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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Since the eggplant is charred I also blackened some red peppers because I love them with crusty bread and Feta cheese and in this instance, they are going to join the smoky eggplant doing double-duty in this hearty salad that becomes creamy with the use of eggs or mayo. Eggplant is like a sponge and in this case they are absorbing garlic, chives, extra-virgin olive oil and good red wine vinegar.

This salad is rounded-out with some ground walnuts and topped with some fried Graviera cheese, the Gruyere of Greece. A firm Kasseri, Kefalograviera or Halloumi cheese would also work in a pinch! I’m using a slender Japanese eggplant because it is sweet and rarely any bitterness. Japanese eggplants are similar to the DOP Tsakonian eggplants from Leonidio, Arcadia.

Salad of Smoked Eggplant Dressing With Graviera Croutons & Roasted Peppers

serves 4-6

1 Tsakonian or slender Japanese eggplant

1 clove of garlic, minced

 approx. 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2-3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1/4 finely chopped chives (or scallions)

1 cup of cubed Graviera cheese

water

all-purpose flour

1 cup of bitter greens (arugula), rinsed & pat-dried

1 head of Romaine lettuce, hand-torn, rinsed & pat-dried

1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

2 roasted red peppers

fine sea salt and fresh ground pepper

1. Pre-heat your gas or charcoal grill (or gas stove-top) and poke the eggplant a few times and char/blacken the entire surface of the eggplant. Simultaneously char/blacken the red peppers in the same fashion (you do not have to pierce the peppers). Place the peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic and place the charred eggplant on a plate to cool.
2. Once the eggplant has cooled, slice it open with a knife and remove the smoky meat with a spoon and roughly chop and place in a bowl. Add the minced garlic, chives, pinch of salt and the olive oil and vinegar in stages while stirring. Adjust with salt and pepper and set aside.
3. Remove the cooled peppers from the bowl and peel the charred skins and discard along with the stems and seeds. Slice and toss in some sea salt and olive oil and reserve.
4. Dip your cubes of Graviera cheese in a bowl of water then dredge in all-purpose flour and then place some oil in a pan and fry the cheese for a bout a minute a side or until golden. Fry in batches and reserve on paper-lined platter.
5. To assemble your salad, add about 1/4 cup of the dressing to the greens and toss until incorporated. Add more dressing to taste, some ground walnuts and toss and divide and serve or present in a large bowl or platter. Arrange the ribbons of red peppers on top along with the fried Graviera cheese and serve. Serve with a chiiled Boutari Moschofilero.

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I decided to organize some Christmas dishes for you to consider when you’re planning your Christmas, holiday and New Year’s menus. These are some options divided simply in savory and sweet categories. Eat when you drink, drink when you eat and reach out and invite someone extra to the table. You’ll feel good!

Savory

Loin of Pork Stuffed With Prunes

Phyllo Cheese Triangles (Tyropitakia)

Baked Brie With Roasted Garlic & Cranberry-Mavrodaphne Sauce

Roasted Pork Shanks With Crackling (Crispy Skin)

Slow-Roasted Pork Belly

Slow Prime-Rib

Roasted Cornish Hens Stuffed With Goat Cheese & Figs

Roast Leg of Lamb

Whole Roast Turkey

Pork Belly & Quinces

Roast Pork Belly & Potatoes

Pork Tenderloin With Liastos Wine & Vissino Sauce

Pork Tigania

Macedonian Sausages

Pork Lado-Rigani

Grandma’s Pork & Quinces

Pork Chops Krassates

Roast Loin of Pork With Fennel Crust

Pomegranate-Glazed Chicken

Papia Portokali

Tangy Maple-Mustard Lamb

Vine-Grower’s Lamb

Lemon Verbena Rack of Lamb

Roast Lamb in Parchment

Slow-Roasted Goat

The Best Steak

Rib-Eye Steaks With Blue Cheese Sauce

Cross-Rib Pot Roast

Hunkar Begendi With Beef

Dolmadakia

Cabbage Rolls

Pastitsio

Beef Tenderloin With Port Wine Sauce

Batzos Saganaki

Mussels With Fennel & White Wine

Lobster Saganaki

Goat-Cheese Stuffed Onions

Phyllo-Wrapped Shrimp

Potato Croquettes

Crispy-Fried Shrimp

Feta & Herb Pull-Aparts

Mussels Saganaki With Mustard

Spanakopita

Tyropita

Kotopita

Oysters With Mignonette Sauce

Baked Oysters

Patsavouropita

Octopus Salad

Mushroom Bouyiourdi

Pumpkin Fritters

Pitakia Kesarias

Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Rabbit Stifado

Caesar Salad

Rocket Salad With Figs & Graviera

Potato Salad With Blood Oranges

Cabbage Salad

Salad of Rocket, Cabbage & Apple

Rocket, Pear & Feta Salad

Spinach Salad

Red Pepper & Potato Salad

Sweet

All-In-One-Pan Squares

Egg Nog Ice Cream With Salted Caramel Rum Sauce

Sublime, Sexy Walbut-Stuffed Figs

Baklava French Toast

Melomakarona

Kourabiedies

Baklavas

Margarites (Baklava Daisies)

Baklava Cigars

Saragli

Medley of Thessalonikeon Delights

Ekmek Kataifi

Phillipino Fruit Salad

Ultimate Cheesecake

Paximadia

Paximadia With Figs, Walnuts & Star Anise

Creme Brulee With Mastic

Hosafi – Dried Fruit Compote

Greek Mess

Aspro/Mavro

Dad’s Rice Pudding

Apple Crumble Pie

Vanilla Ice Cream

Cinnamon Rolls

Baked Quince With Mavrodaphne & Pine Nuts

Kunefe

Lemon Meringue Pie

Amaretto Mousse

Kazan Dibi

Creme Caramel

Melomakarona Cheesecake

Kataifi

Chocolate Baklava

Diples

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Recipe Update from May 2008

My eating diet can be summed up in two seasons: Soup season and salad season. With the exception of the cold soup, it’s salad days indeed. The only other exception I make when it comes to eating a salad ‘year ’round is a Caesar Salad.

