W

 

I believe that every tourist who visits Greece gets the chance to taste a dish of moussaka. It's a popular Greek summer fare made with layers of eggplant and ground meat which are topped with a fabulous bechamel sauce. 

To the best of my knowledge, in the old days, moussaka was exclusively layered with eggplants and ground beef, and then it was topped with bechamel. Sometime in the mid-twentieth century, chefs started adding potatoes to the layers of moussaka. A bit later, the addition of zucchini started comprising yet another layer. To be honest, I have yet not tried the zucchini addition but it's unavoidable that I will do so sometime in the future, and who knows, I may start adding it to my recipe. 

There are two methods of preparing eggplants for moussaka: One, is the old-fashioned method of frying them. I definitely say no to that. Two, is the wiser method of baking them in the oven: healthier, less messy, and even the flavour is better because the end product doesn't consist of oily eggplant. It's apparent there are variations to cooking moussaka. Here, I include my favourite version.

Moussaka can be prepared in advance and served lukewarm or at room temperature, making it ideal to serve for buffets. 

Ingredients:

3 or 4 medium eggplants

4 medium Yukon gold potatoes

extra-virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

2 pounds lean ground beef, use a variety of 90% to 10% 

2 onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon tomato paste

3 bay leaves

a sprig of thyme

a sprig of rosemary

1/2 cup white wine
1 28-ounce can of whole tomatoes plus the juice included in the can.

1 cup of chopped parsley, divided

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

For the bechamel:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1-quart whole milk, heated
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup ricotta cheese

Directions:

• Wash the eggplant and cut off both ends. With a vegetable peeler remove 1/2-inch strips of skin from the eggplant. The end result will be that your eggplant will have a striped appearance, showing stripes of purple skin and white flesh.
• Slice the eggplants into 3/4-inch rounds. Season with salt and pepper on both sides.
• Bake the eggplants: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with some olive oil and place them on parchment-covered baking sheets. Season lightly with salt and bake until the eggplants are soft. Keep an eye on the eggplant while it's baking. You don't want to overcook it. Baking time depends on the variety of eggplant used. Right away, place the cooked eggplants into a covered container and reserve. The cover will trap any steam they release and make them much softer and better tasting.
• Peel and slice the potatoes. Slice them into 3/4-inch rounds. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Flavour them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and just a touch of oregano. Bake until the potatoes are soft and just beginning to brown. Reserve. 
• Heat about 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a Dutch oven and add the ground beef. Stir occasionally, breaking the ground beef into small pieces. Cook until the ground beef is browned.  
• Add the chopped onions. You may need to add a little more olive oil along with the onions. Cook until the onions are soft.
• Add the garlic along with the bay leaves, thyme, rosemary and tomato paste. Cook for one minute and a half as you keep stirring. 
• Add the wine and deglaze the pot. Keep stirring gently. Let the alcohol in the wine cook off and the wine itself become incorporated into the ground beef. 
• Combine the tomatoes with the parsley. 
• Add the tomato mixture to the pot, season with salt and pepper, and simmer over low heat, stirring often, until all the liquid has evaporated, about 45 minutes to an hour. Alternatively, you can place the pot into the oven and cook at 300 F for about 45 minutes to an hour, until the liquid has evaporated. 
• Remove from the oven and add the tablespoon of oregano. Taste and correct the seasonings if needed. Cook on the stovetop for an additional five minutes.
• While the ground beef is cooking, make the bechamel: In a saucepan, over low heat, melt the butter, add the flour and whisk for about two minutes. Turn up the heat to moderate and add the warm milk in a slow stream, whisking all the while.
• Keep stirring as the sauce simmers. Within about five minutes the mixture should be thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove from the heat.  
• Let cool slightly and stir in the two beaten eggs and the ricotta cheese.  

