PASTA PUTTANESCA with SHRIMP and FETA

I got the idea to make pasta puttanesca with shrimp and feta cheese when I was reading Andrea Camilleri's novel "The shape of water," featuring the character of Inspector Montalbano. I was reading the book for my participation in Cook The Books Club, and I had to think of something nice to make that reminded me of the book. The shrimp, the briny sauce, and the briny feta cheese bring to mind the seaside where inspector Montalbano likes to stroll. 

This is an enjoyable dish and very easy prepare. I love how Greek and Italian ingredients are combined here: strong Mediterranean roots! This dish depends on freshness, therefore, working quickly when preparing it is a must. I had the idea of garnishing the pasta with some fresh grape tomatoes which are very abundant at the market this time of year. They are imported all the way from Mexico and are very tasty. 

Linus happens to love pasta and today he is waiting patiently for his share.

Ingredients:

olive oil

1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 pound linguini

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese, plus a little more for garnish. 
two or three sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
3 Roma tomatoes cut into chunks (seeds and skin removed)
some grape tomatoes cut in half, to be used for garnish

4 anchovy fillets

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed

1 teaspoon red pepper seeds, or use more if you prefer

4 cloves of garlic, chopped
10 pitted Kalamata olives, sliced in half

¼ cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped

Directions:

• First, prepare the pasta and shrimp: 
• Fill a large pot with salted water and bring it to a boil. Add the linguini and cook according to package directions. 
• Drain the pasta and place it in a large bowl. Sprinkle some olive oil on the pasta, and mix.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet heat 3 tablespoons olive oil. 
• Add 2 cloves of garlic and sauté for one minute. 
• Add the shrimp and thyme and cook for about 3 minutes, until the shrimp have turned pink. 
• Remove from the heat, add the feta cheese and season with freshly ground black pepper. 
• Add the shrimp mixture to the pasta.
• Add some parsley and mix well. Cover and set aside.
• Now make the puttanesca sauce:
• In a pan heat some olive oil and add the rest of the garlic along with the anchovies, red pepper seeds, and capers. Cook for about one minute, stirring. 
• Add the olives, the oregano, the Roma tomatoes and the sun-dried tomatoes. 
• Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Add the sauce to the pasta and shrimp and mix. 
• Before serving garnish with the grape tomatoes and the rest of the parsley and feta cheese.

SKORDALIA DIP WITH CAPERS AND ALMONDS

For Greeks, the garlicky puree called skordalia is a traditional accompaniment to fish. Skordo means garlic in Greek, and so it's safe to assume that the name of the recipe, skordalia, connotes a preparation where garlic is a key ingredient. 

Besides accompanying fish, skordalia can be served as a dip with sliced bread or crudités. Several ingredients can form the base of skordalia: walnuts, potatoes, bread, almonds. One ingredient all versions have in common is the addition of the aforementioned garlic, plus garlic, and some garlic. My stomach likes for me to tone down the amount of garlic I use in skordalia. You can use as much or as little as you like; it all depends on personal preference and social engagements. A good rule of thumb is to remember that garlic taste intensifies; therefore, a subtle garlic flavour will become more pronounced as the sauce is waiting to be served. 

Caper and almond skordalia is a traditional recipe of the Greek Islands. The version here is truly delicious (I mean it)!!! It's based on one by the wonderful cookbook author Aglaia Kremezi.  

Ingredients:

2 cups cubed day-old whole-wheat bread, soaked in water until softened
1 clove of garlic, peeled and cut in half
1/4 cup capers, rinsed and drained; reserve one tablespoon of capers for garnish
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup blanched whole almonds, soaked overnight in water and drained
1 medium potato, boiled, peeled and mashed
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Salt is optional in this recipe

Directions:

• Squeeze the excess water from the soaked bread and place it in a food processor. Add the garlic and process until it forms a smooth paste. Add the capers and process until smooth. With the motor running, add the olive oil, a little at a time. Add the lemon juice and the almonds and pulse to coarsely chop.
• Scrape the mixture into a medium bowl and fold in the mashed potato. (Do not add the potato to the food processor: it will turn gluey). Season with pepper and, if necessary, salt to taste. If you like, add more lemon juice to taste. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.
• Stir in a few tablespoons of water if the dip is very thick. Garnish with the remaining tablespoon of capers.
• Best served with fish. Skordalia is the standard accompaniment to salt cod fritters, which are traditionally eaten during Lent, particularly on the feast day of the Annunciation (25 March), which tends to fall during the Lent season. Greeks will wait all year for a dinner of salt cod fritters and skordalia that's to be had on that day! 

