California Greek Girl

What Do I Make with Mushrooms?

by Mary Papoulias-Platis

Mushrooms big and small, brown or white? There are nearly 300 varieties on the market. Knowing your mushroom type is very important, because each one may require a different cooking method. Overall, here are the most common ones we consume. Did you know Pennsylvania is the leading state in production, providing 2/3 of the market. To learn more, visit the Riviera Wholesale company. Let’s identify the six most popular mushrooms in the U.S. and they are: White Button, Cremini, Portobello, Oyster, Enoki, and Shiitake.

Mushrooms in the Kitchen and Most Popular

White Button: Roast, sauteed or grilled for a stronger flavor. Mostly, used for garnishes, and pizza toppings. Most common.
Cremini : Often called “Baby Bellas”. They are darker in color, with a meatier texture. Roasted or sauteed is best for these mushrooms.
Portobello Mushrooms : They are the larger size of the Cremini. Flavor is very rich with a firm meaty texture. They are large in size perfect for stuffing, used as a burger, and in sandwiches.
Oyster: A mild tasting mushroom , delicate in flavor and they do taste slightly like oysters. They are best in stir-frys, stews and sauteed.
Enoki: They are unique in their shape with long threads often called lily mushrooms. They are creamy in color, slightly sweet and fruity. Soups, stir-frys, and unique meal bowls are best for these mushrooms.
Shiitake: With a strong flavor, savory with umami, they pair well with vegetables, in sauces and soups.

Poached Mushrooms In Olive Oil with a Tart Recipe

Here is a handy list of dishes you may want to think about before heading to the supermarket. These are simple dishes you can find many recipes for.

They are also considered to be a nutrient-dense food with many health benefits:

Lowers Blood Pressure – full of potassium.
Boosts Immune System – anti-inflammatory with B6, vitamin D, Selenium
Low-calorie, good source of fiber protein, and antioxidants. For more information : WebMD

You may also like a few of my recipes:

Mountain Meadow Mushroom Tour and Risotto Recipe in San Diego

Poached Mushrooms In Olive Oil with a Tart Recipe

Stuffed Mushrooms with Spinach and Thyme

Artichokes Stuffed with Bulgur and Mushrooms – “Anginares”

Best in Health,

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What Do I Make with Basil

by Mary Papoulias-Platis

Basil is one herb I try and have on hand at all times. You can use it in so many dishes, including appetizers, soups, breads, main dishes such as chicken and even desserts. Plant this herb in a pot, great in garden boxes or among your flower beds. Mostly used in the Italian Diet, and often seen in sauces such as pesto, and used as a garnish in salads, pastas, and meats. There are many varieties of this herb, as they vary in flavor, color and size. I often plant several types, depending on my recipes and how I want it flavoring my dishes. Herbs are very easy to grow by seed, and Renee Garden Seeds is an organic company, one I can trust and which has excellent products.

When using as a topping on your roasted vegetables, soups, or pasta dishes, gently tear into pieces and add to your dish. Or you can roll the leaves up, use a sharp pairing knife and cut thinly into strips. This is called “chiffonade” in culinary terms.

Basil Oil

1 oz. basil leaves
1/2 oz. parsley leaves
1/2 cup olive oil.

Blanch the basil and parsley in salted water for 20 seconds. Place in a bowl of ice cubes to keep their color, drain well. Combine the blanched herbs with oil in a blender and puree until smooth.

Try drying your herbs to preserve them!

Recipe for Basil Salt

1/4 cup coarse salt
1/4 cup loosely packed basil leaves

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Place salt and the herb in a small processor, pulse until finely chopped.
Spread mixture on a 15×10 parchment lines sheet pan.
Bake until mixture appears dry, about 30 minutes.
Remove from oven, cool completely in pan.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Other types of this herb is my Greek variety in my garden. It has more of a cinnamon flavor which is perfect for our Greek sauces, grilled vegetables, salads and soups.

