Friday, December 2, 2011

It's all Greek to Me!

Over the past few weeks, I have become inspired to mix up a LOT of Greek food. Greek salads, Greek frittatas, and EVEN started compiling Baklava recipes. My recent interest in Greek food and preparation styles comes from a blogging opportunity I've been given via Foodbuzz. Since I'm part of the Foodbuzz Featured Publisher community, Foodbuzz is offering an opportunity for a blogger to win a trip to Greece (!!!) sponsored by FAGE.

Greece has been on my wish list of travel destinations since I was a young girl. France, Italy, and Greece, because life along the Mediterranean has always appealed to me. Sun, sea, lemon trees, beautiful weather...the good life. Additionally, my boyfriend's cousin and his new wife honeymooned in Greece two years ago, and I barely knew them (having just met them at their wedding) but ogled over every last epicurean photograph from their honeymoon. I vowed that one day, I, too, would be eating gyros and octopus along the Mediterranean coast of beautiful Greece.

It wasn't until this opportunity, though, that prompted me to start exploring Mediterranean cuisine. I pored over way too many food blogs and maxed out my library card, wiping out my neighborhood library's Greek cookbook section in the process. I scoured FAGE's great website and searched their treasure trove of delectable recipes which highlight living "the good life" through Greek cuisine. At home, library cookbooks piled up on either side of the kitchen table, I began the journey into Greek flavor. In my quest for traditional Greek recipes with a modern twist, I started reading about old-style Greek foods. Fried Grasshoppers, anyone?

What I discovered was an abundance of organic, healthy cooking, with most dishes lavishly featuring fresh vegetables, simply prepared to keep all the vital nutrients preserved. Which made me think further: wouldn't it be great to start incorporating some of these ingredients into my daily life, thereby developing a more organic lifestyle? To me, adding lemon zest and feta cheese into my life can only be a good thing. Lemons, cucumbers, olives, feta cheese? Yes, please!

Equipped with a handful of Greek-inspired recipes, off to the grocery store I went. If a recipe calls for lemon, usually I will just buy a bottle of lemon juice. But for Greece, this simply will not do. So I purchased a bag of lemons instead. Where I may ordinarily get my cucumber fix through kosher dill pickles, this time I bought a couple whole cucumbers. And I don't think I've EVER considered feta cheese. Cheddar? Parmesan? A dairy staple in our refrigerator. Inspired by a list of traditional Greek Salad recipes and Greek Frittata recipes, I gathered all the tastes of the Mediterranean and some great olive oil and headed back to my Capitol Hill home kitchen, far from the Greek islands, to test them out.

Since a Greek salad is the heart of any Greek meal, I started with a Greek Garbanzo Bean Salad. Do you ever eat something and just feel immediately...healthy? Like you're filling your body with GOOD and bounty? This is how I felt, with one bite of the salad. The plus side? It TASTES amazing, too. Not only are you loading your body with fiber and feeling fuller than you would by consuming processed foods, it tastes like a day on the Mediterranean (or so I would imagine) with flavors like lemon and feta melding together perfectly, satisfying the taste buds with a tangy, tart, delicious snack, side dish, or full meal (my boyfriend happily devoured the entire bowl when he got home). It's not too acidic, not too salty, not bland at all. It's juuuust right.




Greek Garbanzo Bean Salad (adapted from this recipe):

2 (15 ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained
2 cucumbers, halved lengthwise and finely sliced
15 grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 red onion, finely sliced
2 scallions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15 ounce) can black olives, drained and sliced
5 oz crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup vinaigrette dressing
1 teaspoon fresh Greek oregano, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in order listed. Toss together and refrigerate 2 hours. Serve chilled.

A few days later, I was craving some more Greek flavor. So, I tweaked 2 frittata recipes and came up with this eggy delight, perfect for an afternoon in, curled up with The Iliad.

Ok, maybe not. Maybe My Big Fat Greek Wedding, but the thought was still there...




Greek Frittata (adapted from here and here):

3 Tablespoons olive oil
10 large eggs
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 oz baby spinach
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 small onion, diced
4 scallions (white and green parts), thinly sliced
1 bunch fresh chives, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh Greek oregano, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
8 oz feta, crumbled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add olive oil to a 2-quart casserole and transfer to oven for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together eggs, salt and pepper until foamy. Add the spinach, tomatoes, onion, scallions, chives, Greek oregano and thyme and mix together. Gently stir in the crumbled feta. Remove casserole from oven. Pour the egg mixture into casserole. Bake until the frittata is browned around the edges and slightly puffed and a knife comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool slightly, then serve.


