In Greece, one would order a “horiatiki” or village salad. The Greek Salad outside of Greece is also known as a “Greek” or you’ll see it on menus as a “Village” Salad. When ordering a Greek salad it’s always good to read the menu card carefully or ask the waiter what’s in the salad. If you don’t, you mat see a salad arrive that also contains….iceberg lettuce (gasp).

A Village (Greek) Salad should not contain lettuce of any kind and for the record, iceberg is not indigenous to Greece and it’s arrival to Greek supermarkets came after Greece’s markets were opened-up to a flood of produce and goods from the rest of Europe in the early 90′s. Here in Canada and the US many Greek restauranteurs have added lettuce as filler and to add insult to injury – bland tomatoes tossed with suspect olive oil and Feta cheese of dubious origins. Much of the blame is pointed towards Greek restaurants in the West who have dumbed-down Greek food, added filler (like iceberg) and continue to serve inferior Greek food. Ask the server what olive oil they use, where’s the Feta from and taste the tomatoes. Here’s my revenge on lame Greek restaurants…send the Greek salad back if you’re not satisfied.

Greeks are often asked what we put in our Greek Salad that makes it so delicious and Greeks will agree with me when we snicker before we respond. I’ve also been asked to bring a “Greek Salad” to parties or to pot-luck lunches or dinners. Could it get more easier? The Greek Salad is easy to pull off and even easier to screw-up!

The proper Village Salad contains tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, peppers, olives, olive oil and Feta cheese, oregano. No lettuce of any kind. This simplistic Village Salad will earn you major points but if you want your dinner guests to laud you, go the extra mile to assemble this otherwise easy salad.

Make this salad with ripe, in-season tomatoes. I may make a Village Salad as early as April when decent hot-house tomatoes arrive and as late as early October when the last of the local, vine-grown tomatoes are in the markets. A tasty, ripe tomato will make or break your salad. I like to use red onions as they are mild (they don’t repeat on me) and I like the colour and natural sweetness. Then there’s cucumbers….whole slices or cut into halves – your choice. I also like my cucumber with the skin on – just more flavourful but again, your prerogative. There’s slices of green pepper and you can use bell peppers, banana peppers or red, yellow or orange peppers if you don’t like green peppers.

That rounds-out the vegetable component of your Village Salad. On to the dressing. The dressing…the non-recipe. The dressing is the best, BEST Greek extra-virgin olive oil you can find. Here it Canada, I recommend Acropolis Organics, Christine Cushing’s two olive oils, Kalikori and Artemis olive oil. There are many quality olive oils out (especially the Greek ones) and I encourage to try one of them, you’ll taste the difference and for Heaven’s sake…you’re making a Greek salad…use a Greek olive oil.

The proper Greek salad does not contain wine vinegar or lemon juice but a splash of good wine vinegar or squeeze of lemon juice is totally acceptable. What isn’t acceptable is to use any Feta cheese that contains cow’s milk. It’s a sin, it’s not really Feta and you’re just short of eating cottage cheese. Use a Feta cheese that’s made in Greece with goat, sheep or a combo of both these milks to make the Feta. Perfectly aware that not everyone lives in a part of the country with Greeks and therefore no Greek deli or market, then look for a domestic Feta that at least is made of goat or sheep’s milk. NO COW’S MILK FETA!

You’re going to need a sprinkle of sea salt, some pungent dried Greek oregano and a garnish of Kalamata olives.  You may certainly use your favourite olive and I on occasion top my Greek salad with the wrinkly, salt-cured Throumpa from Halkidiki. Other variances to a Greek salad made be witnessed while in Greece: In the Cyclades (islands) I’ve seen the Greek salad topped with Anthotyro, a tangy ricotta cheese and the islanders will also often garnish with some local capers (also acceptable). I’ve added a handful of purslane that’s growing wild in my garden, adds to the salad without being distracting.

