GoodCookCooking

Don't Forget the Medicine

2011-11-24T07:29:00.001-05:00

Good medicine for your body

During the feasting of the holidays, don't forget to take your medicine. Huh?

Holiday feasting is fine, in fact, I believe that it's an important part of being alive. It's fun and comforting, so what's all this medicine fuss about?

What's not so good about all the rich and delicious food of the holiday season is that it throws our bodies off balance. Body to self: "Hey, whassup? I don't feel like taking a walk or going to work or cleaning up or... I feel like lying here on the sofa and taking a nap." See what I mean?

To keep your body balanced, try one day of feasting and one day of nutritious, delicious and healing food to balance things out. My prescription? How about a stew of collards, green beans, onion, garlic, extra virgin olive oil and tomatoes? Now THAT'S good medicine.

Stewed Collards, Green Beans and Tomatoes

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped finely
2 large yellow onions, chopped (about 2 cups +/-)
24 cups collards, packed down to measure (about 2 large bunches) *
1 lb green beans (if you can find haricot vert, there's no stringing or cutting)
1 (28 oz) can of whole tomatoes
56 oz water--use the empty tomato can
1/2 bunch fresh Italian Parsley or fresh cilantro, chopped
freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt

In a large heavy pot, heat the oil, add the onions and garlic and stir in the salt. This will help to draw out the juices from the onion. When the onion is transparent and soft, stir in the collards and season with the pepper. Crush the tomatoes with your well-washed hands and stir into the pot, along with the tomato juic in the can. Add remaining ingredients, stir, bring to the boil, lower heat to simmer, cover the pot and walk away for about 30 minutes. Check seasoning and adjust, if needed, stir, cover and continue to cook for 30 minutes longer.

Serve over rice or Greek style, with toasted French bread and a big chunk of Feta cheese on the side.

*Buy fresh collards (organically grown, if possible), pull leaves away from the tough stalk and wash well. Gather several leaves together, roll as if you were assembling a cigar and slice on the diagonal into large ribbons. NOW pack them into a measuring cup and you're done. Obviously, having a larger measuring cup is useful. I have a 2-cup and an 8-cup, which make it much easier than using an itty-bitty one-cup. You can also "eyeball" this, 'cause you can't go wrong with a few extra collards.

TED talk by Jamie Oliver

2011-09-22T13:51:00.005-04:00

Jamie Oliver's amazing and revealing talk about food, obesity and solutions. Very powerful! Wait until you see the wheelbarrow-full of added sugar that children consume in a year ONLY from drinking milk! Click on Jamie's name to view the video.

Happy Fathers Day Feeding

2011-06-19T13:48:00.028-04:00

This is Dewey. He is not my father, but he is a father. He is my sweet husband.

Today is Fathers Day. In honor of one of the coolest, kindest and most patient fathers I know, I am preparing a simple dinner of Ratatouille, grilled wild salmon and custard pie to top it off. Veggies from the local farmers market, free-range eggs & hormone-free milk from Earth Fare , the healthy supermarket, and flash-frozen wild salmon will come together for our dinner tonight.

It seems a simple thing at first. Just dinner, right? It could be, but it isn't.

Our dinner comes together only through a little advance planning, careful shopping and loving preparation. Thoughtful food preparation takes a little more time and a hefty dose of love for the people that you'll feed. Careful cooking is like meditation: a relaxing, purpose-filled and mindful preparation with gratitude for the bounty of healthy ingredients, for the hard work that earned the money to buy the groceries, for the farmers who struggle to produce organic vegetables, and a joyous anticipation of the taste of the meal and of the pleasure it will give to those who consume it.

I am happy to share my recipes for this Fathers Day dinner.

Ratatouille

The classic way of preparing this dish requires many pots and braising vegetables on the stove. I have blended the classic French Provence-style dish with a Greek braised vegetable dish, Tourlou-Tourlou, for a much easier version, which is roasted in the oven.

I wash, peel, chop, slice and dice. When everything’s ready, into the oven it goes at 400F for about one hour, stir and back in for another hour at 375F. The vegetables should be cooked through and those on the top should have dark brown edges, on the softer side of crispy. If the top layer does not resemble this description, move pan to the middle of the oven and continue to cook.

This dish is versatile and utterly delicious served hot, cold or at room temperature. It’s a wonderful and healthy way to eat in the hot summer weather. I serve it hot, topped with crumbled feta cheese with a couple of crunchy French bread slices on the side. I serve it on top of French baguette sliced in two. I crumble a generous amount of creamy goat cheese on top and put it under the broiler, just long enough to get the cheese to melt, and pop on the other piece of bread. What a tremendously interesting and delicious sandwich! It’s also an easy side dish to grilled chicken or shrimp and makes a fantastic pasta dish when tossed with hot whole wheat penne and freshly grated parmesan. We keep the leftovers in the refrigerator to eat for lunches and a second dinner later in the week.

