Pomegranate Vinaigrette

This is my first post for 2009 and I would like to wish you all a Happy & Healthy New Year!

My New Year's Eve was spent at one of favourite eateries in Toronto and I dined, laughed and drank with eleven good friends...right into the wee hours of January 1st.

The dinner was delicious, the company provided laughs (as always) and the memories....priceless. The next day (New Year's Day) could have been a really rough day but I stuck with a menu that I'm very comfortable with and as always, tested out a few new recipes prior to going "live" with the dishes.

One dish which is symbolic of New Year's for Greeks, seasonal and of course delicious, was this salad I made of mixed greens with a vinaigrette made of pomegranates.

Pomegranates are a part of Greek New Year's traditions as many families will smash a pomegranate in front of the home and hopefully disperse alot of seeds over a wide area. The more seeds are dispersed, the better the fortunes for the home.

I first tried this salad for our Christmas Day dinner and although it was delicious, the mere presence of just pomegranate juice leaves the dressing a little runny. I fine tuned the vinaigrette by adding some pomegranate molasses into the mix.

Pomegranate molasses can be found at a Greek or Middle Eastern market and if neither of those shops are near you, one could reduce the pomegranate juice into a thicker syrup.

Everyone at the table loved the simplicity of the dish, it's easy on the eyes and the contrast of crumbled Feta and pomegranate seeds bejeweling the salad made each forkful of salad a delight.

I don't have any specific measurements here but I can tell you now that my preferred method of making salad dressings is with a squeeze bottle that looks like those you find at a diner with ketchup or mustard in them. The one I use is opaque so I can easily eyeball the measurements of the vinaigrette ingredients.

Mixed Greens With Feta & Pomegranate Vinaigrette

seasonal mixed greens, washed and pat-dry (salad spinner)
juice of 1 pomegranate
seeds of 1 pomegranate (for garnish)
approx. 2 Tbsp. pomegranate molasses
approx. 1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 small clove of garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cut your pomegranate in half and using a wooden spoon, smack the skin side of each half and place a bowl underneath to catch the falling seeds. Ensure none of the bitter pith falls into the bowl. Place your pomegranate seeds into a blender or food processor and whiz into a liquid. Pass through a strainer and discard the seeds.
2. In a squeeze bottle or jar, add the pomegranate juice, the garlic and eyeball how much olive oil you should add. Basic vinaigrette rule is 3 parts oil to 1 part acid (your pomegranate juice is the acid in this instance).
3. Add some salt, pepper and the Dijon mustard and shake to emulsify. If the vinaigrette is too runny for your liking, add some pomegranate molasses, shake and again taste and adjust seasoning.
4. Place your salad in a large bowl and squirt some pomegranate vinaigrette into the bowl and gently toss the salad until fully coated.
5. Divide among the plates, squirt some more vinaigrette, sprinkle some crumbled Feta and some pomegranate seeds for garnish.

PS. Lydia of the Perfect Pantry just wrote a wonderful article on Pomegranate Molasses, pomegranates and some background. There's even a recipe to make your own!

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.blogspot.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author. © 2007-2009 Peter Minakis

Soup and Salad (Σούπα και Σαλάτα)

The next phase of the Greek themed Thanksgiving Dinner involved soup and salad. As I've written before, I'm more of a soup guy when the cooler weather arrives but this is here is an autumn salad, featuring a blend of seasonal greens and a vinaigrette with a Greek ingredient that's very ancient...Petimezi.

I first saw the dressing used here on a Greek food show called the Nistiko Arkoudi (Hungry Bear) and the show's title is a play on a Greek saying, "the hungry bear never dances". In the show's intro, the bear's dancing alright...a testament that the bear (and viewer are fed well).

The dressing is a sweet & sour combination involving Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard and Petimezi. Petimezi is a grape syrup or mollasses that was produced and used in ancient times before the arrival of sugar on the scene. Back then, natural sweeteners like Petimezi were used.

The dressing was finished off with some minced garlic, salt and pepper and given a good shake in a jar to emulsify the dressing.

The salad ingredients are quite interesting too...bitter rocket leaves, red cabbage, leafy green lettuce and some Napa cabbage to round out the mix. The salad goes further with the sweet & savory theme with a topping of pomegranate seeds, sesame seeds, walnuts and roasted red peppers.

