Chicken Gyros/OPA!!!

This is the spark that set off the food blog. On one of those days, when I wanted a really fancy dinner, with specially fitted studio lights switched on and company china set out on the table. And forks and knives. The kind of meal that starts with a piece of Feta and ends with dainty helpings of mint chai.

So I cooked all evening. Chicken Gyros, the souvlaki-type Grecian kebabs. Whole wheat Pita bread. Tzatziki. Hummus. And yes, mint chai. Feeling extremely pleased with myself and not having had enough gratitude/raves from the family, I put up pictures on Facebook. It's embarrassingly narcissistic, but that is what I did. So many kind, kind people said so many kind, kind things, and a month or so later, I had enough material for a food blog. It's been almost three months since this has been up and running, and what better way to celebrate it than to return to the root of it all?

This is how Tzatziki should really look like. The one on the older post wasn't
thick enough.

Chicken Gyros is one of the most fuss-free kebabs I've ever made. It's incredibly light, minimal and full of the flavour profiles I so adore. It doesn't go rubbery on you, it's hard to under-cook it, you can make it in a skillet over the stove top, but if you have an impressive piece of grilling equipment, you're in for a real treat.

Chicken Gyros:

Ingredients:

Method:

500 g boneless chicken, cubed.
6 cloves of garlic, smashed.
Juice and zest of 1 lemon.
2 tsp white vinegar.
2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil.
2 tbsp unflavoured yogurt
2 tbsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper, to taste.

Accompaniments:

Tzatziki
sliced tomatoes
sliced onions
Pita bread.

Method:

Luscious, full-fat yogurt. Plump cloves of garlic crushed. Extra-virgin olive oil
from Italy. This is truly the start of a beautiful meal.

In a bowl, combine the yogurt, garlic, olive oil, herbs, salt, pepper, vinegar, lemon juice+zest and dried oregano.

Whisk until everything is well-combined.

Rub the marinade into the chicken pieces. Cover with cling film/lid and refrigerate for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius. The oven setting should be on Broil/Grill. If you don't have those options go with Bake. If you don't have an oven, use a non-stick skillet, and pan-fry the pieces.

It gets done quite fast. Make sure the chicken pieces are of the same size so they cook evenly. Try a piece to see if it's cooked. Don't discard the juice.

Let it rest in the juice for 5 minutes. Sprinkle some more oregano, salt/pepper if needed.

Heat the pita bread for a minute or two in the oven. Serve with tzatziki, tomatoes, onions and extra lemon juice.

Source: Elly Says Opa

Get everyone to make pita pockets or pita wraps (a little risky though if you've made limited portions, and your family does not believe in portion control). Get somebody else to brew the mint tea. Get somebody else to pick up dessert. You won't have trouble with any of the above (except the portion control), after the meal.

A Feast Fit for Zeus/Kryptos by Willi.

I've found happiness at Kryptos.

OK, I'm being a little dramatic. I knew it would be good, of course, having enjoyed dinner at Tuscana very much. However, it takes a little more than good to impress me.

They did, and how.

People ask me if they can take my word because I've never actually bashed any restaurant on my blog. It's simply because I have neither the time nor the inspiration to write reviews of places I haven't enjoyed. Rest assured, if I'm confronted with disrespectful, bad service AND exorbitant pricing, you'll hear a earful from me. Not this time, though. This time, you're hearing a earful of sweet, sweet praise.

The food scene at Madras has morphed so much over the last decade. Growing up, Fine Dining  meant either The Golden Dragon at Taj Coramandel/Raintree at Taj Connemera/Peshawar at Chola Sheraton. All good places. Still. After dining at Kryptos by Willi, I'm left feeling like a proud mama; the scene has sprouted up like a teenage boy in such a short while!

Greek food at Madras would mean me, straining yogurt for hours, to come up with a little cup of Tzatziki. Pita bread would start with mixing honey and yeast, and waiting. Waiting for the dough to rise up. Pummeling it down. Waiting. Kneading. Waiting. Baking it in an oven, as opposed to a stone. It's a beautiful experience, bread is the reason of life and all that, but Hunger wins. Rule of life.