Typically, I use the following. Obviously, this recipe yields a lot of food, so adjust the quantities and omit any vegetables that you don't have or don't particularly care for. The essentials are identified with an asterisk *.

2 large eggplant*
4 zucchini or yellow crookneck squash (or a combination)*
About 2-3 cups Yukon Gold potatoes or assorted fingerlings*
2 red bell peppers
2 orange or yellow bell peppers
3 large yellow onions*
5 large cloves of garlic*
3 cups green beans
1 lb frozen Fordhook lima beans
3 cups okra (tops cut off in cone shape)*
1 lb frozen Brussels Sprouts
2 large cans diced or whole tomatoes and juice (cut the whole tomatoes)*
1 can filled with water (use one of the tomato cans)*
1 bunch Italian parsley (about 2 cups chopped)*
2 cups chopped fresh basil (Do not substitute dry. If you don’t have it, cook without it.)
1 ½ cups extra-virgin olive oil*
1 T. coarse sea salt*
1 t. freshly cracked black pepper*

Get your biggest roasting pan, fill it with all this fresh goodness, stir lightly and put on the bottom rack of a pre-heated oven. Not much to do after this, except for a peek and a stir every now and then, to make sure everything’s cooked and browned appropriately.

Traditional Custard Pie

Into a deep dish pie crust, pour the following, after you've mixed them well in a mixer:
5 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups milk
pinch of salt

Stir in:
1 t. vanilla essence
1 t. grated nutmeg

Bake on the lowest shelf of a pre-heated 350F oven for about 40 minutes. The top should be golden brown and puffed and the custard should still "jiggle" a bit; it will set, as it cools.

P.S. Earth Fare, the healthy supermarket, is my favorite place to shop for our table. Some of my picks are: Greek yogurt, whole wheat pasta, almond butter, Earth Fare organic apple cider, Earth Fare organic extra-virgin olive oil, Lacinato kale, dandelion greens, golden beets and a quick healthy dinner from the food bar.

2011-01-30T08:30:00.006-05:00

How About a Greek Super Bowl Party:
Bring the flavor of Greece to your Super Bowl party this year

The Greeks invented the Super Bowl! No? Well, they invented the party, didn’t they? You’ve heard of Greeks breaking dishes when they party; you’ve seen them yelling OPA! at a Greek festival or in a movie; you’ve seen them dance the night away in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” and you’ve seen them drinking Ouzo, the most popular and most recognized alcoholic Greek drink. The truth is, when Greeks are watching Europe’s version of the Super Bowl, the World Cup (of soccer), it’s a wild celebration and there is fun enough for everyone. It’s just like the Super Bowl, folks!

With food options like Soutzoukakia, the little football-shaped meatballs of Greece, you just can’t go wrong. Greek food was made for this.

The Food:
Besides Soutzoukakia served on skewers, try the following…
· Chopped Greek Salad—the same ingredients, but chopped into small pieces. Offer small Romaine lettuce cups to scoop it up, just like chips.
· Tsatziki—the delicious sauce serve with Gyro sandwiches can double up as a dip at this party. Surround it with your choice of dipping veggies and chips. Prepare enough to use with your burgers.
· Greek Burgers—Grill your favorite burger patties and top with Chopped Greek Salad and a dollop of Tsatziki for a flavor-packed bite.
· Greek Potato Salad—What’s a Super Bowl party without potato salad, right? This recipe is made without mayonnaise, so there’s no concern about leaving it out for several hours and you can eat it guilt-free—it’s made with olive oil and vinegar!
· Greek Chicken Wings—Adapt my Greek Grilled Lamb recipe by grilling or frying up to 50 chicken wings and slathering with the grilling sauce when they’re done. Now we’re talking Super Bowl!

The Drinks:

Wine—There really is something about the taste of Retsina, that pairs beautifully with Greek food, so you may want to have a couple of bottle for your friends to taste. Add two large bottles of Sauvignon Blanc or your favorite Chardonnay and one large bottle of a Merlot and you wine selection is complete. Keep the white wine on ice.

Beer—You can’t have a Super Bowl party without Beer, which is actually quite popular in Greece. A tub of assorted beers on ice is all you need, and they don’t have to be Greek.

Offer an Ouzo bar: You’ll need one to two bottles of Ouzo. Try two different labels for variety. Add a small tub of ice and a large pitcher of cold water to the bar and the only thing missing is a large sign warning people of the dangers of drinking Ouzo too quickly!

Print drink cards to place on the Ouzo bar. You want your guests to know HOW to drink this refreshing anise-flavored drink. Try this, or come up with your own.

SIP AWAY:
Ouzo is the national drink of Greece.
Don’t drink it straight up.
Ouzo is potent, and, with an alcohol level around 45 percent, will have you on your knees in no time.
The traditional (and prescribed) way to drink Ouzo is to drink it with water, usually one part Ouzo to two parts water.
Ice may also be used.
Pour Ouzo in the glass and top off with the water. It will turn milky—that’s the look you want. If it’s too strong, add a little more water.

