Greece!

 

 

 

I had originally plotted this week’s meal to be devoted to tasting some Parisian dishes, however, I’m holding out for a trip to La Gourmandise, an authentic French bakery in Ormond Beach.  In the mean time I decided to jump ahead to the next destination on my itinerary: Greece.  While the foods I’ve experienced thus far in this little project tend to be different in some form than the food I eat on a regular basis, they still tend to include ingredients that I’m accustomed to eating in one form or another.  Greek cuisine, I knew before starting, was made up of entirely different ingredients and flavor combinations than I’m used to. 

I kind of threw this meal together at the last minute, and since it was just two of us partaking I decided to keep it simple.  Actually, I didn’t even do any research until after the meal.  Based on my limited knowledge of popular Greek foods I decided to just go for it and prepared grape leaves stuffed with a mixture of LOTS of olive oil, sautéed onions, garlic, lemon juice, dill, rice, spices, and baked for an hour.  I also stuffed pita bread with some yummy roasted garlic hummus, shredded chicken, feta cheese, and mixed veggies including cucumber, red pepper, and onion.  The “pita pockets” were delicious.   Filled with so many healthy ingredients we almost wanted to not like them because they’re a healthy/good for you food, but they were just so tasty!  The stuffed grape leaves were also exceedingly healthy, and while they were definitely tasty, they were extremely tart due to the lemon juice and just a bit over the top for our taste buds. They were the kind of food I would make again with less lemon juice and perhaps some ground meat to add balance.

Based on my subsequent research I think my menu was a pretty decent estimation of some Greek cuisine.  Stuffed grape leaves are actually very popular in Greece as well as other Middle Eastern nations; however, the official name for them is domadokia.  I used loads of olive oil in the grape leaf recipe, and apparently I was right on because it is considered to be the most characteristic and ancient element in just about all Greek dishes. Olive trees are plentiful in the region and olives and olive oil have naturally become an integral part of meal preparation.  As far as my pita sandwiches they were a somewhat Westernized way of serving pita bread. In Greece it is generally served plain with dips or in the form of gyros. 

Ultimately it is clear that there is much more to be learned about the Greek culture and cuisine.  This is one place I might actually have to visit to really get a feel for their cooking style.  One thing is for sure, this is a culture that is all about sharing mealtime with loved ones, friends, and neighbors.  I will definitely have to revisit this region with a large meal made for lots of people.  There’s nothing like having a large table covered with a plentiful assortment of food and drink and surrounded by clinking glasses, entertaining conversation, and carefree laughter.