Food & Wine

The National Heraldwww.thenationalherald.com

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E NATIONAL HERA

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NOVEMBER 19, 2016

GREEK

Greek Food & Wine2 THE NATIONAL HERALD, NOVEMBER 19, 2016

The National HeraldA weekly publication of the NATIONAL HERALD, INC.

(ΕΘΝΙΚΟΣ ΚΗΡΥΞ),reporting the news andaddressing the issues of

paramount interest to the GreekAmerican community of theUnited States of America.

Publisher-Editor Antonis H. Diamataris

Assistant to Publisher, Advertising Veta H. Diamataris

Papadopoulos

37-10 30th Street, LIC, NY 11101-2614Tel: (718)784-5255Fax: (718)472-0510,

e-mail:english.edition@thenationalherald.com

Democritou 1 and Academias Sts,Athens, 10671, Greece

Tel: 011.30.210.3614.598Fax: 011.30.210.3643.776

e-mail: athens@ekirikas.com

By Eleni Sakellis

As the holiday season seems to begin earlier and earlier every year, it is a perfecttime to reflect on the true meaning of the season. Looking both forward and back-ward as the year draws to a close, we should ask ourselves if we accomplished thegoals we set out to achieve or if we have left something unsaid or undone this yearthat is worth doing. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we should all count our blessingsand be thankful for our family and friends. In the spiritof the season, sharing good food and wine with familyand friends can mean more than the elaborate gifts wemight receive this holiday season. So take the time toshare moments in the real world, or IRL as the internetgenerations say. Make memories that will last a lifetimewith your loved ones. Put the phones away at leastfor an hour or two and actuallytalk to someone without thetechnological distractions ofthe modern world that seem to keepus connected but can just as easilykeep us apart. The best gifts areoften the time and attentionof our loved ones. Thanks-giving also reminds many tovolunteer to help the less for-tunate, but there are poorand suffering people all yearround. Making time to helpothers helps put things intoperspective for many people.It would be wise to remember

Epicurus, “Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; rememberthat what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” For thosein search of more modern philosophy, “Be thankful for what you have; you'll endup having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, everhave enough” - Oprah Winfrey.

Giving thanks is a part of the daily practice in the Greek Orthodox Christian tra-dition, though we may sometimes forget to be thankful. It might even be a goodidea for some of us to write down the things we are thankful for every day and getinto the habit of seeing the glass half full instead of half empty.

Studies have shown that a positive attitude has great impact on a person’shealth. The Mayo Clinic lists increased life span,lower rates of depression, lower levels of distress,

greater resistance to the common cold, and reducedrisk of death from cardiovascular disease among

the health benefits of positive thinking. A“glass half empty” person can actually re-train his or her brain and become a morepositive person with daily effort. At times,

we can be our own harshest critic. Whenfaced with challenges, we say “I can’t be-cause I’ve never done this before,” when

we should say “I will try and learn some-thing new.” Giving yourself permissionto laugh or even just smile during diffi-

cult times can also make a difference.Along with eating right and exercising, a

positive outlook and being thankful can helpus live longer, healthier lives so we can enjoy the

time we share with our loved ones and make the world abetter place one smile at a time. Happy Thanksgiving!

A Season of Hope, a Season of Thanksgiving

By Aria Socratous

Molyvos has been one of themost famous and renownedGreek restaurants in New Yorkcity. Nestled in Manhattan’sMidtown West neighborhood,just a block away from CarnegieHall, Molyvos was a pioneerwhen it first opened, bringingrustic Greek cuisine to a newlevel of elegance and sophisti-cation amid décor inspired byGreece’s romantic seaside vil-lages. Its name was inspired bythe seaside village on the Greekisland of Lesvos where the Li-vanos family roots originate.Molyvos is known throughoutManhattan for its rustic Greekcountry cooking. Executive ChefCarlos Carreto takes diners ona Grecian culinary journeythrough a variety of mezedesand appetizers, as well as hy-per-local specialty Greek cheeseand honey, fresh fish, wildgreens and savory pies – all ac-companied by the largest all-Greek wine list in the U.S. Thelist counts five hundred and fiftyGreek wines! Molyvos featuresthe most extensive selection of

Greek wines available in theUnited States, boasting anaward-winning wine list com-prised of more than 500 labelsthat represent over 50 wineriesin Greece. Its comprehensivewine list encourages diners toexperiment, including 50 winesby the glass that change regu-larly and focus on unknown re-gions in Greece – made possibleby the Wine Director KamalKouiri’s frequent trips to theGreek mainland and islands, aswell as his strong relationshipswith boutique Grecian wine pro-ducers.

The restaurant also features14 different varieties of Greece’snational aperitif, Ouzo, in addi-tion to the wine list, as well asa wide selection of beers fromGreece and around the Mediter-ranean. Between refreshingOuzo-based cocktails, like theLesvos Lemonada, and winesonly found in Molyvos’ beverageprogram gives diners an experi-ence that can’t be duplicatedanywhere else.

Nick Livano’s father startedthe restaurant business twentyyears ago and now twenty years

later, the business is still active. Molyvos provides a big vari-

ety of authentic and traditionalGreek dishes that are not easyto find in the cosmopolitan en-vironment of NYC such as la-hano cabbage, kouneli stifado(braised rabbit with caramelizedonions), beets and skordalia,lamb shank yuvetsi. It also pro-

vides a large fish selection likelavraki, tsipoura and pink snap-per from Greece, black sea bassfrom Montauk, red snapperfrom Florida, sardines from Por-tugal, wild prawns fromGuatemala and Dover Sole fromHolland.

According to Mr Livanos, allthe meals and the deserts are

homemade and they are usingthe most fresh ingredients.

“On Thanksgiving day wehave a special menu which iscalled Turkey a la Greque!Thanksgiving is an Americantradition but for everybody whowants to celebrate it in a Greekway, we offer a wonderful hor-topita, spanakopita. We com-bine the Greek flavors with thetraditional American turkey. Fordesert we are going to have ra-vani and karydopita.”, Mr Li-vanos contends.

Molyvos restaurant hasstrong Greek clientele from allover the world, Australia, US,Canada, Europe that visit therestaurant every time they travelto NYC.

Mr Livanos believes thatGreek cuisine in New York Cityis more than a trend, it’s a mat-ter of philosophy of the Mediter-ranean diet, so he recently tookthe decision to open anotherGreek restaurant in two monthsunder the name Ousia in Man-hattan’s midtown area. The newrestaurant is going to offermedium sized plates,, a littlebigger than the meze dishes.

Celebrating the lifestyle andfood that represents the deli-cious, healthful way that peoplein Greece eat, Molyvos’ maingoal is to bring filoxenia – theGreek style of hospitality – tothe heart of New York City. Thewarm, friendly service makesguests feel as if they’re in aGreek home and the food formsa paean to the variety and sea-sonality inherent in Greek cui-sine

Molyvos Restaurant: A Journey to Greek Rustic Flavors

Greek Food & WineTHE NATIONAL HERALD, NOVEMBER 19, 2016 3

Corporate or private Christmas Parties

Ring in the New Year at Greek Islands

Prefix Menu and Live Music

GREEK ISLANDSFresh Fish - Quality Traditional Cuisine

Please call for reservations and join us

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253-17 Northern Boulevard, Little Neck (Queens), NY 11363 From Cross Island one mile East on Northern Boulevard.

From LIE Exit 32N (Little Neck PKWY Exit)

Τηλ.: (718) 279-5922 • www.georgesgreekislands.com

Come in, your friends are already here!

By Aria Socratous

Megas Yeeros has beennamed by Fortune Magazine asone of the top food innovatorsof the decade.

The primary goal of the com-pany is to bring a taste of Greeceto every table and to explore thediversity of regional Greek fla-vors while making them avail-able to a worldwide audience.

Megas Yeeros is the largestproducer of authentic Greekmeats in Europe, has recentlyarrived in the United States andit produces thirty tons of gyro-which they purposely spellyeero in order to highlight thecorrect pronunciation -in Greeceand four tons in the UnitedStates on a daily basis.

The company has invested inthe future by creating a new fac-tory based in Lyndhurst, NewJersey two years and a half ago.The factory was designed specif-ically to meet the needs of meatproduct preparation and it’s oneof the most ergonomic plants inthe United States.

The investment in New Jer-sey has been accredited andgreatly supported by the Stateof New Jersey and the city ofLyndhurst and creates a newchapter of Greek national cui-sine by presenting the authentic

Greek flavors to the interna-tional market.

According to General Man-ager Nikos Stegiou, the com-pany launched into the Greekmarket in 2007 and in a veryshort period of time has man-aged to distinguish itself fromthe competition, due to the su-perior quality of their products.The unique combination of tra-ditional recipes and moderntechniques transformed the in-

dustry and in 2014, MegasYeeros was already the numberone in yeeros and kebab pro-duction.

The products have been ex-ported to 12 European countriesand one of the main sharehold-ers, Nikos Loustas, had the ideaof creating the GRK (Greek Ro-tisserie Kitchen), a Greek stylechipotle, which would rely onthe authentic Greek product,yeero.

