Since the eggplant is charred I also blackened some red peppers because I love them with crusty bread and Feta cheese and in this instance, they are going to join the smoky eggplant doing double-duty in this hearty salad that becomes creamy with the use of eggs or mayo. Eggplant is like a sponge and in this case they are absorbing garlic, chives, extra-virgin olive oil and good red wine vinegar.

This salad is rounded-out with some ground walnuts and topped with some fried Graviera cheese, the Gruyere of Greece. A firm Kasseri, Kefalograviera or Halloumi cheese would also work in a pinch! I’m using a slender Japanese eggplant because it is sweet and rarely any bitterness. Japanese eggplants are similar to the DOP Tsakonian eggplants from Leonidio, Arcadia.

Salad of Smoked Eggplant Dressing With Graviera Croutons & Roasted Peppers

serves 4-6

1 Tsakonian or slender Japanese eggplant

1 clove of garlic, minced

 approx. 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2-3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1/4 finely chopped chives (or scallions)

1 cup of cubed Graviera cheese

water

all-purpose flour

1 cup of bitter greens (arugula), rinsed & pat-dried

1 head of Romaine lettuce, hand-torn, rinsed & pat-dried

1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

2 roasted red peppers

fine sea salt and fresh ground pepper

1. Pre-heat your gas or charcoal grill (or gas stove-top) and poke the eggplant a few times and char/blacken the entire surface of the eggplant. Simultaneously char/blacken the red peppers in the same fashion (you do not have to pierce the peppers). Place the peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic and place the charred eggplant on a plate to cool.
2. Once the eggplant has cooled, slice it open with a knife and remove the smoky meat with a spoon and roughly chop and place in a bowl. Add the minced garlic, chives, pinch of salt and the olive oil and vinegar in stages while stirring. Adjust with salt and pepper and set aside.
3. Remove the cooled peppers from the bowl and peel the charred skins and discard along with the stems and seeds. Slice and toss in some sea salt and olive oil and reserve.
4. Dip your cubes of Graviera cheese in a bowl of water then dredge in all-purpose flour and then place some oil in a pan and fry the cheese for a bout a minute a side or until golden. Fry in batches and reserve on paper-lined platter.
5. To assemble your salad, add about 1/4 cup of the dressing to the greens and toss until incorporated. Add more dressing to taste, some ground walnuts and toss and divide and serve or present in a large bowl or platter. Arrange the ribbons of red peppers on top along with the fried Graviera cheese and serve. Serve with a chiiled Boutari Moschofilero.

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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.

Recipe Update from May 2008

My eating diet can be summed up in two seasons: Soup season and salad season. With the exception of the cold soup, it’s salad days indeed. The only other exception I make when it comes to eating a salad ‘year ’round is a Caesar Salad.

We’ve all had Caesar Salad and surely we’ve all had a bad Caesar Salad. Your quest for the ultimate Caesar Salad ends here. I have, what I consider to be the ultimate Caesar Salad.

Another early influence on my foodie DNA has to be my Theo (uncle) Vangeli, 1st cousin to my mom. Theo Vangeli came to Canada a young man and worked the restaurant trade for all of his working life.

This man to this day is culinary gold, having worked in an age when family restaurants made EVERYTHING from scratch. Theo Vangeli was an early riser, making the morning shift his work preference. In the old’skool fashion, he’d make sauces, soups of the day, prepare daily specials like Shepherd’s Pie or a big tray of lasagna. His morning was also not complete without the preparation of a big, heaping pail of Caesar Salad dressing.

Today, I’m sharing with you, my Theo Vangeli’s Caesar Salad dressing. It’s a keeper.

An important note: this recipe uses only fresh, farm eggs so anyone sheepish about Salmonella or pregnant women might want to coddle your eggs before proceeding with this recipe.

Another aspect (s) I’d like to point out with a proper Caesar Salad is pay attention to detail:

• wash & dry your Romaine lettuce thoroughly
• make your own Croutons
• use real bacon

Caesar Salad

Dressing
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 fresh farm egg yolks
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. anchovy paste (or 2 fillets)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp. black pepper
splash of water
1/3 cup olive oil + 2/3 cup vegetable oil
salt to taste

Romaine Lettuce, thoroughly washed and dried
Homemade Croutons
Crispy bacon pieces

1. Using your food processor, add all the dressing ingredients except for the oil and the salt. Start processing on a medium speed for a couple of minutes or until you have a thick, yellowish cream.
2. Slowly pour your oil through the spout until you get a thick, creamy Caesar dressing.
3. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and sometimes, some more lemon juice. Keeps for up to 1 week in the fridge.
4. In a large salad bowl, add your Romaine lettuce and a dollop of dressing and toss to coat. If the salad is too dry, add some more dressing and toss to coat.
5. Grate some fresh Parmesan, a squeeze of lemon juice, a turn of fresh black pepper and top with Croutons and crispy bacon.

