spinach. It all depends on the season and your taste, as well as the time you want to spend in the kitchen.

If you chose frozen spinach you may drop the blocks in boiling water and then drain them in a fine colander.

If you chose fresh baby spinach, the preparation is longer. In a large colander place the spinach and rub the leaves with sone coarse salt. Let stand for half hour and then rinse well. At this point they have reduced in volume.

Another way to prepare fresh baby spinach is to blanch the leaves in boiling water for a few seconds. This way they lose their volume immediately. Again drain well.

For the recipe below use 3 1lb. Containers of fresh baby spinach OR 3 frozen spinach blocks,

The ingredients:

Prepared spinach

3 bunches of green onions sliced (the white part and some green tender parts)

3 leeks sliced and well cleaned (white part only) The leeks give the pita a sweet taste. You may substitute the leeks with 2 more bunches of green onions.

1 cup finely chopped dill

Feta cheese, 300 to 400 grams depending on your liking for feta. Crumble the cheese in small pieces wit your fingers.

6 eggs

1 box of frozen fyllo pastry. In specialty stores you may find thin or thick fyllo. Thicker fyllo will require less sheets layered and it will give the spanakopita a country style look and texture. My children like thin fully.

About a cup of extra virgin olive oil for sautéing and brushing the fyllo pastry.

Prepare the greens:

In a non stick shallow pan heat 2 Tbsp olive oil and sautée the green onions and the leeks for 3-4 minutes until they are soft and translucent. Add the chopped dill, stir and immediately remove from the heat.

Mix everything together:

In a large bowl beat the eggs, add the spinach, the greens and the cheese and mix well. Do not add extra salt as the cheese will give the filling the right saltiness

Assemble the pita:

In a 13×9 pan start assembling as follows: First place four sheets of fyllo one by one brushing with olive oil between layers. Each of the sheets should cover part of the bottom of the pan leaving about inches hanging over the pan from every side. Add two more sheets over the centre still brushing between the layers.
Pour the pita filling in the pan. Level it nicely. Bring over the four hanging sheets from each side so that the content is enclosed at the edges. Keep adding fyllo sheets on top always brushing in between. There might be excess phyllo at the sides which you either push gently between the pan snd the pita, or fold them like a rope around the pan sides. There should be about 6 sheets on top. Brush a final coat of olive oil all over. Using a very sharp small knife, make a few cuts along the lines of the desired portions. This way the enclosed filling will not explode.

Preheat your oven to 365 degrees F. Place the spanakopita at the centre. It needs 45 to 60 minutes. So after 40 minutes start checking for doneness. A knife inserted should come out clear and not eggy and the fyllo must have a golden colour.

 

There is a version of spanakopita without feta cheese preferred mostly during lent times. If you chose this version, add a spoonful of rice in the mixture. The rice will absorb the excess liquids and it will give the pita an interesting bite. 

 

 

 

 

σουτζουκάκια σμυρνεϊκα με ατζέμ πιλάφι /soutzoukakia Smyrna style with Adjem Pilaf

 

I wrote this recipe some years ago in my Greek blog Tavola Bianca for my friend Sophia in Australia.
When I was a little girl, my mom and her siblings were praising the soutzoukakia grandma Despina used to make for them. Everyone was saying that none was able to make them the same amazing way. I have no idea what grandma used to do or her secrets for the perfect dish. But after years of experimenting, I know that the quality and the dosage of the ingredients plays a major role. The bread style, the fat content in the ground beef, the freshness of the cumin, the tomato sauce. Homemade sauce is always preferred and this makes soutzoukakia a great summer dish! You may use the sauce you prepared in September and put it in the freezer. 

 

For the meatballs need:

800 gr. ground beef 85% 

4 slices of hearty stale white bread soaked and pressed to remove the water.

1 clove garlic crushed.

1/2 tsp ground cumin

Salt and pepper to taste.

For the sauce you need:

A pound of your homemade tomato sauce or a good alternative from the store. A good Italian sauce from San Marzano tomatoes is an excellent choice 

A tsp ground cumin

salt and pepper to taste.

 

Mix all the ingredients for the meatballs well and form small elongated balls. 

In a non stick pan heat 3 Tbsp olive oil and sauté the soutzoukakia until they get a nice brown colour for about 5 minutes.

