PANZANELLA, a lovely bread and tomato salad

There are so many ways to make panzanella! Sometimes, in summer, I make a very simple version just by cutting up stale bread into chunks, combining it with a sliced tomato, and mixing it up with some lemon juice and olive oil. If I want to get fancy I top it with a little crumbled feta cheese. Very simple and it hits the spot.   

Panzanella is a summertime bread salad made popular by the Florentines. It's a good way to use up leftover bread, and it's true peasant fare, which means it's really good. In addition to the bread, panzanella includes tomatoes, lots of basil, and sometimes other fresh vegetables. The salad is dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, or vinegar. It's a great choice for dinner on a hot, hot, day. I made some recently when the temperature was hovering around 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and here's how I put it together:

Get a piece of stale bread and cut it into cubes. Sprinkle with olive oil and mix well. Place the bread cubes in a skillet and cook them on the stovetop. Make sure they are cooked on all sides. As soon as the cubes finish cooking add some grated pecorino cheese and mix. Set the bread cubes aside and let them cool. 

In a large bowl toss the following: 1 sliced large tomato, some cherry tomatoes of various colours cut in half,  a few Kalamata olives cut in half, lots of basil leaves coarsely chopped, and a little Italian parsley coarsely chopped. 

Make a dressing by combining 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of white balsamic vinegar, 5 tablespoons of olive oil, some black pepper, a dash of salt, and a pinch of fresh thyme. Pour it over the salad. Add the reserved bread and toss everything well. Top the salad with a small amount of crumbled feta cheese. Chill for about an hour in order to allow the flavours to blend, then serve and enjoy!!! 

FILLET of COD en PAPILLOTE

Here's a recipe for fillet of fish en papillote that can be prepared both with salmon or cod. I happened to find some nice cod in the market, so cod it was. There just aren't enough good things I can say about this recipe.  The fish came out tasting incredibly delicious! This is a recipe by Dorie Greenspan that's meant to treasure and make again and again. 

En papillote is a method of cooking by wrapping food in parchment paper or aluminium foil. This method seals in the flavours during the cooking process and renders a more aromatic and tender product. That's exactly what happened here. The aroma of the cod was incredible and its texture was truly succulent.
 

I made two fish packets.  To start off, I washed the fish well and patted it dry. Then I placed it in a bowl and seasoned it with salt and pepper. I sprinkled the juice of one lemon over the fish and I let it absorb the lemon flavour while I continued my prep work. I made some tomato concassé, which is nothing else than diced tomatoes, peeled and with the seeds removed. I always do this when I cook with fresh tomatoes because I really dislike finding loose tomato skins or seeds in my food; they are tough and bitter, so out they go! I salted the tomatoes and sautéed them in some olive oil. Then I cut two large pieces of aluminium foil and placed them on the counter. After that, all that was left to do was a layering of ingredients. Some basil leaves went on the foil, then the fish, then the tomatoes then some lemon rind.

The layering continued with some chopped scallions, a couple of thinly cut lemon slices, a few dashes of olive oil, a bit more basil and a sprig of fresh thyme. I folded the foil over the fish and herbs, forming well-sealed packets. The fish cooked in a 400° F oven for about 12 minutes. 

I opened up the foil packets and a fragrant puff of steam rose up from them, catching me by surprise. But I soon breathed in the aroma of basil, thyme and lemon.  

The fish was plated and served right away. It was seasoned perfectly, and the en papillote method had ensured the cod came out very tender. 

How can I not cook this again?

Beet Salad with Goat Cheese, Mint, and Mustard Vinaigrette

Beets! This root vegetable makes a delicious and nutritious salad, especially in fall and winter. Boiling is the most common way of cooking beets for salad. However, beets are messy to boil. The solution is to bake them and also to arrange parchment paper on the baking dish so that it's easier to clean. You can combine the greens to be used and you could also add pistachios to the salad. The beets go really well with walnuts and the goat cheese goes well with pistachios. You could also add feta or substitute the goat cheese for feta. Enjoy putting the salad together. Make it yours!