It’s Greek to Me: Learn to say it in Greek.

§ Opa! OH-pah! Say it with enthusiasm, as in Bravo! It means, “ALRIGHT, you did it!” It means, “Way to GO! “ It means, “Man, this party is great!”
§ Ouzo. OUzo. This is the singular version of the word. What does it mean? A potent alcoholic drink flavored with anise, a Greek party in your mouth, “Zorba, the Greek” in a glass, learn to speak Greek in two sips.
§ Ouzakia. The plural diminutive. OuZAkiah. This is used to order more than one drink at the seaside tavern, as in, “Theeo OuZAkiah, parakalo!” or “Two Ouzos, please!”
§ Mezethes. MehZEthes. Plural. Say it like you mean it!
§ Soutzoukakia. Sou-tzou-KAH-kiah. Little football-shaped meatballs.
§ Tsatziki. Dza-TDZEE-keeh. The sauce served on Gyro, which can be used as a dip or to serve over burgers.

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A FEW RECIPES:

(If you'd like additional recipes, e-mail me and I'll forward them to you. despina@alphaconnections.net)

Soutzoukakia pronounced, Sou-tzou-KAH-kiah

This is a traditional Greek dish, served over rice as an everyday meal. I have added a modern twist (store-bought marinara), to make it easier to prepare, and have made the meatballs smaller for serving as an easy party finger food.

While these are meatballs, they are more like footballs, due to the slightly elongated shape. The shape is traditional, but I don’t imagine the flavor will be hindered in any way, should you choose to make them round. This recipe will yield about 150 small meatballs. They freeze well, either raw or cooked, so plan ahead. Yield: about 120 Soutzoukakia.

Ingredients:
Meatballs
3 ½ lbs ground beef (I prefer to use 20%-80% fat to meat ratio. The higher fat to meat ratio helps add a little more flavor and it keeps the meatballs fluffy and not hard as a football)
4 eggs
¼ cup finely chopped onion
6 large garlic cloves, chopped finely
½ t. cinnamon
½ t. cumin
salt and pepper, to taste
2 c. fresh breadcrumbs soaked in1 ½ c. warm water
Sauce
3 T. extra-virgin olive oil
3 c. marinara (you can make your own or use store-bought)
3 c. tomato sauce
1 c. red wine
salt and pepper
¼ chopped Italian parsley
Garnish
2 T. chopped Italian parsley
6 T. shredded parmesan or Romano cheese
small wooden skewers

Soak breadcrumbs for 15 minutes and squeeze through a colander lightly to remove the water which has not been absorbed.

Combine all ingredients by kneading well with properly washed hands. If you prefer to mix in a food processor, you’ll need to do it in two batches.

Using a small scoop, measure out portions, shape into an elongated ball and drop into about 3 cups of all-purpose flour. Dredge lightly, turning out onto a piece of parchment paper or foil.

Heat vegetable oil and fry all meatballs. Taste one to see if additional salt is required.

Pre-heat oven to 325F. In a large baking dish or roasting pan, combine sauce ingredients and place in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Add meatballs to the sauce, stir lightly and return pan to the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve in a shallow bowl, and place a small wooden skewer in each meatball. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and cheese just before serving.

Going, going…all gone! Soutzoukakia, shortcut recipe. They still taste good, still look good.

SHORTCUT: We’re all too busy at times, so for those situations when life is on overdrive, try this simple shortcut. Instead of the ground beef, buy your favorite frozen & pre-cooked meatballs. I’ve found them in 2lb bags in the freezer section (about 60 meatballs) and I use two bags. Look for “Italian Meatballs” or “With Italian Seasoning”, so that the flavors will approximate the Soutzoukakia made from scratch. They are usually fully cooked, so no frying is required.

Adapt the original recipe:

· Omit the meatball ingredients, except for the 6 large cloves of garlic, chopped/1/2 t. cumin/1/2 t. cinnamon
· Add these ingredients to the sauce recipe and follow the original directions.

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Greek Hamburgers

In this super simple recipe, I’ve added Greek flavors to the hamburger. Instead of the traditional mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard and optional cheddar, onion, tomato and lettuce, I use Chopped Greek Salad. Could not be easier, really

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef (20%-80% fat to meat ratio for more flavor)
1 cup chopped onion
3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 eggs
2 T. dry oregano
½ T. cumin
1 t. pepper
1 t. salt
2 T. warm water

6 whole wheat hamburger buns

Toppings:
Greek Chopped Salad
Tsatziki

Combine all ingredients by kneading for 1-2 minutes. Shape into 4 patties and grill on hot grill. You can also cook in a non-stick pan. Use 1 t. olive oil in pan before cooking the burger. Once done, serve on heated whole wheat buns. Top each burger with Chopped Greek Salad and a generous dollop of Tsatziki.