Place them in a shallow pan with cover. Add the sauce the cumin, salt and pepper.  Cook on the stovetop at medium low temperature for about 25 minutes covered.

At this point the soutzoukakia are ready and can be served with French fries, or mashed potatoes, or a nice pilaf.

Now for the adjem pilaf:

You need:

2 cups rice Carolina style

1 cup orzo 

5 cups chicken broth

2 Tbsp. Olive oil

1/2 cup roasted pine nuts (optional but it adds a great taste)

Wash the rice in a colander with cold running water. This ensures that the rice will not be sticky.  In a pan heat the olive oil and add the orzo, stirring constantly for a few minutes until it starts turning gold  brown.  Add the white rice,  the broth and the salt.  Sometimes broths contain salt so make sure you taste.  Lower the heat to medium low. Stir occasionally for about 20-25 minutes. When dine the pilaf should look fluffy. At this point add the pine nuts. 

 

Spring salad

Spring salad is a must on the Easter table. Light and refreshing, it breaks down the fat from the lamb.

You need:

One large romain lettuce or a package of three romain lettuce hearts.

Four bunches of spring onions.

Fresh dill (about 1/4 cup chopped)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

Salt

Discard any exterior tough leaves from the lettuce and wash thoroughly. Holding the leaves together slice VERY thin.

Slice the spring onions also thin (white part and a little tender green)

Add onions and dill to the lettuce and mix thoroughly.

With the rest of the ingredients prepare the dressing by shaking in a container and pour over the salad mixing well.

P.S. The amount of vinegar may be adjusted to your taste. Add some extra at the end if you like pungent tastes.

Homemade tomato sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 F (preferably convection)

In a shallow pan put two small containers of grape (or cherry ) tomatoes and on Tbsp olive oil and make sure they are all covered by mixing with your hands. Add a few sprigs of herbs like rosemary, basil or fresh oregano. If you don’t have fresh herbs, dried herbs will do. Add 3 whole cloves of garlic unpeeled. Sprinkle coarse salt.

Bake for half hour. Remove from the oven and let cool down.
Remove any hard sprigs. Squeeze the garlic out of the peel and discard.
When it is completely cool, use the blending stick or any blender to make the sauce.

This sauce may be used with any meal that requires tomato sauce. It freezes well too.
Much tastier than any caned tomato sauce!

Mommo’s meat sauce for pasta (ο κιμάς στο σετάκι …μακαρονια με κιμά)

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 lb ground beef 85%

1 medium onion finely chopped

3 cloves garlic peeled and cut in half

3 cups tomato sauce

1 carrot finely shredded (optional, it gives a slight sweetness to the sauce)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

salt, pepper to taste

3 kernels allspice

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and stir the onion for a minute until translucent. Add the ground beef and stir with a fork until it breaks into small pieces and blends nicely with the onion. Add the tomato sauce the carrot and the garlic. Still well. Last add salt, pepper and the allspice. Cook covered in low heat for 30 minutes.

Cook your favorite pasta (spaghetti is recommended) ant enjoy

Tips:

1/4 sugar in the sauce breaks the tomato acidity

If the sauce looks thick, add gradually 1/4 cup hot water during cooking and stir.

If you choose small pasta like penne or farfale, add the cooked pasta in the hot sauce and serve.

You can add a drop or two of Tabasco if you like spicy sauces.

Choose a good tomato sauce. The Italian Pomi is recommended. Alternatively make your own (very easy) tomato sauce. Look for homemade tomato sauce in the sauces section.

Biftekakia (μπιφτεκάκια)

The word biftekakia originates from the English beef steaks. The “s” disappeared, and from beefteaks we ended up with biftekakia which have a little to do with a steak, except the fact that we use ground beef. Biftekakia with lemon potatoes is a favourite Greek dish and became trendy in the beginning of last century with the rise of the European cuisine in Greece. The recipe here is the one I learned from my mommy. Many use more ingredients like onion or herbs. We have always distinguish biftekakia from another famous dish of Turkish origin called keftedakia. Keftedakia have more ingredients. The biftekaki is just ground beef, bread, salt and oregano. Let’s make them.

