Manestra (Orzo) with Hamburger - Greek Style

I’ve loved manestra (aka orzo) since I was a child. It was a staple in my family’s Greek household. Funny thing, though. It was never served cold, in a salad, or toasted and combined with rice for a pilaf. It was always cooked in a tomato broth and seasoned with cinnamon, allspice, and oregano. My mother cooked it as part of a braised meal, with either chicken pieces or beef/lamb chunks. (If you’re interested in my family’s Chicken with Manestra recipe, click HERE for a video on YouTube and HERE and scroll down for a PDF version. Just be sure to eliminate the salt altogether and used low sodium/NSA products.)

For some reason, my mother always added cubed carrots to the dish, so that’s what I do too. The manestra was served with grated Parmesan cheese and a large dollop of plain yogurt. The tanginess of the yogurt was a nice contrast to the sweetness of the spices and carrots.

A few weeks ago, I was craving some manestra, but I wanted to cook a quicker version. I immediately thought of hamburger. Now, this was something my mother never did. But I figured, “Why not?” It couldn’t have been simpler. The end result was quite tasty and definitely satisfied my hankering for manestra.

Manestra (Orzo) with Hamburger – Greek Style

(Printable Recipe)

1 lb. ground beef, turkey, or chicken

1 small onion, finely diced

1 carrot cut into small cubes (or equivalent amount of baby carrots cut into ¼ in. slices)

1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed

1 8-oz. can NSA tomato sauce

¼ - ⅛ tsp. cinnamon (if you’re unsure, use the lesser amount)

1 pinch - ⅛ tsp. allspice (if you’re unsure, use the lesser amount)

1 tsp. oregano

2 cups water (or NSA chicken broth)

1 cup manestra/orzo

Brown meat,onion, and carrot in large pot over medium heat. When meat mixture is almost cooked through, add garlic and continue cooking for about 1 minute. Then add the tomato sauce and spices. Add the oregano by crushing in your hand to release flavor. Stir everything well to combine.

Add water/broth and bring to a boil. Add manestra/orzo. Stir well and turn heat to low. Simmer covered, stirring occasionally, until pasta is cooked through but not mushy (about 20 minutes). Add more water by tablespoon if needed, but do not overcook the pasta. Remove from heat and let rest for about 5-10 minutes before serving.

Serve with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan or crumbled feta. (If you’re brave enough, try a couple of dollops of plain, unflavored yogurt. A forkful of manestra dipped into a bit of tangy yogurt.)

Spring Vegetables with Avgolemeno Sauce

It’s not uncommon for us to make an entire meal of just vegetables. This was one of those meals – fresh broccoli, asparagus, corn, and roasted red potatoes. Good stuff made even better with Greek avgolemeno sauce.

My husband absolutely loves roasted mini red potatoes, so I make them frequently. Usually I just toss them with olive oil before roasting. Sometimes, about 15 minutes before the potatoes are completely tender, I’ll sprinkle on some finely chopped rosemary and garlic, and let them continue cooking.

I divided the broccoli into florets and blanched them in a pot of boiling water for about 1-2 minutes. Then I scooped them out and quickly cooled them in a bowl of ice cube filled water. I did the same with the asparagus, and finally dropped in the corn ears for about 5-6 minutes.

Before starting on the vegetables, I prepared the avgolemeno sauce. I suppose you could call it the Greek version of French hollandaise. It’s a silky and lemony sauce that lends itself to many applications. My mother made it frequently to go with vegetables, and it was a traditional sauce for stuffed grape leaves or stuffed cabbage. It’s also good as a topping for fried fish patties and fillets. And I think it would even work in Eggs Benedict. Although not traditional, it could be gussied up with a sprinkling of chopped fresh dill leaves, chives, or lemon rind zest.

Avgolemeno is simple to prepare and not finicky at all. It uses a roux to create a sauce that can be kept warm for a while and also reheated. It calls for chicken broth, but it’s all about the lemon flavor. So be careful about the broth you use. It must not have a lot of competing flavors. That’s why I only use either Swanson or Kitchen Basics Unsalted Chicken Broth. Both these brands have light, clean chicken flavor.

The recipe makes about 2 1/2 cups sauce, obviously more than we needed for one meal. But, as I said before, the sauce re-heats well, and I used it again during the week for more vegetables and even for a baked fish supper.

Avgolemeno Sauce (Greek Egg/Lemon Sauce)
(Printable Recipe)

1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup butter

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

2 eggs, beaten

Juice of two lemons

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour, stirring mixture to blend well. Allow butter/flour mixture to cook and bubble at least 1 minute. Slowly whisk in broth, stirring continuously. Cook mixture until thickened. Turn heat to low.

Beat eggs in separate bowl with lemon juice until light and fluffy. Add hot sauce, ladleful by ladleful, to egg mixture. Incorporate at least one-third to one-half of sauce into eggs. Slowly pour back egg/sauce mixture into sauce in pot. Taste and add more lemon juice if desired. Cook over low heat for at least five minutes. Keep warm over very low heat.