I had this salad during my stay in Naxos this past summer and I promised myself to recreate this wonderful salad. On the menu it was listed as Smyrneiko Salata, homage to the Greeks who fled Smyrna in haste, but brought their wonderful recipes back to mainland Greece with them.

The soup course of the night involved beets. My original soup idea was a roasted red pepper soup but despite it's wonderful flavour and result, it proved to be too good, a bold flavour especially since turkey and fixins' were next on the menu.

The pureed beet soup proved to be a wonderful surprise to me (during it's testing) and for my dinner guests. Everyone was expecting a very sweet soup - something more dessert than savory but this recipe makes it very much a savory soup with onions, potatoes, thyme and oregano to take the sweet edge off the soup.

Before I get on with the soup recipe, I must give due mention to the wine pairing for the soup and salad course: Steve Kriaris of Kolonaki Group recommended the Skouras Cuvee Prestige White.

The Skouras Winery is located in the northeast Pelleponese and the the wine is made from a 50/50 split of Roditis and Mosxofilero grapes.

Again, we agreed that a crisp, no oak white would complement the soup and salad course and I could detect the light florals as per the tasting notes from Skouras.

I'm really enjoying this Greek wine and food pairing and I'll endeavour to showcase more qaulity Greek wines in future posts.

In the meantime, here's that Beet soup recipe...

Beet Soup With Oregano
( serves 4, I doubled the recipe)

approx 400gr. of medium-sized beets
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large russet potato, peeled
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 bay leaf
chicken/vegetable stock
2 tsp. of ground coriander
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp. of dried Greek oregano
strained Greek yogurt

1. Place your beets in some aluminum foil, wrap well and place in a pre-heated 450F oven for about 40 minutes. Allw to cool enough to be handled. With the help of a knife, peel away the skins, discard and cut the beets into chunks.
2. In a pot, add your olive oil and over medium heat add the onions and garlic, bay leaf, ground coriander and saute for 15-20 minutes. Now using your box grater, grate the potato into the pot and stir and simmer for another5 minutes (add some water if too dry).
3. Now add your beets and enough stock to just cover your beets and bring to a boil. Now simmer for another 30 minutes until thickened somewhat. Add salt and pepper to taste.
   
4. Remove from the heat, take out the bay leaf and using your hand blender, puree the soup until smooth. Return to medium heat and simmer for another 15 minutes or until you've achieved your desired consistency.
5. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and allow to cool a bit.
6. Serve in bowls with a dollop of strained Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of dried Greek oregano.
   

Htipiti and More Appetizers

I didn't think I had to go into further detail on the Htipiti dip (as photgraphed here) but I'll run it down for you. It's quite a free-form recipe as the measurements depend on how hot your peppers are and how salty your Feta is.

You need three ingredients for this recipe: Feta cheese, Myzithra (ricotta) and roasted hot banana peppers.

First, you roast your hot banana peppers on the gas or charcoal grill until charred on the outside. Then place in a plastic or paper bag and allow them to sweat for at least a half an hour or until cool enough to handle.

By this time the charred skins should be easily removed and you'll be left with a succulent roasted hot pepper. I like whizzing a few banana peppers in the food processor and then I set them aside as I prepare the rest of the Htipiti ingredients.

Now take an equal amount of Feta and Myzithra and add a little olive oil and start mashing the cheeses with your fork until they are incorporated and smooth.

Now add some pureed hot peppers in small amounts, mix and taste. Keep on adding until you acheive your desired heat. In Greece, Htipiti is served mildly spicy, not "blow your head off spicy". If the mixture is a little stiff, slowly pour in some olive oil and blend it in. You now have your own Htipiti!

At this point in my Birthday party I served a new favourite of mine - grilled shrimp and Chorizo skewers. Again, there's no real recipe here but to soak the bamboo skewers for at least overnight and then slice your Chorizo to the thickness of the shrimp and wrap the body of the shrimp around the arc of the sausage and secure with a small skewer.

Lightly oil your shrimp & Chorizo skewers and grill on high heat for 1-2 minutes per side. Serve them immediately.