So. Some-lucky-times, excellent pita bread is served in front of you, five minutes after you sit down. Back to Kryptos. The hummus that comes on the side puts any hummus I've had here (including my enthusiastic efforts) to shame.
That, in a cozy room, that's pleasantly lit and has Middle-Eastern-sounding singers croon out of the speakers, with beautiful cutlery and well-done interiors. Almost like a painting.

The cold mezze consists of an array of cheese, olives, cold salads and cuts of meat (including octopus-a first for me at Madras!), an unlimited amount at Rs 450. The feta is crumbly and salty, like good feta should be. Um. I'm sold right there. But mum and the others found it repetitive; I strongly suggest you skip it if you're hypertensive or if your palate isn't attuned to cold, saline things.

The hot mezze was a universal favourite with the family though. Priced at Rs. 700-ish, a selection of appetizers are laid out. Four of each, I think, there were. We got the non-vegetarian one, the downside of which is that falafel is out!

Batter-fried squid, fried sardines, Arnipitakia and Kofte balls,
with a side of Muhammara (that's what I'm guessing the red dip was).

Calamari - most restaurants I go to has it on the menu, and then they disappoint me by saying it's unavailable. I ate most of the calamari, as if to make up for all the times I've been let down!

Sardines-this one I skipped, because I'm weird with fish that have tiny bones in them. Mum and Dad found it delicious, and they're not food fanatics like the rest of us.

Kofte balls - I'm not a big meat eater, and I loved it. I don't even think I need to speak for the carnivores that make my family. Anybody with an Indian palate would enjoy it.
Arnipitakia - things like this cement the fact that there is a God above. Tender minced meat, in an incredibly yummy sauce, wrapped up in a phyllo dough (puff pastry) and baked. Enough said. W has written some form of poetry on it, though.

If I could change one thing, I'd say introduce "Make your own platter!" where you could choose any four appetizers; but that certainly would take out the posh, though, no?

When it came to soup, half of us ordered a creamy, lemony chicken broth with rice and egg. It was all of those things, but a little too heavy and almost difficult to finish (even the 1-by-2 portion). The other half lucked out, as they ordered a steaming hot soup with carrots and meatballs; it was hearty without being heavy.

We next had the grilled seer fish souvlaki, the picture of which I couldn't snap, because it was eaten before the plate made contact with the table. It's got basil and saffron in the marinade, and it flakes like excellent fish should. I'm posting the link to their Facebook page, though, so you can salivate over it when you get bored at work (I do when I'm supposed to be studying).

Tzatziki, agapi mou/mi amor/my love.

Get the garlic rice on the side. It isn't much. But to quote a cliched statement, best things come in small packages. Flavourful little bits of heaven. Souvlakis comes along with salad and pita bread. Ask for some extra tzatziki/hummus and get to making little pita pockets. Assuming you have a well-behaved family, of course.

Moussaka, five seconds after its arrival.

And get the moussaka. I'm like Garfield when it comes to Lasagna (and most other things in life). Moussaka is the fully pimped-out, gourmet version of the lasagna. Sliced aubergine, zucchini, minced meat get layered with that narcotic-like red sauce, and a bechamel (the French white cheese sauce?) that I'm almost certain has feta in it.

Moussaka, five minutes after its arrival.

And because it still wasn't enough for my family, and we had in our midst along a very special guest of honour that day (smiley face), Dad ordered a chicken-pie like thing, which the waiter recommended. Chicken in melted cheese in a tart made of puff pastry. Most of the family found it kickass, but seriously, the Moussaka upstaged it too much for me.

Baked potato and salad on the side.

But by the time Desserts rolled aroud, I was fully regretting my decision to eat huge portions of the main course. Confucius say picture worth thousand words. OK, it was some person of Chinese origin, and Confucius the only Sino-philosopher I know.

So. Three thousand words follow.

To cut or not to cut it? That's the question.

Svingi. Batter-fried, gooey chocolate. This is what Dreams are Made Of. The vanilla gelato has vanilla beans in it. Yes, this has been the ONLY time I've chosen vanilla over chocolate.

