“If you put love in your cooking you will give love to yourselves and others”- Maria Benardis

When cooking it is important to be mindful and consciously aware of our energy before we go into our kitchen. Emissions of energy that is not harmonious and joyous can lead to imbalances in our emotional, physical and spiritual self. The energy in our food is directly related to our spiritual and physical well being. It will also affect others who consume the food that we cook. It is therefore vital to take care when cooking so that we share love, harmony and good health. These are the most important ingredients to bring into your kitchen and when cooking.

Your energy and the energy you take into the kitchen is absorbed by the environment and other energy beings including the ingredients. It is therefore important to become aware of how you feel and to take responsibility for the energy that you emit and if necessary to change it. If the energy that you give off is not one of love and joy then the dish will not be a loving, healing and harmonious.

We do not eat merely to top up the energy fuel tank in our bodies and for our physical well being. We eat to heal our spiritual well being and to nourish the soul. This energy is taken on by the ingredients and it forms a part of the recipe and the dish.

The Ancient Greeks believed and were aware that food and the energy (a Greek word “energia”) when cooking influenced the balance of the humours and ones well being. A philosophy we have forgotten in modern times.

 Have you ever cooked when:

 - You were worried or fearful that the recipe will not turn out?

No recipe is correct because it is not written specifically for you, your bodies’ energies and needs. Why worry unnecessarily; change it.

-Stressing whether you will get the dinner finished in time before your guests arrive?

Does it really matter if things are running a little late? Observe how slow snails travel and yet they always reach their destination.

-Had a bad day at work and not in the mood? Too tired too cook but still dragging yourself to the kitchen to prepare a meal?

Why not order take-out or eat out instead?

All these situations are not creating a happy environment to cook in. These experiences are also not bringing good positive and harmonious energy into your kitchen.

Energy and Ingredients

We should be free of stress, anxiety and fear. Change your mood by playing your favourite uplifting music or play the tambourine as I do. Remind yourself that you are cooking to nourish and replenish the energy and harmony of your mind and body. Make cooking a happy and joyous occasion. It’s a time to celebrate life.

We ultimately have a choice. We can choose to bring happiness and joy in our kitchen and our cooking or we can choose to bring unhappy and allow fearful energies into the kitchen which offers no benefit to our cooking or the way we feel.

We are ultimately responsible and in control of our health and well being.

The Greekalicious Cooking Mantra – “today I choose to bring loving and healing energy into my kitchen. I am a positive and joyful being and I care and respect myself and others. Everything that I will cook today will heal and nourish my heart and soul”.

If you like this blog then join us on face book at:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greekalicious/152303904835757

©2012 Maria Benardis. All Rights Reserved

The word pasta comes from Latin word pasta “dough, pastry cake”, itself the latinisation of the Greek παστά (pasta) “barley porridge”, in turn from παστός (pastos), “sprinkled with salt, salted”.

Many people will be surprised to know that pasta is not really uniquely Italian and that Greeks have been making pasta since Ancient times. Lasagna was made in Ancient Greece and Lasagne actually has it origins from Ancient Greece.

Ancient Greeks had a pan called lasana which according to Homer was used to bake flat sheets of dough. The Greeks brought that pan and flat dough with them wherever they colonized and one of the main areas they colonized was Italy.  The word and the dish, as lagana became lasagna. In Modern Greek lagana means the wide, low pan and flat unleavened Lenten breads that are baked in it. InMacedonia it refers to a thin noodle pie with sausage, sauce topped with cheese.

You will find many pasta varieties in Greeceand off course pasta dishes.

This pasta dish incorporates the classic ladolemono dressing we usually use in marinades and dressings.

©2010 Maria Benardis. All Rights Reserved

Serves 2 people

Ingredients

250 grams spelt pasta (e.g. spaghetti or any variety you like)

1 lemon, juiced

50ml extra virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon dry wild oregano

100 grams Greek kefalograviera or kefalotiri cheese

1 clove of garlic, minced (optional)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Fresh parsley, finely chopped. Garnish

Method

In a medium sized saucepan place boiling water and sea salt and bring to a boil on high heat. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions and cook until there is a bite to the pasta.

Drain the pasta well and transfer to a bowl.

Add all the remaining ingredients except for the parsley and mix well.

Place the pasta on two plates and sprinkle some parley on top.

Serve whilst still hot.

pasta with ladolemono dressing

- “the need to stop the exploitation of confusing pretentious titles and accurately use the terms “cook” and “chef” in their appropriate context.