Finally, this next dish doubled as another appetizer and a side dish...a green bean and cherry tomato salad.

I originally saw this cold bean salad on an episode of the Barefoot Contessa and I was immediately drawn to this salad. It had beans, olive oil, tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, oregano, garlic and parsley.

After exploring regional dishes of Greece, I discovered that this dish is a specialty from the Greek island of Kythera, situated just south of the Laconian peninsula.

Here's a family favourite - a wonderful summer salad of green beans and my own touch with roasted cherry tomatoes. The sweet tomatoes play off on the tart vinegar and the garlic and pungent dried Greek oregano offer a deep bottom to this symphony of herbs and vegetables.

Green Bean & Cherry Tomato Salad From Kythera

1 1/2 pounds slender green beans, trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 pints of cherry tomatoes, roasted
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 clove of garlic , minced
1 heaping of teaspoon dried Greek oregano
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
salt and pepper to taste

1. Place your cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in a pre-heated 450F oven and roast for 20-30 minutes or until they skins have cracked & shriveled a bit. Allow to cool and set aside.
2. Place a large pot of water on your stove-top and when it comes to a boil, add a good amount of salt and and place your beans in the water. Boil for 3-5 minutes until just tender (but still crisp).
3. Strain your beans and place in an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
4. In a large boil, add your balsamic vinegar, garlic, mustard and oregano and begin whisking in your olive oil. Add a little salt and pepper and now add your beans, cherry tomatoes and chopped parsley.
5. Toss the salad so that the dressing coats all the components. Ad just seasoning with salt an pepper and serve at room temperature or cold.

Porgy (Φαγγρί)

I'm thrilled to have found a reliable source of seafood in Toronto, near my home and at fair market prices.

I've been enjoying walking into the shop, having a look around at the "catches of day", surveying what's freshest and pair that with whatever food mood I'm in.

Porgy is also known as the Gilt-head bream, sea bream, Dentex, Dorada, Daurade, Pargo.

There are about 15 different species of porgy found in the western Atlantic and the Carribbean and about 20 more types exist in the Mediterranean and the eastern Atlantic.

Porgies get their name from a Native American word meaning "fertilizer, for which they were commonly used.

Most of the Porgy and sea bream that you'll find at your fish monger will be from a fish farm but don't let that scare you. They have a firm, succulent white flesh with excellent flavour. Most porgies are sized for 1 portion but at times I've seen huge ones...good for two!

Porgy is best cooked whole and once again, I've employed my gas grill to turn this fish into seafood manna. You know I like my fish simple, with crisp & clean flavours to complement the fish's flavour.

Grilling a fish should be kept simple but attention to detail will yield you wonderful and surprising results. Here, I decided to grill three types of citrus....lemon, lime and orange and then I squeezed the warm, mildly sweet juices onto my just grilled fish. Ummmmmm!

Grilled Porgy With a Three Citrus Sauce
(for 2)

2 whole Porgies, scaled and gutted
coarse sea salt
fresh ground pepper
slices lemon, lime and orange
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Herbed Caper Dressing
1 Tbsp. chopped capers
1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
wooden skewers (pre-soaked in water)

Pre-heated gas or charcoal grill

1. If your fish has been sitting in the fridge, allow for it to come back to room temperature before grilling.
2. Rinse the fish and pat dry (inside & out). Season the inside and outside of the fish with coarse salt and fresh ground pepper. Place your slices of lemon, lime and orange on a skewer and brush with some oil.
3. In a small jar, add the olive oil, capers, chives and oregano and shake well to emulsify. The capers should make the dressing salty enough but you may adjust seasoning at this time.
4. Brush the surface of grill to rid it of any prior grilling residue and treat the grill by wiping vegetable oil.
5. Over high heat, grill your porgies for approx. 5-6 minutes a side and your citrus skewers should only need about 2 minutes a side.
6. Transfer your porgies to a large plate and spoon the Herbed Caper Dressing over the fish, followed by squeezing the juices of your citrus skewers.

Caesar Salad

My eating diet can be summed up in two seasons: Soup season and salad season. With the exception of the cold soup, it's salad days indeed. The only other exception I make when it comes to eating a salad 'year 'round is a Caesar Salad.