SHORTCUT: When you’re in a bit of a hurry, use pre-formed hamburger patties. Combine the oregano, cumin, salt and pepper (original recipe), add 1 T. extra-virgin olive oil

Greek Chopped Salad

1 cup diced cucumber (usually one large peeled cucumber)
2 cups diced tomatoes (usually 4 large Romas)
1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
1/2 cup chopped red onion
2 t. dry oregano
Generous pinch sea salt
¼ cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 T. red wine vinegar
3-6 anchovy filets (optional)

Combine all ingredients and serve. All the Greek flavors are there, but now it’s a more versatile side dish and easy to pack and take to a picnic. Yield: 4-5 cups

Advice for the New Year: It's that K.I.S.S. strategy

2011-01-09T14:12:00.012-05:00

While it seems as if we're farther along in this new year, it's really been a mere 24 days. So, while advice to get us going in the new year seems misplaced on this 24th day, if you're like me and most of the people I know, you're still struggling with bringing order to your new year. Here is my symbolic offering to get you going.

In the world of food--the cooking, the writing, the devloping of recipes and presentation, the eating--things can get whipped up into a plated mess pretty quickly. In the hands of experienced cooks, a multitude of ingredients can dazzle our taste buds, but even wizards of cookery sometimes get carried away. A food magazine article describing potato froth comes to mind.

With the new year, we all have an opportunity for a fresh start. Buddhists say to 'begin here', and others have said similar things about how that first step is the most important. Perhaps, then, those of us with the responsibility for cooking should try the K.I.S.S. strategy--Keep It Simple Stupid! But, even going for something simple requires a strategy and a degree of patience and skill.

For my first meal of the year, I prepared two fried eggs and grits.

No fancy sauces, breads or spreads, only pure and simple cooking and pure and simple flavours. Perhaps my mind took me to the simplicity of these foods because of the ever-present complexity in my life these last few months; perhaps I did it purposefully, or perhaps my taste buds wanted that simplicity, after the feasting of the holiday season.

Whatever the reason, I can assure you that, just as in everything else in life, simplicity in cooking requires planning, patience and an experienced hand—an artist’s touch. Just for grits? Yes, grits don’t all taste the same. First, you must season them in the cooking—not afterwards—or they’ll always be lacking in flavour. Secondly, I have found that preparing them with milk does make a huge difference in how creamy they cook up. Finally, stir continuously once you add the grits to the milk and always cook them a little longer than asked for in the recipe. Somehow, that little bit of extra cooking and stirring allows the grits enough time to really plump up and absorb just that extra bit of liquid—that’s what makes them feel so loving as they come to rest on your tongue! Of course, just as any good cook does, I do have a little secret; add a good bit of real butter at the end and allow it to melt into and coat those sweet and comforting grits. Aaaah!!!!

Okay, okay, the grits need extra care and attention, but not the eggs, surely! Yes, the eggs, too. Not everyone can artfully prepare a fried egg. In my judgment, the white should be cooked solid with a very crispy, lacy halo all the way around the edge and even underneath. Now, if you carefully ladle the fat over the top of the egg, the yolk will develop a lovely white cover and the inside will be setting on the first layer and soft as melted caramel in the deepest part. Aha--see, not as easy as you thought! Then there’s the argument about what type of fat to use. Certainly not margarine. Olive oil is lovely in so many things, but not for this, and I know that a lot of people like to use bacon fat, but for me it overwhelms the egg. To my way of thinking, there is no other way—only pure butter will do. The flavour of pure butter, especially unsalted, is creamy and comforting and rich but simple, all at the same time. So, for comfort and simplicity, butter is the best choice and it also browns quickly enough so that the afore-mentioned “crispy halo” is just the right shade of golden-brown.

The only thing that's missing is a piece of toast to dip into that golden-orange egg yolk.

That’s it, my symbolic start for this New Year. May the symbolism rise to the heavens as a prayer for a little more ease in my life and yours. Let us hope.

How I Relish a Good Relish

2010-10-24T17:37:00.015-04:00

Having grown up in Greece and then in Australia, I knew nothing about Thanksgiving, that wonderful coming-together of family and friends to eat too much turkey and all of the other traditional dishes.

When my husband's family gathers, everyone brings one or two dishes--their traditional Southern specialty. We have creamed corn, green beans cooked with a little fatback, mashed potatoes with giblet gravy, dressing, devilled eggs, sweet potato casserole and all manner of sweet stuff, with pumpkin pie and red velvet cake always winning the popularity contest.

The tradition of having cranberry jelly to go with the turkey is always honored. For me, as I came to feel like I belonged in this family tradition, I found my own recipe and brought another type of cranberry to the table--literally!