Village (Greek) Salad (Χωριατικη Σαλατα)

(serves 4)

2 large, ripe tomatoes, rinsed & cut into 6 wedges

1 cucumber, washed well and sliced

2 sweet banana pepper, sliced or 1/2 cup sliced green bell pepper

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

12 Kalamata olives

extra-virgin olive oil to taste

Feta cheese, served in cubes, batons or slabs

sea salt to taste

2 tsp. dried Greek oregano

garnish of capers or purslane (optional)

1. Add your tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and onions in a large bowl along with the olives and sprinkle some sea salt. Now drizzle in some olive oil and sprinkle some dried Greek oregano. Top with Feta and olives, drizzle a bit more olive oil on the Feta and sprinkle some Greek oregano on it. Garnish with  capers or some purslane from the garden.
2. Serve with good crusty bread.

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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 first saw a recipe for Kalamata ice cream at Monambelles (blog is in German) and from what I understand (no, this isn’t another case of loss in translation), their inspiration for the peculiar ice cream came from Greek-Australian Chef George Calombaris (Master Chef fame). George has served up Greek food with ‘twists’ for many years and it comes as no surprise that he would concoct Kalamata olive ice cream.

Kalamata olives in ice cream, eh? First off, the first step in making the olives compatible with ice cream was to remove the savory, briny flavour of them. This is done by simply soaking the olives in water to draw out the salt from the olives. This is method is similar to what’s done with salt cod fish. I changed the water twice until the olive were no longer salty to the taste. I stripped the olives back down to their almost natural taste…almost.

Those who live in parts of the world that grow olives will know that olives can often be bitter and one of the methods to making olives edible are to soak them in water (changed daily) until the bitterness is gone. Another method is to salt cure them and then all the varying flavours (like lemon, vinegar, spices) are added in, depending on personal tastes.

The Kalamata olives used for this ice cream tastes something like a black cherry but that sweetness isn’t there. Next step was to making a simple syrup by boiling water and sugar and steeping the olives in it. Now we’re ready to make Kalamata ice cream! The usual ingredients show up now: whole milk, cream, egg yolks, some vanilla extract, sugar and I’ve added some re-hydrated dry figs and a shot of Ouzo. Olives and figs pair well and they were a natural in this Kalamata olive ice cream.

If the olives weren’t enough for you, I even have some fruity Greek extra-virgin olive oil added at the end of the ice-cream making process. I’m no fool, this is stretching  an ingredient and telling someone to try Kalamata olive ice cream will invoke some food prejudices but you think I told my friends they were eating Kalamata ice cream? HELL NO! They were given a bowl of mystery ice cream – they all loved it and some even guessed it contained olives. Go figure!

Kalamata Olive Ice Cream

2 cups of pitted Kalamata olives

1/2 cup of dried figs

1 shot of Ouzo

1 1/2 cups of whole milk

1 1/2 cups of cream (or evaporated milk)

1 cup of sugar

splash of vanilla extract

3 egg yolks

1/4 cup olive oil

1. Pit your olives and place in a bowl and enough water to just cover them. Drain the water after a couple of hours and taste the olives. You will likely have to replenish the water and soak the olives for another hour or two.
2. To sweeten the olives, place a pot on the stove-top with  1 1/2 cups of water, juice of half an orange plus 3/4 cup sugar and bring to a boil over medium heat while stirring. Simmer for 6 minutes, take the pot off the heat and allow the olives to cool in the liquid. Strain and drain and reserve a half cup of olives and purée the rest in a food processor. In the meantime, rehydrate the dried figs in enough hot water to just cover them in a bowl. Chop the figs when softened and reserve.
3. To make your ice cream, add the milk and vanilla extract into a pot and bring up to just scalding heat (medium heat). In another bowl, add the egg yolks and sugar and whisk until creamed. Use a ladle to slowly add the scalded milk into the creamed eggs and sugar while continuously whisking. Once all the milk has been added into the egg/sugar mixture, pour back into the pot and stir the ice cream base with a wooden spoon over medium heat until thickened enough to just coat the spoon. Allow the base to cool then cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to cool for at least four hours.
4. When the ice cream has sufficiently cooled, time to make ice cream. Slice the reserved olives and add them to the bowl with the chopped figs and toss with a shot of Ouzo. Take the chilled ice cream bowl out of your freezer and insert it into your ice cream maker. Pour the chilled ice cream base in and turn on your ice cream maker. Churn for 25 minutes then add the chopped figs, sliced olives (and the Ouzo) into the ice cream. Pour in the olive oil and after five minutes the ice cream should be well-blended.
5. Remove the ice cream and transfer to a tub/container and place in the fridge overnight. Serve this special ice cream and watch your friends as they enjoy…Kalamata olive ice cream!