Serve with cooked cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, artichokes, stuffed cabbage leaves, stuffed grape leaves, fish patties, and baked or fried fish fillets.

Reheat leftover sauce over very low heat.

Grilled Tri-Tip and Greek Potato Salad

The weather’s been getting warmer, and I was in the mood to grill a hunk of meat. Tri-tip is easy to fix, tastes great hot off the grill and its leftovers make wonderful sandwiches. Many recipes call for overnight marinating to help tenderize the meat and add flavor. However, I didn’t want to bother. So I slathered the meat with no-salt-added Westbrae Natural Stoneground Mustard (available at Healthy Heart Market or local grocery stores) and a generous sprinkling of World Market’s Chicago Chop & Steak Seasoning, my favorite blend for meat. I let the meat sit with the mustard/spice rub for about 35 minutes while the grill was pre-heating.

During that time, I started work on the Greek potato salad. (Click here for the recipe.) I used some very small honey gold potatoes. I didn’t peel them but cut them in half. By the time the tri-tip had cooked to medium rare and rested, the potato salad had spent enough time in the fridge and was ready to serve. This is one of my favorite side dishes. It’s so different from regular mayonnaise-laden potato salad. Full of fresh flavor and color from the chopped red onion and parsley and the olive oil/lemon juice dressing.

The mustard/spice blend proved to be a hit. Mustard adds a tanginess that makes up for the lack of salt, while the seasoning blend is perfect for just about any meat. I heartily recommend it, along with the other no-salt-added spice blends from World Market.

Greek Food Festival - Yaprakia/Dolmathes (Stuffed Grape Leaves)

Speaking of grape leaves, check out Johanna's blog entry about picking and preparing fresh grape leaves -- right off the vine! This is a great way to avoid the salty brine of most jarred grape leaves. CLICK HERE for Johanna's post.

This classic Greek dish can be served as an appetizer or main dish. Every Greek festival or restaurant serves their version, and although the dish is similar to stuffed cabbage leaves, the taste is quite unique. They’re a perfect addition to any special occasion. Because they can be served at room temperature, you don’t have to worry about keeping them warm. Great for parties!

My family always called stuffed grape leaves “yaprakia,” but most restaurants, festivals, and cookbooks call them “dolmathes.” This was my mother’s hallmark dish! She made the best, and our family couldn’t get enough of them. My husband especially loved my mom’s grape leaves, so they became his standing birthday, Christmas, and Father’s Day present.

Jarred grape leaves can be found in most grocery stores. Look in the international section or canned vegetable aisle. One time I found the jars on the same shelves as all the pickle products. So you never know where the grape leaves might be hiding. If you still can’t find the jars, ask for help. The leaves are jarred in salty brine, so please read the instructions below for making them low sodium friendly. 

My family always served the grape leaves with either plain yogurt or avgolemeno sauce made with the yaprakia broth. Nowadays, after spending so much time rolling the stuffed grape leaves, I usually opt for plain yogurt. It’s a lot quicker. However, if you’d like to give avgolemeno a try, CLICK HERE for the recipe.

My mother always cooked her grape leaves in a pressure cooker, and I do the same. The advantage of using a pressure cooker is that the grape leaf rolls don’t get jostled around by boiling liquid. The leaves end up fully cooked, with softened veins, while the rice remains whole and doesn’t get mushy. I pressure cook the rolls for 35 minutes and let the pressure come down on its own. Of course, if you don’t own a pressure cooker, just use a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven.

Years ago my husband and I collaborated on a Greek cooking show for our local public access TV stations. One of the shows featured grape leaves and included a guest appearance by my mother. She had a special knack and was able to roll the grape leaves in the palm of her hand. If you’ like to see a great video demonstration of her making stuffed grape leaves, CLICK HERE.

YAPRAKIA/DOLMATHES (Stuffed Grape Leaves)
(Printable Recipe)

Filling:

1½ pounds lean ground beef or lamb

1 large onion, finely chopped

2-4 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1-cup long grain white rice

1 8-ounce can no-salt-added tomato sauce

1-tablespoon mint, dried

1-tablespoon dill weed, dried

1-tablespoon oregano, dried

½ cup chopped, fresh parsley (optional)

½ teaspoon pepper

16 ounce jar grape leaves (approximately 50 leaves)

Juice of one lemon

No-salt-added beef, chicken, or vegetable broth

Prepare the Jarred Grape Leaves:

Remove rolls of grape leaves from jar and unroll. Rinse well under cold water. Soak in water, in the refrigerator, at least 2 hours up to overnight. Change water at least twice during soaking period. Rinse and drain soaked leaves; set aside badly torn leaves for later use. Cut stems off grape leaves.