The first GRK opened in2012 in Manhattan. So far, thereare two GRK in Manhattan andanother one in Washington DC.

Notably, Former New YorkCity Mayor, Rudy Giulliani isseen waiting in the line at oneof the locations.

According to Stergiou, GRKhas already signed a contractwith a huge corporation in Mid-dle East, the Landmark group inDubai with the main goal to cre-ate forty five locations in thatcountry by 2019.

Stergiou also claimed that bymonitoring the nutritionaltrends in Greece and abroad,Megas Yeeros is constantly pur-suing the creation of leadingproducts that enhance the ex-perience of consumers, both interms of gustative pleasure andnutritional value.

“For that purpose”, he added,“at Megas Yeeros we only use100% genuine whole musclemeats, no preservatives, no ad-ditives, extra virgin olive oil,pure and natural Greek honey,fresh Greek yogurt and thefinest quality fresh herbs suchas oregano, salt and pepper.”

The next great innovationfrom Megas Yeeros is “MyGrillers”, the newest productline of innovative Greek meatpreparation which is designed

to drive both benefits and cus-tomer traffic, while reducing la-bor in the kitchen.

With multiple preparationmethods from gas or charcoalgrills, flat tops, or saute pans,“My Grillers” are the ideal solu-tion for any restaurant operator,looking to stay relevant, whilebenefiting from the explosiveboom in Greek and Mediter-ranean cuisine.

Some of the new productsbesides beef, pork and chickenyeero, that Megas Yeeros are go-ing to launch in American mar-ket are the “Mega Kebab”, whichis made with ground beef andlamb stuffed with real Philadel-phia brand cream cheese, “MegaKebab”, stuffed with authentic,imported, Greek Feta cheese,

“Yogurt Kebab”, stuffed withfresh Greek Yogurt and the“Classic Kebab”, which is madewith a blend of fresh groundbeef and lamb, herbs and spices,without stuffing.

Megas Yeeros currently hastwenty employees, 80% ofwhom are American citizens.Stergiou says that because of theculture difference, there wassome difficulty at first trainingthe staff. Soon enough though,due to constant training, thenon-native Greeks gainedknowledge of Greek culture andway of doing things.

«Our main goal is to bringthe taste of Greece to everytable and we hope that yeerowill be a worldwide trend oneday.” Stergiou said.

Greek Food & Wine4 THE NATIONAL HERALD, NOVEMBER 19, 2016

MEGAS YEEROS: The Yeero of Three Continents

By Aria Socratous

The Greek Tribeca has quickly established itself as a destinationrestaurant in Manhattan, and has built a loyal following among itneighbors. The landmark building and surroundings inspired aconnection to the Mediterranean villas of the Greek Peloponessos.

The materials, textures, and colors inspired by the medievalcastle at Monemvasia (the Gibraltar of Greece) blend seamlesslyinto the cobblestone streets and warehouse lofts of ultra-chicTribeca. “The Greek” is a very cozy and upscale ouzerie tuckedaway on the West side of the Tribeca, giving it a feel of seclusionand intimacy. The atmosphere you feel right when you enter theplace is the atmosphere of the cozy den of Greek hospitality. Therustic and comforting interior receives constant praise from cus-tomers.

“The Greek” is a greatchallenge for me. Iwanted to have an expe-rience with all the sensesfrom the way we deco-rated to the way we didthe lighting. Our goal wasto create a very cozy andcomfortable atmosphereand this is what weachieved after all. We con-sulted on every detail ofthe restaurant to create animmersive experience,from a rustic salvagedtrellis over the tables tocommissioned artwork on the walls, to the menus, silverware,glass-ware, and the plating of the food. The bar features a hammeredcopper surface, the room is divided by an elegant taffeta drapery,and buttery tufted leather covers the banquettes. The space hasthe elegance of a fine dining restaurant, with the comfort of aliving room where customers might kick off their shoes. We areconstantly involved in the maintenance of the interior, detailingfor each season and decorating for holidays and event ”, says TomGalis, the owner of “The Greek”.

Tom always knew he wanted a full-service restaurant, and inparticular, given his heritage, a Greek one. “I saw cobblestones,the quiet street, the wine barrels on ceiling—the only thing wekept—and it all just felt right.”he contends.

The menu is based on Tom’s mother and grandmother’s cookingand their main focus is on the use of fresh and good quality ingre-dients, directly imported from Greece. Tom knew exactly whatdishes he was going to feature and what quality of ingredients hewas going to use, so he designed the first draft of the menu him-self.

“I wanted to design something comfortable, something that ex-emplified the meaning of going to a Greek taverna—from attitudeto design elements to food.” While his experience certainly helped,he says that the difference between opening a full-service restaurantand a fast-casual one is night and day. “I look at it as a positive,”he says. “Because we’ve never done this before, we’re doing thingsout of the box. I have a certain philosophy which is to get the bestingredients, not to take any shortcuts and import almost everythingfrom Greece. Even the spices we use such as oregano, cinnamon,nutmeg are directly imported from Greece. I want to use in therestaurants the same ingredients I use in my own house and topromote a healthy way of living. I always use organic produce andnon GMO’S. The way I feed my family in my house, the same wayI want to feed my clients.

The changes in a sense of seasonality, of what the customersare expecting to see and taste

Those expecting a menu heavy on seafood are in for a surprise.The Greek is more inspired by the mainland (versus the islands),so the offerings lean toward meat and vegetables, although thereare a few seafood options. The signature dishes are moussaka andkokkinisto. Mousaka is layered with potato, grilled eggplant, zuc-chini and beef top with eggy-buttery béchamel. Every ingredient iscooked separately and seasoned properly in a casserole. Kokkinistois all natural braised short rib, greek fries, organic tomato jus andshredded mizithra.

The wine list is exclusively Greek, and what’s more, on thewine menu there is a Greek quote of Evripides translated into Eng-lish: “Both to the rich and the poor, wine is the happy antidote ofsorrow.”

The Greek: The IrresistibleCharm of Greek Mainland

By Aria Socratous

1633 Restaurant is an upperside Greek restaurant with livelyambience and a very vivid en-ergy. The eclectic blend is an in-teresting mix of very modernand old school charm, whichcreates a warm, uniquely inter-esting and welcoming vibe: con-temporary red chairs and tables,modern white dishes, bar areawith lit up contemporarysplashes, contrasted with a wallwith a painted country land-scape and old fashioned printswith roses adorning the ceilings.A more private seating area justdivided from the main diningroom has brick walls and on theother side sheer interesting cur-tain type treatments overlayingthe walls.

The restaurant opened inJune 2016 and is specializing inmodern Greek food as it itserved in Greece today. As theFounder of the restaurant JamesPaloumbis says, the main con-cept was to create new and in-spired Greek dishes that you’dbe hard pressed to find any-where in New York and in theUnited States in general.

The dishes at 1633 arerooted in authenticity, but arealso brought back to life with abreath of fresh air from globaltechniques, flavors and ingredi-ents.

“The Chef Dionisis Liakopou-los and I, we are taking cuesfrom Greek chefs traveling theglobe who they are applyingwhat they have learned to theirnative cuisine. This will be ex-emplified through the restau-rant’s new and exciting GuestChef Dinner Series which willbring Greece culinary talents tothe restaurant. The Dinner Se-ries began on October 13th and14th as Athens-based Jean-Charles Metayer, the ExecutiveChef at Premiere in Athen’sAthenaeum Intercontinental Ho-tel. The menu that pays homageto our Greek heritage, re-imag-ined through a lifetime travel-ling around the world, withevery flavor, texture and tech-nique, distilled into a passionateculinary fiesta and presented theway it is celebrated in modern-day Greece. We, at the restau-rant, are very proud to presentan ever changing seasonal menuthat reflects our soul, our lovefor hospitality and the will tobring Greek gastronomy to a dif-ferent and elevated level. People

should think of Greek food in anew and modern way and notjust traditional dishes of tzatziki,moussaka, souvlaki and pastit-sio that you expect to find intypical Greek restaurants. ”Paloumbis contends.

Everything is prepared inhouse, all the ingredients arefresh and organic and all themeals are made out of scratch.The menu changes with the sea-son and the kitchen is continu-ally evolving.

The menu features salads,cold dishes and raw, woodenoven, charcoal, casserole andfritters and deserts. The signa-ture dishes are the gyros pizza:a flavorful crust covered withtender lamb and pork withtzatziki drizzled over the top,Mousse-aka: Short rib, zucchiniand eggplant ratatouille,torched bechamel, gravierachips, The lazy beef: braisedshort rib, trahana-risotto andtomato molasses which iscooked for 48 hours andmadame sou-sou: a delicioustart of wild spring greens, ri-cotta and feta cheese and re-freshing yogurt-feta ice cream.