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© 2011, 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.

Diana’s now has an eatery situated right in front of the fish shop and this is where I found myself on this Saturday afternoon after finishing shopping. Diana’s Oyster Bar & Grill is now open and this is where I got my inspiration for my BLT – Bacon-Lobster-Tomato sandwich. One of our orders was the fried calamari and sadly, it was the weakest items that we ordered. Perhaps a bad day or due to eatery being new?

Next up was an order of Crab cakes. These were good but I have had better. No worries, the most delicious dishes we ordered are coming up.

Here’s a “must order” at Diana’s…the steamed mussels with white wine and fennel. Diana’s used Gallo mussels from BC that are the plumpest, tastiest, biggest mussels I’ve ever encountered. The broth was the best I’ve ever tasted with mussels and I’m feverishly playing in the kitchen to try and recreate it. Gallo mussels are sold at Diana’s Seafood from Thursdays until they sell out.

The last dish to be ordered from Diana’s was there Lobster Club sandwich and the inspiration for today’s recipe. I did not try the Lobster Club but my two other friends at the table loved it and just from looking at the sandwich, seeing them eat it was enough to make me want to make my own.

I call my sandwich a BLT – Bacon-Lobster-Tomato as there’s no 3 layers of bread in my rendition and I also got inspiration from the very famous retro Louis Dressing.

BLT – Bacon-Lobster-Tomato Sandwich

(makes 4 sandwiches)

2 cooked lobsters (boiled or steamed), weighing 1 1/2lbs.

4 buns ( I chose my mom’s sesame buns)

1/4 cup of mayonnaise

squeeze of lemon juice

3 scallions, thinly sliced (or 1/2 cup chives)

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon

1 tsp. of ketchup

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire

squirt of Sriracha sauce

salt and pepper to taste

garnishes

crispy bacon (about 3 strips per sandwich)

slices of tomato

lettuce

1. You can now buy pre-cooked lobster or ask your fish monger to boil or steam it. You may also cook it at hoe by either placing a large pot of water on your stove-top to boil or steam your lobster with the help of a bamboo steamer (and large pot underneath). If boiling, lightly season your water with salt and boil for 11 minutes (about 15 minutes for steaming). Place your lobster in an ice-cold water bath and allow to cool completely. Crack the shells and remove the lobster meat and remember to reserve some of the lobster legs!
2. Add the lobster meat in a bowl along with the scallions, mayo, ketchup, lemon juice, Worcestershire and chopped tarragon. Toss to evenly mix the dressing (and coat the lobster), add Sriracha to taste and adjust seasoning with salt & pepper (or with any of the other ingredients). Cover and place in the fridge until you’re ready to make your sandwiches.
3. Assembling the BLT is easy: carefully cut your bun in half and lightly toast. Place the lettuce on the bottom followed by the tomato, then add the bacon. Now top with your lobster meat, top with other half of bun and stick a lobster through the sandwich to secure it. Serve with fries and enjoy with a glass of white wine or a beer.

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Greece has an a wealth of greens in Spring and now the first salad greens begin to appear and last right through the winter. A friend of the family brought us some rocket (arugula) from her garden and upon tasting these greens, peppery and bitter were my immediate thoughts. arugula doesn’t come this peppery back in Canada at the markets so this batch of zesty greens were bold.

Rocket greens leave room for other flavours to be shared. Balsamic vinegar and honey are emulsified with mustard and olive oil, some salt and pepper to flavour the dressing and the star of the salad has to be the fresh figs that I am still enjoying this summer. The figs offset the bold spicy flavour of this garden-grown rocket and I’m a big fan of contrasts of flavours in a dish.

Figs, rocket greens, walnuts are all in season and here at our home in Halkidiki, they are all local! Remember “what grows together goes toether”? The final touch to this salad (my fave for this year) has to grated cheese: it could be a sharp sheep’s milk cheese like Kefalotyri or a roqueforte or in this instance, a slightly tangy yet briny Graviera cheese I picked up from a Cretan who traveled all the way up to the Agio Mama Panagyri (festival) to sell his cheeses.

Rocket Salad With Figs and Graviera (Σαλάτα Ρόκα με Σύκα και Γραβιερα)

(serves 4-6)

approx. 5 handfuls of rocket (arugula)

1 small clove of garlic, minced

1 tsp. of Dijon style mustard

1 Tbsp. of honey

3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

9-10 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

fine sea salt and fresh ground pepper

12 fresh (ripe) figs, quartered

1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

grated Graviera cheese

1. Pick and tear-off any brown or wilted parts of the salad and wash in cold water. Dry your greens in a towel or use a salad spinner then reserve.
2. In a large bowl, add your honey, mustard, balsamic, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper and whisk into a paste. Continue whisking while pouring a slow stream of olive oil until your desired consistency is achieved and the dressing has emulsified. Taste dressing and adjust seasoning.
3. Add your salad greens and figs and gently toss until well coated. Top with chopped walnuts and grated Graviera cheese and serve.

