Fava with Thyme, Shallot & Red Vinegar Dressing

I recently invested in George Columbaris' second cookbook, and it did a wonderful job of bringing me back to memories of the delicious food served up at Hellenic Republic in Brunswick. Much more approachable than his first book, this one really gets down to good, flavourful Greek cuisine without the 'fancy stuff'.

This recipe comes from the book, and is a moorsih dip that i served with heated flatbreads. The base of the dip is provided by the split peas and olive oil, with hints of garlic and a twang of thyme and red vinegar.

Do make sure you taste for seasoning and remember that you need a little bit more salt than you might think when something is not being served hot.

'Traditional' Tzatziki.... sorry George!

I've poached another recipe from George Calombaris, however i've changed it up a bit to suit my tastes! Tzatziki is equally my favorite dip, along with French Onion, and 'New Zealand Dip' which my friend Darryl introduced me to (ill see if i can nick the recipe sometime). 

George called this 'Traditional Tzatziki' and it certainly tastes markedly different from the stuff that i am used to. I actually prefer regular tzatziki, however this one is worth a try for something different. I was hoping that this would be the rich, creamy tzatziki that is served at Hellenic Republic. But i'm still on the hunt.

Ingredients

500gm greek natural yoghurt

1 cucumber

1/3 cup olive oil

1tbs white vinegar (though i prefer the zing of lemon)

1tbs maluka honey (George says double the amount, but it was too sweet for me)

1tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp salt

Method (kinda basic!)

Split the cucumber in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Then dice into 1/2cm cubes. 

Add all other ingredients and mix

Refridgerate until very cold. 

The dip will improve overnight.

Serve with bread, crackers, or sticks of carrot and celery!

Melitzanosalata with Balsamic Onions

Okay so i kind of stole this recipe for greek eggplant dip from George Columbaris. Anyone who has been to Hellenic Republic knows this man knows his Greek food. I highly recommend you go there sometime in summer, i was incredibly impressed by the great unpretentious Greek food there, and piles of it there is too.

Anyway i made a slight change in substituting balsamic vinegar for the red wine he uses in his recipe. I feel that the end result will be pretty similar though.

Tahini is a sesame seed paste, available at most supermarkets. At times it is in the health food aisle. Like sesame oil, it's potent stuff, so don't go adding tonnes extra because you think you like sesame seeds. If you need to be convinced, try a teaspoon of the stuff. I did. 

Ingredients:

• 3 medium eggplants
• 2 teaspoons tahini
• 2 roasted garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 150ml extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
  
• 1 red onion
• 50ml balsamic vinegar
  

Method:

Melitzanosalata

Pierce the eggplants several times with a fork and bake in an oven at 180 degrees until soft and squishy.

Remove and set aside until cool enough to handle.

split the eggplants in the middle and scoop out the goopy innards into a bowl.

Process the eggplants in the food processor or blender until a fine paste is formed.

Add the tahini, garlic cloves and vinegar and season with salt. Blend until smooth.

Gradually pour in the oil whilst blending to create an emulsification. It should take about 3 minutes to add all the oil.

Place the melitzanosalata in the fridge until cold.

Balsamic Onions

Thinly slice the onions into rings

Place in a saucepan over medium heat with a 2 teaspoons of olive oil and saute until soft.

Add the balsamic vinegar and season with salt

Simmer with the lid on for approximately 5 minutes

Remove the lid and continue to simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Transfer onions to a bowl and let cool.

Serve the melitzanosalata with a good bread (i used panna toscano) and garnish with the balsamic onions.