The Heart of the Artichoke

I was thrilled to find out that the steamed artichoke, a recent favorite snack of mine since discovering fresh artichokes last Spring, is quite popular in Greece. I like to steam a whole artichoke, then peel back the leaves (I like to call them petals) one by one, dipping each petal into a ramekin of freshly-drawn butter with a squeeze of lemon, pulling the earthy flesh of the petals through my teeth, whittling the artichoke down and delicately removing the choke until only the heart remains. This is the best part, worth the wait and work of removing each and every petal. In the heart of the artichoke you find one of the greatest gastronomical pleasures- a most tender, flavorful piece of meaty vegetable with a soft texture. I like to dip this final delicacy into the hot, lemony butter, then sprinkle a dash of sea salt and an additional squeeze of fresh lemon right overtop, then pop the whole heart into my mouth. One of the best food experiences I've recently found. I love this aspect of life; the small yet significant joys of a fresh vegetable, simply prepared, enjoyed down to the last bite.

How To Steam An Artichoke:

1 artichoke
1 lemon
1 bay leaf
1/2 stick unsalted butter
sea salt, to taste

Rinse artichoke. Leave whole. Cut outer leaves. Cut off 1 inch of tip. Cut 1/4 inch of bottom stem. Snip tops of leaves. Place in steaming pot with 1/2 inch water, lemon wedge, and bay leaf. Steam 30-40 minutes, until leaves peel off with ease.

Melt 1/2 stick unsalted butter until just melted, still with white foam (the Greeks like to use brown butter, but I like mine drawn with white foam), add salt to taste, squeeze of fresh lemon.

To eat, see above description, and prepare yourself for the most scrumptious vegetable feast of your life.


As part of the Foodbuzz Featured Publisher program, I have been entered for the chance to win a trip to Greece courtesy of FAGE. You too can enter to win one of three trips to Greece by entering the FAGE Plain Extraordinary Greek Getaway here: http://www.fageusa.com/community/fage-greek-getaway/

Friday, December 2, 2011

It's all Greek to Me!

Over the past few weeks, I have become inspired to mix up a LOT of Greek food. Greek salads, Greek frittatas, and EVEN started compiling Baklava recipes. My recent interest in Greek food and preparation styles comes from a blogging opportunity I've been given via Foodbuzz. Since I'm part of the Foodbuzz Featured Publisher community, Foodbuzz is offering an opportunity for a blogger to win a trip to Greece (!!!) sponsored by FAGE.

Greece has been on my wish list of travel destinations since I was a young girl. France, Italy, and Greece, because life along the Mediterranean has always appealed to me. Sun, sea, lemon trees, beautiful weather...the good life. Additionally, my boyfriend's cousin and his new wife honeymooned in Greece two years ago, and I barely knew them (having just met them at their wedding) but ogled over every last epicurean photograph from their honeymoon. I vowed that one day, I, too, would be eating gyros and octopus along the Mediterranean coast of beautiful Greece.

It wasn't until this opportunity, though, that prompted me to start exploring Mediterranean cuisine. I pored over way too many food blogs and maxed out my library card, wiping out my neighborhood library's Greek cookbook section in the process. I scoured FAGE's great website and searched their treasure trove of delectable recipes which highlight living "the good life" through Greek cuisine. At home, library cookbooks piled up on either side of the kitchen table, I began the journey into Greek flavor. In my quest for traditional Greek recipes with a modern twist, I started reading about old-style Greek foods. Fried Grasshoppers, anyone?

What I discovered was an abundance of organic, healthy cooking, with most dishes lavishly featuring fresh vegetables, simply prepared to keep all the vital nutrients preserved. Which made me think further: wouldn't it be great to start incorporating some of these ingredients into my daily life, thereby developing a more organic lifestyle? To me, adding lemon zest and feta cheese into my life can only be a good thing. Lemons, cucumbers, olives, feta cheese? Yes, please!

