Summerlicious Part Two: A Little Greek in Little Greece

Sunday afternoon, after an unsuccessful attempt at open-house viewing on the Danforth (apparently all real estate agents are avid soccer fans), mama, TS and I settled in at Ouzeri for an early Greek dinner/lunch. Being both starving and deprived of an authentic Greek meal since we have been separated by a city from our Greek family friends, I was extra excited for this meal. We all were, actually, mama had been talking about her excitement for moussaka (and reminiscing fam-friend Paola's rendition of it) all week.

For starters, Mama got the classical Greek Salad: tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, lettuce, onion...all topped with quite a spectacular feta cheese. This was not your grocery feta--much softer and not as salty. My naivety has me convinced it's shipped here straight from the mother land (especially since the salt and bottled water are products of Greece, too)

I meant to ask our server where it was supplied from, but my overwhelming hunger pangs were telling me to just shut up and eat.

TS and I both opted for the Artichoke Lemonata. It almost felt as though we were eating a pasta dish. We both agreed that the artichokes had a noodle-y texture. The egg-lemon and dill sauce was fantastic..but only if you are a big fan of lemon and dill as both these flavours were equally intense in the dish.

We all went separate ways when it came to entree selection. Can you guess what Mama had?

If you picked Moussaka, you win the prize. It's almost like a Greek version of lasagna, or Sheppard's Pie (two dishes close to Mama's heart): layered spiced ground beef, eggplant, zucchini topped with béchamel sauce and mashed potatoes. She claimed to taste a spice she couldn't quite put her finger on, that she wasn't too crazy about. I couldn't taste it, but TS could. (She was happy, but said it didn't compare to Paula's version, which is slightly different, with sliced potatoes dispersed throughout the layers)

 TS took the vegetarian route with the Spanakopita: spinach, feta cheese, leeks baked in buttery filo pastry. Cooked veggies, salty cheese and crusty bread (essentially)...can you go wrong? Well, they definitely didn't. It was delicious.

I tried the Lamb Rosemary Pie, which as a dish, is new to me, but ingredient-wise, they all rank in most-used-and-loved for me (except for the lamb...red meat is not a regular visitor to my palate). Everyone agreed my dish was their favorite--it had the most "pop" as Mama put it. It was a lamb shank pie, with feta cheese, rosemary and mushroom sauce, obviously wrapped in butter filo. My plate was bare crumb-less by the end.

All the dishes came with a side of lemon potatoes, which were amazing (not too lemony, skin-on for that extra flavour), and pilaf. We found it odd that we got two starches with our meal and would have preferred a veggie selection (skip the rice though, and save the potatoes).

Feeling a lot more stuffed than last night, I almost forgot dessert was coming. Mama and TS both opted for a traditional Greek dense pressed yogurt, Yiaourti, topped with honey, roasted walnuts and cinnamon. I've never had pressed yogurt, so I was surprised by the heaviness of the dish, it almost tasted cheesy to me (at least in texture). It was tasty, but with a full stomach, I was happy I didn't go that route.

I, instead, chose the Bailey's Creme Caramel. Although I could not taste the Bailey's (sigh), it was still the better choice. Light and silky, cool and refreshing...I had no problem sliding it all right off the plate, and into my mouth.

Two for two at this year's Summerlicious. We all left quite satisfied, but stuffed. In an attempt to burn off even a minor amount of calories, we went out in search of a Greek bakery selling some baklava only to be disappointed with an unsuccessful outcome. Instead, we decided to make plans to embark on another Summerlicious adventure (of ethnic choice, of course) for closing weekend.

 I'm already doing research...what's your favorite type of food? Do you have any Summerlicious picks this year?

Dare I? Summerlicious 2010: Part One: Middle Eastern Fun

Summerlicious started this weekend in Toronto, and despite being warned by several fellow foodies that it would be in my best interest to avoid any restaurant participating, I decided to try my luck. So I booked  two reservations. Since my bank account has been less than cooperative this past little while, I figured, why not take advantage? I've been reading a lot of books by chefs and food critics lately--currently I'm working my way through The Man Who Ate the World: In Search of the Perfect Dinner  by Jay Rayner and my cravings for something exotic have been extra ravenous. I ended up going for Middle Eastern at Tabule on Saturday evening and Greek on Sunday afternoon at Ouzeri (as a result of an already-planned trip to the Danforth)--two cuisines that my dinner plate is graced with rarely.