You need:

One pound of ground beef preferably 85%. Completely fat free will yield tougher biftekakia

Three slices of hearty stale bread. Please avoid wonder bread type.

One teaspoon dried oregano.

Salt and pepper to taste.

In a bowl soak the bread until soft and squeeze out the water. It should feel grainy, not rubbery.
Add the ground beef and mix thoroughly. Add the oregano, the salt and the pepper and continue mixing for a few minutes to get a smooth well blended dough. This dosage will make 5 to 6 biftekakia. Form the balls and flatten them to a round or oval not very thin patty.

Biftekakia are ideal charbroiled to your liking with lots of freshly squeezed lemon on. Serve with French fries.

Or add them on top of almost done potatoes baked in the oven to make the dish in the photo.

In this case, use a pan to bake six medium pealed Yukon potatoes cut in bite size pieces, along with three Tbsp olive oil, 1/4 cup water, the juice of two lemons, salt, pepper and 1 Tbsp dried oregano. Bake at 375 degrees F for about 40 minutes. Check and stir a couple of times. At this point place the biftekakia on top of the potatoes and continue baking for 20 more minutes, flipping the biftekakia once in ten minutes. At the end, five minutes under the grill will give the biftekakia a nice brown colour and the potatoes a golden glow.

In the picture below, my mom surrounded by paparazzi, is making biftekakia!

The amazing Greek salad

On a lazy summer Sunday, my dad loved to get involved in preparing the salad. He was starting by slicing a red onion into thin strips and rubbing them for several minutes with coarse sea salt. After rinsing the onion with cold water, the strong taste of the onion goes away and it is not dominant in the salad bowl.

Then, he was peeling some red ripe tomatoes to give the salad an extra tender loving care. It is the most important thing in a Greek salad to use ripe summer tomatoes and really get the good smell and taste.

When in Greece in the summer months, it is really easy to find what I call “real tomatoes”. In the United States, one maybe lucky to find something similar in a farmers market. I also find that the kinds we call Campari tomatoes, sweet grape tomatoes and ripe heirloom tomatoes are good to use in making a Greek salad.

There is absolutely no lettuce involved in a Greek country salad. The tomato and a European type cucumber along with some feta crumbles with some salt and extra virgin olive oil is the simplest Greek salad. Interesting additions, depending on ones taste are the Greek olives, capers, thinly sliced green peppers, dried or fresh oregano, and red wine vinegar that goes great with the cucumber. One should be careful to balance the salty ingredients when adding extra salt.

A Greek salad with a variety of small heirloom tomatoes, English cucumber, green and black olives, red peppers, capers and feta. Dressed with olive oil and vinegar and sprinkled with dried Greek oregano.

Visiting Greece you may find differences in the Greek salads in different places. This is because the locals use their products to give the salad a local twist. In many islands they add caper leaves or a small pickle made from a sticky plant growing by the sea (kritama).

A Greek salad is a complete meal by itself, and the number one preferred dish by foreign visitors. No wonder, it is the perfect mix of what Greece produces under her warm sun. Try making it but with the best and ripest ingredients.

Καλή όρεξη!

Whatever was left in the salad bowl of my mother in law a sunny day of August in Athens. The simplest Greek salad. You absolutely need a loaf of fresh bread.

This one has green peppers and red onions.

The real “tomato red” in a basket. Farmers market in Frascatti, Italy

Platters and Boards

It can be the point of focus of every gathering or party. Nicely arranged finger food, antipasti, meze on a platter or wooden board. This is a collection of photos from platters and boards I have arranged for my family and friends the last ten years. I admit that making any such arrangement is my absolute favorite part of the gathering. Designing a platter does not require special skills. What you need is to think about who is coming over what they like, and you can start.

Many times you don’t even have to go further than your pantry or your refrigerator. A block of cheese, a hanging dry salami, some eggs, a jar of cornichons, a fancy mustard, marmalade, honey, capers, olives, almonds.

Meat goes with relishes and mustards, cheeses with dried or fresh fruit and nuts, and there is a great variety of crackers you can choose, although I think that nothing compares with a good old crunchy French baguette.

Also make sure there is some nice color contrast between platter and food. And then open your favorite bottle of wine and toast with your loved ones.

This post has been created on the twenty third day of the corona virus isolation. When we all get over this threat I hope it will be a source of inspiration for my visitors.

