We have not been able to gather lately, with isolating, closures and social distancing measures in place, and with good reason. Now that the weather is nicer and we are slowly lifting restrictions, we decided to try an outdoor dinner, with social distancing. We wanted to get back to our meatless Monday, which we had slipped from, since it was hard to get some ingredients. This week our trio gathered in the yard to experience a Greek inspired meal.
Shawn has been wanting to try a new technique for eggplant which requires hardwood coals, so we arrived early to get the hickory wood burned down. We then charred eggplant, directly on the coals. while these were resting, to remove excess moisture, we opened a lovely sparkling Crement, to toast and enjoy with Saganaki and spanikopita under the pergola.
One nice thing about doing the Saganaki on the BBQ is that you get a nice smokey flavour, to the cheese. The wine was chilled nicely and went well with the appetizers. A lovely start to the meal.
We then moved to the other end of the yard and sat at table, to try a Greek pea soup.
I tried the unfinished version and it just tasted so green, but at the end it was tempered with some Greek yogurt and it balanced out the flavours nicely. The croutons are made from bread from https://www.rbakery.ca/ If you are in the north part of Toronto, do check them out and support local businesses. And as you can see in the picture we had Malivoire Lady Bug https://malivoire.com/products/2019-ladybug-rose ready to go for the main courses.
Now I don’t think anyone present thought we were lacking colour in our meal, but Mom always said “cook by the colours.” Shawn decided to add a riot of colour and freshness to our meal with Kristinia (breadsticks), a greek salad with Canadian hothouse heirloom tomatoes, Zucchini fritters, and roasted beets with grilled halloumi cheese and mint.
Barbecuing cheese if fun, but you need to be brave! The fritters have become a standard dish in our home. They are just lovely and delicate. The roasted beets and grilled halloumi cheese was my favorite of this trio, with 3 types of beets, but the Greek salad was absolutely beautiful, the colours stole the show and so fresh tasting.
Now for our experimental dish. We charred eggplant, directly on hardwood coals, then let it rest to release some of its juices, then it is peeled and rests again. It is then split down the middle and served over a lightly spiced tomato sauce.
If you are not a fan of eggplant, this dish might just change your mind. Cooking it like this changes the texture of the eggplant and gives it smokey richness. The sauce adds another layer to the dish. This goes on the list of favorite eggplant recipes.
It was nice to get together, even at a distance, and dine together, to check out how our newly planted veggies are doing, while planning the remaining plots. Most importantly, it was wonderful to actually talk, not on the phone, not through messaging, nor zoom. As restrictions slowly loosen, from this crazy time, getting to see someone face to face has become a luxury, we never thought we would miss quite this much. Happy spring, and to better days ahead!
Beautifully prepared, presented, written and photographed – as always!
Beautiful and looks so tasty! My Syrian friends roast their eggplants that way when we camp.
I have relished your eggplant recipes, whether Greek, Indian or Italian with the zeal of a convert. It is incredibly tasty when prepared under your skilled hands. Now let’s see if I can grow it in a Toronto garden!