A Greekalicious Feast Maria Benardis www.greekalicious.com.au COPYRIGHT NOTICE Copyright 2012 Maria Benardis (Greekalicious Pty Ltd). All Rights Reserved. This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. The information, text materials, photos, graphics, logos, images, trade marks (whether registered or not), of the book is protected by copyright, and other intellectual property laws. You must not modify, copy, reproduce, republish, frame, upload to a third party, store in a retrieval system, communicate, transmit in any form or distribute in any way the content and no material may be edited, modified or taken out of context without express written permission from Greekalicious Pty Ltd. All inquiries should be made to the copyright owner at PO BOX 660 Paddington NSW 2120 Australia or to www.greekalicious.com.au The Greekalicious logo and name are the property of Greekalicious and may not be used as part of your business or in connection with any goods or services without the prior written consent of Greekalicious. You agree to indemnify Greekalicious against any and all actions claims, costs, liabilities and expenses, including legal costs and expenses, arising out of your breach of these terms and conditions by you. Ancient Greek Golden Rule – “What you do not want to happen to you, do not do it yourself either.” Sextus the Pythagorean. All recipes and photography by Maria Benardis. Published January 2012. - 2 - www.greekalicious.com.au I dedicate this book to all the Ancient Greek cooks, philosophers healers and the people of Greece who have taught me so much about my culture, its rich Gastronomical history and Love. Thank you. - 3 - www.greekalicious.com.au ABOUT THE AUTHOR Maria Benardis Maria Benardis is a Gourmand Award winning Author, chef and Founder of Greekalicious (www.greekalicious.com.au) Maria has published a cook book titled “My Greek Family Table” (Penguin), which won the prestigious Gourmand World Cookbook Awards – Best Mediterranean Cuisine Book in Australia 2009. http://www.greekalicious.com.au/product/my-greek-family-cook-book Vibrant Greek Australian Maria Benardis, has long been passionate about her Greek heritage and culture, and in particular her native cuisine. From her early impressionable years growing up on the Greek island of Psara, her father’s home town, Maria paid close attention to the women of her family, and how they cooked. It was here she developed her passion for Greek cooking and learned the fundamentals of kitchen lore. Maria’s mother’s family is from Kalamata inspiration that continues to fuel Maria’s passion for Greek food - 4 - www.greekalicious.com.au Maria would watch and learn each day, as her grandmother made bread, cheese, yoghurt and meals for the family. The ingredients used to create these scrumptious dishes were always fresh and often home-grown, sparking Maria’s life-long love for organic, seasonal produce. In Australia Maria’s aunt Stavroula continued her traditional culinary education, and many of the dishes Maria creates today draw heavily from these early lessons. As Maria grew older she did as all good Greek girls are encouraged to do, forging a career in the very stable taxation accounting profession, where she excelled to become a well respected and highly sought-after taxation and financial specialist. With over twenty years in management for some of Australia’s best known blue- chips and industry bodies; and a seat at any Australia Taxation Office, Government or Industry Committee on tax legislation worth its salt, Maria has taken a change of tack. In February 2007 Maria launched Greekalicious: Sydney’s first exclusively Greek cooking school, turning her passion for Greek cooking into a successful business. A concept Maria formed while on the Greek Island of Mykonos where she had experienced her life changing calling and epiphany. Greekalicious is a culmination of the many years she has spent studying ancient Greek cuisine and travelling throughout Greece; alongside contemporary professional cookery experience. This successful business has expanded to include catering, products and culinary tours to Greece. Much more than a financial decision, Greekalicious is Maria’s first and foremost love; providing her an opportunity to share and educate Australians about her Greek heritage and culture. With a comprehensive calendar of traditional and modern Greekalicious cooking classes located in Sydney; Maria blends unique and entertaining story telling with lively music to bring to life the colourful food and histories of regional Greece. “When I cook I sense my family’s spirit and energy is with me and guiding me to produce dishes that capture cultural traditions, family secrets and something different,” says Maria. “So many people think that souvlaki and mousaka is all there is to Greek cooking, but I enjoy continually surprising family and friends with amazing Greek dishes that they never knew existed. - 5 - www.greekalicious.com.au I feel compelled to share my dishes and culture through Greekalicious, making authentic and Modern Greek cooking available to everyone,” she says. Maria is also a slow food advocate and was one of the delegates selected to represent Australia Slow Food at Terra Madre 2010 in Italy. Maria regularly appears on radio, television and the print media to share the Greek heritage that means so much to her. You can follow us on: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greekalicious/152303904835757 http://twitter.com/#!