In the mean time stay inside and try to be creative. Love, D

P.S You can tell by now that I love Roquefort cheese and Italian cold cuts!

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Chicoria and parmigiano

Once upon a time in a happier Italy, I stepped into a bar in Sienna.  No this is not a “step into a bar” joke. It’s about a great and simple dish that came with the Pinot Grigio I ordered.  Finely cut chicory leaves,  grated parmesan on top and a little drizzle of olive oil.  Place under the grill until the cheese melts and turns golden brown.  Bada bing bada boom!  You have a world of flavor in your dish!

Ma boulliabaise!

Boulliabaise is -no doubt-  a complicated dish to make. But it is also -no doubt – a dish of love. You make it for people you love and for people who love you. And so the time is  worth spending   and the preparation seems effortless.

First things first.   You need to visit your fisherman, or a market featuring fresh seafood department and get the following:

1/2 lb Sockeye salmon (or a medium filet)

1/2 lb cod (or a small filet)

1/2 lb shrimp (raw)

1/4 lb calamari

1 lb oysters in the shell ( unfortunately I only found very large oysters and so I bought 6 pieces)

I would also love to add some mussels in my soup but again they were sold in very large bags. So I was happy with all the  above.

Next visit your green grocer and get:

1 small white onion / 1 leek / four large ripe tomatoes or 8 plum tomatoes (pomodori ) / 1 fennel bulb / 1 orange without wax.

More ingredients you will need but perhaps you have already at home : 4 cloves of garlic/ 1 teaspoon peppercorns/1 teaspoon herbes de Provence/1/2 teaspoon saffron treads/ 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes or cayenne pepper/ 1 bay leaf/ 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil/ salt to taste / 1 cup of dry white wine

Visit your bakery and get a crusty baguette.

Now you are ready to start cooking

A. Peel and devein the shrimp.   Put the shrimp shells in a pot of water (about 6 cups) along with the peel of the orange (cut a long stripe) the bay leaf, and the peppercorns. I used a mix o white and green peppercorns.  Boil for about 20 minutes to prepare the fish stock.

B. Cut the fish and the calamari in stripes. Salt lightly the fish, the shrimp and the calamari.

C. Peel and chop the tomatoes in small pieces

D. In the mean time chop the onion, thin slice the fennel  bulb and the white part of the leek.  Slice the garlic in thin slices.  In a heavy pot ( I used a cocotte) sautee the greens and then refuse the heat to let them soften for about twenty minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the garlic and cook three more minutes.   Add the tomatoes and the wine and simmer for 5 more minutes.

E. Add the csh stock the herbes de Provence, the saffron (crush the threads in the soup) and stir well.  Simmer for additional ten minutes.  At this point taste the soup for salt and adjust.

F.  Add the fish only and cook for two minutes.  Add the oysters and cook for two more minutes. Add the shrimp and the calamari and cook two more minutes.  Remove the pot from the fire and you are ready to serve.

This recipe yields four generous servings. Serve with fresh crusty baguette.

Bon Appetit / Καλη ορεξη

The best boulliabaise I have ever tasted was in a small restaurant in Marseilles , the Astrolabe.  But Marseilles is too far and so in Baltimore we try to be creative.

About cookbooks

Today is international book day. And so we will take a look at some cookbooks. I love cookbooks and I collect them for years.  Some years ago I noticed how beautiful were the cookbooks published by Faidon Press.  What makes a cookbook interesting?  Precision and illustration.  The Faidon publications have both.  I was particularly surprised to see a book written by the Greek author Vefa Alexiadou published by them.  It is a complete reference of Greek cooking in English and I recommend it to those interested in the traditional Greek cuisine.

Today is international book day. And I am wondering about the future of books.  How far in the future books will exist only in digital form?  Technology is changing the way we create references in a very interesting, almost brilliant way. We cannot stop this.  But to many of us knowledge is still directly related to white pages bound together in a book. And our bookcases are a display of our knowledge.

From the same publishers you can find books on art, design, architecture, and travel.

Happy reading!

things they make with seafood.

