How to Roast a Lamb_ New Greek Classic Cooking - Michael Psilakis [87]
5 large shallots, finely chopped
12 whole scallions, thickly sliced
6 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped with seeds
50 mussels
cup fresh lemon juice
2 cups white wine
1½ teaspoons dry Greek oregano
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
Large handful torn fresh herbs, such as parsley, dill, mint, and/or chives
Crusty bread, for serving
For cooking the beans, in a large pot, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, and bay leaves and cook to soften without browning, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the drained beans and enough water to cover everything by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil and season liberally with kosher salt and pepper. Reduce the heat, partially cover, and simmer until the beans are very soft, about 45 minutes to 1½ hours. Check occasionally, and add a little water if the level drops below the surface of the beans.
Strain the beans. In a large bowl, fold together the beans, Garlic Purée, and feta. Refrigerate overnight, if you like.
In a very large stockpot, warm the oil over high heat. Add the garlic and shallots and wilt for 2 minutes. Add the scallions and tomatoes and let cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the mussels and, after 30 seconds, the lemon juice, wine, and oregano. Cover the pan and cook, shaking it around occasionally while you hold the top on, until the mussels open, about 4 to 6 minutes. Add the beans and ¾ cup of the feta; toss to slightly melt the feta into the liquid.
Transfer the mussels to a large platter and throw the herbs into the liquid to warm. Drizzle all the pan juices and herbs over the mussels and scatter with the remaining feta. Serve with crusty bread.
anthos–the new world
The stories you read earlier in this book are the foundation of who I am today. The lessons learned in my childhood and the values instilled in me by my parents and our larger Greek community are the ingredients that inform my cooking and have shaped me into who I am as a chef. Food is our most elemental and basic need. Like the air we breathe, we need it to survive. And yet for me, and so many others, food is also a vehicle for communication.
When I decided to close my restaurant on Long Island and take my chances opening a restaurant in New York City, I had one very specific goal in mind: to shatter the confines, boundaries, and expectations that had been imposed on Greek cuisine. I aimed to elevate the way in which Greek cuisine—the cuisine of my heritage—is perceived by critics and diners alike. Through my cooking, I hoped to reach people not only on a sensual level but on a cerebral level as well, opening doors and showcasing the love and pride I have for the country and the people that made Greece what it is today. To do that, I needed a larger stage than Long Island, and to my mind there is no larger stage in the culinary world than New York City.
It is through food and cooking that I am able to share with diners my passion for my culture and elevate food beyond the five senses. I cook with the aim that, with every bite, you will not only smell and taste the food but also explore with your mind the identity of the dish I have created. Through that process, you are gaining a deeper understanding of the beauty that underlies the culinary traditions of Greece, and you will have a greater ability to interpret what I’m doing in the kitchen.
Greece is the birthplace of democracy and Western civilization as we know it today. It is also the birthplace of cuisine. Because of the trials and tribulations that Greece endured—war, famine, and centuries-long occupations—Greeks as a people are deeply rooted to their culture and cuisine. With the country under foreign occupation, Greek food evolved, and the influences of Mediterranean, Italian, and, of course, Turkish flavors are undeniable. What we see from a cultural standpoint is the integration of those flavors into what we know today as Greek food. But at the same time we see, taste, and feel the heritage, honor, and traditions of the forebears who were stubbornly rooted in the Greek soil.
The resounding, echoing, single-word