Books — Greek Cooking

Greek Cooking

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Author: Vefa Alexiadou

"Vefa's Kitchen" is the first authoritative and all-encompassing Greek recipe book in English. Doing for Greek cuisine what the hugely successful "Silver Spoon" did for Italian, it contains more than 700 fully updated, straightforward and mouthwatering recipes. Aimed at all lovers of Mediterranean food, the book will appeal to anyone who loves to cook easy, tempting and delicious dishes, from simple but stunning salads and mezedes in summer, to slowly simmered meat dishes and crisp filo pastries in winter. As well as presenting definitive recipes for taverna favourites such as moussaka, tzatziki and hummus, the book documents the extraordinary variety of local sweets and pastries, delicious home-baked breads and cheeses of the mountainous interior, as well as the fish and vegetable dishes of coastal areas, simply fragranced with lemons and herbs. Like Italian cuisine, Greek cooking is incredibly simple and delicious, and is based on the natural qualities of good olive oil, fruit and vegetables, grains and seafood. And more than almost any other cuisine, modern Greek food contains many traces of its remarkable history, with its origins as far back as Homer and the 'wine-dark' Aegean Sea of the Iliad. The health benefits of the traditional Greek diet are well documented, and the extensive Greek repertoire of vegetable dishes is well represented, with more than 300 dishes that do not contain meat or fish. There is a comprehensive introduction on local ingredients and wines, the history of Greek cooking and the culinary characteristics of each region, as well as recipes for traditional and religious dishes. Vefa Alexiadou is the leading culinary authority in Greece today and is the author of many bestselling cookbooks. "Vefa's Kitchen" will quickly become a must-have for all home cooks and lovers of Mediterranean food.

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Honey, Olives, Octopus: Adventures at the Greek Table

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Author: Christopher Bakken

Combining the best of memoir, travel literature, and food writing, Christopher Bakken delves into one of the most underappreciated cuisines in Europe in this rollicking celebration of the Greek table. He explores the traditions and history behind eight elements of Greek cuisine--olives, bread, fish, cheese, beans, wine, meat, and honey--and journeys through the country searching for the best examples of each. He picks olives on Thasos, bakes bread on Crete, eats thyme honey from Kythira with one of Greece's greatest poets, and learns why Naxos is the best place for cheese in the Cyclades. Working with local cooks and artisans, he offers an intimate look at traditional village life, while honoring the conversations, friendships, and leisurely ceremonies of dining around which Hellenic culture has revolved for thousands of years. A hymn to slow food and to seasonal and sustainable cuisine, Honey, Olives, Octopus is a lyrical celebration of Greece, where such concepts have always been a simple part of living and eating well.

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The Complete Book of Greek Cooking: The Recipe Club of St. Paul's Orthodox Cathedral

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Author: St. Paul's Greek Orthodox Church

More than 200 unique and intriguing recipes for all kinds of Greek dishes.

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Stella's Sephardic Table: Jewish family recipes from the Mediterranean island of Rhodes

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Author: Stella Cohen

To be seated at a Sephardic table is to bare witness to centuries of a mesmerizingly rich cultural heritage overflowing with traditions and festivities, symbols and superstitions, stories and insights, fragrances, tastes and culinary secrets all handed down from generation to generation around the ever-present Sephardic feast.

Following the expulsion of the Jews in 1492 by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, Sephardic Jewish communities spread to new shores bringing with them their rich gastronomic heritage from Moorish Spain which naturally evolved into a wonderfully complex fusion of flavours incorporating Ottoman Turkish, Greek, Hispanic, African and other influences.

Deeply inspired by her roots and constantly immersed in its traditions, author, artist and Sephardic cuisine expert Stella Cohen has set out to record the legacy of this vibrant, fascinating yet vanishing world for posterity and tell the story of her own family’s cultural journey from Rodos (where her great-grandfather Haham Yaacov Capouya, was the esteemed sage and Rabbi of Rhodes) to Rhodesia (today known as Zimbabwe) where she has raised her family to continue the traditions as passed on to her. In 1986, Sephardic Cuisine” by Stella Cohen, a humble spiral bound cookbook, was independently published under the auspices of the Sephardic community of Zimbabwe and quickly became an international success, being reprinted many times over. For more than ten years, Stella has worked at revising and extending the original to include a more thorough exploration of the age-old subject and the techniques and traditions around it.

Stella’s Sephardic Table is a treasure trove of inspiration for the soul, filled with over 250 sumptuous easy-to-follow recipes, all lavishly illustrated and garnished with anecdotes, Ladino sayings, essays and rare insights into family-cherished tips and tricks traditionally passed from mother to daughter.

