"greece" news and stories

Whether you spell it baklava or baklawa, the layered dessert of sweetened layers of phyllo dough and nuts is nothing short of delicious. I've always been curious to know the the honey-laden treat's origins, especially since I've eaten it in Greek, Israeli and Turkish spots. But as with most delicacies, I'd rather celebrate it in all its diverse forms than stick to one type.

It seems that Turks and Cypriot Greeks take the pastry a tad more seriously, I read recently in Ya Libnan, a Lebanese newspaper. Turkish producers of the treat take issue with the Greeks' claim to have created it. There was even a protest in Istanbul earlier this week complete with banners reading, "Baklava is Turkish, we will not allow the Greek Cypriots to feed it to the world."

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Californians are crazy for Spanish wines, especially since they are a good value; but SIV's Wine of the Week is a 2003 Berra Sassisto Langhe from Piedmont. It's "warm and earthy," and for $22, makes me warm and earthy, too.

In the kitchen, parsley isn't just a garnish anymore. Fabiolus Cafe on Melrose offers its recipe for Bigoli all'Anatra, a pasta with a rich duck sauce. If you need sausage, Bob's Market in Santa Monica makes it fresh. A story on Greek food has recipes for Balkan moussaka, pastitsio, masahri yiouvetsi, as well as resources around LA for ingredients.

Out on the southeland dining scene, SIV treks out to Ojai and gives two stars (**) to Christian and Tedde Shaffer's Auberge. Neal Fraser will be serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner at BLD.

Regina Schrambling seeks out intelligence on the newsstand that's covered with the likes of "Yum-o" Rachael Ray and Paula Deen.

There's a pretty good debate going on today at  the blog Apartment Therapy: The Kitchen about the best brand of olive oil. One of my favorite olive oils is Primo Olio, which is produced by Montecastelli Farm, an olive oil farm in Tuscany. The oil is used in many New York restaurants, but I was lucky enough to sample a batch of the oil when I was visiting Italy two years ago. It had a grassy, peppery taste, which I now prefer to the taste of the more thick and buttery oils. For everyday cooking, I am happy with the Trader Joe's oil options that come from both Spain and Italy. Some, like at least one poster at The Kitchen, prefer olive oils from Greece.

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Back when I roasted cauliflower with curry, I thought that Indian raita, a minty cucumber yogurt sauce, would have been a nice accompaniment.

Raita is made by wrapping 1 seeded, grated cucumber in cheesecloth and squeezing out all the moisture. In a bowl, whisk together 1c. whole milk yogurt, 1/2 tsp. cumin, a pinch of cayenne. Add the cucumber, as well as 2-3 Tbsp. finely grated carrots, and 1 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro or mint.

Raita is very similar to Greek tzatziki which is yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, and a lot of minced garlic. I have to say that even though the raita sounds like it matches better with a roasted curried cauliflower, I'd rather have the garlicky tzatziki.

I don’t know why I find news about cheese so amusing…

Danish authorities recently intercepted a shipment of supposedly-Greek feta cheese traveling from Greece to Denmark. Greece has recently been trying to restrict the use of the term feta to only Greek products. The discovery of this Bulgarian cheese, being passed off for export as Greek feta, serves as a setback to those seeking to confine the use of the name. The EU recently ruled against the Danish dairy industry, saying that Greece should have the exclusive rights to the name feta.

“I’m very happy that the Greeks were caught in the act, said Dairy Board director Hans Bender, “bogus shipments are common knowledge.”

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