July, a
terrace surrounded by ancient olive trees, lavender, and scented jasmine. We
dine at a rustic table with the cool blue of the Aegean in the distance.
Old
white-washed stone walls create a beautiful backdrop for the glorious saturated
colors of the mixed pottery and homespun stripes covering the table.
A platter
of grilled sea bass caught this morning, ruby tomatoes, luscious oily olives,
feta and goat cheese, along with chewy, yeasty flat bread sit next to chilled Patra.
A Peloponnesian Lunch
Grilled Sea Bass
2 lemons
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. fresh oregano leaves
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 ¼ tsp. salt
2 whole sea bass
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
2 large oregano sprigs
Prepare charcoal fire or gas grill for covered direct
grilling over medium heat.
Meanwhile, from one lemon, grate 1 Tbsp. peel and squeeze 2
Tbsp. juice. Cut half of remaining lemon into slices, other half into wedges.
In small bowl, stir lemon juice and peel, oil, chopped oregano, coriander, and
¼ tsp. salt.
Rinse fish and pat dry with paper towels. Make 3 slashes in
both sides of each fish. Sprinkle inside and out with pepper and remaining 1
tsp. salt. Place lemon slices and oregano sprigs inside fish cavity. Place fish
in 13” by 9” glass baking dish. Rub half of oil mixture over outsides of fish;
reserve remaining oil mixture to drizzle over cooked fish. Let stand at room
temperature 15 minutes.
Lightly grease grill rack; place fish on hot rack. Cover
grill and cook fish 12 to 14 minutes or until fish just turns opaque throughout
and thickest part flakes easily when tested with a fork, turning fish over
once.
To serve, place fish on cutting board. Working with 1 fish
at a time, with knife, cut along backbone from head to tail. Slide wide metal
spatula or cake server under front section of top fillet and lift off from
backbone; transfer to platter. Gently pull out backbone and rib bones from
bottom fillet and discard. Transfer bottom fillet to platter. Repeat with
second fish. Drizzle fillets with the remaining oil mixture. Serve with lemon
wedges.
Vegetable Platter
Vine ripened tomatoes cut into wedges
The best Greek olives
Feta cheese cut into cubes
Sliced cucumbers and red onions
Good quality Greek olive oil sprinkled over, with salt and
fresh oregano
Pita Bread
2 tsp. active dry yeast
½ tsp. sugar
35 grams (¼ c) whole-wheat flour
310 grams (2 ½ c) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Dissolve yeast and sugar in 1 c. warm water (115°-120°). Add
the whole-wheat flour and ¼ c. all-purpose flour and whisk together. Put bowl in
a warm (not hot) place, uncovered, until mixture is frothy and bubbling, about
15 minutes.
Add salt, olive oil and nearly all remaining all-purpose
flour (reserve ½ c). With dough hook in a standing mixer, or with a wooden
spoon, stir until mixture forms shaggy mass. Add reserved flour and knead with
hook or manually for one minute.
Turn dough onto work surface or leave in mixing bowl with
dough hook. Knead for 2 minutes until smooth. Cover (if kneading manually) and
rest for 10 minutes. Continue to knead until dough is just soft and still a bit
moist.
Spray a clean bowl with cooking spray and roll all sides of
dough ball in bowl. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until dough
is doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Heat oven to 475° and place a baking sheet on the bottom
shelf of oven. Punch down risen dough and divide into 8 balls. Cover with a
towel on work surface and rest for 10 minutes. Remove one ball at a time (keep
others covered). Roll to a 6” circle, then to an 8” diameter, about 1/8” thick,
dusting with flour if necessary.
Carefully lift the dough circle and place quickly on hot
baking sheet. After 2 minutes the dough should be nicely puffed. Turn over with
tongs or spatula and bake 1 minute more. The pita should be pale, with only a
few brown speckles. Transfer warm pita to a napkin-lined basket and cover so
bread stays soft.
And now, a long-awaited word from Reggie.....
I can't believe I finally get to say a few words. You know, the Cavanaughs tend to like to keep me "muzzled" because they never know what brilliant (or embarrassing) tidbits I might reveal. I'm having my usual tough summer of doggy day care, the dog park, naps, poking around the yard, and trying to keep those OTHERS (they call them Desi and Lucy) in line. Some of my favorite humans have come visit. Kataya is one of them, and I know she actually stayed with us just to see me, not the Cavanaughs. Here she is all glammed up for her 8th grade graduation dance. I'm just really mad that she and her mom moved so far away.
Our cousin Janie sent a picture of my pal, Birdy along with a nice letter to me. She's the fab girl who sent me my favorite toy, The Green Alien.
 |
| Me with the Green Alien |
Here's Birdy and her letter to me:
Dear Reg, here's me plopped on 'the scary step'. There's something about this particular stair step that stops me in my tracks. Now, if someone comes to the door, I have no problem scampering down the stairs to greet them. But I know that when I refuse to move from this stair step, my mom will spend lots of time babying me to get me to move. I get so much attention (like I don't normally - ha!) from her that it's sort of become a habit. I bet you have all kinds of habits that bring you even more attention...particularly from your dad. We all know what a sucker he is for your shenanigans. We should share our tricks to get our humans to bow down to us. I'm sure you could use even more to get those Cavanaughs to completely ignore those other two furry things you live with, and focus entirely on you..
Love and Licks
Miss Birdy