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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 first discovered Ergon’s existence during my visit to the Sani Gourmet Festival in Kassandra, Halkidiki, where they have just opened a second shop. Myself and my food blogging friends were treated to an afternoon of noshing on some of Ergon’s fine products (with the help of some Ouzo & Tsipouro). I met Thomas Douzis and his staff and quickly found out that Ergon’s flagship store was located in Thessaloniki and that I should pay them a visit. No arm-twisting needed.

Ergon sells only Greek-made products from Crete to Macedonia, Epirus to Rhodes, Thrace to Messinia….the four corners of Greece! Ergon’s goal is to feature and carry products made by small artisans and they receive tips from their local clientele on the newest discovery. Ergon keeps very busy just checking out these new products and from chatting with Thomas, his enthusiasm for Greek artisan food products makes me believe he’ll stock each and every one of them!

Upon entering Ergon, you’ll get a whiff of the pastourma that hangs in the back of the store over the deli counter. Located deep in the store like a bank vault you will find deli meats like prosciutto, pastourma, pastrami, salami and sausages…..all made in Greece. Beside the deli meats are the precious cheeses that come from all over Greece: Cretan Graviera, Batsos from Macedonia, barrel-aged Feta, smoked Metsovone from Epirus and even an aged Manouri….all Greek!

Ergon is a “pantopoleon” – selling practically every pantry item for the Greek household. An array of legumes like chickpeas. beans and lentils are supplied by small producers and Ergon has many of its own labeled products, carefully vetted before appearing on their shelves.

What would a Greek general store be without olives? How about an array of olive oil, including a local olive oil from Halkidki? Ergon even sells cookbooks, there’s grape leaves, a small selections of wines, Ouzo and tsipouro.

Shopping at Ergon, one can buy goods for all three meals of the day: how about some organic eggs, or Greek yougurt made from goat or sheep’s milk? An array of marmalades, rusks like Cretan Dakos, and Greek gold…honey!

For lunch, try some of the legumes and make baked gigantes beans or a pot of Fakkes soup or Fassoulada? Don’t forget Ergon has a wide array of herbs and spices to complement your pantry.

Ergon is the type of store where one can make an impressive meze table featuring the “best of Greece”…truffles in oil from Grevena, aged cheeses from distant islands in the Cyclades, wild boar sausages, smoked Apaki (pork) from Crete or spreads made with Feta, taramosalata, roasted red peppers, smoky eggplant or a fig spread?

One of the products I went loopy over were these lasagna chips that had the texture of corn chips but were flavored with onions, spinach, oregano and they were ideal for dunking into an array of sauces. Ask about their mustards….some of the best I’ve had in years. The red pepper and tomato sauces are great on their own or to complement one of your dishes.

Ergon’s flagship store is centrally located just off Tsimiski in Thessaloniki’s shopping district. It’s located on Gregory Palama, a small street just west of Diagonios and it’s within eye’s view from Tsimiski. Ergon’s second store is located at the Sani Resort, in the marina. You’ll find in beside the Tomato restaurant and they carry almost all the goods found in Thessaloniki.

Ergon’s Sani Resort location also just opened a small Ouzeri that includes a menu developed by Master Chef Dimitris Skarmoutsos. I can’t wait to go back and try out more of the products on Ergon’s shelves, chat with the guys and talk about food, food, food while nibbling on some cheese and slices of deli meats and what the Hell…pour some 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.

