Greek food — real, fresh, diverse Greek food — is often underrepresented here in the States. Sure, you can find a "Greek salad" anywhere, but from the mountains to the islands, Greece is a country of many different regions and dishes. Fortunately, for those of us who love Greek cuisine and want to learn more, there's The Country Cooking of Greece by Diane Kochilas. Omnivores and vegetarians alike will enjoy the rustic, homestyle recipes, many of them featuring ingredients like whole grains, healthy greens, and other seasonal fare.
Quick Facts
• Who wrote it: Diane Kochilas
• Who published it: Chronicle Books
• Number of recipes: 200
• Recipes for right now: Peloponnese Bean Soup with Sardines and Feta, Ouzo-Braised Cabbage with Pork Sausage, Pumpkin-Sweet Potato Moussaka, Northern Greek-Style Braised Leeks and Celery Root with Paprika and Lemon, Marinated Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Figs and Olives, Buttery Polenta with Spoon Sweets
• Other highlights: With stories and pictures throughout, this book's focus is on country-style food and the dishes are comforting, traditional yet flexible, and good for sharing with family and friends. Though fairly simple, the recipes do depend on good quality ingredients, and readers learn about everything from Greek cheeses (beyond feta!) to olive oil, vinegar, spirits, artichokes, wild greens, and more.
As a vegetarian, I especially like Diane Kochilas's emphasis on vegetables, beans, and other meatless dishes. Of course, there's also plenty to satisfy the omnivores, with several chapters on seafood, poultry, and meat. A nice chapter on meze delves into the tradition of small dishes with advice on wine pairing, assembly, and lots of recipes.
If you're like me, you'll come away from The Country Cooking of Greece with several dozen recipes bookmarked to use throughout the year, as well as a deeper appreciation of the country's diverse regions and cultures.
• Who would enjoy this book? Omnivores and vegetarians, Greek food and culture lovers or those who want to learn more
Find the book at your local library, independent bookstore, or Amazon: The Country Cooking of Greece by Diane Kochilas
• Visit the author's website: Diane Kochilas
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(Images: Emily Ho)
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A friend of mine, who is Greek-American, says that this is *the book* to have if you want good Greek recipes.
I ordered this from Amazon the other day, as friends of mine who are greater experts on Greek cuisine (I am but a lowly half-breed who didn't have a Greek Mama to teach her ta mystika of the kouzina...) and I enjoy it. It's not as comprehensive as Vefa's Kitchen (http://amzn.to/Xreh41) (pretty much the A-Z of any Greek dish you could want, but a bit fussy and over-complicated), and it doesn't have the best stories about Greek dishes and ingredients - my fave would be Culinaria Greece (http://amzn.to/14VPvjF), but it does a fine job of combining standard and quirky dishes. I can't speak to how easy the recipes are to replicate but I'm sure they'll turn out well - if not, Diane is my most random Twitter follower (I seriously don't know why she follows me, I'm kind of honoured), so I could always ask her. I plan on making the cabbage and sausage with ouzo dish first, since my xeno husband has finally decided he likes ouzo.
Other books worth having whose recipes have stood up to use from yours truly: "Modern Greek" by Andy Harris (http://amzn.to/11sYOZp) (I make dips, deserts, and spetzofai from that, I think), and a favourite from my youth, Nicholas and Julie Roukes' "Greek With Gusto" (http://amzn.to/WE99Mm) - I like it enough that I took my mother's copy with me when I moved out! (I also stole the Culinaria Greece from my Baba, but shhhhhh, I won't tell them if you don't!).
Aaarg forgot to finish a thought up there, friends of mine who are greater experts on Greek cuisine THAN I HAVE BEEN SINGING ITS PRAISES, SO I ORDERED IT FROM AMAZON...and I enjoy it. I can't help parenthetical asides, the only problem being that I don't have the attention span to finish the original, over-arching thought sometimes. Συγνώμη.