Boterkoek for the Holidays

… and so ends our section on Mediterranean cuisine.  While Basil and I could have cooked Mediterranean food for much longer, we decided it was time to move onto another geographical region. 

The posts you will read in the New Year will focus on food from Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands.  This more Northern region of Europe has a wealthy culinary heritage to offer, including the famous pretzel, over 600 types of bread, countless stews, and delicious strudel.    Characterized by hearty meals and rich flavours, German, Austrian, and Dutch cuisine present our Canadian palates with enough of the familiar to make us comfortable and a lit bit of the exotic –we did after all make a rabbit stew!  

Before we leave you for the holidays, here’s an amazing Dutch dessert recipe that Basil and her family make every year. 

This crowd-pleasing dessert will have people coming back for seconds. 

Happy Holidays everyone and see you in the New Year!

Baked Greek White Fish

Greece has a long tradition of psaro-tavernas (fish taverns) along its coast. Taverna’s in general typically serve a few main dishes which change seasonally, two or three mezedes (appetizers) and a dessert. Adding psaro, which means fish, before taverna allows the business owners to ensure that patrons will know what they’ll be getting. They usually sell a selection of fresh fishes caught that day, which you can buy per kilo to be made in the style of that particular tavern. It’s a bit like choosing between beef, chicken or fish in a Chinese restaurant. You know what the sauce is going to be but you get to choose the protein.

A classic Greek taverna

A selection of the day's catches at a psaro-taverna

Facism and Bread

Bread has for centuries been a key food for Italians from many regions and from different social classes.  Bread also has spiritual connotations in the Christian liturgy, symbolizing the body of Christ.  During the 20^th century though, bread was so important it represented for the Italian nation.   

In July 1925, Italy’s Battle for Grain began.  In an effort to improve the status of agricultural workers and privilege rural areas, Mussolini increased the duties on imported grain.  Mussolini hoped that this would encourage local production and make Italy self-sufficient in wheat.   In so doing, Mussolini elevated the national status of bread, making it a quintessentially Italian food.  In fact bread was elevated to such an important status that in 1928, two days, April 14 and 15, were dedicated to a bread celebration (Gioranate del pane). 

Propaganda poster by Fascist Confederation of Italian Traders, illustration by Martianti, Rome, 1941

Thinking about Olives

Lavender and I love olives and knew that our antipasto course wouldn’t be complete without them. The salty, briny taste went extremely well with the rest of our rich, cheesy appetizers. Although we simply served our olives in bowls, one of our favourite “olive recipes” is an easy tapenade that looks fancy but is really very simple so we've included it at the bottom of the post because it's easy to make and tasty to eat.  

The olive tree, olea europaea, is a slow growing, relatively small tree with an impressively long lifespan. The oldest known olive tree is the Tree of Vouves on the island of Crete. There are seven ancient olive trees in Greece and the Mediterranean but the Tree of Vouves is likely the oldest, estimated at over 3,000 years old!

Arancini: Little Orange Joys

Arancini.  It literally means little orange.  But it is so much more than that.  These deep fried, cheese-stuffed, risotto balls look like tiny little oranges but they taste like delicious goodness (not that oranges aren’t great either).  Originating from Sicily, arancini are the perfect solution for leftover risotto – and let’s face it, leftover risotto is just not quite as good as the freshly made stuff.  But trust me, these deep-fried joys will have you tripling your next risotto recipe in order to make sure that you have enough to make a few batches of arancini. 

The more traditional kind of arancini is made with a ragu filling, but the possibilities are endless.  We made ours with a mozzarella filling and were really happy with the results.  You can also turn arancini into a dessert.  Simply swap risotto with rice pudding and fill it with nutella, chocolate, or dried fruit.

Playing Around with Pesto

Let’s talk about pesto. Sure yeah, it’s delicious and is typically made with basil, olive oil, fresh parmesan and pine nuts. But those ingredients are expensive and can be difficult to find out of season.

Did you know that the word “pesto” comes from the Italian pestare meaning to crush or to blend? The basil pesto that we’ve all come to know and love is originally from Liguria, a city in the Northwest of Italy, close to the French boarder. Basil plants grow in abundance around Liguria because the ideal growing conditions and mineral rich soil. It was, and still is, traditionally made with a mortar and pestle and served fresh.

Trade Routes and Tzatziki

Tzatziki, a humble dish prepared with yogurt and cucumber, has a rich and diverse history that spans the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and India.  In fact, tzatziki is perhaps the most Ottoman of all the dishes we prepared.  It demonstrates the scope and importance of Ottoman trade routes, especially in fostering cultural, and in our case culinary, exchange.  To make a long story very short, this quintessentially Greek appetizer and dip traveled from India through the Middle East before it made its way into Greek cookbooks. 

I am sure you are all wondering when and where India enters tzatziki’s history.  The simple answer is that tzatziki is a Greek interpretation of Indian raita.  Tracing the culinary and cultural exchanges that occurred over time allowing for raita to be transformed into tzatziki is what makes this story interesting.

The Dolma Dilemma

  
What do you think of when we say Mediterranean appetizers?  Well, Basil and I instantly thought of dolmades, also known as stuffed vine leaves.  These delicious and individually parcelled appetizers, while tricky to make, were most definitely our number one crowd pleaser.  Despite their finicky nature, dolmades present the cook with a number of creative possibilities.  They can be large or small; served hot or cold, as appetizers or as a main course; they might be made with lamb, or they might simply contain a combination of rice, spices, and dried fruits. In short, dolmades can be personalized and adapted to fit just about anyone's taste preferences.

A Mediterranean Feast

When we first went to the library to start our research on Mediterranean food, we were both surprised by the prominence of the words fresh, seasonal, simple, and local in many book titles.   Perhaps we shouldn’t have been so surprised.  Given our own personal interest in using local, seasonal, and fresh produce to prepare simple yet delicious food, we were naturally drawn towards a cuisine that prides itself on honouring the same values. 

There are so many things that we could say about Mediterranean cuisine, but we think it’s best to start by defining what we had in mind when we decided to focus our first series of recipes on this particular European region.  In the largest sense possible, Mediterranean cuisine refers to food produced and eaten by societies living along the Mediterranean Sea.

A map of the Mediterranean Sea

In the beginning...

Due to our mutual passion for good food, history, cookbooks, and community, we, Lavender and Basil, have decided to embark on a culinary journey.  Together, we will lovingly craft meals and share the recipes and stories behind our favourite dishes.  Our best recipes and stories will be posted on this blog and then compiled into a cookbook. 

Lavender and Basil in their kitchen

Being peasants ourselves, we have decided to build this project around traditional foods from Europe and Canada that have been cooked for hundreds of years.  The dishes and recipes we focus on are both the product of longstanding regional practices and modern adaptations.  The recipes are thus grounded in the past while demonstrating the ever-changing nature of taste and preparation techniques. 

We also believe that understanding the history and cultural context of what we eat enhances our relationship with food.  We will include short histories and anecdotes to embellish our recipes and (hopefully) enrich your experience making them.   At the very least, these stories will provide interesting historical and cultural tidbits about the food you are cooking and eating.  By posting only recipes that we have cooked, tested, (and occasionally messed up) we will offer you helpful tips and advice to help you in your own kitchen.

We hope you enjoy reading and cooking with us! 

Sincerely,

Lavender and Basil