Crab (as you know) is our ethnic food in Maryland.  You will find abundance of crabs during the months without the letter R in their names. Lobster is served all year long in my new neighborhood’s waterfront restaurants, in rolls, salads and of course whole steamed with butter, and usually originating from Main. Michael Mina’s Wit and Wisdom restaurant (at the Four Seasons Hotel in Baltimore)  offers seafood delicacies on their lunch menu. A  couple of dishes I love, are the lobster corn dogs and the crab deviled eggs. Simple clean tastes where the crab is the dominant ingredient.  I love the corn dogs, but I avoid frying at home and I would rather go there and eat them, by the harbor window, watching the tide roll away.  But the crab deviled eggs was a temptation for me to try and make  in my own kitchen.  And so I tried.  I prepared crab deviled eggs for this years Easter lunch.

I mixed fresh crabmeat with a small amount of mayonnaise and an even smaller amount of dijon mustard.  I added salt to taste. I filled the white egg cups and spread  commercial fried onion crisps on top.  That simple.

My humble version

My guests loved them,  but doing the aftermath , I think they should have been  a bit more spicier. Maybe next time I will add a hint of old bay seasoning, and some finely chopped scallions or even tarragon, just for the umfff!

Mac and Cheese (mission accomplished)

It was a bet with myself and I believe I won! The day I ordered macaroni and cheese at the Berner’s tavern in London, I decided to experiment and prepare an equally tasty dish.  Macaroni and cheese is the epitome of comfort food.

I am very happy with this version:

250 gr.  ditalini rigati

3/4 cups whipping cream

800 gr. sharp Cheddar

A little allspice

Boil the pasta in salted water according to package instructions al dente and drain.

In a non stick pan warm up the cream and add the cheese. Stir in low heat until it becomes a smooth yellow creamy sauce. Grate a little allspice in the sauce.

Place the macaroni in a baking dish and pour the sauce over to cover it. Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes covered and additionally for 15 minutes uncovered.
Turn the broiler to HI for about 3-4 minutes for a nice brownish surface.

P.S The cover photo is taken at the Berber’s tavern and the topping is beef cheeks.

Vasilopita, a new years Greek tradition.

Vasilopita is a  sweet pie prepared in many different ways in the various regions of Greece. The name comes from Saint Basil (Vasilis) who’s memory is celebrated on January 1st .  Saint Basil is the Greek version of Santa Clauss as they share the sane red outfit and bring presents to children.  Saint Basil comes through the chimney of your house on New Years Eve.  According to the tradition Saint Basil comes from Caesarea of  Cappadocia.

In  Athens  the vasilopita is a round yeast type cake  with essence of mahleb and it is called ” Politiki Vasilopita” (from Poli or Constantinople which is today Istanbul) .  However there is a very popular version of Vasilopita made like a cake.  In Northern Greece Vasilopita is a savory pita made with greens and herbs in fyllo dough.

In the dough of the Vasilopita the custom requires to put a coin. In the old times that coin was a golden one.

As the year changes the head of the family makes a cross with a knife on the top of the vasilopita and cuts pieces naming and distributing them to the members of the family.  There is a hierarchy in this ritual.  The first piece goes to Christ, the second to the house, the third to the father and then the mother, the grandparents , the children of the family in descending age order, and then all the members of the family or any person present in the celebration that day.

The winner of the coin is the lucky person.  If the coin goes to Christ it means that there will be protection of the whole family and if it goes to the house, it is also a blessing for the entire household.

I have a very  old recipe from my grandmother’s time of a Vasilopita in a cake version and I will share it with you.

320  gr.. unsalted butter

500 gr.  sugar

6 eggs separated

600 gr. flour

the juice of 2 oranges

grated peel from 1 orange

1 teaspoon  baking soda

120 gr.  cognac or brandy 

First beat the butter adding slowly the sugar to a fluffy mix. This may take ten or more minutes.

Separate the eggs and beat the egg whites separately into a thick meringue.

To the butter mix add slowly the egg yolks, the orange juice, and the brandy.

Then add flour mixed with the baking soda, and at the end the grated orange peel.

Bake in a round spring form pan layered with parchment paper at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 45 min- 1 hour until the cake is done. Check by inserting a clean sharp knife.  The cake is done when the knife comes out clean.  When the cake is cold dust the surface with powdered sugar and decorate the top  to celebrate the new year.

To all a happy and prosperous 2013!

Despinarion.

