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Appetizers
By AGLAIA KREMEZIS
Cucumber With Feta Cheese and Mint
ANGURI ME FETA KE DIOSMO
When I was a child, cucumber never entered our house because my father considered it to be unhealthy. I remember its fresh aroma on hot summer evenings, when everyone had dinner outdoors. This salad is very easy to make and is a perfect side dish for grilled lamb or any broiled meat.
1 large cucumber, half-peeled in lengthwise strips to give striped appearance
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
6 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
SERVES 4
Wash and dry the cucumber and cut it into very thin crosswise slices. Place the slices in a salad bowl, sprinkling with the feta cheese and mint. In a small bowl whisk the oil and lemon juice with the salt and pepper to make ladolemono (a vinaigrette made with lemon juice). Pour over the salad and toss thoroughly. Serve immediately.
Eggplant Caviar
MELINTZANOSALATA
A classic, simple, and delicious Greek spread, Melintzanosalata can also be used as a sauce for steamed potatoes and other vegetables. Alas, the version tourists taste in the tavernas is a mixture of mayonnaise with a little eggplant mixed in- it has very little to do with the real thing. I'm not exaggerating by saying that every Greek cook has his or her own version of Melintzanosalata. The best is found in the small ouzeries in Northern Greece. It often contains nothing more than eggplant, a little oil and some vinegar. In Sotiris's ouzo bar in Thessalonica the egg plant skin is scorched over a charcoal fire, then the flesh is carefully removed with a spoon and made into the Melintzanosalata, which is then returned to the boatlike eggplant skin and served. You can make Melintzanosalata in a food processor, but I prefer the coarse texture it has when made with a food mill. Prepare it several hours or a day in advance and keep it in the refrigerator. It tastes better the day after it is made.
3 medium eggplants (about 2 pounds total)
1 green bell pepper, roasted and peeled
1/2 cup olive oil
3-4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/3 -1/2 teaspoon minced fresh chili pepper, or freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)
Sea salt
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS
Pierce the eggplants twice near the stem with a fork. There are 3 possible ways to give the eggplant the smoky flavor this recipe requires: If you have a charcoal grill, cook the eggplants over the coals until the flesh is tender. If you have an electric stove, place 3 layers of aluminum foil on a burner set at medium heat. Place the eggplants on the foil and let them cook, turning them frequently, until the skin is crisp all over and the flesh is tender, 25 to 30 minutes. If you have a gas stove, hold each eggplant with a barbecue fork over the flame until the skin is crisp, then bake at 400 F. until the flesh is tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Peel the eggplants while still hot and discard most of the seeds. Chop the flesh, or pass it through the coarse disk of a food mill. Chop the pepper finely and mix with the eggplant. In a medium bowl beat the eggplant and pepper with a wooden spoon, adding the oil and vinegar a little at a time. Add the garlic, chili pepper, and parsley while continuing to beat. Season with salt. Taste, and add more vinegar if needed.
Note: If you want to serve Melintzanosalata as a sauce with steamed vegetables and potatoes, add 1 more garlic clove and 1 cup Greek-style yogurt just before serving
Garlic Sauce
SKORDALIA
Skordalia is ubiquitous to Greek cooking-you find it served as a spread, with meze for ouzo or wine, to accompany fried or boiled fish, and even served with meat dishes. Ancient Greeks had a sauce called skorodalmi that contained garlic, salt, and vinegar, similar to the skordostumbi one finds in Northern Greece today. Skordalia is even used to cook vegetables, meat, or fish. In some parts of Greece, especially in the Peloponnese, skordalia is prepared using just potatoes and no bread, and is frequently called aliada, a reference to the Italian agliata, which was described by Bartolomeo Scappi in Dell'Arte Cucinare, published in 1570. (Agliata was made with walnuts, almonds and bread soaked in meat sauce with plenty of garlic cloves, all pounded in a mortar.) This medieval garlic sauce, which contained no olive oil, was also served with eggplant. In Greece, you can find skordalia prepared with almonds instead of walnuts. In Turkey and the Middle East, a very similar sauce is called tarator. The traditional Skordalia uses seven cloves or even a whole head of garlic. If you want a less potent sauce, use five cloves or fewer. And you can make it in a food processor or prepare it in the traditional way in a wooden or stone mortar. It's a good idea to cut the cloves lengthwise and discard the inner green bud before crushing the garlic in the mortar or food processor. This will make the skordalia more digestible.
3 thick slices of whole wheat bread, crusts removed soaked in water
1/2 cup mashed potatoes
5-7 cloves garlic
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup olive oil
1/3 -1/2 cup lemon juice
Sea salt to taste
MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS
Squeeze the bread to remove excess water. In a mortar or food processor, process the bread, potatoes, garlic, and walnuts until the mixture becomes a smooth paste. Continuing to beat, very slowly pour in the oil as if you were making mayonnaise. Add 1/3 cup lemon juice and taste. If necessary, season with salt and more lemon juice.
Fried Cheese Pies
TIGANITES TIROPITES
These delicious pies are made on the islands of Chios and Lesbos, near the coast of Asia Minor. They are the traditional dish cooked during the last week of Carnival, just before Lent. Serve Tyropites as an appetizer or as a main dish, accompanied by a green salad. I prefer to serve them warm, but they can also be eaten cold.
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 egg
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup warm water, or more
FILLING
4 eggs
2/3 cup grated kefalotyri or pecorino cheese
2/3 cup crumbled hard feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint or 1 teaspoon dried
Olive and sunflower oil, for deep frying
MAKES 12 PIES
In a large bowl, mix the flour with the salt. Make a well in the center and break the egg into it. Add the olive oil and 1/3 cup water. Mix the ingredients and start kneading, adding a little more water if you need to, to make a smooth dough. Set aside for about 30 minutes, covered. Mix the eggs, cheeses, and mint in a large bowl. Divide the dough into 12 pieces, each about the size of a golf ball. On a floured board, roll out each piece with a rolling pin and stretch with your hands. Don't worry if they are not perfect circles. Place one tablespoon of the filling in the center of each disk, spreading it over half the dough, leaving a 2/3- inch border. Brush the edges of the disks with water and press the two sides together with your fingers or with a fork to seal them.
Heat the oil in a deep skillet until 325-350 F., and deep-fry the cheese pies on both sides until golden and puffed, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to paper towels to drain excess oil, and serve while still warm.
Note: You can make triangular cheese pieces using commercial phyllo and this filling. Double the amount of filling and use one 1-pound package of commercial phyllo. Preheat the oven to 350'F. Keep the phyllo well covered as you work, to prevent it from drying out. Cut each phyllo sheet into thirds, making three long strips. Take one strip, brush with olive oil, and place 1 teaspoon of filling on the end nearest you. Fold over diagonally, so the right corner meets the left side. Continue folding to make a triangular- shaped pie. Brush again with olive oil and place in an oiled pan. Continue until you have used all the filling. Bake for 25 minutes, until golden. Serve hot. |
