ONE LAGANA, TWO LAGANES (λαγάνα, λαγάνες): A Greek Bread for Lent

Every year, on Clean Monday, comes the time to make laganes (that's the plural form of the word lagana). Laganes are a type of crunchy, semi leavened bread that's eaten by Greeks only once a year, on Clean Monday. But what does "Clean Monday" mean?

Let's set up the scene:  Apokriés, Αποκριές (the word means "saying goodbye to meat"), is the name for the Greek Mardi Gras (Carnival). It's a time of revelry, eating, dancing, drinking and masquerading. Pranksters rule. Carnival has its roots in pagan antiquity when it was a celebration of spring and rebirth. The early Christian church incorporated Carnival into its calendar, therefore, two millennia later it's still one big, huge celebration, lasting for almost one week and ending late into the night on Cheese Sunday. Yes, I said Cheese Sunday. No, there are no contests to see who can cut the most cheese (forgive me), although who knows, now that I have mentioned it, it may become a trend. Cheese Sunday is so named because the custom is to eat cheese and dairy products as a final treat prior to the beginning of Lent.  

As the next day dawns, it's time to greet Clean Monday, a day of fasting. After all that partying, a day of fasting is sorely needed. A nice long bath too, so that one is really clean on Clean Monday. However, bathing is not the raison d'etre for Clean Monday. The day ushers the Greek Orthodox Great Lent, which lasts about 40 days. For those who observe it, Lent is a period of fasting, reflecting, and repenting. It ends on the movable feast that is Easter Sunday. Therefore, Clean Monday is so named because it's a day to cleanse the soul. In Greece, it's a public holiday. The weather is still nippy and windy, and since people have off from work, they venture out to parks and to the countryside. It's customary to bring along a kite and see how far up high the wind will carry it along. It's fun to look up and see a sky dotted with colorful kites. What's on the dinner table? Well, Greek fasting is a very serious business. During a fast, the Orthodox church forbids eating meat, dairy or eggs. Basically, one has to become a vegan during religious fasts. However, on Clean Monday, the eating of shellfish is allowed. One popular dish to eat is mussels with rice. Another eating tradition is the lagana, a bread which contains only a small amount of yeast. 

 

Laganes are eaten once and only once a year, on this day, and are kind of synonymous with Clean Monday. People line up at bakeries early in the morning to buy them, hangover or no hangover left over from "Cheese" Sunday. By mid-afternoon, the laganes are sold out and the bakery shelves are empty. Here in the US, we have to make due by baking them at home, a job which is really not that hard. The result is so worth it! This was my first try at baking laganes and they came out great!!! Even my mother loved them, and she's very hard to please. She said they were better than hers, and now she wants my recipe. Well, mother, I got the recipe out of a cookbook that you gave me as a gift all those years ago. Remember? That large volume with the beautiful pictures I asked you to buy for me in Greece? Here's the recipe: 

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon yeast

1 cup warm water
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more flour for dusting
1/2 cup of good vegetable oil
2 teaspoons sugar plus a pinch of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
3 tablespoons sesame seeds

olive oil for brushing the loaves

Decorate by pressing your fingertips into the dough so that dots are formed. Push hard to make deep indentations that won’t disappear as the laganes bake. Prior to baking, brush the tops of the loaves with olive oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds. 

Directions:

• Sprinkle the yeast into the warm water and add the pinch of sugar. Leave it for about 20 to 30 minutes until the yeast comes alive and begins to foam.
• Into a large bowl sift the flour with the salt and the two teaspoons of sugar.
• Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the oil plus the water with the yeast. Mix with your hands to incorporate, and start creating the dough.  If it’s too dry you will need to add a little more water.
• Move the dough onto a floured surface in order to begin kneading it. Keep kneading until it’s soft and no longer sticky; at that point, it's ready to be formed into loaves. 
• The loaves can be round or oblong in shape, but they have to be flat, about ½ an inch high. Place them on baking sheets and cover them with clean kitchen towels. In about an hour they should double in size. If not, let them sit a while longer. The leavening process depends a lot on the temperature of the room.  
• Decorate the loaves by pressing the tips of your fingers into them so that dots are formed. Push hard so as to make deep indentations that won’t disappear as the laganes bake.  Brush the tops of the loaves with olive oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds. 
• Bake in a preheated 375ºF/190ºC oven for about 35 minutes, until they are golden. Halfway through baking rotate the pans, and if you like, brush a little more oil on the tops of the loaves.  
• The laganes will have that unbelievable, indescribable freshly baked bread aroma. Isn't irresistible? Eat them the same day while they are fresh. They won't taste as good the next day. If you have some left over, what you can do is freeze them. They will last in the freezer for a good two months.

