Fassolia yiahni

I made this dish twice in July, until I was sick of it. But man, was it ever good! Usually when I make fassolia yiahni (which we call "summer fassolada" in my family), it's vegetarian. This time I thought I'd experiment with adding some boneless, skinless chicken thighs to the mix...they really didn't add much, except a whole bunch of time wasted browning the meat. Chris thought I should add ground beef, but I feel like it would be similarly "meh". What makes this dish so amazing is the freshness of the veggies - it's not something I would ever make in the winter, with musty potatoes, bland zucchini and wrinkly, flavourless string beans. But in July, when everything is at its peak, this dish is sweet and juicy and amazing...

Ratios are up to you - I like a good mix, my mom adds extra potato because that's her favourite part. You would feel a bit ripped off if you didn't get at least a few pieces of potato in your serving, so don't skimp on them. Don't cut your zucchini/courgettes too small, as they will get mushy. I used baby zukes this time, so I cut them chunkier than I normally would; this saved them from disintegration, but also meant that they tasted very green and "strong" in the centre, where they had no contact with the tomato sauce...

So, there's no real "recipe" with precise measurements here...but you will want to have these things handy:

- fresh local green string beans - about a bag full, washed, trimmed, and snapped in half (or into thirds, if some beans are especially large)
- fresh local smallish zucchini (aka courgettes), cut into thickish slices
- fresh local white new potatoes, cut up into halves or quarters
- one onion, diced
- as much garlic as you'd like, at least two or three cloves, diced
- some sort of tomato: my mother uses the better part of a can of tomato paste + 2c. of water; I had canned San Marzano tomatoes, so I mashed them up and used that. You could probably use any canned product, or diced or grated fresh tomatoes.
- lots of Greek extra virgin olive oil - I use "Solon" brand.
- Greek sea salt
- fresh-ground black pepper
- oregano

Put your diced garlic and onion along with a generous amount of olive oil in your "soup pot" over medium heat - I used a stock pot, but it tends to get burnt on the bottom - use something with a nice heavy bottom. I usually coat the bottom of the pot with oil - amounts are up to you, but remember that olive oil isn't the enemy, and it will add to the texture and flavour of the final product. Saute the onions and garlic till soft. Add your green beans and stir until they are bright green. Add your tomatoes and potatoes, cooking for five minutes, before adding the zucchini (this helps prevent overcooking the zucchini). Season with salt, pepper, and oregano. Let boil on medium heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally (keep an eye on it, as it has a tendency to stick), or until potatoes are cooked. Taste for salt. Serve with nice crusty bread.

If you want to add chicken, like I did: trim and dice up some boneless, skinless chicken thighs and pan fry in batches in olive oil. Add to the pot along with the potatoes.

Kali orexi!
- Σ

Mussels from Sobeys - not a good idea.

So, yesterday my boyfriend had to work a late shift, which meant I would be alone for supper. This meant that I could actually eat seafood for once (yay!), and my thoughts turned to mussels. I had some about a month ago at my parent's place, where my father BBQed them and they were sweet and smoky and succulent! I took the left-over uncooked mussels home and cooked them the following day with some garlic, parsley and either wine or beer, I can't really remember now. Point being, it left me hungry for more.

So I headed to Sobey's after work, not remembering how many mussels I would need. First I asked for half a pound, then when that didn't seem like much, I asked for a full pound. Content, I purchased my little friends and headed next door to the liquor store to find some wine to cook them in. I wanted a small bottle, but they didn't seem to have any...so I went with some retsina, since I know that I like it and it was ridiculously cheap ($10-$11). I kept the mussels with me while I was in the store, since I didn't want to leave them in the car (remember this part for later).

Once I get home I assemble my ingredients: retsina, garlic, and coriander. Almost Greek, but not quite. I can't help it though because I love coriander and it really worked with the retsina! After taking my pictures, I ripped open the bag and began inspecting the mussels...you keep the closed ones, and tap on the shells of the open ones - if they close that means the mussel is still alive, or at least he will be until the retsina starts to simmer! If they stay open, that means they've already died, and they go in the garbage. Here are the good mussels:

And here are the bad ones:

I found this to be a bit of a dissapointment - over half of the mussels I bought, in the garbage! I should have known, they were cheap and there were a LOT of them there at the counter...


So, I cooked my little friends, and they were tasty, but I had the heat too high and cooked them too fast for the juice to taste like much more than retsina. Still, very delish! Although certainly not the best I've ever made...