- Unless a concerted effort to describe their role accurately is made …cookery as a trade will become an old-fashioned vocation and fade into history.

-Losing public understanding of the role of a chef and the role may well vanish into antiquity.

 -The column concludes that people who prepare and cook food for a living should be called cooks not chefs”.

Does anyone really care whether a person cooking their meal is called a chef or a cook? I certainly don’t.  Is it really that important? Why does society insist on getting bogged down with silly labels? Where is the value add for such a discussion? I personally do not like labels of any sort or placing people or things into neat boxes and categories. It is such a restrictive and narrow minded view on Life.

I believe that the Ancient Greeks got it right when they assigned one word to anyone that prepared food professional or otherwise – “mageiros”; a cook. After all is it not what we are actually doing? At the end of the day labels appear to be ego driven and negative energy focused. When a person cooking loves their craft and they do it with genuine LOVE they are not interested in debates on appropriate titles but rather on channeling positive energy into what they do and creating nourishing healing dishes. Perhaps its time we dropped the labels and that is what they are; just words and worried more about eco rather than ego.

What are your views? Share your views on my face book page at:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greekalicious/152303904835757

As my favourite philosopher Socrates once said all that I know for sure is that “I know that I know nothing”.

Photo of Socrates that sits on my Bookshelf

Legumes featured often on my family’s dinner table especially on Wednesdays or Fridays when we were fasting for our Greek Orthodox faith.

I especially love beans because of their versatility. They are like a blank canvas crying out for some dressing and I love to dress them with the all time Greek favourite Ladolemono.

Beans were enjoyed by the ancient Greeks.

Did you know that the ancient Greeks used beans to vote? They called these small beans or balls “ballota,” which gives us the word ballot. A white bean was a “yes” and a brown bean was a “no.” If the container was knocked over, and the beans were spilled, the secret was out of the jar.  We therefore now have the saying  “spilled the beans” or they let the cat out of the bag.

The below recipe is one of my favourite ways to cook black eyed beans and its very simple.

 Enjoy!!! 

©2010 Maria Benardis. All Rights Reserved

Fasolia Mavromatika me ladolemono

Serves 4 people

Ingredients

2 cups dried black eyed beans

3 cups cold water

4 cups hot water

1 fresh bay leaf

1 garlic clove, mashed

1 lemon, juiced

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

¾ cup parsley, finely chopped

1 small red chili, finely chopped

1 red onion, finely chopped

Salt and cracked pepper, to taste

Garnish

1 lemon, wedges

Chopped parsley

Extra virgin olive oil

Method

Place the beans and 3 cups of cold water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat drain and rinse well.

Return the beans to the saucepan and add the hot water and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Simmer for 25-30 minutes until the beans are tender.

Remove from saucepan and drain well. Discard bay leaf. Place the beans in a salad bowl and mix them with the olive oil, lemon juice, red onion, parsley, chili, salt, cracked pepper and garlic.

Serve the beans and garnish with some parsley and drizzle some olive oil. Place a couple of wedges on each bowl and serve.

You can find more Greekalicious recipes in my Gourmand award winning cook book “My Greek Family Table”. You can purchase it at all good bookstores or around the world online at www.greekalicious.com.au

baked chicken with okra

Giasas everyone.

Its okra season here in Australia so I thought I’d cook a Greek favourite – kota sto fourno me bamies. Baked chicken with okra.

Okra is said to have originated inAfrica. From Africa it travelled to Egypt and then it landed in Greece.

This is one of many ways that the Greeks enjoy okra. This is the way my yiayia (grandmother)and my family used to cook it. Kalli orexi!!!

©2010 Maria Benardis. All Rights Reserved

Serves 2 people

Ingredients

500 grams okra, cut the stems and discard. Wash well.

2 pieces chicken Maryland

1 large white onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cups fresh puréed tomatoes

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 cups extra virgin olive oil, for frying

50 grams Greek feta, crumbled, garnish (optional)

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180C.

Place the extra virgin olive oil in a wok and heat this up. When the oil is hot place half the okra in the wok and cook for 2 minutes. Turn them over half way. Remove from the wok and drain them well. Place them in a baking dish. Cook the remaining okra.

Place the chicken (one piece at a time) in the wok and cook on each side for 2-3 minutes until they are golden brown on both sides. Drain well and place in the baking dish with the okra.

