The dressing is where we get creative. Ever buy some grapes only to find that they are so tart that they make your face pucker when you taste them? You want those grapes for what we’re making here…verjuice or agourida in Greek. When one makes a salad you need fat (olive oil) and acid, which is usually vinegar or lemon juice. The acid in this instance is the agourida made from tart white grapes and made by simply plucking the tart grapes off the stems, placing them in a food processor and then straining them. What you’re left with is a tart green-hued liquid called verjuice or agourida in Greek!

So, if life gives you no lemons, make an agourida – same dressing ratios…I like 3 parts oil to 1 part acid and I always add a little mustard to emulsify the dressing. Keeping with the grapes, we’re going for balance in the salad as I’m using a unique ingredient from the Niagara wine region called ice syrup.

Ice syrup was created by Steve Murdza who instead of making ice wine with the  frozen grapes he turned them into ice syrup. Much like with ice wine, the grapes are left on the vines through part of the winter and when the temperature hits -8 Celicius, they can be picked then turned into sweet grape juice with the fermentation being bypassed (that’s when ice wine is made).

This salad is about contrasts: crunchy baked phyllo filled with soft Feta cheese, tart agourida balanced by the sweet nectar of Niagara ice syrup. Greek extra-virgin olive oil, walnuts and almonds, sliced grapes and some sultana raisins, ground anise in the cheese filling and some sliced fennel in the salad. I loved this salad and I’m looking forward to making it for family and friends in the near future!

Phyllo-Feta Cigars With Agourida & Niagara Ice Syrup Salad Dressing

(serves 4)

4 sheets of thawed commercial phyllo

1/2 stick melted butter

Filling

4 sticks/batons of Feta cheese

1/4 cup chopped almonds

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

zest of 1/2 lemon

ground anise

Dressing

2 Tbsp. verjuice (agourida)

1/2 tsp. Dijon-style mustard

1/4 cup extra-virgin Greek olive oil

1 small clove of garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives

fine sea salt and fresh ground pepper

garnish

sultana raisins

halved grapes

sesame seeds

Niagara ice syrup

4-6 cups of mixed salad greens, rinsed and spun-dry

1/2 fennel bulb, thinly sliced

1.  Ensure you’re using tart, unripe grapes to make the agourida (verjuice). Rinse the grapes, pick off the stems and place in a food processor and whiz until a purée. Pass through a strainer and you’ve your tart verjuice/agourida.
2. Take your thawed phyllo out of the fridge and pre-heat your oven to 350F. Cut your phyllo vertically into two, brush each sheet of phyllo and place one sheet on top of the other.
3. Cut your sticks of Feta to about 1 inch smaller than the width of your phyllo and place near the bottom of sheet. Sprinkle the chopped nuts above the cheese, grate some lemon zest and sprinkle some ground fennel. Now fold the bottom flap of phyllo over the cheese and tuck-in the sides and roll-up. Brush with butter and place on a baking sheet and bake in your oven for about 15 minutes or until golden.
4. In the meantime, wash and dry your salad greens, slice the fennel and place in a bowl. Place your verjuice, mustard, olive oil in a jar along with the garlic, chives, salt and pepper and place the lid on and shake to emulsify. Taste and adjust seasoning, oil to acid ratio.
5. When the phyllo cigars are golden, take out of the oven and now toss your salad with the dressing. Cut your phyllo cigar in half on the bias, place on your plated greens. Garnish with grape halves, sultana raisins, sprinkle with sesame seeds and drizzle with Niagara ice syrup.

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One couple that stood out was Su and Gokhan, ever-smiling and promoting their Zei olive oil from the Aegean coast of Turkey (just across from Mytilini). The olive oil was being well-received but the stand-out products were in these jars and samples were being given out on these small spoons. No, they weren’t giving out caviar but samples of hazelnut, almond and pistachio spreads. All three are sweet but the pistachio paste is the front-runner with its bright green colour, natural sweetness and honey.