/mariabenardis http://www.youtube.com/greekaliciouscooking - 6 - www.greekalicious.com.au “When we cook together we love and heal together.” – Maria Benardis - 7 - www.greekalicious.com.au ABOUT THE BOOK In these recipes passed between the generations, you will find some classics such as deep fried calamari, rice pudding, traditional Greek lamb and keftedes, regional dishes from around Greece and some modern adaptations of traditional dishes – Chocolate Loukoumades (Greek doughnuts) and Kangaroo with trahana and honey caramalised onions. Alongside are detailed notes on each recipe sharing stories, mythology and historical context of the dish or ingredient. Also featured are the healing benefits noted by Hippocrates and other Ancient Greek philosophers. The stories will connect you and take you on a journey of discovery and revelations - a Grecian Gastronomical Journey. Written with passion and photographed, “My Greekalicious Feast” is the first of a two part series and follows the release of Maria’s published book “My Greek Family Table” (Penguin) which won the GOURMAND world cookbook awards 2009 - Best Mediterranean cuisine book in Australia All dishes are cooked with Love and Harmony. Happy Greekalicious cooking! - 8 - www.greekalicious.com.au BAC KG RO U N D Introduction Gastronomy, an Ancient Greek word, signifies the relationship between the senses and food, and exemplifies the attitude of the Greeks to life and food. The ingredients and methods of the Greek kitchen established itself more than 3,000 years ago. These simple methods have characterised the original and unique flavours of the best Greek cookery. As an example, an enduring tradition is portable cooking being shared in a courtyard. History records many Greek cooks in ancient times, such as Thimbron the Athenian, Archestratus (who penned the first known cookery book), and Soteriades the Sage, who claimed he prepared different dishes for different moods and ages – the young, the lovers, the older men and the ancient philosophers. Famous cooks also found refuge in monasteries. Therefore, it is not at all unusual that we still find many Greek monasteries producing wines, cookery books and other produce. The cook in antiquity held low status, but the best chefs operated competitively and were often hired out to the homes of rich. Of all the Greek cooks, Archestratus was regarded by many as the father of gastronomy. He has heavily inspired Greekalicious. In antiquity, cookery books were very different to the ones written today. Archestratus’ cookery book resembles a traditional epic and interchanges between gastronomically orientated poetry, puns, jingles, and comical styles. Historically, people rarely read in private, so cookbooks were written in verse, as to be recited at a banquet or a symposium. Archestratus, however, took his recipes a step further and instructs on where one should buy the ingredients and from which region of Ancient Greece. His emphasis was always on simplicity, the harmonious use of ingredients, season in moderation, and an important emphasis on quality. He believed that foods of quality have “the height of pleasure within itself” and need only be seasoned with salt and olive oil and perhaps a bit of cumin. - 9 - www.greekalicious.com.au Food influenced the balance of the humours of the body and eating was a sensual experience. He promoted a light, elegant style of cooking and much interest in texture. Freshness and quality were of foremost importance, along with a holistic approach to mealtime. Aspects of a chef’s life verge on the comic, as complex and menial skills are combined in cooking. There is a sharp contrast between the heat in the kitchen and the calm of the banquet, just as there is an element of entertainment in the presentation of the food. Much of the food prepared on the Greek mainland in ancient times was relatively simple and minimally spiced. The ancient trademarks of sweet and sour, like vinegar and honey, garos (fish sauce) and honey, fish and raisins, were also of great importance in ancient Greek cuisine. To the Greeks, food has always had all sorts of religious and philosophical meaning. For example, Greeks never ate meat unless it had been sacrificed to a god. Even with vegetables, many Greeks believed that particular foods were cleaner and preferred by the gods. Greek dishes have been influencing other cultures for thousands of years. Many Greek recipes today are found under assumed Turkish names and the cuisines of both cultures are very closely associated.