.: evil jungle prince :.

As I've already harvested squash for the year, the remaining squash flowers in my garden or more decorative than functional. The bees absolutely love them -- so much as that at times it's hard to be in the garden for fear of getting stung. Today however I decided to take the flowers for myself and make a dish I've been wanting to make for ages now... Greek stuffed zucchini blossoms.

1. To begin this dish, harvest a handful of zucchini flowers, rinse, and set aside.

2. Next fry half an onion in a liberal amount of olive oil. Add to this mixture 1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley, 2 tsp salt, pepper.

3. Next, add 1/2 cup dry rice and 1 cup water. Cook the mixture until it is soft but the rice is not fully cooked. Set aside.

4. Hold a blossom propped up by three fingers (including thumb) and place a spoonful of the rice mixture into the blossom, closing the blossom quickly with the petals. Place into an oiled baking dish. Repeat until the blossoms are stuffed. Place the stuffed blossoms very close to each other (touching) so that they stay closed while baking.

5. Pour a small amount of water into the dish -- just enough that will complete the process of cooking the rice inside. Place into a pre-heated oven at 375F and cook until water has boiled off. I also suggest sprinkling the tops of the stuffed blossoms with olive oil so that they begin to brown while being baked.

Remarkably, the blossoms do stay together while being baked, forming an omusubi-like rice ball full of delicious and healthy herbs. What a delicious treat.

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 07:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

This is a super-simple dessert which is healthy and quick to prepare.

Start by cutting open and pitting fresh peaches.

Preheat the oven to 375F and drizzle the peaches with lemon juice. Fill the centers with crushed pistachio nuts and sprinkle white wine over the top. Bake for 15 mins.

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 08:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

It's chili pepper season here in the desert. The weather has turned warm -- or rather, quite hot -- and seemingly overnight peppers have emerged from what were blossoms only a few days prior. These hot temperatures and my desire for spicy flavors with cooling overtones conspired to form the following dish: Indian raita, or fresh vegetables in a spicy yogurt sauce.

And so easy to make. One only needs access to some fresh peppers, garden vegetables, and some cool plain yogurt. This makes for a perfect hot day snack when cooking something elaborate in the middle of soaring temperatures is likely the last thing on a lethargic person's wishlist.

1. Begin by dicing some fresh ginger, red onion, tomato, and cucumber. Set aside, reserving a little bit of each as garnish.

2. Slice two mildly hot peppers, set aside.

3. Mix the diced vegetables with plain yogurt and peppers. Garnish with the reserve.

4. Serve sprinkled with a pinch of chili powder and chopped cilantro, if desired.

... of course I had to post something from Bollywood this time. :-)

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 01:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Some time ago I was reading about medicinal herb use in Greece. One item fascinated me so much that I ending up placing an order for some, together with my usual shipment of Greek olive oil. It's called Greek mountain tea (Τσάι του βουνού) and is used as a general cure-all in Greece for aches, sickness, respiratory problems, mild anxiety, or whatever ails you.

The Latin name for the plant used to prepare Greek mountain tea is Sideritis Syriaca. This plant grows on rocky, mountainous slopes in Greece at elevations over 3,200 feet. Like so many crops in Greece, they are hardy flowering perennials that have adapted to survive with little water and little soil.

The scent of this medicinal tea is very aromatic and slightly pepperminty, but mellow like chamomile. To prepare this tisane:

1. Break up a few pieces of Sideritis Syriaca and place into a bowl.

2. Pour boiling water over the pieces and allow to infuse no longer than 10 minutes.

I can personally attest that this stuff works. This past week, my work colleagues have all been terribly ill. When I felt the sickness coming on, I broke out some Greek mountain tea. By late afternoon, all signs were gone. I'm a convert!

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 08:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This is one of my "standard fare" dishes which I've made many, many times over the years so it comes as a surprise I've never actually blogged about it. It's a classic comfort dish which is absolutely perfect for a very cold day like yesterday. It's called Garides Saganaki, or Greek shrimp au gratin with feta. Supposedly it began as a tourist dish in Greece but was later adopted as a classic meze, or side dish appetizer.