Prepare Filling:

Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent; cool. Mix rice, onion and garlic mixture, tomato sauce, mint, dill weed, oregano, parsley (if using), and pepper in large bowl; mix well. Add ground beef or lamb to filling ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Roll Leaves:

Lay a leaf, vein side up, on a cutting board with stem pointing toward you. Place 2-4 tablespoons of filling (depending on size of leaf) on the part of leaf where stem begins (near center). The filling should form a narrow cylinder; do not over fill or the rolls will burst during cooking. Tuck in side edges to secure filling. Roll leaves like you’re rolling a burrito. Roll from you toward the tip of the leaf, forming a small cylinder approximately 2½ inches long and ¾ inches wide. Do not wrap too loosely or the roll will come undone during cooking.

Cooking Stuffed Grape Leaves:

Line bottom of 5 quart Dutch oven with a single layer of the reserved torn grape leaves. (If you don’t have enough torn grape leaves, use lettuce leaves. This step keeps the stuffed leaves from scorching.) Place rolls seam side down in bottom of pot, tightly together in concentric circles, layer upon layer. You want a tight fit so that rolls don't unravel when cooking. Continue until all rolls are in pot. (Any leftover filling may be made into tiny meatballs and placed on top of rolled grape leaves in pot.)

Cover rolls completely with broth and lemon juice. All the rolls MUST be submerged in liquid. Place a heavy plate that fits inside the pot over rolls as a weight to keep leaves from unrolling. For good measure, place a clean rock or stone on top of the plate to secure the rolls.

Cover pot and bring to slow simmer. Do NOT boil. Boiling will jostle the rolls and cause them to unravel.

Check rolls at 45 minutes, and add more liquid if necessary. Simmer gently about 75-90 minutes altogether or until rice is tender. Remove from heat when done. Let stand covered for 20-30 minutes before serving.

Yaprakia/Dolmathes may be served hot, warm, or cold. If desired, drizzle a bit of good quality olive oil over the rolls. If hot, serve with avgolemono sauce prepared from the yaprakia broth or with plain, unflavored yogurt. If warm or cold, serve with lemon wedges, plain, unflavored yogurt, or tzatziki sauce.

Greek Food Festival - Nancy's Greek Salad

Another great low sodium Greek recipe posted on Johanna's blog. This time the recipe comes courtesy of Nancy Eisman. CLICK HERE to see the recipe and read about its creator, Nancy. This Greek salad has all the tasty ingredients you'd expect -- lettuce, onions, cucumbers, and a tasty olive oil dressing. But it also includes some delicious unexpected treats like grilled tomatoes, grilled eggplant and a great low sodium substitute for feta -- marinated tofu! Grilling both the tomatoes and eggplant gives this salad a real flavor boost. The marinated tofu cubes add visual appeal and another layer of delicious flavor. A little non-traditional but definitely tasty.

Remember to check back here often. There are still some more exciting recipes coming.

Greek Salad with Marinated Tofu

Greek Food Festival -Johanna's Acropolis Photos

Johanna has posted some stunning photos of the Acropolis in Athens. One is a picture of my favorite temple, the Erechtheion. CLICK HERE to see these lovely shots. Remember to check back here often for more travel fun, great low sodium Greek recipes, and, of course, the exciting Greek giveaway!

The Erechtheion

Greek Food Festival - Greek Potato Salad

(On Johanna's Low Sodium Blog, she just posted a great recipe for Greek Greens & Herb Pie. It includes a savory olive oil crust filled with a variety of fresh greens and herbs. Tasty and healthy -- A perfect summer dish!)

Fresh, lively, and bursting with flavor. This salad brightens any meal and is a delicious alternative to the typical mayonnaise-laden versions. The lemon juice in the dressing definitely makes up for any missing salt. This is a perfect take-along salad for barbecues and picnics. It’s great chilled and even at room temperature. Although the recipe makes a large amount, we never have any left over. It’s hard to believe that just five ingredients can create such a tasty dish.

I usually boil the potatoes with the skins on and peel them once cooled slightly. If I use red potatoes, I’ll try to keep the skins on for additional color interest. Sometimes I’ll use baby potatoes and just steam those until done. However, if you’ve got a favorite way of preparing potatoes for potato salad, feel free to use it instead.

I don’t use the optional ingredients. I like the simple combination of potatoes, parsley, and onions, with a lemon and olive oil dressing. However, you might enjoy adding freshly minced garlic or dried/fresh herbs. Oregano, dill, and mint are traditional Greek herbs and could be used in any combination.

I encourage you to give this recipe a try. Once you do, you’ll make it over and over again.

Patatasalata (Greek Potato Salad)
(Printable Recipe)

2 – 2 ½ lbs. wax potatoes (white, Yukon Gold, or red)
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1- 2 large lemons (I like it lemony, so I use a minimum of 2 lemons, juiced)
1 red onion, finely diced
1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed or finely minced (optional)
1 tsp. or to taste - dried/fresh Greek oregano, dill, or mint (optional)

Wash potatoes well. Add potatoes to a large pot of boiling water and bring to boil. Lower heat and cook potatoes at simmer for about 15 - 20 minutes, or until potatoes are just tender. Do not overcook.

