Gourmet Vegetarian Slow Cooker - Lynn Alley [29]
What most Americans recognize as Greek food has its origins in the islands and the coastal mainland of southern Greece. Travel inland and north and you find a very different culture, architecture, people, and, of course, rustic cuisine.
For instance, Stuffed Peppers Florina makes use of one of Macedonia’s (the mountainous region of northern Greece, which the Greeks claim is the true Macedonia of Alexander the Great) most well-known agricultural products: peppers. As Greece-born food writer Diane Kolchilas says, “Peppers are to Macedonia what corn is to Kansas.”
WINES WITH GREEK FOOD
You may be scratching your head wondering where to find a Greek wine. And if you do find it, will it be any good? For many of us, our only exposure to Greek wine has been the poor-quality, piney-tasting retsina we may have tried at a Greek restaurant, on a Greek island, or at a Greek Orthodox church festival. Few of us have had any exposure to the wonderful and unique wines coming out of Greece today.
I have a number of terrific Greek wines in my small personal collection, and I would like to encourage you to seek out and try the new generation of wines from boutique winemakers in Greece. Many of Greece’s most talented winemakers today have studied winemaking in Bordeaux, California, or Australia. Not only are they growing and making wines from the noble grape varieties with which we are all familiar, but they are also applying cuttingedge European and New World winemaking techniques to their unique repertoire of indigenous Greek grape varieties. Most of these varieties have names that will be difficult for you to pronounce, but believe me when I say that a whole new world of flavors and aromas awaits you in well-made Greek wines. Because of the growing popularity of Greek wines, they are becoming easier to find in American wine shops and markets. I can highly recommend the wines of Kir-Yianni Estate, Gaia Estate, Alpha Estate, Boutari-Matsa Estate, and Château Geravassiliou, to name just a few.
GREEK-STYLE FAVA BEANS AND TOMATOES
Serves 6 to 8
Countries all around the world make use of dried beans, and cook them, of necessity, in an oven or on a stove top for a long time, often dressing them in the simplest of ways. The Greeks, who serve them both as a meze (appetizer) and as a main dish, are no exception. For this dish, I’ve recommended fava beans, commonly used in Mediterranean countries, but Greeks often use a large, white bean called gigandas that can sometimes be found in Middle Eastern markets. Note: If you are using favas, be sure to buy blanched, skinless beans, as favas come encased in a tough, brownish shell and are sometimes sold that way. This dish makes a nice meal with a green salad and a crusty country loaf.
2 cups dried fava beans or other large, white beans
7 cups water
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
2 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme
6 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Rinse the beans thoroughly, removing any dirt or stones, then place them in the slow cooker insert along with the water. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or until the beans are nice and tender.
While the beans are cooking, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a sauté pan and sauté the onion until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, bay leaves, and thyme to the pan and cook briefly.
Drain the beans and toss them with the tomato-onion mixture. Using a garlic press, press the garlic into the beans, and add the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil and the lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve hot or warm.
SUGGESTED BEVERAGE: I’d probably enjoy a retsina with this dish, or a Greek rosé.
STUFFED GREEK ONIONS
Serves 4
Stuffed eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, and, in this case, onions typically make their appearance