Tofu for Greek appetizer

[Guest guest]

Dear Katy,

sorry for the delay, but it has been a VERY busy weekend. Plus, I really

don't know what to say. I mean, tofu is hardly a Greek ingredient, so I

cannot come up with any ready made answer. Supposing you put it instead of

feta cheese in cheese pies made with phyllo, I don't know how it will

behave, will it melt, will it lack tanginess so you have to add salt and

lemon or? Perhaps, if you're not vegan, better use it together with feta to

minimize possible damage? I mean, I've never tied tofu in a Greek context

before, so my " creative " guess is as good as yours. When is your potluck?

Hope My answer is not too late.

 

Irene

 

Katy wrote:

>Quick question--what would *you* serve for a Greek Appetizers potluck, if

>you had tofu in the fridge that needed to be used up?

[Guest guest]

At 05:19 AM 9/25/02 +0300, you wrote:

>Dear Katy,

>sorry for the delay, but it has been a VERY busy weekend. Plus, I really

>don't know what to say. I mean, tofu is hardly a Greek ingredient, so I

>cannot come up with any ready made answer. Supposing you put it instead of

>feta cheese in cheese pies made with phyllo, I don't know how it will

>behave, will it melt, will it lack tanginess so you have to add salt and

>lemon or? Perhaps, if you're not vegan, better use it together with feta to

>minimize possible damage? I mean, I've never tied tofu in a Greek context

>before, so my " creative " guess is as good as yours. When is your potluck?

>Hope My answer is not too late.

 

Oh, it was last Friday. Like I said--last minute.

 

I love cheese and consider tofu spanikopita and such to be sacrilege (no

offense to vegans--I was just born and raised in Wisconsin, America's

Dairyland...) but I did come up with something tasty.

 

http://www.vrg.org/recipes/vjgreek.htm

 

It was a variation on the tofu-stuffed eggplant. I soaked the tofu in

pesto, tossed in a bunch of basil and more spices in general, then grated a

bit of a good Parmesan over the top. Not precisely an appetizer, but it

went over well.

 

This week's theme is breakfast foods. Much easier.

 

Katy

[Guest guest]

Your " Greek recipe " sounds delicious, Katy. But I really had to laugh, as

almost nothing is Greek in it. Apart from the tofu. Pesto is Italian, of

course, as well as parmesan. All Greek houses have a basil pot, but they

NEVER use it in cooking, only as an ornamental plant with some symbolic

significance I don't know. I think you just created a wonderful Sicilian

recipe (In Sicily they just love eggplants, they can serve you a whole

eggplant-based dinner, just the dessert doesn't have them in it).

But please do not take it badly if I poke some good-humored fun, no offense

meant! As you saw, nobody noticed at your potluck dinner, and I'm sure they

loved eating it, which is the most important part.

 

A little O/T:

You know how many books by Americans or Greek-Americans I have read that

are called " Greek cooking " or something, and they are just an imaginative

compilation of Greek ingredients, sometimes things that are never in season

together so they couldn't possibly co-exist in any traditional dish, before

the time of freezers? And, some of them also include purely American things,

sometimes with brand names! What pisses me off, in those books, by the way,

is that they don't clearly say " Creative recipes inspired by the ingredients

of Greek " , but they label themselves pure and original ethnic cookbooks.

It's usually second or third generation people, who have hardly ever been to

Greece. The same goes for Indian, Italian etc etc... Nobody is meticulous

nowadays when printing things.

 

Irene

 

 

>It was a variation on the tofu-stuffed eggplant. I soaked the tofu in

>pesto, tossed in a bunch of basil and more spices in general, then grated a

>bit of a good Parmesan over the top. Not precisely an appetizer, but it

>went over well.

[Guest guest]

At 12:47 PM 9/25/02 +0300, you wrote:

>Your " Greek recipe " sounds delicious, Katy. But I really had to laugh, as

>almost nothing is Greek in it. Apart from the tofu. Pesto is Italian, of

>course, as well as parmesan. All Greek houses have a basil pot, but they

>NEVER use it in cooking, only as an ornamental plant with some symbolic

>significance I don't know. I think you just created a wonderful Sicilian

>recipe (In Sicily they just love eggplants, they can serve you a whole

>eggplant-based dinner, just the dessert doesn't have them in it).

>But please do not take it badly if I poke some good-humored fun, no offense

>meant! As you saw, nobody noticed at your potluck dinner, and I'm sure they

>loved eating it, which is the most important part.

 

*Smile* Well, I should have specified--the potluck was actually

Mediterranean. I just asked you for a Greek angle. So, we had four kinds

of grape leaves, hummus, baba ganouj, tzatziki, the eggplant thing, beef

schwarma, chicken skewers w/ yogurt marinate, herbed carrots, spanikopita,

an assortment of cheese and olives, pita, a salad, etc. (Why yes, I am the

only vegetarian in the group most weeks...)

 

>A little O/T:

> You know how many books by Americans or Greek-Americans I have read that

>are called " Greek cooking " or something, and they are just an imaginative

>compilation of Greek ingredients, sometimes things that are never in season

>together so they couldn't possibly co-exist in any traditional dish, before

>the time of freezers? And, some of them also include purely American things,

>sometimes with brand names! What pisses me off, in those books, by the way,

>is that they don't clearly say " Creative recipes inspired by the ingredients

>of Greek " , but they label themselves pure and original ethnic cookbooks.

>It's usually second or third generation people, who have hardly ever been to

>Greece. The same goes for Indian, Italian etc etc... Nobody is meticulous

>nowadays when printing things.

 

Ah--but America is the melting-pot! And actually, looking at my ethnic

cookbooks, most specify " Italian-American collection " and whatnot.

 

And so many things are adapted from other places--it's just a matter of

time frame. What would Greek cuisine be without tomatoes, squashes, beans,

and peppers? These are all " New World " foods! So, I have no problem

trying wild rice or quinoa in a grape leaf!

 

Katy, a firm believer in " fusion " cuisine!