Greek Cuisine

feta stuffed phyllo drizzled with honey

I recently went on a family trip, with my husband and in-laws, to Greece. The vacation was only for a week but it was a whole lotta fun (and extremely busy)! We toured the ancient ruins of Delphi, the Acropolis, Olympia, Mycenae, etc., visited the village that my husband’s grandmother is from, and ate like there was no tomorrow.

rice and herb stuffed tomato and bell pepper with potatoes

Mediterranean cuisine is where it’s at. The ingredients are fresh, seasonal, and healthy, while the food is simple, yet flavorful. We munched on Greek staples of feta, olives, and so on. Our meals were seasoned with mint, cinnamon, cloves, oregano and other wonderful Greek herb and spice standards.

Even though there is a focus on fresh, seasonal ingredients, Greek cuisine is heavily meat based. We found very few main dishes that featured solely vegetables (we ordered one dish, stuffed zucchini, which we were told was vegetarian but contained lamb- whoopsie). The vegetarian mains we came across usually consisted of either stuffed tomatoes and peppers or pasta with a tomato-based sauce, with little variation from those dishes (although, in Athens, we did come across an excellent vegetarian moussaka as well as a bean dish I ate with rice from some little hole-in-the-wall joint).

vegetarian moussaka

So what’s a vegetarian to do? Why, you eat, of course! Even though the vegetarian mains we came across were pretty much limited to variations of the two dishes I just mentioned (i.e. stuffed veggies or pasta), the hubby and I inhaled them. They were by no means ‘bad,’ everything we ate was wonderful, plus we supplemented our meals with a variety of small plates (meze), to keep things interesting, as well as eating a mass quantity of Greek desserts.

spicy feta with bread

There are a few important tips to know when eating at restaurants in Greece (and this is for vegetarians and omnivores alike). Americans have an on-the-go kind of attitude when it comes to eating. This is not the case in Greece (and actually, in many other European countries), where dinner is expected to take several hours, and is quite leisurely and very social. Because of this, wait staff will not bring your check until you ask them for it. It is considered rude because they don’t want to feel like they’re rushing you out of their restaurant. Another thing to keep in mind is that, frequently, you will have to pay extra for water and bread. But don’t sweat this because eating in Greece is inexpensive. Additionally, items on menus may not be what they seem. A ‘Greek salad’ is pretty standard- olives, cucumber, tomato, feta, etc. However, we ordered a ‘red pepper salad’ and it was actually two roasted red peppers drizzled with olive oil. It was delicious, but not what we expected. When in doubt, just ask.

From Left-Right: Oregano Lays chips, peach tea,
and Paprika Lays chips

spanakopita (spinach pie) with stuffed
veggies and potatoes

Keep in mind that many foods are seasonal. For example, my husband’s favorite Greek dish is dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), but in early July, when we went to Greece, grape leaves were not in season yet, and thus, dolmades were not available in most restaurants. Probably the most disconcerting issue we had was after several minutes of perusing a menu, the waiter would take our order, but many things on the menu were not available (because they were seasonal items). This can be a problem if you are a vegetarian and there are only two vegetarian dishes on the entire menu. We went into a restaurant, in Athens, where the owner told us to order from the counter display after we had been given menus and were told they didn’t have anything we requested. Naturally, this made us wonder why we were given menus to begin with or why there are no seasonal menus. My sister-in-law noted that one restaurant only penciled in prices next to the items on the menu that they did have. Also, be aware that Greek cuisine uses a lot of olive oil. And I do mean a lot. Not that it bothered me one bit- I just love olive oil.

kataifi (dessert similar in flavor to baklava, with
walnuts and honey)

Smoothies!

Neon green smoothie!!!

Summer in Baltimore can be pretty gross. And by gross, I mean absurdly hot and humid, especially in my third floor apartment. With summer, come daydreams of hammocks, good books, and nice cold drinks with umbrellas in them. I don’t have any umbrellas but I am armed with a blender! Last year, when the heat was pretty unbearable, Nick and I made homemade margaritas like they were going out of style.


