Heads & Tales: Zen and the Art of Dining

This evening in New York would cement the pace and tone for the rest of my stay in New York...

Meet more food bloggers, try out another Greek restaurant in Manhattan and enjoy the array of wines available to the discerning diner.

Through my contacts at the Pavlou Winery, I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to explore the Greek food scene in New York through the eyes and stomach of Konstantine Drougos.

Konstantine distributes many fine Greek wines around NYC and he is familiar with the food scene and he was delighted to meet up and explore all the wonderful Greek food on offer in New York.

As an added bonus, this evening I was also to be graced by the hilarious, charming and Ace in the Kitchen, Stephane of Chef's Gone Wild and ever charming and lovable Claire of Colloquial Cookin'.

Both had expressed their desire to learn & sample more Greek food and I did not hesitate to invite them over for some Greek food & wine.

Claire was the first to arrive, big smile, ice blue eyes and very open...she came up and introduced herself as Konstantine and Stephane were late (notorious habit of Greeks and French).

The venue for the the evening's festivities was Kellari (cellar in Greek) and the hostess and manager made us feel very comfortable in an informal seating of a sofa, table and chairs.

What was to follow was an evening of making and cementing new friendships, sharing in some wonderful Greek food, paired with wines recommended by the expert himself, Konstantine.

From the moment I walked into the door of Kellari, I was going to enjoy this place. An array of Greek cookies was on offer at the bar along with platters of Greek olives.

We ordered some Pavlou P62 Xinomavro to wash down the array of appetizers that was to ensue:

First up was the Keftedes (meatballs) in a wine & tomato sauce that was very reminscent of Soutzoukakia Smyrneika. Next to arrive at our table was some of the most tender braised and grilled octopus I've ever had.

An interesting arrival of lamb riblets has us all licking our fingers and to help balance out our meal, we ordered some braised Fasolakia (runner beans in a tomato sauce) and some crispy fried zucchini and eggplants.

As Claire and Stephane were relatively Greek food virgins, a dessert course couldn't be ignored. We agreed to an order of Loukamades which had a lovely undertone of Mastic and drizzled with a Greek honey/syrup. A Greek dessert is not complete without an array of fruits and some well-strained Greek yogurt with a dollop of sour cherry spoon sweet.

Konstantine affirmed his good taste in Greek food by taking us to Kellari first. This was a classy place but that laid-back, Greek hospitality was present, Greek music playing in the background and well-executed Greek food arriving before our hungry eyes.

In the coming days, you'll see more of Claire, Stephane and Konstatine as I continue my gastromic tour of New York City. If you're in New York, I highly recommend stopping by Kellari for a dinner and some wonderful Greek wine.

Kellari's website by-line sums up the evening perfectly:

"enter as strangers and leave as friends".

Allow me to leave you with a recipe for a much-loved Greek dish, Soutzoukakia Smyrneika (which are similar to Kellari's meatballs). This dish can be served up as an appetizer or made into a main course with some fries or rice pilaf.


Soutzokakia Smyrneika
(serves 4)

1 lb. of ground beef
2 cloves of minced garlic
2 slices of stale bread
1 egg
1 tsp. of ground cumin
1 tsp. dried Greek oregano
3 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley
4 Tbsp. of olive oil + extra for shallow frying
salt and pepper to taste
all-purpose flour

For the Sauce
1 onion, grated
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups of tomato juice
1 Tbsp. of tomato paste, dilluted in water
1 bay leaf
2 tsp. of sweet paprika
1/2 cup of dry red wine
1/4 cup olive oil
2 pads of unsalted butter
1 small cinnamon stick
pinch of sugar
salt and pepper to taste

1. Soak the bread in a bowl of water and when it's soft, remove the crust. Squeeze it in your hands to remove the excess liquid. Add to another bowl with your ground beef and the other meatball ingredients. Knead the meat mixture with your hands to blend and fry off a small piece to sample and in the end, adjust the seasoning of your Soutzoukakia.
2. Mould the mixture into little quenelle or oblong hamburgers and dredge lightly in some flour and fry them off in hot oil. Set aside and reserve.
3. In the same skillet, add the olive oil and butter along with the onions and garlic and saute for a few minutes or until the onions have softened (about 5 minutes). Add the wine and reduce for a couple of minutes and then add the dilluted tomato paste + tomato juice and cinnamon stick and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium an simmer for for about 15 minutes or until thew sauce has thickened.
4. Carefully add the Soutzoukakia into the sauce and move the pot around in a circular motion to coat and warm the meatballs through. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper (plus sugar if needed).
   
