A humble leftover lentil soup becomes a delicious vegan pasta with complex flavor, while in my Mediterranean Vegetarian Feasts  I created the Lebanese-inspired Linguine with Spicy Lentils and Caramelized Onions. 

Our plant-based, vegan dishes are not contrived, but created by the women who had to bring a delicious, filling dish to their family’s table.

More than twenty years ago, in my Foods of the Greek Islands I included the delicious Pasta with Olive Oil, Onions and Spices from the island of Karpathos, which is very similar to my later, Lebanese-inspired one.

I often make pasta with greens and lemon. Recently I found a recipe for pasta with green olives and feta in the NYT which was very close to what I often whip up.

But I wanted to try and make a completely plant based dish, with no cheese at all.

I was intrigued by a vegan pasta with greens and lemon in Food and Wine: It had white miso to add umami, but this ubiquitous Asian component is not part of our everyday ingredients, so I decided to use sliced Kalamata olives, the Mediterranean umami equivalent…

The resulting Olive and Greens Pasta with Garlic and Lemon is truly delicious, even for non-vegans like us!

The post Irresistible Plant Based Pasta Dishes appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.

But I wanted to try and make a completely plant based dish, with no cheese at all.

I was intrigued by a vegan pasta with greens and lemon in Food and Wine: It had white miso to add umami, but this ubiquitous Asian component is not part of our everyday ingredients, so I decided to use sliced Kalamata olives, the Mediterranean umami equivalent…

The resulting pasta is truly delicious, even for non-vegans like us!

See also my humble leftover lentil soup and the Lebanese-inspired Linguine with Spicy Lentils and Caramelized Onions. 

Serves 4-5

1/3 cup olive oil

2 cups chopped leeks, white plus light green parts

5 medium garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

4 cups bitter greens (like chicory or dandelion), or a combination of bitter greens and Swiss chard.  All stems separated and thinly chopped; the leaves coarsely chopped

1 ½ cup pitted, sliced Kalamata olives, drained

Zest from 1 lemon or more, to taste

Salt to taste

1 package Penne or other tubular pasta

¼ cup or more lemon juice, to taste

Fruity olive oil to drizzle over the pasta

Aleppo pepper, or freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Heat the oil in a deep, large skillet over medium heat, add the leeks and cook stirring often until soft. Add the garlic and cook, stirring often, until it is tender and translucent. Do not let it color.

Add the stems of the greens and 3 tablespoons water and cook for a couple of minutes, until tender. Add a little more water, as needed. Once the stems are tender add the leaves and stir a few times, just to wilt them.

Stir in half the lemon zest and the olives. Let them sizzle for a few seconds, then remove from the heat.

Salt the boiling water and cook the pasta 2 minutes less than the package instructs. Drain, reserving about 1 cup cooking water.  

Add the pasta to the skillet with the greens and olives, and toss, adding ½ cup of the cooking water and the lemon juice. Drizzle with fruity olive oil and cook, tossing often for 1 minute, adding a bit more water if too dry.. Taste and add pepper and salt –the olives are quite salty— or more lemon, as needed.

Drizzle with more fruity olive oil, toss and serve the pasta sprinkling with Aleppo pepper and more lemon zest if you like.

The post Olive and Greens Pasta with Garlic and Lemon appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.

You can achieve a similar effect with the dried commercial pasta (see Note).

Scroll down for the variation, based on the NYT Roman version of the Pasta with Chickpeas with rosemary and tomatoes, instead of lemon.

Serves 4 

1 cup chickpeas, soaked in water overnight, or 3 cups pre-cooked, frozen chickpeas

1/2 cup olive oil

1 pound homemade fettucine, or any commercial dried pasta –linguini, spaghetti etc.

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1-3 dried pepperoncini, or good pinches Aleppo or Maras pepper, to taste

Sea salt

1 cup vegetable or chicken broth or more, as needed

2 bay leaves

3 tablespoons or more freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste

Plenty of freshly ground black pepper

Flat leaf parsley to sprinkle

Fruity olive Oil to drizzle

If using dried chickpeas, drain and cook in plenty of water, over low heat, for an hour or, until tender.  Drain the chickpeas, but reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

If you like, and you are using homemade pasta warm the olive oil in a large heavy skillet, and fry about a quarter of the fresh pasta, until crisp.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. 

