Greek Cooking: A Mediterranean Feast over 165 Tantalizing Recipes from Spanakopita to Baklava [Hardcover]

Lou Seibert Pappas (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 188 pages
• Publisher: Bbs Pub Corp (April 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0883658933
• ISBN-13: 978-0883658932
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,139,635 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars About this Book-, February 7, 2005

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Tidewater Design (Cheasapeake Bay) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Greek Cooking: A Mediterranean Feast over 165 Tantalizing Recipes from Spanakopita to Baklava (Hardcover)

Greece and its isles offer a tantalizing cuisine, beloved by its discoverers. The warmth, hopitality and spirit of the people, a zest for the good life and an innate love of fine, simple foods are all reflected at the Greek table. The Greek cuisiine is delicately seasoned, rich and diverse, and traditionally its best dishes are prepared in abundance for gala events. Here, in this definitive cookbook, Lou Seibert Pappas simplifies the delights of the Greek kitchen for the American cook with quick, clear and easy-to-follow recipes.

The complete Greek meal is often closely-linked with occasions for merriment, such as Easter, Christmas and weddings. Lamb is the principal meat served. A holiday festivity usually calls for a ceremonial spit-roast outdoors, but for everyday meals, lamb and beef are braised in stews or casseroles with every conceivable vegetable; fish is marinated in vermouth or lemon and oil; chicken is stuffed with an unusual chestnut dressing and roasted. Mountain-grown herbs--garlic, oregano, mint, basil and dill--and freshely ground cinnamon sticks and nutmeg season these fragrant dishes served with toasted anise-scented bread and delectable lemon soup.

Appetizers also play an important role to the Greek kitchen, reflecting the Greek enjoyment of a leisurely and friendly hour of socializing before the late dinner is served. Hors d'oeuvres include olives, cheeses, pickled vegetables, bite-sized meatballs, stuffed grape leaves, crispy fried octopus and shrimp, feta, and meat sauce or spinach mixtures wonderfully wrapped in fila. These and side dishes, such as braised green beans and rice pilaf with mushrooms, bring savory and unique flavors to a traditional Amreican meal.

And you will also undoubtedly want to imitate the most celebrated speciality of the Greek kitchen--the remarkable pastry called fila or phyllo. The tissue-thin dough is as fine as onion-skin, but creates a tasty foundation for countless appetizers, vegetable dishes, entrees and innumerable pastries, of which the most famous is baklava- a multi-layered fila pastry ribboned with nuts and oozing with honey syrup.

For family meals or for party spectaculars, Greek Cooking provides you with an endless variety of new ideas and fun-to-prepare, mouth-watering dishes.

--Lou Pappas is the former home economist of Sunset Magazine and a nationally-known contributor to Gourmet and Home & Garden magazines. (at the time of publishing)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars greek cooking, July 2, 2010

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susan glass (sudbury, ontario, CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Greek Cooking: A Mediterranean Feast over 165 Tantalizing Recipes from Spanakopita to Baklava (Hardcover)

perfect book for anyone wanting authentic Greek recipes, foods you would have the ingredents for and recipes, easy to follow and that are basic. The recipes are the type you would try and make often.The book covers all types of meals and desserts just as the cover suggests.