5. Serve alone as part of an array of appetizers or for main with rice, noodles or fries.
   

Heads &Tales: Astoria By day and Molyvos at Night

After my big night on the town in New York with a long-awaited arrival in my bed at 4:30am, Sunday greeted me all too quickly and despite the lack of sleep (early riser here) I was determined to continue my tour of New York.

One of my curiosities was to visit Astoria. It's known as New York's Greektown and the Greek population of the New York City area is rivaled only by that of Melbourne, Australia.

My goal was to see if the Greeks in Astoria had a larger availability of Greek products than what I can find in Toronto's Greektown (Danforth) and to conduct some quick price comparisons.
By and large, Toronto has all that New York offers by way of Greek products, some prices in New York were cheaper but nothing was really out of whack pricewise and, I breathed a sigh of relief (many Greeks in Toronto feel they pay exorbitant prices).

I felt very much at "home" in Astoria, walking among my peeps, chatting with shop owners in Greek and feeling comfort that Greece does exist beyond it's geographical borders. Hellenism is an ideal.

Fast forward to Sunday night and I didn't have any firm plans with anybody but hey, I'm a big guy and I can handle myself in the city. Armed with my New York City guide, I flipped through the dining pages and found some Greek restaurants I've been meaning to try out.

Tonight Molyvos was on the dance card. I assume the restaurant got it's name from a town of the Greek island of Mytilini (Lesvos) and the restaurant has been around for years and despite my dining on a Sunday, business at this centrally located eatery was brisk.

Jim Botsacos is the chef and partner and somewhat of a media darling when it comes to Greek cooking in the media. One only has to Google this fellow to see that this guy gets around.

Upon entering Molyvos, one is put to ease with the warm, dark wooded decor and you're immediately greeted and seated by the hostess.

The service here is prompt, efficient and one never gets the sense that they are being rushed. I was given a wine menu, an appetizer/meze menu and a dinner menu...all on offer on this cool New York City night.

For starters, I opted for a glass of Babatzim Ouzo with ice and I was given some complementary Roasted Red Pepper Dip to hold me until my orders arrived.

I opted to try their "Garides Saganaki" which was refreshingly different from the way I serve it. The Molyvos approach to the Greek classic was to (of course) serve it in a two-handles Saganaki vessel but the sauce was more of a broth than a thick, tomato sauce.

The use of butter and olive oil was obvious, diced tomatoes, some chillis rounded out the sauce and the 'must have' shrimp and feta finished off the dish. This "take" on Garides Saganaki was a pleasant surprise as the addition of Greek basil was the star heb (usually oregano).

For my entree, I chose the skate wing with pastourma and a walnut avgolemeno with a bed of rice pilaf. The skate wing was pan fried, a bit of corn meal was detected in the crust and the thins slice of pastourma sandwiched between the two skate wing pieces gave the dish a wonderful and earthy taste.

My dinner was enjoyed with a pairing of a white Assyrtiko from the island of Santorini and it also paired well with my dessert. I capped the evening with a well-made Greek coffee (made by a non-Greek) and served with their Revani with kumquat preserve and whipped cinnamon cream.

Molyvos delivered value for money (I was actually full), the service prompt and courteous and they offered some nice twists to Greek cuisine without alienating it.

Once again, the highlight for me was the Garides Saganki and if you want to see my usual approach, have a look here but if you want the Molyvos-inspired version...here's my take on a bread-dipping heavens-to-goodness Garides (shrimp) Saganaki.