This summer, I decided to whip out the blender once again, but to make smoothies instead. Smoothies are pretty easy to make, healthy, tasty and, better yet, cold and sweet! Another wonderful thing about smoothies is that they leave room for experimentation. Most ingredients can be exchanged for other ingredients. Don’t want mangoes? Use pineapple instead. Replace apples with peaches or plums in a recipe. Adding herbs and spices, like mint or fresh ginger can do wonders. In place of ice cubes, freeze your fruit (which is normally, what I do). The possibilities are endless.

Add all the ingredients to the blender

The following smoothie recipe is one I made this weekend. Don’t be turned off by the color, although, I admit, that a green smoothie doesn’t seem all that appetizing. However, I can guarantee that it was quite yummy! Spinach may seem like a bizarre ingredient to add to a drink but it allows you to add a little more veggies to your day, and, magically, the smoothie will not even taste like spinach. Craziness, I know. But definitely worth a try! I actually made this for a light, refreshing dinner, on Saturday, since we had a large lunch earlier that day.


Tropical Spinach Smoothie
1 cup milk (you can use any type- I used rice milk when I made this)
6 oz. of low-fat vanilla yogurt
a generous handful of baby spinach leaves
half a mango, skinned and chopped
one banana, sliced
8 oz. pineapple chunks (if using canned, drain them)
1 teaspoon honey (optional)

Freeze the fruit. I usually chop and freeze them the night before. Once frozen, toss all the ingredients into a blender and process  until smooth.

Recipe: Paneer Tikka Masala

Paneer tikka masala with Indian style kidney beans, rice
naan, and a samosa

I love me some Indian cuisine! It’s hearty, super filling, and the flavors are out of this world. It’s not as complex to make as you would think. Often, I’ll make several dishes in the space of an hour (pre-prepping is key). My husband and I enjoy it so much we had it in our buffet when were married (and the dishes we offered were from our own recipes).

Lightly frying the paneer- I swear it wasn't
burned (although it looks like it is in the pic)

We’re lucky enough to live within walking distance of an Indian grocery store, in Baltimore, called Punjab. Because certain spices can be pricey (like cardamom or coriander), I highly recommend going to an Indian or Asian grocery store to purchase them. (Sorry grocery chains! I can buy bags of cinnamon sticks and other wonderful spices at Punjab, for $2-$3 a pop, a fraction of the cost at a regular store!) Don’t think that ethnic grocery stores only have exotic spices for sale- they also have garlic powder, onion powder, fennel seeds, etc., which are great to use to refill spice containers.

Paneer can be purchased at an Indian grocery. Paneer is an Indian cheese which has the consistency and texture of cheddar cheese with a nice, mild flavor. It fries like tofu (actually, I think it fries better than tofu). One of the things I love about Punjab, other than the friendly staff, is that they have huge (and spicy) homemade samosas for purchase at their counter.

Mmm cream, tomato sauce, and yogurt- oh my!

The recipe below is one that I make frequently. The spices are wonderful and the textures and flavors of the dish are smooth and creamy. Don’t omit the salt or sugar, they both add depth to the dish and keep the acidic tomato sauce in check. Serve this dish over rice with naan (an Indian flatbread) on the side. I’ve started seeing naan available in grocery chains, like Giant or Safeway, in either the bread or bakery sections.

Fry the paneer slices, in a lightly oiled skillet, until brown on each side; remove to a paper towel lined plate and set aside until later.

In the same pan add the butter, garlic, jalapeno, and ginger. Sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, yogurt, cream and remaining spices and seasonings. Bring to a simmer.

Add the paneer, peas, and potatoes. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until the mixture thickens. It will also thicken further as it cools.

Paneer Tikka Masala

1 (14oz.) package of paneer, sliced

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 jalapeno, minced

1 tablespoon minced ginger (or 1 tablespoon ginger paste)

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons paprika (or 1 teaspoon of paprika and 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika)

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 ½- 2 teaspoons salt

1 (15oz.) can tomato sauce

1 cup plain yogurt

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup heavy cream

1 (8 ½ oz.) can peas, drained

2 potatoes, boiled until just tender and diced

NOTE: The combination of black pepper, cayenne pepper, and a minced jalapeno will produce a medium heat for this dish. If you want a zing, but don’t want it to be as spicy, halve those three ingredients. You can always add more heat, but you can’t take it away once it’s there.

