My Greek Table: Authentic Flavors and Modern Home Cooking from My Kitchen to Yours, English Hardcover – December 24, 2018

I have many of Diane Kochilas’s books. I have extensively cooked from them, including the first book originally published in 1990 The Food and Wine of Greece and The Glorious Foods of Greece 1991, both of which contain a mind-boggling array of recipes which details the local specialties and regional variations on many never before documented recipes, from the mountains, mainland and islands of Greece. The Glorious Foods of Greece in particular is considered her Magnum Opus.Where does one go to from there?Kochilas went on to produce a number of books focusing on various facets of Greek Cuisine:Meze a small book on small platesMediterranean Grilling (you may also be interested in my review for that book)The Greek Vegetarian, Against the Grain: 150 Good Carb Mediterranean RecipesThe Country Cooking of Greece (seems to be out of print and second hand copies are expensive so I am unable to compare it to her first two books which both cover the country areas of Greece extensively)Ikaria Lessons on Food, Life and Longevity on an Island Where People Forget to Die 2014This most recent offering, My Greek Table, evolved out of the public television series by the same name.The recipes in this book, are either modern adaptations of traditional Greek recipes (from some of her earlier books) or completely new riffs.For example an updated recipe for Greens and Rice Pilaf is basically the same as the Spinach and Rice Pilaf in The Food and Wine of Greece, swapping out a pinch of cumin and a splash of red wine vinegar and the juice of two lemons, for less lemon and some white wine, omitting the cumin with the suggestion that other greens such as swiss chard, sorrel and chervil, could also be used instead of or along with spinach. I appreciate these types of updates or suggestions, as the resulting dish is lighter and fresher tasting due to omitting the red wine vinegar and cumin, and I do love a variety of greens! However, I am also glad that I have the original recipe which as Diane mentions in this new book, is a typical Greek country dish called Spanakorizo.The recipe for Spanokopita also gets an update. The recipe in The Food and Wine of Greece, provides a recipe that includes egg, leek, Kefalotyri cheese, nutmeg and cumin. The updated recipe in My Greek Table contains red or yellow onions and mint and some rice, bulgar or Trahana.I am the type of cook that when I get interested in a dish, I like to make many variations, trying to find the best one for my palate. Making notes and modifying it until I have the perfect (for me) version of each dish which I then file as my go-to version of that dish (often refining that too, every time I make it) so I very much appreciate the types of adaptations that Kochilas has made to the more traditional recipes in this latest book, My Greek Table and will refer back and forth for the variations on each recipe across her many books to find the ones I like the best.However, if that degree of cooking OCD (I live and breathe cooking) is not your style and you just want excellent Greek recipes that are suited to your modern table, and you don’t have any books by Kochilas as yet, then I would recommend just buying this one!Along with ubiquitous Greek recipes such as Spanokopita and Baklava (here given an update with the inclusion of Greek coffee in the syrup and filling) there are also some really special and modern treasures such as Xinomavro (a tannic Greek red wine) Chocolate Cake with a spiced peppery red wine sauce served with red grapes and whipped cream.Some other modern riffs on Greek flavors is a Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Feta and Greek Honey, pilafs using Quinoa, Slow Cooked Kale with Greek Olive Oil , Oranges and Garlic, Greek Sloppy Joes (here called Sloppy Yianni), a whipped feta dip with chipotle and cilantro, Whole Wheat Baklava Muffins with Greek Yogurt.Chapter headings and the photographs that I have posted, and an outline of some of the recipes in each chapter, are as follows:BASICS – dressings, marinades, sauces. The basics but also including a hot sauce and a sour cherry BBQ sauce and a Greek Hot Sauce etc PHOTO: My Secret Classic Cinnamon-Tomato SauceBREAKFAST FUN FOR GREEK HEROES – oatmeal, muffins, eggs, French toast and pancakes. Including: Whole Wheat Baklava Muffins with Green Yogurt etc PHOTO: Eggs in a Hole Cooked in Beet Greens.FUN DIPS TO DIVE INTO – pita chips, olives, spreads, dips. Including: Avocado Taramasalata, Whipped Feta with Chipotle and Cilantro etc PHOTO: Spring Fresh Pea Puree with Herbs and Olive Oil.MEZE TO SHARE – fritters, octopus, sardines, olives etc Including: Eggplant Keftides, Totally Over the Top Stuffed Sausages, Carrot Keftedes etc PHOTO: Phyllo-Wrapped Feta with Cumin, Poppy, or Caraway Seeds and HoneyMORE THAN GREEK SALAD – Salads featuring arugula, spinach, kale, zucchini, barley rusks (see description of the Ancient Grains Chapter), black eyed peas and potato. Including: Barley Rusk Salad with Apples, Celery, Tomatoes and Feta, Black Eyed Pea Salad with Spinach Leeks and Pomegranate. PHOTO: Arugula Salad with Dried Figs, Wrinkled Olives and Pasteli (sesame honey brittle)NOTE: I do think that a recipe for Pasteli could have been included in this