My favorite way to eat this dish is with some freshly baked white bread. Hot from the oven, the warm pieces can be used to soak up the au gratin flavors.

1. Start buy preparing some shrimp and set aside. Cut one white onion into pieces and dice about 6-7 tomatoes, set aside.

2. In a pot or wok, heat some Greek olive oil and saute 2-3 cloves of garlic. Add onion and cook briefly. Add shrimp and cook until they are pink. Add tomatoes and 2-3 tsp salt to taste, 1 tsp sugar. Cook mixture until the tomatoes begin to cook down a little.

3. Place the mixture in an au gratin plate and top with a little feta cheese. Place into a preheated oven at 425F and bake until the mixture is bubbly and the cheese begins to melt. Remove and top with Italian parsley. Serve with fresh white bread.

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 05:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Yesterday I experimented with some new Greek mezes which I hadn't tried preparing before: fried lima beans and okra in olive oil and vinegar. Both turned out tasty but the okra dish was the stand-out dish which, when eaten with fresh white bread from the oven, sent me right to meze heaven.

Here are the fried lima beans. These were altered slightly from the original recipe which called for egg batter to make a crispy coating. I used olive oil instead. I'm sure the egg batter would have resulted in a crispier fried bean but as I dislike the taste of egg, I thought I'd experiment.

1. Soak the dried lima beans overnight. In the morning, boil them until they are soft. Drain.

2. Dust the beans with flour mixed with a little salt and pepper. Next coat the dusted beans with egg batter (or olive oil if you want to make it eggless like my version). Finally, dust the beans a third time with bread crumbs.

3. Heat olive oil and fry the beans until crispy. I used a wok which worked well and fried the beans a small batch at a time.

My next dish was okras in olive oil and vinegar, which is a superstar dish if I've ever tasted one. The subtle tartness combined with a pinch of sugar rendered these into the perfect savory dish to mop up with a bit of freshly baked white bread. Drool!

1. Prepare the okra by washing it and coating it with a small amount of white wine vinegar and salt. No need to drench it. Allow the vinegar to penetrate by allowing the okra to sit for 30 mins in its vinegar coating.

2. Begin by frying an onion, diced, in olive oil. Then add your washed okra and fry briefly in the oil.

3. Add 1-2 freshly chopped tomatoes or half a can of chopped tomatoes with a little water. Add 1 tsp sugar. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Add enough water so that the okra is nearly submerged. Simmer the okra mixture for 30-45 minutes or until the majority (but not all) of the liquids are gone. Serve hot, warm, or cold with fresh white bread that can soak up the excess liquids from this dish.

P.S. As usual, please don't bother with thin, tasteless Italian olive oil. Greek olive oil is what makes these dishes with its robust, fruity flavors!

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 07:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I've been eating a heck of a lot of Korean food these past weeks, so in the spirit of mixing it up a little, I'm switching back to my other favorite food tonight: Greek. Tonight's dinner was Greek tomato soup with noodles (domatosoupa me zimariko) served with freshly baked Greek style white bread (psomi).

This was an ideal dish for me to make as I had some good quality tomatoes that were quickly going soft. So that they would not go to waste, I remembered this recipe and thought I'd give it a go. It's a simple dish that is considered a 'fasting' dish to be prepared during periods preceding the major festivals in the Greek Orthodox Church. I'm not religious myself but any dish which calls for the deletion of eggs and meat are fine by me -- I generally don't like either one!

1. To make the soup, I began by boiling 4 cups of water. Into the boiling water I placed 4 diced tomatoes, 2 diced onions (small), 1 stick of cinnamon, and salt/pepper to taste.

2. This mixture was allowed to simmer for 20 mins. I adjusted the salt a second time and then added a fist full of noodles. These were allowed to simmer with the soup until soft.

3. I then served the soup with freshly chopped parsley and freshly baked bread slices.

I loved the simplicity and heartiness of the dish, and it was made all the better with fresh bread right from the oven. The smell of tomato soup and fresh bread were... something divine, really!

