Fresh Calamari with tomato sauce

With a storm looming over the Northeast and the winter still young, I dream of summer days where the tomatoes are red and sweet, the fish is fresh from the sea and the Farmer's Market stalls are heavy with piles of tender vegetables and lush fruit. I dream of meals on the veranda as the sun dips behind the sea.

Here's a recipe from this past summer that was outstanding!

You don't know what calamari is until you have it fresh. The frozen fried calamari that is served in the New York area restaurants is just an excuse for the marinara sauce that comes with it. At the Greek farmer's market I was tempted by the fresh calamari on display at the fishmonger's counter. But, alas, I didn't know how to clean it! No worries, the man said. And one, two, three he showed me how it's done.

I took the risk and bought a kilo. At 5 euros I felt I couldn't go wrong! I already knew how I was going to cook it. Calamari in fresh tomato-sauce over pasta. I bought my tomatoes for the sauce and off I went.

Once at home, I put on my apron and went to work cleaning the squid. Honestly, it was much easier than I expected. I removed the long bone from inside the conical cavity of the squid, then I removed the hard part inside the tentacles(the head?) and the little sacks that connect the body to the tentacles. What I didn't expect, and what was a pleasant surprise, was the ink that squirted from the sacks when I removed them. I wondered how to preserve the ink for my meal when I rinsed the calamari. I probably should have rinsed the squid first and cleaned it afterwards. But, this time it was too late. Still, there was some ink left on the squid after I rinsed them.

Here's my recipe:

Greek Calamari with fresh tomato sauce over spaghetti

One kilo fresh calamari cleaned and rinsed
One kilo fresh tomatoes peeled and grated
4 tblsp extra virgin Greek Olive oil
3 garlic cloves crushed
1/2 tspn red pepper flakes
1/2 tspn Greek seas salt

1/2 box of whole wheat spaghetti

Place the olive oil in a large saucepan and sauté the crushed garlic in it until it's fragrant.
Add the pepper flakes, stir them in the oil for 30 seconds and then add the tomatoes. Add an ounce of ouzo or tsipouro(Greek Grappa).Add your salt and simmer the sauce for about 30 minutes or until it has the desired consistency.

Slice the calamari bodies into rounds and toss into the sauce with the tentacles. Cook for another 15 minutes or until the calamari is cooked through but not overcooked.

In a large pot boil enough water and add your whole wheat spaghetti. Cook the pasta until it is al dente(about 10 minutes). Drain.

Add the spaghetti to the sauce and toss well. Top with grated cheese, we Greeks like to use mizithra  cheese. Serve with crusty bread and wash down with ouzo or tsipouro.

Eviva!

Maria

Almond Olive Oil Cake

I've wanted to make an olive oil cake for months but was worried that the olive oil flavor would be too pronounced. I decided to take the risk and try it.

The results were a delicious cake, moist and tasty. And not too hard to make either!

Almond Olive Oil Cake with Glaze (adapted slightly from Gina DePalma & Lottie & Doof)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup almond meal (ground almonds, Trader Joe's sells them in a bag)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup + 1 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
Grated zest of an orange
1/2 cup orange juice

For Glaze:

1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tbsp milk
2 tbsp orange juice
1/2 cup sliced almonds for the top

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9-inch springform pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, almond meal, baking powder, salt, and set aside.

Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl and whisk them lightly to break up the yolks. Add the sugar to the bowl and whisk it in very thoroughly. Add the olive oil and whisk until the mixture is a bit lighter in color and has thickened slightly, about 45-60 seconds. Whisk in the extracts and zest, followed by the orange juice.

 

 

 

Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and whisk until they are thoroughly combined; continue whisking until you have a smooth, emulsified batter, about 30 more seconds.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake the cake for 30-35 minutes, rotating the cake pan halfway through the cooking time to ensure even browning. The cake is done when it has begun to pull away from the sides of the pan, springs back slightly when touched, and a cake tester comes out clean.

 

Allow the cake to cool for ten minutes in the pan, then gently remove it from the pan and allow it cool completely on a rack.

Mix the glaze ingredients together with a fork (including the almonds) and pour over the warm cake. It will harden.

Enjoy!

