AEGEAN GREENS PIE

AEGEAN GREENS PIE

by | Apr 23, 2024 | By Cuisine, By Meal Type, FOOD, Greek, Mediterranean, Recipes, Turkish, Vegetarian

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The book: Food and Life in the Blue Zone Ikaria by Meni Valle is one of my absolute favorite and very well-used cookbooks for everyday cooking.

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Truthfully, I was hesitant to dive in because I knew it would take me to a dream world I might not ever get back to in real life. When I lived in Turkiye and traveled along the Aegean Coast, I was always trying to get to Ikaria, but could never make it.

The adventurer inside of me remembered my young self..

When I was just 19 years old, I became a solo traveler through Europe, by accident. I was visiting my family in Sicily when I got the travel bug to see more and more, so I hopped on a train to Bari and took a ferry through the Adriatic and landed on the island of Corfu.

This was way back before the internet, blogs and social media hailed the glories of solo travels, women solo travelers especially, and all the hot spots to take a selfie. Instead, I was able to peacefully take photos, meet incredibly warm local villagers who showed me their gardens and invited me for fresh home-grown watermelon. I ate the purest seafood directly from Aegean, unseasoned vegetable salads that actually taught me what cucumbers are supposed to be, and spoke to village Yaiyas about their secrets to reaching old age in such a healthy way. One told me to always peel your cucumber!

While enjoying my little cup of Greek coffee and a village breakfast high up in a mountainside home for just $12 USD per night, I wrote in my diary (not a laptop or cell phone notes) a vow to myself that I would someday make a life for myself in the Mediterranean. To live in this simplicity. In this healthy air. To have neighbors, friends and family that were just as kind, happy, quiet and hard-working as the people of Corfu.

red motorcycle parked beside white concrete building during daytime
Photo by Lydia Gulinkina on Unsplash

Fast forward to now and my life looks nothing like that. I broke all the promises to myself about living in the Mediterranean. I’ve tried and feel like I failed, but I have learned to cook some pretty great things.

And I’ve learned to bring the Mediterranean lifestyle with me wherever I go, as much as I possibly can.

One way I do that is to eat as many greens as possible. To get as much sunshine as possible. To keep inspiring myself with stories, books, and recipes about the Mediterranean so that I can share that with all of you.

So I wanted to bring you a recipe this week that invokes both sides of the Aegean Sea, yet shared in both Greece and Turkiye. This is my specific take on it, my version, with the greens that I could find: Aegean Village Greens Pie. It’s not a sweet “pie”. Pie in this culinary cultural context is savory.

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Aegean Village Greens Pie

Serves 6

I always tell people not to be intimidate by fillo dough. It’s much more forgiving than you think. I’m not including a recipe for homemade fillo dough now, because first I want you to get used to sourcing and cooking- and enjoyably eating those greens!

First, go out and look for greens- not just spinach. I promise you, you’ll find them. Also, spring onions and leeks (leave out the leeks if you can’t find them, it’s okay):

  • Spinach
  • Dandelions
  • Beets (you’ll use only the greens)
  • Swiss Chard (any variety)
  • Spring onions
  • Leeks

Next, I want you to look for fresh herbs and onions. Please try to avoid dried herbs for this recipe, except for dried thyme.

  • Dill
  • Parsley (flat leaf, if possible)
  • Mint

Next, I want you to find the creamiest feta cheese possible:

For me, the best one is the Macedonian style feta cheese (more readily found in Canada). You can use other types of feta, but in my opinion most are way too dry except for perhaps the Valbreso brand French Feta Cheese, which is more easily found in the U.S. I think I may have even seen it at Costco…

*I used Sotidakis Goat Feta Chevre (from Costco) once and it was good, but not moist enough for this recipe, in my opinion.*

If you can’t find either, then so be it – just use what you can find.

Lastly, find a good fillo dough (in the freezer section of most Mediterranean and Middle Eastern markets, as well as most grocery stores). My go-tos are Fillo Factory Organic or Krinos, but you can really use any that work for savory pies. Just make sure they’re not shaped like a triangle or molded into cups- that’s for other types of fillo dishes. You’re going to bring the fillo home and put it in the refrigerator. But not for too many days (3-4 days tops), otherwise it will start to get moldy.

