"Greek" news and stories

This time of year always inspires people to spice up their ciders and wines for a little holiday goodness in a glass. Hippocras is a sweetened, spiced wine drink going way back several hundred years. In her book titled "A Sip Through Time," Cindy Renfrow mentions that this drink could have been named for Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician. The name could also refer to the drink being strained through a filter bag familiar to most vintners and apothecaries as a manicum Hippocraticum -- the sleeve of Hippocrates. This bag helped strain out the flavoring bits and pieces.

Spices and herbs have been used for centuries in beer and wine, just to flavor it up and oftentimes to cover up the off flavors of the beverage. Herbs and spices were thought to be good for the health. They frequently served as a bit of a preservative, as well.

Hippocras was a popular celebratory drink for weddings and christenings and other such feasts. It was regularly served after dinner with sweet goodies and brought to the table unheated. Oriental spices were quite expensive so this drink was often associated with having the cash flow for such luxury and nobility.

Photo: Amazon.com

'Vefa's Kitchen'
The Bible of Authentic Greek Cooking
Recipes collected by Vefa Alexiadou
Photographs by Edward Park
Phaidon -- 2009
Buy it on Amazon

No longer content to be the neglected little sister to Italian cuisine, Greek cooking has enjoyed quite a renaissance of late, perhaps in part spurred by Michael Psilakis' popular eateries in New York City (Anthos, Kefi, Mia Dona).

When Vefa's Kitchen, a compilation volume from Vefa Alexiadou (trumpeted by press materials as the "leading authority on Greek cookery,") arrived in the mail, we felt optimistic, busily stocking our fridge with Greek yogurt and mint, and the cupboard with garlic and tuna. To give an idea of the book's breadth, there are 14 recipes involving octopus alone.

Takeaway tips: This is a sprawling, 700-page volume, with many different styles of recipes. If you purchase it, be sure to read every recipe all the way through; they are occasionally a bit confusing.

What we tested and whether the book's worth buying, after the jump.

It's a great word, Skordalia. Sounds like a flower that grows on Venus, or a rare breed of pygmy squid. What it is in fact is a Greek dip made from pureed potatoes and garlic. Not as exotic as a Venusian dandelion, but probably much tastier. The Recipes for Health column in the New York Times has a version using nothing more than potatoes, kosher salt, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice. The kind of thing you can whip up out of spare pantry ingredients and wildly impress your hungry friends. Skordalia is traditionally served with fried fish or cooked vegetables, but it's also excellent as a spread or a dip for raw veggies. Try it in a sandwich with roasted red peppers and spinach.

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Oh no she di-n't.

Oh yes, she did.

In our annual food showdown inspired by opposing team cities in the Super Bowl (now dubbed the Slashfood Bowl), Marisa has gone to pizza. I knew she would, and knew that I would have to come up with something. Now I know that arguing that there might be something better than New York-style pizza (which happens to be my favorite kind) is just asking for it, so since I have to rep-ra-zent for the New England Patriots, I am merely going to say that Boston-style pizza simply exists, because really, I can't say that it's better. I just can't.

Fresh and contemporary are two of the words that come to mind after reading through >Modern Greek. At least, they come to mind once you have gotten over the gorgeous pictures that generously illustrate the book. The cookbook has 170 recipes that, while very Greek in flavor, are also very accessible to the average home cook, with fresh flavors that will appeal to just about anyone.

The book starts of with mezes (appetizers and dips) and includes recipes for salads, grains, meats and lots of pastries and baked goods. Some of the recipes are more modern, while others are more traditional, such as Spanakopita and Greek Salad. Figs Baked with Red Wine, Chicken with Yogurt and Spinach and Meat and Pasta Pie are a few of the othr selections. More recipes turn towards being rustic than being fussy, which adds a final level of appeal to this book; even a busy cook will be able to discover some new favorites and have time to make them.

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