Ingredients:

3 beets 
2 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
white balsamic vinegar

lemon juice
some dried oregano

some walnuts, roasted

mint leaves

goat cheese, cut in bite-sized pieces

arugula or lettuce or both

one small, red onion -- slice and place in a bowl of cold water, then place the bowl in the refrigerator until it's time for the onions to go on top of the beets. This way, the onions will have a very nice crunch.

Directions:

• Slice the onion and place the slices in a bowl of cold water, then place the bowl in the refrigerator and leave it there until it's time for the onions to go on top of the beets. This way, the onions will have a very nice crunch.
• Preheat the oven to 375 F. 
• Cut off the leaves and wash the beets. Peel them and cut them in half.  
• Choose a baking dish with a cover and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper. Add the beets and the garlic, season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with olive oil, cover and bake for about forty minutes until the beets are soft.
• Take them out of the oven and let them cool until they can be handled. Discard the garlic pieces and cut the beets into slices. 
• Make a vinaigrette using Dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper, dried oregano, white balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  
• Toss the beets with the dressing, cover them and place them in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
• When ready to serve, take the onions out of the refrigerator and drain well. 
• Arrange some arugula or lettuce on a serving platter and top these greens with the beet/vinaigrette mixture. 
• Decorate the salad with chopped mint leaves, goat cheese, sliced cold red onions, and some chopped roasted walnuts. 

FRUIT WITH HONEY AND MINT FLAVORED GREEK YOGHURT

Here's something very simple, quick and really delicious to make: fruit with Greek yoghurt, mint and honey.  

I used honeydew, peaches and strawberries.

I love this way of serving fruit. On warm summer evenings, it makes a very nice late supper. The mint and fruit cool down the palette, and the honey sweetens it up. 

This was something my father often requested as his night-time snack.  Eating it reminded him of his boyhood in Greece when his mother offered similar fare for supper. Dad always finished off his meal with a cup of tea. It didn't matter how hot it was outside; his habit was to eat the cold fruit and yoghurt and then sip a warm cup of tea flavoured with lemon and honey.  During all of his 87 years, he definitely had a sweet tooth. 

Lemon, honey, yoghurt, mint and sweet summer fruit: some of the flavourful gifts the Mediterranean soil offers for our enjoyment.  The earth gives but it also takes. Father died a while ago, a sudden passing. May he rest in peace. Εἰρήνη πᾶσι. Peace be with all.

A ladybug visited while I was picking mint 

Ingredients:

• nice summer fruit such as cantaloupe, honeydew, peaches, mango, strawberries or blackberries.
• 2 cups Greek yoghurt 
• 1/4 cup mint leaves, chopped. Leave some whole for decoration 
• 2 or 3 tablespoons of honey
• optional: some chopped walnuts or sliced almonds 

Directions:

Clean and cut up the fruit into serving pieces. Arrange it on a platter.
Place the yoghurt in a serving bowl, drizzle honey over it and sprinkle the mint on top. Also, offer some nuts on the side: Chopped walnuts and sliced almonds would be nice. 
Bring the yoghurt, the nuts if using, and the fruit to the table and serve it to your friends and family.

P.S. Instead of honey, maple syrup can be used.

PASTA WITH SAUSAGE AND BLUE CHEESE, EPIRUS STYLE

I came across this recipe on the Saveur website. A little more than a year ago, Saveur magazine published a "Greek Food" issue. I would have purchased it, except I didn't find out about it until months later; I missed out! However, most of the articles and recipes are now on the Internet and trust me, I checked them out thoroughly. 

This pasta with blue cheese is a recipe I was not familiar with, so I decided to try it. It's pasta and sausage in a creamy blue cheese sauce, and it's flavoured with lots of fresh oregano. I found that the tangy-tasting blue cheese brought a nice kick to the dish, complementing the sausage very well. As for the sausage, if you're lucky enough to find Greek sausage, use it. Each Greek region has its own sausage recipes, but generally, most contain pork and lamb and are flavoured with fennel seed, orange peel, garlic, leeks, and wine. If you can't find Greek sausage, substitute with an Italian one, or any other type that you enjoy. Try not to use a variety that's heavily seasoned; allow the kick in this recipe to come from the blue cheese. (Alternatively, you can omit the sausage and turn this into an excellent vegetarian dish)!  