The baklava was a reluctant decision. We ordered it only for completion's sake. This baklava shattered any previous bad experiences with syrupy-sweet, prepackaged baklava. This is the only baklava ever, that holds a candle to the ones Dad brings from Turkey. Even W, who knows his baklava, had good things to say about it.

The greek walnut cake with cinnamon-and-honey was light and nutty and buttery and all-around delicious; something I'll try in my own kitchen for sure. I'm going back here pretty soon, just for tea and dessert. The desserts cost about 150 bucks each, and the tea around 100 bucks, so kind of the Grecian equivalent of Latitute 13 or Sandy's.

So. Kryptos by Willi. It is pricey, yes (and sigh). But not disproportionately so. If there's a ring that needs to be put on a finger, a tough exam that has been passed, a salary that needs to be celebrated, go here. My brother, who vehementaly protested against it, saying arty little plates of garnish wasn't food (the guy's ideal Sunday lunch would be the Unlimited Buffet at Sigree), was a happy/satiated camper at the end of it.

Feast fit for a king, indeed (Incidentally, King = Not my brother!! A hypothetical king.)

Big Mmmm, people. Big Mmmm.

Panini. And then some.

You know how Shoppers Stop and Lifestyle Home have a section devoted to kitchen appliances? I behave like a kid set free in a candy store there. Actually, I behave like me-post-diet in a candy store there.

After much grovelling, I made Mum buy us a panini-maker (Morphy Richards). Ever since it made its appearance, the humble triangle-sandwich maker has been hibernating in the dark recesses of the store cupboard. You can grill vegetables and meat, toast bread, cook a burger patty... I don't know if the warranty will be valid after the first couple of crazy tries, but there's a tasty way to find out!

I made this panini on one of those days I had to fend for myself. And since I've got a lousy exam in ten days, I have to pretend I've mugged 100 Multiple-Choice-Questions instead of cooking up a storm. Plus, I was hungry and I needed food. Fast.

There's no set recipe as such. We've all made a version of this sandwich on that hungry day. Open your refrigerator. Find the most appealing thing there. Make a sandwich out of it. Think peanut butter, mustard, tuna, apples, eggs, anything.

My eyes fell on a can of black olives (un-pitted and un-fun). When I pulled it out, I discovered. the holy grail. A nice block of Feta cheese. Feta cheese is difficult to find. Even Nilgris, to whom I'm eternally loyal to, does not steadily retail it. And when it is, you can go home knowing that you spent 125 bucks on a small bar of cheese, but it is money well-spent.

Salty, crumbly cheese; half-a-handful spins the humble sandwich and churns out a Grilled Mediterranean Panini, one that you pay close to 200 bucks for at French Loaf.

Grilled Mediterranean Panini

Ingredients:

Bread-8 slices

1 yellow pepper, cut into strips

1 red pepper, cut into strips

1 small onion, diced

5 cloves of garlic, peeled

2 tomatoes, deseeded and chopped

Spinach- 1 cup, washed very carefully and shredded

Feta cheese- 3/4th of a cup

Olive Oil-1 tbsp

Dried Herbs (Basil, Oregano, Thyme)

Black Pepper, crushed or Chilli Flakes- to taste.

Extra ingredients of your choice- not authentic, but your palate won't complain, will it?

I add olives and jalapenos. You can add mozzarella cheese, capers, an omelette or maybe even sneak in leftover grilled chicken.

Method:

Prep the vegetables. You can substitute the peppers with zucchini or plain old capsicum if that's what you find at the grocer's. Do not use raw eggplant in a quest to get Greek-y. That needs the eggplant to be sliced thin, salted, rested, drained and pan-fried. Try keeping the proportions even though.

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius. Put all of the vegetables except the spinach on a foil-lined tray (Yes, I know spinach isn't a vegetable... either way, don't add it here). Toss them with the Olive Oil. Extra-virgin would be a treat. OK. I'm lying. Extra-virgin is a necessity.

You'll notice how salt isn't added here. Feta cheese is naturally very salty so a forgotten addition would lead to a Sodium OverDose. Experience is the best albeit an expensive teacher.

