In terms of cookbooks, there was little happening on the Greek front, other than practically every wife being given a Tselementes book upon being married. Vefa came around and explored Greek cookery further, gathering recipes from all regions of Greece, releasing booklets specific to the seasons or type of course. Vefa was also the one who first appeared on Greek TV with her cooking segments on a morning show. Her popularity grew when she broke out and hosted her own show dedicated to just cooking.

having a coffee with Vefa Alexiadou

Today, if  you turn-on your TV set in Greece you’ll see a cooking show on every channel (even English food celebs dubbed in Greek) and all these Greek food celebrities in part owe a bit of gratitude to “kuria Vefa” for opening the doors wide for their celebrity. As someone as passionate about Greek as I am, it was an honour to meet Vefa over a coffee last Spring but it was a privilege to be invited back to her summer home in Halkidiki when I returned for my summer vacation.

I traveled south from my family’s summer home on a very hot summer night, kinda’ sticky if I recall. I finally arrived in the town where Vefa’s summer home is but I was a little lost. All one has to do is ask which way to kuria Vefa’s home and EVERYBODY knows where she lives! I found the home, was greeted like a relative who was way overdue for a visit and treated to the infamous Greek philoxenia at “Vefa’s House”!

Sani Beach, Halkidiki

We chatted more about Greece, the Greek food scene, recipes and beautiful Halkidiki. We sat and chatted over a light dinner which ended with a light, refreshing Halva I’d never had before. Halva in Greek cuisine can mean it’s made from sesame paste, from corn starch and the most widely common being the semolina halva. Semolina halva begins by making a syrup, often with spices like cinnamon and clove added with some citrus peel.

The coarse semolina is toasted in either butter or olive oil (the latter used during Lent), nuts are added into the mix and finally the syrup is added to the semolina to form a grainy paste that is place in moulds and inverted on a platter and chilled until serving. What set this Halva apart from others was that the prominent flavour here was lemon and the semolina is just slightly toasted, keeping the colour light (as opposed to the usual beige). On that got day, the Lemon Halva was the perfect light dessert accompanied by a cold glass of water.

Lemons are still in season and this gives you another dessert idea that requires less than 30 minutes preparation. It’s easy, it’s light, the pure lemon flavour with the lightly toasted semolina is only nudged with a pinch of ground cinnamon an a splash of vanilla. The real flavour in lemons (and citrus) is the zest and peel and in Lemon Halva, it really shines. Vefa, you’ve done it again!

Lemon Halva (Halva Lemoniou)

(serves 10)

Syrup

4 – 4 1/2 cups water

2 cups sugar

peel of 2 lemons

fresh grated cinnamon to taste

Halva

1 cup melted unsalted butter or extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups coarse semolina

1/2 cup blanched chopped almonds and pine nuts

splash of vanilla

zest of 2 lemons

squeeze of lemon juice to taste

extra chopped nuts for garnish

candied lemon peel for garnish

1. In a medium pot, add the water, sugar and lemon peels and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium and simmer for 5 minutes then remove from the heat. Remove the lemon peels, add your ground cinnamon and reserve. Don’t throw those peels out – thinly slice (julienne) and toss in sugar, pinch of salt and shake off excess then allow to dry on paper towels. Good for a couple of weeks in a sealed container.
2. In a large pot, add your butter or oil over medium heat and once hot, add your semolina and stir with a wooden spoon for about 5-6 minutes or until lightly toasted. Now add the nuts and stir to amalgamate and lightly toast, about 2 more minutes.
3. Now add the reserved syrup, some vanilla extract and stir over medium-low heat until the syrup has been absorbed and the semolina no longer sticks the sides of the pot and doesn’t stick to the spoon.
4. Take off the heat and add the lemon zest, a squeeze of lemon juice (to taste) and place a towel over the pot and place the lid on (prevent a crust from forming). Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before placing in a large mould (you could use a Bundt pan) or individual serving moulds.
5. Grease the moulds with oil or cooking spray and spoon in the Halva, pressing it in with a spoon. Carefully invert on a plate/platter and you may have tap and slighty bend the mould for the halva to free up. Cover and chill, serve cool to room temperature with a coffee, cold water or a digestif.