Greek Dinner to Try with Halibut

by Mary Papoulias-Platis

Halibut, is one of my first choices in fish for developing this Greek Dinner. Cooking at home can be very burdensome for many, but it take time, shopping, and following and executing the dishes. So, I decided to make it easier for you and choose menus that I have been making for many years with my family and friends. Many dishes in the Greek Diet are comprised from the love of the sea. Living in California, this also gives us these many same choices in foods. Always, thanking our parents for settling in San Diego back in the 50’s. This main Halibut recipe can be made with any sturdy white fish, keeping in mind to purchase your fish from reliable sources.

Here are some tips on selecting fresh fish.

When purchasing seafood, the word “fresh” generally refers to seafood that has not been frozen. But, frozen seafood can be superior in quality to fresh seafood. I do often buy frozen fish, from reputable companies.
Plan ahead to keep the fish that you catch cold. Ask for ice to completely surround the fish so it will stay cold until you can get your fish home and stored in the refrigerator.
Use clean drinkable water when rinsing or cleaning your fish and keep all cutting boards, knives and other equipment clean.

Plaki is the name of my halibut recipe, meaning a baked fish topped with fresh tomatoes, onions and garlic with a heavy splash of extra virgin olive oil. Adding herbs and spices, fresh parsley and oregano gives it the kiss it needs to making this dish Greek.

This verson of Plaki was made with Cod, using the same methods in the recipe.

Baked Greek Fish with Tomatoes and Onions

For the sides, we always serve it with fresh beets in my family. Beets are actually a staple often served with roast leg of lamb, baked Greek chicken or grilled pork. When buying beets, look for the greens attached. I never buy them if they have been removed. I boil the greens and serve with lemon juice and Greek olive oil. They are full of nutrients and so healthy for your bodies. See the plated picture for the boiled beet greens.

How To Roast Beets Cooking Technique

Greek Garlic Sauce Skordalia

I suggest when making this sauce, not to put it in a blender. Try and mix by hand using a potato masher. You can add a small amount of water or stock to make it smoother.

I’m hoping you will try this Delicious Greek menu, and bring some ethnic dishes into your home.

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What do I Make with Rosemary

by Mary Papoulias-Platis

The herb Rosemary, is such an important herb to grow in your garden, from all the health benefits it supports. The plant grows as a perennial, it comes back every year. The one I grow in my garden is the “Tuscan Blue”. It blooms early Spring and covered with brilliant blue flowers. It’s beautiful as a border, or buy the ground cover for walkways and flower gardens. The official name for rosemary is Rosmarinus officinalis, the name to look for at your nurseries. This herb is native to the Mediterranean seacoast related to the mint family.

Tips on growing :

In zone 6 or colder climates you need to plant in pots and bring them indoors. Or look up your zone requirements and see what works best for you.
In zone 7, plant it in a protected area with lots of mulch.
In warmer climates, plant more than one for a very attractive grouping.
For more information, reach out to your local herb society, or the Herb Society of America.
This herb is the plant of Remembrance and Constancy.

As you know, this herb has a woody stem, and is best when cooked in a braise, soup, or for a long length of time as a stew. You can use the leaves only when finely chopped, for adding to a soup, roasting with any meats, infused for a drink, dressings, or teas. Once the flowers are blooming you can pick them off and top your soups or salads as a garnish. one of my favorite ways to use the branches in a meal, is to strip off any green, and use them as a skewer for grilling. For displaying your meatballs, shrimp, or appetizers use them as I did with my Greek Herbal Meatballs.

Let’s Cook!

The parts of the rosemary stem you can cook with are the leaves, flowers, stems for grilling as skewers. The flavor profile is strong so less is more when cooking. Rosemary has a pine and pungent spicy flavor characteristic. When cooking, adding herbs with such a strong flavor as this, use it sparingly. Choose to cook with meat, poultry, shrimp, tuna, swordfish eggplant, peppers, potatoes, onion, garlic, beans, tomatoes, breads, citrus, apples and pears.

