Summer means holidays on the Med, and time to try some exotic food. But if your memories of Greek cooking are less than enticing, it’s time to take another look
Too often when we think of Greek cuisine we think of the terrible tourist taverna: oily moussaka, rubbery cheese and unripe tomato masquerading as ‘Greek’ salad, washed down with unspeakably rough wine?
Our view of Greek food was not always so tainted. The very word ‘gastronomy’ actually derives from the earliest treatise on food ever produced – Gastronomia, written in Greek by Archestratus back in the 5th century BC. Brillat-Savarin, the legendary French gourmand of the early nineteenth century, recognised the Greeks’ essential role in defining culinary excellence. In his Physiologie du Goût he observed that ‘cooking was held in high esteem by the Athenians, as was natural in a race so elegant and eager for the new.’ Now, Athens-born chef, Theodore Kyriakou, has brought Greek cuisine into the 21st century by setting up The Real Greek in Hoxton, serving authentic, regional Greek cuisine to challenge our dated preconceptions.
Discover the Greek way of socialising
As Kyriakou explains, part of the reason Greek cuisine is so misunderstood is that the Greeks don’t really have as much of a restaurant culture as we do. Most of the serious cooking and entertaining goes on at home, hence the pale imitations invariably served up at holiday resorts. For socialising outside the home, Greeks are more likely to gather in a coffee house over a plate of honey pastries. But Kyriakou is optimistic about reawakening interest in Greek cuisine: ‘After all, Italian food had a similar image problem twenty years ago with trattorias trotting out clichés such as spag bol.’
The true essence of Greek cooking comes from its components – traditional seasonal ingredients of the highest quality:
- Olive oil: Greek extra virgin olive oil has a great mellow, fruity, yet grassy character – Karyatis and Iliada are particularly good and own-label supermarket brands offer outstanding value compared with more fashionable Italian oils
- Honey: Greek honey is especially fine and fragrant, and Odysea make some of the best
- Yoghurt: Real, pungent Greek yoghurt is strained to drain away the whey, which results in a notably thick texture
- Cheese: traditional Greek cheeses add distinction to many dishes – genuine feta is matured in wooden barrels and has memorable depth of flavour. Graveiera is a firm cheese that resembles gruyere, while kasseri is mild, smooth and creamy. A personal favourite is ewe’s milk kefalotiri made in Crete and in Epirus in the north-west reaches of Greece. Similar to pecorino, it has a good, salty flavour and lovely texture. It is particularly good, cut into narrow fingers, rolled in seasoned flour and pan-fried in butter and oil until crisp and golden on the outside, with the cheese melting inside. The fingers of cheese should be rested in the refrigerator prior to frying. They are excellent eaten with proper tzatziki.
- Tzatziki: Kyriakou’s mother is still a huge influence on his cooking, and she suggests serving iced tzatziki in the heat of the summer. It is made, simply, of diced seeded cucumber, crushed garlic, lemon juice and fresh mint mixed with thick Greek yoghurt.
Eat Greek
Most Greek meals begin with a selection of mezedes, which are a precursor to the main meal. A good Greek host might offer up to a dozen different dishes in carefully balanced flavour combinations:- Authentic, richly flavoursome taramasalata – unrelated to the industrial, lurid pink, mass-produced variety – is hugely popular. Originally, it was made using avgotaraho – preserved grey mullet roe (also much prized by Italians, who call it bottarga) – but a less expensive and more widely available alternative is smoked cod’s roe
- Fava is the genuine Greek answer to hummus, ideally made with yellow split peas from the volcanic island of Santorini. The next best thing, according to Kyriakou’s mother, is the yellow dal sold in Indian speciality shops. This partners well with kalamata olives, dolmades and top quality feta
- Aubergine purée made with char-grilled aubergines is delectable, too, especially in the summer months, when the ingredients are at their ripest and most flavoursome. Kyriakou recommends serving rich filo cheese pastries stuffed with a mix of feta, Kaseri (or mature Cheddar) and Graviera (or mature Gruyere) alongside.
Fagakia are more substantial starters or side orders to a main dish in traditional Greek meals (or they make a lighter meal in themselves). Favourites include Greek pasta (shaped a little like elongated macaroni) in a citrusy dressing with grated bottarga, and a bean stew made with sweetish gigandes beans from Macedonia or Epirus, cooked with fresh plum tomatoes, thyme and parsley and served, Greek-style, at room temperature.
Fresh walnuts are a seasonal speciality and often served in a sauce, fragrant with nutmeg, to accompany chicken or as a stuffing for chicken or poultry. For a lighter dish, lamb is generally poached in a light fennel broth with new potatoes, carrots and leeks and scented with bay leaves, dill and parsley. Greek cuisine often pairs fish with tomatoes in dishes strongly redolent of long, indolent waterside lunches. One such is Kyriakou’s evocative dish of prawns with fresh plum tomato and feta cheese.
