Beef & Lamb Pastitsio

Beef & Lamb Pastitsio
(with spiced tomato sauce & yogurt béchamel)

1 square Pastitsio
4 ounces tomato sauce
Fresh chopped parsley for garnish

Place Pastitsio in a sauté pan with vegetable stock and into oven to heat through.
When hot place in center of large yellow plate, ladle hot sauce around & over Pastitsio and garnish with parsley.


For Pastitsio:
2 lbs. of ground chuck
1 lb. ground lamb
3 cups diced onion
3 T. chopped garlic
¾ cup virgin olive oil
2 cinnamon sticks
1 t. ground allspice
1 T. ground coriander
2 t. hot paprika
1 cup red wine
4 cups house tomato sauce
2 T. tomato paste
2 lbs. macaroni #2 blanched for 5 minutes, tossed with a little olive oil and cooled
Yogurt béchamel

In large stainless steel pot lightly brown beef & lamb in olive oil, add onion and garlic and cook until soft.
Add cinnamon, allspice, allspice and paprika; cook 2 minutes.
Add wine, reduce by 3/4‘s, add tomato sauce and tomato paste cook until mixture becomes thick but not dry.
Cool in walk-in.
Mix with pasta, 1 cup of béchamel and check seasoning.
Transfer to a hotel pan, spread evenly into pan and top with béchamel; may make more than you need but can be used for next batch or half a batch.
Bake in a 400 degree oven until lightly brown and completely chill before cutting and using; best chilled overnight.


For Béchamel:
12 ounces butter
12 ounces flour
64 ounces milk
2 ounces egg yolks
½ cup grated kefalotiri cheese
1 cup yogurt
¼ t. freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and fresh pepper to taste

In stainless steel pot cook butter until foam begins to subside, stir in flour and cook for 6 minutes.
Off heat slowly whisk in flour to avoid lumps, place back over heat and cook until mixture begins to boil.
Remove form heat, whisk together yogurt, egg yolks, nutmeg and cheese.
Add about half a cup of béchamel to yogurt mix to temper, stir into béchamel and season.

Barrel Aged Feta Crusted Halibut

Barrel Aged Feta Crusted Halibut
Recipe by Chef Gregory Zapantis

Ingredients:
(Serves 2)
2 pc of 8 oz fillet of halibut- skin on
4 Tbl spoon of extra virgin olive oil
8 oz white wine
1 whole tomato sliced
1 pc Spanish onion
1 tsp of fresh thyme
1 tsp of fresh oregano
4-6 leaves of fresh basil
4-6 oz of barrel aged feta cheese
Fresh pepper to taste


Preparation:
Place the two pieces of Halibut fillets in an oven proof casserole
Rub the fillets with the olive oil and fresh herbs and set them aside (refrigerate for 1 hour)
Slice the tomato and the Spanish onion in four one inch slices and place them in the bottom of the casserole, add the wine and fresh herbs
Place Halibut on top
Crumble the feta and place on top of the Halibut
Bake in oven at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes

Lavraki Tartare

Lavraki Tartare
Recipe by Chef Gregory Zapantis

Ingredients
2 thin slices of lavraki (Mediterranean sea bass) approx. 4oz.
1 tbsp Scordalia (garlic almond mousse)*
¼ inch thick sliced of a peeled cucumber
¼ inch thick slice of a roasted red pepper
¼ inch thick slice of a roasted beet
6 pcs poached grape leaves
½ tsp lemon and orange zest (mixed)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation
Lay out the poached grape leaves, to form a square, and spread the scordalia on one side. Place the lavraki about one third in from the edge and on top of the grape leaves covering the entire length. Place cucumber, pepper and beet over the lavraki. Add zest and salt and pepper to taste. Take hold of the grape leaves and roll the entire length gently, but tight enough to avoid spillage.

Mise en Place
Cut into 1 inch pieces, and place on serving dish.
Top each piece with tobiko caviar.


*Ingredients & Preparation for Garlic Almond Mousse
Makes enough for four cups, which and be refrigerated and used in other dishes, or as a garnish for almost any grilled fish.

1 oz fresh garlic
½ cup blanched almonds
1/3 cup vinegar
½ tsp white pepper
1 tsp sea salt
½ lb Country loaf (crust removed), soaked in cold water and squeezed dry
3 oz extra virgin olive oil
4 oz cold water

Add all ingredients (except the olive oil) to a food processor and blend for 3-4 minutes. Continue to blend while adding the oil in a slow stream. After completely blended, store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Lamb Shank Ravioli

Lamb Shank Ravioli
Recipe by Chef Gregory Zapantis

Ingredients – Braised Lamb Shank
12 lamb shanks
5 onions diced
4 carrots diced
6pcs celery diced
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 btl red wine (34oz)
2 qt plum tomatoes-crushed
2 qt veal stock

Preparation 1:
Roast the lamb shank for 45 minutes and remove from the oven. In a roasting pan, sauté the lamb shank, onions, carrots and celery in extra virgin olive oil. When the onions become translucent, add red wine, veal stock and plum tomatoes. Place the roasting pan and all the ingredients, in the oven and braise for 2 hours at 400 degrees. Remove the pan from the oven and skim the fat. Cool lamb shank and de-bone. Set aside the meat for the ravioli.