The wine list is carefully se-lected from grapes around theworld and only the best, handpicked labels at the best possibleprize. A comprehensive drinkmenu including innovative sum-mer cocktails, beer and ciderand sake options is also avail-able

1633 is an upscale restaurantwhose philosophy is based onfriends sharing dishes, sam-pling, tasting, enjoying.

Greek Food & WineTHE NATIONAL HERALD, NOVEMBER 19, 2016 5

ExcellentNew York Times

***Newsday

1446 old northern blvd.roslyn, ny 11576t. 516 621 3700f. 516 621 3770

kyma-roslyn.com

At Kyma our menu guides you to the sun-drenched islands of Greece.

“Stin Ygeia Mas” as we say in Greece “To our Health”.

open 7days for dining | open for lunch Monday - Friday 11:30am-3pm | Now open for brunch Sundays 11am – 3pm

By Aria Socratous

Feta Bar and Grill is a verymodern and cozy bar restaurantin Upper East Side specializedin traditional Mediterranean fla-vors, with a modern flare. Theinterior space is cozy, nice andsimple with modern and mini-mal decoration. Factors such asmusic, lighting, artwork andspacing combine to create com-fort, intimacy and ease.

“We try to ensure peoplehave a good amount of spacebetween them. We need to lookat that very carefully. If you havea large table in a dining roomyou want to make sure they’reaway from others. We try not toput small tables in with largeones because they’d just getoverpowered. There are so

many elements you have to takeinto mind,” the owner Kostas Gi-akoumas says.

The owners, Kostas Giak-oumas and Stacy Pucillo, bothworking in the constructionbusiness, decided to expandtheir activities and explore theirpotentials in restaurant busi-ness. They opened Feta Bar andGrill few months ago, in April,2016.

Feta Bar and Grill is not thetraditional Greek restaurant. It’svery modern, with a large barin the middle of the space andhas more of American feel. Allthe meals are home made.Kosta’s mother prepares all thefood and the deserts. Their spe-cialties are mousaka, pastitsioand their famous Feta dish driz-zled with Greek honey, sesameseeds, a little oregano and apuree of dry figs. The place alsooffers a big selection of dipslike hummus, tzatziki, spicy fetaand taramosalata, zucchini frit-

ters, Greek salad, lambsliders,halloumi (grilled Cypriotcheese served inside a warmpita with a choice of honey ortomatoes, traditional Greeksoups like avgolemono (classicegg-lemon soup with Chickenstock and orzo), grilled octopus,souvlaki and burgers.

“We also do caterings toschools, companies and hospi-tals. Most of the people whocome here usually get Falafel,feta, the Greek salad, the Greekburger, the veggie burger andthe lamb and feta sliders whichare very famous among ourclients. We import from Greecethe olive oil, the drinks, the mas-tiha drink, the feta and theoreganon.” the owner says.

Feta Bar and Grill also offersan interesting selection of Greek

deserts such as Baklava, Louk-oumades (Greek honey ballsserved with ice cream), galak-toboureko (layers of goldenbrown crispy fyllo, sprinkledwith butter, filled with the mostcreamy custard and bathed inscented syrup, cheesecake andLugia’s yiaourti, which is greekyogurt swirled with fruit anddrizzled with honey.

Feta Bar and Grill:Traditional MediterraneanTapas and Entrees on Menu

1633 Restaurant: Upscale Elegance & Offbeat Charm

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Greek Food & Wine6 THE NATIONAL HERALD, NOVEMBER 19, 2016

By Aria Socratous

Calliope Charalambous con-siders herself a citizen of theworld. She is not a chef and asshe says she does not pretend tobe one. Her dream is to inspirepeople to experience everydaycooking as something fun, easyand convivial.

This is an idea that startedthree years ago when she firstmoved to Brooklyn and she real-ized that people in NY love Greekfood. She also realized that cook-ing is something that she knewvery well and she could share herknowledge with other people.She enjoys very much offeringfriends the Greek hospitality.

She was raised in Athens butshe was born in Cyprus by aCypriot father and a mother bornand raised in Cairo by a Greekfamily coming from the Greek is-land complex of the Dodecaneseand Smyrna, the great Levantinecity, today’s Izmir. Hence, herculinary influences are diverseand rich.

“The aromas in my kitchenrange from Cypriot halloumi

cheese pies to French chocolatemousse, but the traditional Greekcuisine and my family recipes,going back to four generations,are really my one and only solidbase.”, she contends

“The idea was to share cook-

ing experience at my homekitchen in Brooklyn and verysoon I realized that the audiencewas getting bigger, so I startedgiving cooking classes every weekat the COCO MAT store in Soho.Then the people started asking

about having private cookingclasses at home, so it started be-coming bigger and bigger. Now Ihave three main activities: cook-ing classes in Brooklyn and inSoho and private classes andevents. The classes that I teachin Soho are different from theclasses I teach in Brroklyn. InSoho I present four dishes thatcan be prepared in less thanthirty minutes. In Brooklyn theclasses last longer. All of myclasses though do not requireprevious knowledge in cooking.Some people may come to mebecause they just don’t knowhow to cut an inion. I will showthem how to cut the onion with-out a chef knife.The fun part ofwhat I am doing right now is tourge more people to start cookingat home. This is the story behindthe classes. People can join andcook together as a group offriends. I do not show off withchef knives, fancy utensils or spe-cialized cookware because it’s notwho I am. I am just sharing gen-erations of recipes. I cut andcarve mostly without a cuttingboard and usually employ mymother’s measuring method: anactual teacup. I keep it simpleand make sure that the level ofthe lessons addresses all the au-diences.”

Her cooking relies on the fresh-ness of the ingredients and sea-sonality of the produce. In herlessons she uses always best qual-ity, organic produce from smallindependent producers, local andGreek. The lessons include her fa-vorite leftover plans plus shoppingtips and small secrets that will

keep the pantry and the fridge fullof useful ingredients to be able tocook healthy meals everyday.

“I teach people how to shopin a more clever way. I want tooffer as more dishes as possibleto my students. I also offer sum-mer cooking classes at my housein the island of Kithira and peoplecan come to attend the work-shops and enjoy the naturalbeauty of an island that is hiddenand not yet discovered by the restof the world.

The passion I have for foodand cooking comes from my nat-ural love for long and loud familylunches and dinners, where foodis not fancy, but delicious, homecooked and simple – sometimeselaborate - but always made withlove! This is my favorite socialexperience; it engages all fivesenses and leaves you with astory to tell afterwards!” , sheclaims.

Calliope Charalambous be-lieves that the group of Greekfoods that appeal very much toNew York style of life is the groupthat Greek people call “ladera”like stuffed vegetables withminced beef, rice and raisins,green beans in light tomatosauce, briam (mixed vegetablesin tomato sauce)

“Greek food appeals to peoplewho love a healthy way of livingand they want to have betterquality in their eating habits. Ibelieve that there is an audiencethat is really interested and Iwant to help them explore theirpotentials.

Her official website ishttp://www.calliopesfood.com/

By Aliz Koletas

Some husbands and wiveshave a glass of wine at dinner oras a way to celebrate a specialoccasion. A husband-wife teamfrom Greece is taking that to thenext level and started The WineGod, the first Greek wine sub-scription box plan where one canhave the unique and high-qualityGreek wines delivered monthlyto their doorstep- just in time fordinner or that special occasion.

Evee Anastasopoulou andDimitris Athanasiadis are archi-tects and former astronomers re-spectively came up the idea tostart The Wine God after Anas-tasopoulou read “The InvisibleRift” ("To αόρατο ρήγμα") byAristos Doxiadis, a Greek econo-mist. She says the book is about“the nature of the real Greekeconomy. Since the Greek econ-omy's competitiveness does notrely on heavy industry, nor lowsalaries or a vigorous supportivepolitical environment, the booksuggests a tailor-made possibleway it could come out of theseemingly endless recession.”Her husband agrees saying thebook talks about Greece needingto “stress its strengths to comeout of the crisis.”

How can something sweetlike a wine business come outof such a trying time in Greecesuch as the economic pres-sures?

Only a few ingredients areneeded for a small flexible busi-ness to be a success per Doxiadis’writings. Those include: almostzero starting capital focusedsolely on exports, selling abroadwhat Greece does best or is fa-mous for and has unique or ex-ceptional quality. Three indus-tries are described as idealcandidates according to Anasta-sopoulou- the agricultural sector,tourism and high tech IT ser-vices. This could be achieved bythe rise of e-commerce, theGreek lifestyle, health and nutri-tion trends and the lack of com-petition.