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 03:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Sometimes I get mad cravings for very basic things. Good, crispy, bakery-quality bread is not something I can obtain where I live. The sad fact is, outside of large cities at least, my fellow Yanks settle for extremely low quality breads -- breads normally pumped full of chemicals that make them soft and mushy so that they'll have a longer shelf life. But I've decided to stop lamenting this fact and recently took the law into my own hands by making the crispy-crusted, oven-fresh bread I've been fantasizing about. The recipe I've used for this has turned out so well that I'm only left wondering why I didn't start baking my own bread sooner?

This recipe is for a Greek-style bread, but it doesn't contain any exotic ingredients so don't let the name fool you. It's a basic, easy to make bread which comes out smelling just beautifully. The crust is crispy and the interior is fluffy soft.

1. First prepare the starter yeast by mixing 1/2 cup warm water, 1 1/2 cakes yeast (or 2 1/2 tsp dry yeast), 2 tsp sugar, 2 tsp salt, and a dash of flour. Allow this to rise for 15 mins. Preheat the oven to 350F (330F for convection).

2. Next, mix 2 1/2 cups flour with the starter yeast, 1 tsp olive oil, and an additional 1/2 cup warm water. Mix thoroughly and then allow to rise until the size doubles. (Use the bread-hook with your electric mixer as opposed to the paddle.) You can keep the bread in the mixing bowl -- just be sure to cover it with a damp cloth.

3. Briefly mix the dough again and form into a loaf, using a little flour so it doesn't stick to your hands. You can either place it on an oiled baking sheet or place it into an oiled baking pan so that it maintains its shape. Bake for 20-30 mins if using a baking pan or 8-10 mins if using a baking sheet, until the exterior forms a crispy crust.

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 03:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I'd been trying to figure out what to do with my huge supply of canned anchovies -- they were on special when I bought them -- when I ran across this recipe for Greek fried anchovy and caper rissoles. Although I would not suggest serving them as a meal unto themselves as they are quite heavy after being fried, I was quite impressed with them as a meze (small dish appetizer).

1. First I combined a large sized tin of anchovies with 1 tsp capers, 1/2 chopped onion, 3-4 chopped garlic cloves, 1 egg white, 3-4 tsp flour*, 1 tsp salt, pepper, and 1 tsp dried oregano. This was blended thoroughly with a fork and then placed into the refrigerator for 2 hours.

2. I then heated a pan of Greek olive oil. Forming the anchovy mixture into small balls, I rolled these in flour and flattened, adding them to the pan and frying in the olive oil until crispy on both sides.

Together with some feta cheese and yemista (stuffed tomato with herbed rice) made with garden-fresh tomatoes from my neighbor's yard, this made for a tasty, small meal.

Aren't these beauties? The neighbors gave me a whole bag of them before they left for vacation. "They'll go bad, otherwise." I am of course happy to do my part.

* Note the use of flour is an adaptation from the original "5 slices of stale white bread." Greek food makes amazing use of stale white bread. Because in the US we don't normally have bakery-bought, crispy breads available in our kitchens, I've substituted flour for stale bread here.

baking another batch of Γεμιστά, coated in Greek olive oil

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 09:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Here's an easy dish I prepared last week for dinner. Together with some freshly baked, crispy bread, this meal was both healthy and filling. Prasosalata is Greek style leeks with a simple tomato sauce.

1. I began by trimming and cleaning the leeks thoroughly. They were then boiled in salted water for 17 mins* and then allowed to drain.

2. I then heated 4 tsp Greek olive oil and added 2 cloves of chopped garlic, sauteed until soft. Next I added 4 diced tomatoes*, 1 tsp fresh thyme, and 6 tsp dry white wine. The heat was then reduced and I allowed the sauce to simmer for 10 minutes until creamy, stirring continuously and adding salt and pepper to taste.

3. The sauce was then poured over the plated leeks and served with crispy white bread. Garnish with fresh thyme, if desired.

* Tips: as American leeks are so much larger than their Greek counterparts, I added 2 mins to the original 15 mins boiling time. Also, if you do not have fresh tomatoes at your immediate disposal, use one can of chopped tomato. Alternatively, if you have access only to American supermarket tomatoes, supplement the sauce by adding 1 tsp of tomato concentrate to liven up the flavor.

