When you’re a city of 20 million, you have to feed the citizens and tourists alike. There’s street vendors for those in a rush, high end restos catering to the rich with haute Ottoman and European dishes and then there’s the open kitchens which are found throughout the city. Much like in Greece, these open kitchens offer seasonal, fresh dishes that are presented in the front windows or counters of the store.  One walks through Istanbul enticed by the aroma and sight of these dishes, presented with panache yet still very rustic.

One of the dishes that drew me in was Islim Kebabi, the recipe I’m sharing  today. Essentially its a dish made of an eggplant-wrapped meatball topped by tomato and pepper. There’s a few techniques used here but nothing overly tasking and this a great presentation dish for family and friends.

Essentially, Islim Kebabi requires some lightly fried eggplant to wrap the meatballs in, fried meatballs, a quick tomato sauce and finally the dish comes together in the oven.

Islim Kebabi

(serves 4-6)

1 recipe of Keftedes

3 eggplants, 1/2 in. sliced lengthwise

oil for frying

Sauce 

1 cup tomato purée

1/4 cup olive oil

1 med. onion, finely diced

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

1 tsp. dried Greek oregano

pinch of cinnamon

2 tomatoes, pulp removed & quartered

1-2 banana peppers, halved & cut into 1 inch pieces.

toothpicks

Pre-heated 350F oven

1. Slice your eggplants lengthwise to about 1/2 in. slices and sprinkle with salt and place upright in a strainer to allow the bitter liquid to drain for 30 minutes. Pat-dry with paper towels and add about 1 cm. of vegetable oil in a skillet and fry the eggplant slices over medium heat until just soft and pliable (about 2 minutes). Reserve on paper towels and drain off/discard oil.
2. In the meantime, mix your ground beef (or lamb) with the remaining ingredients then fry-off a small meatball to taste-test then, form into palm-sized meatballs. Lightly dredge in flour and add about 1 cm. of olive oil in a skillet and brown on both sides, reserve on paper-lined platter.
3. In the same skillet, add some more olive (if needed) and add your onions, garlic, tomato purée and bring up to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper and reduce until the sauce is thick. Add the dried oregano, a pinch of cinnamon and set aside. Pre-heat your oven to 350F.
4. Place three slices of fried eggplant into a medium-sized ramekin (or like-sized bowl) with . Now place a meatball inside and bring the eggplant up toward the top of the meatball and affix with one or two toothpicks and top with a tomato quarter and green pepper.
5. Place the sauce in a baking dish that with snugly hold the eggplant and meatball bundles. Drizzle with some olive oil and place in your pre-heated oven for 30 minutes or until just golden on top.
6. Serve with a rice pilaf and place the Islim Kebabi to the side with a spoon or two of sauce. Serve with an Amydeon Oenos red from the Amyntaio Wine Co-Op.

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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.

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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© 2011 – 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.

I love Batzo because it’s briny but  not that forward or as sharp as a Kefalotyri cheese, it’s holds up well to heat and it’s one Greece’s many cheeses ideal for frying. Saganki? OPA!!

Today I’ve pulled together three Greek dishes into one: frying cheese, a Greek meatball called a “keftede” and another northern Greek specialty – Makalo: a sauce made from drippings in a pan or fat of some sort, flour and liquid. It could be water, stock and spiked with spices or some tomato purée. The consistency of Makalo is much like a gravy and it’s great for dipping fries in it, bread or in this case…cheese and meatballs.

My dad often mixes some ground beef with onions, herbs, binder and hand-rolls some keftedes with which he then dredges in flour and then fry in a heavy-bottomed pan. The keftedes are reserved then pours off the oil and adds some more followed by some flour to make a roux then hot liquid like water or stock, some tomato paste (or juice) and while he’s stirring he’ll add some sweet paprika, a pinch of smoked paprika from his home town of Amynteo and salt to taste. Some Boukovo (chilli flakes) usually were sprinkled at the end.

The meatballs would go into the thick Makalo to heat through and the dunking of bread and nibbling keftedes would ensue. My friend Diane Kochilas shares a Vlach dish from nearby Nymfaio where they would fry-up some Batzo cheese then make a similar Makalo and add the cheese back in. Here, you get two-for-one….fried cheese and meatballs to make a fabulously rustic dish that’s as a far removed from the pretentious eateries of Kolonaki that i can think of.

It’s time for a return to “village dishes” me thinks.

