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Mangia Mediterranean - Mangia Mediterranean

Mangia Mediterranean

Thinking About Spain and Some of the Delicious Food I Ate There

February 10th 2009 05:56

I don't know if it's because it was a little chilly today or if it's seems like it's been a while since I lasted visited Europe but... I was thinking about Spain today and some of the foods I really loved while there.

One thing that really resonated with me is the concept of "Tapas" - or the little plates that are served in traditional tapas bars. I always ordered a bowl of olives and we always ordered several plates for the table to share. I discovered I like pate which is essentially pureed liver - would I have tried it if I wasn't in Spain? I'm not so sure.

Another memorable dish? Tomato bread. I wasn't sure what to expect when I ordered it. I thought perhaps there'd be bits of sun dried tomatoes baked into a regular loaf of bread. Wrong. Catalan tomato bread is essentially white bread that is soaked in the fresh juice from a tomato (the thin oozy stuff that comes out when the tomato is ripe).

I haven't made that recipe at home either. Why? Not sure. I think it was mainly the sense of place that made such a simple dish taste so wonderful. The wonderfulness of a dish doesn't always transcend continents.

Did I like paella? Not all of it. In some versions I had in restaurants the rice was crunchy and the flavors were a little bland. But I remember eating a version in a restaurant in the sand near the sugar cane that featured fresh caught seafood which was delicately complimented by the flavor of the traditional saffron seasoning. A good paella, I realized, is about more than making sure the rice isn't crunchy. It's about expressing your pride about where you are and letting your guests in on a little secret - that you love where you live and the food that you're privileged to serve.

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Posted By: Katherine Huether - Category: No Category

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Greek Butter Cookies Recipe

February 9th 2009 07:28

This was originally posted on my Greek Cooking Blog

Kourabiedes, or Greek Butter Cookies are my all time favorite Greek dessert cookies. They are known as the “celebration” cooking and are on the table whenever there is a special event such as a wedding or Christmas. I personally like to make them whenever I want! (But never, ever serve them at a funeral - my mom learned this one the hard way).

Here’s a recipe that’s fairly easy. My mom’s is a little more complex. I’ll share that one a little later but these are still delicious!

Greek Butter Cookies Recipe (Kourabiedes)

Ingredients:

4 Sticks Sweet, Unsalted Butter

½ cup powdered sugar

1 egg yolk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

5 cups flour

Instructions:

Melt butter in microwave on high in large microwave safe dish for thirty seconds. It doesn’t need to be completely melted. Pour melted butter into large mixing bowl and beat on high speed with a hand mixer until creamy in texture. Add powdered sugar and beat on low until sugar is mixed in and then move to high speed.

Beat on high for about a minute. Add egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat until well blended. Set mixer to medium and beat in flour until well mixed.

Mixture will be crumbly and eventually start to collect together.Preheat oven to 350. Roll dough into a 1 to a 1 ½ inch ball and flatten slightly with your hand. Place on ungreased cookie sheet an inch apart. Bake 15-20 minutes at 350 until cookie has a slight golden color.

Let cool completely on cookie sheet. Using a flour sifter, place extra powdered sugar in it and shake over the cooled cookies. I serve them in baking cups - it makes it a lot easier..

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Posted By: Katherine Huether - Category: No Category

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Thanksgiving Dinner with Mediterranean Ingredients

November 23rd 2008 18:00

Growing up, we never had bread stuffing with our turkey. I didn't even know that there was another name for it until my early twenties. When my husband and I moved to Ohio, my coworkers at the local bank were talking about their delicious turkey dressing. I thought it was another name for gravy. But when they referred to gravy in the same sentence, I was genuinely perplexed.

No, I wasn't sheltered. No, I am not allergic to gluten which would have made eating bread stuffing impossible. I am of Greek decent, and the notion of stuffing a turkey with bread is odd to the likes of us. Instead, my mother would serve a dish that is comprised of rice, hamburg, and chestnuts. The Greek name for it escapes me.

Yes, we had a turkey. Though I am sure there are plenty of Greek transplants in the US that abandon the American tradition and serve lamb. The allspice spiced "stuffing" would compliment the earthy taste of the lamb very well. Though it stands up to the Thanksgiving meal very well - especially when paired against the squash dishes and cranberry sauce - traditional American Thanksgiving elements that did make it to our table.

