Celebrating Athens

[Malawry]

Some of you may know that I work as a chef for a sorority during the school year. I'm preparing my first meals for my girls a week from Thursday, while the Olympics are still going. I'm thinking of doing a special Greek dinner to welcome them back to Greek life and celebrate the Olympics together.

I did a Greek menu last semester, which consisted of lemon-oregano slow-cooked chicken, spanakopita, green beans slow-cooked with tomatoes, and maybe a rice pilaf. I definitely want to bring back the spanakopita, which was incredibly popular, but was wondering if there were suggestions for the rest of my menu. Also, what should I serve as dessert? I was considering making some kind of an apricot-almond dish, since apricots are in season and I think of them as very Mediterranean.

[suzilightning]

rochelle-

what about a mixed olive tapenade on crostini?

a salad with a lemon and garlic vinaigrette?

spanakopita! spanakopita! spanakopita! spanakopita! spanakopita! (get the feeling i kinda like spanakopita?)

would they eat lamb burgers in pita or souvlaki with greek yoghurt tzasiki ?

apricots sound good maybe with greek yoghurt with honey mixed in?

can i come? pleeeeeaaasssseeeeeeeee?

[Malawry]

You can come, contingent on my girls accepting you during rush.

Lamb burgers aren't a bad idea. I always set up a salad bar for them and was planning to throw a Greek vinaigrette, feta cheese, black olives, and pepperoncini on it so they can make Greek salads. I think tapenade is too strong a flavor for most of them but will keep it in mind.

I was also pondering some kind of chicken skewers. Maybe threading them onto rosemary twigs or something?

[Jason Perlow]

You gotta have something with eggplant. Mousakka, but you could make it with ground lamb instead of beef.

Also avgolegmono -- chicken lemon soup with orzo.

If they arent totally Atkins freaks and aren't averse to strong flavors, I would try Skordalia on them -- thats mashed potato with a LOT of raw garlic and olive oil in it, served room temp. You dip it with pita bread, and sometimes it is served alongside cold roasted beets with olive oil drizzled on it. Alternatively Revithosalata is the Greek version of hummus - it has lots of lemon in it and it doesn't traditionally have tahini (although according to our Paula, a lot of Greek restaurants in the US apparently serve hummus and call it revithosalata!).

There is also Melinzanasalata if you want to make the Greek version of Babaghanouj as well.

[jsolomon]

What, no Windex?

[lilyspence]

For dessert, what about an apricot baklava? It combines the apricots and almonds as well as filo and syrup. My favorite Greek dessert, though, is galatoboureko, filo and custard. Wonder if you could add apricots to that?

The chicken on rosemary skewers sound good, or lamb shish kebabs? My daughter says no meal is really Greek unless it includes moussaka, for yet another idea.

Have fun!

[Malawry]

I make the lemon-chicken-rice soup for them sometimes, for lunch. It's good in the dead of winter, when sour is such a welcome flavor. I normally don't do soups for dinner but perhaps I will make an exception.

[suzilightning]

You can come, contingent on my girls accepting you during rush.

Lamb burgers aren't a bad idea. I always set up a salad bar for them and was planning to throw a Greek vinaigrette, feta cheese, black olives, and pepperoncini on it so they can make Greek salads. I think tapenade is too strong a flavor for most of them but will keep it in mind.

I was also pondering some kind of chicken skewers. Maybe threading them onto rosemary twigs or something?

thanks rochelle but i would come to be your kitchen slave only. and only before the beginning of hawkwatch(1 sept).

the greek girls would so NOT accept me and ... guess i have an at-ti-tude.

tapenade isn't that strong a flavor really. depends on the olives and their proportions you use. ok- use commercial black and green olives well drained with minced sundried tomatoes, pimentoes, garlic, flat leaf parsley and good extra virgin olive oil.

for the lamb burgers use minced garlic, flat leaf parsley, cumin and green onions. grill 4-6 minutes per side. better than anything i have ever had.

find greek yoghurt though whatever you do. it is such a different taste and it is so thick you won't have to strain it through a coffee filter like i usually have to do.

thin cut chicken breast strips marinated in olive oil and lemon for a short time then on the rosemary?

[suzilightning]

What, no Windex?

BAD PUPPY!!!!

[jsolomon]

What, no Windex?

BAD PUPPY!!!!

Well, only in the fingerbowls..... bark! bark!

Edited August 15, 2004 by jsolomon (log)

[Rachel Perlow]

I've got another Olympics related question, and thought we may as well keep it contained in this thread. I've always thought that the crown of leaves traditionally depicted on images of athletes in Greece was made of laurel, actually bay laurel. I think it is beautiful that they've been crowning the medal winners this way, like in this picture of Michael Phelps. However, on more than one occasion, I've heard the announcer refer to this as olive leaves or branches. Anyone know what the deal is?

[slyaspie]

Rachel, those are wreaths made of olive branches on the athletes' heads. Olive branch wreaths were the traditional offering to the victors of the ancient Olympics. The olive tree was and is the sacred tree of Greece and mythology states that Athena the goddess of war and wisdom planted the first olive tree, not far from where the Parthenon was eventually built. The offering of the olive branches to the athletes was the offering of Athena's and Zeus's sacred blessing as well as a token of the peace that the athletes promised to keep during the games. The olive branch was the symbol of peace in the ancient world.

Edited August 16, 2004 by slyaspie (log)

[Stigand]

Ancient Olympians wore olive wreaths. The laurel wreaths that we now associate with the classical world in general and the Olympics in particular come from a different event, the Pythian games, which were associated with Apollo, who in turn was associated with the laurel.