The native name for this recipe is "Makaronia me loukanika kai tyri," which literally translates to "pasta with sausages and cheese." It hails from the province of Epirus, which is a mountainous region in  Northwestern Greece. The shores of Epirus rest on the Ionian Sea, and right across the sea, only a short ferryboat ride away is Italy. Ioannina, a city with a history that dates as far back as 700 CE, is the capital of the province of Epirus. I imagine that this recipe was created in Ioannina or its surroundings because it includes the addition of blue cheese, which is not a traditional Greek-type cheese. The city has always been a busy trading centre so I can see how foreign traders could have introduced the locals to blue cheese. 

Currently, near Ioannina, there is a cheese cooperative that specializes in making Italian and other types of European cheeses. Dairy production, especially cheese making, is a big business in the area.

From a postcard, a lakeshore view of the city of Ioannina surrounded by the Pindos mountain range. 

I've had occasion to visit Ioannina, and I'll never forget the adventure of getting there! First, I should tell you that Ioannina is surrounded by the Pindos mountains, which, at elevations of over 2,500 meters in some places, are the highest mountains in Greece. We had to drive through the Pindos mountain range to reach our destination. For the most part, the road consisted of two narrow lanes running in opposite directions, with nothing such as a median between them. Our car climbed round and round, winding higher and higher and making harrowing, sharp turns that put the fear of God into us. We had some very scenic views of mountain vistas, but we were also concerned about the steep drops which would suddenly appear on either side of the road. Did I mention there were few guard rails? Mishandle the steering wheel, and it would be goodnight and goodbye and down you go, all the way down a sheer, cavernous drop. The terrain reflects the names given to the villages: the place where we stopped to fill up with petrol was named Katara, which means "Curse." The driver of our car was none other than my brother, and in his estimation, the ride was "awesome" and "exhilarating." He knew I found the road dangerous, so he thought it would be funny if, once in a while, he scared me by yelling out, "Oh, no, we're going to die!" I wasn't too amused at the time, but now, as I write this, I can't help but chuckle.

   

This photograph brings back so many memories...  I will never forget the stark beauty of the Pindos range.  By the way, the road appears wider in the picture ... 

Things started looking better when we began to descend the mountain. The road widened, and the city of Ioannina became visible in the distance. I felt such relief that I started singing along with the song playing on the radio, a song that, up until that day, I strongly disliked. Believe it or not, since then, I have been happy to hear it (usually happy to hear it — not all conditioning lasts a lifetime): Jethro Tull, Ian Anderson, Aqualung! 

Part of the Pindos range





I found this photo and the one above it on the Internet. The road is just as I remember it. This is part of the Via Egnatia, initially constructed by the Romans in the second century BCE ... No kidding here: built by the Romans, the Via Egnatia (a continuation of the Via Appia) was a path which reached from Epirus to Byzantium. It has obviously been widened and paved since then. The surrounding areas are abundant with forests and wildlife. This is also a biker's and a hiker's paradise. 

I'd like to ask WHY? Some may say the recent improvements to the road were necessary. I believe this bridge is an eyesore. Sometimes, you've just got to let the mountain win (this is also a photo from the Internet). 

It's been a little more than twenty years since we took that trip. I have been told that today, there is a new, safer highway going through those mountains. It's been constructed with lots of tunnels and bridges to avoid the sharp turns. Also, because of the tunnels, this new highway doesn't have to close down as often during the snowy, icy winter months. As recently as ten years ago, it had been too perilous for traffic to go through during winter, and the road was closed for about a two-month period. 

