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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© 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 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.

I will be heading back this summer, mostly staying at my family’s summer home in Halkidiki. Nearby is Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city with a reputation for having some of Greece’s best food in their estiatoria and more informal tavernas. Thessaloniki boasts of a 3000 year old history and many nearby attractions like the beaches of Halkidiki and a must-visit to the nearby Gerovassiliou winery in Epanomi.

About three years ago I attended a wine tasting where several Greek winemakers banded together to showcase their products to consumers, media and prospective representatives to distribute their wines. One of the wines I sampled was from Epanomi, Greece…a town just south of Thessaloniki (on the way to Halkidiki). That winery was Domaine Gerovassiliou and in the summer of 2009 I paid them a visit after being urged by the two reps who were manning the booth here in Toronto.

Evangelos Gerovassliou

Evangelos Gerovassliou created this winery in 1981 armed with his education in Oenology and Vinicultre in Bordeaux and experience as chief oenologist at Domaine Carras (Porto Carras, Halkidiki).  The wines at Domaine Gerovassiliou are a combination of Greek varietala like Assyrtiko, Malagouzia and there’s also Syrah, Viognier (one of my faves) and more!

This winery is in clear view of the Thermaic Gulf with Mount Olympus often in view from across the gulf. The Epanomi area has a unique micro climate and all of the grapes are cultivated on the Gerovassaliou estate.

Upon arriving at the winery, you’ll see a stately stone-walled edifice with soft, rolling hills lined with grape vines and the blue sea as a back-drop. The winery has an aromatic herb garden complete with labels and there’s plenty of space in the well-groomed yard for an afternoon lunch or a glass of wine under the gazebo or in the outdoor reception space for larger gatherings.

Evangelos Gerovassliou loves to travel, explore a city’s nightlife and in particular restaurants. He’s aware of the food and wine trends (and tastes) and he feels that the current roster of wines are sympatico with what wine afficionados are looking for. When he’s out at a restaurant for dinner he can’t help but think which of his wines would pair well with that particular dish.

A visit to the Gerovassilliou winery will take you through the nearby vineyards, a tour of the winery and then down to the basement. Yes, the basement…where Gerovassiliou’s pride & joy lays – the wine museum. Evangelos began collecting cork screws in 1976 and this hobby grew to include collecting wine-growing tools, old wine presses, pruning shears and a walking, visual exhibit that takes you through the ages of wine making from BC up to present. Each tour ends with a wine tasting in a grand dining area beside the cellar but on the day I first toured the Gerovassililou winery we were cut short as the winery was about to close and I was heading back to Canada the next day.

I promised myself to go back and re-do the tour without being rushed and take my time in the wine museum and enjoy some of the excellent wines produced by Domaine Gerovassliou. Please view and enjoy the accompanying slide show.

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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.

Gyhthio, Laconia

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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.

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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© 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.