Christmas 2012

Today I want to share with you some pictures from our Christmas table.   This year I used a linen runner with burgundy designs over my grandmother’s white linen tablecloth.  Tavola Bianca with a Christmas twist.  I tied the napkins with a dark red velvet ribbon, and I added two glass red peppers that I found in a small shop in Chinatown (San Francisco)

Instead of one centerpiece, I made two and placed them symmetrically along the table.  On glass cake pedestals. I placed two wreaths that I made from a bunch of evergreen branches  from the neighborhood  nursery. Then I added some candles, a large  pomegranate a sprig of holly and a few cumquats for more color.

After my guests sat down and admired them (enough to make me smile from joy and satisfaction) I removed them to make space for the platters and I lit small individual candles.

The glass table in the next room hosts the deserts.  The classic Greek Christmas cookies are called “melomakarona” and  ” kourabiedes” . The melomakarona are  made with olive oil, orange juice and peel, sugar, spices and flour or a combination of flour and cream of wheat.  Once baked and cooled they are dipped in honey syrup until the outside becomes soft and the heart still holds the cookie texture.  Chopped walnuts mixed with sugar and cinnamon on top of them are the finishing touches.  The kourabiedes are made with sweet butter, flour, sugar and roasted almonds.  When they come out of the oven we  dust them with powdered sugar and we arrange them in a pile looking like a mountain with snow.

You can see both melomakarona and kourabiedes on my glass table.

The Christmas menu this year was a potato soup with crispy bacon crumbles n top, my traditional cheese pie (made with feta cheese) served with a “Christmas Salad”  (recipe below).  Then I served Coq au vin with russian potato salad.  Finally I do something that I really like and my guests like too. After bringing a platter with cheeses, I start peeling and slicing seasonal fruit such as pears (the bosco were incredible) apples and tangerines.

We usually move in the family room for coffee and sweets.  I hope next Christmas  finds everyone in good health and surrounded by loved ones. Until then have a Happy New Year.

Christmas salad (serves 8-10)

One and a half heads radicchio thinly sliced

two Belgian endives thinly sliced crosswise

about 60 gr. baby arugula leaves ( this is approximately half the box you find in the stores)

100 gr. coarsely chopped candied pecans.

a handful of dried cranberries.

a cup of fresh pomegranate seeds.

Mix everything together and add salt to tour taste.

For the dressing mix in a jar, 1/3 cap extra virgin olive oil 3 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar and shake well before dressing your salad.

Enjoy!

despinarion

the Sunday table

It was many years after I left my home in Athens, that I realized how important was the Sunday meal of my childhood for my soul.  Sunday was the one and only day off school, and I always tried to complete my homework on Saturday afternoon, to enjoy the Sunday ritual.

The breakfast was just coffee (milk for us kids) and galettes with sweet butter and homemade marmelade. The ripe spring apricots boiled with sugar and trapped in small glass jars were there all year long.  Grandpa was living with us. On Sundays, right after breakfast he loved telling me stories.  Other families were going to church. We had conversations with grandpa.  He was reading a lot, he had a great social circle and talking with him was always interesting. Grandpa, despite my adolescent years, was talking to me as if I was an adult.  His stories would be about his home town in Smyrna, about a ballet performance he took me the other day, about people, about a novel, about politics.  You may think a girl at twelve would not care about these things but this is wrong. An interesting conversation is interesting at and for any age, and it is the charisma of the story teller that makes it such.

Even the times that my dad was not traveling we still had the Sunday story telling with Grandpa, and after that he went on, reading of the Sunday paper.

The Sunday meal preparation was also part of the day’s ritual.  Always in a big round pan and changing with the seasons. A roast chicken with potatoes however has no season, and it was definitely a favorite.  Summertime, ground beef and rice stuffed ripe tomatoes and peppers were arranged in the pan and chunky potatoes were stuck in the gaps.  Summertime, it was too hot to bake the meal at home. The neighborhood bakeries were open just for baking your food for a few drachmas. ” Tell him not to burn it!” , were always the last words from my mom as I was leaving to take the covered pan to the bakery.