I’ve been to both Crete and Laconia and in general, the olive oils from these two regions is of high repute but I was still curious to try out her “Bold” olive oil from Mani. Christine was kind enough to give me a bottle and the very first taste of this green gold came  by way of simply dunking some of my homemade crusty bread into a bowl of her extra-virgin olive oil.

The colour was a bright green, medium in body, yet full of flavour and very little peppery (spicy) notes on the finish. Early harvest olive oils from Greece are called “agourelio’ as the olives are picked in October/November and the wild, spicy flavours really come out from such an oil. Christine Cushing’s “bold” is not one of these these oils but it’s a flavour still transports you to Greece and frankly, it tastes the way olive oil should.

There’s so much debate, chat about olive oil out there, what’s good (and bad) and  how does one know when they are buying good olive oil? For starters, those olive oils you see on sale at your supermarket for $6.99/litre are likely a blend (many olives from many farms pressed at an olive oil co-op press), the label of “extra-virgin” immediately becomes suspect and upon reading the fine print on the label, you may see “packed in said  country” or product of the EU (European Union).

I like to know the origins of my olive oil and the best olive oils come from “single estates”…usually a family-owned plot of olive trees. Christine Cushing’s olive oils come from one source, certified organic (Bold) and just as an extra precaution…I placed a shot of olive oil in the fridge and it solidified (as pure olive oils should do).

The natural inclination for using an olive oil such as this one is to use it in a salad and with the Great Lent into it’s first week for Orthodox Christians, there will be plenty of uses for quality extra-virgin olive oil. Here, I’ve made a hearty chickpea salad with one of my favourite ingredients, roasted peppers, some blanched green beans, the use of pickled cauliflower florets which is a seasonal and abundant Winter vegetable. Throw in a splash of red wine vinegar, a bit of mustard, garlic, herbs and Greek extra-virgin olive oil and you’ve got a colourful, healthy and delicious salad! Before we get started, just ensure you toss the salad greens at the last possible moment so they don’t become limp and soggy. Enjoy!

Chickpea Salad With Roasted Red Peppers & Green Beans

(serves 4)

1 can (500gr.) of chickpeas, drained & rinsed

3 cups (1lb) of green beans, trimmed

2 red bell peppers, charred on the grill, peeled & seeded

1 cup of pickled cauliflower florets, halved

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp. of Dijon-style mustard

2 Tbsp. of red wine vinegar

1/2 cup Greek extra-virgin olive oil (Christine Cushing’s Bold)

2 cups of mixed greens or arugula or rocket or your favourite salad greens

1/4 chopped fresh parsley

2 tsp. dried Greek oregano

12 Kalamata olives, pitted

fine sea salt and fresh black pepper to taste

1. To roast your peppers, turn on your gas grill or pre-heat the broiler in your oven or…your gas stove-top. Char the skins of your peppers until they blister and are black on all sides and then place in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. Allow the peppers to sweat for 15-20 minutes. Peel and discard the skins, stems and seeds and slice the peppers into ribbons and reserve.
2. In the meantime, place a large pot of water on your stove-top and bring to a boil. Snap-off the tips of your beans and rinse and as soon as the water comes to a boil, add a good amount of salt and then add your beans to the water. As soon as the water returns to a boil, cook the beans for 5 minutes. Strain and place the beans in cold water to cool and strain (this step keeps them bright green).
3. In a large bowl, add the minced garlic, mustard, pinch of salt and pepper, vinegar and whisk. Now slowly add your olive oil into the bowl while whisking to emulsify the dressing. Add the chickpeas, green beans, red peppers and pickled cauliflower and toss well. Adjust seasoning once again, cover and chill until you’re ready to serve your salad.
4. Add the salad greens, chopped parsley, oregano into the bowl just before serving and toss gently until incorporated. Top with the olives and serve as a salad side or as bedding with a fillet of fish.

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.

© 2007-2011 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.

