How to Roast a Lamb_ New Greek Classic Cooking - Michael Psilakis [45]
If you wish, add toasted chunks of day-old bread, brushed with extra-virgin olive oil and seasoned with sea salt and pepper.
Or try adding half a grilled Spanish or sweet onion, separated into rings (page 270).
DRIED FRUIT SALAD WITH THYME-HONEY VINAIGRETTE
SALATA ME APOXIRAMENA FROUTA KAI LADOXYDO ME THYMARISIO MELI
SERVES 6
This is not a traditional Greek salad, but I love the interplay between the sweet fruits and the tart vinaigrette. Greece has a great tradition of fruit served with cheese, and this salad plays right into this palate-tantalizing combination. I’ve chosen dried fruits to show their versatility and to create a salad that’s wonderful during the cooler months. Of note also is the variety of fruit being used. Although not all are necessary, each provides its own unique flavor and texture, which allows the salad to evolve with each bite.
¾ cup sliced almonds
¼ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup raspberry vinegar
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 clove shallot, thickly sliced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 sprig picked thyme
1 teaspoon dry Greek oregano
1 teaspoon honey, preferably thyme honey
cup extra-virgin olive oil
cup canola oil
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
¾ cup tart dried cherries
12 plump, dried apricots, slivered
6 dried pears, slivered lengthwise
6 dried figs, slivered
9 dates, slivered lengthwise
16 ounces baby arugula leaves
6 hearts frisée, coarsely chopped
5 ounces manouri cheese, coarsely grated
Preheat an oven to 350°F. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast until golden, about 10 minutes.
In a blender or food processor, combine the vinegars, garlic, shallot, mustard, thyme, oregano, and honey. Process until smooth. With motor running, slowly pour in the extra-virgin olive oil, followed by the blended oil. Season with kosher salt and pepper.
In a large serving bowl, combine all the dried fruits, arugula, and the frisée. Toss until lightly coated with the vinaigrette. Scatter the toasted almonds and manouri on top and grind a generous amount of cracked pepper over all.
YOGURT WITH CANDIED QUINCE & CRUSHED JORDAN ALMONDS
YAOURTI ME ZAXAROMENA KYDONIA KAI COPANISTA KOUFETA
SERVES 4
If you make the candied quince for this dish, be sure to also make the skate recipe on page 44; as the quince is the most difficult and time-consuming element of both recipes, you will be able to create the other dish in no time at all. By pairing the sweet fruit with the tart flavor of yogurt, you create a simple, not-too-sweet dessert. Standard supermarket yogurt will not work here unless you drain it overnight (see page xiv; in fact, it will not work with any dish in this book that calls for Greek yogurt).
In Greece, Jordan almonds—whole almonds with a colored, hard sugar-candy coating—are traditionally wrapped in tulle and given as party favors to guests at weddings and christening celebrations. Here, they provide texture and beauty, but you can also choose crumbled halvah, or crystallized ginger. I prefer a combination of all three. So much more fun than the typical granola mix!
cup Jordan almonds
1¼ cups (10 ounces) goat’s or sheep’s milk yogurt, labne, kefir, or strained, full-fat yogurt
2 Candied Quinces (page 277), with syrup
4 leaves fresh mint, slivered
Crush the Jordan almonds with the side of a knife, then chop coarsely to a chunky granolalike consistency. (If this is difficult or messy, you can pulse quickly in a food processor.)
With an ice cream scoop or two large spoons, form quenelles (oval dollops) of the thick yogurt and put two on each plate. Sprinkle the Candied Quinces on top and drizzle with some of their spicy syrup. Scatter with the crushed Jordan almonds and a few slivers of mint.
the hunting trip
Would you like to come?”
The silhouetted figure of my father loomed over my bed. It was three o’clock in the morning. I was seven years old.
“Come where?