Andy Harris's Modern Greek presents 170 easy, contemporary Greek recipes for this light and delicious food. Ideally suited to readers' health- and time-conscious lifestyles, the book covers Greek cuisine from the traditional appetizers called mezes to pastry desserts, with stops for fresh salads like the tomato, feta, and red onion Horiakai Salad; and pastas, including savory Meat and Pasta Pie, and Pasta with Spinach, Parsley, and Yogurt. Vegetables are at the heart of Greek cooking and dishes including Baked Eggplant, Zucchini, and Potatoes, and a delicious stew of artichokes and peas offer a rich example of the direct Greek approach to cooking. Seafood, also basic to the Greek table, receives its due with the likes of Pan-Fried Squids with Onions and Lemon Juice, and Marinated Sardines with Onion Salad; desserts, including Sweet Cheese Pastries and an easy-to-do baklava, bring the book to a happy close. With a useful glossary, and illustrated with color photos throughout, the book offers tasty, unpretentious food that works for everyday and special-occasion dining alike. --Arthur Boehm
-from Amazon.com website
Greek Generations: A Medley of Ethnic Recipes, Folklore, and Village Traditions
by Susie Atsaides
Everything you need to have your own "Big Fat Greek Wedding..." Join in the celebration of food and folklore! Author Susie Atsaides has collected over 400 recipes straight from authentic Greek-village kitchens, fourno ovens, and olive orchards in this compendium of food and culture. This treasured collection has been handed down from mother to daughter through generations. Filled with mouth-watering dishes, ancestral superstitions, and amusing bits of folklore, "Greek Generations: A Medley of Ethnic Recipes, Folklore, and Village Traditions" will delight the palate and the hearts of readers from every background. Food and family are central to every culture, and Atsaides' easy-to-follow recipes are simple and fun. Written in an informal manner, adults as well as children can enjoy the delicious results of Greek cooking, simply and easily. An encyclopedia of good taste, "Greek Generations: A Medley of Ethnic Recipes, Folklore, and Village Traditions" offers readers a buffet for the senses and a delicious "taste" of a time-honored way of life.
-from Amazon.com website
The Glorious Foods of Greece: Traditional Recipes from Islands, Cities, and Villages
by Diane Kochilas
Following an introduction in which Kochilas details, among other fascinating information, the nature of each region's cuisine (Rooumali and Epirus are shepherds' domains, she writes, "where the reigning food is pita, as in savory pie, hundreds of them...."), she then offers chapter-by-chapter observations with straightforward recipes. These range from mezze (appetizers) and soups to breads, main dishes, sweets, and drinks. From the olive country of Peloponnesus, for example, readers are offered the likes of Roast Leg of Lamb with Wine, Garlic, Allspice, and Cheese. The Italian-influenced Ionian islands provide Chicken Stewed in Fragrant Tomato Sauce with Thick Pasta, among other dishes. Snd from Macedonia and Thrace come such fare as Roasted Potato Salad with Hot Pepper and Mint, and Leek and Yogurt Pie.
Throughout, Kochilas also provides interesting sidebars (The Sardines of Lesvos, for example, profiles this local treasure known for its sweetness), ingredient sketches, and preparation suggestions. A section that explores cooking techniques and a useful source list concludes the book, which is a tribute to a widely undiscovered cuisine and the author's steady yet exuberant powers of investigation. --Arthur Boehm
-from Amazon.com website
Real Greek Food by Theodore Kryiakou, Charles Campion, Gus Filgate
Real Greek cuisine is the cuisine of the family, rich in the flavor that comes from fresh, healthful ingredients. Central to these savory dishes are olive oil, vegetables, yogurt, honey, fresh fish, and wine, providing all the benefits of the Mediterranean diet and more. In Real Greek Food, London’s leading Greek chef presents 100 authentic recipes arranged in sections that follow the progression of a traditional meal: mezedes (starters), fagakia (small dishes), main courses, cheeses, and desserts. Featured among the recipes are a purée of yellow split peas whipped into unusual lightness with olive oil and herbs; crab claws simmered in fragrant Muscat wine; okra baked with tomatoes and parsley; succulent roast lamb ribs with crackling; and a rose petal meringue with blackberry–scented Manouri. Throughout, the many pleasures of Greek cuisine are captured in 70 tempting color photos.
-from Amazon.com website
Meze: Small Bites, Big Flavors from the Greek Table
by Rosemary Barron, David Roth
Healthful as well as delicious, it's easy to see why the little Mediterranean dishes called meze work perfectly for cocktail parties, as part of a buffet table, or for a relaxed weekend dinner with family or friends. Greece-based cooking teacher Rosemary Barron's Meze: Small Bites, Big Flavors from the Greek Table focuses solely on that country's contribution to this delectable repertoire, and does so with an eye to their simple virtues--versatility and preparation ease. Her 60-plus recipes, which range from cold plates and salads to hot dishes, savory pies, and grilled specialties, feature the direct, zesty flavors of the Greek Islands; the result is easy-to-enjoy food like Peppered Greek Oregano Pork, Piquant Almond Figs, and Eggplants in Spicy Tomato Sauce--dishes most cooks can readily accomplish.
Part of the meze "plan" involves creating a simple Greek pantry from which the dishes can be quickly assembled. Following a section devoted to that setup, and a useful list of particularly quick and simple dish "sketches" (sprinkle drained canned tuna with sliced raw onion, olive oil, sea salt, and the tangy spice sumac and there's your meze), the book then presents other alluring recipes like Thyme-Scented Fish Souvlakia with Roasted Pepper Sauce, Savory Honey-Pear Pies, and Yogurt Chicken with Beets and Greens. An unusually detailed glossary includes not only ingredients but characteristic preparation methods like clay-pot cooking and equipment, such as sfongata skillets, a traditional iron pan for which readers can substitute more familiar equivalents. Illustrated with color photos throughout, Meze stands out among other similarly themed books for its concise thoroughness, clear instruction, and simple good taste. --Arthur Boehm
-from Amazon.com website