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You’ll probably have the rest of the ingredients on hand at home, but just in case:

  • A really great quality olive oil (that should be part of your cooking at all times, anyway, not just for this recipe). Might I be a little bit proud and mention our beloved Oil of Anatolia from Turkiye?
  • Farm fresh eggs
  • Black seed or sesame seeds (whichever you wish to top the spinach pies with)
  • Milk, for mixing with oil or butter, to wash the fillo
  • Silicone pastry brush
  • Rectangular deep pan (i.e. lasagna pan is good but a bit large). Round pans are okay but you’ll have to fanagle the fillo, which can be annoying

Measurements of Ingredients:

Approximately 3 cups cooked greens mixture (see below)

Fresh or dried garlic or garlic powder (optional)

All fresh herbs, washed, dried and roughly chopped

1-2 eggs (1 large or 2 small)

3/4 cup Feta cheese

1 teaspoon crushed black or white pepper

dry thyme or oregano (1-2 teaspoons)

1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

1 packet fillo (also spelled “phyllo”) dough, thawed in the refrigerator

Directions for Assembling and Baking:

HOW TO COOK THE GREENS

  1. Wash and dry all the greens and onions. If using, chop the stems of any Swiss chard finely. If using spring onions or leeks, use the white parts for this recipe by chopping them finely.
  2. In a small saute pan or pot, gently heat the olive oil. Add the onions then the stems or hardy parts of any of the greens. If you want you can add garlic (1 clove fresh) or garlic powder (1/2 teaspoon), too. Cook down until softened and set aside to cool completely.

ASSEMBLY & BAKING DIRECTIONS

  1. To a large bowl, add the greens. Add the herbs, eggs, feta, pepper and dried oregano or thyme and mix well. If necessary, add salt. Set this bowl aside.
  2. Prepare one cup of warm milk and add a generous drizzle of olive oil to it You can also/alternatively add a tablespoon of melted butter. This will be your wash for each layer of the fillo dough. Preheat the oven to 425 F.
  3. To the bottom of the baking pan, brush it generously with olive oil only.
  4. Open the packet of fillo dough. It will be large and rectangular. Cut it in half vertically so that you have two sections. Keep one out to work with and cover the other half with a damp towel. These pieces should fit the size of the pan with which you’re working.
  5. Brush the first layer with the milk-olive oil/butter. Continue to do this with each and every layer of this first half of fillo sheets. When you have finished the first half, pour the cooked greens/feta/egg mixture on top and level it flat with a spatula. Drizzle olive oil on top generously.
  6. Continue to use the other half of fillo sheets and brush each layer with the milk-olive oil mixture until you get to the very last layer on top. Drizzle the top generously with olive oil. Sprinkle sesame or black seeds on top and bak in the oven for 30-35 minutes.
  7. Let cool a few minutes before cutting. Serve with a fresh cucumber-tomato-olive salad, if desired.Καλή όρεξηKalí órexi / Afiyet olsun! Share Everyday Mediterranean by Yvonne Maffei if you’d like to subscribe to my culinary newsletter on Substack.

 

SHEPHERD’S SALAD / ÇOBAN SALATA

SHEPHERD’S SALAD / ÇOBAN SALATA

by | Apr 1, 2024 | Mediterranean, Turkish

Çoban Salata (Cho-ban Suh-la-ta), also known as Turkish Shepherd’s salad is by far the most well-known Turkish salad outside of Turkiye. You’ll find very similar and versions and some exactly the same being served in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean restaurants because it’s also common in those cuisines, as well- particularly Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. I’ve also seen it in the breakfast buffet at a hotel in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Because it goes well with all meats and fish (or can be a meal on its own, with some crusty bread and fresh cheese), it really is one of the most versatile salad recipes around- and it couldn’t be easier to make.

One variation that is super-interesting and tasty and is common to the Southeastern region of Turkiye is to add pomegranate molasses to it. All the same ingredients, just add about one tablespoon molasses if you’re using the same recipe below.

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My version of Çoban Salata, served for lunch at the World Bank Group in Washington, D.C. (May 2023)

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Çoban Salata: Turkish Shepherd’s Salad

Serves 4

This is the most popular Turkish salad, one which you’ll find all over Turkiye, but also very similar versions throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean region. It goes well with all meats and fish or can be a meal on its own, with some crusty bread and fresh cheese, which is what makes it one of the most versatile salad recipes around.