I must say that I was thrilled with the outcome of both my experiences. The service was not as bad as I was told it would be--although it was opening weekend and I'm sure that the servers had not had sufficient time to hate the world just yet.

My choice to go to Tabule was based on some spectacular reviews I read online. I was comforted immediately upon arrival, when the diners behind me were discussing how great the food was, as they too, waited to be seated. I interrupted to ask for their advice on which dish to pick, and they reassured me even more, not only by telling me that everything was tasty, but also adding in that they were Lebanese, and so probably tougher critics than most. Our server was not exactly the quickest at getting our drinks to the table, or coming back to take our order, but I didn't mind: for one, I'm a server, so I always tend to give them the benefit of the doubt, I understand that as a human being we are incapable of being a million places at once; and on top of it, I was enjoying the beautiful weather on the patio and was in no rush for the night, or the meal, to be over. She was more than friendly, informative and sympathetic to our lack of knowledge concerning Middle Eastern food--especially since I could not pronounce any of the menu items without looking like an blubbering idiot.

We started with the Combination Plate of humüs, babaganüj, tabülè and falafel which came with some tasty warm pita bread. I realized we missed the point afterwards, as I  watched a young boy at a neighbouring table open the pita and stuff it right up before indulging (I had simply ripped pieces of the bread to dip it). I had tried everything before, except for the tabülè, which we both found extremely tasty and refreshing.


We also shared the Kubbeh-cracked wheat shell stuffed with ground lamb and beef, onions and pine nuts which was my favorite of the appetizers, especially enjoyed with a dab of the garlic yogurt sauce (or a slathering mixture of every dip...)

For mains we had the Kefta Banadura, which was a combo of lamb and pork served in a tasty tomato stew with fresh pink onions, and the lemon garlic Salmon kebab.

I, being the seafood lover I am, preferred the salmon (don't get me wrong, the Kefta Banadura was great too).

 My BF, GF, being the meat lover he is, preferred the Kefta. So instead of sharing, like we usually do, we stuck to our own dish, which I was completely content with.

I must say that one of my favorite parts of both dishes were their accompanments: the charcoal grilled veggies and rice. The vegetables were grilled to perfection. One of my favorite flavours, ever, is the taste of crispy black skinned red peppers. They immediately bring back memories of Daddio bbqing at our house on Flushing, with the Spalding umbrella of course, as he was cursed with rain every. time. he went out there.The grilled zucchini, yellow peppers and fried onions were amazing too. The perfect forkful came as a result of a combination of all the veggies, a dab of the delicious rice seasoned with a definite Middle Eastern flare, and a slice of salmon: heaven. Thank god GF was full before I was--my serving of veggies just wasn't enough...

Our dessert picks ended off our meal on an even sweeter note: the burnt honey gelato had such a beautiful consistency (although the flavour was more along the lines of vanilla than honey).

But the real star was the Knaffa Ashta. We asked our server to pick our second dessert for us, so I barely read the menu description. I was expecting something dense like baklava, but was surprised and suddenly in love with what I experienced instead. The written description tells you it is an "angel hair filo layered with custard and topped off with rose water syrup", but it should really say that it is, in fact, a cloud of heaven, because that is exactly what it was.

We both chuckled like children when it was placed in front of us, as we agreed that it almost resembles a lightly battered white fish, but fishy it was not, and creamy, fluffy perfection it was.

Overall, our meal was perfect. We usually end up preferring our appetizers, as we are both naturally pick-ers, share-ers and combine-ers, but this time we were proved otherwise--favouring our entrees and desserts.

My fear slowly slipped away with the sun and I was more than anxious to indulge in another Summerlicious venture the following afternoon...

When Push Comes to Shove

I've put up a couple posts about Lithuanian cooking, but not many people know a lot about Lithuania: the culture, the history, the people. I heard an interesting story yesterday and thought I'd share it with you, something you can read while you work on any one of their labour-intensive recipes.

Hill of Crosses-Šiauliai, Lithuania

If you're feeling tired and sorry for yourself, read this story.

(Reader's Note: Although this post is published on Saturday, it was written on Friday, on my BB Memo Pad)

 It is Friday night at 10:30pm. And I'm home. I'm 23 and home and this is how I spend most of my Friday nights now. I wasn't home all night though. I had myself a pleasant little evening. I took a trip to the mall with my mom (standard practice for us, shopping, that is...we are seasoned shopping experts) and then we went to visit my aunt, Teta Sylvia, TS we call her, at her home in Port Credit. Another standard practice for us, a trip we have always enjoyed ever since we were little. Somehow, on the way down the 407, we ended up discussing our distaste for the Catholic Church. Not Catholicism, though, the Church, the building, institution. Somehow, the topic of religion got reintroduced at Teta's, but the aspect of religion that doesn't stir your intellect but ignites your soul: I'm talking religion outside institution--spirituality, faith...more importantly determination, perseverance, unhindered belief in something, someone maybe.