Molyvos Inspired Garides Saganaki
(serves 4)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2-3 pads of unsalted butter
1/4 cup diced onions
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 hot chilli
1 pint of roasted cherry tomatoes
(halved)
1 small red pepper, diced (1/3 cup) 1/4 cup dry white wine
1 to 1 1/2 lbs. of shrimp, peeled & deveined
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp. dry Greek Oregano
1 shot of Ouzo
a few leaves of Greek basil
1 cup of Greek feta, cubed
salt to taste
extra-virgin olive oil

1. In a saucepan, add your oilve oil and butter and over medium-high heat, add your onions, garlic and peppers and saute for a minute or two then reduce to medium and simmer for another 5 minutes or until the onions have softened. Now add the wine and tomatoes and bring to a boil and then reduce back to a simmer and cook for another 5-7 minutes.
2. Take off the heat, adjust seasoning (very little salt needed as Feta will finish the dish), add your Ouzo, parsley and oregano and stir in.
3. Set your oven to the Broiler setting and begin assembling your Saganaki vessels for baking. Using a ladle, pour the sauce equally into each baking vessel and then divide the shrimp into each serving. Top each serving with the cubes of feta and place under the broiler for about 5 minutes or until the the shrimp have turned pink and your cheese is golden.
4. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and place some basil leaves in each bowl and serve with some wedges of pita bread.
   

Heads & Tales: Saturday Night at Ammos

Saturday would be my first full day in New York. In any city a Saturday is going to be exciting but in New York, we're talking electric.

The day started off with myself making my usual fry-up of bacon & eggs, toast, juice and coffee. Soon after, I headed out and took the train to the bottom of Manhattan and paid hommage to the site of Ground Zero.

Security was very tight with respect to people taking photos and the property was fenced off and covered by a green tarp to block any decent photos from beingt taken. The most logical explanation I heard was that the World Trade Center was being rebulit and that the location of safes & storage is what security was trying to protect. Any other theories out there?

The rest of the day was spent exploring TriBeCa (Triangle Below Canal), Greenwich Village and Chelsea. I have been to all three of these neighborhoods before but one new attraction was the Chelsea market.

It's a converted warehouse that's turned into a long market with many shops catering to food enthusiasts and it also houses some office space, including the operations of the Food Network.

The late afternoon saw me return to my apartment, feed and walk Stiva the wonder-pooch, recharge my batteries and plot the evening ahead.

My first contact with a New York area food blogger was with Maria of "Kali Orexi". Maria is a native of Astoria who now lives in Queens and she's only just begun her Greek food blog, which translates into "bon appetit".

I left the dinner & drinks suggestions open to Maria's choosing...afterall, I was the visitor with no idea of the New York Greek food scene.

It was agreed that we'd meet at Ammos (literally translated as Sand). Ammos is located just behind Grand Central Station and for those of you who have not been to New York, a visit to the main hall is well worth the subway trip to take a few snaps, watch the hustle & bustle or perhaps even take it a drink or a bite from one of the cafes & restaurants perched atop of the hall.

I arrived early at Ammos but I was promptly greeted by Maria, her sisters and husband. As with Greeks, formal introductions melted away and we all became quite comfortable with each other as we sat down, shared in array of Greek dips and pondered what to eat for dinner.

Maria turned out to be as friendly, charming and hospitable as her blog is. I encourage you to visit her blog as she shares some wonderful Greek dishes enjoyed by her family.

Most of us chose seafood and I was pleased that much of the fish was grilled whole and as a bonus, presented to the customer de-boned.

I chose the grilled lavraki, which is also known as Loup de Mer in French. Lavraki is also known as a European sea bass, much of it is today farmed but it's a wonderful product and perfect for either baking or grilling.

After dinner, we ordered an array and desserts and shared the different offerings of Karydopita, yogurt with sour cherry spoon sweets, kataifi.

After all that food, wine and dessert...us Greeks have to burn off those calories and lucky for us, a small ensemble band was geared and ready to perform comtemporary Greek hits.