Ingredients

3-4 medium size Persian cucumbers, cut in half lengthwise and roughly chopped 

3 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped

3 spring onions, finely chopped

One handful of flat leaf or curly parsley, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons good quality extra virgin Turkish olive oil

Juice of ½ lemon

1 teaspoon salt-free sumac

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

Combine the cucumbers, tomatoes, spring onions and the parsley

in a bowl. Add the olive oil and lemon juice and mix all together.

Season with salt, ground black pepper, and sumac. Serve freshly made. 

Recipe adapted from Ozlem’s Turkish Table 

Shakshouka: Middle Eastern Breakfast Eggs

Shakshouka: Middle Eastern Breakfast Eggs

by | Jun 23, 2021 | FOOD, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Recipes, Turkish

Have you ever come up with a dish that is so tasty you think you invented it yourself, only to find out later that it’s actually one of the great national dishes of not one but many different nations?

Well, that happened to me when I thought I was a culinary genius for coming up with the most delicious breakfast egg dish I’d ever eaten. I was simply using leftover ingredients that I had on hand from my mostly Italian/Sicilian/Mediterranean cooking. Well, little did I realize that everywhere from Palestine to Turkey to Lebanon and Algeria, everyone has been making this dish, or something very similar to it: Shakhshouka (also spelled Shakshuka).

In Turkey, the same ingredients (onion, peppers, tomato sauce) are used but the eggs are scrambled and the dish is called Menemen. An Italian version might use leftover tomato sauce, and in Algeria or Morocco they spell it Chakchouka. In some Middle Eastern recipes they add nutmeg; I do not ever put nutmeg in mine.

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I recently worked on a video project for American Muslims for Palestine called Turning Tables, so watch out for that to be published in the near future. I was asked to make a Palestinian recipe or one that was inspired by Palestinian cuisine, so I decided to make my version of Shakhshouka, inspired by the cookbook, The Gaza Kitchen by Laila Al-Haddad, which now has a new and updated version.

Here is how I make my Shakshouka:

Ingredients

2 tablespoons good quality olive oil  

½ onion, thinly sliced

½ large green pepper, thinly sliced

½ large red pepper, thinly sliced

½ thinly sliced jalapeno pepper or one whole serrano pepper

½ teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

4 pastured eggs 

1-2 tablespoons crumbled feta 

Freshly chopped Italian curly parsley

Fresh pita or rustic bread

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Directions

Gently warm the olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the onion, green and red peppers and jalapeno. Cook until the peppers have softened. Add the sea salt and ground pepper as they cook.

Add the tomato paste and swirl around the pan to dissolve it as much as possible. Add 1-2 teaspoons of water to thin it out. Add the paprika. Cook until the water has mostly evaporated. 

With a wooden spoon, carve out 4 round spots in the pan and crack one egg into each spot. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let cook until the white membrane of the eggs have cooked and whitened.

Remove from heat and drizzle the dish with olive oil, the crumbled feta and chopped parsley. Serve family style on a hot plate on the table, with fresh and warm pita bread. 

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Bismillah and Sahtein!

You can see a slightly different, faster version that I made for breakfast recently and posted on my Instagram page:

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Turkish Style Green Bean & Tomato Salad (Fasulye)

Turkish Style Green Bean & Tomato Salad (Fasulye)

by | Aug 26, 2020 | Mediterranean, Recipes, Side Dishes, Summer, Turkish

One of my neighbors passed on some of their long garden green beans to me, which I relish so much- anything from home gardens, without chemicals and given with a warm heart and smile is absolutely golden.

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Since real organic, super fresh foods tend to break down quickly, I processed them the same day by immediately boiling them in salted water for 20 minutes. While they were cooking, I peeled and chopped fresh tomatoes (if you only have canned chopped tomatoes, use those but drain the juices), added a healthy dose of really good olive oil, crushed up 3-4 garlic cloves, and some super fresh chopped parsley. 

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Divine on its own as a salad, it’s also an absolutely lovely side dish to meat or fish. With it being so super simple to make (especially in this heatwave) it also tastes nice cold, too. I’ve been making this type of salad for years, always thinking it was a “Sicilian” way of making these summer beans, but maybe it’s just a common Mediterranean style because I’ve seen a lot of Turkish recipes go pretty much the same. Either way, wherever it originated or wherever it’s most common just doesn’t matter- it’s simple, healthy and delicious. That’s what matters….