If you are using dried commercial pasta skip this or see Note. 

In the same olive oil, sauté the garlic and chilies for less than a minute, without letting the garlic color.  Add the cooked chickpeas sprinkle with salt to taste, and sauté 2 -3 minutes more.  Pour in 1 cup of the reserved cooking liquid, or broth, add the bay leaves, and cook for another 5 minutes or more, until chickpeas are tender, adding more broth as needed.

 Stir in the lemon juice, taste and adjust the seasoning with freshly ground pepper and more lemon juice, or salt, if you like.

You can prepare the dish a few hours in advance up to this point.

About 20 minutes before serving, boil the pasta al dente, following the package instructions, drain it, and add it to the simmering chickpeas. Crumble the fried pasta, add to the skillet, toss and adjust the seasoning.  Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve, drizzling each plate with fruity olive oil.

NOTE:  If you are using commercial dried pasta, boil a handful for 4 to 5 minutes, until it starts to soften.  Drain well on paper towels and then fry it in olive oil until crisp.

VARIATION:

Pasta with Chickpeas with Tomatoes, Rosemary, and Chicory

Adapted from the NYT recipe, by Colu Henry

Sautee one coarsely chopped onion and the garlic, then add 2-3 fresh, diced tomatoes and 1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary with the chickpeas; cook until tender, then add 1 cup ditalini pasta into the broth.  After 5-6 minutes, add 2-3 cups coarsely shredded kale, or radicchio. Toss and cook until pasta is done. 

The post Lemony, Spicy Pasta with Chickpeas (Cecci con la tria) appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.

Read about its origins and get the recipe for the old Pastry-enrobed version.

Makes 6-8 servings 

3           tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2     cups chopped onions

3           garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2     pounds ground veal or beef (see NOTE)

1             teaspoon Maras or Aleppo pepper, or pinch of red pepper flakes

Salt

1/2         cup sweet red wine, such as Mavrodaphne or sweet Marsala

1  1/2      cups diced tomatoes –fresh or canned

1             tablespoon tomato paste

2            cinnamon sticks

2           bay leaves

1-2       teaspoons cumin, to taste

1           teaspoon allspice

1            pound ziti or thick hollow macaroni

1            cup light cream or whole milk

1 1/2     cups grated graviera or grana Padano cheese, or more to taste

1             cup grated kefalotyri or pecorino Romano cheese, or more to taste

Yogurt and olive oil béchamel

4   tablespoons olive oil

4   tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2   cups whole milk

1 1/2   cups full- fat plain yogurt

1   cup grated smoked cheddar or Metsovone cheese

1 cup grated aged cheddar or Gruyere cheese, more for sprinkling the top

Make the meat filling: In a large, deep lidded skillet, heat the oil  and sauté the onions  until soft, about8 minutes. Add the garlic and toss, then add the veal or beef in the skillet and sauté, stirring, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Add the wine and simmer for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes and tomato paste, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and add the cinnamon sticks, the spices and bay leaves. Stir, cover and simmer for 10 minutes or more; the mixture should still be moist. Remove from the heat and discard the cinnamon sticks and bay leaves. Taste, adding pepper and some salt –take into account that the cheeses are quite salty.

Meanwhile, cook the ziti in salted water until just slightly undercooked (2 minutes less than directed on the package). Drain.

Transfer the ziti to a large bowl and immediately stir in the cream or milk and the meat mixture. Add the cheeses  and taste to adjust the seasonings. The mixture should be moist; if it is too dry, add a little more milk.

To make the béchamel, whisk together the olive oil and flour, over moderate heat until frothy, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat, whisk a bit longer and add the cold milk and yogurt. Cook over moderate heat, whisking constantly, and don’t worry if the mixture looks lumpy. It will become smooth as it cooks and thickens. When it starts to boil, remove from the heat and stir in the cheeses, salt and pepper.  Taste and add more cheese or salt, if you like.

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200 C).

Add half the béchamel to the pasta-meat mixture and toss to mix. Transfer to an oiled 9-by-12 inch (23X30 cm) baking dish – which is at least 2 ½-inches (6 cm) deep; top with the rest of the béchamel and sprinkle with a couple of tablespoons cheese.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown on top.