Fried Batzo With Makalo & Kefte (Μπάτζος με Μακαλο και Κεφτες)

(makes 1 appetizer portion for two)

1 slab of Batzos cheese, about 1/2 inch thick (kefalotyri, kefalograviera or a firm kasseri could be used)

olive oil for frying cheese

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter or olive oil

1 heaping tsp. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. of sweet paprika

1 tsp. tomato paste

1 small clove of garlic, minced

approx. 1/3 cup hot water or stock

pinch of smoked paprika

salt and pepper to taste

1.  This dish came about with some leftover keftedes that I added at the end of frying the cheese and making the Makalo, so use whatever leftover meatballs you have or make a batch of my family’s keftedes. Place a heavy-bottomed skillet or cast-iron pan on your stove-top over medium-high heat. Slice a slab of Batzos cheese to about 1/2 inch thick and wet it under some running tap water then dredge it all-purpose flour (shake off excess).
2. Add a turn of olive in the hot pan and once hot, add the cheese and fry for a couple of minutes a side or until crisp and golden. Remove from the pan and reserve. Drain off the oil, wipe the pan clean (so your sauce doesn’t become too dark) and add the butter and as soon as it’s melted, add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon for a minute. Now add the tomato and stir in then add some water, the minced garlic, paprika and stir and gradually add more water until the sauce is thick, creamy.
3. Adjust seasoning with salt, some chilli flakes and a pinch of smoked paprika and gently place the reserved fried Batzo and keftede and allow to warm through for a couple of minutes in the sauce (Makalo).
4. Carefully carry the pan to the table and serve “as is” along with some good crusty bread and a chilled Chrisohoou Petritis Rose from Naoussa.

* You can substitute Batzo with Kefalotyri, Kefalograviera, Halloumi, or a firm Kasseri.

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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.

You see, both my parents are from the Florina region of Greece (90 minutes NW of Thessaloniki) and the folks here just love their peppers and yes hot peppers. I haven’t posted a dish in awhile that is intentionally hot and this is the answer to those looking for some heat. This is a meze/appetizer dish that’s easy to prepare, the ingredients won’t set you back and it’s a wonderful offering alongside some Keftedes or Bifteki or some grilled pork. Good crusty bread for dipping, swiping and dunking is a must here!

What’s really cool about this recipe is the method I’ve chosen here to stuff the peppers: I briefly blanche the peppers to soften them so that they are easy to stuff. I’ve chosen tomatoes and Feta cheese to stuff the peppers with  – a classic combo and finished with sea salt, Greek olive oil and dried Greek oregano. The Feta, the tomato, the flavour of the peppers are all concentrated as I bake this delicious meze in the oven. You could cover and simmer these on your stovetop but you won’t get the same effect.

Epiros Greek Feta - sold at Costco Canada

Choose ripe tomatoes, good Feta like Epiros (Greek of course) available at Costco in Canada, ripe hot banana peppers and extra-virgin Greek olive oil. Kali Orexi – Bon Apetit!

Tomato & Feta Stuffed Peppers (Πιπεριές Γεμιστές με Ντομάτα & Φέτα)

(appetizer for 4-6)

6-8 hot banana peppers (or sweet peppers)

3 large ripe tomatoes

approx. 10-11 sticks of Feta cheese

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

sea salt

1 tsp. dried Greek oregano

Pre-heated 400F oven

1. Place a medium pot of water on your stovetop and bring to a boil. Add some salt and when the water returns to a boil, add the peppers and simmer for 5-6 minutes then remove with a slotted spoon and run under cold water until just cooled. Your peppers are now soft and pliable and easy to fill.
2. Remove the stems from your tomatoes and cut in half then gently squeeze out the seeds and discard. Cut strips of tomato from each of the halves and set aside. Now cut some batons (sticks) of Feta cheese about 1 cm. in thickness.
3. Pat the peppers dry and place on your work surface and slice open the tops of your peppers (lengthwise) and carefully remove seeds (optional). Insert enough Feta cheese into the opening of each pepper to line the entire length of the pepper. Now slide strips of tomato along the Feta and try and enclose the filling as much as possible.
4. Place the peppers in a small baking dish that will tightly hold the peppers. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and dried oregano and cover will foil and place in your pre-heated oven for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and baking uncovered for another 5 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated.
5. Drizzle with more olive oil (optional) and serve hot with good crusty bread and Ouzo or Tsipouro.

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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.

When I visit Greece I also head into Thessaloniki to have a lunch or dinner at one of my favourite restaurants in the city, “Kourdisto Gourouni” (Wind-up Pig). The Kourdisto Gourouni has old world charm, serving lots of beers, a good choice of Greek wines and lots of great food to be served with the booze.

