A glance at the index reveals this to be a book of Greek recipes without moussaka! Real Greek Food has a lot going for it already. The...... more
A glance at the index reveals this to be a book of
Greek recipes without moussaka! Real
Greek Food has a lot going for it already. The name derives from the restaurant The Real
Greek opened in the fashionable East End of London (imagine being able to write such a phrase) in 1999 by Theodore Kyriakou to very considerable acclaim. Expert midwifery from
food writer and journalist Charles Campion has effected a transfer of his cooking to the domestic realm with mouth-watering effect. This is
Greek food of a type and quality very different from the usual dismal offerings of the dreaded moussaka, souvlakia, kleftiko and the rest. For one thing, Kyriakou is from Athens, not Cyprus, and seems to have been brought up with sophisticated culinary expectations: in his preface he pays tribute to his parents' devotion to "
Greek gastronomy", not ordinarily a pairing of words easy to compute. Sample menus might include Belly Port with Leeks, Parchment-Wrapped Liver and Potted Chicken with Walnuts. Other unusual but delicious dishes are Pork and Quince Casserole, Crab Claws Stewed with Muscat Wine and Poached Rack of Lamb with Fennel. Desserts include Caramel and Hazelnut Tart and the intriguing, medieval-sounding, though obviously modern, Mustard Ice Creams, which tempers the hot tang of Dijon mustard with
Greek honey. It all adds up to a very fine collection, smart and modern, recommended to anyone who feels there must be more to
Greek cooking. --Robin Davidson
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