This time I got to meet Evangelos Gerovassliou and spend some time in the kitchen with his mother Marianthe who prepared a simple, local and delicious lunch of baked octopus and eggplant. Most of the octopus you and I see in the market is either frozen or was previously frozen. Frozen octopus is perfectly fine to use and few of us have the luxury of eating fresh-caught octopus. A visit to Greece this summer perhaps?

Fresh octopus is pounded on the rocks by the sea and then rubbed in a circular motion to tenderize and remove the sand that’s trapped in the suckers. The octopus you’ve purchased at your fish monger will have no sand but it still needs to be tenderized. The best way to do that is to braise the octopus in its own liquid – no need to add any other liquid as the octopus will release plenty of its own liquid. It’s a gift from the octopus – releasing it’s moisture to allow you to braise and tenderize the octopus and hence enjoying one of the most delicious creatures from the sea. You may add herbs, spices ( or both) but any extra-liquid is unnecessary.

After the octopus has braised in its own liquid until fork-tender, once can turn it into a salad, grill it, make a strew or baked it with pasta along with the delicious braising liquid or toss some vegetables and bake it in the oven. The combo of eggplant and octopus is an ages-old Greek favourite and the next time you see some octopus, try this recipe out and be transported to Greece through this simply preparedand delicious main.

With Marianthe Gerovassliou and her octopus dish

Marianthe’s Baked Octopus and Eggplant

1 whole octopus, beak removed

4 large tomatoes, passed through a box grater

1/2 cup olive oil

4 small eggplants, thickly sliced & fried (Japanese eggplants are fine)

2-3 bay leaves

4-5 allspice berries

salt and pepper

1 cup of chopped parsley

fresh thyme or oregano

Pre-heated 400F oven

1. To tenderize your octopus, rinse it and place in a pot large enough to contain it and cover. Place on your stove-top over medium heat and after 5-6 minutes uncover to see if the octopus has began to release moisture. Once you see about 1 inch of liquid place the cover back on, reduce the heat to medium low and braise the octopus in its own liquid for about 45-60 minutes or until the tentacles are just fork-tender. Take off the heat and reserve.
2. Slice your eggplants into thick slices, season with salt and pepper and add some olive oil to a pan and lightly fry on both sides then reserve on paper-towel lined plate.
3. In the same pan, add the remaining olive oil, the grated tomatoes, bay and allspice and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until the sauce has slightly thickened. Take off the heat and reserve. Pre-heat your oven.
4. Use a knife to separate the eight octopus tentacles and place in a roasting pan along with the fried eggplant and pour in the tomato sauce and stir. Season with some salt and pepper and place in your pre-heated oven for 30-35 minutes or until the sauce is thick and the octopus has turned to a deep burgundy colour.
5. Remove from the oven and garnish with chopped fresh parsley and fresh or dried Greek oregano and serve with good crusty bread and a Gerovassliou Evangelo.

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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.

My approach to cooking to seek genuine recipes that come from folks who know about a particular cuisine and in this instance I’m the wisdom of Art Smith, one-time chef to Oprah Winfrey. At Table 52, Art Smith’s restaurant in Chicago, he serves his fried chicken only on Sunday’s for his Southern Brunch.

Art Smith’s Fried Chicken is first placed in a brine solution over night then place in a buttermilk/Tabasco  for a day then, it’s dredged in flour and buttermilk twice, giving you lots of that delicious crispy skin and juicy, succulent chicken meat underneath. This isn’t health food but it’s delicious and everyone should make and offer it on occasion for family or friends.

Brining is a method of making meat (often poultry or pork) moister by soaking it in a basic solution of water and salt (sugar and other flavourings may be added) then the meat is cooked. I was first introduced to brining when I heard about how this method will guarantee my roast turkey will turn out moist & juicy each and every time. Chicken is moister than turkey so you know how the results are going to be here!