But that got me thinking - how else can the Mediterranean affect the Thanksgiving meal? I say, abandon the caramelized squash and sweet potato health nightmares and serve these delicious Mediterranean foods a the table. Why not? It can be fun to a culinariaphile like me to change things up a bit.

Instead, why not try dishes like pumpkin ravioli to replace the standard mashed squash? How about chestnut or squash soup as an appetizer, caponata substituting acorn squash for the eggplant. Or why not leave the eggplant in?

My Thanksgiving menu this year takes elements from the various places we've visited and lived. My husband charged me with the task of roasting a duck and making it "just as tasty as the ones we've had in Germany". I am also serving potato pancakes instead of mashed potatoes, chestnut soup instead of a squash dish (my Mediterranean meal element) and a salad which I will likely assemble put goat cheese, pomegranate seeds, walnuts, arugula, and dried cranberries.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Posted By: Katherine Huether - Category: No Category

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French Gastronomy in Culture - My New Obsession

October 13th 2008 22:24

A few weeks ago I prepared a multi-course French dinner. I was inspired by a cookbook I am reading by an author who has a French style bistro restaurant. I realized by reading that book that there are many things that make sense to me about French cooking.

One that I most appreciate is their unbridled passion for food and taking pleasure from it. Food is meant to satiate us, yes. But that doesn't mean that the food needs to be boring and uninteresting. Researching how to go about preparing that dinner whet my curiosity and appetite for the French way of eating

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Posted By: Katherine Huether - Category: No Category

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French Gastronomy and Culture - My New Obsession

October 13th 2008 22:24

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Posted By: Katherine Huether - Category: No Category

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New Greek Cooking Blog

September 28th 2008 04:41

As you know, my ancestors came from Greece and Asia Minor (a story for another day). Much of my cooking heritage has been shaped by my heritage. So to celebrate that, I have started a blog about Greek Cooking. In it I will share recipes, tips, and musings. But don't worry, I won't stop sharing Greek and Mediterranean recipes with you here. That blog is merely an extension of my writings here.

As a child, my world revolved around certain recipes. Keftedes, Avgolemono, Spanakopita, Tiropita, Baklava, etc. As an adult, I've realized that there is a lot more to the Greek food culture than that. I've had several great modern meals in Greece since then such as Tomato Keftedes in Santorini - a recipe I will figure out how to make and share with all of you in the near future

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Posted By: Katherine Huether - Category: No Category

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Traditional Greek Salad Recipe

September 2nd 2008 23:07

Here in the United States, Greek salads contain a lot of lettuce and only a little bit of tomato and cucumber. That's why I was a little confused when going to Greece - the salads contain no lettuce and a lot of tomatoes and cucumbers. And then I realized - lettuce does not grow well in that climate.

So now, when I want to make a Greek salad, I stick to the kind that I ate while in Greece. Here's my recipe. It serves 2-4 people depending on the size of the portions

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Posted By: Katherine Huether - Category: No Category

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My Favorite Recipes Websites

August 21st 2008 03:47

I went through a phase of collecting cookbooks and cooking magazines but I found I never really opened them. Instead, I tend to log online and search for recipes to cook. I often have something in mind to cook and I love how you can search online and find exactly what you need.

There are a few sites that I consider my go-to resources. These include

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Posted By: Katherine Huether - Category: No Category

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Mediterranean Grilling - Going Beyond the Norm

August 15th 2008 13:46

In the United States, grilling is a standard thing. Hamburgers, hot dogs, sausages, steaks ... you get the idea. Meat, meat, and more meat.

But a few days ago, I watched Mario Batali use the grill to make tasty Italian dishes - like focacia bread and Mortadella stuffed with goat cheese. I've seen people like Bobby Flay grill pizza in the past. Me - I've even shaken things up and grilled vegetables and bananas

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Posted By: Katherine Huether - Category: No Category

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Roasted Red Pepper Cream Cheese Spread

July 29th 2008 02:23

I love using Mediterranean ingredients in seemingly ordinary things. I call it "comfort food with a kick". I loved celery with cream cheese as a kid. I snacked my way through high school and college with this very food combination.

Something happened in my adulthood. I desired richer, more complex flavors. The old standards just don't cut it. Mac and Cheese? Love it. Lobster mac and cheese with truffle oil? Bliss. Reinvention. Would visit the restaurant again... (C Level and Island Prime on Harbor Drive in San Diego

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Posted By: Katherine Huether - Category: No Category

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