Cranberry Orange Pecan Relish
2 (12 oz) bags of fresh cranberries
zest of 3 large oranges
2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup water
2 cups sugar
1 ¼ cups pecans, finely chopped

Pour all ingredients (except pecans) in a large pot and bring to a boil. Stir and reduce to a simmer. Continue to cook until all cranberries have popped and liquid has reduced by about one third. Stir in pecans and remove from heat. Once cooled and thickened, refrigerate. Should keep in refrigerator for about 4 weeks.

This is an excellent accompaniment to roasted and grilled meats, especially during the holidays, when it lends a tangy seasonal flavor to roast pork loin, ham and turkey or chicken.

Tomorrow night I will serve this with a sirloin of beef roast. Give it a try and let me know which meat you prefer to serve it with.

For our facebook fans, a bonus recipe for fireside sipping and nibbling. You can find it here, http://www.facebook.com/AlphaPublishingandCommunications

The Comfort of Chicken Soup

2010-10-24T16:33:00.010-04:00

Comfort: Your favorite pair of jeans, your favorite chair, that pair of slippers that make you feel so warm and safe--so, well, just right. That same warming comfort also comes in a big cup or bowl of soup. For me, it's a kale and white bean soup. For some it's a creamy bowl of tomato soup that takes them back to mother tending to you when you were too sick to go to school, and for many others it's chicken soup. Ah, the healing power of chicken soup! But which chicken soup, for there are so many recipes.

Thomas and Emme (two of my stepchildren) have grown up eating everything besides eggs and bacon for breakfast. Especially comforting for them is to wake up late on a Saturday, come to the kitchen and grab a bowl of this chicken and rice soup.

Thomas e-mailed today to ask for the recipe. It's just getting cold here in South Carolina, he's away at school and it's beginning to look a lot like soup weather, so no mystery that he's looking for a little comfort in a bowl.

Back when Thomas and Emme (now in their 20s) were little, I developed this recipe as a way to feed the family on cold winter nights. I made it easy and purposefully left out any of the

ingredients that younger children tend not to appreciate, such as beans and okra, and I made sure that I could prepare it inexpensively and quickly.

Everything about this soup is easy, even the name, but the flavor is intensely chickeny and intensely comforting in the mouth. I hope you'll try it soon. Put on your favorite slippers, grab a bowl and a spoon and enjoy the comfort of eating it sitting in your favorite chair, covored by an old quilt. Careful now, don't fall asleep.

DESPINA’S CHICKEN SOUP
5 chicken breasts & two leg quarters (w/ bones)*
1 small yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped

2 large carrots, washed & cut in half

1 rib celery, washed & cut in half
salt and pepper

3 quarts water

1 small can whole tomatoes w/ juice
1 c. Uncle Ben’s rice

¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro

Fill a large pot with water. Add all ingredients except tomato, rice and cilantro. Bring to a boil, remove scum, and reduce to a simmer. When chicken is almost done, remove. When cooled enough to handle, remove meat from bones and set aside. Place bones back in pot and continue to simmer for about 1 hour. This will extract more flavor from the bones and reduce the broth.

Drain the broth, remove the bones and pour back into pot. Chop tomatoes and add, along with juice. Bring to a boil, adjust salt and pepper to suit and simmer for 10 minutes. Add rice and continue to simmer, covered, until rice is done (15-20 minutes).

While rice is cooking cut chicken meat into large chunks and, once rice is ready, add chicken meat and cilantro. Simmer for 3-5 minutes further and serve.

*Can use all white or all dark meat, depending on your preference. The reason that chicken is cooked for a little and de-boned is to make sure meat is cooked through, but not dry.

When we cook a turkey, we save the leftovers to make this recipe. Pull off all turkey meat that is juicy and tender and set aside. Put everything else in a pot full of water, along with the garlic, onion, carrots and celery and simmer for several hours to get the broth/stock. Freeze stock and meat separately. Thaw, follow steps for adding tomatoes and rice, then finish with the rest of the directions.

Ae Fond Sip...Remembering a Fine Wine

2010-05-08T10:11:00.006-04:00

I'm not highly educated in the making of wine or even in the fine art of describing how a wine tastes. I leave those things to well-educated and seasoned friends who can help me in a pinch.

Richard Peck is one such friend. He is a Certified Wine Educator (Society of Wine Educators) and Certified Sommelier (Court of Master Sommeliers), a fine writer and heads up the Greenville (SC) Wine Meetup group, among other things. He also has a great blog called Vine and Grape, which is an online gathering place for friends of Table 301 restaurant group and the wine-lovers of Greenville, South Carolina.

Richard introduced me to the wine meetup group and to some mighty fine wine at a recent tasting with Bartholomew Broadbent, a rock star of the wine world. He was down to earth, entertaining and brought with him some outstanding wines. That evening, my husband and I purchased a dozen or so bottles. One, and sadly only ONE, of those bottles was a 20-year-old tawny port. Here's a photo...of the empty bottle.