*This recipe  and many more Greek desserts can be found in Vefa’s book, Elliniki Kouzina: Zacharoplastiki

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This past week I took some of the chopped spinach that was left from making a Spanakopita filling and reserved it for dinner. Dinner was going to be flounder fillets stuffed and roll with spinach. Frozen spinach is a wonderful convenience product, it’s affordable, comes in small packages and easy to handle: thaw, squeeze excess water and chop (if necessary). I sweated some scallions and added some chopped fresh fennel fronds – this mild anise flavour goes well with fish.

The braised lentils were an inspiration from Chef Emily Watkins who served seared duck breast with them. I’ve done braised lentils before and mine are a little different but Watkins did give me the nudge. Fish and spinach with herbs, baked and served on a bed of braised lentils? Healthy, healthy, delicious, delicious!

Spinach-Stuffed Flounder on Braised Lentils

(serves 4)

4 flounder fillets (or other white fish)

1 lb. pkge. of frozen chopped spinach, thawed

3-4 scallions, sliced

2-3 Tbsp. of chopped fennel fronds (or tarragon)

extra-virgin olive oil

zest of 1 lemon

1 tsp. sweet paprika

fine sea salt & fresh ground pepper

Garnish

chopped fresh parsley, lemon zest and wedges of lemon

Pre-heated 400F oven

Braised Lentils

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup of dried green lentils, well rinsed

1/4 cup finely diced red onion

1/4 cup finely diced carrot

1/4 cup finely diced celery

2 bay leaves

5-6 sprigs of fresh thyme

salt and pepper to taste

approx. 2-3 cups of vegetable or chicken stock

red wine vinegar to taste

1. Place a medium pot on your stove-top over medium heat and add the olive oil, onions, carrots, celery, bay and thyme and sweat while occasionally stirring for about 5 minutes. Now add the lentils, some salt and pepper and stir for a couple of minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed. Now add enough stock to just cover the lentils and simmer uncovered and stir occasionally. Add more stock as needed and continue to simmer while stirring until the lentils are just soft. Remove from the heat, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and add red wine vinegar to taste (remove thyme sprigs and bay).
2. Pre-heat your oven to 400F, middle rack. In a small skillet, add some olive oil and the scallions and sweat for about 3-4 minutes then take off the heat and allow to cool. Mix the scallions with your thawed chopped spinach and add the chopped fennel fronds and salt and pepper to taste.
3. Rinse your fillets and pat-dry. Drizzle both sides of the fillets with olive oil and sprinkle lemon zest on both sides of the fish, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle the sweet paprika. To ensure your fish fillets do not unravel when baking, you’re going to place the stuffing on top part of the fillet (the side where the skin would have been, its smooth). Place the spinach on each fillet and roll up starting from the widest end and your roll will end-up at the tail. Use a toothpick to secure each roll and place in a baking tray.
4. Drizzle with some olive oil and place in your pre-heated oven  for 15-20 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven and place a ladle of lentils on to each plate and using a spatula, carefully lift and place a fish portion on top. Mix the lemon zest and chopped parsley and sprinkle on top of each fish, spoon some pan juices along with some drops of olive oil and a wedge of lemon. Serve with a Domaine Tselepos Mantinia, 100% Moschofilero.

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This dessert is inspired by the Lemon Phyllo Tarts I had last year when I visited Toronto’s Malena to check out their new Spring Menu. The tarts arrived as part of a trio of desserts that were kissed by the Mediterranean spirit and influences of Italy and Greece. These tarts are simply some phyllo pastry placed into a muffin tin (baked) then filled with a lemon curd and finished with a meringue. Lemon Meringue Pie in phyllo.

As a Greek, we always have commercial phyllo in the freezer and all one has to do is thaw it overnight in your fridge before using. The idea to try my hand at lemon meringue phyllo tarts came to me on New Year’s Eve, upon seeing that we had lots of leftover sweets and thinking that another big dessert production was unnecessary. One could make as much or as little as they want (2 to 12), they are easy to make and just three movements to the recipe.

baked phyllo cups

With the phyllo thawing in the fridge, the first step would be to make a lemon filling: I go to trusted sources and Paula’s recipe for lemon curd at Dragon’s Kitchen was easy, delicious and perfect for these lemon phyllo tarts. The pyllo cups and lemon curd can be made a day or two before and the meringue can be whipped the day of serving.

These tarts were refreshing with just enough lemon to pucker your mouth yet balanced with sweetness. Texture-wise you have the creamy lemon curd juxtaposed with the crunch of the phyllo pastry and then there’s the light bruleed meringue on top that rounds out the flavours with a hint of burnt flavour.

