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! 

SALT COD FRITTERS (BACCALA - BACALIAROS)

Salt cod is cod that has been preserved by a method of drying and salting. In its preserved state the fish can last for a few years. Production of salt cod dates back at least 500 years, to the time Europeans discovered the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. Due to abundant nutrients and ideal water temperatures, the Grand Banks were at one time the richest fishing grounds in the world. Today, sadly, the area has been overfished. Salt cod was a vital item of commerce between the New World and the Old. In the Mediterranean, it is a traditional ingredient in the cuisine of most countries.

Easy to find during Lent: salt cod for sale at the grocer. 

In Greece, salt cod is usually fried and served with an accompaniment of skordalia (a garlic dip). In my recipe, baking powder is added to the fish batter, something which makes the fritters fluffier and lighter.

March 25, which most often falls during Lent, is the celebration of the feast of the Annunciation.

      The Annunciation by Leonardo da Vinci can be seen at the Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy.  

For Greeks, this feast day coincides with Greek Independence Day. That's a big deal. Therefore, the day is celebrated both with church services and with parades. 

March 25, Independence Day parade, Thessaloniki, Greece

When dinner time rolls around, it's very traditional to serve, among other types of seafood, salt cod and skordalia. There are various recipes for skordalia, and I have some posted on this blog. This last March 25, when I made salt cod fritters, I served them with a skordalia of potatoes, capers, and almonds. The whole meal was very enjoyable, very traditional and thanks to the skordalia, it was garlicky! Here's my version of salt cod fritters:

Ingredients:

2 pounds boneless, dry salted cod
3/4 cup of good quality beer. I use Heineken.
1 cup all-purpose flour
about 2 cups oil for frying
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon baking powder
ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

• Rinse the excess salt from the cod. Desalinate that baby as much as possible: place it in a large bowl covering it with cold water by several inches. 
• Soak, refrigerated, for 24 hours, changing the water every four hours. Drain.
• Add the cod to a saucepan filled with eight cups of fresh cold water. Cook only until the water comes to a boil. Drain again and pat the cod dry with paper towels. 
• Using your hands, shred the salt cod finely and place into a large bowl.
• Mix the flour with the baking powder and black pepper. Add the paprika or cayenne pepper if using.
• Pour the beer into a small bowl and slowly whisk in the flour, whisking until no lumps remain.
• Stir the flour mixture into the shredded salt cod until well combined. 
• Add the beaten egg and mix well.
• Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, working in batches, use a spoon to mould the fish into a flat round shape about two inches in diameter. Flattening the fritters will help them cook more evenly. 
• Carefully slip the fritters into the oil. Cook in batches: do not overcrowd the pan because the temperature of the oil will drop and the fritters will get soggy. 
• Cook, turning once, until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
• Serve warm with caper and almond skordalia click here for that recipe).

WALNUT SKORDALIA

Make walnut butter and then incorporate it into a recipe. One can thicken sauces with it or mix it in with vegetables. It can become a secret ingredient in soup! However, my favourite way to use walnut butter is to make walnut skordalia with it! Walnut skordalia is a Greek walnut-garlic sauce. It's simple to put together and very, very tasty. 

Skordalia is a popular Greek side dish which can be made with potatoes or walnuts. Its name comes from one of its key ingredients, skordo, which means garlic. Skordalia usually accompanies fried fish or fried/boiled vegetables. 

Walnut skordalia is a regional variation. It's made in Northeastern Greece, in the provinces of Macedonia and Thrace. My maternal grandmother, who was a true and proper Northeastern Greek, always made her skordalia with walnuts, never with potatoes. Of course, it helped that grandfather had planted walnut trees near one of his vineyards. There was always an ample supply of walnuts at their home. Traditionally, a mortar and pestle were used to pound the walnuts and garlic. Today, the food processor makes this job much easier.

Make a walnut butter: Place two cups of shelled, roasted walnut pieces in a food processor, and pulse until the walnuts are finely ground. 

Ingredients:

In addition to the walnut butter you will need:
1 cup of stale bread pieces without the crust
2 garlic cloves. Can use fewer or more than two: how much depends on social engagements and digestive tolerance. 
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
8 tablespoons olive oil
water

Directions:

1. Soak the bread in a bit of water. When it has softened, squeeze out the excess water. Discard the water and place the bread in a food processor.
2. Add all the other ingredients, including the walnut butter. Process until well blended.
3. Taste, and if the mixture feels thick, thin it out by adding a little water and then processing. In the end, the skordalia should have the consistency of thick mayonnaise.
4. Remove to bowl, cover and chill. Serve as an accompaniment to fish or vegetables.

***Walnut skordalia also makes a delicious dip or appetizer. Serve it in a bowl surrounded by toasted bread rounds, or top toasted bread slices with walnut skordalia and shrimp: use sliced French bread sprinkled with olive oil and toasted, then topped with skordalia and with shrimp which has been seasoned with lemon juice, black pepper and parsley.

SKORDALIA/ SKORTHALIA (Greek Potato - Garlic Sauce)

The Greek sauce that's named skordalia (from the word skordo, σκόρδο, meaning garlic) is a thick sauce somewhat similar to aioli. It's made with garlic, olive oil and some type of bulking agent such as potatoes, walnuts, almonds or bread. The bulking ingredients vary by locality, but the garlic itself is always present.
Skordalia is a favourite accompaniment to salt cod (bakaliaros), and other types of fish. It's also served with fried or boiled vegetables. It's tantalizing and delicious, but beware: the amount of garlic used is plentiful, so don't eat skordalia if you're planning a romantic tête-à-tête after dinner. My maternal grandmother, as I have often been told, always made her skordalia by using walnuts to bulk it up. However, the most popular version is made with potatoes. I make my potato skordalia by using lemon plus two types of vinegar: white balsamic and white wine. This acidic combination lends a fruity delectable taste that elevates the humble skordalia to a whole other level. Here's the recipe:

 Ingredients:

•  3 potatoes (should add up to little more than a pound)
•  2 cloves garlic, chopped 
•  1/2 cup olive oil
•  juice of one lemon
•  2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
•  ground black pepper to taste
• salt is optional
• Parsley, well chopped, to sprinkle on top
• One scallion sliced very thinly to sprinkle on top (optional)

Directions:

• Peel the potatoes cut them into pieces and place them in a saucepan. Cover them with water, and boil them until soft. Drain but reserve some of the water to use if necessary.
•  Mash the potatoes by hand. 
• In a food processor puree the garlic. 
• FLASHBACK: today most everyone uses a food processor, but I remember as a child watching an aunt prepare garlic for skordalia by mashing it up with a pestle in her beautiful marble mortar. I was completely fascinated and I wanted that mortar and pestle for my toy box! She didn't let me play with it even though she was otherwise very kind ... Well, flashbacks are fun! 
• To the processor, add the oil, vinegar and lemon juice. Mix it well. 
• Slowly pour the garlic/oil mixture onto the potatoes, mixing all the while. 
• The skordalia should be thick and soft. If it is too lumpy add some of the reserved water and mix to soften it.
• Season with pepper as needed. 
• Skordalia should have a garlicky taste. Use as much garlic as you are comfortable using. No more and no less. 

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.