Season the chicken and okra with salt and pepper.

In a frying pan place two tablespoons of extra virgin olive using the olive oil just used for deep frying the chicken and okra. Heat this up and add the garlic and onions. Cook the onions and garlic until they soften. Add the cinnamon, salt and pepper and tomato purée and mix well.

Let this simmer on low for 10 minutes so that the sauce reduces slightly.

Pour the sauce over the chicken and okra and place the dish in the oven and cook for 35 minutes.

When the dishes has cooked, plate up and scatter some crumbled feta on top of the chicken and okra.

Serve whilst still warm.

Happy Greekalicious cooking and Enjoy!!

You can find more Greekalicious recipes in my Gourmand award winning cook book “My Greek Family Table”. You can purchase it at all good bookstores or around the world online at www.greekalicious.com.au

Its winter in Australia and we all crave foods that warm our heart and delight our soul. This week’s recipe is Rizogalo - a Greek traditional rice pudding.

Rice has been known since Ancient times in Greece as a cure for diseases of the digestive tract since the time of Theophrastus (370-285 bc), Dioscurides (first century) and Galenos (ad 130-200).

©2010 Maria Benardis. All Rights Reserved.

Ingredients

 ½ cup medium grain or aborio rice

4 cups milk

4-5 tablespoons castor sugar

½ cup currants or sultanas

Cinnamon to garnish

Honey to garnish

Method

Place the milk and sugar in a saucepan and stir on moderate heat. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to a low simmer and add the rice and currants or sultanas.

Continue to stir regularly until the mixture becomes almost thick and creamy and the rice is cooked. This will take approximately 30-35 minutes.

When the rizogalo has cooked place it in some serving bowls. Let it cool down slightly and then sprinkle some cinnamon and honey over the tops.

Serve whilst still warm.

For more rizogalo recipes and other yummy Greek dishes purchase my book “My Greek Family Table” at:

www.greekalicious.com.au

Rizogalo

The Lifestyle Food web-site is featuring some of my recipes on their web-site.

You can learn how to make Tirokafteri (spicy feta dip) – my favourite dip and other yummy recipe.

Vist the web-site at:

http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/chefs/mariabenardis/

If you love the recipes then share them on face book and twitter on the Lifestyle Food web-site.

Maria dressing loukoumades

Hi Everyone on 20 April 2011 I was invited to cook on the channel 10 show “the Circle”.

I made Loukoumades which is an Ancient Greek doughnut.

You can view the show and the recipe at:

http://www.youtube.com/greekaliciouscooking

Enjoy!!

The SBS Radio “Kitchen Conversations” features English versions of SBS Radio’s regular food segments and will include my Greek speaking segment .

Listen and discover the unique stories and history behind multicultural dishes along with tips and techniques to help you better prepare delicious cross-cultural meals at home.

This week’s SBS food newsletter featured me and you can learn more at:

Recent interview:

http://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/4656/Featured_Foodie_Maria_Benardis?cid=23221

Radio programme and podcasts in English:

http://www.sbs.com.au/podcasts/food/kitchen-conversations/

Radio programme and podcasts in Greek:

http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/greek

Terra Madre Day 2010

This year, a key focus of Terra Madre Day is 1000 Gardens in Africa, Slow Food’s new project to develop community and school food gardens across this continent and many events are support this initiative by raising funds, adopting a project or establishing a twinning between their own community or school garden and one of the gardens in Africa.

Terra Madre is celebrated right around the world and I encourage you to join in.

You can learn more about Terra Madre day at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFgBkrrxChU&feature=player_embedded

There are many ways we can celebrate Terra Madre day and make a difference to the environment and ourselves:

1. create a garden in your backyard, balcony or local school

2. say not to GMO food products and do not purchase them

3. make a conscious decision to purchase food products that are organically and ethically grown

4. ask your local restaurant what practices they have adopted to respect the environment and your health for example do they use good oils such as olive oil for their dishes

5. start reading the labels on your groceries and choose products that care about the environment, people and communities for example choose fair trade products

6. Do you really know what is going into your food? Watch this video “Food matters” and find out the truth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4DOQ6Xhqss

Write to your local Member of Parliament and other related parties and tell them to change the poor labeling laws that we have in Australia. Why does our Government not identify the chemicals ingredients and products contain that we eat on a daily basis that could compromise our health?

Happy Terra Madre day and in the words of Greek Father of Medicine “Let food be your medicine and medicine your food”.