Let rest for at least 10 minutes before you cut to serve.

NOTE: Instead of ground meat I often use cooked, leftover meat and/or poultry, sometimes adding a spicy sausage. Dice the meat and sausage (about 2-3 cups) and add to the sautéed onions, then proceeding as described above.

The post My Pasticcio appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.

Throughout Italy there are many versions of raw tomato sauces: a similar dish I had published in my Mediterranean Hot and Spicy.  It was more spicy, based in Crudaiola the name used for the sauce in Puglia –the heal of the Italian boot.

Similar sauces are whipped-up all over the Italian south and probably more famous is pesto Trapanese, from the eponymous Sicilian city, which combines almonds, tomatoes, and cheese. I recently came accross this other Sicilian peasant version in Serious Eats: ‘Spaghetti Alla Carrettiera’ which I consider by far the best of the raw tomato sauces; and also the simplest.

As we read in the recipe’s intro “In the olden days, wandering cart drivers would crisscross the Italian countryside, selling goods, wares, and basic cooking ingredients to the townspeople along the way. When they were hungry, they’d quickly whip up a sauce like this using just the basic ingredients they had on their cart.” One can add cheese, but I found that it is not really needed. I suggest you try it first without.

Following the Greek and Eastern Mediterranean tradition I do not blanch and skin, or seed the tomatoes, but simply cut in half and grate them to get their pulp. I always felt that the greenish jelly around the tomato’s seeds is especially delicious, so I don’t want to lose it.

This uncooked tomato sauce is extremely versatile ideal for pasta but can also be the topping for bruschetta, the dressing for cooked beans, or for grilled fish, meat or poultry.

You need to make it when tomatoes are at their best, red and meaty.  Because I like it so much, I freeze several batches of fresh summer tomato pulp to make it even in winter.

The recipe is adapted from Serious Eats.

Serves 3-4

About 1 pound (450g) ripe, non-refrigerated tomatoes (3-4 tomatoes)

About 1/4 cup (60ml) fruity olive oil, more for drizzling

1/4 cup loosely packed, roughly chopped fresh basil leaves, plus a few more for serving

3 medium cloves garlic, very finely minced

1 large pinch red pepper flakes

Salt

1 pound (450g) dried spaghetti or linguine

About 1/2 cup (35g) toasted breadcrumbs, preferably whole wheat

Grated Kefalotyri or Pecorino for serving (optional)

Cut each tomato in half and discard the hard stem. Holding the skin side of the tomato half grate it slowly and carefully on a large-hole onion grater into a large heatproof mixing or serving bowl. You will be left with just the tomato skin. It is okay if some slightly larger pieces of tomatoes remain. Add olive oil, basil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Stir well and season with salt to taste. Set aside.

In a pot boil enough water for the pasta, and season with salt. Cook the spaghetti or linguine, stirring frequently, until al dente. When pasta has almost finished cooking, transfer about 3 tablespoons cup pasta cooking water to the tomato mixture and whisk to form an emulsion.

Using tongs, transfer pasta to tomato mixture and vigorously toss and stir to emulsify the sauce and coat the pasta. If it seems dry, add a bit more pasta cooking water.

Add half of the breadcrumbs and toss to combine. The pasta should be well coated with creamy, emulsified sauce. If it still seems dry, add extra pasta water and olive oil, 1 tablespoon (15ml) at a time, until it reaches the desired consistency. Taste for seasoning.

Transfer the pasta to warmed plates and sprinkle with remaining breadcrumbs and some additional torn basil leaves. Top with cheese, if desired.

Serve right away.

The post Pasta with Raw Tomato, Garlic, and Basil Sauce: ‘Spaghetti alla Carrettiera’ appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.

Although we planted less beans last fall, the robust fava plants at the edge of our western garden are full of pods that I struggle to harvest before they grow large and stringy. We love eating them whole, much like green beans, as their velvety pods are tender and delicious. Over the years I have made the traditional braised fava with green onions and fennel, a more creative dish with preserved lemon and cilantro, and of course various kinds of fresh fava risotto, either with rice or orzo pasta. Inspired by a Spanish recipe by David Tanis I made a kind of fresh fava scrambled eggs, quite different from the traditional Greek island froutalia, the seasonal omelets with vegetables and potatoes.