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The Country Cooking of Greece

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Author: Diane Kochilas

The Country Cooking of Greece captures all the glory and diversity of Greek cuisine in one magnum opus from Greece's greatest culinary authority, Diane Kochilas. More than 250 recipes were drawn from every corner of Greece, from rustic tavernas, Kochilas' renowned cooking school, and the local artisans and village cooperatives that produce olive oil and handmade pasta. More than 150 color photographs and vivid sidebars bring to life Greece's unique and historical food culture. Seventeen chapters organized by ingredients such as lamb, herbs, artichokes, and cheese touch down all over Greece's dramatic geography of mountains, coastal lands, and fertile alluvial plains. A cookbook like no other, this ingredient-driven volume at once meets a growing interest in Greek cooking and serves as a homecoming for all those of Greek descent.

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Kokkari: Contemporary Greek Flavors

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Author: Erik Cosselmon

Traditional family recipes and the ancient Hellenic custom of welcoming the stranger as a friend known in Greece as philoxenia have inspired the uniquely welcoming ambience of Kokkari restaurant in San Francisco. A whole spring lamb spit-roasting over an open fire greets diners, and the menu offers familiar dishes like dolmades, avgolemono soup, and lamb moussaka along with more unusual Greek dishes such as deep fried smelt, watermelon and feta salad, and grilled octopus. Through its use of fresh seasonal ingredients, Kokkari brings a refined, cosmopolitan sensibility to a beloved Mediterranean culinary tradition. Its owners and chefs are proud to have ushered in a new era of appreciation for vibrant Greek flavors. Now they invite you to try some of their favorite dishes at home, and wish you a Greek bon appetit: kali orexi!

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The Foods of the Greek Islands: Cooking and Culture at the Crossroads of the Mediterranean

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Author: Aglaia Kremezi

Stretching from the shores of Turkey to the Ionian Sea east of Italy, the Greek islands have been the crossroads of the Mediterranean since the time of Homer. Over the centuries, Phoenicians, Athenians, Macedonians, Romans, Byzantines, Venetians, Ottoman Turks, and Italians have ruled the islands, putting their distinctive stamp on the food.
Aglaia Kremezi, a frequent contributor to GOURMET and an international authority on Greek food, spent the past eight years collecting the fresh, uncomplicated recipes of the local women, as well as of fishermen, bakers, and farmers. Like all Mediterranean food, these dishes are light and healthful, simple but never plain, and make extensive use of seasonal produce, fresh herbs, and fish. Passed from generation to generation by word of mouth, most have never before been written down. All translate easily to the American home kitchen: Tomato Patties from Santorini; Spaghetti with Lobster from Kithira; Braised Lamb with Artichokes from Chios; Greens and Potato Stew from Crete; Spinach, Leek, and Fennel Pie from Skopelos; Rolled Baklava from Kos.
Illustrated throughout with color photographs of the islanders preparing their specialties and filled with stories of island history and customs, THE FOODS OF THE GREEK ISLANDS is for all cooks and travelers who want to experience this diverse and deeply rooted cuisine firsthand.

The food of the Greek Islands, which stretch from the Turkish shore to the eastern Ionian Sea, is simple but packed with flavor. Aglaia Kremezi has gathered over 150 recipes from these ancient, sunny lands and presented them with fascinating historical and cultural notes in The Foods of the Greek Islands, a landmark collection. The dishes she offers, such as Spaghetti with Lobster Sauce, Meatballs with Rice and Herbs in Lemon Broth, and Baked Mixed Vegetables, are as easy to prepare as they are wonderful to eat. Readers long hoping to find authentic recipes for the best Greek cooking, and those who enjoy fine Mediterranean food, should hail the book.

Beginning with island-by-island food profiles, the book then offers sections on meze, the famed small-dish appetizers; pitas and pies; entrees; seasonal salads; bread; and desserts. Welcome attention is also given to beans, rice, bulgur, and pastas, and dishes such as White Bean Soup with Wild Celery and Lemon, Bulgur with Chicken Liver and Currants, and Penne with Olive Oil and Toasted Cheese should become everyday and special-occasion household favorites. Bread and dessert recipes are equally satisfying: Kremezi's Olive and Mint Bread and Saffron, Allspice, and Pepper Biscuits, among others, will please bakers amateur and pro, while the sweets, based on honey, fruits, nuts, and cheese, are similarly tempting. Illustrated with color photos, and with a comprehensive ingredient glossary, the book is a window on cooking few of us could enjoy until its much appreciated arrival. --Arthur Boehm

