Tiganopites: Olive Oil Pancakes with Spicy Cheese

Tuesday June 9th, 2015Sunday July 26th, 2015 aglaia Leave a comment

The somewhat complicated shaping of these pancakes gives them a crackling texture, similar to that of cream crackers. The Samos tiganopites are topped with dermatotyri, a salty and sharp goat and sheep’s milk cheese, that is left to age inside a sheep’s hide.

For 40 small pancakes, 8-10 servings

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil, plus 4 tablespoons
1 small egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup warm water, or more, as needed

Olive oil for frying
2/3 cup coarsely grated aged Manchego, any hard cheese from Sardinia, or well aged Cheddar cheese (more…)

The Other Halva: Sumptuous, Vegan and Occasionally Gluten-Free

Tuesday June 9th, 2015Sunday July 26th, 2015 aglaia 2 Comments

Sesame halva is one thing, but quite a different and very popular Greek as well as Eastern Mediterranean sweet –also called ‘halva’– is made with flour, semolina, corn or other grains toasted in butter or olive oil and steeped in syrup.

Halvas simigdalenios (semolina halva) is the Greek version of this simple old sweet. In our halva the grains are toasted in olive oil instead of the butter used in Turkey and the Middle East. I have also come across an old frugal confection of olive oil halva made with chickpea flour instead of semolina. The simple, yet enticing sweet is often prepared during Lent as it is vegan with no eggs or dairy. Halvas simigdalenios used to be the free dessert offered at Greek taverns; but now it is replaced by the simpler yogurt topped with commercial preserves or jam that requires no cooking.

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My Sour Grape Condiment

Tuesday June 9th, 2015Monday August 17th, 2020 aglaia 1 Comment

Last week, for the first time, I made my own concentrated sour grape juice. I have written about it before, as I became addicted to the Lebanese dark and syrupy condiment that I can no longer get…

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From the very old and robust grape vines that engulf the fence of our property in Kea we gather and stuff tender grape leaves in May for our trademark dolmades. But the dark grapes our vines produce later in the summer, although sweet, are filled with seeds and difficult to swallow. Plus we hardly ever manage to harvest them when they ripen, since wasps and all kinds of insects attack them as soon as they start to blush. Come harvest time we just find bunches of rotten half-eaten grapes. (more…)

A Brilliant, Fruity LEMONADE

Tuesday June 9th, 2015Tuesday October 13th, 2015 aglaia 2 Comments

Ever since I was a child and my mother occasionally made thick syrupy, concentrated lemonade –which I didn’t particularly love– I had never tried to make my own. When my dear friend Barbara Abdeni Massaad visited us in Kea and saw our lemon trees brimming with fruit, she pointed me to a very different lemonade recipe…

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First and foremost this lemonade is not boiled, like my mother’s, and so retains its fresh fruity flavor. In her beautiful, extensively researched and documented book Mouneh: Preserving Foods for the Lebanese Pantry, Barbara writes that she got the recipe for the ‘out of this world’ lemonade from Dolly Shammah, a Syrian lady originally from Aleppo. (more…)

Mediterranean Summer in a Bottle!

Tuesday June 9th, 2015Tuesday October 13th, 2015 aglaia Leave a comment

This fragrant liqueur is a variation from a recipe for Thyme Liqueur that I got from the south of France and is part of my new book. Since I still have tons of lemons, and also because my Lemon Liqueur is so popular with our friends, I came up with this fusion of the two flavors that I think are the epitome of the Mediterranean Summer!

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The French believe that thyme tisane is an excellent digestive and the perfect treatment for a hangover. But I suggest thyme not for its medicinal properties, but because its aroma, especially complemented with the lemon peels and with a bit of help from the alcohol, will transport you to the rugged hills overlooking the dark-blue sea—and if that is not therapeutic, I don’t know what is. (more…)