The Kourdisto Gourouni is located across from Aghia Sophia Church at the southwest corner of Ermou on the main floor of the beautiful “Kokkino Spiti” (Red House). The Kokkino Spiti was completed in 1928 and built by a wealty textiles merchant from Naoussa called John Loggos. The Red House currently houses The Kourdisto Gourouni, a cafe and clothing store. The Red House is also said to be haunted with vampires, cursed with some suicides occurring in the building.

Aghia Sophia, Thessaloniki

The Red House of Thessaloniki is a protected as a “heritage building” in 2006 as it’s unique red bricks and ceramic detailing on the outside make it different from the rest of the preserved buildings in Thessaloniki. The Culture Minister in 2007 (Voulgarakis) approved a move for the State to buy/acquire the building with the purpose of protecting and maintaining the building and hosting various cultural events in it. The Culture Minister who followed Voulgarakis is now the Leader of Opposition (Antonis Samaras) and possibly Greece’s next Prime Minister reserved Voulgarakis’ order – deeming the building “not justifiable to the public interest to protect the building”. So, although the building is safe for now, the Red House is in a slow state of decay and open to be privately sold and be at the whim of those who may buy it.

Each time I go to Greece I come back with a new dish that I haven’t tried nor heard of before – this past year was no different as I tried an appetizer of roasted red peppers and Feta cheese in the form of croquettes. The Kourdisto Gourouni served me “soutzoukaki” shaped (oblong) croquettes with a cooling strained Greek yogurt, perfect balance for the sweet, roasted red peppers and the briny Feta cheese.

The recipe list for this meze/appetizer is remarkably short but what counts here is quality ingredients: roasted red peppers, Feta cheese, flour, herbs, spices and a cool, thick strained Greek yogurt. First the red peppers: each year my family blisters bushels of red peppers then we allow them to cool then place in zip-lock bags and place in the freezer for the winter. The charred skins protect the peppers from freezer burn and one simply has to thaw them, peel away the skins and serve with salt and olive oil. I love smoky flavours in food and roasted peppers are one of the finest examples of it.

The flavourings here are simple, finely chopped scallions or chives, a combo of dried Greek oregano and fresh basil, some heat added with Boukovo (chilli flakes) and crumbled Feta cheese. The only real Feta cheese is made in Greece and for those of you living here in Canada, you can buy Epiros Feta (yes, made in Greece) at your local Costco. I decided to form these croquettes into the shape of a keftede or a Greek meatball. Keftedes are like Greek meatballs and often vegetarian keftedes are made for fasting periods and Greeks will call these “pseudo-keftedes” (false meatballs).

The Pseudo-keftedes are binded simply with all-purpose flour, some baking powder to lighten the mixture and simply dredged in flour then fried. Everything in the mixture is edible so a long cooking time isn’t required -  just enough time to fry these delicious bites until just golden. The roasted red peppers are sweet and this magnifies in flavour when they are fried. I spooned a big dollop of Oikos strained Greek yogurt in the middle of the plate and the combo proved to be both refreshing and delicious.

Red Pepper & Feta Pseudo-keftedes (Ψευτοκεφτεδες με Πιπεριες Φλωρινης & φέτα)

(makes approx. 8/appetizer for 4)

4 roasted red peppers, peeled and seeded, stems removed

1/2 cup fresh chives or scallions, finely chopped

1/2 tsp. dried Greek oregano

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

1/2 tsp. of chilli flakes (Boukovo)

6-8 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 level tsp. of baking powder

approx. 1 cup crumbled Feta cheese

sunflower oil for frying

1. After roasting your peppers, peel, seed and remove the stems (do not rinse away with water). Chop/dice the peppers and place in a bowl along with the oregano, basil, chives and baking powder and mix. Now add the flour and chilli flakes and mix again until you can form a meatball.
2. Now add the crumbled Feta and mix again and form into palm-sized balls and place in the fridge for an hour. Then add enough oil into a deep pan to come up about 1 inch. Dredge your balls lightly with all-purpose flour and as soon as your oil is hot (about 360F), fry on both sides until golden ( about 2 minutes).
3. Transfer to a paper-lined plate to blot excess oil then transfer to a platter along with a dollop of strained Greek yogurt and chopped chives as garnish.

*Special thanks to “I Love Thessaloniki” blog for background info

** Aghia Sophia in Thessaloniki

*** Kourdisto Gourouni

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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.