Yes, you can Bake with this Herb

Rosemary works well with baking, especially fresh yeasted breads as focaccia, buns, biscuits and muffins. When baking cakes as rosemary to pounds cakes, shortbread, and clafouti. Don’t forget it does make a wonderful lemonade and ice cream, but needs to be infused in cream or water to produce the flavor, and strained to remove the stems.

Cooking Companions

Let’s say you want to stuff a chicken, you can pair rosemary with other herbs. Here are a few suggestions, basil, chives, fennel, lavender, lemon verbena, oregano, parsley, and thyme.

Dried Spices and Compound Butter can also be made with this herb. The famous, Herbs De Provence has dried rosemary as one of the main ingredients. You can make your own version of dried spices as you explore more of it’s flavor. Compound butter is merely, soften butter with added fresh herbs and rolled into a tube-like shape and refrigerated until it hardens. Use your compound butter for your sliced toasted bread, as a soup accent, a pasta dish and best with warm potatoes.

What a Cup of Tea Can Do for Your Health

Rosemary tea contains compounds shown to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial effects. The two most studied compounds in rosemary are rosmarinic acid and carnosic acid. Rosemary tea contains compounds that may help lower high blood sugar levels by exerting insulin-like effects and boosting the absorption of glucose into muscle cells. Consuming and inhaling compounds in rosemary have been shown to reduce anxiety, boost mood, and improve concentration and memory. Both smelling and drinking rosemary tea may offer these benefits, but more research is needed. Compounds in rosemary tea may protect the health of your brain — both from injury and impairment from aging and neurodegenerative diseases. Rosemary tea may contain compounds that can help protect your vision as you age by slowing the progression and severity of diseases like cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.

Recipe for Tea

Rosemary tea is very easy to make at home and only requires two ingredients — water and rosemary. To make rosemary tea, simply bring water to a boil. In a cup add 1 teaspoon of fresh rosemary leaves and add the water. Let it steep for the strength of flavor you like, 5-10 minutes. Strain the tea and enjoy with honey.

Other recipes I have on my blog.

Rosemary White Bean Soup

Rosemary Panna Cotta with Muscato

Best in Health,

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Greek Easter Dinner Menu

by Mary Papoulias-Platis

Today’s Greek Easter dinner will look so different, than the one I grew up with. We will have more options to help accommodate those with eating restrictions and food allergies. But, I do still miss my mother’s and aunt’s talents when it came to feeding so many people with their traditional Easter meals. They didn’t vary much from one year to the next, so we always looked forward to our favorites. We just sat down and ate together without any special food requests as you have today. I think life as a cook was much easier back then. So, over the years with my family and friends, I have combined many recipes from both sides of my family and came up with my own traditions for my Easter table.

As you can see, I try and get in one main dish of lamb, and I find that nobody complains. If you saw my last post, Greek Lamb Cuts, I have written about the several ways to make lamb from the leg of lamb, to lamb shanks and many more. Here, on this post, my family’s favorite is the roasted Leg of Lamb with Orzo. It feeds many, and it’s not often we have a small group.

Once you have selected your cut of lamb, it’s time to consider what your sides will be. I always try and have a sheet tray size of a casserole or phyllo pie for those who don’t eat meat. I have used my spanakopita, leek and feta pie, or Pastitsio with Phyllo in the past.

Pictured is my Spanakopita dish with phyllo, that can be a great side for vegetarians as well as feeding a crowd. I don’t know about your family but the ultimate disaster during the holidays, especially at your house is running out of food! You never recover from this in a Greek household.

Other Sides might be a big bowl of Roasted Beets, Greek Lemony Potatoes, Greens with Olive Oil, and a enormous salad bowl for a traditional Greek Salad.

This year I chose Stuffed Tomatoes with Rice and Dill. My mother made the best ever, and it took me years to get them close enough to be my own. Many times potatoes are placed between the tomatoes to hold up them up, but also to drink up the juices. But, I like them just the way my mother made them, simple but memorable!