The second step in Art Smith’s Fried Chicken is to allow the brined chicken to then soak in buttermilk that’s been spiked with some Tabasco sauce. I used my favoured hot sauce, Sriracha and I got the heat I wanted plus more flavour. The enzymes in buttermilk tenderize meat and don’t think that the buttermilk is going to get dumped – no, NO! You see, during the third step in making the best fried chicken ever is to remove the chicken pieces from the buttermilk then dredge it in an Old Bay seasoned flour then dunk the chicken once more in the reserved buttermilk and finally dredge one more time in the flour.

My previous attempts at homemade fried chicken failed because they were dredged in flour just once and what I ended up getting was either a fried chicken with a coating that looked unappetizing and burnt or just golden but the chicken meat inside was not fully cooked. I’m convinced the double coating of buttermilk and seasoned flour protects allow the coating and chicken meat to endure the 12 minutes cooking time in the fry pan.

The flour here is seasoned with Old Bay seasoning, a mixture that’s often used for seafood boils in the South and now very popular throughout Canada and the US. Old Bay is named after Chesapeake Bay where this seasoning mix was born. Many fish mongers now sell it, many grocery stores and high-end food shops will also sell it. There’s always mail-order and you could always mix your own batch of Old Bay seasoning. Everyone should add Old Bay into their pantry and everyone should make Art Smith’s Fried Chicken.

On the day I first sunk my teeth into this dish from the heavens, I collaborated with Paula of Dragon’s Kitchen to make a southern-style dinner. We settled on the fried chicken, some macaroni & cheese, cheddar & chive biscuits and collard greens with smoked turkey or ham hocks. Collards are a loose large leafed plant with long stalks that belong to the broccoli and cabbage family. The collard greens were a dish I thought of including after having this delicious side dish while having lunch in Harlem, New York at Sylvia’s, Queen of Soul Food.

Collard greens are not difficult to prepare but they do require some time: cut the stalks off (I discarded them) then soak and rinse them free of any dirt/grit then add them into a large pot with some diced onions, garlic, stock (or bouillon cubes with hot water) plus a leg or thigh or smoked turkey or a smoked ham hock. The collards are then simmered until tender, taking on the flavours of the melting onions, garlic and smoked meat. A fantastic side dish that/s perfect for fried chicken.

The other key to perfect fried chicken is to shallow-fry them. I used a heavy-bottom Dutch oven to fry them and when one says shallow-fry, you’re talking about frying in about 1-inch of oil. The chicken is fried in batches and for about 6 minutes /side. You’ll see the flour coating turn a lovely golden-brown and after making this fried chicken a few times, I can say with confidence that the chicken is also cooked through! Don’t you feel like fried chicken tonight?

Art Smith’s Fried Chicken

(serves 4)

1 whole chicken, cut into pieces (thighs, legs, wings, backs), trimmed of any excess skin

1/2 cup salt

enough water to cover chicken by 1 inch

enough buttermilk to just cover chicken (approx. 4 cups)

2 tablespoons Tobasco (I used Sriracha sauce)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Vegetable oil, for frying

1. In a pot, dissolve 1/2 cup of the salt in the water. Submerge the chicken in the brine; refrigerate overnight.
2. Drain and rinse the chicken. Rinse out the pot. Add the buttermilk and hot sauce (to taste), submerge the chicken in the buttermilk and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
3. In a shallow bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, garlic powder, Old Bay, cayenne, black pepper and the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt. Run your fingers down each piece of chicken to remove excess buttermilk then dredge in the flour. Dip the chicken back into the buttermilk and coat again in the flour.
4. Meanwhile, in a large cast-iron skillet, heat 1 inch of vegetable oil to 350-365°. Fry the chicken in batches until golden and cooked through, about 6 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and keep warm in a pre-heated 250F oven until ready to serve.

