When I was contemplating what dishes to prepare for my Cyclades Dinner I knew that artichokes would have to be included somewhere in the menu. Artichokes are produced on a large scale on the island of Tinos – that’s the one the ferry boat stops at just before Mykonos. This recipe is not a traditional recipe of the Cyclades but it is inspired by artichokes and I tried my best to highlight their flavour and complement them with a medley of vegetables and crispy garnish.

Artichokes are not hard to peel but tedious. They may take a while to clean but they are worth the effort. Don’t forget to store the cleaned artichokes in acidulated water so they don’t oxidize/turn brown. For this dish, I lightly poached them in a vegetable broth spiked with lemon juice. They cooked until just fork-tender, remaining firm.

I’ve complemented the artichokes with a medley of diced vegetables like onions, red peppers, carrots, zucchini and green peas Bold Kalamata olives and briny capers are added into the mix along with Greek extra- virgin olive oil, lemon juice and chopped fresh mint. Th proverbial cherry on the cake is the fried calamari that tops this salad, reminding you that the sea is always nearby.

Artichoke Salad With Fried Calamari (Σαλατα με Αγκιναρες & Καλαμαρακια Τηγανητα)

(serves 4)

8 artichokes, peeled/cleaned and sliced in half (vertically)

2 medium onions, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 cup fresh (or thawed from frozen) peas

10 pitted Kalamata olives, sliced

2 zucchini, diced

1/4 finely chopped capers

zest and juice of 1 lemon

1/2 – 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup chopped fresh mint

Garnish

1 or 2 pieces of fried calamari for each serving

1. Place a large skillet on your stove-top and add about 3 inches of water and bring up to a boil over medium heat. Season the water with salt, some chopped onion, carrot and celery and lemon juice to taste. Once aboil, add your cleaned artichokes into the water and as soon as the water begins to boil, lower the heat to a simmer and poach the artichokes for 3 minutes or until just fork-tender. Remove them with a slotted spoon and place in an ice bath then strain. Reserve.
2. In the meantime, add some olive oil into a skillet along with the onions, carrots, red peppers and sweat for 5-6 minutes. Add the peas to the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes then add the diced zucchini and toss in and cook for another two minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and remove from the heat and allow to cool.
3. Just before you’re ready to serve your salad, add the olive oil and lemon juice into the vegetable mixture along with the sliced olives and chopped capers and mint. Toss well, taste again and adjust seasoning accordingly.
4. Place about 3 artichokes on each place and top with the vegetable mixture and garnish with fried calamari and a mint leaf. Serve with a crisp glass of Paros Sillogi white.

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© 2012, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

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The evening played out as such: guests gathered in the backyard of the restaurant and were offered either Ouzo or white wine with an array of mezedes. For this evening I partnered with Celebrity Wines (George Kakarelis) who provided Ouzo Tirnavou, Paros Moraitis Wines and Tsipouro Tirnavou as an after dinner digestif.

The first appetizer to hit the tables were the warm marinated olives and Ladenia, a specialty of Kimolos.

I sent mezedes out in waves and the next offerings were octopus meatballs and these canapes of shrimp pâté reminiscent of Shrimp Saganaki.

Homemade bread was also placed on all the tables with a parsley dip from Syros that surprised even the Greek guests who had never tried this before!

Also on the table were bowls of Acropolis Organics EVOO and their signature Mousto-Balsamic vinegar – ideal for bread-dunking.

The first course to arrive on the table was an artichoke salad inspired by the island of Tinos, who produce some of Greece’s finest. I gently poached the artichokes, topped it with a medley of cooked but still firm vegetables dressed with a vinaigrette and topped with fried calamari garnish.

The next dish took the guests to the island of Paros where I first had this dish: braised octopus tossed in makaronia and baked in an aromatic sauce with fresh dill.

The main course was a slow-roasted goat served with a rice stuffing with pine-nuts, sultanas and offal. The cavity of the goat is stuffed with the rice mixture then sewn-up, wrapped in parchment & foil and placed in the oven for 5-6 hours.

Dessert was this adventurous cheesecake with Feta cheese in it, served with sour cherry spoonsweet and homemade sesame snaps.

All this food plus Ouzo, wine with each course and apres-dinner Tsipouro were had for $75! A steal in this economy and besides…where else in Toronto will you get a dinner with the authentic flavours of Greece?

Many thanks go out to the Fuel House for opening up their premises for the evening and being gracious co-hosts, thanks to George Kakarelis of Celebrity Wines who would be delighted to take your orders of TirnavousOuzo & Tsipouro and Paors Moriatis Wines at 416-993-0993. A big thanks to Panagiotis Tsioriotakis of Acropolis Organics for providing the olive oil and Mousto-Balsamico for the kitchen and for the guests’ tables. Finally a BIG Thank you to my sous-chef for the day, Paula Costa.

Will you come to the next dinner? Would you bring friends? Would you like to see a dinner where you live (yes, even outside of the Toronto area)? I’m already jotting down ideas for the next dinner, likely in July but if feedback is positive I may be convinced to organize another dinner in June.

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© 2012, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

The post Kalofagas Greek Supper Club – An Evening in the Cyclades (Recap) appeared first on Kalofagas - Greek Food & Beyond.