We've all had Caesar Salad and surely we've all had a bad Caesar Salad. Your quest for the ultimate Caesar Salad ends here. I have, what I consider to be the ultimate Caesar Salad.

Another early influence on my foodie DNA has to be my Theo (uncle) Vangeli, 1st cousin to my mom. Theo Vangeli came to Canada a young man and worked the restaurant trade for all of his working life.

This man to this day is culinary gold, having worked in an age when family restaurants made EVERYTHING from scratch. Theo Vangeli was an early riser, making the morning shift his work preference. In the old'skool fashion, he'd make sauces, soups of the day, prepare daily specials like Shepherd's Pie or a big tray of lasagna. His morning was also not complete without the preparation of a big, heaping pail of Caesar Salad dressing.

Today, I'm sharing with you, my Theo Vangeli's Caesar Salad dressing. It's a keeper.

An important note: this recipe uses only fresh, farm eggs so anyone sheepish about Salmonella or pregnant women might want to coddle your eggs before proceeding with this recipe.

Another aspect (s) I'd like to point out with a proper Caesar Salad is pay attention to detail:

• wash & dry your Romaine lettuce thoroughly
• make your own Croutons
• use real bacon

Caesar Salad

Dressing
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 fresh farm egg yolks
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. anchovy paste (or 2 fillets)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp. black pepper
splash of water
1/3 cup olive oil + 2/3 cup vegetable oil
salt to taste

Romaine Lettuce, throughly washed and dried
Homemade Croutons
Crispy bacon pieces

1. Using your food processor, add all the dressing ingredients except for the oil and the salt. Start processing on a medium speed for a couple of minutes or until you have a thick, yellowish cream.
2. Slowly pour your oil through the spout until you get a thick, creamy Caesar dressing.
3. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and sometimes, some more lemon juice. Keeps for up to 1 week in the fridge.
4. In a large salad bowl, add your Romaine lettuce and a dollop of dressing and toss to coat. If the salad is too dry, add some more dressing and toss to coat.
5. Grate some fresh Parmesan, a squeeze of lemon juice, a turn of fresh black pepper and top with Croutons and crispy bacon.
   

Halloumi, Grilled to Perfection

This evening was glorious. It was the first day this year where one wakes up to warm sun, birds chirping and the sun shining with nary a cloud in the sky.

I already knew this would mean BBQ time, eat dinner "al fresco" time and relax time. It was a busy week but also very productive. I'm working on some new things for this blog and the emphasis is on "beyond".

Part of my dinner this evening was a grilled Halloumi on a bed of rocket (wild greens). Halloumi is a cheese native to the island of Cyprus and it's made from a combo of cow, goat and sheep's milk. Greeks have been enjoying wild greens for ages and when paired properly, the are simply delicious.

The salad was tossed in my Sun-dried tomato vinaigrette and then topped with warm, a la minute grilled Halloumi cheese.

Earlier this year, I pan-seared some Halloumi but it doesn't compare to using a real grill.

Grilling Halloumi is very easy...slice your cheese, brush with olive oil and when your grill is white hot, grill the Halloumi for 1 minute a side.

Tonight's combo was bitter rocket, balanced by the sweet sun-dried tomatoes and the midly salty Halloumi, squeaking as always with every little chew.

At a Loss For Words

Many of you are like me and you have a blog. You peruse the food landscape on the internet, looking for a food idea, a new inspiration or paying a visit to a friend's blog to see what's new and exciting.

Sometimes we hit gold with a winning dish and other times what you think will be a smash ends up making a loud thud.

What I do find myself doing more & more is searching in my mind for a new way to express my positive reaction to a post, or more particular a dish.

The usual, "my.... that looks tasty" or "OH MY GOD, I'm bookmarking this to try" or "that looks delicious" seem to be the "go to" catch phrases.

Today, I flipped through the Thesaurus to find new inspiration for when I visit your lovely blogs. If you see me at your blog...I like you and I really what you have to say and what you cook. If I'm absent, don't cry...I can't - WE all can't like all the foods out there, all the time...it's impossible. Life's not a popularity contest.