All of this created the perfectrecipe for the success of TheWine God. Evee and Dimitris de-

Husband-Wife TeamBehind “TheWine God”

Cooking in a Greek Way with Calliope Charalambous

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Four Brothers Pizza InnsFour Brothers World Famous homemade Greek Salad dressing

voted best in the Hudson Valley Magazine.Available in a case of six 16oz bottles or in a gallon.

www.fourbrotherspizzainn.com

4957 Route 22 Amenia, NY 12501 Tel.: 845.373.8178

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Grilled meat and sea food, salads and appetizersvariety choice for vegetable dishes, Special of the day, soups

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ESTIATORIO STAMATIS Experience miles away from Home

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signed the club aroundexploring Greek vine-

yards and introducingthose wines to the restof the world. Theyfeel that the wines

they offer showcase astrong Greek productthat’s perhaps somewhatunknown now but on therise. More importantly, itshows to the rest of theworld that Greece has

something of value-and they feeltheir startupbusiness cando its part tohelp invigo-rate thestartup com-munity in

Greece.How does

The Wine Godwork?“The idea is very

simple at its core,” saysAthanasiadis. “You visit the web-site and subscribe at the fre-quency of your choice. We sendyou the wines along with mater-ial and information to get toknow more about the region inGreece where the wine was pro-duced. The idea is that you areable to educate yourself moreabout wines in general.”

And that’s a fun part of thebusiness that Anastasopoulouand Athanasiadis enjoy. Beingwine enthusiasts themselves,they love exploring the incredi-ble wines that Greece offers-andthen passing that knowledgealong to their subscribers in andoutside of Greece.

While many Greeks are cau-tious about starting entrepre-neurial endeavors, the enthusi-asm and dedication of thishusband-wife team help createa positive synergy in look at theeconomic crisis.

Athanasiadis talks about howthey stay motivated even in themidst of trying times and whenmost Greeks aren’t that enthusi-astic about business opportuni-ties.

“Keep an open mind. Youdon’t know when an opportunitywill appear.”

And when that opportunityappears, it may just come in awine bottle delivered to yourfront door from Greece.

The Wine God only ships tothe EU currently but is lookingto expand in the US. For part-nership opportunities or more in-formation, email them atinfo@thewinegod.com or visittheir website:https://www.thewinegod.com/

Greek Food & WineTHE NATIONAL HERALD, NOVEMBER 19, 2016 7

By Aria Socratous

In Greek mythology Avra isthe Goddess of the breezes andthus Avra Madison aptly named.The Greek cuisine and restau-rant’s inspired decor will invokewarm Mediterranean nightscooled by Avra's gentle seabreezes. Avra Madison is an au-thentic bi-level Greek restaurantlocated just steps from centralpark which offers traditionalGreek cuisine with emphasis onsucculent seafood dishes.

Avra Madison’s accreditedand renowned Executive ChefRalph Scamardella talked to TheNational Herald about his suc-cessful career in the culinaryworld.

TNH: How did you decide tobecome a chef?

RS: It’s a long story but thetruth is that I always enjoyed be-ing in the kitchen. I come froman Italian backround and at ayoung age having an ethnic backround like that food was veryimportant and something that Ireally enjoyed. The gratificationof making something and serv-ing it, being able to work withyour hands, to work physicaland create something it is reallyenjoyable.

TNH: What do you do to stayeducated about new trends?

RS: I read as much as I can, Igo to as many restaurants as Ipossibly can. When a placeopens and is new, I go and Icheck it out, I keep up withpretty much everything is goingon, I read a lot of books andmagazines. I am trying not to bea copy cat but to learn what peo-ple are doing, I learn new tech-niques and I experiment myself.

TNH: What do you do to in-sure the quality of your ingredi-ents?

RS: First you have to makesure you taste everything yousee every day. The supplies, thestuff, the products we bringevery day, I taste and I test. Wealso have very good suppliers, avery good list of people who arevery reliable. We have a lot ofon-hand chefs who taste every-thing to make sure that whenthe food is going out to cus-tomers, it’s good. We also havethe highest level of products.

TNH: What are the signaturedishes that you recommend andwhy?

RS: The classic dishes are theAvra chips which are the tradi-tional crispy zucchini and egg-

plant chips with tzatziki. Eventhough is fried, it’s very light, it’sa classic dish and the way weexecute it, is unique. I really likesome of the plain grilled fish.Sometimes people expect over-done food and this is the beautyof this concept, the beauty of theGreek food. For example, fagkri,which is a Mediterranean snap-per, grilled with light seasonedsea salt and olive oil. It’s some-thing that I really enjoy. TheGreek salad is also a dish that

the clients are asking for. It’s avery simple dish, but very tasty.We use great tomatoes, balsamicvinegar, red wine vinegar, Greekolive oil

TNH: What are the traits thatdistinguish Avra Madison restau-rant that make it high qualityrestaurant?

RS: I think what makes therestaurant unique are the prod-ucts we use, always fresh andvery expensive. People will al-ways pay for quality because

quality makes the difference.The restaurant is always verybusy, so none of the ingredientsis old and sitting around.

TNH: What is the secret ofbeing a good chef?

RS: I think the secret of be-ing really good on something isreally loving it. A good chefshould be super creative, dedi-cated, to work hard, you haveto love what you do, you haveto be able to put the effort andtime to make that happen. You

have to be able to explore yourcreativity and make the guestshave a great experience.

TNH: How easy is for a chefto manage a whole kitchen byyourself bf doesn’t mean becausebeing a chef doesn’t mean thatyou are responsible only for thefood.

RS: You can’t do everythingby yourself. It’s a teamwork. Wehave a team, sous chefs who goaround to make sure that therecipes are followed, that theproducts are right, the purchas-ing is done correct. There is ateam of executives that are topof everything in order to makesure that everyone is followingthe direction is given.

TNH: Can you name threethings that are considered to beyour strengths?

RS: My biggest strength ismy organization skills, my abilityto allow other people to expressthemselves and my patience.You have to be really patientwhen you are a chef, especiallyin teaching other people. Every-thing is in fast paced

Avra Madison’s Executive Chef Ralph Scamardella Talks to TNH

If you're looking for a heart-healthy eating plan, the Mediter-ranean diet might be right foryou.

The Mediterranean diet incor-porates the basics of healthy eat-ing — plus a splash of flavorfulolive oil and perhaps a glass ofred wine — among other com-ponents characterizing the tradi-tional cooking style of countriesbordering the MediterraneanSea.

Most healthy diets includefruits, vegetables, fish and wholegrains, and limit unhealthy fats.While these parts of a healthydiet are tried-and-true, subtlevariations or differences in pro-portions of certain foods maymake a difference in your risk ofheart disease.

Research has shown that thetraditional Mediterranean diet re-duces the risk of heart disease.The diet has been associated with

a lower level of oxidized low-den-sity lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol— the "bad" cholesterol that'smore likely to build up depositsin your arteries.

The Mediterranean diet is alsoassociated with a reduced inci-dence of cancer, and Parkinson'sand Alzheimer's diseases. Womenwho eat a Mediterranean dietsupplemented with extra-virginolive oil and mixed nuts may havea reduced risk of breast cancer.

For these reasons, most if notall major scientific organizationsencourage healthy adults to adapta style of eating like that of theMediterranean diet for preventionof major chronic diseases.

The Mediterranean diet tradi-tionally includes fruits, vegeta-bles, pasta and rice. For example,residents of Greece eat very littlered meat and average nine serv-ings a day of antioxidant-richfruits and vegetables.

Mediterranean Diet: A Heart-Healthy Eating Plan

Greek Food & Wine8 THE NATIONAL HERALD, NOVEMBER 19, 2016

Greek Food & WineTHE NATIONAL HERALD, NOVEMBER 19, 2016 9

Greek Food & Wine10 THE NATIONAL HERALD, NOVEMBER 19, 2016

Some wines can take you totheir homeland with just a sip;a fascinating journey that turnswine tasting into an experientialdiscovery. That is the case ofRapsani, a terroir-driven Greekred wine with famous originsand intriguing character.

Rapsani is a small, pic-turesque village located in thesoutheastern slopes of therenowned Mount Olympus. Ithas been the home of a long lineof vine growers, who passed onfrom generation to generationa centuries-old tradition. To thisday, almost every family owns asmall vine plot, nestled some-where between 200-800 metersaltitude, cloaked by wondroussurroundings and by some ofthe richest fauna and flora inGreece.

The Rapsani wine - acknowl-edged as “Protected Designationof Origin” since 1971- is madestrictly by the co-vinification ofthree indigenous varieties – Xi-nomavro, Krassato andStavroto- that most of the timesare also planted together in thefield at a rough estimate of 1/3for each.

The worldwide acclamationsof Rapsani wines in time are as-tonishing. This special red blend

from a humble village has beenin the spotlight of famous winecritics thanks to its distinctivecharacter that offers so gener-ously a unique “sense of place”.It is hard to imagine that thisunique region was close to dis-tinction in 1980s and bouncedback thanks to the Tsantali fam-ily’s vision and dedication thatsucceeded in refueling the vinegrowers’ interest.

Within 30 years of huge in-vestment by Tsantali, the Rap-sani PDO zone today consists of90 hectares of Xinomavro, Kras-sato and Stavroto vines.

The wine enthusi-asts can choose froma range of 3 Rapsaniwines, each one rep-resenting a distinctivesub-zone of the re-gion.

