When you think of Greek cheese, you probably think of salads topped with feta. Or — if you’re old enough to have frequented restaurants before the days of increased fire code safety — you think of cheese with flames shooting up from it and a waiter yelling “Opa!” (That dish, saganaki, is typically made with [...]
Although popular conception would have you believe that the vaunted Mediterranean diet mostly consists of olive oil and vegetables, in reality, it also involves a lot of pastured eggs and dairy. What self-respecting Greek would be without her feta cheese? Or halloumi or kasseri? Then there’s the whole extra-thick, double-strained yogurt that has caught on [...]
Continue reading about Mediterranean Meals: More Than Just Olives
There’s something ever-so-charming about edible little packages: tamales, spring rolls, pasties, grape leaves…every culture seems to have a neatly-wrapped specialty. (Maybe they appeal to our sense of orderliness?) Not only are these wrappables practical to eat and fun to make, their central position in any given cuisine means that centuries of tradition have fine-tuned their [...]
I love Indian cuisine — it’s pungent and earthy, aromatic and exciting, and turmeric is a darned handy 100% natural yellow dye. (Worth remembering come Easter-egg-dyeing time!) And since India is home to many clusters of traditions and beliefs, there’s also plenty of culinary variety between various regions. The only thing I wish Indian food [...]
Grains are great — you can grind them into flour and bake with them, you can toss them into stir-frys and use them as the basis for pilafs and salads, and you can thicken just about anything with them. (There are tons of other ways to use grains, but as one of my favorite childhood [...]
I’d heard of moussaka, but I’d never tried it before — whenever I went to my favorite Greek restaurant as a kid, I’d be too caught up in the Opa! saganaki appetizer to think about anything else. (Even now, I’d have to say that the lushest eggplant on the planet can’t really compete with shooting [...]
Continue reading about Lasagna in a Greek and Noodle-less Kind of Way
“Thymus” meant “courage” in ancient Greek; the herb was associated with style and elegance. In the Middle Ages, thyme symbolized chivalry. A bed of thyme was also thought to be a home for fairies. In France, the herb was considered to be an outward indication of the Republican spirit that led the French people to [...]
Garlic may well be the most potent herb on the planet. Egyptian medical writings dating back to 1550 B.C.E. speak of its curative powers, Pliny listed it as being a remedy for over 60 ailments, and Romans ate it before going into battle to give them strength. Garlic, it was believed, was the chosen herb [...]
Its Greek name originally meant “joy of the mountain.” Aphrodite, it was said, created oregano to be a symbol of happiness. Today, its most common uses in the States are in pizza sauces and Greek salad dressing. There are also Turkish and Mexican varieties of oregano; each differs slightly in taste. Brazilians, Cubans, and Colombians [...]