So after flipping through the Thesaurus, I've discovered some new words that I will try to employ when I'm leaving comments on your blog:

"choice, nectarious, palatable, sapid, gratifying, ambrosial, fetching, pleasing, flavoursome, saporous, toothsome, diaphanous, luscious, divine, scrumptious, aperitive, succulent, culinary, wholesome, esculent, digestible, heavenly, tasteful, spirited, stimulating, highly-flavoured, redolent, magnificent, seasoned, harmonious, fit for a king, nutritious and my very favourite new word....titillating"!

On to some food. Today, you get a couple of starters...one being a salad, the other some garlic bread.

First, the salad and in particular, the dressing. After the success of my Dill Cucumber dressing, I'm going to start making more of my own dressings. This next one is a Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette. It's made with ingredients most of us already have in our pantry and you might have to only go out and buy some sun-dried tomatoes but the dressing is a winner.

Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette

1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dry oregano
1/4 tsp. of black pepper
1/3 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
salt to taste

1. Simply add all the above ingredients into a jar and shale to emulsify. Dress for favourite salad combo or what's in season. Keep in the fridge for a week.

The next starter is a garlic bread that's super-easy and you'll serve this over & over as your signature garlic bread.

The inspiration for this garlic bread comes from eating recently at an Italian restaurant in town that brought the table baskets of aromatic, warm garlic bread that left left us stuffed and almost unable to finish our main courses.

The main ingredient for this garlic bread is the Carrabbas Bread Dip Mix, which I simply mixed into some room temperature butter and then I cut some vertical slices into the bread loaf, smeared the butter/Carrabbas mixture in between and I wrapped the bread in foil.

Simply throw into a preheated 350 oven for 15 minutes to warm through and serve this aromatic, easy to prep and delicious garlic bread to your guests. They are bound to ask you "what's in it"!

Carrabbas Garlic Bread Mix

1 Tbsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
1 Tbsp. dried rosemary
1 Tbsp. dried basil
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. salt

Mix together and store in a plastic container.

Cucumber & Dill Dressing (Αγγουρι ανηθο Dressing)

This dressing will be very reminiscent of Greece's most famous dip, Tzatziki. You could be creative and turn your leftover Tzatziki into a dressing or, follow my easy steps to make a cool, Spring dressing to usher in the warmer months ahead.

It's nice to see more & more people are not afraid to eat garlic. In Greece, no one gives a damn about that upcoming business meeting, the impending hot date or breathing on your house guests. Practically everyone's eating garlic and so...we all stink the same and we can't really tell who stinks more!

However, we are here in Canada (and the US) and one must be wary of our social norms and unfortunately, we cannot be of garlic breath 24/7.

Having said that, if you're worried about the affect garlic will have on your social circles, try chewing & eating a small handful of parsley. It won't totally eliminate the smell but it will greatly reduce it.


Cucumber & Dill Dressing (Αγγουρι ανηθο Dressing)

1/2 English cucumber
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 -1/2 cup milk
(depending on how thick/thin you want your dressing)
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 green onion, minced
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
1/4 tsp. black pepper
salt to taste

1. Using your box grater, grate your cucumber into a strainer (with a bowl underneath). Sprinkle some coarse salt over the shreds and allow the water from them to leech for 20 minutes. Squeeze any remaining liquid out of the shreds with your hands and place in a bowl.
2. Add the remaining ingredients in to the bowl and stir to incorporate. Adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Refrigerate in a tight jar for up to 1 week.
   
3. Serve over greens of your choice.
   

Marinated Calamari Salad (Μαριναρισμενα καλαμαρια σαλατα)

Although I'm off my close observance of the Great Lent, I promised myself to eat moderately, choose lighter meals and try (try) to avoid eating meat.

Many of you are witnessing the first signs of Spring...blossoming trees, green grass, wild greens growing, Morel mushrooms soon will be in season. I have yet to see any of these harbingers but I do witness birds hinting Spring is near.

I caught them doing the nasty and just look at their faces! What do you think they are saying? They have the look of just being caught...BUSTED!!!

Enough of bird talk, it's all about the food here. Spring is here and I still can't barbecue (and no I'm not shoveling the 1 1/2 metre snowbank in front of my grill).

One of my favourite seafoods is squid, aka. calamari. I enjoy calamari grilled the most but I don't have that luxury.