SHRIMP WITH RICE

 

 Here is one of my favourite recipes for shrimp and rice, easy to make any time. It's my idea of comfort food. Try it, it makes a great dinner! It has a nice mixture of vegetables, and the tomatoes and broth make the rice taste wonderful.  Peas are a nice addition here, and I usually include them, but this time we did without because I forgot to buy them. I think the best part about making this dish is having leftovers. They make an excellent non-liquid nightcap!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 green pepper (or red if you like), finely chopped
1 cup of sliced mushrooms
1 cup frozen peas
1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup white wine 
3 cups hot vegetable broth
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 small bay leaf
1 cup of tomato sauce
1 tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped.
2 pounds shrimp, peeled, deveined.

Directions:

• In a large skillet heat the olive oil and add the onions, celery, and green pepper. Cook until the onions are soft, about ten minutes.
• Add the rice and cook while stirring, until the rice turns golden in colour.
• Add the garlic and stir for about a minute
• Add the wine and the mushrooms, stir, and then simmer for five minutes.
• Add the broth, tomato sauce, tomato, parsley, thyme and bay leaf. Cover and cook for about twenty minutes or until the rice is soft, stirring occasionally.
• Add the shrimp and the peas. Simmer about 6 to 7 more minutes, until the shrimp are done.
• Remove the bay leaf and serve.

PAN SEARED HALIBUT WITH SKORDALIA

March 25 is an important day in Greece, a double holiday with national plus religious significance. Orthodox Christians celebrate the Annunciation of the Theotokos, the day that the Archangel Gabriel announced to the Theotokos that she was to bear a child, and wouldn't you know it, Christ's birth followed exactly nine months later, on December 25! Gabriel knew what he was talking about, right? I've never heard of a gynaecologist who could predict a delivery day with such certainty ... 


Okay, I am back. Suddenly, I was hit by lightning, and I have no idea why or how because I am indoors. How did lightning get to me? I am mostly fine, I had to reboot my computer, and my hair is a bit singed and smoking but I'm not too concerned because I'll use the smoke and stuff as a fashion statement.  

Anyway, in the year 1821, on Annunciation Day, a prominent bishop of the Peloponnese named Germanos, proclaimed the beginning of the struggle for Greek independence. Since the fall of Constantinople in 1453, Greece had been stifling under the occupation of the Ottoman empire. A revolution began in 1821 and in 1832 Greece was recognized as an independent nation! 

Bishop Germanos is depicted in the centre. The painting is "Epanastasis" (Revolution), painted by Theodoros Vryzakis. One of my favourites of his is "Farewell at Sounio," seen below.

March 25 is and has been for Greeks a day of parades and great national feeling, and also a day of religious devotion and fasting. In Greece, religion and tradition pretty much regulate what will be placed on the table for dinner. On March 25, most Greeks will eat some type of seafood accompanied by skordalia, a garlicky potato dish. Today at my house, halibut is on the menu. All of us love its firm texture and its delicately sweet flavour. In cooking halibut, I've learned not to let it dry out. This is important as the fish contains little oil of its own, and can easily become tough if overcooked.

My favourite way of preparing it is to quickly pan sear it. One can play with a lot of sauces and spices while pan searing, but for today's holiday, considering that we fast, we'll cook it plain. Then we'll serve it with a bit of skordalia and a nice tomato salad.


Ingredients:

1. 4 halibut fillets, about 6 ounces each
2. Salt and pepper to taste
3. Lemon juice to taste
4. Flour for dusting the fish
5. 3 tablespoons olive oil
6. 3 tablespoons butter

Directions:

• Sprinkle the halibut with some lemon juice and season it with salt and pepper. Dust both sides with flour, then shake off the excess flour.
• Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pan. When the oil starts to smoke faintly, add the halibut. Let it cook on medium high for three to four minutes, until the seared side has turned dark golden brown.
• Turn the fillets over carefully, and lower the heat to medium. Cook for another four minutes or until the internal temperature of the fish reaches 120° F. Check by inserting a cooking thermometer into the thickest part of the fillet.
• Add the butter to the pan and swirl. Don't let it burn. Using a spoon baste the fish with the butter, cooking for another minute.
• Transfer the halibut to a serving platter and let it rest for a couple of minutes before serving.

TARAMOSALATA with POTATOES

Sometimes taramosalata is made with potatoes. They replace bread, which is the more common ingredient used to dilute tarama. I don't know if this is a regional preference or just a recipe variation. Since tarama is often eaten during Lent, when there are many fasting restrictions, potatoes might have been added to make a more filling salad.