Begin layering:

• Grease an 11 by 16-inch pan and sprinkle the bottom with breadcrumbs. Arrange all the potatoes over the bread crumbs and top with half the eggplants. Sprinkle with grated Pecorino Romano cheese, breadcrumbs, and parsley. 
• Add half the meat sauce on top of the eggplant layer. Sprinkle with grated Pecorino Romano cheese, breadcrumbs, and parsley. 
• Add the rest of the eggplants. Sprinkle with grated Pecorino Romano cheese, breadcrumbs, and parsley. 
• Add the rest of the meat sauce and sprinkle the top with, well, I guess you've guessed it: grated Pecorino Romano cheese, breadcrumbs, and parsley. 
• Pour the bechamel over the top, sprinkle the top of the bechamel with Pecorino Romano cheese and bake in a preheated 350°F/180°C oven for about 30 minutes to 45 minutes, until the top is golden.
• Let cool for half an hour before slicing. The moussaka will taste even better the following day.

PIEROGI with various fillings: POTATO & CHEESE, CABBAGE & MUSHROOM, FETA CHEESE & SPINACH

I'm making pierogi!!! I love them, as I love any type of dumpling! It's just that I never thought I would be making them. From scratch. Buying them ready to eat has been what I've been used to. But why not try my hand at making them myself? The first step to making pierogi is to find that place in one's house called "the kitchen ..." 

I chose a pierogi dough from Martha Stewart. This dough is a thing of beauty: silky, easy to handle and delicious!  Thank you, Martha. Here's how to make it:


Pierogi Dough Ingredients:

1 large egg, lightly whisked
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 cup whole milk
1 cup water
4 and 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour, some of it to be used for bench surface and for dusting 

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg. Add the sour cream, and whisk until smooth. Add the milk and 1 cup water, and whisk until combined.
2. Slowly add about 3 cups flour, and stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
3. Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and work in about 1 cup flour as you knead. Use a plastic scraper to lift the dough as it will stick to the counter before any flour is worked in. Continue kneading for 8 to 10 minutes, working in another 1/2 cup flour. The dough should be elastic in texture and no longer sticky. Be careful not to add too much flour, as this will toughen the dough.
4. Place dough in a lightly floured bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rest while preparing a filling.

Roll out the Dough:

On a floured surface, roll out dough to about 1/8-inch thick. Make sure you are just rolling the dough and not rolling and pressing.

Using a glass or a cookie cutter measuring 2 1/2 inches in diameter, cut out as many circles as possible. Cut the circles close together, trying to save as much space as possible. Gather the dough scraps together, roll them out again, and continue cutting.

Fill the Pierogi:

1. Lay a dry, clean towel on your work surface; set aside.
2. Place about 1 1/2 tablespoons of filling in the centre of each dough circle.
3. Holding a circle in your hand, fold dough over the filling, and pinch the edges, forming a well-sealed crescent; transfer to the towel. Continue this process until all dough circles are filled.

Cook the Pierogi:

1. Fill a large pot with water and bring it to the boil. Drop the pierogi in the boiling water in batches. They will sink to the bottom of the pot and then rise to the top. Once they rise, let them cook for about a minute more.
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, cook one stick of butter over medium-high heat until nut-brown in colour, about 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and drizzle the butter onto a serving platter, leaving any burned sediment behind. Remove the pierogi from the pot, and transfer to the buttered platter. By placing the pierogi on a pre-buttered platter you will prevent them from sticking. Serve immediately. You may drizzle some more butter on top.
3. Note: Some pierogi are fried, some are sauteed in butter, some get butter drizzled over them. I don't really like fried foods, nor do I like to smother foods in butter. Drizzling a bit of butter on top is okay, but I served some pierogi coated with olive oil and they were excellent!

I chose to make three types of filling: 

POTATO AND CHEESE FILLING:

• 3 large potatoes, cooked and mashed
• 3/4 cup cheese, a mixture of cream cheese and cheddar
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients until well incorporated. Stuff the pierogi when the filling has cooled. 