Epirus is a rugged country, and its folk have been toughened by centuries of hardship.  The cooking is no-nonsense yet versatile; recipes are uncomplicated, consisting of a few key ingredients. Many contain dairy products, which are plentiful because shepherding is a mainstay occupation in the region. The livestock, mostly made up of sheep and goats, graze freely on the large variety of wild grasses, greens, and herbs. Their milk, which carries the taste notes of the various herbs they consume, is used to make excellent cheeses that are popular all over Greece. It's interesting to note that "Dodoni Feta," one of the best brands of feta cheese, is made in Epirus. 

A previous incarnation of Pasta with Sausage and Blue Cheese. The sausage here is sweet Italian sausage. 

Here then is how to make the simple and delicious pasta with blue cheese and sausage Epirus style: 

Ingredients: 

3 tablespoons of olive oil
8 ounces Greek or mild Italian sausage, sliced into 1-inch pieces. Remove the casing.
8 ounces pasta such as penne, or this curly type I used. What is it called?  I've forgotten its name. 
1/2 cup white wine  
1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled, plus 1 tablespoon crumbled blue cheese to use for garnish
1 clove of garlic, smashed and chopped very well
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves - reserve about 1 tablespoon for garnish.
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
salt, to taste

Directions:

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, then strain. 
• Meanwhile, begin cooking the sausage: heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausages and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are browned, about 7 minutes.   
• Add the wine and cook to deglaze the pan. Cook until the wine is reduced by one quarter, about 2 minutes.
• Add the blue cheese, garlic, cream, and oregano, and cook until the mixture is thick and the cheese has melted, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in the pasta and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Transfer the pasta to a small platter and add the grated Parmesan cheese. 
• Season liberally with black pepper and mix. 
• Garnish with the reserved oregano leaves and blue cheese.

RICE PILAF, GREEK STYLE (Pilafi - Πιλάφι), VEGAN.

I love this rice dish!  It is a pilaf (pilafi in Greek), meaning it's cooked in broth and has vegetables mixed into it. Various versions of pilafs are popular in the Middle East, North Africa, Spain, and, of course, Greece. I bet once upon a time there was an original recipe that got carried by seafarers from one Mediterranean port to another. People adapted this recipe to suit their particular tastes and as a result, we now have lots of rice pilaf variations. As far as I am concerned, they are all great. I never say no to rice! I find this to be ironic because up until the age of twenty or so I wouldn't go anywhere near any type of rice whatsoever! It's curious how tastes and taste buds tend to change throughout one's lifespan. 

Greeks have a plain version of pilaf made with broth, butter, and a few herbs. Then they have this version. It can be served on its own, in which case I can have a whole plateful, or it can be served as a side dish in which case I can have two tablespoons. Correction: three tablespoons. Additionally, this rice pilaf makes a good stuffing. Come autumn, go ahead and stuff a nice squash with it! Here's how to make Greek rice pilaf:

Ingredients: 

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, chopped
• 4 mushrooms sliced
• 5 leaves romaine lettuce, chopped 
• 2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, roasted
• 3 cups of vegetable broth that has been brought to the boil
• 1  1/2 cups of rice (raw, white -- I like to use long grain or basmati rice for this recipe)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• a small handful of peeled and roasted almonds for decoration

Directions:

• If your raisins are really dry, place them in water to cover and let them stay in the water until they plump up and soften.
• Place the almonds and pine nuts on a baking sheet and toast them in a preheated 350°F/180°C oven until they are aromatic and golden in colour. Remove them from the oven, let them cool and reserve.
• Heat the olive oil in a large pan and sauté the onion until it becomes translucent.  
• Add the garlic, parsley, dill, lettuce, mushrooms, and tomatoes, and cook for two minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the rice, raisins, and pine nuts. Mix well. 
• Add the broth and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for about twenty minutes, until almost all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender and moist.  
• Let the rice rest for 5 to 10 minutes. It will absorb any liquid that is leftover. The end result should be rice that glistens and is moist. It shouldn't be dry or runny/mushy.  
• Place on a serving platter and decorate the top with roasted almonds.

Serve and enjoy!