The sticky, honey-soaked pastries generally thought of as Greek desserts have a strong Middle-Eastern influence and are actually more often served as ‘anytime’ snacks with coffee. At The Real Greek Kyriakou serves up some inventive takes on the traditional Greek sweet tooth: warm filo pastries are stuffed with soft bitter chocolate and served with pistachio crème anglaise; mangoes are poached with lime and served with pan-fried kefalotiri and black pepper or mature feta; and Greek ricotta is served with preserved sweet green pistachios; all of which go perfectly with Greek honeyed muscat wines.
Recipes from Real Greek Food by Theodore Kyriakou
- The Real Greek, 15 Hoxton Market, London N1 6HG. Tel: 020 7739 8212. www.therealgreek.co.uk
- Real Greek Food published by Pavilion, £25.00
- For a wide range of genuine Greek foods by mail order (gigandes beans, rice, olives, olive oil, thyme honey, roasted red peppers, preserved vine leaves), contact Odysea, tel: 020 7251 0404 (they supply The Real Greek with much of their produce).
- The Greek Connection has a stall in Borough Market each Friday and Saturday, selling authentic olive oil, olives, good cheeses including a fabulous Cretan Graviera, jars of roasted vegetables, ready-prepared purées, salouka sauce and pastries. Tel: 020 8694 8067.
- Harvey Nichols Foodmarket, Knightsbridge, London SW3, has a good choice of Greek products. Tel: 020 7235 5000.
Stop Press there will be A Taste of Greece event at Cantina Vinopolis (No.1 Bank End, London SE1 9BU) on Tuesday 5th June, offering a summer four-course menu cooked by Theodore Kyriakou of The Real Greek, accompanied by top Greek wines. The all-inclusive price for the evening is £75.00 per person. Additionally, signed copies of Real Greek Food will be available for the special price of £15.00. Reservations can be made on: 020 7940 8333.
Recipes from Real Greek Food by Theodore Kyriakou
Purée of Aubergines
Greek aubergines are in their prime in the summer months.Serves 4
500g aubergines
50g shallots, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
100g fresh plum tomatoes, peeled, de-seeded and diced
1 heaped tsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, very finely chopped
1 heaped tsp fresh coriander, very finely chopped
50ml extra virgin olive oil
a squeeze of lemon juice
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper- Over a gas burner, on a barbecue or under the grill, char the aubergines thoroughly. When well coloured, peel and chop the flesh very finely with a knife.
- Transfer to a bowl and, as you do so, add the shallots, garlic, tomatoes (they must be fresh) and the herbs.
- Mix together with the oil and lemon juice before seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
Chicken Thighs braised in Walnut Sauce
Serves 4
8 chicken thighs
50g butter
2 tbsp oil
2 red onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 bay leaves
1 dsp fresh thyme leaves
200ml milk
2 egg yolks
pinch of nutmeg
150g walnuts, crushed in a mortar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper- Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
- Take a heavy-bottomed pan and heat the butter and the oil together. When hot but not smoking, add the chopped onions and sauté for 3 or 4 minutes until golden. Reserve in a bowl.
- Add the chicken thighs to the pan and cook until they too have taken on a golden brown colour. Return the onions to the pan and add the bay leaves and the thyme leaves. Add enough water to barely cover the chicken.
- Cover the pan and leave to simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked.Remove the chicken with a straining spoon and keep warm.
- Strain the cooking liquid into a smaller saucepan and bring to the boil, then reduce it until you have about 800ml.
- Whisk the milk and egg yolks together in a bowl. Turn down the heat under the sauce and pour the egg mixture into the sauce. Stir continuously until the sauce has thickened and be careful not to let it boil. Add the nutmeg and finally the crushed walnuts. Adjust the seasoning.
- Leave it to simmer for 2-3 minutes to allow the flavours to combine and then pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.
Salad of Green Peppers and Peaches
This is a novel configuration of sweetness and tang and goes well with cold meats, pastourma (cured meats) or rich salamis.1.5kg green peppers
150ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp brown sugar
1kg large, ripe (but not overripe) peaches
3 dsp cumin seeds
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 dsp lemon juice
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper- Preheat the oven to 180C/350C/gas mark 4.
- Wash, core and quarter the green peppers. Spread the peppers out on a shallow roasting tray and sprinkle them with half of the olive oil and the sugar. Season well and ensure the pieces are well coated. Roast in the oven for about 45-60 minutes until they have a crunchy edge. About half-way through cooking time, give them another good mix, so that they do not burn and stick. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
- Take a sharp knife and peel and pit the peaches. Slice them into chunky wedges. Put them in a large salad bowl and mix them with the cooled green peppers.
- Toss the cumin seeds in a dry pan over a medium heat until they start popping. Do not let them brown as they will taste bitter.
- Crush the toasted cumin in a pestle, then mix it with the cayenne pepper and sprinkle the resulting coarse powder over the salad. Add the remaining olive oil and the lemon juice. Stir all the ingredients well, check the seasoning and adjust, then serve.