book, for those of us who would rather make rather than hunt it down. I checked and there is a recipe for it in The Food and Wine of Greece, but as two of the recipes in this book contain Pasteli it would have been a great addition to the sweets chapter.GREEK BETWEEN THE BREAD – Gyro, wraps, melts, hero, pita no recipes for the breads themselves. Just the fillings. Includes: Shrimp Saganaki Hero, Sloppy Yianni (a Greek take on a Sloppy Joe) Portobello Mushroom Wrap. PHOTO: Spanokopita Grilled CheeseA TABLE FULL OF VEGETABLES – I am always excited over the vegetable chapter in any recipe book. This contains 21 delicious sounding sides or mains with potatoes, corn, chestnuts, kale, leeks, eggplants, mushrooms, cauliflower, artichoke, butternut squash etc. It should be noted here that there are plenty of vegetarian dishes in this book.Obviously vegans would need to find a replacement for the obligatory feta and other Greek cheeses, but some wonderful dishes are vegan with no adaptations necessary such as the Wild Mushroom and Onion Stew, Eggplants Stuffed with Onions, Raisins and Grape Molasses etc. Also included in this chapter: Fries with Spicy Whipped Feta, Whole Cauliflower Baked with 3 Greek Cheeses, Artichoke Bread Pudding. PHOTO: Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Moussaka.GREAT BEANS – Lentils, Giant, Black Eyed Peas, Chickpeas etc. Included: Chickpeas Baked with Squid Petimezi and Nigella. PHOTO: Giant Beans Baked with Roasted Garlic and Tomatoes.ANCIENT GRAINS MODERN COMFORTS – rusks, rice, pasta and trahana. NOTE: There are a few recipes in this book that require barley rusks. I checked and none of the earlier books contain a recipe for them, even though they are used extensively in many of Kochilas’s recipes, particularly in her more traditional Greek recipe books. This omission has been rectified here, with a recipe for Traditional Cretan Mixed Grain Rusks. This is a terrific addition, especially for those of us who have Kochilas’s earlier books.I was very pleased to see a description and recipe in this book using Sour Trahana as I was introduced to this in the earlier books, and although it is quite hard to come by, it is worth tracking down. The index states that it is also mentioned on page 151. Unfortunately page 151 is in the vegetable chapter, and is a photograph of potatoes, and no other recipe around that location contains Trahana. Some further sleuthing, reveals that the Ancient Grains chapter includes an Eggplant Braised with Cretan Xinohontro which is a local Cretan version of Sour Trahana. There is no reference to this in the index under Trahana, so perhaps this eggplant recipe was originally supposed to be on page 151 in the vegetable chapter? No matter. You can find this Eggplant and Trahana recipe on page 215.This chapter also includes some traditional recipes with a modern twist such as Tomato Rice with Ouzo and Star Anise, Quinoa Pilaf with Octopus and Chickpeas and some not so traditional but entirely delicious sounding recipes such as Spanokopita Mac and Cheese with Olive Oil Bechamel! PHOTO: Lentil-Pasta Terrine with Cumin and Prunes.SOUPS FOR EVERY SEASON – celery root, chestnut, split pea, chickpea, lamb. Included: Another hidden Trahana Recipe! Spicy Trahana Soup with Fresh Seafood (also not listed in the index under Trahana) a Greek Easter Soup with Lamb Shank, a Modern Greek Christmas Chestnut Soup etc. PHOTO: Celery Root Soup with a Splash of Ouzo and Fig-Feta Pesto.LIFE OF PIE – Spinach cheese, zucchini, chicken, winter squash, onion. NOTE: For some odd reason Greek Mountain Cheese Bread and Olive Oil Flatbread are in this chapter. I think they would have been better situated in the Ancient Grains chapter with the rusks, or perhaps this pie chapter could have been renamed to include those three recipes. Although the whimsically named chapter Life of Pie wouldn’t sound the same if it was Life of Pie (and bread) but to spread these three bread recipes over two chapters doesn’t make sense to me. That small gripe aside, The Life of Pie chapter does include some great sounding pies too! Included: Chicken Pie with Raisins, Pine Nuts, Herbs and Two Greek Cheeses, Greek Island Onion Pie, Spinach-Cheese Pie with Homemade Whole Wheat Phyllo. PHOTO: Sweet and Savory Winter Squash Pie.CARNIVEROUS PLEASURES – 6 chicken recipes, 5 lamb recipes, 2 pork, 1 veal, 1 beef, 1 sausage recipe. Includes: Roasted Chicken with Halloumi, Mushrooms and Herbs, Roasted Leg of Lamb with Xionomavro Wine and Herbs, Pork Medallions Baked in Paper, Roasted Apricot Chicken Marinated in Greek Yogurt. PHOTO: Roasted Chicken Stuffed with Figs and Olives.FRESH FROM THE SEA – 3 Bass recipes, 1 Cod, 1 Mackerel, 2 Sardine recipes, 1 Shrimp, 1 Shrimp and Mussels. Included: Sea Bass with Mushrooms and Red Wine, Baked Sardines with Ouzo, Tomatoes, Capers and Lemon, Cod Fillets with Orange and Green Olive Salsa. PHOTO: Grilled Mackeral stuffed with Carrots, Raisins, Pine Nuts and Herbs.SWEET ENDS - Cheesecake, pudding, cake, baklava, semifroddo, mousse, panna cotta etc Included: Tahini-Honey Phyllo Flutes, Greek Banana Split with Chocolate-Nut Paste, Pasteli, Cinnamon and Honey. Dark Chocolate Ouzo Orange Mousse. PHOTO: Xinomavro Chocolate CakeGREEK WINE AND SPIRITS – a short history on Greek wine categories and appellations, unique varietals, Retsina and Greek Dessert