My aunt is an incredibly, incredibly talented artist. That statement is a huge understatement. You have to see it, really. On our visits, I love the trips we take around her house to see her work: of the new stuff first, found in her basement work area, which usually ends taking us back around the rest of the house to see stuff done earlier.

"Blessing II Laminas II by Silvija Saplys: Encaustic, photo transfer, oil"

Tonight, I saw something new and so unbelievably interesting and touching. It was a collection of work done in Encaustic--a style of art done in a wax that preserves forever (unless faced with any extremity of heat or cold). Art work from the Egyptian Age still exists in this form. But the eternal life of these works was not all that caught my attention. This particular collection all shared one theme: they were all photos of the Hill of Crosses in Šiauliai, Lithuania. I've heard of the place before, I've seen the beautiful replica at St. John's Cemetery at the Anapilis Lithuanian Church, located just down the street from TS, a million times. But I did not know the weight of the story behind this famous Hill before tonight.

Hill of Crosses-Šiauliai, Lithuania

Lithuania suffered as an occupied state for much of its history--in Medieval times and during and after World War II. Since it stood as a symbol of national strength against invaders, this Hill of Crosses was bulldozed repeatedly during Soviet Occupation in Lithuania. However, after every bout of destruction followed a night of regeneration: the Lithuanians would go right back and rebuild the Hill, cross by thousandth cross, until all tens of thousands of crosses were standing tall once again. Every. Time. Eventually the Soviets got tired and gave up. The Lithuanians never did. So many times when I tell people I'm Lithuanian, they look at me puzzled. It is indeed a small Baltic nation, but small-willed it is not. If such a small power-less nation, at a time when power was so frightening, could win against a force so strong that it is responsible for one the greatest tragedies in human history, who says you can't win your battles? Think twice before you give up on your task or goals, think three times before you succumb to the power of someone elses words or actions, think four times before you give up on yourself.

"Let There Be Peace in Lithuania-Tebūna Lietuvoje Taika" by Silvija Saplys: Encaustic, Photo Transfer, Charcoal

I insist you check out my Teta Silvija Saplys' website, especially if you are a lover of beauty and art (aren't we all?). Her work inspired me tonight--just as she has inspired and motivated me countless times in the past, and I'm sure, will continue to do so in the future. xoxo (Sorry Teta, I stole a few photos from your site)

http://www.silvijasaplys.com/

Since the medieval period, the Hill of Crosses has represented the peaceful resistance of Lithuanian Catholicism to oppression.- http://www.sacredsites.com/europe/lithuania/lithuania.html

Džiovintų Vaisių Pyragas (Dried Fruit Cake)

I decided that this recipe might be the perfect end to what I have dubbed my "Lithuanian-themed-week". (Did I pick the wrong country to celebrate this week, whooppps!) If I took one thing away from this learning experience it's this: if you want to make any type of Lithuanian dish, whether it be their tasty Cepelinai (stuffed jumbo potato dumplings) or Napoleonas (layered butter cake), you better clear up your schedule. They are a clearly a culture which takes both pride and lots of time when it comes to preparing their national dishes. I got a taste of this(unintentional pun on words), as I spent the past two days baking my Tevukas' favorite cake with my mother in anticipation of their lunch visit today.

If you have any special men in your life, I promise you they will kiss your feet if you make them this. (It's especially good for either clamboring back up out of any hole you may have currently dug yourself in to, but it also works well for storing some killer brownie points for your next shopping trip together) For some reason men are obsessed with this--from my Lithuanian grandfather to my Italian boyfriend and his father--even my grandmother says so, and we all know your grandmother is always right. The literal translation of the name is "Dried Fruit Cake", and basically that's all it is (plus cream, butter, smashed tea biscuits, toasted almonds and two days worth of work...)

So without further adieu, I will guide you through this process. I won't bore you with any more of its history, because you don't have time to read it anyways!!

What you'll need:

-one spring form pan

-serving platter (tape the pan onto the platter)

-1/4 pound of butter

-1/2 cup sugar

-3 egg yolks

-1 package each of dried apricots and dried prunes (*Note: this is an ancient recipe so clearly this isn't accurate. I can't even give you a tip here because whenever we make this my mom always ends up buying too much of both sooo I guess you can judge by my photos? Sorry!)