A few weeks later I finally caught-up again with Su and Gokhan where we discussed Turkey and Greece, our love of the two countries, the similarity and uniqueness of each cuisine and ultimately the pistachio spread and how to showcase/feature it. I was given some samples and off I went to create a dish that would draw attention that this product merited.

Here in Toronto, you can find pistachio spread at McEwan’s, Alex Farms (2594 Yonge north of Eglintion), Cheese Boutique, Mercantile on Roncesvalles, Geri’s Eatin’ Centre, Market Fresh in Guelph and Vincenzo’s in Kitchener.

There’s some prep involved with making this light dessert which used layers of phyllo pastry to make up the three layers of this dessert with the pistachio spread, some raspberries and Creme Anglaise. I had some leftover phyllo and rather than throw it out, I used in lieu of opening a package of puff pastry (which you may still do)! Creme Anglaise is basically a saucier egg custard that can be used to top a pound cakes, some berries or a steamed pudding. For those that like to have dessert out of the way, you should prep this dessert the day before and simply assemble come dessert time.

The soft crunch of phyllo, rich and nutty pistachio spread, tart raspberries and velvet Creme Anglaise all play with your taste buds…dance on the tongue!

Mille Feuille With Pistachio Paste & Creme Anglaise

(makes 6)

8 sheets of phyllo, thawed overnight in the fridge

1/2 cup melted butter

1/4 cup sugar

Creme Anglaise

2 cups of half & half cream

2 tsp. of pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup sugar

5 large egg yolks

1-180 gr. jar of pistachio spread

2 pints of raspberries

1. Allow the phyllo 15 minutes to come to room temperature. Place a sheet of phyllo on your work surface and brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Repeat with 3 more sheets of phyllo then cut into 9 equal squares. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and then place another sheet of parchment and lay another baking tray on top to weigh down. Place in your pre-heated 325F oven for approx. 15 minutes or until golden. Carefully remove the phyllo squares and allow to cool.
2. Repeat above procedure to make the second batch of phyllo squares.
3. To make your crème anglaise, add your cream into a medium pot and bring to just scalding over medium heat. In the medium, add the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl and whisk until thoroughly creamed. As soon as the milk comes to the scalding stage, add the vanilla and take off the heat. While whisking the creamed eggs and sugar, slowly add the hot cream then pour everything back in the pot and simmer while stirring over medium heat until the crème anglaise just coats a spoon.
4. Remove from the heat, pour through a strainer (along with any settled cream on the bottom) and place in a bowl with plastic film covering it. Refrigerate overnight to set and thicken.
5. To assemble, place a spoon of crème anglaise on each plate to secure the bottom layer of phyllo then place the first layer of phyllo followed by some berries then some crème anglaise. Repeat for a total of 3 layers topped with berries, crème anglaise and a sprig of mint for garnish and sprinkle ground pistachios on top and around the plate.

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I made my Cranberry sauce with sugar, whole cloves and simmered them until the cranberries popped and the sugars and started to thicken with the pectin in the berries. I then spiked the cranberry sauce with a sweet fortified Greek  wine called Mavrodaphne and finished it with some orange zest and a good squeeze of orange juice. Crostini gets smeared with roasted garlic, baked Brie gets topped with warm cranberry sauce then Brie and cranberry sauce top the garlic and bread. Slip in the mouth and hum with delight then wash down with your favourite sparkling wine.

Baked Brie With Roasted Garlic & Cranberry-Mavrodaphne Sauce

Cranberry-Mavrodaphne Sauce

1- 340gr. package of fresh or frozen cranberries

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of water

3-whole cloves

1/4 cup Mavrodaphne wine (or other fortified red wine)