The regular Rap-sani comes fromyounger vines atlower altitude parcels,while the grapes forRapsani Reserve areplanted at 250-500meters; both wines arethe textbook of amaz-ing values, offering per-

fect accompaniment to redmeat dishes like oven-baked lamb chops andslow cooker beef stew, aswell as a mellow mush-room risotto.

Rapsani Grande Reserveon the other hand, –pro-duced in 5,000 bottles- isa selection of the very best

grapes from highest al-titudes (up to 800 m)

and some of the old-est vines of the re-gion.

The wine is ma-tured for 18months and cel-lared for yet an-other year and ahalf before release.

Highest scoresand top distinctionsas the “Wine andSpirits Best GreekRed for 2015” arethe trademark ofthe Rapsani flagshipwine.

It takes just a sipto feel like anOlympian god. A sipof Rapsani, the sec-ond best thing to ac-tually being there.

Greece is one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the World.The earliest evidence of Greekwine has been dated to 6,500years ago where wine wasproduced on a household orcommunal basis. There is stillevidence confirm that Greece is home tothe second oldest known grapewine remnants discovered inthe world. In ancient times,as trade in wine becameextensive, it was transportedfrom end to end of the Mediterranean; Greek wine hadespecially high prestige in Italy under the Roman Empire. Inthe medieval period, wines exported from Crete,Monemvasia and other Greek ports fetched high prices innorthern Europe.

RAPSANI: A Divine Wine from the Foothills of Mount Olympus

Hellas Food and Drink Inc is the exclu-sive importer of all the premium productsmanufactured by VAP, which include spe-cialty lemonade and orangeade carbonatedsoft drinks; natural juices, including pome-granate, orange, lemon, apple and peach;and various flavored iced teas. VAP also re-cently started producing their own beer,Zythos VAP. The company’s primary focusare the premium Greek brands that are notcurrently exporting to the United States.

“We undertake a thorough due diligenceprocess with regard to any potential manu-facturer and brand partners, with an em-phasis on top product quality and stronginternal controls. We consider numerousqualitative and quantitative factors duringour research process and contract negotia-tions. Ultimately, we expect that the deci-sion on whether or not to proceed with anypartnership to develop a new market willbe based on the projected risk-adjusted rateof return for both parties. In our view, theseeds for what has ultimately become HFDwere sown over twenty five years ago, dur-ing our family vacations in Rhodes, Greece,a wonderful destination and also home to

premium natural beverage manufacturerVAP A. Kougios S.A. VAP’s products wereso rare and better, both in terms of tasteand quality, than anything available in theUnited States, that I eventually began bring-ing with me a spare suitcase to load withVAP products until my next visit in a yearor two. A few years ago, HFD wasformed to, in partnership with VAP, com-mercialize the vision of making VAP’sunique and exceptional products ac-cessible to consumers globally.” saysthe President and Director, TassosRecachinas.

Hellas Food and Drink Inc isprimarily service beverage whole-saler and distributor that is well-funded and seek to carry spe-cialty Greek products. It alsoservices a small number of lo-cal retailers in Connecticut andNew York directly and accord-ing to Tassos Recachinas, is ac-tively seeking to expand ourpartnership networks.

At the beginning the com-pany faced few difficulties con-

cerning its establishment in the US. “On themarketing side, like any “unknown” brand,a substantial portion of our budget consistsof front-end marketing spend, includingpromotion and sampling activities. Fortu-nately, the products speak for themselves,with no duplicates. On the operationalside, despite the evolution of technology,inefficiencies remain in supply chain lo-gistics that create structural disadvan-

tages for the little guy, for example inLTL freight. We’re confident that as

HFD achieves critical mass withregard to recurring turnover, we’llhave numerous opportunities to

reduce costs”, Recachinascontends.

The company is also plan-ning to begin rolling out theirproducts to the Astoria, NYmarket in 2017—a primarytarget local market given the

Greek population—their firststep to eventually making VAPproducts accessible to all con-sumers on this side of the At-lantic.

Hellas Food and Drink Inc Promoting Best Brands

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Greek Food & WineTHE NATIONAL HERALD, NOVEMBER 19, 2016 11a

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To all of you who adore pure authentic traditional food.Simply take a stroll up Ditmars Boulevard, to 45-07 in Astoria, where you will come across

LOUKOUMITAVERNA

45-07 DITMARS BLVD., ASTORIA NY 11105

Tel.: (718) 626-3200

Our cozy garden will remind you of Greece.Besides, do you honestly thinkthat this beautiful tavern was named LOUKOUMI at random? Honor us with your presence and you will not lose.

HERE YOU WILL FIND THE AUTHENTIC GREECE

A Tavern that everyone should know

In an environment full of memories, surrounded by family photos, you could have a drink, an ouzo, a glass of wine or beer

and enjoy a divine meze from the wide selection that you will come across in our menu.

Everything is freshly and simply prepared with a lot of flavour and creativity.

We thank you for your patronage during all these years. We promise you to continue serving you with our unique

Greek delicacies in a friendly and inviting environment.

Room is available for all your private and corporate events

OPEN EVERY DAY FOR LUNCH AND DINNER

SPIROS AND KOSTAS AVLONITIS, OWNERS

By Eleni Sakellis

Artichokes a la Polita• 8 artichokes• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil• 1 large onion, chopped• 5 scallions, diced• 3 medium to large carrots,chopped• 4 medium potatoes, cut incubes• 1 package (10 ounces)frozen peas• 1/4 cup fresh dill, finelychopped• 1 fresh lemon• Salt

• PepperPrepare the artichokes, by

cutting off the thorny ends andremoving the tough outerleaves. Trim the stem as neededand cut the artichokes in halfrubbing with lemon and placing

the artichokes in a bowl of coolwater with lemon juice addedto keep them from browning.Heat about half the olive oil ina large skillet or dutch oven un-til shimmering. Add the onionand scallions and sauté untiltranslucent. Add the carrots andsauté for about 3 minutes. Addthe potatoes, frozen peas, dill,and a cup of water. Season withsalt and freshly ground pepperto taste. Simmer until the veg-etables are tender but not dis-integrated, stirring occasionally.Add the freshly squeezed lemonjuice to taste and serve warm orat room temperature.

Greek Pasta Salad• 1 package pasta, corkscrewsor your favorite shape• 2-3 medium tomatoes,chopped

• 2-3 small cucumbers,chopped• 1 red or green bell pepper, or1 of each, chopped• 1 medium to large red onion,thinly sliced• 1/2 cup crumbled feta• 1/2 cup olives of your choice• 1/2 cup Greek extra virginolive oil• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar• 1/4 teaspoon salt• 1/2 teaspoon freshly groundpepper• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced

Cook the pasta according topackage directions, careful notto overcook. Drain the pasta andtransfer to a large mixing bowl.Add the tomatoes, cucumbers,onion, feta, and olives. In asmall bowl, whisk together theoil, vinegar, salt, pepper,oregano, and minced garlic. Addto the pasta mixture and toss tocombine all the ingredients andevenly distribute the dressing.Serve warm or at room temper-ature.

Stewed Lamb andPotatoes• 2 pounds lamb, cut intocubes• 1 large onion, chopped• 3 garlic cloves, crushed• 2 cups tomato sauce orchopped tomatoes• 1 bay leaf• 1/2 cup full-bodied red wine• 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley,chopped• 4 tablespoons olive oil• 5-6 medium potatoes, peeledand cut into cubes• Salt and pepper to taste

• WaterSeason the lamb cubes with

salt and sear them in a largedeep pot over medium highheat, until all the sides aregolden brown. Remove theseared lamb and set aside. Addthe olive oil to the pot and heatuntil shimmering. Add thechopped onion and sauté untiltranslucent. Add the garlic and

sauté until it releases its aroma,careful not to burn it. Returnthe seared lamb to the pot. Addthe tomato sauce or tomatoes,if using, the bay leaf, and a cupof water, and bring to a boil. Re-duce heat to medium, add thered wine, about half of thechopped parsley, salt and freshlyground pepper to taste. Simmerfor about 20 minutes, then addthe potatoes and continue sim-mering until the sauce is re-duced slightly and the potatoesare tender and cooked all theway through. You may need toadd additional water to the potif the sauce seems too thick andthe potatoes are not yet tender.Before serving sprinkle with theremaining chopped parsley. En-joy with fresh bread and a salad.

Broccoli, Carrots,Peppers, and Peas• 1 large bunch broccoli, about1 1/2 to 2 pounds• 1 large onion, chopped• 2-3 large carrots, chopped• 1 large red bell pepper, slicedinto strips• 1 package frozen peas• 1/4 cup dry white wine• Greek extra virgin olive oil• Salt• Pepper

Wash the broccoli, carrots,and pepper. Cut the broccoli

into florets, 1 to 1 1/2 inchpieces. Trim the tough outerportion of the broccoli stem andcut into 1/2 inch thick pieces.In a large skillet with a lid, heat2-4 tablespoons olive oil overmedium heat, add the choppedonion and sauté until translu-cent. Add the broccoli, choppedcarrots, and pepper strips andsauté 2-3 minutes. Add thewhite wine, peas, salt, andfreshly ground pepper to taste.Cover and simmer 5-10 min-utes. A little water may beadded if needed so the panwon’t dry out or as a substitu-tion for the wine. The vegeta-bles should be tender crisp.