CABBAGE, CARROT, AND MUSHROOM FILLING:

• 2 cups shredded cabbage
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 shallot, chopped and sautéed in one tablespoon of vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped mushrooms
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Cook the cabbage and carrot in boiling water until nice and soft. Drain very well and reserve. Sauté the shallot, garlic, ginger and mushrooms in the vegetable oil until they are soft. Add the cabbage mixture and season with salt and pepper. Let cool before filling the pierogi.

Pierogi with Feta cheese and Spinach Filling:

Being of Greek heritage, I love the combination of feta cheese and spinach.  This recipe combines feta, spinach and pierogi dough to make a hybrid Greek-Polish dumpling. One of the best things about it is that it contains no butter! The pierogi are topped with just a bit of olive oil and Parmesan cheese before they are served. Here is the recipe for this filling:

Ingredients:

• 1 box of chopped frozen spinach
• 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg, well beaten
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon mint, chopped
• 1 tablespoon dill, chopped
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• some olive oil and Parmesan cheese for topping
• salt and pepper to taste

Thaw and chop the spinach into small pieces. Even though it's already chopped you will need to chop it into smaller pieces. Cook it in a bit of boiling salted water until it is soft. Drain it very well. In a medium skillet heat the vegetable oil and add the shallots. Sauté until the shallots are soft. Add the parsley, spinach and mint, and mix well. Cook for about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cheeses and egg. Mix well and season with salt and pepper. Let cool before using as stuffing. When the pierogi are cooked, serve topped with some olive oil and Parmesan cheese.

RACK of LAMB with PARSLEY-ROSEMARY PESTO

This recipe is a no-mess, quick, easy and very delicious way to prepare a rack of lamb. I found the recipe on the Epicurious website, changed a few things around, and now I have a new and tasty way to serve lamb. To make the pesto I used parsley and rosemary from my garden. The ingredients were fresh and bright green and smelled and tasted wonderful. After removing and discarding a decent amount of fat from it, I coated the rack of lamb with the pesto and then I baked it for about 25 minutes. The meat came out of the oven moist, tender and juicy. I heartily recommend this dish!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup parsley leaves. Pack the parsley in the measuring cup so that you get a generous amount.

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, plus some rosemary sprigs for decoration

2  1/2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 garlic cloves

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 rack of lamb

Marinade for the lamb: Score the lamb and season with salt, pepper, and oregano. Sprinkle some olive oil and the juice of half a lemon over the lamb.

Directions:

1. Marinate the lamb in the refrigerator for about an hour. Take it out and let the meat come to room temperature.
2. Position the cooking rack in the centre of the oven and preheat to 450°F.
3. Place parsley, chopped rosemary, grated Parmesan cheese and garlic in the food processor. Process to a coarse paste. With the machine running, gradually add the olive oil. Season the pesto with salt and pepper.
4. Place the lamb on a small rimmed baking pan.
5. To make cleaning up easier, I like to line my pan with aluminium foil or parchment paper. After cooking, I remove it and throw it out. The foil or the paper will hold the cooking grease, and the pan will remain virtually spotless.
6. Spread all of the pesto over the rounded side of the lamb.
7. Roast for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 400°F and roast to desired doneness, about 15 minutes longer for medium-rare.
8. Remove to a plate and slice. After slicing, arrange the chops on a serving platter, surround with rosemary and pour the juices from the plate over the lamb.

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.

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

Best cheesecake in the world: Cordon Rose Cream Cheesecake!!!

Raspberries, or strawberries... it's all good!

Cordon Rose Cream Cheesecake, a New York style cheesecake, is the best cheesecake in the world!!! No exaggeration whatsoever. The recipe comes from the book "The Cake Bible," by Rose Levy Beranbaum, published in 1988. This is an outstanding dessert cookbook, still available for sale.

I love cheesecake, and I have tried many cheesecake recipes. This one is the best, the creamiest, and the most flavorful. It's firm enough to be unmolded and served without a base, but it can have a ladyfinger base, as shown by Ms Beranbaum here, or a cookie crumb base, as it has on my post. Truthfully, I prefer it without a base. I just don't want anything to interfere with the custardy, creamy goodness of this cheesecake.