Here's a random web-link:

Imprinted on Olympic medals is a sprig of laurel because, since antiquity, laurel has been associated with victory. It began, though, not with the Olympics, but with another Panhellenic festival, the Pythian Games. Sacred to Apollo, the Pythian Games were almost as important to the Greeks as the Olympics.

Edited August 16, 2004 by Stigand (log)

[slyaspie]

Malawry, do souvlakia (pork is best) stuffed in fresh pitas, with a chopped tomato, cucumber, onion, cilantro mixture that has been flavored with olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper, and then drizzled with either tzatziki or squeeze more lemon over the whole thing (the whole pita mixture) instead. Marinate the souvlaki in dark red wine, and oo. Right before stuffing it in the pita squeeze lemon on it, leave out lemon wedges so as to squeeze the lemon at the last minute. It is soooo good and a traditional way to make souvlaki.

Definitely get the thick greek yogurt.

You know how you mentioned the green beens stewed in tomatoes? Do that with eggplants (the long thin kind), okra and onions. Lightly panfry them in just olive oil and salt, then separately sautee up your tomatoes and garlic, then combine the whole thing together and put in your spices and lemon and stew until the whole thing is velvety and falling apart. Make sure you use small okras. This is good to do with a artichokes, cauliflower, potatoes, and onions together as well (use lots of tomatoes with this one too). The greenbeens are always a good thing though, with plenty of garlic and onions.

Do a salata horiatiki (village salad). Roughly chop up really juicy tomatoes, cucumbers, green bell peppers, red onions, make sure the tomato juice runs to the bottom of the bowl for it forms the base of the dressing. Drizzle with olive oil, squeeze in a lemon, or pour in some red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, oregano, and toss really well. Crumble a good amount of feta, and get some good kalamata olives. Throw those in and toss well again so that the feta coats everything and also melds a bit with all the juices and oil at the bottom of the bowl. It's really good to dip your bread in it.

I second the galatoboureko, and I recommend flavoring the syrup with rose water.

very lightly battered fried calamari, with sprinkled with salt, parsely and lots of lemon.

Gemista. Various stuffed vegetables such as green bell peppers, eggplants, zuchinni, tomatoes, onions, squash blossoms, filled with a ground meat and rice mixture that has been cooked in red wine, tomatoes, onions, lemons, mint, parsley and various spices. The secret is to very lightly so that they are still almost raw, pan fry the hollowed out veggies before filling them. Then line them all up in a baking pan and bake them until they are velvety. Also put a dry grated cheese of your choice in the mixture for more flavor.

Also stuffed grape leaves with the above meat mixture, but without the dry grated cheese.

A bulgar wheat salad is good too.

Spanakopita though is and always will be my favorite though. Don't wilt the spinach before putting into the philo, it's better raw. Do saute the diced onion and green onion in oo and mix still hot into the spinach along with all your herbs (dill, cilantro, parsely, mint). Don't crumble the feta too well, big chunks are good, and try to find a slightly lemony green to include in with the spinach, cuz it gives it a more full bodied flavor. Add a several beaten eggs too, (some recipes don't call for eggs and I find them unmoist).

O.K., I'm going to shut up now. But let us know what your menu ends up being....

Sorry if my writing is incomprehensible in this post. The longer the post the more grammatically incorrect I become.

[Malawry]

Thanks for all your advice, Slyapsie. I'll keep you guys posted!

[Malawry]

OK, so the dinner was last night. I was unable to source good eggplants in time and I'm not convinced my girls will eat them in anything besides eggplant parmigiana anyway. The menu was:

Rosemary-lemon chicken skewers

Spanakopita

Assorted vegetables on the griddle with plenty of EVOO, sea salt, fresh herbs

Rice with plumped raisins and almonds

Pita and tzatziki; some girls made the chicken into sandwiches using salad bar fixings.

I didn't get them the good Greek yogurt--I've had Total and I know how much better it is, but I've only got so much patience and money for running to Trader Joe's or Whole Foods for such items. I let the fat-free Yoplait yogurt I get from Sysco sit in the fridge in a coffee filter-lined sieve for 36 hours and it was pretty thick and tasty. Some salted and pressed shredded cucumber (plus s, p, and tons of microplaned garlic) made for a satisfying dip. My boss dredged her rice in it and came back asking for more.

I ended up with an apricot trifle for dessert. I made a standard pastry cream but added yogurt and honey and some almond extract to it to make it more Greeklike. Some of them ate leftovers of it for breakfast this morning.

[jsolomon]

Malawry, can I come over for leftovers? I promise, I'll provide something educational and wholesome for your students...

<Miss Piggy voice> Please, Malawry, please???????? </Miss Piggy voice>

[Malawry]

Sorry, I think they're all gone!

I was most interested in trying some kind of lamb patties for eating in pita, but I couldn't source ground lamb and I don't have a meat grinder. I can see pulsing meat in the Cuisinart when cooking for 4, but not when cooking for 40. Perhaps another time I'll get a chance to play with lamb.

[Busboy]

Rachel, those are wreaths made of olive branches on the athletes' heads. Olive branch wreaths were the traditional offering to the victors of the ancient Olympics. The olive tree was and is the sacred tree of Greece and mythology states that Athena the goddess of war and wisdom planted the first olive tree, not far from where the Parthenon was eventually built. The offering of the olive branches to the athletes was the offering of Athena's and Zeus's sacred blessing as well as a token of the peace that the athletes promised to keep during the games. The olive branch was the symbol of peace in the ancient world.

According to legend, Athena and Poseidon were competing to become the patron deity of the city that became Athens. Poseidon offered a well, but it produced sea-water rather than fresh water. Athens, goddess of wisdom as well as war (these things shifted over tome) offered the olive tree and thus became the patron of Athens. The olive branches being used come from a memorial grove near Athens, in which the president of each of the national Olympic committees planted a tree.