Maria

Titan Foods, Astoria, The Greek Store

When I go to Astoria to visit my parents, I never fail to stop by Titan www.titanfoods.net, the Greek Food Superstore. There's everything a Greek heart(stomach) desires and more. It's a one-stop-shop for your cheeses, olives, olive oils, phyllo, pita breads, beans, stuffed vine leaves, oregano and thyme and much more. They also have the prepared spinach pies and cheese pies (the best!)that you can pick up with a cup of coffee for a quick but substantial snack. The pastries cannot be beat for taste and freshness. Recently they've added a hot foods station and I hear they have an excellent new chef, recently arrived from Greece. And did I mention the tsoureki, a Greek sweet bread like Challah bread? I buy it for French toast the next morning(if it lasts until then). If I sound like a fan club it's because I love this place and am really grateful they are around so we can get our Greek fix.

Holiday pastries and cookies ready for Christmas 

Of course there's a whole counter for Feta! There's the Arahova feta, the Eipiros feta, the goat feta... you get the picture!

Mountains of olive oil!

Did somebody say cheese? 

The Greek flag next to the American flag

Olives-yum! 

Giant Beans 

How many kinds of olive oil does a Greek need? 

Tahini with honey, whole grain tahini, plain tahini 

Capers 

And did I mention olive oil?! 

Phyllo

Grains and legumes 

And the pastries

Trays and trays 

Desserts 

Don't forget your box of cookies! 

So glad to take it all home!

 

Enjoy!

 

Maria

Best homemade Hummus

Hummus is a healthy, versatile spread made with chickpeas, tahini, garlic and lemon.

Ingredients

15.5 oz can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained

¼ cup Greek tahini (roasted sesame paste)

1 large lemon juiced (1/4 cup juice at minimum)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons Greek extra virgin olive oil (additional for serving)

3 tablespoons water

pinch of cumin

Sumac for serving
1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves for garnish

• Instructions
  1. Add all ingredients (except water) to the food processor and process for 2 -3 minutes until smooth.
  2. Add water as needed to get to desired consistency. I find that the full 3 tablespoons works perfectly!

 Serve on Greek rusks dusted with sumac.

Serve as a snack on Greek rusks with some carrots.

Hummus can be used on bread as a spread for a sandwich, can be served as a dip with vegetables or crackers, makes a great quick snack on a cracker or, my favorite, on Greek rusks topped with sumac, olive oil and chopped parsley.

Enjoy!

Maria 

 

 

 

 

Branzini ala Greca!

Branzini or Lavraki is a Mediterranean fish that has been farmed very successfully in Greece in the past decade. It has recently become very popular on  restaurant menus in New York and New Jersey. It's also now available for sale at your local fish markets.  

It's a white fish with flaky meat with a boatload of flavor. I always can taste the Mediterranean in it.

I love that I can see the fish farms off the coast of Athens, not far from my apartment in Greece.  My fishmonger at the Farmer's Market in Greece gave me the best instructions on how to cook it and I'm going to share them right here with you!

Serves 2
Ingredients

1 1+lb whole branzini(I ask my fish monger to cut the fins and tail and score the skin on the sides)
1-2 springs of rosemary or oregano
4 tablespoons Greek extra Virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper

sea salt for serving
juice of 1 lemon for serving
Preheat the oven to 400.

Wash the fish and pat it dry with paper towels. Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and lay the fish on top. Place the springs of rosemary or oregano in the cavity of the fish and dress the fish with the rest of the oil. Grind some black pepper over the fish and place in the oven for about 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let rest for 2-3 minutes. Slice down the middle of the fish and flip each half away from the center bone. Remove the fish bone, herbs and head and divide the deboned fish in two plates. Dress with lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper.

And voila, you have a Greek fish the way it would have been served to you if you were sitting at a Greek Taverna by the sea.

I like to serve my fish with simply steamed greens, this time it was Swiss chard dressed with lemon and olive oil. A baked sweet potato that I had cooked in the oven before the fish rounded out the meal perfectly

I love color on my plate. Foods with color are not only pleasing to the eye and the palate, but contain important nutrients that help fight disease and keep us healthy.








Put more color in your life!

Enjoy!
Maria