Collard Greens

(for 4)

1 bunch of collard greens

2 Tbsp. butter or olive oil

1 large onion, peeled & sliced

2-3 cloves of garlic, smashed

1 smoked turkey leg or ham hock

chicken stock (or 1/2 tsp. of chicken bouillon (cube) + hot water)

1. Lop-off the stalks from the collard greens and discard then place the leafy greens in a your sink and fill with water. Allow to soak for a few minutes then drain. Repeat until sand/grit is removed.
2. Now add the olive oil/butter into a large pot and add the onions, garlic, smoked meat sweat for 6-7 minutes. Slice/chop your collards and add into the pot and cover. The steam will render the water in the collards and after about 5 minutes, stir and cover and steam for another 5 minutes. Now add enough stock (or water plus seasoning) to just cover the collard greens and simmer on medium heat with the lid ajar for about 30-40 minutes or until fork tender. Remove the smoked meat and cut up and stir-in. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and serve as a side with your fried chicken along with some macaroni & cheese and biscuits.

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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.

a coffee roaster

I’m writing this post to share my passion for this “way” of making coffee which is simmered/brewed, unfiltered and if made properly, you may may indeed begin to make it for yourself or friends. Some good times have been had around the table with Greek coffee…sipping and chatting with my Papou (grandfather), enjoyed some sunrises and sunsets with Greek coffee and I’ve had my fortune told by aunts who tip the cups and read the coffee grounds! In Greece, the ritual of drinking Greek coffee usually occurs twice a day. The first Greek coffee is sipped in the morning as a jolt to wake up the morning and the second jolt comes after waking up from the afternoon siesta.

dark and light roast Greek coffee

Greek coffee can be strong in flavour but not necessarily in caffeine. Much like any other coffee – it all depends on your blend and or type of coffee used. In the coffee world there is light roast and dark roast. Light roast actually will give you a milder tasting coffee but there will also be more caffeine present. A dark roast (my preference) means the flavour of your coffee will be bolder but there the roasting reduces the caffeine in the coffee.

a "gazaki"

To make Greek coffee, you’ll need a briki (vessel to boil the coffee), demi-tasse cups,  cold water, sugar and of course, the coffee. Greek coffee can be made in four different ways. It can be sketos (without sugar, strong and bitter), metrios (medium, usually with half teaspoonful of sugar), glykys or vari glykos (almost honey-sweet) and glykys vrastos – sweet but boiled more then once so it loses most of its froth.

The most common way to boil your coffee is on your stove-top but the camping-style “gazaki” has become very popular and there are some fancy looking ones that come in brass and silver. Most are impatient to get that jolt of caffeine in your body but Greek coffee is best simmered over medium-low heat. If you’re lucky, some of the better cafes in Greece will make Greek coffee in a Hovoli. Some are more ornate than others but a Hovoli basically works like this: add your water, sugar and coffee into the brass briki then place it in the part of the hovoli filled with hot sand. The hot sand mimics hot ashes, the traditionally way to heat up some Greek coffee.

water container of a Hovoli

Depending on what kind of Greek Coffee you like, measure and add into the briki the coffee, a teaspoonful of coffee per cup, and the sugar. For a medium coffee the best balance is to add the same amount of sugar as coffee. For a medium coffee the best balance is to add the same amount of sugar as coffee.

An interesting anecdote on Greek coffee and its origins – is it Greek or Turkish? This was the question posed to the wife of the former Greek Ambassador to Canada, Apostolos Papsliotis. I was reunited with the Ambassador and his wife at a wedding reception this past Summer in Halkdiki, Greece. We were taking about food, Greek food and the city of Isatanbul creeped into the conversation. Mrs. Papasliotis told me about attending a dinner and being seated right beside the Turkish ambassador. The Turkish ambassador leaned over to the Greek Ambassador’s wife and asked about the origins of coffee…., “Greek or Turkish”?

The cunning and very diplomatic Ambassador’s wife replied, “It is not Turkish or Greek…but Eithiopian”!