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Greek Revival: Cooking for Life

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Author: Patricia Moore-Pastides

Take eighty-seven ambrosial recipes designed for the needs and appetites of everyday cooks, leaven with delectable anecdotes about the Greek lifestyle, then pepper with revealing scientific insight, and the result is Greek Revival: Cooking for Life--an appetizing introduction to wonderful flavors and health benefits of the traditional Mediterranean diet. Patricia Moore-Pastides, an accomplished cook and public-health professional, presents dozens of easy-to-make and impossible-to-resist recipes that infuse a healthful diet with the enticement of great taste.
Greek Revival showcases a pantheon of healthy recipes, accompanied by beautiful color illustrations, helpful preparation techniques, and tips for making the most of familiar ingredients, from colorful fresh fruits and vegetables, to whole grains, beans, and seafood. These natural flavors are enhanced by rich extra-virgin olive oil, so the delectable dishes are savored without guilt. Following Greek tradition, meat is not eliminated from the diet, but rather saved for special occasion, and you will find a variety of succulent and creative meat recipes in Greek Revival as well. Always mindful of time, health, and budget, the author makes wonderful use of natural, minimally processed ingredients readily found in most neighborhood supermarkets. Recipes include dolmades (grape leaves stuffed with cracked wheat and pine nuts), imam baildi (caramelized eggplant), gemista (vegetables stuffed with barley and mint), xifias souvlaki (herbed swordfish kebabs), tavas (oven-roasted onion, tomato and lamb stew), karidopita (spiced walnut cake), and many more.
Throughout the book Moore-Pastides shares lively stories of her days living in Greece and Cyprus that exemplify the enduring charm of an Old World lifestyle. Through her tales we see a snapshot of a world lost to fast-paced modern living, and we are introduced to the health benefits of the Mediterranean lifestyle. Her observations are supported with illuminating summaries of current scientific research. Health-conscious readers looking to improve their diets and protect themselves from the perils of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease will find hope in the author's research, presented in a way that is accessible and inspiring.

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The Olive and the Caper: Adventures in Greek Cooking

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Author: Susanna Hoffman

This is the year "It's Greek to me" becomes the happy answer to what's for dinner. My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the upcoming epic Troy, the 2004 Summer Olympics returning to Athens--and now, yet another reason to embrace all things Greek: The Olive and the Caper, Susanna Hoffman's 700-plus-page serendipity of recipes and adventure.

In Corfu, Ms. Hoffman and a taverna owner cook shrimp fresh from the trap--and for us she offers the boldly-flavored Shrimp with Fennel, Green Olives, Red Onion, and White Wine. She gathers wild greens and herbs with neighbors, inspiring Big Beans with Thyme and Parsley, and Field Greens and Ouzo Pie. She learns the secret to chewy country bread from the baker on Santorini and translates it for American kitchens. Including 325 recipes developed in collaboration with Victoria Wise (her co-author on The Well-Filled Tortilla Cookbook, with over 258,000 copies in print), The Olive and the Caper celebrates all things Greek: Chicken Neo-Avgolemeno. Fall-off-the-bone Lamb Shanks seasoned with garlic, thyme, cinnamon and coriander. Siren-like sweets, from world-renowned Baklava to uniquely Greek preserves: Rose Petal, Cherry and Grappa, Apricot and Metaxa.

In addition, it opens with a sixteen-page full-color section and has dozens of lively essays throughout the book--about the origins of Greek food, about village life, history, language, customs--making this a lively adventure in reading as well as cooking.

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How to Roast a Lamb: New Greek Classic Cooking

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List price: $35.00
Author: Michael Psilakis

A rising star in the food world, Michael Psilakis is co-owner of a growing empire of modern Mediterranean restaurants, and one of the most exciting young chefs in America today. In How to Roast a Lamb, the self-taught chef offers recipes from his restaurants and his home in this, his much-anticipated first cookbook.

Ten chapters provide colorful and heartfelt personal essays that lead into thematically related recipes. Gorgeous color photography accompanies many of the recipes throughout.

Psilakis's cooking utilizes the fresh, naturally healthful ingredients of the Mediterranean augmented by techniques that define New American cuisine. Home cooks who have gravitated toward Italian cookbooks for the simple, user-friendly dishes, satisfying flavors, and comfortable, family-oriented meals, will welcome Psilakis's approach to Greek food, which is similarly healthful, affordable, and satisfying to share any night of the week.

Features:

Personally signed by Chef!

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