Drain water and let potatoes cool slightly to touch.

While potatoes are cooking, finely chop onion and parsley.

In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, garlic (if used), and herbs (if used), parsley, and onion. Mix well and set aside.

When slightly cooled, peel and cut potatoes into slices or large dice (If desired, leave skin on red potatoes).

Place potatoes in a large bowl; add dressing. Toss gently to coat. Cover bowl and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Stir every once in a while to redistribute dressing.

Greek Food Festival - Johanna's Travels in Greece

Johanna has posted her first travelogue complete with great pictures, helpful hints, and beautiful descriptions. CLICK HERE to check out her latest post about the Athens area . Keep checking back for more recipes and travel fun.

Temple of Poseidon

Greek Food Festival - Plaki (Greek Baked Fish)

Johanna has posted a great recipe for an Olive Oil Pie Crust that can be used for all kinds of savory pies and especially an upcoming Greek Herb Pie recipe. Check out her great recipe here.

Plaki is a simple, colorful, and flavorful baked fish casserole. This dish has the power to appeal to even confirmed fish haters. It boasts a flavorful tomato-herb topping that could also be used for shrimp and even boneless, skinless chicken breasts. The presentation makes it perfect for guests. At the same time, the simple ingredients make it a great choice for family dinners too!

Plaki was a staple in my parents’ Greek household. There are many variations of Greek baked fish, and most include tomatoes, herbs, onions, and garlic. Two ingredients are unique to my family: green onions and fennel. My mother and grandmother always used chopped green onions rather than regular yellow onions. Also, they’d forage the empty lots near our home to pick wild fennel. One major difference between commercial and wild fennel is that wild fennel has a more intense flavor, and it often does not have a bulb. My mother and grandmother would chop up the fennel fronds and tender stalks to flavor the tomato topping. Nowadays, I use the bulb fennel widely available in grocery stores. The fronds can be chopped and added to the tomato topping or simply used as a garnish.

This recipe makes about six servings, depending on appetites and dishes served alongside. However, it is easily cut in half. For just me and my husband, I’ll only use 1 pound of fish but keep the sauce/topping quantities the same just because I like it so much. Be sure to serve some crusty bread to sop up the delicious juices.

Most of the time, I bake the casserole in my kitchen oven. However, during the hot summer months, I’ll often use a metal roasting pan and cook it on my grill over indirect heat. If I’m just making half a recipe, I usually just use my toaster oven.

Plaki
(Greek Baked Fish)
(Printable Recipe)

6 fillets firm, fleshed fish such as cod, red snapper, halibut, etc. (approximately 2 pounds)
1 bunch green onions, cleaned and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 fennel bulb, sliced thinly into strips with center core removed (fronds can be chopped and added to tomato mixture or you can just save a few fronds for garnish)
2-4 cloves garlic, crushed or finely minced
½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
¼ cup fresh mint, chopped (1 tbsp. dried)*
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped (1 tbsp. dried)*
1 14-ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
2 washed lemons: 1 thinly sliced (remove seeds) and one juiced
¼ cup olive oil
Pepper to taste

Brush a baking pan with olive oil. Place fish in pan. (Be sure to remove any bones before baking.)

Heat frying pan and add olive oil. Sauté fennel in oil until it begins to soften; add green onions, garlic, parsley, mint, and basil and continue sautéing until both onions and fennel are softened. Add canned diced tomatoes.

Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes until sauce is quite thick. (The fish will release a lot of liquid during baking, so cook the sauce until it is almost paste-like, being careful not to scorch it.)

Drizzle lemon juice over fish in pan. Spread tomato mixture over fish. Cover fish with lemon slices. Bake uncovered at 350° for 20-30 minutes until fish flakes with fork.

*Fresh oregano or dill may be substituted or 1 tbsp. dried)

Greek Food Festival - Lemon Chicken

So delicious to eat and lovely to look at! No one would guess just how easy this classic Greek dish is to prepare! It’s hard to believe that just six ingredients could result in such a sumptuous meal. One great thing about this chicken recipe is that you can tailor it to your tastes – all white meat, all dark, a combo of the two, even skinless and boneless. The marinade also works well with pork.

I use bone-in chicken pieces with the skin attached, usually baking the pieces in a large roasting pan. However, the chicken may also be grilled. Put all the pieces in a metal pan and use your grill like an oven. Or you could grill pieces individually on well-oiled grates over indirect heat.

This recipe makes about six servings, depending on appetites and dishes served alongside. However, it is easily cut in half. If I’m making half a recipe, I usually just use my toaster oven. I’m a garlic/lemon/oregano fan, so I typically use the larger measure of those ingredients. Feel free to adjust quantities to suit your individual taste.