Commercial phyllo is available at Greek, Middle-eastern shops and now found at most supermarkets, the lemon curd is something easily made in your kitchen and lemons are in season – don’t used that bottled stuff! The meringues can be finished with a kitchen torch or using the broiler feature of your oven. A delicious, light dessert option that kids and adults alike with adore.

Lemon Meringue Phyllo Tarts

For the Lemon Curd

6 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice
Splash of Limoncello (optional)
Zest of 1/2 of lemon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold & cut into cubes

For the Phyllo Cups

4 sheets of phyllo pastry (thawed overnight in your fridge)

1/2 stick melted butter

sugar

1/2 cup ground almonds

1 muffin tin

For the Meringue

4-5 large egg whites

1/4 cup icing sugar

3/4 tsp. cream of tartar

1. Prepare an ice water bath for the finished curd and set aside. Add an inch of water to a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. In a medium metal bowl whisk the egg yolks and sugar until smooth. Whisk in salt, lemon juice, Limoncello and lemon zest. Add the cold butter cubes. Place bowl over the pan of simmering water and cook, whisking frequently until the butter is incorporated and the curd is thick; about 15 minutes.
2. Transfer the bowl to the ice water bath and leave it to cool, stirring occasionally. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cooled lemon curd and transfer the bowl to the refrigerator until it’s completely cold (about 4 hours or overnight).
3. Paint the insides of the muffin moulds with melted butter and pre-heat your oven to 325F. Lay a sheet of phyllo on work surface then brush with butter than sprinkle sugar and ground almonds. Repeat with the next two sheets of phyllo and simply brush the fourth sheet with butter.
4. Now measure and cut the phyllo into 4″ x 4″ squares and press each into the muffin moulds and bake on the center rack for 10-12 minutes or just until golden. Allow to cool for 5 minutes then remove the phyllo cups from the pan.
5. Carefully separate your egg whites and place in a clean bowl and add the icing sugar and cream of tartar and whisk until dissolved then beat with an electric mixer until still peaks have formed.
6. Take the lemon curd out of your fridge and spoon equal amounts into each phyllo cup then either place the meringue in a piping bag and top each tart or simply spoon it on top.
7. Use a kitchen torch to brulee your meringues or place the phyllo tarts on a baking tray and place on the middle rack and broil until just browned. Serve immediately or place in the fridge until ready to serve then return to room temperature before serving.

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This is a firm cheese, a little spongy and porous, made of sheep’s or goat’s milk and briny with a back-end tang on the palate. It has a colour that ranges from egg-white to yellow. The cheese is in essence a Kefalotyri (salty) that’s shaped like a large head after being strained in cheesecloth then it’s sliced into slabs and place in metal containers with coarse sea salt sprinkled in between each piece and topped with the whey ( or a brine).

Batzos is often enjoyed in the style of “saganaki”, that is to say it’s fried in the two-handled vessel and often flambeed with Tsipouro (local eau de vie) or brandy and finished with a good squeeze of lemon. Fried cheese is enjoyed by most Greeks and those who patronize Greek restaurants order this favourite all the time. You won’t find Batzos here in Toronto but it’s certainly avaialable in Thessaloniki and surrounding regions.

Batzos Saganaki (Μπάτζος Σαγανάκι)

1 piece of Batzo 1/2″ inch thick

1 generous Tbsp. of olive oil

all-purpose flour for dredging

optional for flambe: 1/2 shot glass of Metaxa (brandy) or Ouzo

wedge of lemon

1. Pre-heat a heavy-bottomed skillet (a cast-iron pan works very well) to a medium-high heat. Place your slab of cheese under running tap water then dredge in all-purpose flour. Shake off any excess flour.
2. Add your olive oil to the skillet. Add a sprinkle of flour into the pan to test if the oil is hot enough. As soon as it sizzles, add your cheese to the skillet and sear for a couple of minutes. Carefully flip the cheese with a spatula and allow to sear for a couple of minutes on the other side.
3. Turn off your heat source and carefully carry your cheese saganaki to your table and pour the brandy ( or Ouzo) over the cheese and ignite with a lighter. Move your head back, shout “OPA” and squeeze the wedge of lemon over the cheese.
4. Serve immediately with crusty bread, some Ouzo on ice.

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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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© 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.