GREEK SALAD FOR A CROWD

Hello, everybody! Today's topic is Greek salad, a salad that's pretty popular these days. Here's a recipe that's a little different from the everyday Greek salad but is just as good. It has enough portions to feed a crowd, so it's something great to make if you are having company or a large family gathering. Of course, the ingredients can be cut in half if you're not feeding lots of people. The star of this salad is the feta vinaigrette. It makes the salad special and is delicious, delicious, delicious! 

The recipe is based on one from the book "How to Roast Lamb," written by chef Michael Psilakis. The book has been part of my collection since this past Christmas when I bought it with a gift card I received. Don't bookstore gift cards make the best gifts? I made the salad for Easter when we had a large gathering, and now I am making it again for a summertime barbecue I am hosting. This salad can be assembled up to an hour ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator. The vinaigrette can also be made ahead of time. Dress the salad just before ready to serve. 

Ingredients: 
(Serves 10 to 15 as part of a buffet)

• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 or 3 heads of romaine lettuce hearts, outer leaves removed. Use the crunchy younger leaves. For the salad you see in the picture I used two heads of romaine
• 1 fennel bulb sliced very thin
• roasted bell peppers, or 3 small store-bought roasted red bell peppers, cut into thin strips
• about 24 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved.  I used some heirloom cherry tomatoes so as to vary tastes and colours.
• 1 English cucumber, peeled, halved, and sliced.  If it has too many seeds, remove them
• 5 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh dill, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon dried Greek oregano
• About 15 Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
• 15 whole caper berries *** see note  (if you don't like caper berries, use large capers)
• 3/4 cup Feta Vinaigrette
• 2/3 cup feta cheese, cubed
• 4 pepperoncini, sliced and add a few whole ones as well (pepperoncini are small, yellow, and mildly-hot peppers which are pickled and sold in jars)

Directions:

Getting the salad ready, with my heirloom cherry tomatoes, and with the caper berries right on top.

• In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients except the vinaigrette, feta and pepperoncini. Toss really well to combine.  
• When ready to serve: with really clean hands or with really clean hands and food gloves ... drizzle the vinaigrette on the salad and toss the mixture (this part is called getting to know your food)!
• Scatter feta and pepperoncini on top.
• Ready to serve!

Feta Vinaigrette 

(makes 1 1/4 cups, and it's kind of thick, but it dresses the salad well, and it tastes absolutely delicious).

Ingredients:

• 2 small onions, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little more for the onion
• Coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar (if you prefer red-wine vinegar, use it)
• 6 fresh basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons dried Greek oregano

That's the feta dressing poured on top. It has incredible flavour! It looks rather thick and greenish, but don't let the consistency or colour fool you. Once mixed in it turns the salad into something fabulous!

Directions:

• Preheat a grill pan.
• Brush onion slices with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Place onions and garlic on a grill pan and cook, turning, until tender. It should take 4 to 5 minutes for the onions and a much shorter time for the garlic. Make sure that the garlic isn't burned.
• Transfer to a small bowl; drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Toss to combine.
• Transfer the grilled onion and garlic into the bowl of a food processor and add the vinegar, basil, thyme, feta, mustard, shallots, oregano, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 tablespoon pepper; pulse to combine.
• With the processor running, slowly drizzle in 3/4 cup olive oil until dressing is smooth; season with salt and pepper.

I've made this vinaigrette again and again! The original recipe calls for red wine vinegar, but I substitute with white balsamic, which I sometimes combine with lemon juice.  I just don't like the taste of red vinegar. One final comment: the grilled onions and garlic? A brilliant idea, it makes for fantastic flavours!!!

***Note: What is a caper berry? 

There is a difference between the caper and the caper berry. Caper is a bush that grows wild in rocky coastal areas throughout the Mediterranean region. The capers that we eat are the pickled buds of this bush. If the buds are not harvested, they will flower and then turn into fruit. That fruit is the caper berry. Greeks pickle the caper berries and use them in cooking or serve them as a mezé. Both capers and caper berries have a piquant, mustard-like flavour. The caper berry has a stronger taste and is larger and fleshier than the caper. It's a lot easier to find capers at the store than caper berries, so go ahead and substitute if necessary.

Caperberries, this variety imported from Spain 

I had to include this photo (taken at a recent dinner) which shows caperberries accompanying a Mediterranean seafood feast. 

A jar of cappers.

flowering caper bush