Yesterday I cooked a new, apparently quite successful dish to showcase them: Inspired by the old, quick braised fava recipe with garlic, and both coriander seeds, and fresh coriander (cilantro) that I have in my Mediterranean Vegetarian Feasts, I created yet one more variation of the one-pot-pasta, this time with fresh fava and the two kinds of coriander/cilantro. Both Costas and I enjoyed it enormously, and we think that it is one of the best such simple pastas I made.

One-pot Pasta with Fava, Coriander Seeds, and Cilantro

Serves 3-4

1/2 cup good olive oil

4-5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon coarsely ground coriander seeds

About 1 1/2 pound tender fava pods, ends trimmed, chopped into 1/4-inch slices

350 grams bavete, ditalini or a combination (this was what I had in my cupboard)

About 4 cups boiling water or vegetable broth, Or more, as needed

Salt and Aleppo or red pepper flakes, to taste

A large bunch cilantro, chopped —stems and all

Crumbled feta for serving

Warm the olive oil and saute the garlic and coriander in a medium pot, until the garlic starts to smell. Do not let it start to color.

Add the chopped fava and sauté 2 minutes, then add the pasta, turn a few times and pour in 3 cups of boiling water or broth. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring often in high heat for about 9 minutes, adding more boiling water or broth if it gets dry. Taste and if the pasta is almost al dente, stir in the cilantro, taste, correct the seasoning, and remove from the heat, making sure it has quite a bit of broth.

Cover and let sit for 3-4 minutes, before serving in bowls, sprinkled with feta, and drizzled with fruity olive oil, if you like.

The post With Succulent Fava Pods appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.

Their flavor is strong and somewhat bitter, much like the Italian cime di rapa or brocoletti. I am very proud of the bunch I gathered during our morning excursion up, in the mountainous Kato Meria. Feels like spring but we are told that more cold, wind, and maybe snow is coming…

• SEE also the piece on Horta (greens) I did for ‘Greece Is’

With the bunch of porihia –wild mustard shoots– I gathered, instead of just boiling them as salad I made a fast, One-Pot Pasta  substituting greens and garlic for the tomatoes etc. of the original recipe. I could include anchovies, but I decided not to, this time. We didn’t miss them. 

I sauteed four garlic cloves in olive oil, added the greens, and some white wine, then about two cups boiling water, and half a packet of pasta. I cooked them stirring often, for about 9 min. Served the green’s pasta drizzled with fresh lemon juice, and more fruity olive oil, Aleppo pepper, and a handful of chopped fennel. We loved it!

See more recipes with greens, and the original One-Pot Pasta 

Braised Greens with potatoes

Lamb or Pork braised with Greens

Hortopsomo: Crust-less pie with Greens and Herbs

The post Greens, again… appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.

Ground meat, from the local free-range veal of the island, is something that I use a lot. The dark red meat is delicious, but quite tough and stringy, and for that reason I prefer to choose a nice piece, usually soon after my butcher has slaughtered an animal, and mince the meat somewhat coarsely. Unlike most of our neighbors, I rarely make Keftedes, but sometimes I do make my kind of burger, mixing the minced meat with bacon, onion, herbs and plenty of breadcrumbs or ground rolled oats.

It makes no sense to cook less than one, or better two pounds of ground meat, as I did the other day. I mince the onions, garlic and add either grated carrots or mashed corn kernels, then the spices and flavorings, as well as the herbs. It only needs to briefly simmer with wine and lemon juice, and it is ready for many uses. It is insane to go to all the trouble and prepare just 2 cups of Spicy Ground Meat.

The resulting, pre-cooked Meat Sauce can be used simply with pasta, to make my kind of Eastern Mediterranean Bolognese with penne, tortiglioni, or any other large, hollow pasta shapes: Boil the pasta 1 min. less than the package suggests, reserving 1 cup of the water. Then warm the meat sauce over medium heat, toss with the pasta (3-4 cups meat sauce for 1 pound of pasta) and if it is too dry, pour in ½-1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Just before serving, I love to fold in coarsely chopped cilantro from the garden that makes everything more delicious. The sauce is flavorful enough, so you can omit the cheese; at least we do.