Ingredients – Pasta
3 cups semolina
2 oz all purpose flour
5 whole eggs
2 oz water

Preparation 2:
Blend all the ingredients with a paddle for 5 minutes. Remove from the blender and knead for 3 minutes. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough ¼ inch thick. Cut the dough using a circle cutter, 3 inches in diameter.

Preparation 3:
Brush the edges of pasta with egg yolk. Put 2 large spoons of lamb shank in the center of the pasta. Pull the edges together and pinch closed. Boil for 3 minutes or until pasta is cooked.

Mise en Place:
Place a little St. George wine sauce in the plate. Place the ravioli on top. Garnish the ravioli with a little more St. George wine sauce, micro greens and chives.

Melomakarona - Greek Semolina Honey Cookies

Melomakarona
(a traditional Greek cookie with walnuts and honey)
Makes 40-50 cookies

FOR THE DOUGH:
1 1/2 cups olive oil
1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup brandy or cognac
2 tsp orange zest (or less)
8 cups all-purpose flour (approx)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
FOR THE SYRUP:
2 cups honey
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
GARNISH WITH:
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves

TO PREPARE THE DOUGH:
Beat the first 6 ingredients (olive oil through orange zest) on high with a mixer for 4 minutes.

Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl. Make a well in the flour and add the beaten ingredients. Slowly blend the liquids into the flour and then knead lightly. The dough should be soft and oily and will hold a shape.

Form into an oblong shape about 3 inches long and arrange on your cookie sheet lined with wax paper.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 C) until slightly brown, about 30 minutes.

TO PREPARE THE SYRUP:
Meanwhile, boil the honey, sugar, and water for 5 minutes to make the syrup, skimming off the foam as it forms.

Place the hot baked cookies in a shallow pan and pour the syrup over them. Let them set for an hour or so and then flip them over to soak the other way for another 1/2 hour or so.

Layer the cookies on a platter and sprinkle with the mixed walnuts, cinnamon, and cloves. You can pile them into a pyramid shape on the platter if you like, sprinkling every layer with the walnuts. Any leftover soaking syrup may be drizzled over the cookies.

Cover with plastic wrap and store room temperature.

Greek Salad With Tuna

Greek Salad With Tuna

Serves 4 as a first course

1/2 English cucumber
1/2 pound cherry tomatoes
1/3 cup Kalamata olives
3 ounces feta
a 6-ounce can tuna in olive oil (not drained)

Halve cucumber lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces. Quarter tomatoes. Pit and quarter olives. Cut feta into 1/4-inch dice. In a bowl toss together cucumber, tomatoes, olives, feta, tuna with oil from can, and salt and pepper to taste, keeping tuna in large chunks.

Kalamarakia Yemista Me Salata (Stuffed Calamari with Salad)

Kellari - Yemista Kalamarakia me (Arugula) Salata
Grilled Stuffed Calamari with feta, tomato, and fresh herbs over a baby arugula
salad.

Mise en place:
Stuffed calamari
Roasted peppers
Kalamata olives halved
Lemon oregano vinaigrette

Stuffing:
2# Feta Cheese, crumbled
8 Tomatoes, peeled, seed, cut in large chunks
1bu Dill, chopped roughly
8 Shallots, thinly sliced
½ C Parsley, chopped
2 Tbl. Garlic, finely minced
½ qt extra virgin olive oil
3# Calamari, medium tubes, cleaned & heads reserved

Procedure:
Mix all stuffing ingredients together and season. Place in pastry bag with a large tip and stuff calamari ¾ way filled. Reserve tentacles.

For Salad:
4 oz Baby arugula, cleaned & dried
1 oz Lemon oregano vinaigrette
10 Kalamata olive, halves
1 Red pepper, roasted & julienne
1 Yellow pepper, roasted & julienne
5 Oven roasted tomatoes, julienne

Procedure:
Place all ingredients in small stainless steel salad bowl. Toss with vinaigrette and season with salt & pepper.

For the plate:
Grill three pieces of calamari and 3 tentacles.
Place a small amount of salad on the bottom of the plate as a base for the salad. Slice the calamari tubes in half on a sharp bias and place on the bed of salad. Twist the remainder of the salad and place it on top garnish with the tentacles. Drizzle some lemon oregano vinaigrette around the plate.

Spinach and Feta Salad

Kellari - Spinach and Feta Salad
makes 8 servings

2 pounds fresh spinach
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cucumber, sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 pound feta cheese, crumbled
2 green onions, chopped

Remove stems from spinach. Wash and drain leaves, cut into 1-inch wide strips, and place in a salad bowl. Shake together the oil, vinegar, lemon juice, cinnamon, mustard, salt, and pepper; pour half the dressing over the spinach and mix well. Thinly slice cucumbers and arrange in a ring across the top with the cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle with cheese and onions. Pour remaining dressing over the salad.