The next best thing to do is to poach your squid. All it needs is 5 minutes in simmering water and it's cooked.

Pick your favourite greens (arugula, watercress, mache, spinach, dandelions), make a simple vinaigrette, toss in a fruit of choice. I found some decent pomegranates at the market and I though the pretty red jewels would look great on this salad.

This salad, along with some bread, a dip and maybe a simple pasta will satisfy any person currently observing Lent.

Marinated Calamari Salad (Μαριναρισμενα καλαμαρια σαλατα)
(for 4)

1 lb. of fresh or frozen calamari, cleaned and body cut into rings
1/2 lemon water
1 stalk of celery, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
2 Tbsp. capers, drained
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 tsp. dry oregano
1/3 cup jarred red pepper, diced
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. sunflower oil

Pomegranate Vinaigrette

1 Tbsp. pomegranate molasses
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. honey
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Take your cleaned calamari and place in a medium sized pot. Fill it up with water until the squid is submerged. Add the lemon, cover and bring to a boil. As soon as the water boils, remove from the heat and allow the squid to poach in the residual heat for 5 minutes. Drain the water with a strainer and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Discard the lemon.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, add your calamari and the remaining ingredients and toss to amalgamate. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours for the ingredients to marry.
3. Make your vinaigrette by adding all the vinaigrette ingredients into a jar, seal and shake vigorously to emulsify.Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
4. Serve on a bed of your favourite or seasonal greens
   

Tourist in My Own City

One of my favourite things to do on my spare time is to roam different neighborhoods in Toronto. I live in the suburbs but I'm a downtown guy and I'm often in an area called Kensington Market.

Kensington Market was (and still is) an area of the city where immigrants would first reside and set-up shop nearby.

Today, this neighborhood is still ethnically diverse, Bohemian in feel and a great place to shop for vintage clothes, smoking paraphernalia, family-run fruit markets, grab a bite to eat or pick-up some good seafood.

Most of the stores selling seafood are Portuguese merchants but I always try and give business to my own 'peeps.

I like going to New Seaway Market, located at 195 Baldwin Street. It's Greek owned & operated and Theodoros and the boys are knowledgeable in seafood, the product is fresh and they will also carry some Greek fish!

I recently picked up some gorgeous red snapper fillets and I want to share this quick, easy and dramatic plating of this very flavourful fish.

In Greece, the most common dressing for a grilled fish is to simply dress it with a mixture of extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper and the herb of choice (latholemeno).

Greeks don't like to mask the flavour of their seafood. They truly enjoy the taste of fish and a latholemeno duly complements a grilled fish.

I still can't grill anything outdoors. There's a drift of snow over one metre high still blocking my way but I have a good alternative....broiling.

If broiling a fish, use a fillet with the skin intact. The broiler crisps up the skin and this folks is the closest thing to "bacon of the sea".

In my photo, my fillet curled up a bit (which I like). If you prefer a flat fillet, cut a couple of slits into the skin to prevent curling. Now, let's light 'it boy, light 'it!!



Broiled Red Snapper With Latholemeno
(for 4)

4 red snapper fillets
1/2 tsp. Vegeta
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
2 tsp. canola oil

Latholemeno

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/3 tsp. fine sea salt
1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 Tbsp. chopped chives (or scallions)
1 tsp. dried Greek oregano

1. In a bag, mix the canola oil, Vegeta and pepper and gently rub the marinade into the fillets. Marinate the fish for 1/2 hour (room temperature).
2. Preheat your oven's broiler. Arrange the fillets skin side up in a single layer on a line baking tray or gratin dish.
3. Place the fillets under the broiler (no more than 4 inches from the heat) and broil for 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, make your latholemeno by combining the salt, pepper, lemon juice in a jar. Shake well to emulsify and reserve.
5. Remove the fillets from the broiler (skin should be dark, brown and crusty) and spoon over the latholemeno over the fish.
   
6. Sprinkle with chives and oregano.
   

One Potato Salad, Hold The Mayo

A couple of weeks ago when I was having some fish, I couldn't decide on a side dish/starch. I love potato salads but the usual recipes with mayonnaise aren't a good match with fish.

I recalled making a potato salad last summer in Greece that went very well with fish and the Mayo was absent.