Wines. I am unsure here why this chapter is named Greek Wine and Spirits as spirits are not mentioned at all. Seems that there are either some pages missing or it was decided to omit spirits without changing the chapter title. Editorial issues are unfortunately an all too common gripe of mine with pretty much all of the recipe books I review. I know it can happen, but I find so many errors in recipe books, that perhaps I have missed my calling in life. Don’t let that minor irritation of mine put you off this is a terrific book, despite the occasional small slip-up.I know that many readers want plenty of food photographs and this book doesn’t disappoint in quantity of photographs.I personally find the food photographs in Kochilas’s books (the ones that have photographs) to be very dated. The Meze book from 2003 has the usual photographs from that period. However, the same photographer who worked on Mediterranean Grilling 2007 also did the photography for My Greek Table. The photos in Mediterranean Grilling were also one dimensional (the obligatory side angle or taken from above extreme closeup photos of the food with very little by the way of props or atmosphere) but this was pretty much standard in 2007. However the photos in the Med Grilling book and Meze, were at least made more enticing due to the satin finish paperstock. In this latest book the paper is matte which has been the trend for some time now, and unfortunately doesn’t do the food or this old-style food photography any favors. The photographs really need to be more dramatic and atmospheric which would have suited the paperstock far better (I went out of my way to select some of the best in the ones I included with this review) The current trend towards dishes as “still life”, would have been a much better direction - rather than photos which eyeball the food from an inch away which is far less mouth-watering when the paper is matte. ie. Diana Henry’s How to Eat a Peach photographs by Laura Edwards on matte paperstock is a wonderful example - that book is a work of art.I enjoyed the landscape photographs far more (different photographer) than the food photographs. But the food photos do the job, I guess and there are plenty of them which is very important to most recipe book readers.Photographs aside, in my opinion this is Diane Kochilas’s most crowd pleasing book to date.This book contains many easy, modern weeknight dinners, some great rustic vegetable heavy dishes with broad appeal, some delicious sounding weekend breakfast and brunch ideas, and some great dinner party fare. It’s a terrific all-rounder and I can’t wait to cook through it!If you don’t have any books by Kochilas but you love Greek food and want to produce some incredible dishes that both family and dinner guests will be wowed by, look no further!I will update this review after I work my way through some of these recipes.UPDATE-Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb - this was wonderful. Temperatures are not given but I grilled it to an internal temperature of 160F (medium) Have marked this one as a keeper.-Roasted Chicken with Halloumi, Mushrooms and Herbs - this was a simple dish, tomatoey and mushroomy and buttery from the halloumi and good with crusty bread for a cold evening.-Whole Roasted Cauliflower Slathered with Feta and Greek Honey - We really enjoyed this side dish. Will make again.-Grilled or Seared Leeks with Shaved Sheeps Milk Cheese and Prunes - loved the sweet malt flavor of the prunes with the lemon dressing. Paired beautifully with the leeks. This comes across as a very new dish that you might find on a very vegetable forward restaurant menu, but is an adaptation from an old Macedonian recipe. Its a keeper.-Slow Cooked Kale with Greek Olive Oil, Oranges and Garlic - We love greens, make a big batch of this because it will go fast. I also riffed on it and made it with collards to go with some southern spicy chicken and baked beans. The oranges with the collards freshened them up and was a lovely southern side dish. Will make this again and again with various greens.-Pina Colada Revani (syrup soaked semolina cake) Sad to say this wasn't a winner with us at all. I loved the sound of it because syrup cakes have a special place in my heart and ... coconut and pineapple syrup cake?? Sign me up! But, the cake itself had very little flavor as one might expect from the ingredients as it just has a small amount of coconut and a Tb of orange juice and 2 Tbs brandy for flavor. It should have been elevated by the syrup but alas, even though I used a fresh pineapple in the syrup, and more lemon zest than the syrup recipe called for, the syrup just didn't have enough flavor. I decided to leave the pineapple to steep until it cooled instead of removing it right away. That didn't help much. When it came time to pour the syrup over the cake I really knew that it was FAR too much (3 cups of sugar no less) and it certainly was! The syrup made the cake so moist it needed wringing out before eating. It took ages to seep in, and the flavor just needed a punch as all that syrup with a simple cake really needed to have maximum flavor. The cake was so wet I couldn't eat it and my husband who will eat anything, would only eat a ring around the outer edge so that there was some texture from the crust. The rest I sadly threw away.