-1 small whipping cream

-2 packages of Christie's Social Tea Biscuits

-1 package of slivered almonds

First you begin by simmering the dried apricots and prunes with just enough water for the fruits to absorb and soften (about 1 1/2-2 cups)

*Note: preserve 6-8 apricots and 3-4 prunes for decoration.

Stir continuously, letting them cook until they look like this:

Mmmm looks tasty doesn't it? Okay you don't have to lie to me but just wait till your done, you'll be singing a different tune my friend!

While they cool, prepare your cream mixture by combining the softened butter with sugar and egg yolks. Beat the whipping cream, and then combine with butter mixture.

Now that they're nice and mushy, and have cooled a bit, you continue to deconstruct them by slicing them into itty bitty slivers. (yes, fruit by dried fruit)

*Note: Watch your fingers! They're hotter than they look. We put them onto plates a scoop at a time to let them cool as we slice...

Once you're done slicing, in a large bowl, add the cream and dried fruit and mix until they're well combined. It should look like this:

Looks better doesn't it? Taste it, go ahead...I bet you're hungry by now...

Prepare your springform pan by taping it firmly onto your serving dish. Now it's time to layer your cake so get your social tea biscuits ready. Layer the cream and cookies alternately starting and ending with cream . Each layer of cream must be covered completely with biscuits! So this means you have to break your cookies into little bits to fill up all your edges, like this:

Continue the process until you've reached the top of your pan, make sure you end off with a layer of cream.

Take your left over tea biscuits and smashed them up with a rolling pin. Spread the crumbs (very generously) on the top of the cake and press them down to form a crust.

You're done for day one. Now put the cake, and yourself, away to sleep in the fridge. (Well, you don't have to sleep in the fridge, unless that's your thing. Personally I'm thin-blooded so I prefer my quilt covered bed)

Once the sun is up on tomorrow and your cake is all set, it's time for the fun part: decorating. Toast your silvered almonds in the oven at 350 for approximately 10 minutes. Make sure they have adequately cooled down before you begin your work. Sit down for this part, it takes a while.

First, gently seperate the spring form pan and the cake leaving just the cake on the serving platter.

Basically what you need to do is cover all the sides of the cake with a wall of almonds.

You should place them as close together as possible in horizontal lines trying to leave as little amount of gaps as possible. It sounds easy, and it is, but quick it is not and fun you will not have...

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Once you think you're finished, you're not. You musn't forget about the finishing touch...the top of the cake. This you decorate with your reserved prunes and apricots. The look we're going for here is dried-fruit-flowers. You're going to slice the apricots into slivers (yes, again) to resemble petals and cut the prunes into chunks to resemble the flower centres. 
                                     

Here's where you get to be creative. Decorate however you'd like. You can make full flowers if you want, but my mom and I were feeling something a little different last night so we decided to do halfsies instead. This I promise, is the final step, so once you're done this the cake is complete! You should let everything sit for a little while before serving so it's best to do this the night before your event.

And VOILA! You're done! Two days and several hours later. You will definitely enjoy this one, and don't even feel guilty about the calories, you burned off half of them in the process already!

P.S. If you ever have or had the pleasure of being at a Lithuanian function and been shocked at how obliterated the host usually is the by the time the last guest arrives, now you know why!

I think I died and went to sausage heaven...

My lifestyle is definitely not conducive to staying immobile for long periods of time. Hence my part-time job as a waitress, my addiction to working out and my life-long desire to give up my car and move to the Amalfi coast where a trek up and down 10 flights of stairs are a part of each and every outing from your house. My mom, always sympathetic to this (and not a fan of putting up with my crankiness when I'm stuck indoors for too long), allowed me a short adventure today as I nurse my swollen face thanks to my wisdom teeth removal yesterday...of my favorite kind...a food-filled trip to Starsky's. Starsky's is an Eastern European grocery store located in Mississauga. Since my nickname growing up among my family members was always the Polish Princess (and the Pasta Queen...as if they even fit together?), it was like going back to the motherland for me. It was my second time visiting the store and this time was somewhat more painful. With my stomach rumbling for lunch, I slowly perused the deli, cheese and bakery counters, unable to pick up any of the numerous samples due to my inability to chew.