Greek Coffee (Ελληνικός-καφές)

• Greek coffee
• Sugar (1 tsp for sweet, 1/2 tsp for medium/metrio)*
• A briki
• Demi-tasse cups
• Cold water
• side glass of water

1. Using the demi-tasse cup, measure the amount of cold water will need to make your serving of coffee and add into briki.
2. Add the a teaspoon of coffee in to the briki.
3. Now add the appropriate amount of sugar*.
4. Over medium heat, place the briki on the heat. Do not stir but swirl the briki until the coffee and sugar have dissolved.
5. As soon as the coffee foams, quickly remove from the heat and pour into the demi-tasse.
6. Allow the coffee grounds to settle to bottom of cup for about a minute before drinking. Sip until you detect a bit of coffee grounds in a sip. Coffee is done.
7. You want to serve Greek coffee with the foam (kai-maki) and as soon as you start to see the coffee rise and foam, quickly take the briki off the heat and pour into your guests’ demi-tasses. A well-made Greek coffee will have a solid layer of “kaimaki” or krema on top.
8. Serve with a glass of cold water and a cookie or a sweet.

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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.

I found recent articles in The Atlantic and investigative reports from the Boston Globe covering the topic of “bait & switch” when it comes to restaurants and fish mongers advertising one fish when in fact through genetic tests conducted (in Guelph, Ontario) to be unsettling in the least. Beth Daley and Jenn Abelson of the Boston Globe found that many fish at were mislabeled at many local restaurants, including some high-end ones!

Fish mongers faired  slightly better with distributors labeling less desirable species and passing it off as something else (presumingly a fish of higher demand). Some distributors mislabel unknowingly and others to intentionally deceive and they continue to get away with it as the industry is not as regulated as the meat industry.

So here we are, trying to eat better – less meat and more vegetable dishes in our diet and incorporate more fish and seafood instead of red meat. This new problem compounds the average consumer’s trepidation when it comes to buying fish: finding a reputable fish monger, knowing how to pick a fresh fish and buying a fish that’s not endangered and eating a sustainable fish. So, now one has to find out if the fish you’re buying is actually the one advertised/labeled? Sadly, yes.

One of the most commonly mislabeled fish has to be the red snapper…practically any fish with red skin seems to be labeled a red snapper. One friend complained of a tough, dense red snapper when in fact she was sold a parrot fish (in the grouper family). Here in Toronto I see sardines on restuarant menus when in fact the species of fish are larger than the sardines I know from the Mediterranean and they are related more to the herring than sardine.

Sea bass is another fish that falls into the grey area of labeling. There are so many types of sea bass…European (lavraki or branzino), the Porgy or sea bream has been labled as sea bass and the striped bass is another! Oh, there’s the poor endangered Chillean Sea Bass which I still see sold in many fish shops.

red mullet

Another issue is many fish stores will sell very little by way of whole fish and for me as a consumer – that’s a big problem. One – I can’t tell for sure what fish I am actually buying nor will I be able to inspect the fish’s eyes, gills or smell the fish, looking for that fresh smell of the sea. Many people still are squeamish about seeing the fish’s head still on their plate but I ask you: don’t you want the freshest fish and don’t you want to know you’re not being ripped-off and being sold an inferior fish or one that is endangered? i don’t.

Last week I cooked some red mullet – a small red to orange fish that’s a delight to eat with it’s firm, moist white flesh  – wonderful fried. I posted pics of the dinner and a reader of the blog opined that they thought red mullet had too many bones and I replied that they likely were sold/ate a goat fish (looks like red mullet but with many more thin bones inside).  Yet another reader gave me the ‘OH YUM’ comment and proclaimed my “mullets” looked delicious. Mullets are an entirely different fish that’s blue-black, longer and much more readily available in fish shops.

