Tomato & String Bean Salad
Serves 4, Or More As Part Of A Larger Spread

This is my version of a Greek steak house salad – it’s fantastic with a steak or any kind of protein. Add toasted bread and it’s a Greek version of the Italian dish panzanella. I recommend going a step further by adding a grilled onion: the char flavor works perfectly with the ripe fruit and vegetables.

Ingredients:

• ¼ pound green beans, ends trimmed
• ¼ yellow wax beans, ends trimmed⅓ to ½ cup Red Wine and Feta Vinaigrette (See below)
• 2 Tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
• 4 vine-ripe tomatoes, preferably heirloom, cut into rough wedges
• 1 teaspoon dry Greek oregano
• ½ small red onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
• 6 small, picked sprigs parsley, torn
• 6 small, picked sprigs dill, torn
• 16 leaves fresh mint, torn
• Kosher salt and coarsely cracked black pepper

Method:

1. Prepare an ice water bath and bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the beans until tender but still snappy, about 3 minutes, then shock them in the ice water bath and swish around. Drain well and dry on a clean towel.
2. In a bowl, combine the beans, vinaigrette, feta, tomatoes, oregano, red onion, and torn herbs. Toss well with clean hands. Taste and adjust the seasoning with kosher salt and pepper.
   *If you wish, add toasted chunks of day-old bread, brushed with extra-virgin olive oil and seasoned with sea salt and pepper.
   *Or try adding half a grilled Spanish or sweet onion, separated in rings.

Red Wine & Feta Vinaigrette
Makes 1 ¼ Cups

Ingredients:

• ½ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 small onion, sliced and grilled
• 6 basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon picked thyme
• ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 6 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 shallots, thickly sliced
• 2 tablespoons dry Greek oregano
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon coarsely cracked black pepper
• ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Method:
In a food processor, combine the vinegar, onion, basil thyme, feta, mustard, garlic, shallots, oregano, salt, and pepper. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Fava Spread
Makes about 1 quart

In Greek cuisine, the term fava always refers to dried yellow split peas, not the fresh green favas used in Italian cooking. Note that this mixture always thickens as it sits. If it is too thick, return it to the food processor and stream in extra-virgin olive oil with the motor running until you reach the desired consistency. With the addition of heavy cream (water, if you’re vegan), this makes an absolutely divine split pea soup.

For the pea mixture:

• 2 tablespoons blended oil (90 percent canola, 10 percent extra-virgin olive)
• 10 shallots, finely chopped
• 6 to 7 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
• 1 pound yellow split peas, well rinsed
• 1 ½ quarts water
• Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
• 8 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 shallots, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 pepperoncini (pickled yellow peppers), roughly chopped
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Small handful small, picked sprigs dill

Method:

1. In a large pot, warm the blended oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic, reduce the heat a little, and sweat until softened but not browned, about 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Add the split peas and stir for 2 minutes. Add the water, bay leaves, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, and a generous grinding of pepper. Cover and simmer gently until very soft but not mushy or falling apart, about 45 to 50 minutes. Transfer to a sieve over a bowl a bowl and drain well. (Reserve all the liquid for another use.) Let stand for at least 15 minutes, to ensure all the liquid drains away. Remove the bay leaves.
3. In a food processor, combine the garlic, shallots, lemon juice, and pepperoncini. Add about one third of the split pea mixture and pulse until smooth. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil to form an emulsion. Add the dill, 1 tablespoon salt, and more cracked pepper. Pulse again to blend, then turn out into a large bowl and combine with the remaining split pea mixture. Blend with a large spatula until evenly mixed. You can store the spread in a covered, clean jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

*The Wedge: Smear some fava onto a pita triangle. Top with a pinch of grated manouri, a few slivers of sun-dried tomato or dried apricots, and a sprig of dill.

Yogurt with Candied Quince & Crushed Jordan Almonds
(YAOURTI ME ZAXAROMENA KYDONIA KAI COPANISTA KOUFETA)

Candied Quince

My mom always used cherries, but quince is a quintessentially Greek fruit.
Makes 2 Candied Quinces 

Ingredients:

• 2 quinces, each about the size of a large apple, peeled, quartered, and cored
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 cups water
• 7 cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• Zest of 1 whole orange, removed in one thin strip with a vegetable peeler, without any of the bitter white pith

Method:

1. Cut the quince quarters into long strips about ¼ inch thick and wide.
2. In a saucepan, combine the sugar and water to make a simple syrup. Stir to dissolve and add the cloves, cinnamon sticks, and orange zest. Add the quince and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover the pan, and simmer the fruit gently in the syrup until it looks slightly pink from the cinnamon and cloves, and is very tender and almost completely translucent but not falling apart. This may take up to 1 ½ hours.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a sterilized jar and cool the jar down quickly in an ice water bath (this will improve the keeping time). Press a square of plastic wrap down directly onto the surface of the syrup. Place another square of plastic over the rim of the jar and twist on the lid or secure with a rubber band. Replace the square of plastic that touches the preserves each time you use some and use a perfectly clean spoon each time to prevent cross contamination from other surfaces in your kitchen.

