By Beth Flaherty

Greek Island cuisine is so perfectly suited to Topsail Island living that I was surprised that I was surprised.  The two areas have similar climates, fascinating histories (with lots of pirates!), and a dependence on all of those lovely tourists who come to spend their days on our beaches and their nights in our restaurants and clubs.  More importantly, at least as far as food goes, we have access to stunningly fresh seafood and beautiful locally grown produce. 

Most ingredients used in Greek Island cooking are similar to those used in the Mediterranean areas of Spain, France, and Italy and are familiar to those of us in coastal North Carolina:  olives, olive oil, lemons, garlic, and oregano are ingredients many of us have been using for years.  Twenty years ago fresh herbs and feta cheese may have been considered unusual by some, but most of us have become accustomed to them by now. 

One of my favorite things about learning to cook a new cuisine is getting to know about the new ingredients that I get to play with.  And Greek Island cooking does not disappoint.  Here are a few ingredients that some readers may not be so familiar with:

Phyllo dough: 

Pronounced feel-oh or file-oh (I like to mix it up a little myself).  I’ve also seen it spelled fillo in recipes.  It is made from a dough that is mostly flour and water, and it is rolled out until the sheets are nearly translucent.  It’s available in the freezer section of almost any grocery store and must be completely defrosted before you can work with it.  Since the dough is so thin, it dries out very easily and can sometimes be frustrating to work with—but the end result is fantastic and there is no other ingredient that I’ve come across that can duplicate it. 

My advice:  After the phyllo is thoroughly defrosted, unwrap it and unroll it near your work surface.  Cover the phyllo with a sheet of wax paper, parchment, or plastic and then cover that with a barely-damp kitchen towel.  Don’t let the sheets get damp or they will stick together.  Don’t let them dry out or they will shred.  And don’t try to do overly complicated recipes that require that you use multiple layers of phyllo sheets—they can drive you crazy!  On the up side, our warm, somewhat humid climate in coastal North Carolina is particularly suited to this dough.  And there are so many sheets in a box of phyllo dough that you are bound to have plenty, no many how many sheets go south on you.

Linguica Sausage: 

On Santorini (which is where the Tomato Pattie recipe comes from), the locally made sausage that they use is closest to a Spanish chorizo, which I have been unable to find here.  Spanish chorizo is a cured, or cooked, sausage.  In my daily treasure hunt (which other people might call mundane “grocery shopping”), I have come across a number of brands of Mexican chorizo, but that is quite different.  Mexican chorizo is a raw sausage that comes in a plastic casing (which must be removed before cooking), and it must be fully cooked before eating it.  I love Mexican chorizo, but it won’t work for the Tomato Pattie recipe.  The closest equivalent I’ve been able to find in local supermarkets is Linguica, which is a Portuguese-style cured sausage, and it has worked beautifully.

Greek Yogurt: 

Greek yogurt is starting to become more widely available in this area.  I’ve seen it in Harris Teeter, but I’m afraid Food Lion hasn’t come around just yet.  It’s only a matter of time, however.  It’s much thicker than plain yogurt, with a consistency that is more like sour cream than yogurt as we know it.  It’s all-natural, made in Greece, available in fat-free (0%), 2% , and whole milk under the brand name Fage (on the package it says it’s pronounced fa-yeh!  I like that exclamation point.) 

Recipes:

Greek Tomato Patties

This is one of my favorite new recipes.  It’s quick and easy, a little different, but so versatile that you can serve it hot or cold.  I tend to make the patties pretty small and serve them as hors d’oeuvres.  You can make them ahead of time and freeze them.

4 T olive oil
1 lb linguica or smoked sausage, medium dice
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 t chopped fresh oregano
1/2 lb plum tomatoes, chopped
2 T chopped scallions
1/2 c all-purpose flour
4 large eggs, beaten
Kosher salt and black pepper
1/2 c Greek-style yogurt, for serving

Coat a sauté pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and place over medium heat.  Add sausage and sauté quickly.  Add the chopped onion and cook until translucent.  Add garlic, oregano, and tomatoes, reduce heat and cook for 5 minutes or until well combined.  Set the mixture aside to cool.  Once mixture is cooked add scallions, flour, and eggs.  Fold together with a spatula until well blended and season with salt and pepper.

In a clean sauté pan, heat remaining tablespoon of oil.  When oil is hot, drop spoonfuls of the batter into the pan.  Press down to shape.  Cook for three minutes, then flip over and cook the other side for 2 minutes or until cooked through.

Serve with a dollop of yogurt on top and some additional sliced scallions for garnish.

Avgolemono Soup

This soup is divine, and makes a great sauce for baked chicken served over spinach. Read the directions about adding the eggs to the soup carefully.  This method is called “tempering” and it prevents the eggs from scrambling when they’re added to the hot stock.  By bringing the temperature of the eggs up slowly, it prevents them from separating.  Don’t skip the eggs, though – they add a richness to the soup and help thicken it.  I don’t recommend re-heating this soup – it’s worth the trouble of thickening it just before you serve it.

Makes 8 cups, serves 6-8

8 c chicken stock or broth
1/2 c long grain white rice
1 bay leaf
2 whole cloves
lemon zest strips from one medium or two small lemons – make sure you cut away the bitter white pith
Kosher salt to taste
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
1/4 c fresh lemon juice
1 large scallion, sliced thin

Bring chicken stock to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat.  Add rice, bay leaf, cloves, and lemon zest.  Reduce heat to medium and simmer until rice is tender and the stock is aromatic, 16-20 minutes.  Remove and discard the bay leaf, cloves, and lemon zest.  Increase heat to high and return stock to a boil, then reduce heat to low.