Giouvetsi (roast beef chunks with orzo in tomato sauce) was a favorite Sunday meal as we entered fall.  The beef and the sauce from the last seasonal tomatoes in a large clay pot, was taken to the bakery along with a small bag of orzo on the side to be added fifteen minutes before the meat was “done” . The baker knew!  The meals baked in their wood burning oven were extraordinary.

As the weather was getting colder, the trips to the bakery were  becoming sparse.  Oil and lemon (with extra lemon) noix de boeuf was simmering in a covered pot until it became so tender that you could pull it apart.  On the side mom was making fries in olive oil.  That (lemonato dish) from all Sunday meals was on the top of my list, with a dark lemony brown sauce to dip your bread in.

A fish soup followed with the fish fillets dressed with lemon and olive oil and surrounded with boiled vegetables was on our table when the local fisherman had a good catch.

At one o’clock mom usually said. “Girls please set the table” . Mom had someone to help her, but setting the Sunday table in the dinning room, was our job.  Remove the decorative tablecloth and use a white linen one.  Large plates for the meal, smaller for the salad, silverware and napkins and don’t forget the salt and pepper shakers. Dad always wants extra salt.  I can still hear mom saying: ” Well, try it first”

Prepare the salad. Tomato and cucumber in the summer, cabbage in the wither , romain lettuce with fresh onions in the spring, russian salad any time.  On Sundays the bakeries did not make bread.  Cut yesterdays bread and put it in a basket. If it looks too stale, toast the slices, or put the loaf in the oven for a few minutes.

Last but not least, the cheese and the condiments. The olives, the mustard, the fish roe salad (taramosalata), the tzatziki, whatever was seasonal goes on the Sunday table along with a platter with cheeses.  Grandpa who was a “bon viveur” especially in the gastronomic sector, knew all the stores in Athens with the best foods, and the owners greeted him with his name.

In the coming and going from the kitchen to the dining room, everyone was involved. Even dad was preparing the tomato salad and he considered himself a specialist. His salad was rich and tasty! What can I say.

We all begun eating at the same time, after mom sat down at  her place.  This was respect to the person who cooked the meal.

There was always cold beer or wine depending on the season and the meal, and I was allowed to have a sip since my early years.

There was no TV during our Sunday meal but at 2:00 pm we all listened to a radio show called : “The theater on microphone” presented by a charismatic reporter with the name Achilleas Mamakis . He was talking about the latest theatrical events in the city and had interviews with actors and other artists.

The plates were removed by us girls at the end of the meal, and replaced by smaller ones for the fruit.  At home we never had sweets right after the meal.  These  were served much later, after the siesta with coffee.  At that time we the kids were not always present, as part of the Sunday ritual was to watch a movie with other classmates at the neighborhood theater.

There were times, when we gathered at someone else ‘s   home, usually our aunts.  Leaving our ritual and be part of others,  was very exciting.  They always made our favorite dishes which we thought were superior to our moms, and our cousins thought that our mom made the best chicken. Not to mention that they were preparing at times rabbit dishes or snails that our mom never made.   They made our favorite desserts and best of all, the youngsters were sharing a separate table with whatever that implies, mainly laughter and loud conversations. While the grownups were engaged in endless conversations after the meals, we were playing board games.

At our home, at aunt Niki’s or aunt Rea’s the Sunday meal was the social highlight of a normal otherwise week.

Small gatherings that went beyond food and wine. Small gatherings high up in memory, bringing up smiles.

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lentils – greek islands style

When I was a little girl I had a hard time eating lentils.  Just the sight of a dark soup in front of me, with a piece of garlic swimming in, was enough to turn me off.  Often we say that we don’t like certain foods, but growing up I realized that this is simply wrong. We don’t like the way some foods are cooked.  At home, mom prepared the lentils the way I just described, the ” Athenian way”.

I never thought that the addition of a simple ingredient would transform the awful soup to a tasty comfort meal.  That ingredient is fresh tomato sauce.

You need to find small brown lentils. Like all legumes the lentils must be from a fresh crop, otherwise you might boil them for hours and still have stones in your pot.  French lentils are often found in American supermarkets and Umbrian lentils in some specialty stores. In Greece great lentil varieties come from the northwest.

Place 8 ripe roma tomatoes (pomodori) in boiling water for one minute. Remove and place in cold water. They peel easily now. Chop them in small pieces.