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 06:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I cooked up a storm yesterday so I'm going to be busy today posting everything. Fortunately we've recently gone on a summer schedule, which means three day weekends for the duration of the summer season. I'm not complaining!

Yesterday's lunch was Greek stuffed vegetables, or yemistas/gemistas (Γεμιστά). I ate my first real gemista on the island of Santorini, late at night after arriving on the island. I could barely believe my tastebuds, and taken together with the live music, dancing, and cool breeze blowing in from the Aegean I experienced that night, it made for a little moment of pure heaven.

This dish is Greek cuisine at its best. Like Vietnamese cooking, the Greeks are so fond of combining healthy foods such as vegetables and grains with fresh herbs; the results are both healthy for the body and exciting to the palate.

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Begin by cutting the caps off four bell peppers and 2-3 ripe tomatoes. Remove the seeds from the bell peppers and remove the interiors of the tomatoes with a spoon. Retain the tomato pulp and chop. Set aside.

2. Saute one large onion in 3/4 cup of Greek olive oil. Next, add a handful of chopped mint leaves, handful of chopped dill, and a handful of chopped parsley. Once the fresh herbs are soft, add the tomato pulp and 1 tsp of tomato paste. Add just a little water unti the rice is cooked half-way (in other words, just beginning to get soft.) Note: if you are only making stuffed peppers without stuffed tomatoes, add a can of chopped tomatoes as a substitute for fresh tomato pulp.) Add salt and pepper to taste. (I used about 2 tsp salt, as its hard to judge at this stage how the final result will taste.)

3. Next, stuff the vegetables about 3/4 of the way with the half-cooked rice. Top of the remaining space with water, and then replace the caps. The idea here is to cook the rice the remainder of the way inside the vegetables, so that they absorb the excess moisture and flavors of the vegetables. Don't fill the vegetables all the way because the rice will be plumping up further. Cover the surfaces of the vegetables with a liberal amount of olive oil.

4. Bake the vegetables until they are soft and have begun to char on the outside. This slight blackening is a key flavor in the dish.

5. Allow to cool and serve at room temperature. You will find that the flavors can be enjoyed better at this temperature than when piping hot from the oven.

Opa! Serve with a glass of iced ouzo and water, if available!

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 09:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (5)

Tzadziki, a Greek yogurt dip made with fresh cucumber and garlic, must be one of my all-time favorite snack dishes. I remember my first time innocently sampling it at a Greek restaurant in Copenhagen of all places and being totally wowed by its savory and sour flavors. Paired together with a crispy baguette, this dish is pure heaven.

What's more is that making tzadziki is totally simple.

1. First, grate or julienne a crispy cucumber -- English cucumbers work better than American cucumber because they have less seeds, taste less bitter, and are less watery. Then mix in a little salt. Allow to sit so that the salt draws out the excess liquid from the cucumber. Squeeze lightly after a few minutes and then place into a bowl with a portion of Greek yogurt. (Greek, or strained yogurt, is the key ingredient here. Don't be tempted to use runny American yogurt or you'll have a watery mess at the end. In the US, Fage Brand Greek yogurt can now be purchased at Trader Joe's.)

2. Now add 1-2 cloves of grated fresh garlic to the mixture, 1 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp white wine vinegar*, 1-2 tsp fresh chopped mint, and salt to taste. Now place the tzadiki into the refrigerator so that the flavors have a chance to fully mingle. Serve with crispy baguette slices or pita. (*Lemon works just as well as a souring agent, in case you don't have white wine vinegar on hand.)

If you have leftover tzadiki, spoon it over roasted vegetables such as zucchini or eggplant -- it makes an incredible topping for either vegetable. Alternatively tzadziki works well as a vegetable dip.

Update! My kitchen restoration project is finally nearing completion. After waiting many weeks for my original cabinet hinges to be plated in chrome, their return allowed me to have the repainted cabinet doors rehung and to attach the new handles. Now the only thing left to do is add some cabinet door catches or magnets so that the doors stay shut and tile the walls in back of the stovetop and sink. Whew! Glad there's a light at the end of the tunnel...