Recipe: Baked Samosas

A baked samosa served with chana masala (Indian Chickpea Curry)

Samosas are appetizers that pair well with just about any meal, especially with Indian, Ethiopian, or Mediterranean dishes. They are usually filled with a variety of spices, potatoes, or other vegetables and are either baked or fried. They are wonderful served with chutney.

Mix together the ingredients.

Mix together the mashed potatoes through the crushed red pepper (i.e. all the ingredients except the puff pastry).

Separate the thawed puff pastry sheets and cut into 4” flat circles, using a round cookie cutter or an upside down drinking glass. Or heck, just free hand cut circles with a knife. Put a dollop or two of the potato mixture in the center of each round. Fold the round in half, until it resembles a half moon, and seal the edges with a little bit of water, using fork prongs to seal the deal. Place the samosas, an inch apart, on a parchment lined baking sheet (the puff pastry will get mighty puffy in the oven). Bake according to the instructions on the puff pastry package, or until golden.

Sealing the samosa via fork

Baked Samosas 

2 medium potatoes, boiled and mashed (with a small amount of melted butter added for moisture)

1 teaspoon of cumin seeds, toasted

1 teaspoon ground coriander

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons chopped mint

½ teaspoon of salt

½ a jalapeno, minced

¼ cup of peas

¼ cup of golden raisins, halved

a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed

Sealing the samosa via a turnover press

NOTE: To toast cumin seeds, add them to a hot skillet. There's no need to add oil. Shake, or stir, the seeds- keep those puppies moving- if they're idle, they will pop. They only need to be toasted for one minute. If you wish, you can lightly crush them in a mortar and pestle.

Book Review: Menu Design in America

One of the Christmas gifts I received, from my husband, was a book, titled Menu Design in America: A Visual and Culinary History of Graphic Styles and Design 1850-1985, which showcases hundreds of menus from all over the United States. The book is, essentially, a very large, coffee table art book. It has menus from well known establishments, hole-in-the-wall joints, diners, cocktail menus, wine lists, children’s menus, and even menus for special events.

Menu Design in America: 1850-1985
by Steven Heller, John Mariani, and Jim Heimann

Once upon a time, the menu used to be rare. We take for granted that there are restaurants everywhere, but this was not the case until after the 1800s when the restaurant moved from being uncommon to gaining in popularity throughout the country. Menus are not only used as a means of conveying restaurant offerings but they are also used as a marketing tool for companies. Beer companies, such as Sam Adams and Budweiser, have been using menus as a marketing tool since their companies began.

The variety of styles, designs, and overall visual appeal of menus is amazing. Some restaurants used photographs, others art, some were simple with only several dishes to order, while other menus were so overcrowded with items that you’d go cross-eyed just trying to figure out what to order. There are menus in the shape of a coconut, totem pole, a tamale, or burger. The 1920s and 1930s menus have distinctive Art Deco elements while the menus from the 1960s display the psychedelic art styles of the period.

The prices also reflect the time. I would just love to be able to go out and order 2 eggs, toast, and a coffee for 35 cents, or less, wouldn’t you? You can also see, by the items on the menu, how food offerings have changed not only for what types of food are being served but also for how they are categorized. For example, many of the menus, from the early 1900s, have pastries and cakes in a separate category from the dessert menu (dessert was considered fruits and nuts and, quite often, cigars). One of the stranger things I noticed, in many menus, was that restaurants charged you if you didn’t get a drink with your meal.

Some of my favorites, in Menu Design in America, include the menu for a dinner in honor of Abraham Lincoln, all of the menus from the luxurious Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, in New York (they’re just beautiful works of art), and a reception and dinner menu, from 1936, for the captain and crew of the Hindenburg, one year before the disaster. There is even a menu for a vegetarian restaurant, from the early 1900s, which was a rare restaurant indeed, for the time period.

Who knew that something that is so commonplace today, like the menu, could be so darn interesting?

Recipe: Moroccan Kale Soup

I invented this recipe after being inspired by a soup I inhaled at the Waverly Farmer’s Market, in Charles Village. (Well, to be honest, I was trying to duplicate a soup, and I think my version came out even better than what I had purchased). It’s a very quick and easy recipe, that is warming on a chilly day, healthy, flavorful and peppery (but not particularly ‘spicy’). This soup makes a great work lunch with a big hunk of bread, on the side.

