CONSIDER for a moment the many things we owe to the Greek civilization - our language and alphabet, democracy, poetry, sculpture . . . not to mention souvlaki, spanakopita and ouzo!
The characteristic flavours of Greek cooking come from a few simple ingredients, predominantly lemon, oregano, olive oil, feta cheese and yogurt. The cooking techniques are simple: meat is marinated for tenderness and flavour and then grilled; salads are dressed simply with olive oil and lemon.
The course that most often involves elaborate preparation is dessert, but I've chosen a simple butter cookie for this menu that doesn't involve fiddling with phyllo dough and honey syrup. Put on your toga and fire up the barbecue. Opa!
SAGANAKI
This is a totally addictive cheese appetizer, salty and gooey. Serve it with warmed pita bread wedges. You can find kefalotiri cheese at Whole Foods.
8 oz Kefalotiri cheese, sliced
1 ?3-½ inch thick
¼ cup all-purpose flour
Olive oil
¼ cup brandy
1 large lemon, cut into quarters, seeds removed
Sprinkle the flour onto a flat plate; place the cheese on top of the flour and press down so flour coats one side. Turn cheese over and repeat to coat other side with flour.
Place ¼-inch of olive oil in a large heavy frying pan (cast iron is perfect) and have another smaller frying pan warming in a 200 degree oven to use to serve the cheese. Heat the oil over medium heat until small bubbles form around the tip of a wooden chopstick inserted into oil. Carefully place the floured cheese into the oil and fry for about two minutes until the bottom side is browned. Gently flip the cheese over to cook the other side until browned. Using a large slotted spatula lift the cheese out of the oil and place it into the warmed smaller frying pan. Pour the brandy all over the cheese and light with a long match or a barbeque lighter. Let it burn while gently shaking the pan back and forth several times, then squeeze one of the lemon quarters over the cheese to douse flames. Serve the remaining lemon wedges alongside the saganaki.
BARBECUED LAMB A LA GREQUE
You can usually find butterflied lamb legs at SaveOn Foods.
1 butterflied boneless leg of lamb, approx. 2 - 2½ lb.
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1½ tsp dried oregano, crumbled
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
In a small bowl mix together the oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Place the lamb in a large ziplock plastic bag; pour marinade over lamb and seal bag. Turn bag to coat lamb and refrigerate for 8-24 hours, turning bag a couple of times during that period.
Bring lamb to room temperature, about one hour, before grilling. Heat barbeque grill to medium heat. Remove lamb from marinade and grill to desired doneness, turning once, about 10-15 minutes total time for medium-rare. Transfer lamb to a cutting board and tent loosely with foil. Let it rest for about 10 minutes, then slice across the grain. Serve on pita bread with tzatziki (recipe below), lettuce, tomato and sliced red onion. Makes four to six servings.
TZATZIKI
This is the quintessential Greek condiment - it's fabulous on lamb or fish and as a dip for pita bread.
2 cups plain Greek yogurt
Juice of one small lemon (about 2 Tbsp)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small English cucumber (about 12" long), peeled, cut in half and seeds removed
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh dill (or a combination of dill and fresh mint)
Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
In a medium bowl, mix together the yogurt, lemon juice and garlic. Onto a clean tea towel, grate the cucumbers on the largest hole of a box grater. Gather up tea towel around the cucumber and squeeze out the liquid into the sink. Add the dried cucumber pulp to the yogurt mixture and combine well; stir in dill. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place the tzatziki in the refrigerator for at least two hours to allow flavours to blend (this is important - freshly made tzatziki is quite bland). Makes about three cups.
Kourabiedes
(Greek Butter Cookies)
Rich, buttery Greek shortbread traditionally served on festive occasions.
1 cup butter, room temperature
¾ cup icing sugar, plus an additional 1 cup for coating
1 egg yolk
½ tsp each pure almond and vanilla extracts
1-¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup almonds, toasted and finely chopped
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl beat together the butter and ¾ cup icing sugar until creamy. Beat in egg yolk and extracts, then gradually beat in flour until well combined. Stir in almonds. With floured hands form one tablespoon of dough at a time into crescent shapes and place on baking sheet.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until just lightly golden. Let cookies cool slightly. Place the remaining cup of icing sugar in a shallow bowl and gently roll the warm cookies in the sugar to coat, then place on cooling rack.
If desired, dust cookies with more icing sugar when they have cooled. Makes about 30 cookies.