I whipped out my little Canon, excited to document my trip, only to be greeted by the dreaded "Change battery pack" notice as soon as I turned it on. Fortunately, I had my trusty Blackberry with me...so I got to take some half-decent shots...until that little bugger died too:(...

Pickles and pickles and....pickles?...oh my! Yes, in true Eastern European fashion, there was a whole aisle dedicated to anything and everything pickled. They even had a jar of Grandma's Salad!! And can you guess what the ingredient list was on that one? If you guessed pickled cabbage and beets, you win the prize!

My mother, elated and just as excited as a "kiddy in a candy store" (those were her words, actually), debated on which type of pickled beets to take home...deciding on the shredded beet root with horseradish (for a kick). She wasn't too happy with the end result of her purchase...but that's a problem I will be more than happy to take care of for her.

We were on a mission, however, so spent little time in the aisles and most of our trip at the pride and joy of Starsky's: The Sausage Counter. Well, it wasn't just comprised of sausage, I have to admit, there was cheese and regular deli meats, too but the sausage counter was definitely where it was at. I actually had to battle through quite a few elbows to get a shot of it. (I'd also like to note that this was on a regular Wednesday afternoon at around 12:30pm....kudos to those who brave this place on a Saturday)

This is only a small portion of what Starky's offers by way of sausages...(and yes, those are the forbidden tempting samples you see on top of the counter). I actually couldn't get in to take shots of all of them, but they also had a variety of dried and vacuum-sacked sausages at the end of pretty much every aisle gondola.

I've never visited an Eastern European country, but this reminded me of all the meat and cheese shops in Italy. Displays are not just limited to behind the glass cases, but hung and shelved in every square inch of space available. Not sure about you, but it definitely adds to my appetite.

This lady made me laugh: a) why grab a toothpick if you're going to pick the meat with your hands? b) clearly blatantly disregarding the signs posted everywhere asking customers to "use a new toothpick with every sample they take'. Regardless, I was pretty jealous of her...

Ahhh, this is what we came for. Tucked neatly beside the plethora of cheeses (I guess they group their items according to strength of smell), was the smoked fish section. We went home with fillets of smoked mackerel, rainbow trout, sea bass and white fish. (My mom is hosting a lunch on Friday for some Lithuanian relatives visiting from Chicago) Seeing this took me back to the days when I would walk in the door after school and get slapped in the face with the odour of  fish courtesy of my dad's smoker in the backyard. I loathed it at the time, the look of the glossy-eyed dead little buggers, the smell that seeped into the walls (and my hair and clothes), the fact that I had to monitor it once my dad left for work...But there was something about those fish in that case that looked sub-par to me. I suddenly began to miss what I used to dread and found myself wishing I went on at least one of those fishing trips, helped make at least one catch and been a bit more eager to participate in a process my Dad enjoyed as much as he did...

I actually laughed when I saw this...Eastern Europeans, marinating in vodka!?...Why am I not surprised...

Obviously we had to hit up the salad bar...not the typical couscous, pasta and potato salad variety was offered, though. We went home with a big tub of creamy coleslaw (not as good as expected) and sauerkraut with wild mushrooms (which was amazing, even though I could only have a little bit as it acted as an immediate magnet to the back of my mouth).

Any food adventure is not complete without a trip to the sweet boutique. The language barrier continued to plague me in this section (did I mention that almost every label in the store is written in Polish, or some other foreign language, with translations into English sparse). We did not splurge on any desserts (we plan on making one of our own) but I thought I'd show you the type of selection available. Unfortunately, I have no idea what any of these words mean, but that doesn't mean they didn't look or smell incredible...

My picture may not be clear enough, but the cakes I have pictured here are the Smietanikov Cake (top right), Napoleon Cake (top left), the Wiedenski Cheesecake (a Polish Viennese cheesecake made with either vanilla or chocolate creme) (bottom left) and the Sernik Brzoskwinia (a Polish peach cheesecake) (bottom right)

The "Napoleon" cake was somewhat familiar to me. Lithuanians call it 'Napoleonas': a torte painstakingly made by stacking individually baked layers of pastry and cream. (Might I add that my Mociute is a master at this one...)

These smelt amazing! Traditional polish doughnuts..filled with "budyn" a Polish custard. Reminded me of the famous Bombe from Terracina..mmm..my waistline is thanking my face for being so swollen right now, that's for sure.

I ended my visit with a trip to the soup aisle, hoping I could find something exotic that would spice up my otherwise bland diet right now. Sadly, my mission failed. Oh, if only I spoke Polish as well as the folks at Knorr do...