*If you can find fresh lovage, add 2 sprigs to the simple syrup while you poach the quince.

By pairing the sweet fruit with the tart flavor of yogurt, you create simple a simple, not-too-sweet dessert. Standard supermarket yogurt will not work here unless you drain it overnight.

The Yogurt

In Greece, Jordan Almonds – whole almonds with a colored, hard sugar-candy coating – are traditionally wrapped in tulle and given as party favors to guests at weddings and christening celebrations. Here, they provide texture and beauty, but you can also choose crumbled halvah, or crystallized ginger. I prefer a combination of all three. So much more fun than the typical granola mix!
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup (10 ounces) goat’s or sheep’s milk yogurt, labne, kefir, or strained, full-fat yogurt
• 2 Candied Quinces
• 4 leaves fresh mint, slivered

Method:

1. Crush the Jordan almonds with the side of a knife, then chop coarsely to a chunky granola-like consistency. (If this is difficult or messy, you can pulse quickly in a food processor.)
2. With an ice cream scoop or two large spoons, form quenelles (oval dollops) of the thick yogurt and put two on each plate. Sprinkle the Candied Quinces on top and drizzle with some of their spicy syrup. Scatter with the crushed Jordan almonds and a few slivers of mint.

Beef  Stew With Leeks
Bodino Stifado Me Praso

Serves 4 to 6 family-style with potatoes, rice, or orzo

Braises like this are perfect for meat with tough muscle tissue and tendons (which come from the part of the animal that works hard), a great example of poverty cooking. This less expensive cut of meat develops its own natural and luscious sauce as it cooks. You want a little marbling in the meat, because it melts down as you cook and adds a lot of flavor to the sauce. You can use brisket, shanks, shoulder – all fairly tough meats – but save the filet mignon for the grill or a pan. It takes a little time to cook and become tender, but it’s a relatively easy setup, and once you get it onto the stove you don’t have to worry about it for about an hour. So you can do your laundry, or walk the dog, or make a salad.

• A couple of days later, if you have any leftovers, you can shred the meat, then return the meat to the sauce and add your favorite pasta. The resulting dish is a Greek version of beef stroganoff.
• The herbs are very important to the flavor development here, since I’m using water instead of stock, so use fresh herbs if possible.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons blended oil (90 percent canola, 10 percent extra-virgin olive)
• 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 ½ – inch chunks
• Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
• ½ large Spanish or sweet onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 1 large leek, cut into thick rounds, washed well in cold water, drained
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ½ cup red wine
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 3 to 5 cups water
• 1 fresh bay leaf or 2 dried leaves
• 1 large sprig rosemary
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 sprig sage
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Grated orange zest
• 1 tablespoon roughly chopped parsley

Method:

Place a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the blended oil. Season the beef aggressively with kosher salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, add the beef and sear on all sides, 5 to 6 minutes. Add all the chopped vegetables to the pan with the beef and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir for 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with red wine and red wine vinegar, and let them reduce completely away.

Add 3 cups of the water, 2 teaspoons salt and a generous grinding of pepper, the bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, sage, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and partially cover the pan. Simmer gently for about. Check and, if the mixture is dry, add another cup or two of water. Keep simmering for 15 to 40 minutes more, until the meat is tender and the braising liquid has reduced to a saucy consistency. Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon sticks. Transfer to a platter and drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil, and scatter with a little orange zest and the parsley.

Tsatziki
Makes 1 Quart

This is the one sauce you must make. It’s a classic and very easy to prepare, but be sure you use only a superior Greek yogurt or labne spread. I cannot emphasize this strongly enough – it makes all the difference.

• 1 English cucumber, peeled
• 10 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
• 1 cup distilled white vinegar
• 4 shallots, thickly sliced
• 1 cup small, picked sprigs dill
• 2 ½ cups strained or Greek yogurt or labne spread
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Kosher salt and cracked black pepper

Quarter the cucumber lengthwise and trim off the triangular wedge of seeds. Cut the cucumber into a very small, even dice. Transfer it to a mixing bowl.

In a food processor, combine the garlic, vinegar, shallots and sill. Pulse until finely chopped but not pureed. Add the mixture to the cucumbers; add the yogurt. Fold together with a rubber spatula, adding the olive oik and lemon juice. Season liberally with kosher salt and pepper, starting off with 1 tablespoon salt. Taste for seasoning. *You can store Tsatziki in a covered, clean jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

The Wedge: Smear Tsatziki onto a pita triangle. Top with a tiny pinch of dry Greek oregano, a few pieces of diced tomato or a halved grape or cherry tomato, and a few salami matchsticks.

Source: Wall Street Journal