Greek Delicacies: Winter Haven Church Prepares for Popular Annual Festival

Published: Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 11:57 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 11:57 p.m.

Georget Photos, wife of the church's priest, the Rev. Dean Photos, will be showing how to stuff grape leaves and other cooking techniques at the church's annual Greek Festival, offering everything Greek for the thousands who show up for the event Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

There will be live Greek music and dancing, Greek dancing lessons, cooking demonstrations, church tours, authentic Greek food and pastries, youth entertainment, antiques vendors and a Greek grocery store and boutique. Ouzo, Greek and American beer and wine will also be available.

A $2 admission charge is good for all three days and children younger than 12 are admitted free.

The Photoses and many volunteers have been busy for weeks, preparing the quantity of food required to serve their guests. Volunteers helped stuff more than 5,000 grape leaves for the festival.

John Balasis, festival chairman, said there will be food served in the church hall and in a tent outside and he hopes everyone will come.

"This is our church's major fundraiser," he said. "We use the proceeds to operate the church and to contribute to local charities, as well as national and international Eastern Orthodox church charities.

Athenian fish, Greek meatballs, Mediterranean baked chicken, lamb shanks, souvlaki (a pork tenderloin shish kabob), spanakopitas (Spinach pie) and Tiropites (cheese pie), and the grape leaves will be served in a combination plate or a la carte in the church hall. An appetizer plate with marinated octopus, calamari, saganaki served with tomatoes, olives, onions and pita will also be available.

In the tent, Balasis will be carving the meat for gyros and serving Greek fries, a souvlaki sandwich, grilled octopus, saganaki (flaming cheese) Grecian calamari (squid).

There also will be a children's menu that includes Greek meatballs, pork tenderloin and chicken.

Phyllo pastries, including baklava and a shredded phyllo pastry with custard and whipped cream, are also available. Greek cookies will include powdered sugar shortbread, Greek butter cookie twists and Greek anisette biscotti.

Georget Photos is a Greek cooking expert, with a Greek cookbook on its way to the printer. She also offers Greek cooking classes and offered some cooking tips.

Stuffed grape leaves are a Greek staple. Even though her recipe uses beef, she said grape leaves also can be stuffed with fruit and nuts and served with a Greek yogurt sauce or a cucumber-yogurt sauce.

Balasis said his mother skipped the grape leaves, using zucchini or yellow squash blossoms instead.

The secret to a wonderful baklava, the honey-filled phyllo delight, she said, is using a honey-sugar syrup instead of pure honey if the baklava isn't going to be served within 24 hours of making it. Georget Photos also makes a chocolate version.

The recipes at left are from her soon-to-be-published cookbook, tentatively titled "The Joyful Cook's Heavenly Guide to Greek Cuisine."

[ Mary Hurst can be reached at mary.hurst@newschief.com or 863-401-6960. ]

DOLMATHES

? 1 jar of grape leaves or 1 bunch fresh leaves

? ? cup rice

? ? pound ground beef or lamb

? 1 tablespoon mint or dill

? 1 tablespoon parsley

? 2 onions chopped

? ? cup white wine

? Beef and lamb bones, carrots halved lengthwise or celery stalks

? Egg lemon sauce of choice

LEAVES: Blanch the leaves you are using by dipping them in boiling water for 5 seconds and laying them on a baking sheet to dry. If you are using jar leaves, the leaves need only be rinsed prior to using. Lay 3 to 5 leaves on your work space, with the vein side up. Snip off the stem with kitchen shears.

FILLING: In a large skillet, saut? the onions and herbs. Add the rice and continue to saut?. Add 1 cup water and ? cup wine when you see the rice turn white and cook until the fluid has been absorbed. Add the rice to the meat mixture in a bowl and knead.

ASSEMBLY: Line the bottom of your pot with either celery or carrots. Return to your work space. Place 1 teaspoon of the filling at the stem bottom. Bring the two lower side leaves to the center, covering the filling slightly. Pick up the stem end and roll forward, forming an egg roll shape. Place the finished dolma on top of the bedding in the pot. Lay the dolma up against the side of the pan and continue laying the dolmathes side by side, working inward, until the first layer is finished. Repeat the same distribution on the second layer and so forth until the leaves and filling are used. Place a plate over the finished dolmathes. Add 2 cup water with the juice of one lemon. Simmer for 30 minutes.

LAMB KAPAMA

? 4 to 6 lamb shanks

? 2 to 3 pounds tomatoes, chopped

? 1 medium onion

? 3 onions chopped

? 1 tablespoon whole cloves

? 1? tablespoons whole allspice

? 1 cup chicken or beef broth

? ? cup olive oil

? 6 cloves of garlic

? 6 bay leaves

? 2 cups deep red wine

? 1/8 teaspoon sugar

? ? cup orange or lemon rind

? 1 cup chopped Kalamata olives chopped

? 1 cinnamon stick

? Salt and pepper to taste

Take the medium onion and remove the outer skin and cut the ends off. Once the onion is cleaned, start with your cloves. Take each clove and make a design by pushing the cloves into the onion. The design is yours; make circles, rows, whatever you want but use all the cloves. Do the same for the allspice. Place the cinnamon stick through the center of the onion or leave it separate.

Place the onions and olive oil into a 2-quart pot along with the garlic, rind, olives and bay leaves. Heat the oil and stir with a wooden spoon.

Place the medium onion designed with spices and cinnamon stick in a pot with sugar and broth and stew at medium heat for 15 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes to the garlic and bay leaves once they start to smell. Keep stirring. Brown the shanks in the oil, then remove and place them in a stew pot, slow cooker or roasting pan. You want to saut? the remaining ingredients until the tomatoes soften and a sauce develops. Stir in the wine and cook for 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Take the sauce and distribute over the lamb and cook until done: 1 hour low medium in stew pot; 2-3 hours on low in slow cooker; or 350 degrees for 40 minutes in the oven.

Source: http://www.theledger.com/article/20130220/news/130229935

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