The music was loud, the liquor flowing, Greeks on their feet and dancing up a storm!

From being seated at the door to being driven home to the apartment I was staying at, Maria and her husband were most gracious hosts and I hope to soon return the gesture of their warm hospitality.

In the meantime, I'd love to share a new way that I like to grill and present sardines. Fresh caught sardines are still affordable and are one of the most enjoyed fish by Greeks.

Although they can be fried or baked, grilled sardines seem to be the favourite to prepare them. Here, I've taken the souvlaki concept and applied it to grilling sardines.

The method helps keep your fish in tact, allows you to easily flip the fish during grilling and the presentation is no doubt an eye-opener when you're served a plate of these beauties.

As always, I prefer buying whole fish as this allows me to inspect the fish and confirm it's freshness (bright- not-sunken eyes, firm body, bright red inner gills and smelling only of the sea).

I was delighted to see fresh sardines being sold through much of New York City and I hope some fish mongers in Toronto are paying attention: WE NEED MORE FRESH SARDINES!

There's no rocket-science here. The sardines are scaled and gutted, heads left on (to help secure the skewers) and the fish is brushed with vegetable oil, seasoned with salt and pepper and adorned simply and deliciously with a Latholemono.

Pre-heat your gas grill, brush(clean) your grill surface well, wipe the grill surface with some vegetable oil and grill your fish.

Sardines take a mere two or three minutes a side and a warm potato salad and some sauteed bitter greens round out this wonderful Greek seafood dish.

Kali Orexi!

Heads & Tales: Eating and Drinking My Way Through New York

I'm back home in Toronto after a thrilling week in New York City spent exploring this great city, meeting new friends and eating and drinking up all along the way. The opportunity to stay in New York City (affordably) is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I savoured each of my days in the Big Apple.

A few weeks ago while I was on Twitter and reading my friends' updates, did I perk up and read of an offer to stay in New York with the mere caveat of tending to someone's dog in their absence.

Personal Chef Mark Tafoya of the Remarkable Palate was the fellow who extended his generosity to me by offering up his home for the week and allowing me to explore New York in leisurely seven days.

The only "catch" was that I had to watch his doggy, Stiva during his absence. Mark was also the bearer of good fortune by receiving an invite to attend a food blogging forum in Indonesia. This arrangement proved to be a "win-win" for both Mark and myself.

I would like to thank Mark for his immense generosity and for giving me the week in New York that filled me with fond memories of the city, meeting new friends and enjoying some great food and drink during my stay.

Of the course of the next few days, I'm going to share with you my experiences and cooking inspiration triggered by my glorious trip to New York - enjoy!

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I arrived in New York City on an overcast afternoon that was unseasonally mild and rainy. After settling in to the apartment, I bought some groceries, plotted my week ahead in New York and set out immediately on Friday night to explore the city.

First stop? Times Square. This "crossroads of America" still thrills me with all the lights, the many people who come here from all around the world and the sheer energy of it all.

Although New York City and Times Square are safer than ever, I got this sense of "Disney New York", what with the big-name stores all around and the presence of families and children all around.

I felt a little like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz and her famous line, "this don't look like Kansas, Toto"!

Traveling through New York is best done by subway...it's cheap, it's serviced well by a vast train and bus infrastructure and once is always entertained....take a look at the breakdancing!

Friday night was pretty mellow and it was more about getting my bearings straight, learning the subway system and resting up for a busy week ahead. I'll be writing about each of my days in New York in the coming days and more photos will be uploaded in my Facebook profile.

If you're a Facebook member, look for me and view all my photos of New York along the way (there's a Facebook link on the right column of my blog) and if you're not...what are you waiting for?

In the meantime, sit back and let me make you a Greek coffee. For those not in the know, a Greek coffee is brewed in a small briki which is filled with a demi-tasse measurement of water, finely ground roasted coffee and sugar to taste is added to the mix.

The coffee is then brewed on the stovetop (over a watchful eye) and as soon as the coffee is a bout to come to a boil, the briki is quickly removed and the coffee is poured into the demi-tasse cup.