Many Greek families traditionally bake this chicken along with potatoes. Toss peeled potato chunks or wedges with the marinade and add to roasting pan with the chicken. You can use just about any potato you like – Yukon Gold, red, russet, etc. You may need to add up to a cup of water or chicken broth to the baking pan to insure that the potatoes cook thoroughly and do not stick. Just be sure to pour the water into one corner of the pan, not on top of food. Don’t wash off the flavorful marinade. Also, if the chicken is done before the potatoes, remove the pieces and cover with foil while the potatoes finish cooking.

Greek Roast Lemon Chicken (Kota Lemonato)

(Printable Recipe)

2 pounds chicken pieces (Use chicken that has not been processed with salt.)

(Optional: 2-3 pounds potatoes)

Marinade:

¼ cup olive oil

3-5 garlic cloves, crushed or finely minced

Juice of 2-3 lemons

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2-3 tablespoons dried oregano

Remove excess fat and skin from chicken pieces. (Remove all skin, if desired.) Place pieces in non-reactive roasting pan.

Combine the marinade ingredients. Pour marinade over chicken and toss to coat all the pieces. Let chicken marinate while preparing potatoes, if using. Turn chicken pieces at least once during marinating time. Place chicken pieces so the skin is facing down on the pan bottom. If using, add potato pieces and toss to coat with marinade. Arrange potato pieces around chicken.

Bake at 375° for about 30 minutes. (If using skinless, boneless chicken pieces, bake for only 15-20 minutes.) Carefully remove hot pan from oven and gently turn over the chicken pieces so the skin is facing up. If needed, add water or broth to the pan to insure the potatoes cook thoroughly and do not stick.

Bake an additional 30 minutes, until chicken is completely cooked, tender, and skin is slightly browned. (If using skinless, boneless chicken pieces, bake for only 10-15 additional minutes.) If the chicken is done before the potatoes, remove the pieces and cover with foil while the potatoes finish cooking. Continue baking until potatoes are tender, adding more water if necessary.

Greek Food Festival - Johanna's Stuffed Eggplant

I've made my share of moussaka, eggplant salad/dip, and meat & rice stuffed eggplant. But I've never tried this particular dish. It sounds delicious, and a big plus, is that it can be cooked on the stove top. So no oven heating up the kitchen. A perfect summer meal!

For another tasty Greek dish, check out my recipe for Greek Lemon Chicken on Johanna's blog.

Johanna & Jordan

Here's Johanna's eggplant recipe:

Stuffed Eggplant Braised in Olive Oil, Onion, Garlic and Tomatoes (Imam bayildi)

This is a traditional Turkish dish that is also served in Greece.  In Greece, it is generally served hot.

Serves 4
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients

1/3 cup chopped white onion
4 large chopped tomatoes (roughly 2 cups)
1 teaspoon garlic puree
2 -3 tablespoons NSA tomato paste
2 -3 tablespoons each of chopped dill, mint and parsley
1 fresh lemon
Olive Oil (roughly 1 tablespoon olive oil per each eggplant)
4 small eggplants or 2 medium/large ones

Preparation

1. To prepare the eggplant:

a)   Slice off a small amount of the bottom so that the eggplant can rest evenly.

b)  Next, peel a slice off each side (but do not peel the entire way around - reference photo) and slice the topside off. 

c)   Hollow out the middle using a knife (cross pattern) and/or spoon (leaving at least 1/4 to 1/2 inch around), taking care not to poke holes in the "boat".

2. To prepare the eggplant stuffing/mixture:

Sauté the white onions (in olive oil) until they are translucent.  Remove from heat.  In a bowl, mix together the chopped tomatoes, garlic puree, tomato paste, dill, mint, parsley. Stuff the eggplant with this mixture.

Squeeze a little lemon juice onto each eggplant and drizzle with one tablespoon olive oil.

3. Cooking instructions:

Place in a Dutch oven, fill 1/2 way up (with water or low-sodium vegetable stock) to the height of the eggplants.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low, and cover.  Cook approximately 45 minutes, until the eggplant has become soft.

In Turkey, most people remove from the pan, cool (refrigerate), and it is served at room temperature the next day.  In Greece, we have eaten this dish hot (warm).

Low Sodium Greek Food Festival - Intro

As most of you know, I’m Greek, but I’ve never been to Greece. My father grew up on the island of Kalymnos, and, although my mother was born in Oklahoma, her parents came from a small Greek village near Turkey. I grew up surrounded by Greek family and friends, but I never traveled to Greece myself.

Enter my friend Johanna from Low Sodium Blog.  She’s done a lot of traveling, including a recent trip to Greece. Johanna has a wonderful blog that perfectly blends low sodium cooking, her love of food in general, and travel.