Chop a medium white onion into very small pieces.  In a medium pot heat a spoonful of extra virgin olive oil and saute’ the onion until it softens.

Add three (3) cups of lentils in the same pot and stir a couple of times.  Add two cups of chicken stock and the chopped tomatoes. Add two bay leaves, two pieces of garlic, 1/4 teaspoon sugar, two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil  and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer the lentils for about half hour.  Good lentils should be tender by now. If not you need to add some liquid (hot water is fine at this point) and simmer more.

The lentils should look like a  thick soup, almost like chilli.  Add salt to adjust the taste and there you have it.

Lentils the Greek Islands way.  Remove the bay leaves and enjoy with a fresh baguette.

A sweeter variety has a finely sliced carrot in the soup.

A very popular side dish for the lentils is some smoked herring or oil cured mackerel.   A glass of Greek retsina or even a fresh red wine such as Beaujolais Nouveau (coming soon to a liquor store near you) will go nice with your lentils.

Happy Winter!

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The red mullet / Το μπαρμπουνι το δικο μας.

Μπαρμπούνι μου θαλασσινό και ψάρι του πελάγου όσο μποράς φυλάγου, αχ ψάρι του πελάγου.
Το μάθανε πως σ’ αγαπώ κι όσο μποράς φυλάγου, αχ ψάρι του πελάγου,, όσο μποράς φυλάγου.
Μπαρμπούνι μου θαλασσινό κι ολόχρυσό μου ψάρι, κρίμα είν’ εγώ, να σ’ αγαπώ και άλλη να σε πάρει

The Greek text above is a verse of an ode to the red mullet that I cannot possibly translate without making it sound silly.  ” My beautiful red mullet of the sea, watch yourself. They know I love you, so watch yourself.  It is a pity that I love you so much and someone else enjoys you.”   There, at least I tried.

I always thought that the red mullet (barbouni in Greek) was our “national fish” !  It is definitely swimming in the Aegean, the Ionian and the Cretan seas and Greeks always enjoy it fried or flame broiled in the late summer months, after the strong north winds of the sea (meltemia) subside.  In reality the red mullet swims all over the Mediterranean Sea and at the European coasts of the Atlantic Ocean.  So people from many countries go fishing for red mullets and they prepare it their own different ways.  The red mullet has (in my opinion) the tastiest meat of all fish.  But only when you taste it  you can tell.  A red mullet does not get bigger than 10 inches and it can be as small as 4 inches.  By tradition the large fish are broiled and the small are fried.

The red mullet is an expensive fish but it’s rare taste brings it all over northern Europe and as far as I know in New York too.  I once found red mullets in Rockville in the Washington Area.  I was so excited that I immediately called my few Greek friends to tell them.

The small and medium red mullets are  dipped in flour mixed with salt and pepper and fried for a few minutes  in hot olive oil until they are light golden brown.   The best dressing is just fresh lemon.  The usual side dish is boiled greens such as dandelions, or hand cut fries.  The fried small barbouni may be eaten as is, without removing the bones or the head and the tail , as everything is so tender.  They say that Greek cats do not know the taste of the  red mullet because people never leave anything.  I personally do not eat the head or the bones, but  I am one of the few.

The large fish are flame broiled or pan seared until done and served with a dressing of olive oil and lemon.  With the broiled red mullets I like steamed vegetables  (zucchini and potatoes mainly) or a ripe tomato salad.

The leftover  fried fish may be dipped in a thick sauce made of  olive oil, flour , garlic, red wine vinegar, and rosemary.  The fish marinate a little in this sauce and they taste extraordinary.  We call these “barbounia marinata”, and my mom purposely was frying more fish the first day so that we always have leftovers.

I have eaten barbouni fillets in other places in the world.  In Costa del Sol in a tapas place, in Southern France on couscous, in Paris just one filet perfectly juicy and flaky, and in Vienna in a fancy restaurant as part of an amuse bouche creation, probably the best bite in Vienna.  In southern France and particularly in Nice the red mullet is part of the traditional Bouillabaisse prepared in amphora shaped clay pots.

I stay faithful to the traditional Greek ways and I try to enjoy them the summers when I visit Greece.

The image above is taken from the blog of from  the blog of dear Panathinaeos who recently fried red mullets for a group of friends.

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