Homemade Flaky Pie Crust2 cups unbleached, all-purposeflour1 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon sugar2/3 cup cold, unsalted butter6-7 tablespoons ice cold water

In a mixing bowl, whisk to-

gether the flour, salt and sugar.Cut in the butter until the mix-ture resembles coarse crumbs,though some larger pieces ofbutter are fine. Add the cold wa-ter a few tablespoons at a timeand stir in until dough forms.Depending on the humidity, youmight not need to add all thecold water. Divide the dough inhalf, form into disks, and wrapeach half in plastic wrap. Refrig-erate for at least 30 minutes orup to three days, just thaw atroom temperature until thedough is easy to roll out. Rollthe dough out into a 12 inch di-ameter circle and transfer to aglass Pyrex pie plate. Trim theedge if needed. Fill with desiredfilling and bake or roll out sec-ond half of dough and top thefilling for a double crust pie.Trim any excess dough, roll the

edges underneath, and crimp.Bake according to pie recipe.

Gigantes• 1 pound package gigantes(giant beans)• 2-4 tablespoons extra virginolive oil, plus 1-2 tablespoonsfor drizzling• 1 large onion, chopped• 1 large can San Marzanotomatoes, chopped• 1-2 fresh tomatoes, chopped(optional)• 2-3 celery stalks, chopped• 2 carrots, chopped (optional)• 3-4 large garlic cloves, sliced• 4-5 tablespoons freshchopped dill or parsley• 1-2 tablespoons salt• Freshly ground pepper• Water

Rinse and sort the beans.Place them in a large deep potand fill with enough water tocover them by at least twoinches. Soak overnight, 6-8hours. Drain the water, addfresh cold water and bring thebeans to a boil. Once they boil,add a tablespoon of salt andlower the heat to simmer thebeans for about an hour. Addolive oil to a large sauce panand sauté the chopped onion. Ifsmaller pieces of onion are pre-ferred, the onion can be grated,or pulsed in the food processorto save time, though a rusticchop with various size pieces ofonion adds interest to the dish.Once the onion is translucent,add the chopped celery and car-rots, if using, and continuesautéing about 5 minutes untilthe vegetables sweat down a bit.Add the chopped San Marzanotomatoes, 2 cups water, one ortwo fresh chopped tomatoes, ifin season, salt and pepper totaste, and simmer over mediumheat for 30 to 40 minutes untilreduced slightly. Taste and ad-just the seasoning, as needed.Check the doneness of thebeans, they should be at leasthalf cooked when transferred toa large baking pan. Add thesauce to the beans and mix untilthe sauce and vegetables areevenly distributed. Stir in thesliced garlic and the choppedfresh dill, as much or as little aspreferred, and drizzle the gi-gantes with additional olive oil.A sprinkling of chopped freshparsley may also be added orused as a substitute for the dill,if desired. Preheat the oven to375 degrees. Cover the bakingpan with aluminum foil andbake until the beans are tenderabout 45 minutes to an hour,depending on the strength ofyour oven and how gigantic thebeans are, they may require ad-

Greek Food & Wine12 THE NATIONAL HERALD, NOVEMBER 19, 2016

The Top 12 Recipes of 2016

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A dining experience reminiscent of a small village in Greece

SERVING AUTHENTIC GREEK CUISINEUsing the freshest and purest ingredients

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The god Apollo’s first love was the nymph Dafni. As he pursued her, she called upon the gods to help her escape him and was immedi-

ately transformed into a laurel tree. Still in love with her,Apollo vowed to always wear a crown of laurel. As the originator

of the Pythian games, and as the god of poetry, he swore tocrown all victors, heroes and poets with wreaths woven of lau-rel leaves.The leaf of the laurel tree is also known as the bay leaf (dafni,

in Greek). It is an essential ingredient in many cuisines, especiallythose of the Mediterranean. Used either fresh of dried, the leavesimpart a subtle but distinctive flavor and fragrance to food.

On behalf of Dafni we welcome you and wish you

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ditional cooking time. Removethe foil from the baking pan andstir the gigantes about 30 min-utes into baking. If the pan isdrying out too quickly and thegigantes are not quite done, addsome water to the pan and con-tinue baking. Serve the giganteswarm with crusty bread for dip-

ping in the sauce and if pre-ferred, a side of cooked bulgur,rice, or pasta. Gigantes aresometimes served as an appe-tizer or a side dish, but they arehearty enough to enjoy on theirown as a tasty vegan meal, es-pecially during times of fasting.

Lentil Salad• 1 pound dried lentils of yourchoice• 3 garlic cloves, peeled• 1 bay leaf• 1 medium red onion, slicedthinly• 2 carrots, diced• 2 celery stalks, diced• 2 tablespoons parsley,chopped• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil• 1 teaspoon dry mustard• Salt and pepper to taste• Water

• Feta, crumbled (optional)Sort and rinse the lentils.

Place them in a large deep potwith enough water to coverthem by at least two inches. Addthe garlic cloves, bay leaf, anda tablespoon of salt and bringto a boil over medium high heat.Reduce heat to medium andsimmer until the lentils are ten-der. Remove from heat, drainthe water, and allow to coolslightly while preparing the restof the salad. Remove the bayleaf and the garlic cloves fromthe cooked lentils. In a largebowl, stir together the lentils,sliced red onion, the diced cel-ery and the parsley. If desired,add the cooked garlic cloves aswell. In a small bowl, whisk to-gether the oil, vinegar, dry mus-tard, a dash of salt and freshly

ground pepper to taste. You mayalso use a jar with a lid to shakethe dressing ingredients to-gether. Pour the dressing overthe salad and serve warm or atroom temperature. A wonderfulvegan option as is or add somecrumbled feta if you don’t mindthe dairy.

Roasted Pork Loin• 2 pounds pork loin• 1 lemon• 4-5 garlic cloves• 1/2 cup dry white wine• Salt• Pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 de-grees. Season the pork loin withsalt. Sear the pork loin tocaramelize it on all sides in apreheated pan over mediumhigh heat. A cast iron skillet isideal for searing the meat, buta good frying pan will alsowork. Once the pork is goldenbrown on all sides, transfer to aroasting pan. Add the juice ofone lemon, the garlic cloves,white wine, and freshly groundpepper. Roast in the oven for 45minutes, turning the pork abouthalf way through the cookingprocess. If your oven has a con-vection roast feature, use it forthis recipe. You might need toadd a little water or additionalwine to the roasting pan if thejuices dry out during the cook-ing process. Once the pork isroasted, remove it from theoven, cover with foil and allowit to rest for 15 minutes beforeslicing. Pour the pan juices overthe sliced pork and serve imme-diately with a side salad, amedium-sized baked potato, orthe vegetables of your choice.This recipe serves 8.

Shrimp in TomatoSauce• 2 pounds, peeled, deveinedlarge shrimp, tails left on• 1 medium to large onion,

chopped• 1 can or box whole, peeledtomatoes, chopped• or 2 cups chopped freshtomatoes, if in season• 4 tablespoons olive oil• 1/2 cup dry white wine• Salt• Freshly ground pepper• Red pepper flakes (optional)• Water

In a large, deep pot, heat theolive oil until shimmering andadd the chopped onion. Sautéuntil translucent and add thetomatoes, 2 cups water, salt andpepper to taste. Bring to a boilover medium heat and then re-duce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the sauce hasreduced slightly. Add theshrimp, the white wine and apinch of red pepper flakes, if us-ing. Stir and bring back to a sim-mer. Continue simmering about15-20 minutes until the shrimpare done. Serve over rice or yourfavorite pasta, with fresh breadand a side salad.

Sautéed Cabbage Salad• 1 red cabbage, sliced• 1 large onion, chopped• 2-3 carrots, chopped• 1/4 cup olive oil• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar• Salt• Pepper

In a large sauté pan with acover, heat the olive oil overmedium high heat. Sauté theonion until translucent. Add thecabbage, carrots, salt and pep-per to taste, and sauté until wellcombined. Add the vinegar,cover the pan and reduce theheat to medium. Simmer thevegetables for about 5-10 min-utes, stirring occasionally untilthe cabbage is lightly cooked butstill crunchy. Serve with theroasted pork loin.

Lemon OreganoChicken with Potatoes• 1 whole organic chicken• 2-3 lemons• Dried oregano• Salt• Pepper• Olive oil (optional)• 5-6 medium potatoes, peeledand halved, lengthwise

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.If your oven has a convectionroast feature, use it, but raisethe oven temperature to 400 de-grees since the convection fanmay lower the overall tempera-ture of your oven.