She contacted me a few months ago about collaborating on a series featuring Greece and low sodium Greek food. The idea would be “…to mix up grilling, cooking, and travel!”  Well, it’s time to start this online Greek Food Festival. The fun will include low sodium Greek recipes, travel reports with extraordinary pictures, and a great Greek Food Giveaway! This Greek extravaganza will run for the next few weeks, so be sure to check back here often. Also, be sure to check out Johanna’s blog for more details, more great recipes, and the wonderful Greek travelogues and photos. Please join us as we celebrate a low sodium Greek Food Festival. Kali orexi!

Johanna & Jordan in Greece

Here’s Johanna’s story:

We started Low Sodium Blog because we wanted to find a way to share our love for life, travel, and food with our friends and family (or anyone else looking for a little inspiration).  Like Sue, I'm a “voluntary” low-sodium convert – I'm the care-giving family member and not the diagnosis recipient. This year, my family marked our fourth year of low sodium living. 

You see – my husband, Jeff, has coronary artery disease (he was rushed into emergency after collapsing on the floor while undergoing a cardiac stress test) and my mom, Patricia, received (live-donation from her sister) a kidney transplant after spending years on dialysis.  Initially, it was a heartbreaking scenario. As my family's health fell like dominoes, their rugs were ripped out from underneath their culinary lives.  Mostly still in shock, I initially stood by and watched as they were stripped of the meals that they loved (because all of our "traditional" recipes were dependent upon using salt as a flavor enhancer or stabilizer).   Like many families, we initially tried to cook separate meals; however we soon realized that this dual meal strategy ate up too much time and energy.  Often, lack of time and/or resources forces people to innovate – and in retrospect, change is not a bad thing. We get inspired. We pull from the depths of our creativity.  We learn something new from success or from failure. We grow our knowledge base. We feel empowered.

For me, life is very much like travel – sometimes I travel solo, other times, I travel with family or friends. Sometimes the process works, and other times (much like travel), the journey (or train) takes a side turn (or breaks down).  In these more difficult instances, I am forced to persevere until I find a resting spot where I can safely settle down for the night. I generally don't rest until I am satisfied that I've found a "good spot"–  I scout out high ground and I mark a place where I can stumble to in the twilight: this becomes my vantage point for the next day.  And then I rest.

After a few hours, while it’s still dark outside, I drag myself out of bed (no matter how terrible the prior day was or how tired I am) and I head to higher ground.  I nest into my chosen spot and I wait.  As the dawn slowly emerges, it paints a brilliant canvas across the sky – leaving behind a hundred hues of pink, purple, and periwinkle.  The glow from the rising sun creeps across the horizon.  For me, it is in this very moment of the sunrise where all of my trials and tribulations from the prior day are washed away.  The new dawn symbolizes renewal and in turn, a new adventure.  Our blog chronicles many of our adventures – food, travel, and a few slices of life.  We invite you to hop aboard, it's all one big fun adventure...and we welcome you to Greece.

Avgolemeno Sauce

Our local farmers market just opened last weekend. I was so excited to be able to find fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables sold by farmers I trust. While there, I picked up a lovely 1 pound piece of freshly caught northern halibut from the fish monger. I already had a bunch of California-grown asparagus and broccoli in my refrigerator. When I got home, I realized I needed to focus on getting those vegetables cooked before they went bad. It wasn’t hard to decide about dinner – halibut with asparagus and broccoli. Shopping at the farmers market really perked me up, and I decided to go all out for dinner. I made avgolemeno sauce for the vegetables.

This is a classic Greek sauce. It’s silky smooth and has a delicious lemon zip. It’s similar to hollandaise but a whole lot easier to prepare and not quite as rich. My mother and grandmother would make two distinct avgolemeno sauces: one was for the famous Greek soup and the other was for vegetables, stuffed cabbage or grape leaves, and tuna/salmon patties or loaf. The avgolemeno for soup used whipped egg whites, so the resulting soup had a thin and foamy broth (Sometimes my family would use this version for stuffed grape leaves). The stand-alone avgolemeno is thicker and more stable. It uses a roux to create a sauce that can be easily kept warm for a while and can also be reheated. The second version is what I made.

The recipe makes almost 3 cups of sauce but that’s not a problem for me. I've already used it twice with asparagus and the broccoli. Because of the lemon, it does not suffer from a lack of salt. It’s a perfect low sodium treat. It could easily substitute for traditional hollandaise in eggs benedict. And it doesn't need babying to reheat. I've been plopping it on top of leftover vegetables and nuking them in the microwave. If the cold leftover sauce separates, just stir it up using a spoon or whisk. No trouble at all!

If you want to see me making the sauce way back in 2000 (pre low sodium days), check out this episode from our Greek cooking show. All three sauces featured in the episode are good with vegetables and need no salt to taste good.

