Greek Recipes

Click to Enlarge Photo  I will now share my recipe for Moussaka that is fit for a Queen … I have made Moussaka [pronounced “moo-sah-KAH”] often enough to have broken the process down to a science. As I am particular about how I like my Moussaka, I have developed a certain technique which - if followed to the letter - will produce consistently tasty and presentable results, time and again. As Moussaka is oftentimes considered one of the national dishes of Greece (though I have a different opinion on that subject ), I think it behooves us to approach the matter in as methodical and respectful a manner as possible. More than its constituent ingredients, the process of creating Moussaka is about the structuring of a specific type of alternately layered, rich casserole dish that may or may not include meat or cheese, and can contain a variety of vegetables from eggplant and potato, to squash and zucchini. Rather than go into a lengthy discussion about the regional or preferen...

The moussaka I would be proud to serve up to the Queen of England... Having reserved for myself the prerogative of reflecting upon Greek Food as a Subject on this blog, I wish to briefly examine the matter of Presentation. This discussion is exploratory and not meant to offend nor excite, so please take it for what it is: a prolegomenon about matters which I deem interesting and that pertain to Greek Food & Gastronomy. Why is it that some people believe that Indian food can (and must) look like Indian food, but Greek food has to look like some kind of variation on a California nouveau cuisine theme? As I am an essentialist by nature, and as objective as I would like to be about this topic, I cannot help but suppress a wry smile at the very thought… So, it is with some amusement that I shake my head whenever I read or hear about the “new Greek cuisine”; as if we were already so overly familiar with the “old Greek cuisine” that we needed to re-interpret and re-present ...