Whisk eggs, yolks, and lemon juice lightly until combined.  Whisking constantly, slowly ladle about 2 cups of the hot stock into the bowl with the egg mixture.  Pour egg-stock mixture back into the saucepan; cook over low heat, stirring constantly until soup is slightly thickened and wisps of steam appear, 4 to 5 minutes.  Do not let simmer or boil.  Divide soup among soup bowls and garnish with scallion.  Serve immediately.

Shrimp Baked in Tomato Sauce with Feta

This is an easy but impressive summer evening entrée.  I usually serve this with a simple salad and some crusty bread.

Makes 4 entrée servings

1/4 c olive oil
1/2 c finely chopped onion
1/4 to 1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
3 garlic cloves, minced
1.5 lb medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails left on or off, depending on your preference
1/2 c finely diced tomato, drained in a colander for 5 minutes
Kosher salt
2/3 c crumbled feta
1/2 c chopped fresh Italian parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large skillet, heat the oil and sauté the onion over medium heat for 5 minutes or until soft.  Add the crushed red pepper and the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.  Add the shrimp and sauté for 2 minutes, or until they start to turn pink.  Add the tomato and salt to taste and cook for 2 minutes more, or until the sauce begins to thicken.  Transfer to a baking dish or to four individual gratin dishes.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly.  Sprinkle with the cheese and bake for 2 to 3 minutes more.  Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Grilled Lamb Sirloin with Lemons, Herbs, and Garlic

This recipe has been a staple in my kitchen for years.  You can use a butterflied leg of lamb for this recipe, but I usuall start with a boneless leg and take off all of the excess fat and silver skin so that I’ve got some beautiful lean pieces about the size of a large fist,  along with some smaller bits that I freeze and use for lamb stew.  The sirloins are quicker to cook and easy to slice and serve.

Serves 6 to 8

Herb rub:
 8 garlic cloves
 3 T of chopped fresh thyme
 2 T of chopped fresh rosemary
 2 T of chopped Italian parsley
 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
 1 T kosher salt
 3 T olive oil
1 6-lb boneless leg of lamb, trimmed of all fat and cut into sirloins
1 lemon

In the bowl of a food processor, combine herb rub ingredients.

Rub herbs into lamb pieces and marinate in the refrigerator, covered, overnight or let sit at room temperature for one hour.

Prepare grill.  Lightly pat lamb dry and grill over glowing coals about 8 minutes each side, or until internal temperature on an instant-read thermometer reads 125 degrees.  (Alternatively, grill-mark lamb on grill or grillpan, then roast in a 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until instant-read thermometer reads 125.)

Transfer lamb to a cutting board and squeeze lemon juice over lamb.  Cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for about 10 minutes. 

Cut lamb and serve with any juices from the cutting board.

Roasted Potaties with Garlic, Lemon, and Oregano

These potatoes go great with the above lamb recipe – and if you have any left over, they’re a great base for a potato salad to take on the beach the next day!

Makes 4 to 6 servings

3 lb russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 c olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 t dried oregano
1 t kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c chicken broth
1/3 c fresh lemon juice
2-3 T chopped fresh oregano

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Place the potatoes in a single layer in a 13 X 9 baking dish and pour olive oil over them.  Add the garlic, dried oregano, salt, and pepper and toss potatoes to coat.

Bake the potatoes for 15 minutes.  Add the stock, toss, and bake for 10 minutes more or until the potatoes are cooked through.  Sprinkle with fresh oregano and serve. 

Date Rolls with Greek Yogurt and Honey

This is one of the easiest phyllo recipes I’ve come across – it’s also one of the most delicious.  The rolls can be assembled ahead of time, but you don’t want to bake them until an hour or so before serving

Makes 8 servings

1 ½ c pitted dates
1/2 c toasted walnuts
3 T plus 1/4 c honey
2 t finely grated orange peel
1/4 t allspice
4 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
1/2 c butter melted
1 c greek-style yogurt

Combine dates, walnuts, 3 tablespoons honey, orange peel, and allspice in a food processor.  Process until paste forms.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment or a silicon baking matt.  Remove one sheet of phyllo and place on your work surface.  Brush with melted butter and top with a second sheet.  Cut sheet in half horizontally.  Form filling into a log and roll it up in phyllo like a burrito.  Transfer to baking sheet and brush with butter.  Repeat with remaining phyllo.  Bake until golden, about 23 minutes.  Cool on baking sheet.

Spoon yogurt into individual bowls and drizzle each bowl with remaining honey.  Place 1 phyllo roll on each of 8 plates and serve with honey-yogurt for dipping.

BETH FLAHERTY is the owner/chef of Coriander’s Fine Foods and Catering at 17011 Highway 17 North, Hampstead, NC, phone: (910) 270-3413.  She was recently featured in Wilmington Magazine’s “Top Chef” competition, is a columnist for the Wilmington Star News Pender Neighbors Section and has been a regular contributor to this magazine for over a year.  For more information on Coriander’s, including information on daily specials, catering, wine tastings, and cooking classes, please go to www.corianderscatering.com.