Agvolemeno Sauce
Greek Egg/Lemon Sauce
(Printable Recipe)

Silky smooth, sumptuous and rich, with a distinct lemon tang. Nothing could be better served with cooked vegetables of all kinds, and especially stuffed cabbage or grape leaves. A true Greek classic

1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup butter
2 ½ cups NSA heated broth (chicken or vegetable)
2 eggs, beaten
Juice of two lemons (more if desired)

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour, stirring mixture to blend well. Allow butter/flour mixture to cook and bubble at least one minute. Slowly pour in heated broth, stirring continuously. Cook mixture until thickened. Turn heat to low. Beat eggs in separate bowl with lemon juice until light and fluffy. Add hot sauce, ladleful by ladleful, to egg mixture. Incorporate at least 1/3 of sauce into eggs. Slowly pour back egg/sauce mixture into sauce in pot. Cook over low heat for at least five minutes.

Serve with cooked cabbage wedges, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, zucchini, artichokes; stuffed cabbage leaves or stuffed grape leaves, vegetable, chicken, or and fish patties/fritters; or salmon/tuna loaf. Reheat over low heat.

Fasolakia: Greek Stewed String Beans

A few weeks ago one of the largest Greek Orthodox churches in Sacramento held their annual Greek Food Festival. We've attended the festival several times in the past. Although we didn't attend this latest one, my daughter and her boyfriend did. A few days later they brought us a Greek-style lunch and some goodies they got from the festival.

Sarah made some tabouleh and fasolakia to go with the loukaniko and psomi she bought at the festival. Fasolakia is a green bean stew, often including chunks of potatoes. Loukaniko is a sausage flavored with fennel seeds and orange peel. My husband's favorite! Psomi is Greek peasant bread, baked in a circle and crusted with sesame seeds. We grilled the sausage, spooned mounds of tabouleh salad on our plates, served up the fasolakia, and cut up chunks of bread to sop up the sauce with. A wonderful meal!

About a week ago, I picked up some fresh green beans at the farmer's market and a rosemary foccacia bread. We had enjoyed the fasolakia Sarah made earlier so much that I wanted to make some myself. Friends of ours were coming over for dinner that night, so I made the green beans. With the bread to dip into the flavorful sauce, I had a perfect home style Greek meal. This was the kind of meal my dad loved, with lots of vegetables & lots of broth.

A couple of notes: Greeks love vegetable stews. Their stews will often prominently feature one vegetable as opposed to an assortment of vegetables. Fasolakia features green beans. You could do the same thing, with the same seasonings, using all zucchini, or green peas, or even okra. Also, Greek people like their vegetables cooked all the way through. None of that crisp-tender stuff.

Here is the original family recipe adapted to low sodium. The combination of herbs made the sauce so flavorful that we didn't even miss the salt. Also, here is a video from the TV series we produced for our local cable access channel.

Fasolakia: Greek Stewed String Beans
(Printable Recipe)

A flavorsome combination of green beans stewed in a tasty tomato sauce. Simple, healthful, and delicious. A wonderful holiday alternative to the usual cream soup based green bean casseroles.

2 pounds string beans, fresh or frozen
2 onions, chopped
2 – 4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup olive oil
1 - 8 ounce can NSA tomato sauce
¼ - ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
1-2 teaspoons mint (or a combination of dried mint, oregano, & dill)
2 potatoes, peeled and cut in 1-2 inch chunks (any kind of potato will work)
2 carrots, sliced
1 cup water or NSA broth
Pepper to taste

In Dutch oven, sauté onion lightly in olive oil. Add tomato sauce, string beans, and remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 60 minutes or until all vegetables are tender. Check after 30 minutes; add more water or broth if necessary. Serve hot or room temperature.

A Summer Moussaka

I love eggplant! I ate it frequently while growing up in my Greek household. My mom often made simple, fried eggplant slices as a side dish vegetable. It's still my favorite way to eat it. And then there were those special dinners of fried eggplant, cooked whole beets, fried fish, and Skorthalia, a fresh garlic sauce. My dad & grandma used to love those meals. We'd often have Melintzanoslata, a delicious eggplant spread similar to Baba Ganoush. Of course, no self respecting Greek could ignore Moussaka. It's a sumptuous casserole of eggplant slices layered in a cinnamon perfumed tomato sauce and topped with a Parmesan flavored egg custard.

Saturday at the farmer's market I picked up three perfectly fresh eggplants, two purple beauties and one striped zebra. Yesterday I decided to fry them up. First I sliced them about 1/3 - 1/2 inch thick. I don't like thin eggplant slices because I think that by the time they're coated with either breading or sauce, the eggplant flavor is lost. I dredged the slices in flour seasoned with some garlic powder & crushed dried Greek oregano. I fried them in oil until they were nicely browned on both sides. A perfect accompaniment to our lunch of fresh tomato & sweet onion sandwiches.

There were several slices left over, so I started thinking about Moussaka. Hmmm! I had a blob of ground beef in the refrigerator that I needed to use up. I've already got fried eggplant slices. Could I possibly come up with something that didn't require a 9 x 12" casserole dish and a full hour of baking in the oven? After all, it's summer. It's hot. And I had already spent the morning baking my weekly batches of Oatmeal Scones and Bran Muffins. I wondered... Could I make Moussaka stacks, plopping everything on the individual eggplant slices? I decided to give it a try and pulled out my Moussaka recipe.