I have a particular fondness for this recipe, and it's slowly becoming my go-to recipe for tarama salad. It's lemony, with a mild tarama flavour, but if you like it stronger, you can add a little more tarama. The taste of the potatoes adds more complexity to the salad than bread does. 

Tarama made with potatoes reminds me of the following story, which my mother loves to tell: When my parents were newly married, my mother made taramosalata with potatoes instead of bread. It was around Easter time, and relatives were coming for dinner. When my father tasted it, he hit the roof. "What have you done? he asked her. Why did you put potatoes in the tarama? They'll be laughing at us!" He had never heard of a version of the recipe made with potatoes and he was very upset. His antics ruined my mother's confidence in the quality of the dinner she had prepared. Neither one of my parents was happy to see the company arrive. As it turned out the taramosalata was eaten with pleasure, and the guests complimented her cooking! I don't know what exactly if anything that incident taught my father; he was a man with a hot temper but I don't remember him criticizing my mother's cooking.

This tarama is based on a recipe I came across years ago when it was published in the New York Times.  

Ingredients:

• 2 cups vegetable oil
• 1/4 of an onion, chopped
• 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, boiled, peeled, cooled and chopped
• 3/4 cup blanched almonds, ground up
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) tarama
• 2/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

• In a food processor mix the onion, potatoes and almonds until they are finely incorporated and the mixture looks smooth.
• Add the tarama and keep mixing until blended.
• Add the lemon juice, and mix.
• Add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream mixing constantly. Stop when the salad has the consistency of mayonnaise 
• Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.
• This should make about four cups, plenty for leftovers or to send home with guests.

What is Tarama?

What we purchase as bottled tarama is the salted and cured roe (or caviar) of carp fish. What is roe? That’s the ripe ovary and the masses of fish eggs it contains. Carp roe (or hard roe), is aged for about a year before it’s ready to be sold as tarama. Tarama is not eatable plain and should be turned into taramosalata before eating. Taramosalata is made by adding bread, lemon juice and oil to a portion of tarama. The mixture should have a light orange or salmon colour. The more it is diluted with bread and oil (or potatoes as is the case in the recipe here), the lighter its colour becomes. 

I truly would not recommend buying ready-made tarama salad (taramosalata); it contains chemicals and food colouring and who knows what else! If you find it ready-made for sale and it looks a hot pink colour, put your sunglasses on and run! 

MUSSELS WITH RICE (for Clean Monday)

If it's mussels and rice for dinner, it must be Clean Monday. Why? Because Lent is here! For Greeks, the first day of Great Lent is called Clean Monday. It's a day of fasting after a long weekend of celebrating Carnival. Clean Monday begins the forty days of fasting and repentance that lead to Easter Sunday. In Greece, it's a public holiday. Clean Monday is a day of personal reflection and a day of forgiveness and cleansing of one's conscience. It ushers in "Clean Week," when it's customary to go to confession and clean the house, sort of a spring cleaning of the soul and its surroundings. Since Clean Monday is a holiday, people plan outdoor excursions. Paper kites are flown as a way of celebrating the coming of spring.

 

These two pages are from my precious first-grade reader. Here, a little boy name Riga is flying his kite which as he says went as high as the clouds, higher than any of the others. Then Riga gets a congratulatory hug from his yiayia (his granny). The cat, whose name is Snow, wants some hugs as well. This reader, long out of use scholastically, was reissued sometime around the year 2000, as a memento for all of us grown-up kids who were suffering from nostalgia. And believe me, that's what the skies looked like at the beginning of Lent during our childhood! They were filled with kites, and on the streets, little children and their parents, kites in hand, were walking towards open areas to let the kites go, go, fly up high! Then, home for a lenten meal with lagana, horta, tarama, olives, and most likely mussels and rice. 

On Clean Monday, food is of the fasting type. Meat, dairy products, and eggs are forbidden. Alcohol is forbidden. Any type of fish with bones is not allowed to be eaten because bony fish contain blood. Shellfish are consumed, as well as a type of unleavened flatbread called a lagana. I say unleavened, that's the traditional rendition, however, modern times have ushered in the use of a small amount of yeast. 

A popular dish to have for dinner on Clean Monday is mussels and rice. And it's really delicious: Mussels and a seafood broth are incorporated into the making of rice pilaf. Yum! 

A note on my personal choice when buying mussels: 

There are two alternatives. One is to buy the live, farm-raised mussels, clean them (rinse, scrub, rinse, scrub, rinse, rinse), and cook them, hoping that you don't have too much waste. When buying fresh mussels, always buy more than you think you will need. Some will be open and must be discarded. Others will not open during cooking. Discard. Others will be so small that you will need a magnifying glass to find the mussel meat. Once fresh mussels are cooked, you'll have to remove the meat from the shells, discard a small mountain of shells, and scrub down kitchen counters, range counters, kitchen sinks, and kitchen floors ... If you're fine with that, then go ahead, purchase the fresh mussels.