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Zero Waste Winter Vegetable Soup

Zero Waste Winter Vegetable Soup

by | Feb 16, 2020 | Soups, Turkish, Vegan, Vegetarian

Nothing is better than a bowl of hot soup on a cold winter day, would you agree? You’d be amazed what you can put together with what you’ve already got in your fridge and pantry, so why waste food by going out to get any extra special ingredients for something a little more complicated or time-consuming? This type of soup is so quick and easy, too. 

Let me tell you how it’s made: use what you’ve already got.

In my case, in the fridge, I had one carrot, a bit of spinach, and a couple cherry tomatoes that would have been on their way out if I waited another day to consume them. Just that alone, however, didn’t feel filling enough, so I looked in my pantry for something to bulk it up, like small pasta noodles or rice and that’s what I had. I actually had a very small amount of rice left and didn’t even use it all – remember, it expands quite a bit in water (and in your belly), so I added about 3 tablespoons- that’s it! Spices are up to you, but I’ll list the ones I used in the recipe instructions below. 

I love how the recipe is very #zerowaste, a common hashtag circling around these days, but it’s true- why waste food? Are we addicted to grocery store shopping? Are we so busy we can’t go to the grocery store more than once a week? I chalk these things up to boredom and lack of priorities, and believe me I have definitely been there. I would go to the grocery store just to have something to do. To look for novel things. That I didn’t need. I probably went more than the average person because I write about food, but nevertheless, I should have prioritized freshness of food and not wasting it, more than I did.

Here in Turkey, things don’t operate the same way. I go to the market two times per week to buy fresh produce, but it also goes bad rather quickly, so I don’t buy too much of it. That’s a good thing, hopefully indicating fewer or no pesticides, but also that I am way more careful about using up all the leafy greens and fresh fruits and vegetables I’ve bought in between market days; and if I don’t, then I don’t buy more of it at the next market day. 

I think things are changing in the U.S. for the better, as well. There are more outdoor markets in the Spring or Summer and in the winter there are indoor markets that can be utilized to buy a lot of greenhouse-grown produce. Check your Local Harvest website for markets near you. 

The complete recipe instructions and ingredients are below, and some of the ingredients you may want to get for this recipe are also listed here. Enjoy! 

Recipe: Zero Waste Winter Vegetable Soup

The point of this recipe is to use what you have so if you have anything similar to these ingredients, use them. If you have less or more of the ingredients, use those. The amount of water or broth added to the ingredients is totally dependent upon the amount of other ingredients you have, so adjust accordingly and always remember that the rice/pasta/tarhana expands when boiled. 

Ingredients

Directions

Sauté half of a small onion in olive oil, heated very gently. Next add the carrots and cook until the carrots are softened, mixing often so as not to burn the onions. Add the tomatoes and cook until soft. 

Add the water and bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, for about 10-15 minutes. Add the rice or pasta or tarhana and continue to cook until the grains are soft. The time will vary depending upon which type of grains are used. 

Remove from heat and serve with grated Parmesan or a sprinkle of Turkish oregano or crushed red pepper, if desired. 

 

Suzme: Strained Turkish Yogurt

Suzme: Strained Turkish Yogurt

by | Jul 24, 2019 | FOOD, Turkish

 

I get a lot of questions daily asking me for recommendations on what people should try when they come to Turkey for a visit. For me, it’s always been more about ingredients than specific restaurants. I’m a huge fan of shopping at grocery stores when I travel because I like to see everything that is on display for the locals to cook with in their meals. While restaurants are wonderful to experience and almost always a necessity when traveling, the reality is that you’re trying a whole dish most of the time, and not one specific ingredient, untouched. Also, you’re most likely getting the cheapest ingredients they can find since they need so many to put all those meals together. 

That said, such is the case with one Turkish product I simply have grown to love: suzme yogurt (not any particular brand). 

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Suzme means ‘strained’, so you’ll also see this word used in front of peynir (cheese). Basically, it’s the thickest version of Turkish yogurt. In the U.S. it’s usually called Greek-style yogurt. 

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How or when do I use it? 

  • To make yogurt parfaits
  • On top of fresh fruit
  • In my Turkish Breakfast Eggs with Yogurt recipe (it’s thickness is so great because it cooks almost like cheese and doesn’t separate). 
  • Top dishes like stuffed grape leaves or stuffed peppers. 

If you come to Turkey, just trust me and be sure to try the suzme (strained) yogurt. I’m not endorsing any specific brand, just this variety of thick yogurt you must taste!