The first thing I did was make the tomato sauce. I had just about 1/3 pound of ground beef so I halved all the other sauce ingredients. I omitted salt, used a low sodium tomato paste & leftover Trader Joe's low sodium chicken broth, and added 1 teaspoon of red wine vinegar for added punch. I cooked the meat sauce down until there was almost no liquid left.

Then I made the bechamel sauce. I halved its ingredients too. Since I was planning on topping individual slices of eggplant, I figured the custard mixture needed to be thicker than what I usually poured over the casserole top. Instead of adding whole eggs to the cream sauce, I just added two egg yolks. I also omitted salt and used about two tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese.

Finally, I put everything together. I used four eggplant slices. I covered each slice with the meat sauce and then the cream sauce custard mixture. Popped the slices into my toaster oven for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Then I broiled them for a couple of minutes to brown the tops. Perfect! They tasted great AND the house was still cool.

I had a bit of the cream sauce mixture left over and,of course, the two egg whites. I'm planning on using them today in an omelet lunch. All in all, I think the experiment was a success. A casserole full of Moussaka is an impressive dish for guests but a little too much for just a simple evening meal for two. This method worked out really well, and I know I'll be making it more often. Especially now that eggplants are showing up in the farmer's markets.

Moussaka: Greek Eggplant Casserole

 (Printable Recipe)

A classic Greek dish, famous throughout the world, and a favorite at Greek restaurants and festivals. Delicious eggplant layered with a spicy tomato sauce and topped off with a Parmesan flavored egg custard. A feast for the eyes and the palate!

Meat Sauce:

1 pound lean ground beef or lamb

2 large onions, finely chopped

2 – 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 6-ounce can.tomato paste

¾-1 cup water or NSA broth (may substitute up to ½ cup wine for water or broth)

⅛ teaspoon allspice

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon Greek oregano

Salt & pepper to taste

Eggplant:

3 large eggplants

Vegetable oil

Flour (optional)

Egg (optional)

Cream Sauce:

½ cup flour

½ cup butter

2 cups warmed milk

4 eggs, beaten

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

Dash nutmeg

Meat Sauce Preparation:

Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent; do not brown. In separate pan, brown ground beef or lamb; drain well. Add browned ground meat, tomato paste, water, broth, or wine, nutmeg, allspice cinnamon, and oregano to onion mixture.

Simmer about 20 minutes over medium heat; sauce will not be juicy. 

Cream Sauce Preparation:

Melt butter and stir in flour. Cook over medium/low heat, stirring until mixture is well blended and bubbling. Off heat, add warmed milk slowly and stir continuously until sauce is well blended and thickened. Sauce will be quite thick. Allow sauce to cool. Add beaten eggs to sauce; stir until all sauce is blended with eggs. Stir in ¼ cup Parmesan cheese and dash nutmeg.

Eggplant Preparation:

If desired, peel eggplant. Slice into 1/3 - 1/2 inch rounds. Choose a browning method for eggplant:

Baked – Brush eggplant slices with oil and bake in 425° oven, turning once, until both sides are golden brown (about 10 minutes per side); do not overcook.

Broiled – Brush eggplant slices with oil and broil, turning once, until both sides are golden brown (about 5-7 minutes per side); do not overcook.

Fried – Coat the eggplant pieces generously with flour (if desired, dip slices in egg wash and flour a second time); heat oil in a skillet and fry eggplant, turning once, until golden brown; do not overcook; drain well on paper towels.

Moussaka Assembly:

Brush bottom and sides of deep 13 x 9 inch baking dish with olive oil. Place ½ of eggplant slices onto bottom of pan; cut slices to fit so that the entire surface is completely covered with eggplant. Spoon meat mixture over eggplant. Top with remaining eggplant slices; cut slices to fit so that the entire surface is completely covered with eggplant. Pour cream sauce over all; spread evenly to completely cover all the eggplant.

Bake at 350° for 60 minutes (the top should be set, slightly puffy, and nicely browned). Let rest for 15 minutes before cutting into serving pieces.

Variations:

Potato:

For easier serving and a firmer texture, potatoes may be substituted for part or for all of the eggplant. Peel and cut potatoes lengthwise into ⅓-½ inch thick slices; sauté  slices lightly in olive oil. Potato slices may also be brushed lightly with olive oil and baked. If using a combination of eggplant and potatoes, place potato layer on bottom of casserole.

Summer Squash:

Summer squash (zucchini, crookneck, pattypan, etc.)  may be substituted for part or for all of the eggplant. Cut squash lengthwise into ⅓-½ inch thick slices and either bake, broil, or fry as the eggplant before assembling the casserole. Do not overcook squash, and do not use overgrown squash with large seeds.