A nice steaming bowl of Moroccan Kale Soup with a slice of cornbread

Kale, unlike most other greens, does not wilt much in liquid, and still retains quite a bit of its crispness in this recipe, even in the leftovers, days later. Kale is an underrated vegetable. This dark leafy green is an excellent source of fiber and vitamins A, C, and K. It also has quite a bit of calcium, iron, and protein in it as well.

One of the things I love about soup is that it is so darn easy to make! There are only three directions you need to make this soup: 1) Add all the ingredients to a large pot, 2) Bring to a boil, and 3) Lower heat and simmer 20 minutes, or until the squash and carrots are cooked through.

Moroccan Kale Soup

8 oz. chopped kale

1 zucchini, diced

1 yellow squash, diced

2 carrots, sliced

1 cup corn kernels

¼ cup sun dried tomatoes

1 quart vegetable broth

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

2-3 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted (the toasting is optional, but recommended)

¾ teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon turmeric

Pinch each of brown sugar and cayenne (add an extra pinch or two of brown sugar, for good measure, if you’d like)

NOTE: Be sure to use sun dried tomatoes that have not been packed in oil so that the soup does not become oily/greasy. This soup is also good with chopped potatoes, sweet potatoes, or even a diced jalapeno pepper.

The Friendly Islands- Tongan Agriculture and Cuisine

Ha'atafu Beach, Tongatapu


When I’m standing outside, with cold winds swirling around me, in Baltimore, I close my eyes and reminisce about Ha’atafu beach, in Tonga, with the sun warming my skin and watching the waves roll in, while crabs, of various types, walk sideways along the rocks and coral beach surrounding me.

Local beer

My husband and I went to Tonga in November 2010 as a side trip/vacation when we were living in Australia. When we tell people we’ve been to Tonga, the first question we’re asked is almost always, “Where?” The 170+ islands that make up the Kingdom of Tonga are located in the South Pacific, southeast of Fiji, and just south of Samoa. Unlike Fiji, Tonga is not touristy (although people do visit Tonga during whale season, when humpbacks come to the islands to breed and play) nor was it ever colonized by another country. Tonga is rich in history and contains fascinating archaeological sites like Langi (terraced tombs) or the Ha’amonga (the “Stonehenge of the South Pacific”).

Pigs and chickens grazing

Tongans are the kindest and friendliest people I have ever met, who treated us like old friends. While riding bikes through the main island, Tongatapu, we were hard pressed to find someone who did not wave or say hi to us (in fact, an entire school of children yelled ‘hi’ and ‘bye’ at us as we rode by). A man, named Jimmy, invited us on his porch to talk, and his wife brought us extremely flavorful and juicy watermelon slices to eat.

Talamahu Market in downtown Nuku'alofa

Many Tongans are subsistence farmers. The men take turns working each other’s fields, where they grow staples such as taro, yams, sweet potatoes, and cassava. Tropical fruit, like bananas, mangos, pineapples, coconuts, and papayas, grow in abundance throughout Tonga. According to one villager we spoke to, anything not growing in a field belongs to the king, so it’s free to eat. Other Tongan crops include coffee, vanilla beans, tomatoes, potatoes, greens and other veggies. Major livestock includes chickens and pigs, which, often, freely roam the streets. (Another villager told us that, people will trade livestock for crops, and vice versa.)

Cassava crop

Although Tonga has a wide variety of crops grown, traditional Tongan cuisine tends to be pretty meat heavy. For example a popular dish, especially for feasts or special occasions, is a suckling pig, roasted slowly for hours, in an underground, earth oven, called an Umu. Another traditional dish, called ‘ota’ika, is made with raw fish in coconut milk, with onions and other seasonings.

Purple potatoes, breadfruit, and plantains
from a dinner buffet and cultural show we
attended on Tongatapu

Nick and I were lucky that our lodge had a fully furnished kitchen for guests to use. To save money on our trip, we went to the Talamahu Market, in downtown Nuku’alofa (the capital of Tonga), to purchase food from farmers, instead of eating out. The market is fantastic. We loaded up on freshly picked fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Venders sell everything from produce to local crafts (like beautifully painted tapa cloth and basketry). I have never had pineapple as wonderful as the pineapple we bought at the Talamahu Market- small, sweet, juicy, and flowery, with a hint of coconut flavor- simply amazing.