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© 2011, 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 dressing here is my basic go-to blend of 3-to-1 oli to acid ratio, a squirt of mustard, some honey, salt and pepper and on this occasion I used oregano. Mint, basil or tarragon would also work well here. There’s mixed salad greens,  whole shrimp, some crispy fried zucchini, eggplant and green beans (yes) and the centerpiece – the grilled Manouri cheese.

Manouri cheese is a by-product of making sheep’s milk Feta. When making cheese, the whey is leftover and Manouri is made. This cheese is soft yet dense – will crumble if you want it to yet firm enough to remain intact if you slice it carefully. I usually eat Manouri for breakfast with some toast, it’s great as a dessert with poached fruit and many creperies in & around Thessaloniki serve crepes with Manouri & ham.

I also like to grill Manouri. I’ve featured a few recipes grilling another fave – Halloumi which is also very forgiving over heat but Manouri is even easier to grill! Rub some oil on both sides and grill over medium-high heat for 1 1/2 – 2 minutes a side and you’ll have a warm cheese with gorgeous grill marks.

This salad relies on the ingredients’ flavours and different textures. back to the fried vegetables: zucchini, eggplant and grean beans. I had all three in my fridge and I wanted a sinful component to the salad…fried vegetables. I simply sliced the zucchini and eggplant wafer-thin with my mandoline, trimmed the beans and double-dredged them in seasoned all-purpose flour. Try this: dredge veggies in flour, quickly dip in cold water then dredge a second time in flour. Fry ’til golden and crisp and blot on paper, sprinkle some salt and enjoy!

This whole salad came together indoors: vinaigrette emulsified in a bowl then tossed the salad, a couple zucchini and eggplant strips fried in about an inch of oil and finally, I pulled out the grill pan and seared the Manouri cheese then cooked-off the shrimp. Once again, make dressing then fry veggies then grill Manouri and shrimp. Assemble.

This salad is about textures and flavours: tangy dressing with peppery mixed greens, the crunch of fried veggies and the sweet, succulent shrimp and buttery grilled Manouri cheese that should be broken-off and placed in the mouth with each bite of the salad. Is it lunch yet?

Grilled Manouri and Shrimp Salad

(for two)

4 whole shrimp, peeled & deveined

2 tsp. olive oil

1/4 tsp. of sweet paprika

sea salt and ground pepper

pinch of garlic powder

1 – 1/2inch slice of Manouri cheese

3 cups of loosely packed mixed greens, washed and dried

1/2 cup sweet cherry tomatoes

2 Tbsp. sliced red onions

Dressing

3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 tsp. Dijon-style mustard

1 tsp. red wine vinegar

squirt of honey

2 tsp. chopped chives

1/2 tsp. dried Greek oregano

Fried Veggies

1-2 strips of zucchini

1-2 strips of Japanese eggplant

6 green beans, trimmed

all-purpose flour

salt and pepper

cold water

oil for frying

1. Peel t he shells off your shrimp, leaving the tails in tact (leave the head on as well). Devein your shrimp (use my toothpick method) and rinse and pat-dry. Toss the shrimp with oil, garlic, paprika and salt and pepper and reserve.
2. Wash your greens and pat-dry or pass through your salad spinner and set aside. Take a large bowl and add your mustard, honey, and vinegar and whisk. Now slowly add the olive oil while whisking until emulsified. Add the salt and pepper to taste and chives and oregano then reserve.
3. Thinly slice your zucchini and eggplant lengthwise with a mandoline and trim your beans. Place some flour in a plate and season with salt and pepper. Dredge the vegetables in flour, then dip in cold water and once again dredge in flour. Add enough oil into a fry pan to fill it to 1 inch and when hot, add the vegetables are fry until crisp and golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve on paper-lined towel. Sprinkle sparingly with sea salt.
4. Place a grill pan on your stove-top over medium-high heat and add about a Tbsp. of olive. When the pan is hot, add the Manouri cheese and grill for 1 1/2 – 2 minutes a side. Carefully remove and reserve. In the same grill pan, add your shrimp and grill for 1 minute a side or flip when pink.
5. Time to assemble the salad. Add the mixed greens, tomatoes and onions into the bowl with dressing and toss to coat the greens. Place the zucchini and eggplant strips in a cross pattern on your plate then top with your salad greens. Place the Manouri cheese on top of the salad and place the shrimp around the cheese.  Place the fried green beans upright leaning on the cheese and serve.
6. Pair with a chilled bottle of Gerovassliou Chardonnay.

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© 2011, 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.