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 05:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

In the next life, I'll be born a Greek. My Greek parents will spoil me rotten by over-stuffing me with delicious Greek foods. I'll have no option but to eat them all, it being the duty of children to always clean their plates.

That is indeed something to look forward to, but for now I'll be making it for myself. Tonight I decided on three dishes for dinner: gemistes/yemistes (stuffed bell peppers), fava (lentil puree), and Greek potatoes.

1. To prepare the fava (lentil puree), saute one diced white onion and 2 bay leaves in olive oil. Once the onion is soft, add two cups of water and bring to boil.

2. After the water reaches a boiling point, add one cup of yellow lentils or split peas. (Fava is erroneously named and does not use fava beans.) Boil the lentils until they become soft and begin to fall apart, adding water as necessary. Once they begin to fall apart, place in strainer and drain excess water. Remove bay leaves.

3. Place the cooked lentils into a blender, adding the juice of one lemon, a little olive oil, and salt to taste. Puree briefly until flavors are combined. Pour fava into a bowl and allow to cool. Serve with crusty bread at room temperature or cooler topped with tomato, white onion rings, olive oil, capers, and a little dried oregano.

1. To prepare the yemistes (stuffed peppers), cut off the tops of two peppers and remove the core and seeds. Rinse and set aside. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Saute one diced white onion in olive oil together with a handful of finely chopped fresh mint, a handful of fresh dill, and a handful of fresh Italian parsley. Once the onion is soft, add the liquid from a can a diced tomatoes, 1/2 tsp tomato concentrate, and 1 tsp salt.

3. Add 1 cup rice. Add small portions of water repeatedly until the rice is half-way cooked. Remove from heat and place the half-cooked rice mixture into the peppers. Top off the rice mixture with a little bit of water (inside the peppers). Replace lids of peppers.

4. Place the peppers into a oven proof glass container. Cover the peppers with a generous amount of olive oil. Bake the peppers until the majority of the water has been cooked off from the base of the container holding the peppers. Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving.

1. To prepare the Greek potatoes, preheat the oven to 440F. Cut the potatoes into medium sized slices. They should be evenly cut so they cook at the same rate. Place into a glass, oven proof container.

2. Over the tops of the cut potatoes, grate 4-5 fresh garlic cloves. Add the juice of 1/2 lemon, a little salt, and a generous portion of Greek olive oil over the tops of the potatoes. Fill the glass container to 1/2 way, so that half of the potatoes are covered in water. Finally, sprinkle the tops with a little dried oregano.

3. Place container in oven. When 2/3 of the water has evaporated, turn the potatoes so that both sides get cooked. Place back in oven and wait until the majority of the water has evaporated. Don't be fooled by the remaining olive oil at the bottom -- that won't evaporate, obviously! Allow to cool and serve at room temperature.

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 07:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Have you ever lost a recipe? Found that you'll go to any lengths to locate it? This is how I feel about a recipe I used to have for kourambiethes, or Greek almond shortbread cookies. It was the perfect recipe really, but alas it's gone now (I sold the cookbook and I don't remember its name), so this became the perfect excuse for me to experiment a little.

As they came out so well, I thought I'd share this recipe with everybody. I did use a kourambiethes recipe as a start, but tweaked it somewhat to conform to my own tastes -- predictably this has meant less sweetness/sugar (although it still has a lot), less butter, and more accent flavors... in this case ouzo and rose water.

1. Preheat oven to 350F (330F for convection ovens). Beat/whip one stick of butter in an electric mixer until fluffy.

2. While the butter is being whipped in the mixer, dry roast a generous half cup of slivered almonds in a pan until they come fragrant. Remove from heat. Place the toasted almond slivers into a food processor and process until they are nearly a flour. (Stop just before you reach flour consistency as the heat will cause the oils in the almond 'flour' to coalesce, which you want to avoid. A course flour is the proper point at which to to stop blending.) Place almond flour in a bowl.