In the winter time, one doesn't want cold salad from the fridge but, served at room temperature or warm, this hits the spot.

I was also invited to participate in another food event called "Game Night Party", timed for the upcoming Superbowl. The event is hosted by Mansi of Fun & Food.

Anyone participating is asked to present a vegetarian dish (no meat or seafood) and I'm offering up this light, zesty potato salad...sans mayonnaise.

The bold ingredient in this recipe is mustard. Pick your mustard of choice...hot dog, Dijon or grain mustard...all would work well.

Dijon Potato Salad

1 kg. Yukon Gold potatoes
coarse salt
cracked black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. capers, drained and chopped
1/4 cup pickle juice
1/4 cup finely chopped dill pickles
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
3 scallions, chopped
1/2 cup of chopped fresh dill
juice of 1/4 of a lemon

1. Put the potatoes in pot of cold water. Season with salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Drain the potatoes and allow to cool (you may place in cold water).
2. In a large bowl, make your dressing by adding the olive oil, mustard, lemon juice and pickle juice and whisk to form an emulsion. Reserve.
   
3. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel the skins off with the back of a knife. Cut the potatoes into chunky pieces and add to the salad bowl.
4. Add your parsley, chopped pickles, scallions and dill and toss to coat the potatoes well. Adjust seasoning with coarse salt and fresh ground pepper.
5. Serve warm or at room temperature.
   

Feta Frites

I'm still relatively new to the blogosphere but I've found the community to be very friendly, helpful and exhilarating with all the new recipes I've been discovering on people's sites.

Among the first new friends I have is Nicole of Pinch My Salt. This gal is very lucky to be currently living in Sicily and absorbing it's rich heritage in food.

I noticed that Nicole had a prepared a cucumber salad with a feta cheese dressing and the timing couldn't have been better as I had just tried another feta sauce but I was underwhelmed.

I've stayed largely true to her recipe but left out the olive oil and substituted some evaporated milk to help smooth out the sauce and I left out the lemon juice as the zest was suffice.

In Canada & the US, we have our fries with ketchup or gravy. In Belgium, Netherlands & France they like a mayonnaise with their frites.

What about Greeks? Why....we like our "patates tiganites" with feta! This side dish is often found in greektowns around the world. I had these feta frites with my gyro or souvlaki. Try them at home...a sure crowd pleaser!

Creamy Feta Dressing

8 oz. plain yogurt
4 oz. feta cheese
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp evaporated milk
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder or 1 clove minced garlic
pinch of salt
fresh ground pepper
Splash of water

1) Using a plastic container, I first put in the crumbled feta in with a splash of water and using a fork, I mashed the feta into a paste.

2) I then mixed in the mayo, lemon zest, oregano, garlic powder, yogurt. I took a taste and seasoned with salt & pepper, a little more oregano and added the evaporated milk to get the creaminess I desired.

3) Spoon the sauce over your bed of frites or in a side serving bowl.

French Fries The Greek Way

Now onto our fries. This addendum is at the request of Jenn, the Leftover Queen and who will be paying me royalties for this closely guarded Greek secret to fries. You want cripsy- golden fries that are soft on the inside? Read on...

You need Yukon Gold potatoes, vegetable oil for frying, sea salt and a mandoline.

1) Using your mandoline, use the insert that will give you a cut of fries that are just like at that fast joint I call "Rotten Ronnies".

2) Allow your cut potatoes to sit in a bowl of ice-cold water for approx. 10 minutes.

3) When you're ready to fry, get your vessel of choice heated up to that 350-360 F heat and throw your potatoes in a strainer to drain most of the water (and lessen frying mishaps).

4) When think your oil is hot test by throwing in a small piece of potato and if it floats & starts sizzling, your oil is ready. Throw in the rest of your potatoes but don't crowd the vessel as it will lower your oil's heat and affect your result.

5) You are only going to "par-fry" the potatoes....say 5 minutes and reserve them in a toweled plate for 10 minutes. This method works really well if you're cooking in batches for a larger dinner.

6) After your 10 minutes have lapsed, throw your par-fried potatoes back into the hot oil and fry until you get the desired golden-brown fries we all know & love. Season with fine salt, toss and serve.