My first challenge was to make this jump from the plate and this “saltsa” or quick relish definitely raises the profile of the dish. Bold Greek falvours of Kalamata olives, red peppers (Florinis), briny capers, garlic and scallions, parsley and tomatoes. All the ingredients are tossed in Greek olive oil, some lemon zest and a squirt of lemon juice. This “saltsa” (Greek for sauce) complements the firm, bold flavour of the Grouper steak. Other fish that would be great with this saltsa are shark, blue fish, swordfish or monkfish.

The third element of this dish are the potatoes: crispy, flattened to almost patties and roasted in the oven…mostly. These potatoes are a riff on Parisienne potatoes where the spuds are par-boiled then tossed in melted butter and finished in the oven until golden and oooh so crispy. A delight to eat and I never tire of them (even at banquets). My Greek take on these potatoes is to substitute the butter with more good Greek olive oil and some garlic and follow the same process…almost!

The potatoes are par-boiled then tossed in olive oil and garlic then thrown in the oven. The potatoes are taken out half-way and I use a potato-masher to flatten them before they are finished in the oven to a crispy ending in your mouth. These potatoes will surely rival any protein you decide to pair them with in the main. Make extra!

Grilled Grouper With Crispy Roast Potatoes (Ροφος στη Σχαρα με Τραγανές Πατάτες στο Φούρνο)

(serves 4)

4 grouper steaks

for the marinade

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

zest of 1 lemon

1/2 cup dry white wine

coarse sea salt

1 tsp. dried Greek oregano

Saltsa

16 Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced

2 Tbsp. of capers

1/4 of finely sliced scallions

1/2 cup diced red peppers

1 ripe tomato, seeded & diced

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsely

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

lemon juice to taste

Crispy Roasted Potatoes

12 medium-sized Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes, peeled

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt

2 tsp. of granulated garlic (powder)

1. Rinse and pat-dry your grouper steaks. In a glass baking dish, add the olive oil, lemon zest, oregano and mix. Add your fish into the dish and ensure they are well coated by the marinade. Cover and place in the fridge for 1 hour.
2. In the meantime, peel your potatoes and place in a pot with enough water to just cover them. Bring to a boil and then season well with salt. From when the potatoes begin to boil, set your timer for 10 minutes. Pre-heat your oven to 425F, middle rack. Prepare a roasting pan by pouring the 1 cup of olive oil in along with the garlic powder. As soon as the potatoes have par-boiled for 10 minutes, remove from the heat, drain and place into the roasting pan while they are still hot. Sprinkle coarse sea salt over the potatoes and gently toss the potatoes in the oil until well coated. Now place in your pre-heated 425F oven for 20 minutes.
3. Remove the potatoes from the oven and gently flatten your potatoes with a masher to about a thickness of 1-inch. Tilt the can and pour some olive oil over the potatoes with a spoon. Return the potatoes to the oven for another 10 minutes or until the bottoms are golden. Flip the potatoes and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, spoon more olive oil over the potatoes and keep warm (close the oven and place them back in in).
4. In the meantime, you may want to make your “saltsa”. Add all the saltsa ingredients into a bowl (except the lemon juice) and toss with a spoon. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice, toss and taste. If you like it tarter, add more lemon juice to taste.
5. While the potatoes are being baked, take the fish out of the fridge and allow to return to room temperature. If using your oven (potatoes are already done), crank your oven to the broil setting, raise the rack to the top part of the oven. Remove the fish from the marinade (discard) and season both sides of the fish with coarse sea salt. The best way to grill these grouper steaks is on a gas or charcoal grill or a grill pan on your stove-top. In both cases, ensure the grill surface is clean (residue-free) and lubricated with oil. Turn the heat to a medium-high and grill for 6 minutes a side. If broiling your fish, cook for 8 minutes and then flip your fish and broil for another 6 minutes.
6. Plate your fish with a side of potatoes and spoon the saltsa over the fish. Garnish with lemon wedge, parsley spring and serve with a Claudia Papayianni White 2009, a 50/50 Viognier-Assyrtiko blend.

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.

© 2007-2011 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.