3. Add 1/4 cup sugar to whipped butter and continue to mix. Add remaining ingredients: 2 egg whites (or 4 tsps of dry egg white + 1/4 cup water), 1 tsp baking powder, 3 tsp ouzo, 2 tsp rose water, dash of vanila extract, 2 cups flour, and almond 'flour.'

4. The result should be just thick enough to handle with your hands after dashing a large spoonful of the mixture with a little flour. Form into a rough ball and flatten just slightly. (Add a little flour or water if necessary to achieve desired consistency.) Add cookies to oiled/buttered cookie sheet. The mixture should make about 12 medium sized cookies.

5. Bake for 15 mins or until the cookies begin forming a slightly golden exterior. After removing from oven, sprinkle with a little (okay, a lot of) powdered sugar.

The resulting cookies should be slightly crispy on the exterior but light and soft on the interior. I love these cookies with their toasted, almondy taste and light shortbread texture. Their taste is complemented and subtlely transformed by the use of ouzo and rose water. They are a perfect tea or coffee cookie.

P.S. If any Greeks are reading this, how do I write "kourambiethes" in Greek?

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 07:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I seem to recall that the first time I tried stuffed grape leaves was at a Middle Eastern deli in San Francisco's financial district. The place lacked any sense of warmth and the staff were rude, but I continued to go there year after year because of their stuffed grape leaves. I could never get enough of them. My friend and I would sit for hours in this cold place, seemingly oblivious to the fact that besides the food there was nothing endearing about it. It didn't matter. As long as they kept serving my dolmadakia, they could count on my patronage.

If you haven't tried them, dolmadakia are grape leaves stuffed with rice and fresh herbs. (Other names: dolma in Turkish and Bosnian; dolmades in Greek; Dolme (دلمه) in Persian; tolma (տոլմա) in Armenian and ტოლმა in Georgian; sarma, plural sarmale in Romanian; yaprakes finos in Ladino). There are all sorts of variations and like the use of eggplant, chickpeas, and olive oil, they find a presence in many Mediterranean cuisines. (And for the sake of peace, we won't discuss here whether the Greeks, Turks, or Armenians invented them!) Generally I do not make them from scratch and prefer to purchase them at delis and restaurants, but once in a while I will purchase a bottle of grape leaves and go to town. If you're interested in making them yourself, here's the recipe I use.

1. Begin by mixing 2 cups of dry (preferably washed) rice with the juice of two small lemons (or one large), some Greek olive oil, 1 bunch of green onions finely chopped, 1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, a little salt and pepper, and 2 bunches of dill. (Retain the stems from the parsley and dill.) Set the rice-herb mixture aside for 2-3 hours so that the herbs will permeate the rice.

2. Remove the grape leaves from their glass jar and place in boiling water briefly. Rinse. (This is to get the brine off the leaves.) Pat the bundle dry. Begin stuffing the grape leaves one by one with one spoonful of the herbed rice mixture. Place mixture in lower center. Fold up from bottom to cover rice, left to center, right to center, and then complete the bundle by rolling up to the very top. Fold leaves inward as necessary so nothing is sticking out.

3. Spread parsley and dill stalks at the base of a pot, plus any broken grape leaves you might have obtained during the wrapping process. (This step is necessary to permeate the mixture with aromatic herbs and to prevent the dolmadakia from sticking to the base of the pot.) Tightly pack dolmadakia over these, into a pot, in cocentric circles.

4. Place 5-6 plates on top of the dolmadakia to prevent them from coming unwrapped during the cooking process. After placing the plates on top, pour 4 cups of water, a little more olive oil, and sprinkle a little salt and pepper into the pot. Simmer at low heat with the lid on until all the water has been absorbed by the dolmadakia. (It might seem counterintuitive to keep the lid on, but the water should be absorbed by the rice, not the atmosphere. Otherwise, you'll end up with dry dolmadakia.)

Dolmadakia can be served hot or cold, either by themselves or as part of a larger meal. They are delicious dipped into yogurt and can be stored in the refrigerator and eaten over a period of time. (Be sure to pour some Greek olive oil over them and they will keep for a very long time.)

