How to Roast a Lamb_ New Greek Classic Cooking - Michael Psilakis [1]
Grilled Lamb Heart with Crispy & Shaved Fennel Salad
Braised Lamb Tongue with White Beans & Mushrooms
Grilled Lamb Chops
Kefi Lamb Gyro
Lamb Burger
French Fries
Poached Goat Avgolemono
Braised Goat
Open Goat Moussaka
PSILAKIS BIRTHDAY DINNERS
Lamb Shanks with Orzo
Spinach Rice
Pan-Roasted Chicken with Lemon Potatoes
Beef & Rice Meatballs in Egg-Lemon Soup
Stuffed Peppers with Beef & Rice
Stuffed Baby Eggplants
Grilled Porgies
Shrimp with Orzo & Tomato
KEFI–A TIME TO DANCE
Fried Pork & Beef Meatballs
Little Sausages
Eggplant Spread
Tsatziki
Fava Spread
Taramosalata
Chickpea Spread
Roasted Pepper & Feta Spread
Warm Feta with Tomato, Olive & Pepper Salad
Figs Stuffed with Feta Wrapped with Pastourma
Fried Calamari & Whitebait with Crispy Chickpeas & Lemon
Sweetbreads with Caperberries, Artichokes & White Wine
BIG-PARTY COOKING
Whole Spit-Roasted Lamb
Artichoke Fricassee
Pastitsio
Greek Salad
Spanakopita
Twice-Cooked Gigante Beans
Potatoes, Olives & Capers with Anchovy Vinaigrette
Octopus with Chickpea Salad
Striped Bass Plaki
Mussels with Gigante Beans & Feta
ANTHOS–THE NEW WORLD
Poached Halibut with Cypriot Shellfish Salad, Cucumber-Yogurt Broth & Caviar
Skordalia Potato-Garlic Soup with Crispy Bacaliaros Confit & Beet Tartare
Raw Meze Platter: Tuna, Taylor Bay Scallops, Sardines, Hamachi & Botan Shrimp
Psarokorizo: Sea Urchin Tsatziki with Crab & Lobster Risotto with Yogurt & Caviar
Smoked Octopus with Fennel Purée, Lemon Confit & Pickled Vegetables
Anthos Shellfish Youvetsi
Braised Lamb Pastitsio
THE AEGEAN PANTRY
Garlic Confit
Chickpea Confit
Fennel Confit
Artichoke Confit
Leek Confit
Ladolemono
Dried Lemon Zest
Cretan Spice Mix
Grilled Onions
Roasted Bell Peppers
Red Wine & Feta Vinaigrette
Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette
White Anchovy Vinaigrette
Red Wine–Black Pepper Vinaigrette
Greek Béchamel Sauce
Béchamel Sauce Without Eggs
Candied Cherries
Candied Quince
Candied Orange Peel
RECIPES BY TYPE OF DISH
METRIC EQUIVALENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Foreword
Barbara Kafka
It is a rare experience to find a brilliant new chef. Usually, they do not remain a secret. Instead, they become famous. I had this experience a few years ago when a friend told me that I must try a new restaurant, Kefi. I did, and the friend was correct. Michael Psilakis, whose book you have in front of you, was the chef, and he had all the attributes of a great chef. The acclaim has come along with two more restaurants and the growth of Kefi from a small establishment to a larger one in a new location.
The new restaurants are Anthos and Mia Dona. Go and enjoy.
What are the attributes that make a great chef? First, there is a sound grasp of the many techniques that make a cooked food what it is; but technique is not enough. As with any major creative talent, great intelligence and passion are necessary. Michael has these and a love for his family and for what food means to him and them.
It is creative. Based on the flavors he loves, he constantly creates variations and new dishes. The first recipe section of the book, crammed with delightful salads and vegetable dishes, illustrates the outcome of these talents. Many of these recipes are inspired by his dearly loved father’s ardent gardening. These foods are joyous with loving memories.
They and the other recipes in this book are contemporary Greek cooking and deserve to join the pantheon of other great foods of the world. You won’t find a recipe for the old familiar Greek salad any more than the many splendid wines of Greece today are like the retsinas of yore.
While the book is replete with wonderful recipes for poultry, meats, fish, innards, and game, the wealth of vegetables, salads, and meze also make it a wonderful resource for vegetarians and those who feed them.
The recipes obviously derive from Michael’s Greek heritage, but they take off with new ideas and sail over new seas. There are a few elaborate recipes, but most are well within the scope of the home cook and even take budget into account.
Everyone who reads this book—a