This bottle was shared with two friends. It was a wonderful evening: a simple roasted chicken and salad dinner, stories, music...typical good evening with good friends. Then came the drinking of the port.

For those who are not wine lovers, imagine this evening as a wonderful late night of sitting by a campfire singing songs and having great conversation with friends.

We had salted macadamia nuts, gruyerre, fig preserves and a hearty and rustic whole grain bread slathered with mascarpone cheese to enjoy with the port. The music of Leonard Cohen was playing in the background--it really was one of those perfect memories that builds itself. There's nothing that you can add to it. You cannot predict it. You cannot plan it--it just makes itself. And, of course, the shining star of this perfect memory with friends was the lovely port.

My husband and I thought, hey, we'll share this with Peggy and Clyde (the friends) now, and invited them back next week, when we can enjoy the rest. That's just not going to happen. We enjoyed every last drop of port on the same evening.

Robert Burns tells us

Ae fond kiss, and then we sever;

Ae fareweel, alas, for ever!

Alas, ae fond sip... and now we have the memory of it, instead of the taste of it.

Long live the memory!
----------------------------------------------------

If you have an interest in purchasing a bottle of this outstanding port, I'm sure that Richard Peck can steer you to an appropriate supplier. You can reach him via the e-mailing feature for the wine meetup group.

© 2010 Despina Panagakos Yeargin

Happy V-Day With Salad, Shrimp and Someone Special

2010-02-14T07:55:00.013-05:00

Hey, why not keep it simple on this Valentine's Day? Go ahead. No fancy footwork in the kitchen, no going out for a steak and lobster dinner. This year, focus on you and your special someone spending a little laid-back time together and make the food prep easy.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that the food should not be amazing! Heavens, no! But, today it should be easy, so that you can spend the time playing instead of cooking. Actually, while the salad is subtle, it is by no means bland. You'll get a little zip and zing here and there, in between the gentle flavors of fresh greens, peppery arugula and the creamy and sharp cheese presence. Here's what I mean.

Valentine’s Day Salad

6 cups loosely packed mixed young salad greens
2 -3 cups loosely packed young arugula leaves
1 cup snipped cilantro (no, not chopped, either plucked or snipped, so it becomes one of the salad greens)
½ of a medium red onion, sliced very thin
2 cups (about) haricot vert (dropped into boiling salted water, allowed to dance around for about 5 minutes and then shocked in an ice-water bath and drained)
1 ear of sweet corn (boiled for 5 minutes and shocked in ice-water bath and cut off the cob)
2 t. very thinly sliced fresh ginger
½ to 1 cup raw walnuts, chopped coarsely
sea salt
freshly cracked black pepper

Dressing:
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Cheese:
Add as much as you want of the following.
Pecorino Romano, grated
Asiago, shaved or thinly sliced

Make sure that (wherever possible) the greens are organic. This is a tender lovin’ salad. We don’t want impurities and chemicals to invade our light and subtly flavored mix of tender young greens and vegetables. No way!

Assemble all of the players, grab a big and beautiful bowl and combine. Don’t even bother mixing the dressing. Just sprinkle the lemon juice and olive oil right into the bowl over the mix of greens and veggies, toss and top off with the cheeses. Take to the table for a beautiful presentation, toss after all the compliments have been delivered and serve.

I like to offer large boiled shrimp on the side and a few pieces of crusty bread.
Add a bottle of your favorite white wine or friendly French rosé and spread a tablecloth on the floor for a picnic-style supper. Then, tune in to the Edith Piaf station on Pandora.com and get into some funny business with your favorite playmate.

© 2010 Despina Panagakos Yeargin

Ahhh, the Comfort of Potatoes!

2010-01-31T17:45:00.009-05:00

Oh, the joy of a perfectly roasted potato! The comforting pleasure of the starchy pillow of potato--your reward for carefully biting through that crisp and well-seasoned exterior!

Having been born Greek, I am culturally bound to the cooking and eating of potatoes. Actually, I think it goes beyond that--it may be a genetic thing.

To my way of thinking, if you have a plate of roasted potatoes, a crisp salad with a vinegar-based dressing and a big fat piece of bread, well, do you need anti-depressants? I vote for this basic meal over the drugs.

This photo is of my recipe of Potatoes Provencale, sitting in all their glory in a roasting pan. The recipe is actually for Chicken & Potatoes Provencale, but my alliegiance is with the potatoes, so I'll give you this recipe to try.

While the recipe is French, the the proportions and enthusiasm are fully Greek! Greek people cook in big quantities, thus always being prepared for impromptu socializing. Does anyone remember "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"? You can feed a crowd with this recipe, but it will be a happy crowd.