Peel and halve the potatoeslengthwise and set them in abowl with cold water to preventthem turning brown while youprepare the chicken. Rinse thechicken with cold water andplace breast side up in a roasting

pan with space enough for thepotatoes. Squeeze the lemonsand drizzle over the top of thechicken and into the cavity. Stuffthe cavity with one or two ofthe squeezed out lemon halves.If using, drizzle with some oliveoil. Sprinkle with salt, freshlyground pepper and oregano,preferably from Greece, or yourfavorite oregano-growing re-

gion. Place the potatoes aroundthe chicken in the pan andsprinkle them with salt, pepperand oregano. Roast the chickenand potatoes for 45 minutes toan hour, depending on the sizeof the chicken, or until thebreast begins to lightly color.Then, using a fork, or two forksif the chicken is large, turn thechicken breast side down, sprin-kle with salt, pepper andoregano and continue roastinguntil the skin is golden brown,then turn the chicken again androast until the breast side isgolden brown and the potatoesare done, another 40 minutes

to an hour depending on thesize of the chicken. If the pota-toes seem to be browning toomuch on one side, turn them aswell and continue roasting. Youmay need to remove the pota-toes from the baking pan if theyseem to be disintegrating beforethe chicken is done. Remove thepan from the oven and tent withfoil to allow the chicken to rest

15-20 minutes before carving.The resting time keeps thechicken moist. If there are pandrippings left, drizzle them overthe cut chicken pieces beforeserving. Serve the chicken andpotatoes with a side salad or thecooked vegetables of yourchoice. If desired, a few carrots,celery stalks, garlic cloves, anda quartered onion may also beadded along with the potatoesto the roasting pan for addi-tional flavor. During the roast-ing process, you may need toadd about 1/4 cup of water tothe pan in case it dries out toprevent burning.

Marinated PotatoSalad• 5-6 medium Yukon gold orred new potatoes• 1 large red onion, chopped• 2 small jars (6 ounces each)marinated artichoke hearts,drained• 1 large green bell pepper, cutinto strips• 2-3 medium roma tomatoes,sliced• Black olives, of your choice• 1/2 cup Greek extra virginolive oil• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar• 1 teaspoon dry mustardpowder• 1 teaspoon salt• 1 teaspoon freshly groundpepper• 1 tablespoon finely choppedparsley

Wash the potatoes and placethem in a large deep pot withenough water to cover them andbring to a boil, over mediumhigh heat. Reduce the heat tomedium, add a pinch of salt,and continue simmering the

potatoes until they are tender,but not disintegrated. When thepotatoes have reached the de-sired tenderness, remove fromheat. A cup of cold water willstop the cooking process. Drainthe potatoes and while they arestill warm, cut into cubes, plac-ing them in a large mixing bowl.Add the rest of the ingredientsand mix.

The potato salad may beserved immediately, or covertightly and keep refrigerated un-til needed even up to a day inadvance, just give it a stir everyso often to make sure the flavorsare evenly distributed.

Greek Food & WineTHE NATIONAL HERALD, NOVEMBER 19, 2016 13

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By Eleni Sakellis

Nistisimo OrangeWalnut Cake• 3 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour• 2 cups sugar• 1 teaspoon baking powder• 1 teaspoon baking soda• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon• 1/2 teaspoon Greek sea salt• 1 1/3 cups orange juice• 1/2 cup citrus liqueur suchas KumQuat from Kerkyra orKitron from Naxos• 1 cup olive oil• 1 cup chopped walnuts• 1/2 cup finely choppedwalnuts for topping (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 de-grees. In a large mixing bowl,whisk together the flour, sugar,baking powder, baking soda,cinnamon, and salt. In a sepa-rate bowl, whisk together theorange juice, liqueur, and oil,and add to the dry ingredients.Stir until just combined. Fold inthe chopped walnuts. Transferthe batter to a lightly oiled 13

by 9 inch baking pan and sprin-kle with additional finelychopped walnuts, if desired.Bake in a preheated 350 degreeoven for 45 minutes to an houror until a cake tester, skewer ortoothpick inserted in the centercomes out clean. Cool com-pletely on wire rack before serv-ing.

Homemade Cheesecake3 packages (8 oz. each) creamcheese, at room temperature4 eggs, at room temperature1/2 cup sugar1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract2 tablespoons cornstarch1 cup whole milk or sourcream, at room temperature2 (9 inch) store-boughtgraham cracker crusts(optional) orHomemade graham crackercrust, recipe belowTopping of your choice

Set out the ingredients tobring them to room tempera-ture. Cut the cream cheese intosmaller pieces and set aside. Inthe bowl of a stand mixer withthe paddle attachment, beateggs and sugar until foamy. Addthe cream cheese one piece at atime and beat until smooth. Addthe vanilla extract, cornstarchand milk or sour cream and con-tinue beating until smooth. Pourinto two graham cracker crustsor prepared 9 inch springformpan. Bake in a preheated 375degree oven for 45 minutes over

a water bath (place a large bak-ing pan on the lower rack ofyour oven and fill with boilingwater, bake the cheesecake onthe rack above it for even bak-ing) until lightly golden brownaround the edge and set in themiddle. Allow to cool com-pletely on wire racks before top-ping the cheesecake. Home-made jams or preserves are anice way to top cheesecake.Apricot or strawberry jams workwell. For a Greek-inspired top-ping, try toasted walnuts driz-zled with thyme honey fromyour favorite region of Greece.

Nysirian Loukoumadesby Constantine Scaros

Hardware:1 mixing bowl1 deep bowl1 medium-sized saucepan2 forks1 tablespoon1 whisker (or electric mixer)

Software:2 Cups White Flour1 2/3 cups water1 packet (or 1 tablespoon)yeast1 cup and 1 tablespooncooking oilSmall to medium sized jar ofhoneyJar of powdered cinnamon

Pour the water into thesaucepan and heat (do not boil)

Pour flour and yeast intomixing bowl

Pour warm water into mixingbowl and mix everything intodough (it should be a creamyconsistency that slowly drips offof a spoon)

Add one tablespoon of oiland mix thoroughly.

Pour oil into saucepan atmedium-high setting, until itbubbles

Dip tablespoon into mixingbowl and scoop out a full to

heaping portion and drop intosaucepan

The loukouma should beginto bubble and fry – when lightgolden brown, turn over to cookon the other side

Remove with one fork andseparate with other fork, intodeep bowl.

Repeat with entire mix.Should make 20-25 louk-oumades.

NOTE: the first three or fourloukomades are warmups –throw them away – they will nothave the same shape and con-sistency of the remaining ones.

Once all loukoumades are inthe bowl, drizzle with honey,pour on cinnamon, and let sit.

Add three or four louk-oumades to each serving – addadditional honey to taste.

May be served warm or cold.NOTE: Be careful not to drip

any water into the hot oil, as itwill bubble furiously and mayburn you (hence the expression– do not mix oil and water!).

Poached Pears4-5 medium pears, peeled,cored and sliced thinly1/4 cup sugar1/2 cup sweet red wine,

Mavrodafni works well1/4 cup water2 inch cinnamon stick2-3 whole cloves (optional)2-3 inches orange peel

In a saucepan, stir togetherthe sugar, wine, and water. Addthe cinnamon stick, cloves, if us-ing, and the orange peel. Bringto a boil over medium high heat,then add the pears and reduceheat to medium. Simmer untilthe pears are tender, about 5-10 minutes, depending on theripeness of the pears. If desired,cover the saucepan while sim-mering, but keep an eye on it toavoid boiling over. Remove cin-namon stick, cloves, and orangepeel. Serve warm or at roomtemperature with ice cream,whipped cream, or yogurt anddrizzle with a few spoons of thepoaching liquid. For a non-alco-holic version, substitute orangejuice for the wine in the recipe.Store any leftovers in the refrig-erator and enjoy the poachedpears chilled. For the classicdessert Pears Helene, drain thepoached pears of their liquidand serve with vanilla ice creamtopped with hot fudge sauce.

Greek Yogurt and Nut Cake2 cups unbleached, all-purposeflour1 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon groundcinnamon1/2 teaspoon Greek sea salt1 cup ground nuts, toastedhazelnuts, almonds, orwalnuts, or a combination, ifpreferred4 tablespoons unsalted butter1/2 cup sugar1/4 cup Greek honey1 cup Greek yogurt4 eggs1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Grease and flour a nine bytwo inch deep baking pan. If de-sired, use a heart-shaped pan.In a large bowl, whisk togetherthe flour, baking powder, bakingsoda, cinnamon, and salt. Stirin the ground nuts and set aside.In the bowl of a stand mixerwith the paddle attachment,cream the butter and sugar untillight and fluffy. Add the honeyand yogurt and beat until wellcombined. Add the eggs one ata time, beating well after eachaddition. Stir in the vanilla ex-tract. With the mixer on low

Greek Food & Wine14 THE NATIONAL HERALD, NOVEMBER 19, 2016

Dessert Favorites of 2016

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Greek Food & WineTHE NATIONAL HERALD, NOVEMBER 19, 2016 15

speed, gradually add the flourmixture, and beat until justcombined, scraping the sidesand bottom of the mixing bowlwith a rubber spatula occasion-ally to make sure the flour andeggs are all incorporated. Pourthe batter into the prepared panand smooth the top with a rub-ber spatula. Bake in a preheated350 degree oven for about 40minutes to an hour dependingon the size and color of the panand the strength of your oven,or until golden brown and acake tester, toothpick, or skewerinserted in the center comes outclean. Cool the cake for 10 to15 minutes on a wire rack be-fore removing from the pan. Al-low the cake to cool completelybefore slicing. Serve with ascoop of your favorite ice cream.

