Product Description

This is the first book to present a picture of a new kind of Greek food: one that has its roots in tradition, but is also thoroughly modern.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1535768 in Books
• Published on: 2000-10-19
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 192 pages

From Amazon.co.uk
A glance at the index reveals this to be a book of Greek recipes without moussaka! Real Greek Food has a lot going for it already. The name derives from the restaurant The Real Greek opened in the fashionable East End of London (imagine being able to write such a phrase) in 1999 by Theodore Kyriakou to very considerable acclaim. Expert midwifery from food writer and journalist Charles Campion has effected a transfer of his cooking to the domestic realm with mouth-watering effect. This is Greek food of a type and quality very different from the usual dismal offerings of the dreaded moussaka, souvlakia, kleftiko and the rest. For one thing, Kyriakou is from Athens, not Cyprus, and seems to have been brought up with sophisticated culinary expectations: in his preface he pays tribute to his parents' devotion to "Greek gastronomy", not ordinarily a pairing of words easy to compute. Sample menus might include Belly Port with Leeks, Parchment-Wrapped Liver and Potted Chicken with Walnuts. Other unusual but delicious dishes are Pork and Quince Casserole, Crab Claws Stewed with Muscat Wine and Poached Rack of Lamb with Fennel. Desserts include Caramel and Hazelnut Tart and the intriguing, medieval-sounding, though obviously modern, Mustard Ice Creams, which tempers the hot tang of Dijon mustard with Greek honey. It all adds up to a very fine collection, smart and modern, recommended to anyone who feels there must be more to Greek cooking. --Robin Davidson

Los Angeles Times
"Don't expect yet another way to make moussaka or pastitsio. Those dishes are not included, making room for more unusual fare."

From the Publisher
Real Greek cuisine is the cuisine of the family, rich in the flavor that comes from fresh, healthful produce. 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, London¹s leading Greek chef presents 100 authentic recipes, arranged in sections that follow the pattern of a traditional Greek 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 tempting color photos.