Equipped with a handful of Greek-inspired recipes, off to the grocery store I went. If a recipe calls for lemon, usually I will just buy a bottle of lemon juice. But for Greece, this simply will not do. So I purchased a bag of lemons instead. Where I may ordinarily get my cucumber fix through kosher dill pickles, this time I bought a couple whole cucumbers. And I don't think I've EVER considered feta cheese. Cheddar? Parmesan? A dairy staple in our refrigerator. Inspired by a list of traditional Greek Salad recipes and Greek Frittata recipes, I gathered all the tastes of the Mediterranean and some great olive oil and headed back to my Capitol Hill home kitchen, far from the Greek islands, to test them out.

Since a Greek salad is the heart of any Greek meal, I started with a Greek Garbanzo Bean Salad. Do you ever eat something and just feel immediately...healthy? Like you're filling your body with GOOD and bounty? This is how I felt, with one bite of the salad. The plus side? It TASTES amazing, too. Not only are you loading your body with fiber and feeling fuller than you would by consuming processed foods, it tastes like a day on the Mediterranean (or so I would imagine) with flavors like lemon and feta melding together perfectly, satisfying the taste buds with a tangy, tart, delicious snack, side dish, or full meal (my boyfriend happily devoured the entire bowl when he got home). It's not too acidic, not too salty, not bland at all. It's juuuust right.




Greek Garbanzo Bean Salad (adapted from this recipe):

2 (15 ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained
2 cucumbers, halved lengthwise and finely sliced
15 grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 red onion, finely sliced
2 scallions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15 ounce) can black olives, drained and sliced
5 oz crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup vinaigrette dressing
1 teaspoon fresh Greek oregano, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in order listed. Toss together and refrigerate 2 hours. Serve chilled.

A few days later, I was craving some more Greek flavor. So, I tweaked 2 frittata recipes and came up with this eggy delight, perfect for an afternoon in, curled up with The Iliad.

Ok, maybe not. Maybe My Big Fat Greek Wedding, but the thought was still there...




Greek Frittata (adapted from here and here):

3 Tablespoons olive oil
10 large eggs
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 oz baby spinach
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 small onion, diced
4 scallions (white and green parts), thinly sliced
1 bunch fresh chives, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh Greek oregano, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
8 oz feta, crumbled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add olive oil to a 2-quart casserole and transfer to oven for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together eggs, salt and pepper until foamy. Add the spinach, tomatoes, onion, scallions, chives, Greek oregano and thyme and mix together. Gently stir in the crumbled feta. Remove casserole from oven. Pour the egg mixture into casserole. Bake until the frittata is browned around the edges and slightly puffed and a knife comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool slightly, then serve.


The Heart of the Artichoke

I was thrilled to find out that the steamed artichoke, a recent favorite snack of mine since discovering fresh artichokes last Spring, is quite popular in Greece. I like to steam a whole artichoke, then peel back the leaves (I like to call them petals) one by one, dipping each petal into a ramekin of freshly-drawn butter with a squeeze of lemon, pulling the earthy flesh of the petals through my teeth, whittling the artichoke down and delicately removing the choke until only the heart remains. This is the best part, worth the wait and work of removing each and every petal. In the heart of the artichoke you find one of the greatest gastronomical pleasures- a most tender, flavorful piece of meaty vegetable with a soft texture. I like to dip this final delicacy into the hot, lemony butter, then sprinkle a dash of sea salt and an additional squeeze of fresh lemon right overtop, then pop the whole heart into my mouth. One of the best food experiences I've recently found. I love this aspect of life; the small yet significant joys of a fresh vegetable, simply prepared, enjoyed down to the last bite.

How To Steam An Artichoke:

1 artichoke
1 lemon
1 bay leaf
1/2 stick unsalted butter
sea salt, to taste

Rinse artichoke. Leave whole. Cut outer leaves. Cut off 1 inch of tip. Cut 1/4 inch of bottom stem. Snip tops of leaves. Place in steaming pot with 1/2 inch water, lemon wedge, and bay leaf. Steam 30-40 minutes, until leaves peel off with ease.

Melt 1/2 stick unsalted butter until just melted, still with white foam (the Greeks like to use brown butter, but I like mine drawn with white foam), add salt to taste, squeeze of fresh lemon.

To eat, see above description, and prepare yourself for the most scrumptious vegetable feast of your life.


As part of the Foodbuzz Featured Publisher program, I have been entered for the chance to win a trip to Greece courtesy of FAGE. You too can enter to win one of three trips to Greece by entering the FAGE Plain Extraordinary Greek Getaway here: http://www.fageusa.com/community/fage-greek-getaway/