With this same spicy meat sauce, I make a more spicy version of Pastitsio, the baked pasta dish which becomes a more grown-up casserole than the comfort food we grew up eating. I complement it with my Olive Oil and Yogurt Béchamel sauce, the same one I use in my Moussaka.

But my most favorite dish I make with the Spicy Meat is in a kind of Lachmacun, or ‘Arab Pizza’ as it is sometimes called: With bread dough –I prefer to use my whole grain one— I shape longish flat-breads, let them rest a bit, then mix 1egg into the ground meat so that the sauce sticks to the dough, keeping its shape as it bakes, and can be picked up and eaten without falling apart, as most Lachmacun do.

RECIPES: Spicy Meat Sauce

Lachmacun: Spicy Meat-topped Pita Bread

The post A Spicy, Versatile Meat Sauce appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.

Read More HERE.

Makes 8 cups Meat Sauce

½ cup olive oil

2 large onions (about 400 grams) finely chopped or ground in the blender

½ cup white wine or water

2 pounds mostly lean ground beef

2 ½ cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen – thawed)

4 large garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

2 teaspoons salt, or more, to taste

4 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon cumin

2 tablespoons turmeric

4-5 teaspoons Maras or Aleppo pepper flakes, or more to taste

3-4 bay leaves (Mediterranean)

1 cup sweet wine, such as Mavrodaphne or Madeira

3-4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, to taste

1/3 cup chopped fresh thyme, or more, to taste

Warm the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet and sauté the onions, stirring often for 4 minutes. Pour in the white wine or water, toss and cook for another 4-5 minutes until soft and almost dry.

Add the meat, and cook, stirring often to sauté, until no longer pink. Add the tomato paste and stir to mix.

In a blender mush the corn with the garlic and add to the meat in the skillet, together with the salt, the allspice, cumin, turmeric, Maras pepper and bay leaves. Stir well to mix, add the wine and bring to a boil. Toss, add 3 tablespoons lemon juice, stir and taste, to correct the seasoning. Turn off the heat, cover and let simmer 8-10 minutes, until almost dry. Add the thyme, stir and divide the sauce, using as much as you need, and after cooling the rest, cover and refrigerate or freeze, for later use.

Keeps 5-6 days in the refrigerator and up to 6 months in the freezer.

The post Spicy Meat Sauce appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.

Scroll down for the second day Pasta & Lentil I usually whip up with our leftover lentil soup.

See also the Lentil Soup with Pickled cabbage, and the Linguini with Spicy Lentils and Caramelized onions from my Mediterranean Vegetarian Feasts. 

Makes 4 servings

4 cups water

1 cup brown lentils, picked over and rinsed

2 bay leaves

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped garlic cloves

1/2–1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to taste

3 cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock

Salt

1 cup pickled volvoi (wild hyacinth bulbs –see the intro), drained, or pickled pearl onions

2-3 tablespoons Greek red wine vinegar, or Kalamata balsamic vinegar, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint, plus some sprigs for garnish

Fruity, extra-virgin olive oil

In a large pot, combine the water, lentils and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Discard the bay leaves.

Wipe out the pot with paper towels. Heat the oil in the pot and sauté the garlic with the Aleppo pepper or pepper flakes over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add the lentils and sauté for 1 minute. Add the reserved cooking liquid, the stock and very little salt — volvoi are usually very salted– bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the volvoi and vinegar, increase the heat to medium and cook for 3 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding a few grindings of black pepper, if needed. Stir in the mint.

Ladle the soup into bowls drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, garnish with mint leaves and serve.

Second Day Lentils with Pasta 

Add ditallini, or any small-size pasta (1 cup pasta for each 2 cups lentil) into the leftover lentil soup as you warm it, adding more broth and 1-2 tablespoons tomato paste, a dash of cumin and some ground coriander, if you like, as well as some smoked paprika. Simmer until the pasta is cooked.

Drizzle with fresh olive oil and sprinkle with Aleppo pepper and some parsley, chervil, or mint as you serve the lentil pasta.

Accompany with feta cheese, if you are not a vegan. 

The post Lentil Soup with Hyacinth Bulbs & Pasta with Lentilis appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.