zest and juice of 1/2 orange

1 round of Brie cheese

some extra-virgin olive oil

splash of sparkling wine

1 head garlic

1. In a small pot, add your water, sugar, cloves and Mavrodaphne and bring up to a boil over medium heat. Now gently drop in the cranberries and return to a boil then simmer for 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Take off the heat and add the orange zest and juice and allow to cool.
2. Pre-heat your oven to 300F and slice a baguette into thin slices and brush both sides with olive oil and place on a baking tray. Now take a hold head of garlic and slice off enough of the top to just expose the garlic cloves and place in some foil, drizzle with olive oil and tightly close the foil around the garlic. Place the Crostinis and garlic in the oven and bake the bread until just toasted and the garlic for about 30 minutes.
3. In the meantime, unwrap your Brie and if it came in a wooden container you may bake it in that or use a Brie baking vessel with a lid. Drizzle the brie with olive oil and some sparkling wine and place the cover on and slip into your oven for 20 minutes.
4. Arrange your Crostini on a platter and carefully squeeze the roasted garlic beside the bread. Place the baked Brie on the platter and pour some cranberry sauce on the baked Brie.
5. Smear roasted garlic on the Crostini then place some hot Brie and cranberry sauce on top and enjoy! Serve with a Domaine Tselepos Amalia Brut Sparkling White.

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What’s sets these apart from other “stuffed figs” is the outer layer, made from water, sugar, ground star anise, cocoa powder, semolina flour, tea biscuits and ground walnuts. This mixture is thick, a little sticky but it’s the “somethin-somethin” that makes these sublime. Aristotle wrote, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” and this was true when making these.

Walnuts are good for you, a healthy snack and sure…taste good. Figs are even tastier, fresh or dried and yes…perhaps even an aphrodisiac. The semolina, tea biscuit, ground star anise and walnut mixture tasted okay and while I was chilling it to firm-up, I was concerned this recipe would be mediocre. That all changed when I assembled the stuffed figs, froze them and carefully sliced them in half to reveal the pretty cross-section of the walnut, fig and biscuit/walnut mixture.

Although the figs are the star of this recipe, walnuts are found in three stages: once stuffed inside the fig, a second time ground in the paste with the semolina and tea biscuits and one more time as the balls of stuffed figs are rolled in (you guessed it) ground walnuts before being complete. Other than placing these in the freezer to set overnight, this is an easy recipe and once you’re going to make over and over. I know I will!

Sublime, Sexy Walnut-Stuffed Figs (Σύκα Γεμιστά με Καρύδια)

approx. 20 dried Greek figs

20 walnut halves

1 cup water

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. ground star anise (using Ouzo or anise flavoured alcohol will soften the mixture, making it harder to handle)

1/3 cup fine semolina flour

2 Tbsp. cocoa powder

1/3 cup ground Petit Beurre tea biscuits

1 1/4 cup ground walnuts

approx. 3/4- 1 cup of ground walnuts for coating

1. Place a medium-sized pot on your stovetop with the water and sugar and bring to a boil then add the ground star anise and semolina and take off the heat and stir for for a minute then add the ground tea biscuits and walnuts and stir-in. Allow the mixture to cool and place in the fridge for two hours.
2. In the meantime, snip the stems off your figs (discard) and gently open the top of each fig with your finger and then squeeze a wlabut half in each fig.
3. When the ground walnut/bicsuit mixture has cooled (hardened), grease one hand with vegetable oil and place a heaping tablespoon of the mixture (yes it is a little sticky) in one hand and flatten it then place a fig in your palm and enclose it with the mixture in the form of a ball. Now roll each ball in the reserved ground walnuts and place on a large plate/platter.
4. Cover and place in the freezer overnight or until ready to serve. To serve, remove from the freezer and carefully slice each stuffed fig in half and place in decorative paper cups and serve.

* You may cover and refreeze any leftover stuffed figs but I doubt they will last long.

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Pork belly can be brined (much like bacon) before being cooked, it can be finessed into being cooked quickly when you slice it thin and grill it or it can be braised until tender then given a blast of heat to crisp-up the skin giving pork belly the envious texture combo of both tender and crispy in one bite. Pork belly is one of those marvelous cuts of both meat and fat – not something to eat everyday but it should be eaten by everyone – in moderation.