As I considered putting on a more traditional Easter Dinner, I decided on Stuffed Grape Leaves for another side, a memory of my mother-in-law, Helen Platis, who made the best in town. I remember spending so many days watching her method for making these tiny morsels of goodness. Wrapping grape leaves, one after another, until the entire bottle was used up. I so miss those moments together with her. My mother never served them with yogurt sauce, but with an egg-lemon sauce. Just as delicious. I enjoy the clean bright taste of the yogurt sauce, Tzazikki cutting into the bitter grape leaves as a dipping sauce.

Lastly, we must have our freshly-made Greek Easter Bread with our Red Dyed Eggs! We enjoy breaking eggs together, year after year, and after dinner with our coffee. After, a long fast during the week, we appreciate every bite of this dinner!

And of course, we must have my mother’s Greek Easter cookies, Koulouria, for a late snack and take home treat!
I hope and pray you have a Blessed Easter with Family and Friends,

Kalo Pasha and Xristos Anesti,

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Greek Lamb Cuts and Tips

by Mary Papoulias-Platis

Greek Lamb is easy to prepare at home, with these three different cuts. Once you decide on your favorite one, I added a few tips on preparing your selection. Many choices are made according to your time frame and cooking application. Lamb is low in fat and lean, making it a healthy choice as a main dish. When I shop for meat, I look for a butcher in town that I can trust, and look for grass fed organic; as much as possible. There are many cuts to choose from which makes it so much easier to plan your meals. What makes Greek Lamb different from other recipes is that we use very few ingredients and basically rely on the simple ingredients of the Greek pantry which includes EVOO, lemon, oregano, basil, parsley, mint, wine, tomatoes, salt and pepper.

In Greece and in Greek homes around the world, an entire lamb is started early in the morning on a spit over coals, in which it will take hours to cook. When I visited Greece, the deep aroma of lamb juices surrounded the small countryside homes on early Sunday mornings as the men repeatedly rotated the hot spit, basting and filling the pit with more fresh wood. Lamb is the meat of choice during the Easter Season, chosen for celebratory menus across Greece. Today, we have many choices beside the traditional grilling a whole lamb on a spit or on your BBQ. You have many choices for cuts and what works for you and your family. Look for these various meats at your large box stores, or your local butchers, but plan ahead, you may have to order them ahead of time.

There are many select cuts of lamb.

Leg of Lamb is a good choice for a large group. And very easy to prepare.

Lamb Shanks are slowly cooked for hours for tender individual servings.

Lamb Ribs or Chops are usually marinated and grilled for a quick main dish.

Flavors that Enhance Lamb can be overwhelming if you are using lamb chops, sprinkle them on lightly. Lambs shanks and a Leg of Lamb on the other hand can use more spices, since they will be cooking for such a longer period of time in the oven.

bread crumbs, lemon, fennel, garlic, mint, mustard, oregano, parsley, black pepper, rosemary, tomatoes, thyme, wine, yogurt.

Roasting a Leg of Lamb

Once the lamb is grilled or roasted, we use the lamb drippings to make our favorite pasta, Orzo. Always double the pasta for it’s always the first to go!

Step 1 – In a large pan place the leg of lamb on a rack, simply add fresh whole garlic cloves to the top of the leg cutting many small slits on leg and inserting them into the meat. Add salt and pepper, sprinkle with lemon juice and olive oil and bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 2-3 hours until the temperature reaches, 125-130 degrees for medium rare, another 35-45 minutes for medium or well-done around 145 degrees. Allow the lamb to rest before carving.

Step 2 – Remove the lamb from the roasting pan, and remove any fat from the juices. Add 1/4 cup tomato sauce and either water or broth depending on the amount of orzo you are using. Place back in the oven, until boiling and then add the orzo. Cook until the pasta is done. Stir often to prevent sticking. Taste for salt and pepper. This can also be made in a large pot on the stove by removing the broth to the pan, and proceed.