One accompaniment with a Greek coffee is a paximadi and the other favourite of mine are Koulourakia.

Koulourakia are a twisted butter cookie which are easy to make, not expensive, last long in storage and yes...wonderful for dunking in coffee.

There are many small variances to the Koulourakia recipe but this is our family's and naturally, my favourite.

Get a pen and paper and jot down these easy instructions on how to make Greek Koulourakia...

Koulourakia (κουλουράκια)

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup shortening (Crisco)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1/2 cup warm milk
1/2 shot of Ouzo
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups of flour
eggwash
sesame seeds

Pre-heated 350F oven

1. Add the butter, shortening and sugar in a bowl and cream together with your hand mixer. Now slowly add the oil and continue to cream.
2. Add eggs one at a time and continue mixing. Now add the milk and Ouzo and again mix until incorporated.
3. Sift your dry ingredients and add the dry to wet ingredients (use your hands to incorporate the mixture). Your dough should be very soft.
4. Form the twists but pinching a piece of dough about the size of a walnut. Now roll out with your hand and then fold in half and twist into form. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat until all the dough has been formed into Koulourakia.
5. Whisk an egg with some milk and brush the cookies with eggwash and sprinkle each cookie with some sesame seeds.
6. Bake in a pre-heated 350F oven (middle rack) for about 10-15 minutes or until golden. Carefully remove the cookies from the baking trays and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container for up to 6 weeks.

Miskotini With Feta

I've been enjoying Greek-made pasta of late. The folks at Misko who make an array of pasta were kind enough to send me samples of their Greek pasta varieties.

Most Greeks will acknowledge we didn't invent pasta but most Greeks will assure you (and demonstrate if you like) their love of eating pasta.

I'll be heading off to New York City tomorrow but upon my return, I plan to showcase some more Greek pasta dishes. We have noodles from Asia, everyone loves Italian pasta, the Spanish have been enjoying in for ages and the Greeks round-out the roster with age-old dishes, enjoyed by generations.

One such combo is a simple delight of eating pasta with Feta cheese. I can remember my mom boiling some spaghetti, browning some butter and finishing the dish off with some crumbled feta.

I'd assume most Greek families enjoy this quick, easy and delicious dish and yes, it's been done for awhile...for as long as feta has existed.

For anyone who's bought a large quantity of feta, you'll know that crumbled pieces of Feta are usually to be found at the bottom, when you've reached your last slab of cheese.

With Greeks pursuit to "waste not - want not"...even those lonely last remaining feta pieces get consumed...for pasta with Feta!

You may certainly crumble your own Feta to make this easy dish but this is a frugal dish that stretches the ingredients boundaries...using those last bits of feta at the bottom.

The most common approach to this dish is browning some butter, adding the cooked spaghetti in to the skillet and tossing the crumbled Feta which slightly melts and coats the pasta with Feta goodness.

Here, I've upped the ante by adding some roasted garlic, cream, black pepper, parsley and some Greek oregano into the mix.

As soon as you toss the ingredients into the boiled pasta and smell the aroma from the skillet, you'll know this is a winner!

Miskotini With Feta
(serves 4)

500 gr. packet of Miskotini pasta
4 cloves of roasted garlic
approx. 200gr. crumbled Feta
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp. dried Greek oregano
salt and pepper to taste
some reserved pasta water

1. Get a large pot of water to boil. Add a good amount of salt and cook your pasta according to package instructions.
2. In a small saucepan or "briki", add your cream and roasted garlic and mash it into the cream. Add the crumbled Feta and over medium low heat, stir until most of the cheese has melted and melded into the cream. Turn heat off and keep warm.
3. When your pasta is cooked, reserve some pasta water and drain the pasta. Pour the pasta back into the pot, add the Feta/cream mixture and toss to coat. If the sauce is too dry, add some pasta water.
4. Now continue to toss by adding the chopped fresh parsley and dried Greek oregano and adjust seasoning with some ground black pepper (salt rarely needed).
5. Serve immediately.