Sentimentally, the cookbook I use for this recipe sums up my feelings about this dish much better than I: "While steaming, the wafting scents of the herbs and spices come over you like the breath of the Orient."

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 06:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

My other great food love affair is Greek cuisine. Like Korean, Greek dishes are rustic and honest. Other common traits are the use of a souring agent, the omnipresent dash of fresh herbs, and a passionate emphasis on the use of seasonal vegetables. For anybody interested in hearty food with a pungent kick, Greek is something special.

These oven-baked slices of starch heaven are baked at 440F in a combination of water, Greek olive oil, sea salt, ground pepper, dried oregano, and garlic until dry and crispy. The smells they emit from the oven are cruel and torturous for anybody in close proximity.

1. Preheat oven to 440F and slice potatoes. Place in glass container and fill with water from mid-way point of bottom to top of potatoes.

2. Add juice from half a lemon, a very liberal amount of Greek olive oil, sea salt, ground pepper, a few cloves garlic, and dried oregano. Place in oven.

3. Once the liquid is getting close to boiling off, flip the loose potatoes so that both sides get crispy. Add a little olive oil to tops and return to oven. Continue to bake until only olive oil remains at base of glass. Potatoes should be a golden brown color and slightly crisp in places.

To really get in the mood, here's some Greek music to play while you bake (and eat) yours:

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 06:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

According to the book I'm reading, a popular insult in 17th century Japan was to call a person gaki, or famished devil. A popular Buddhist belief of the time was that selfish men were fated to go the World of Famished Devils (gakido), where they were to be subject to torturous ordeals involving food. Gaki were wretched souls with narrow throats and huge stomachs. Karma fated them to an existence in which anytime foods were to materialize, they would just as quickly flare up into a blazing fire. I certainly hope this never happens to me.

I've been a fan of baklava for as long as I can remember, but I've never tried making it myself until today. After a trip to Trader Joe's about two weeks ago, I've been wondering what to do with a big bag of leftover walnuts. Well, after coming across some leftover fillo dough in the freezer, I knew exactly what I was going to be eating this afternoon.

1. First I combined the 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, 4 tsp breadcrumbs, 4 tsp sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon powder.

2. Next I melted 1 cup of butter and pre-heated the oven to 350F (330F for convection ovens).

3. While the butter was melting, I greased a pan and placed two sheets of fillo dough over the base. This was brushed with butter and then a layer of the walnut mixture was placed on top. This was repeated until there were nine levels of fillo, butter, and walnut mixture. (Once reaching the 9th layer, cut any fillo dough that hangs out of the pan, coat with butter, and then carefully cut the unbaked baklava into sections.) Place the pan into the oven and bake for 30-40 mins until browned. (30 mins for convection ovens.)

4. During the baking process, I then started preparing the syrup. After bringing 3 cups of water to a boil, I mixed in 1/2 cup of sugar and allowed to boil for 5 mins. I then placed a stick of cinnamon and two cloves into the mixture, allowing it to boil for a few minutes. I then took out the cinnamon stick and cloves and added 4 tsp honey and the juice of half a lemon. This mixture was then allowed to cool.

5. After the baklava is removed from the oven, I allowed it to cool for a while before pouring a portion of the syrup over it. (Don't do this immediately when both items are hot otherwise it will become soggy.)

Yum. So inspired by the smells and tastes of this dish, I made myself an espresso and treated myself to baklava and a caffeine rush out in the backyard. Taken together with bountiful sunshine and a good book, who could ask for anything more?

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 04:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Last night I discovered an eggplant that needed immediate attention so I decided to make myself a meze (snack) plate. At the center here are tzadziki (Greek yogurt seasoned with grated cucumber, salt, garlic, olive oil, and lemon) and baba ganoush (Middle eastern eggplant puree). Surrounding the two dips are some finger sized pita bread pieces seasoned with olive oil and zatar and baked until slightly crispy. A bit of flat leaf parsley was added for color and flavor.