I also have these recipes below for you to enjoy on my blog.

Greek Lamb Shanks with Orzo

Lamb Ribs Poached in Olive Oil

Grilled Lamb Ribs with Greens and Beets

Sides

Lamb Stuffed Green Peppers

Lamb Stew with Artichokes

I hope you can enjoy Spring and Easter with one of these lamb recipes, and share in the family experience on Greek Easter.

Kalo Paska!

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Greek Lenten Week

by Mary Papoulias-Platis

Greek Lenten Week has approached and we begin our commitment to fasting during our Easter celebrations. Our diet becomes vegetarian as well as vegan, but it is quite easy to adopt this way of eating, as our normal diet is primarily fruits, vegetables, grains and pasta with a small amount of meat. Fasting begins on Palm Sunday and continues until Holy Saturday. I have written about this in more detail in my blog post; Greek Easter Lenten Week. As you can see on my blog, I have been working on developing more dishes that are Plant-Based, after becoming certified from Rouxbe’s program. My task during the Covid years was to bring better eating habits to my culinary school, Ethos Culinary. At Ethos I teach vegetarian, vegan and plant-based meals and it’s very exciting for my students to learn new cooking techniques along with improving their health.

Let’s Stay Healthy!

This year I am concentrating on new dishes I have used for Greek Lent and served my family. The most important take- a- way from Rouxbe, is to be prepared! Shopping, Prepping, and Planning is the roads to success. To learn more read The Pantry Essentials for the Home Cook, and this is a great place for you to start.

Let’s get started with Lenten Soups!

Pumpkin or Butternut Squash Soup

My Greek Lentil Soup

White Bean Soup with Carrots

More Soups here at Soup’s On!

Great Salads for Dinner

One dish I serve often is a Greek Pasta Salad. It’s a wonderful way to clean out your vegetable bin. Just cook up some pasta, and make a vinaigrette and you have dinner! Don’t forget to get a sheet pan out and roast vegetables from your pantry and serve with rice or pasta.

Greek Vegetable Pasta!

Greek Potato Pasta

Hummus with Vegetables

Greek Roasted Vegetables

I hope I have given you practical recipes to help you with your Lenten Week and get dinner on the table! I truly believe that having a filled pantry and vegetables in your bin, you can stay healthy and live a long life!

Enjoy Lenten Week , Kalo Pascha, and Happy Easter!

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Pantry Essentials for the Home Cook

by Mary Papoulias-Platis

I love having my pantry stocked with basic ingredients, so I may cook up a meal on weeknights and not stop for fast food. When I do grocery shop, I try and buy two of everything, and repeat my meals making life easier to feed a family. All you need to do is master seven meals and put them to use every week. Once, you have made them many times, then you can change up the recipe to your liking. Yes, I do get bored many times eating the same dish, but it’s so much better than eating out! You actually know what goes into your meal, such as the amount of salt, oils, fats and chemicals. Home cooking is best, no matter how you look at it. Take the time to feed yourself a clean and healthy meal when you can.

Here’s a modern list of pantry items to store on your shelves. Also, think about the cuisines you love to prepare and adjust your sauces, condiments and spices!

Beans, Black Pepper, Bread, Bread Crumbs, Butter, Dijon Mustard, Grains, Tuna, Sardines, Fish Sauce, Flours, Garlic, Ginger, Maple Syrup, Grass-Fed Meat, Miso, Mushrooms, Nuts, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Parmesan Cheese, Organic Free Ranged Chicken, Organic Rice, Orzo, Salt, Sesame Oil, Shallots, Pasta, Peppercorns, Smoked Paprika, Soy Sauce, Spices, Sriracha Sauce, Tahini, Organic Sugar, Vegetable Broth, Vinegars. Of course you need to place many of these in the refrigerator including your choice of vegetables, fruits, organic eggs, milks, cheeses and the basics. A completed dish is only as good as its raw ingredients!