Another summer has passed and unfortunately our quinces trees have not beared fruit as yet. Last I wasn’t able to find quinces in the markets and I had to rely on slim pickins’ given by friends of the family with their own trees. I found some quinces in early Summer at a Korean grocer stocking quinces shipped from Chile (it would have been Autumn there) and I really have no use for quinces when I’m in shorts and thinking of juicy watermelon and backyard barbecues.

ripe quinces fruit

At last, I see some more markets carrying quinces  – an extremely fragrant fruit that looks like a large lumpy pear/apple hybrid and although astringent and tough raw, it comes to life when poached, boiled or roasted – the latter use of quinces today. In Greek cooking, this Autumn fruit is often used to make jams, preserves, spoon sweets, desserts and much like in other food cultures – it’s paired with pork, the meat that’s a natural with many fruits.

My approach here was to make the dish as simple as possible, simple ingredients that would complement each other rather than confuse. The pork belly is first given a short period to absorb some sweet and savory flavours – honey and salt, fennel and garlic, rosemary and pepper. After a quick marinate, the pork belly enters the comforts of a warm oven with a homemade stock and some booze: try a bottle of beer, some hard cider or a dry white wine. It’s braised under the meat’s fork-tender then quinces join the party with some potatoes and they get roasted until just crisp and tender and finally a blast of heat is applied so the pork’s rind/skin crisps up – giving you a textural delight in your mouth that you’ll dream of long after the pork is gone. Your welcome!

Pork Belly & Quinces (Πανσετα με Κυδωνια)

(serves 4-6)

1 boneless pork belly, approx. 2 kg.

Marinade

2 Tbsp. mustard

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. honey

1 tsp. ground fennel

2 tsp. thyme leaves

1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary leaves

coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper

2 cups chicken/vegetable stock

1 – 355ml can/bottle of beer or hard cider

1/4 cup mustard

3 bay leaves

2 medium onions, sliced

1/2 bulb of fennel, roughly chopped

3-4 cloves of garlic, smashed

zest of 1 lemon

handful of fresh thyme sprigs

2 quinces, peeled, cored and cut into chunks

4 large Yukon Gold or yellow potatoes, quartered (cut quinces and potatoes approx. same size)

Pre-heated 350F oven

1. In a bowl, mix the honey, mustard, rosemary, thyme, garlic and fennel and set aside. Score the fat side (rind) of your pork belly in a criss-cross fashion and rub the marinade deep into the meat then season (all sides) with coarse side and fresh ground pepper. Store in a cool place for 1 hour.
2. Turn your stovetop to medium-high heat and drizzle a little bit of olive oil in a large skillet (cut the pork belly in two if you don’t have a large skillet and sear in two batches) and sear the fat side of your pork belly until it just golden and place in a deep baking vessel (large enough to contain your pork belly, quinces and potatoes). Pre-heat your oven to 350F
3. Drain-off excess fat and in the same skillet, add the beer (or hard cider), the stock, mustard, lemon zest, bay leaves, thyme, onions, garlic, fennel and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings until the flavours are to your liking then pour the braising liquid around your pork belly in the vessel. Place in your pre-heated oven (uncovered) for 2  hours or until the pork belly is fork tender (the meat should flake-off with a fork).
4. Remove from the oven and carefully take out the pork belly, raise the heat to 450F and add the quinces and potatoes into the braising liquid and toss to coat. Adjust seasonings (you may want to add some lemon juice or mustard) and place the pork belly on top of the vegetables. Bake for another 40 minutes or until the potatoes and quince are fork-tender.
5. Remove from the oven and transfer the pork belly to a roasting pan and set the oven to broil setting. Reserve/keep your potatoes/quinces warm and place the pork belly back in the oven (middle rack) to crisp up. Remove from the oven and allow the pork to rest 4 minutes then place on a cutting board skin-side down and cut into portions. Divide the pork and quinces and place a serving of pork belly on top with some pan juices poured on top. Serve with a lager beer, hard cider or chardonnay.

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