Throw them into the oven and let it roast away for 20 minutes. Make sure the oven setting is on Bake or Broil. You'll know when it's done; the kitchen will smell heavenly.   

When the veggies look blistered and caramelized, take them out. Chop up the garlic in it.

They don't have much of a taste right now. Stay cool.

 Add in the feta, spinach (yes, raw spinach), herbs, pepper, and the aforementioned Additions-of-your-choice. Toss it all again. Taste it. Add extra olive oil, salt (if you need it), chilli flakes (if it's not hot enough).

Place a scoop of it between two slices of bread (butter it if you're lucky enough to be able to afford to). If you're serving it to company, try ciabatta or a honey-mustard bread. I used Modern Multi-grain bread; that'll do nicely for my face for weekday brunch.

 The pre-heated panini maker would do the rest. If you don't have one, any normal griddle greased with a little olive oil would do. As long as it doesn't smell of Masala Dosa.

When it's steaming inside and gorgeously crisp on the outside, it's ready!

You can also stuff the mixture into a roti and call it a wrap. You could place it on top of sliced baguettes and stick them in the oven, and they come out as bruschetta. You can stuff it into Pita bread with Tzatziki. You can make Quesadillas, heck, even triangle-sandwiches, with them. Puristas will cry. But you'll thank me for it.

Get me to the Greek!

I’m going to suffer from Withdrawal symptoms when MasterChef Australia draws to a close. Yes, I know the results already. Remember how you felt when a random jackass sent you a text saying Dumbledore dies in the sixth Harry Potter, an hour after the copies were released? You waited years for the book; you saved up for it and stood in the line. Felt a watered-down version of that feeling, when I found out who the winner of Masterchef Australia 2 was.

It does not stop me from watching it every weeknight at 9, however. Masterclass, Celebrity Chef challenge, whatever. Geeky enough to catch them all. I park myself on the couch with an imaginary Do Not Disturb around me and the TV.

George Calambaris is one of my favourite judges. He’s incredibly proud of his Grecian roots (as he should be. I ate at Kryptos by Willi recently). When he made Tzatziki last week, I knew that I needn’t look further. OK. I confess; I upped the garlic and spiked it with vinegar.

Tzatziki is the new ketchup. I dunk my veggies/pita chips in it, make pita pockets with it, dress a salad, layer it in a Greek burger with feta et cetera. It goes with everything (for me) and I feel almost virtuous eating it. Make sure you follow all steps carefully, or you might end up with cucumber raita!

Tzatziki:

Ingredients:

2 cups yoghurt

1 medium-sized cucumber

1 big lemon, zest and juice of

2 cloves of garlic, grated/minced fine

I shallot (Madras onion or spring onion), grated/minced fine

1 tsp white vinegar

Dill/Parsley- I small bunch (I use coriander)

Olive oil, for dressing

Salt, to taste

Method:

1) Hang the yoghurt in a thin muslin cloth for at least 2 hours. I pour Nestle dahi into an old, clean chiffon dupatta, form a little parcel and hang it from one of the kitchen hooks, a bowl placed strategically underneath. It does not measure up to Greek yoghurt, but hanging it overnight in the fridge helps. Try curd made from full-fat milk if you have that at home. Use the leftover whey in your regular chapatti dough. Instant protein-packed, soft chapattis.

2) Grate the peeled cucumber (not with a micro planer and make sure you taste to see if it’s bitter!) into a bowl and salt it. Keep aside for a good 15 minutes. This dehydrates the cucumber. Make sure you drain every last bit of water. Remember, you’ve already compromised on luscious, gourmet yoghurt.

3) Toss drained cucumber with the minced shallot, garlic and lemon zest.

4) Add the drained yoghurt (it almost looks like thick cream cheese now) to the cucumber mix. Add the juice of one lemon and a healthy teaspoon of Extra Virgin Olive oil.

5) Mix well, folding in the chopped herbs. Dress with some more Olive oil. Season with salt to taste.

6) Serve cold.

I served with fluffy pita bread, Chicken gyros, Hummus and a red onion salad. I recommend you make this a day early and stash it in the refrigerator. Tastes better, and your evening gets less hectic. Easy peasy.