There’s no easy way to quickly get up to speed on fish and seafood but I can recommend two books that will help you make educated choices when buying fish and seafood: the Field Guide to Seafood. It’s compact but thick with lots of info and most of the more popular fish having photos. The other book is titled Mediterranean Seafood with drawings for each species. Both of these books also provides the names of this fish in many languages, different sub-species from different waters, when the fish is in season, how to choose a fresh one and even some suggested cooking ideas!

grey mullet

I’ve been to Greece over twenty times and this invaluable experience has helped me to choose fresh fish at a good price and avoid a bad fish or one in season or endangered. I’ll continue to write about fish and share whatever wisdom I’ve picked-up along the way. I urge you to eat more fish and seafood – you’ll improve your diet, learn more about fish and seafood and gain confidence in choosing with each meal.

Today’ fish is the mullet, found at fish mongers here in Toronto and they are in season in North America November-December. This fish was likely caught in the southern Us (Florida) and when fresh, it’s hard to beat. That being said, there’s a lot of mullet out there that doesn’t look that tempting so be patient. When you see one with clear eyes, pink gills, firm body and it smells of the sea – grab some and get your grill ready.

Mullet roes being packed in Porto Lagos, Xanthi

I first saw mullet in a big way when I visited the area of Messolonghi on the western side of Greece. Messolonghi is situated on a vast lagoon known for producing sea salt and fishing – mainly eel, sea bream, mullet and the highly valued mullet roe which goes towards making “avgotaraho”…or better known as bottarga (Italian). The roe of the mullet are removed then heavily salted then dried in the sun and finally preserved in bee’s wax before being sold in the markets.

This past summer I visited the city of Xanthi in the northeastern province of Thrace where I  visited another vast lagoon called Porto Lagos. There, I saw fishermen pulling out blue crab, lots of mullet and preparing the roe for transport. The local fishermen told me the two major producers of Agvotaraho buy up the mullet roe of Porto Lagos.

Porto Lagos, Xanthi

My friend chef Stella Spanou and her husband treated us to some fresh-caught mullet that probably had no more than 6 hours between being caught and being grilled outdoors at her summer home. As per usual, fish should be prepared with the simply with just salt and pepper as seasoning, grilled and dressed with a oil/lemon dressing that us Greeks call “ladolemono” or oil/lemon.

I do love crispy skin on fish but many will find the skin of the mullet to be a little tough. Simply peel off the skin and cut the head off, remove the upper fillet then remove the spine and any remaining pinbones in each fillet. Pour the lush sauce made of the very best Greek olive oil and fresh lemon juice. I always like to add an herb – dried Greek oregano is wonderful here.

Grilled Grey Mullet

(serves 4)

4 whole mullet fish, scaled and gutted

coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

salt to taste

2 tsp. dried Greek oregano

1. Pre-heat your gas or charcoal grill to high heat and brush the surface to remove any grill residue (the cleaner your grill, the less chance of your fish sticking). Drizzle your fish with olive oil and season both sides and the cavity with salt and pepper.
2. As soon as your grill is ready, take some paper towel and dunk it in some vegetable oil and wipe your grill surface (to lubricate it). Now place your mullet on the grill and cook for about 6-7 minutes/side. You know your fish has been cooked when you’re able to pull-out the dorsal fin from the fish.
3. While your fish is grilling, Add the olive oil, lemon juice and some salt to taste and place in a jar, close and shake well. Adjust flavourings, add the dried Greek oregano and shake again.
4. When the fish is cooked, carefully remove from the grill and place on each plate/platter. With mullet, you may remove the skin then pull away the spiny bones that run along the top and bottom part of the fish, Make an incision just behind the head and lop off then make an incision with a knife along the top part of the fish then along the bottom part of the fish. Now now should be able to freely lift and flip-over the top fillet of the fish. Now you can pull out the spine of the fish and discard and hence have two fish fillets. Inspect the fillets for any remaining pin bones (near the front and around the belly) and pulls those out with your fingers.
5. Shake the Latholemono in the jar and pour over your fillets. Serve with rice pilaf or potato salad, some boiled Vlita and serve with a chilled Gerovassliou White.

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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.

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.

© 2007-2010 Peter Minakis

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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.