We’ve all had Caesar Salad and surely we’ve all had a bad Caesar Salad. Your quest for the ultimate Caesar Salad ends here. I have, what I consider to be the ultimate Caesar Salad.

Another early influence on my foodie DNA has to be my Theo (uncle) Vangeli, 1st cousin to my mom. Theo Vangeli came to Canada a young man and worked the restaurant trade for all of his working life.

This man to this day is culinary gold, having worked in an age when family restaurants made EVERYTHING from scratch. Theo Vangeli was an early riser, making the morning shift his work preference. In the old’skool fashion, he’d make sauces, soups of the day, prepare daily specials like Shepherd’s Pie or a big tray of lasagna. His morning was also not complete without the preparation of a big, heaping pail of Caesar Salad dressing.

Today, I’m sharing with you, my Theo Vangeli’s Caesar Salad dressing. It’s a keeper.

An important note: this recipe uses only fresh, farm eggs so anyone sheepish about Salmonella or pregnant women might want to coddle your eggs before proceeding with this recipe.

Another aspect (s) I’d like to point out with a proper Caesar Salad is pay attention to detail:

• wash & dry your Romaine lettuce thoroughly
• make your own Croutons
• use real bacon

Caesar Salad

Dressing
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 fresh farm egg yolks
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. anchovy paste (or 2 fillets)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp. black pepper
splash of water
1/3 cup olive oil + 2/3 cup vegetable oil
salt to taste

Romaine Lettuce, thoroughly washed and dried
Homemade Croutons
Crispy bacon pieces

1. Using your food processor, add all the dressing ingredients except for the oil and the salt. Start processing on a medium speed for a couple of minutes or until you have a thick, yellowish cream.
2. Slowly pour your oil through the spout until you get a thick, creamy Caesar dressing.
3. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and sometimes, some more lemon juice. Keeps for up to 1 week in the fridge.
4. In a large salad bowl, add your Romaine lettuce and a dollop of dressing and toss to coat. If the salad is too dry, add some more dressing and toss to coat.
5. Grate some fresh Parmesan, a squeeze of lemon juice, a turn of fresh black pepper and top with Croutons and crispy bacon.

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Diana’s now has an eatery situated right in front of the fish shop and this is where I found myself on this Saturday afternoon after finishing shopping. Diana’s Oyster Bar & Grill is now open and this is where I got my inspiration for my BLT – Bacon-Lobster-Tomato sandwich. One of our orders was the fried calamari and sadly, it was the weakest items that we ordered. Perhaps a bad day or due to eatery being new?

Next up was an order of Crab cakes. These were good but I have had better. No worries, the most delicious dishes we ordered are coming up.

Here’s a “must order” at Diana’s…the steamed mussels with white wine and fennel. Diana’s used Gallo mussels from BC that are the plumpest, tastiest, biggest mussels I’ve ever encountered. The broth was the best I’ve ever tasted with mussels and I’m feverishly playing in the kitchen to try and recreate it. Gallo mussels are sold at Diana’s Seafood from Thursdays until they sell out.

The last dish to be ordered from Diana’s was there Lobster Club sandwich and the inspiration for today’s recipe. I did not try the Lobster Club but my two other friends at the table loved it and just from looking at the sandwich, seeing them eat it was enough to make me want to make my own.

I call my sandwich a BLT – Bacon-Lobster-Tomato as there’s no 3 layers of bread in my rendition and I also got inspiration from the very famous retro Louis Dressing.

BLT – Bacon-Lobster-Tomato Sandwich

(makes 4 sandwiches)

2 cooked lobsters (boiled or steamed), weighing 1 1/2lbs.

4 buns ( I chose my mom’s sesame buns)

1/4 cup of mayonnaise

squeeze of lemon juice

3 scallions, thinly sliced (or 1/2 cup chives)

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon

1 tsp. of ketchup

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire

squirt of Sriracha sauce

salt and pepper to taste

garnishes

crispy bacon (about 3 strips per sandwich)

slices of tomato

lettuce

1. You can now buy pre-cooked lobster or ask your fish monger to boil or steam it. You may also cook it at hoe by either placing a large pot of water on your stove-top to boil or steam your lobster with the help of a bamboo steamer (and large pot underneath). If boiling, lightly season your water with salt and boil for 11 minutes (about 15 minutes for steaming). Place your lobster in an ice-cold water bath and allow to cool completely. Crack the shells and remove the lobster meat and remember to reserve some of the lobster legs!
2. Add the lobster meat in a bowl along with the scallions, mayo, ketchup, lemon juice, Worcestershire and chopped tarragon. Toss to evenly mix the dressing (and coat the lobster), add Sriracha to taste and adjust seasoning with salt & pepper (or with any of the other ingredients). Cover and place in the fridge until you’re ready to make your sandwiches.
3. Assembling the BLT is easy: carefully cut your bun in half and lightly toast. Place the lettuce on the bottom followed by the tomato, then add the bacon. Now top with your lobster meat, top with other half of bun and stick a lobster through the sandwich to secure it. Serve with fries and enjoy with a glass of white wine or a beer.

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