Baba ganoush is such an easy and tasty dish that it's an old standard around my household. I don't think I've met a person who doesn't like it. It's prepared by:

1. Slicing a large eggplant in half, sprinkling the halves with olive oil and baking them at 350F until they turn a golden brown on top. Remove, cool, and scoop out the flesh. Press with a fork in a strainer to release excess water.

2. Puree very briefly the flesh with a clove of garlic, salt, olive oil, cumin, lemon juice, and 2-3 spoonfuls of tahini. Don't over-puree so that it's stil a little chunky.

3. Serve with a bit of olive oil and paprika on top.

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 07:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Sure, it may difficult to post a picture of soggy bread and make it look appetizing too, but please take my word that this poutinga (Corfu bread pudding) was outlandishly delicious and went just perfectly with a little cup of espresso.

I'll post the recipe a little later, but this poutinga is made with orange zest, vanilla, sugar, raisins, prunes, and is topped with an apricot-citrus sauce. The walnuts on top add a bit of crunch.

Wow, this was so damn tasty. Have you ever eaten something that instantaneously transports you to a distant place which is somehow familiar through taste and texture? This feeling, which I don't have a name for, is what struck me as I bit into this poutinga. Its flavors were so vibrant and unexpected.

After a four day weekend, preparing myself for work is a struggle. But the poutinga made it much easier. There is a lot left over, so I think I'll take the remainder to my co-workers and let you know what they think when I update this entry with the recipe. I have a feeling they're going to appreciate this one.

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 07:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

With the weather outside so utterly ideal today (80F, sunny, with cool breezes), I am channeling Greece today in a big way. It's for this reason I decided to prepare midia saganaki (μύδια σαγανάκι), otherwise known as Greek mussels au gratin.

I'm still aglow after eating this dish... heaven. This dish is typical of what I like about Greek food: the combination of simple ingredients, fresh herbs, and a bit of pungency thrown in. Nothing is complex about it, and yet as with all Greek dishes there is a real cacophony of flavors here. On the surface a contradiction in terms, perhaps; Greek food however accomplishes this somehow.

1. To prepare this dish, I began by adding the mussels to a pot with a small amount of water. Once they were steamed and opened, I removed the mussels, removed the mussel meat, and rinsed thoroughly. The leftover stock from the pot was poured through cheesecloth and then set aside.

2. Next I chopped four tomatoes and sauteed them in butter with a little Italian parsley, adding a bit of salt and pepper to taste. After they broke down, I reintroduced the musselstock and reduced until the mixture began to thicken. I then added half a teaspoon of sugar and 1 tsp of vinegar, a necessary souring agent in this dish.

3. Finally, I placed the mussels in a gratin dish and poured the thickened tomato mixture over them. This was baked for 15 mins at 350F. At that time, feta cheese was added to the top and the dish was baked for an additional 15 minutes. A bit of fresh parsley was added as a garnish.

Make sure and eat this dish was lots of crispy bread to soak up the gratin. I can also personally suggest a nice cold beer. :-)

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

This amazing book I just received from Amazon has again managed me to get excited about my other great love, Greek cooking, so I thought I'd act in my impulses and try baking a Greek Easter bread called Tsoureki since I happened to have all the ingredients on hand.

I've linked to the recipe above -- I won't reprint it here as I'm still experimenting with it, altering it to suit my tastes by omitting egg yolks and milk. (I used egg whites and soy milk instead.) I'd say I still have a ways to go in tweaking the recipe to my personal preferences, but the first try turned out pretty well. The combination of anise, orange peel, and almond is really an amazing one.

One problem that I have is the 'conversion challenge' presented by my convection oven. Normally recipes can be easily altered to suit convection ovens by lowering the temperature by 20 degrees or so, but in the case of baking it is always the case that my bread crust browns far too soon. Subsequently, in order for the bread to become thoroughly baked, the crust becomes far too hard and brown. I need to figure out a solution to this.

Lunch today was again bibim naengmyun, in an attempt to use up as much as my kkaennip as possible while it's fresh and available. The peppers here are from my garden, too: the gochu fresh from the vine, the sliced jalapenos frozen over the winter in my freezer.

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 02:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)