Humble Homemade Soup can be easily changed by adding ginger and green onion fan an Asian version, lime and chili for a Mexican creation, paprika and parley for eastern European taste, thyme and bay leaves for a Mediterranean flavor.

What To Make on a Weekly Basis?

I buy the same ingredients weekly, over and over and just change up the meats, and vegetables!

Soups are always a good choice, and make enough to take to lunch the next day.
Stir-Fry is easy as long as you have the pantry basics, flap meat, skirt steak, chicken, shrimp and vegetables. Plan ahead and have these in your freezer. Add your sauces above with your onions, garlic, and vegetables.
Roasted Vegetables with a pasta, rice, or eggs. Make more for the following days.
Basic Tomato Sauce with a pasta and vegetables.
An omelet with your choice of vegetables.
A burrito with beans and your choice of chicken, meat and cheese.
Sandwiches cannot be forgotten, a tuna melt, grilled cheese, grilled pita sandwich, quesadilla.

You can find many of these recipes on my blog! Your ideas are endless, and your pantry will grow over time, as you experiment with new foods and recipes!

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What Do I Make with Artichokes?

by Mary Papoulias-Platis

Artichokes are one of my favorite vegetables, but they can take some time to make. They are the type of vegetable you order at your favorite restaurant. But if you are new to them, you can simply steam or boil them in a large pot and enjoy dipping the leaves and eating the heart in a sauce or vinaigrette. Once, you cook this vegetable, it will be much easier for you to understand the importance of preparing them to eat. (see notes below). So,when visiting your next famer’s market, pick up a few and try one of my easy recipes. To find where your local farmer’s market are in your area, look up your local San Diego Farm Bureau or San Diego Edible Magazine for a listing.

Why are artichokes not so popular?

The have a furry interior called the “choke” that needs to removed and is inedible.
The heart which is what you eat, is somewhat hidden and must be carefully cleaned.
The outer leaves are edible after steaming, by using your teeth to scrap only the inside tips of the artichoke.
This is why I have written so many recipes for you, because it is a very popular vegetable in the Greek Diet.

These are Spring Artichokes which are a bit smaller, great for dipping, salads, and appetizers.

If you are at a local farmer’s market, look for bright green and leaves that are not open, signifying they are not fresh. You will also see various types of artichokes and sizes. If you are using them in the recipe above, they can be the smaller variety, often used for salads, risottos, and appetizers. The larger, more common artichoke is so versatile for cooking, stuffing, braising, steaming and adding to your stews. Below are a few examples.

Artichokes Stuffed with Bulgur and Mushrooms

Lamb Stew with Artichokes

Greek Braised Chicken with Artichokes

Arugula Salad with Fava Beans and Artichokes

Here, I used the marinated artichokes, which you can find in a jar at your local stores. These are great for hummus, a feta and artichoke dip, and in pasta salads which I make often!

They can be grilled whole and sliced in half with a drizzle of evoo, as well as a kabob with a vegetable of your choice. Grilled Artichokes with Roasted Striped Beets

Enjoy exploring with this incredible vegetable!

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← Previous Entries

What Do I Make with Mushrooms?

Mushrooms in the Kitchen and Most Popular

What Do I Make with Basil

Basil Oil

Greek Dinner to Try with Halibut

Here are some tips on selecting fresh fish.

What do I Make with Rosemary

Tips on growing :

Let’s Cook!

Cooking Companions

Greek Easter Dinner Menu

Greek Lamb Cuts and Tips

There are many select cuts of lamb.

Sides

Greek Lenten Week

Let’s Stay Healthy!

Let’s get started with Lenten Soups!

Great Salads for Dinner

Pantry Essentials for the Home Cook

What To Make on a Weekly Basis?

What Do I Make with Artichokes?

Why are artichokes not so popular?

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Chef Mary Papoulias-Platis

Rouxbe Plant Based Chef