Potatoes Provencale (for Greek people)

30-32 medium russet potatoes
½ cup white wine
¼ cup lemon juice
1 cup Italian parsley, chopped
4 cups canned tomatoes (crushed) with juice
6 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and finely chopped
sea salt & freshly cracked black pepper
¾ cup olive oil

Coat potatoes with other ingredients and bake @ 375 for about 45 minutes. Remove from oven, add another 1 cup of water, toss potatoes, increase heat to 400 and finish cooking for about 15-20 more minutes. Potatoes should be cooked through, caramelized and well coated with tomatoes and seasonings. Place in large serving platter and top with additional chopped Italian parsley.

The Greeks know how to keep it simple. Fresh lemon juice, fresh oregano (dry, if fresh is not available), extra-virgin olive oil, garlic and a little salt and pepper--a marriage of flavors made in food heaven.

2 ½ to 3 lbs potatoes (peeled and quartered lengthwise)
sea salt & freshly cracked black pepper
one large bunch of fresh oregano, leaves stripped from stem and lightly chopped. About ¼ cup chopped (OR 3-4 T. dry oregano)
¾ cup lemon juice
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups hot water
5 large cloves of garlic (smashed, peeled and finely chopped)

Pour the lemon juice evenly over the potatoes, then coat with the olive oil.

Sprinkle everything with the salt, pepper, oregano, and the chopped garlic. Toss the potatoes to insure that everything gets a good coating.

Finally, pour the water carefully into one corner of the pan, shake the pan from side to side and you’re ready for the oven.

Bake @ 375 for about 45 minutes. Remove from oven, add another 1 cup of water, toss potatoes, increase heat to 400 and finish cooking for about 15-20 more minutes. Potatoes should be cooked through, caramelized and well coated with all the seasonings. Place in large serving platter to serve. Next time, I'll give you the recipe with the chicken!

© 2010 Despina Panagakos Yeargin

and now, here's the real SUPER Chicken.

2010-01-21T14:53:00.001-05:00

SUPER Chicken!

2010-01-21T07:06:00.016-05:00

Chicken! The meat that saves. Everyone eats chicken. Other new meats are safe to eat, as long as they...yup, you guessed it, as long as they taste like chicken! Well, stop the presses, isn't that the news of the millennium?!!!

Chicken saves every time. With every cooking challenge we face, with every last-minute dinner quandary that comes our way it's always SuperChicken to the rescue!

Superbowl! For foodies who are not football fans, this is not a salad bowl large enough to feed a gaggle of grown-ups; this is the pro football game of the year! This is when friends gather around a coffee table and TV set to drink and eat casually, with foot stomping, with arm waving, with loud laughing and calling out of expletives directed to the TV set. This is when screaming with a mouthful of habanero-honey chicken wings is proper etiquette, when jumping into the air in mid-sentence is encouraged; when fist-banging is supported.

The Superbowl is the one time each year when chicken and football collide in a happy blending of friendship, smiles, half-time entertainment, do-you-remember-whens, cheese and peppers and dips and chips and one last eating binge before we get serious about diets and working out after the holidays!

Having grown up in Greece and Australia, I didn't know about this Superbowl or it's traditions until I was well into my twenties. Somehow, and without much prodding, I managed to get the hang of it pretty easily--the eating and drinking part. I still have a problem with the football, but that will never get in the way of my gathering with friends in a warm and casual setting for a little beer and wings and such. Hey, I do have the priorities in order!

In honor of chicken and football and all that make-the-cooking-easy-so-I-have-time-with-friends business, here is a chicken recipe with economy, with ease of preparation, with swiftness of cooking and with flexibility of flavor. Read along and see what I mean.

Super Stuffed Chicken Breasts

6 medium-large (bone-in) chicken breasts

2 T red wine vinegar

2 T vegetable oil
salt & pepper

1 t garlic powder (I don't use this, but others may want a little extra flavour on the outside of the breast too)

I prefer leaving the skin on the chicken. It contributes to the overall flavour of the dish, it keeps the breast meat from drying out and...well, it tastes good when it's all crispy and golden.

Score the skin of the chicken breasts lightly by running a sharp knife along the skin and barely into the meat. This will expedite cooking and allow some of the outside flavouring to get into the meat. Massage in the vinegar and then the oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper (and garlic powder, if you are using).

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 T dry dill

2 large cloves garlic, chopped

8-10 oz. frozen chopped spinach (not thawed) or 4 cups fresh (washed & drained)

1/2 cup craisins

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup white wine

1 cup water

1 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese

salt & pepper

Pre-heat oven to 385F. Heat oil in heavy pan, add onions and garlic and sprinkle with salt to aid in the onion releasing juices. Saute until onions are golden-brown, mix in spinach and cook until it has thawed completely. Mix in other ingredients, except for the cheese. Bring to a boil, stir, reduce to a simmer and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Turn off the heat, stir in the cheese and allow this mixture to cool to the touch.

With your hands and a sharp paring or boning knife, follow along the natural separation of the breast meat and open up a big pocket, from the thick side of the breast almost all the way to the other (tapered) side.