Nistisimo MoistChocolate Cake

• 3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour• 2 cups sugar• 6 tablespoons unsweetenedcocoa powder• 2 teaspoons baking soda• 1 teaspoon salt• 1 teaspoon pure vanillaextract• 3/4 cup vegetable oil• 2 tablespoons white vinegar• 2 cups cold water

Preheat the oven to 350 de-grees. In a large mixing bowl,whisk together the flour, cocoapowder, sugar, baking soda andsalt. Make a well in the centerand add the vanilla, vegetableoil, vinegar, and the cold water.Stir until thoroughly combined.The batter will be liquid. Pourinto a lightly oiled 13 by 9 inchbaking pan. Tap the pan on thecounter three times to releaseany air bubbles and then bakein a preheated 350 degree ovenfor 45 minutes to an hour de-pending on the strength of youroven. A cake tester, toothpick orskewer inserted in the centershould come out clean. Coolcompletely on wire rack beforeserving. If preferred, frost thecake with your favorite nistisimofrosting, or with the homemadenistisimo frosting recipe below.Sprinkle with confectioners’sugar if desired, but not if usingcake for a birthday since thesugar will make a mess whenblowing out the candles. For amore nutritious cake with addedprotein and fiber, reduce the all-purpose flour to 2 cups and add1 cup of whole wheat flour. Tomake cupcakes, pour the batter

into a muffin tin lined with pa-per baking cups and bake at 350degrees for 20 to 30 minutes un-til a cake tester inserted in thecenter comes out clean.

Koulourakia me Krasi(Wine Cookies)• 3 and 1/2 cups unbleached,all-purpose flour• 1 teaspoon baking powder• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda• 1/2 teaspoon salt• 1/2 cup sugar• 1/2 cup sesame seeds• 1 cup vegetable oil• 1/2 cup dry white wine• Additional sesame seeds, ifdesired

In a large mixing bowl, whisktogether the flour, baking pow-der, baking soda, salt, sugar, andsesame seeds. Make a well inthe center and add the oil andwhite wine. Stir until just com-bined. Form one to two inchcookie shapes, and place on un-greased baking sheets about oneinch apart. If desired, roll thecookies in additional sesameseeds before placing on the bak-ing sheets. Bake in a preheated350 degree oven for about 20

minutes or until lightly golden,rotating the pans to ensure evenbaking. Cool completely on wireracks before serving or storingin an airtight container orcookie jar. If preferred, lightlytoast the sesame seeds on a bak-ing sheet in a preheated 350 de-gree oven for a few minutes be-fore adding to the flour mixturefor a more robust, nutty flavor.

KoulourakiaMethismena(Drunk Cookies)• 3 and 1/4 cups unbleached,all-purpose flour• 1 teaspoon baking powder• 1/2 teaspoon salt• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon• 3/4 cup vegetable or olive oil• 1/2 cup sugar• 1/2 cup sweet red wine,Mavrodaphne• 1/4 cup cognac, Metaxa• 1 teaspoon pure vanillaextract

In a large mixing bowl, whisktogether the flour, baking pow-der, salt and cinnamon. In a sep-arate bowl, whisk together thesugar, oil, wine, cognac, and thevanilla. Pour the wet ingredientsinto the dry and stir until justcombined. Take a scant table-spoon of the dough, roll intostrips, and then form circles orother cookie shapes. Place onungreased cookie sheets andbake in a preheated 350 degreeoven for about 20 minutes untilthe cookies are lightly goldenbrown, rotating the pans abouthalfway through the baking.Cool completely on wire racksbefore serving or storing in anairtight container or cookie jar.

SkaltsouniaFor the dough-• 3 cups unbleached, all-

purpose flour• 1 teaspoon baking powder• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda• 1/4 teaspoon salt• 1 cup tahini• 1/2 cup orange juice• 2 tablespoons Greek honeyFor the filling-• 1 cup chopped walnuts• 1/2 cup chopped, blanchedalmonds• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon• 1/4 cup sesame seeds,optional• 2-4 tablespoons honey ororange marmalade• 1/2 cup raisins, golden ordark, as preferredFor the topping-• Confectioners’ sugar• Cinnamon, optional• Anthonero (Rose water),optional

In a large mixing bowl, whisktogether the flour, baking pow-der, baking soda, salt. Make awell in the center and add thetahini, orange juice, and honey.Stir until just combined. Kneadlightly if needed to bring all theingredients together. Cover withplastic wrap and allow thedough to rest in the refrigeratorfor 30 minutes. In a separatebowl, stir together the ingredi-ents for the filling and set aside.Roll out the dough to 1/8 inchthickness and cut out circles 5inches in diameter. Place a tea-spoon of filling in the center andfold to form half-moon shapes,pressing the edges of the doughtogether to seal. A little watermay help to seal the edges orpress with the tines of a fork fora more decorative edge. Bakeon a parchment lined bakingsheet in a preheated 350 degreeoven for 20 to 30 minutes untillightly golden. Remove fromoven and sprinkle with an-thonero (rose water), if using,while the skaltsounia are hot.Sprinkle with confectioners’sugar, and if desired, cinnamon.Allow to cool completely onwire racks before serving. Skalt-sounia are best enjoyed the daythey are made, otherwise storetightly covered in an airtightcontainer since they have a ten-dency to dry out.

Tahini Cake(Tahinopita)• 3 and 1/2 cups unbleached,all-purpose flour• 1 teaspoon baking powder• 1 teaspoon baking soda• 1 teaspoon cinnamon• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves• 1/2 teaspoon salt• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup Greek honey• 1 cup tahini• 1 and 1/3 cups orange juice• 1/2 cup cognac, Metaxaworks well• 1 cup chopped walnuts• 1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Prepare the baking pan bylightly greasing a 13 by 9 inchbaking pan with a little veg-etable oil, then dust with a littleflour, and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisktogether the flour, baking pow-der, baking soda, cinnamon,ground cloves, and salt. In a sep-arate bowl, whisk together thesugar, honey, tahini, orangejuice, and the cognac. Add thewet ingredients to the dry and

stir until just combined. Fold inthe walnuts and raisins. Goldenraisins or a mixture of goldenand dark raisins can be used, ifpreferred. Pour the cake batterinto the prepared 13 by 9 inchbaking pan and bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 45minutes to an hour, dependingon the strength of your oven. Atoothpick, skewer, or cake testerinserted in the center shouldcome out clean. Allow the caketo cool completely before cut-ting into squares and serving.

Apple Crisp• 5 medium apples, peeled,cored, and thinly sliced• 2 tablespoons flour• 2 tablespoons sugar• 1 teaspoon cinnamon• Pinch of cloves• 1/2 cup rolled oats• 1/2 cup brown sugar• 1/4 cup flour• 4 tablespoons butter• 1/2 cup chopped walnutsPreheat the oven to 350degrees.

After peeling, coring, andslicing the apples, place them ina large bowl. In a small bowl,stir together the 2 tablespoons

flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, thecinnamon, and cloves. Add tothe apples and toss until all theslices of apple are coated. Trans-fer the apple slices to a pie plateten inches in diameter and setaside while making the crumbtopping. In a medium bowl, stirtogether the oats, sugar and the1/4 cup flour. Cut in the butterto form coarse crumbs. Stir inthe walnuts and top the applesin the pie plate with the crumbtopping. Bake for 40 minutes toan hour or until the topping isnicely browned and the applesare tender and bubbling. Servewarm or at room temperaturewith ice cream. Store any left-overs tightly covered in the re-frigerator to enjoy the next day.

Vegan Oatmeal Cookies• 1 and 1/2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats• 1/4 cup almond meal (finelyground almonds)• 1/2 teaspoon salt• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon• 1/4 teaspoon ginger• A pinch of cloves• 1/2 cup raisins• 1/2 cup dried cranberries• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts• 2 large or 3 medium veryripe bananas, mashed• 1/4 cup vegetable oil• 1 teaspoon pure vanillaextract

Stir together the oats, almondmeal, salt, cinnamon, ginger,cloves in a large mixing bowl.Add the raisins, cranberries, andwalnuts and mix well. In a smallbowl, combine the bananas, oiland vanilla and add to the dryingredients. Mix well. Spoondough onto ungreased cookiesheet and bake in a preheated350 degree oven for 20 minutesor until lightly golden brownaround edges, rotating thecookie sheet halfway throughthe baking time. Cool completelyon wire racks before serving.Store in an airtight container.Makes about a dozen cookies.

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Greek Food & Wine16 THE NATIONAL HERALD, NOVEMBER 19, 2016