You'll want to cook your way through this book! Such a good variety of recipes and most of the ingredients can be easily purchased. Directions are clear. If you love Greek or Mediterranean food, this cookbook is a go-to. It's well illustrated, too. The basic sauces and dressings will help you to make tasty, authentic Greek meals. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

We've been watching re-runs of Diane Kochilas's PBS cooking shows on AppleTV, lately. (Did you know PBS has an app? Binge watch cooking shows to your heart's delight!). The TV show is inspiring, both for the recipes and for foodie travel joy. After watching several episodes, we invested in this cookbook. I'm so glad we did.I love cookbooks, and I have about 500 of them in my collection. Over time, I've concluded that a cookbook is a success if I find three reliable recipes I want to make again. This one has five, and I've only had the cookbook for a few weeks.We built our entire New Year's Eve feast from her recipes: eggplants stuffed with onions, raisins, and grape molasses; artichoke moussaka with caramelized onions and feta; and spinach-and-cheese pie. All were excellent. Well, the moussaka was only "very good," largely because our frozen artichokes were "meh;" next time I'd wait until I found fresh ones in season. We also made the super-easy "roasted apricot chicken marinated in Greek yogurt" for a weeknight meal. And the "slow cooked kale with oranges and garlic" was our contribution to Christmas dinner (with spinach, because I'm convinced that kale tastes like a wet paper bag and y'all are just goofing on us). That's brain-dead easy and bound to be a regular accompaniment to roast chicken from now on.Plenty more recipes are clamoring for attention. We'd have added "whole roasted cauliflower slathered with feta and Greek honey" to the New Year's Eve menu if we had an additional guest, for instance, and -- given that we have retsina left over from the meal -- I'm going to make her grilled shrimp using it along with lemon, coriander, and pepper.A lot of these recipes are on her website, but note that some of them are slightly different than what you find in the cookbook. That apricot chicken, for instance, calls for fresh apricots online but the cookbook specifies dried ones. And the shrimp recipe calls for ouzo in the cookbook, though the website suggests either ouzo or retsina.The index could be better; it's fairly basic. And I wish that the author was a bit more precise in measurements. I'm fine with a recipe calling for one onion, but the moussaka calls for eight of them. And there's a BIG difference between eight small onions and eight medium-sized ones. It'd help if the instructions said "8 finely chopped onions, about 4 cups" so I knew when to stop.Those are quibbles, though. This is a great cookbook. Recommended.

I was so excited to buy this book and just made the spicy lamb shanks with chickpeas. Came out excellent. So flavorful and my guests loved them. Can’t wait to make more from this beautiful cookbook.

Pleasant host-cook on tv; streaming into Hungr or Gusto channels. Greek woman chef very experienced and creative recipe! Sightseeing epusides in pkaces of story add scenically!

I had heard of the author, Diane Kochilas, but never was attracted to Greek cuisine. That all changed when I received this cookbook. It was just as much joy to read as it was to try the recipes. It is packed with recipes that I'm working my way through. Everything from simple salads and dressings to breads, vegetables, and main dish. Most of the ingredients can be found in the grocery store. A few, trahana and grape molasses, for example, can be found on amazon. I especially liked how she often gave variations for recipes.

Beautifully illustrated book with tons of classic & interesting recipes!