For convenience at home, sometimes I choose the mussel meat that is available in the frozen seafood section of the market. Forgive me world, I buy frozen mussels, and I admit it. Okay? Okay. 

Well ... I buy fresh mussels as well. Here, they are steaming in a Dutch oven along with some aromatics. They should be covered while steaming. I removed the lid only to take the photo. Fresh or frozen, mussels come from the same source. 

Another note I want to post is to explain that buying farm-raised fresh mussels is preferable to buying the wild variety. Wild mussels will come filled with sand and grit. They will need lots of cleaning and water changes before they are ready to cook. Farmed mussels are grown on ropes that are attached to poles drilled into the ocean floor. This method of growing mussels is safe and beneficial for the environment; also, since these mussels don't get close to any sand, they are considerably cleaner than the wild ones. Mussels are filter feeders, and as they grow on their ropes, they feast on a natural diet of algae, not on that artificial diet of pellets given to other farm-raised seafood. Here are some pictures of mussel culture:

 sustainable aquaculture; a diagram of how mussels are farmed.

The mussel culture ropes are seen in the background; they make an important habitat for fish. 

Below, is my "mussel pilaf" recipe for Clean Monday. 

If you choose to use fresh mussels, count on purchasing four pounds of shell-on mussels. Wash your fresh mussels very, very well, pull out any beards present, discard any opened mussels, and cook the rest for five to six minutes in boiling water to cover. To this water, along with the mussels, add some aromatics: a cut-up lemon, a cut-up lime, an onion, some garlic cloves, some peppercorns, and some bay leaves. Once the mussels are cooked, drain, discarding the cooking liquid. Also, discard any unopened mussels, remove the mussel meat from the rest of the shells and proceed with the recipe. You may want to save some mussel shells for decoration.

Ingredients: 

The mussel meat that has been cooked. It will most likely wind up being somewhere around 16 ounces / 500 grams of mussel meat  
6 tablespoons of olive oil
1 large onion, chopped 
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 sweet Italian frying pepper, chopped

3 scallions, sliced thinly, use the white and light green parts only
2 cups long-grain rice
3 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 tablespoons chopped dill

salt and pepper to taste

a sprig of thyme

the juice of one lemon

one tomato, skin removed, tomato cut into small pieces

Sliced lemons 

vegetable broth, clam juice, and water, any combination that's preferred. The liquid should equal 4 cups 



Directions:

For the rice and the assembly:

1. In a Duch oven, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onions and sweet pepper. Sauté until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for one minute.
2. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for about two minutes. Season with a little salt and pepper.
3. Pour the four cups of liquid and the rest of the oil (3 tablespoons) over the rice. Add the tomato, thyme, and lemon juice. 
4. Simmer for 20 minutes until the rice is soft and the liquid has been absorbed.
5. About five minutes before the rice is done, add the parsley, dill, and scallions. Correct the seasonings if needed. Mix well, cover, and continue cooking until done.
6. Remove the thyme sprig then carefully fold the mussels into the rice. 
7. Turn off the heat. Cover the pan with two paper towels and place the lid on top of the towels. Leave the pan on the stove (with the heat off) for 5 to 10 minutes. This will make the rice fluffier because the paper will absorb steam. Discard the paper towels and serve the pilaf. Offer lemon slices, as some people might want to squeeze more lemon juice onto their mussels.

TARAMOSALATA DIP or TARAMA SALAD

Here is recipe #2 for tarama. It comes courtesy of my mother's friend Litsa, who makes it often when she entertains. The recipe here is diluted with a larger quantity of oil and bread; this gives it a subtler flavour and makes it ideal to serve as a dip. It can be accompanied by crackers, pita slices, or sliced vegetables such as celery and cucumbers. Taramosalata can be served anytime, but it's a favourite recipe to have during Lent.


Ingredients:

1. 3 tablespoons tarama
2. 2 cups vegetable oil (not olive oil)
3. 10 slices white bread, crusts removed
4. 1/4 cup lemon juice
   
   Directions:

• Immerse the bread in a bowl of cold water. When it is soaked, remove it and squeeze the bread thoroughly to get rid of excess water.
• Place the tarama in the bowl of a food processor. Add the oil and start to blend. Continue blending until the tarama and oil are well mixed.
• Add the bread, a bit at a time, while blending all the while. You will see that the tarama will begin to thicken.
• Keep blending while adding the lemon juice. All the ingredients should be well incorporated. The tarama will be ready when it has the consistency of thick mayonnaise.