Purchased in the early 1990s - I love this cookbook; its author is a baker extraordinaire. 

Ingredients: 

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup of sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups sour cream
about one cup of cookie crumbs, made up from your favourite cookies, to serve as a crumb crust.
fresh raspberries or blueberries, rinsed and allowed to dry thoroughly
1/4 cup raspberry jelly or blueberry jelly
1 tablespoon Chambord or water
A 9-inch by 2 1/2-inch or higher springform pan, greased, the outside of the pan wrapped with a double layer of heavy-duty foil to prevent seepage, the bottom of the pan lined with greased parchment paper.
A 12-inch cake pan or roasting pan to serve as a water bath.

Here is a version I made with a strawberry-blackberry topping and without a base.

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350° F.
• In a food processor beat the cream cheese until soft. Add the sugar and beat until very smooth.
• Add the cornstarch, and pulse to blend. 
• With the motor running, add the eggs one at a time.
• Add the lemon juice, vanilla, and salt, and mix until incorporated.
• Add the sour cream and mix just until blended.
• Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan. Set the springform pan into the larger pan and surround it with 1-inch of hot water.

WOW! A cheesecake that did not crack in the middle! Make sure your pan is well greased, so the cheesecake can separate from the sides of the pan as it settles. This will keep it from cracking.

• Bake the cake for 45 minutes. Ideally, you should turn off the oven and let the cake cool inside the oven for one hour without opening the door. 
• Okay, I opened the oven door and took a peek, then decided to let the cake bake for an extra 10 minutes, then I let it cool in the oven for one hour. The cheesecake is done when it's kind of firm around the edges and still jiggly in the middle. If you must check on it, don't leave the oven door open for too long.
• After one hour, take the pans out of the oven and remove the springform cake out of its water bath. Remove the aluminium foil from around the springform pan. Place the springform pan on a rack and allow the cheesecake to cool for about one hour. 
• Cover with greased plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

To unmold, which is something easier done than described:

• Take the cheesecake out of the refrigerator. 
• Have a serving plate at the ready. 
• Have ready a flat plate at least 8 inches in diameter, covered with plastic wrap.
• Place the springform pan on a heated burner and move it around for 10 to 15 seconds.
• Wipe the sides of the pan with a hot, damp towel.
• Run a thin metal spatula around the sides of the cake and release the sides of the springform pan. Carefully remove the springform pan. 
• Place the plastic-wrapped plate on top of the cheesecake and invert. Remove the bottom of the springform pan and the parchment from the cheesecake base.
• If you want a cookie base, now is the time to sprinkle cookie crumbs on the base of the cake.
• Place the serving plate on the cheesecake base and reinvert the cake. Remove the plastic-lined plate.  
• Use a small metal spatula to smooth the sides of the cheesecake. If you like, sprinkle some crumbs on the sides as well. 
• Refrigerate until shortly before serving.

For a simple topping:

• Arrange raspberries or blueberries on top of the cheesecake. Remember that they should be thoroughly dry.
• In a small saucepan or microwave oven, heat the jelly until melted and bubbling. Strain it into a small cup and stir in the Chambord or water. Brush it onto the fruit, or pour the jelly on the cheesecake and place the fruit on top.
  

  An excerpt From The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum: "Chocolate cookies blend well with cherry topping. Ginger, graham, and lemon-nut cookies go well with fruit-flavoured fillings or toppings. As crumb crusts become soggy if placed in the pan before baking, I prefer to pat the crumbs onto the cake after baking and unmolding. You will need about 3/4 cup if you wish to do the bottom as well as the sides. If the cake is not too heavy, support it on the palm of your hand. Tilt the cake a bit toward the other hand, cupped to hold the crumbs, and press the crumbs gently into the sides. Alternately, if the cake is too heavy, place it on a large sheet of foil and use a wide, flat spatula to lift the crumbs onto the sides of the cake."