Paired with carrots, sautéed with lemon and olive oil, and complemented with anchovy-garlic-caper-lemon vinaigrette it is much more than a salad; it becomes the main attraction, even if it accompanies fish or meat.
Serves 4-6
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Author: aglaia
PICKLING CAPERS, Caper Shoots & Leaves
Wash, drain and blanch the fresh capers in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, depending on the size. Drain and pass under running water. Fresh and tender caper shoots need no blanching. Just wash under running water.
Drain well and transfer to a bucket or large jar filling it about 2/3 with the capers or the shoots. Cover with brine (see below) and leave for about a month, stirring every now and then. (more…)
Beets and Greens with Skordalia (garlic sauce)
This garlic-scented combination of beets and greens, or green beans is served on many islands during the spring Lent, before Easter and all-through the summer. On other occasions, you will find it accompanying fried salt cod, fried anchovies or other humble fish. The skordalia (garlic sauce) in this particular version can be quite mild and creamy, like garlicky mashed potatoes, or more pungent, to your taste.
See also the unusual Pelion skordalia with unripe grapes or verjuice.
Serve the salad as a first course or as a side dish with grilled or fried fish.
Adapted from The Foods of the Greek Islands (Houghton Mifflin)
Makes 4-6 servings
Caper and Scallion Spread
The recipe is based on a traditional Lenten (vegan) meze from the island of Tinos. Serve as an appetizer with fresh, crusty bread or toasts, or use as dressing for steamed potatoes, cauliflower or even toss with pasta for a cold summer dish. The quality of capers plays a very important role, of course, so I wouldn’t suggest you make it with the cheap, jarred capers you get from any supermarket. Greek, or Sicilian salt-packed capersare the best choice.
Serves 8-10 as an appetizer (more…)
Green Black-eyed Pea Salad with Tomato Vinaigrette
Blanched ambelofasoula (green black-eyed peas) are the most sought-after and expensive summer salad in Greece and usually accompanies grilled or fried fish. The word ‘ambelofasoula’ means ‘vineyard beans’ and it is only used for the green black-eyed peas; maybe the prolific plants were planted close to the vines in the old days.
The dressing is inspired by a recipe I got from the island of Kythera, where it was used on vlita(blanched amaranth shoots). It is a wonderful dressing for blanched broccoli, cauliflower or any kind of blanched greens.
Serves 3-4 (more…)