When stuffing has cooled enough to handle, use your hands to stuff each breast generously. Close open end of chicken breasts with bamboo skewers or sturdy wooden toothpicks. This will insure that each breast cooks evenly and that the stuffing remains in the breast. Place the stuffed breasts in a large roasting pan, skin side up. If there is any cooking liquid left, pour that over the chicken.

Bake for anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the chicken breasts and the temperature calibration of your oven. (Ovens don't necessarily register a true temperature, that's why it's important to invest in a meat thermometer and learn to use it as a tool for checking the internal temp of the meat.) I remove the pan from the oven at 160F internal temp and allow the meat to rest for about 15 minutes. The internal temp will continue to rise. If you prefer to cook the chicken until it registers 180F (recommended), by all means do that.

Once you are ready to serve the chicken, you can cut each breast in half, providing that your knife is sharp and big enough to cut through the breast bones.

Here's the flexibility part:

If you don't like spinach, use 4 cups of chopped mushrooms instead

Another option would be to use 2 cups chopped mushrooms with half of the spinach

If you prefer, use frozen chopped broccoli instead of the spinach

If you don't have craisins, substitute raisins

If you don't have dill, use 2 T chopped fresh Italian parsley

If you'd like a little more kick in the cheese component, use crumbled feta cheese

If you're big bacon fan, add 1/2 cup chopped bacon to the onions at the beginning of the cooking

If you don't want to chop the bacon, lay half a strip of bacon over each breast

Cheap, easy, quick, easy serving with veggies cooked inside the meat, flexible enough so you use what you like and what you have on hand...SUPERchicken, indeed!

Naming the Day?

2009-08-24T11:21:00.013-04:00

You've heard of Sieze the Day, right? But...have you heard of Name Day?

In the Greek culture, because you are given a Christian name (a religious name), you are also given a name day. Your name day comes on the same day every year as the day on which the saint or religious figure is celebrated in the Greek Orthodox Church. My name day is August 15th.

I celebrated my name day recently. It is the feast day of the falling asleep (not the death) or dormition of the Virgin Mary, or (as we call her in Greek) the Panayia (or Panaghia or Theotokos or...) The Greek tradition requires that you go to church, possibly receive communion and spend the remainder of the day at home to receive the well-wishes of visiting friends and family. Typically, you might be treated to a big celebration lunch at home or at a restaurant, where everyone would greet or toast you with Chronia Polla! This means "many years", the Greek equivalent of Long Life! or Good Health! or Here's to You! or May You Live Long & Prosper! in English.

After lunch, you wait for your visitors, some with small gifts and some with lots of trailing family members along to offer you good wishes and enjoy the tasty treats that you have to offer them. You might have baklava, kourabiethes, galaktoboureko, thiples or koulourakia; Greek coffee and water. You'll need a chaser of water after all that sweetness! In the Greek home, all are offered something sweet when they visit, and on holy days or name days, the home must be rich with all manner of extra pastries and cookies.

This is a simple and traditional Greek eggplant dish that might be served as part of a name day celebration. It has a Turkish name with the translation "the holy man swooned", as in swooned because this dish tasted so good!

2 large eggplants
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 large onions chopped coarsely
2 medium cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 (28 oz) can peeled tomatoes, drained and chopped (reserve juice)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon cinnamon
salt & pepper, to your taste

Method: Wash the eggplant, dry and cut in half length-wise. Cut off the stalk end; scoop out eggplant, leaving some "meat" near the eggplant shell. Sprinkle salt and pepper on all four halves, turn upside down on paper towels and set aside.
Coarsely chop eggplant "meat". Heat oil in large saucepan or deep frying pan, add garlic and onion and sauté lightly, then add chopped tomatoes, eggplant "meat" and parsley. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until everything is heated through and the eggplant is soft. Sprinkle the cinnamon, salt & pepper to suit your taste and stir. If mixture gets thick or begins to stick, add some of the juice from the tomatoes, 1/4 cup at a time. Allow mixture to cool then use to stuff eggplant halves.Place stuffed eggplant halves in oiled baking dish and bake in a 375 oven for about 35 to 45 minutes.
Option: Top with a bit of crumbled Feta cheese and return to the over long enough for the cheese to brown a bit.
To Serve: Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes and serve one per person with crusty French bread and a salad of Romaine lettuce, cucumber and onions dressed with 1 T. white wine vinegar, 3 T. extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of dry oregano and a little salt and pepper.
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What is a name day? http://gogreece.about.com/od/folkloreevents/a/greeknamedays.htm
What is my name day about? http://www.aug.edu/augusta/iconography/dormition.html
For additional assorted recipes, visit my food blog, FOOD FOR THOUGHT, on the marvelous Maura O'Connell's website pages, http://mauraoconnell.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=223 To date, I've had 65,438 peeks at my recipes. Please take a listen to Maura's music while you're there.
To purchase a book of recipes, downloaded from my website, go to AlphaConnections.net

© 2009 Despina Panagakos Yeargin