Michael Psilakis
Recipes
Lamb Gyro
Very few people make their own gyro—it’s like making your own prosciutto or sausage. Homemade gyro makes a statement about how much you care about your food, and we are very proud of the gyro we make at Kefi.
Recipes
Beef Stew with Leeks
Bodino Stifado Me Praso
Braises like this are perfect for meat with tough muscle tissue and tendons (which come from the part of the animal that works hard), a great example of poverty cooking. This less expensive cut of meat develops its own natural and luscious sauce as it cooks. You want a little marbling in the meat, because it melts down as you cook and adds a lot of flavor to the sauce. You can use brisket, shanks, shoulder—all fairly tough meats—but save the filet mignon for the grill or a pan. It takes a little time to cook and become tender, but it's a relatively easy setup, and once you get it onto the stove you don't have to worry about it for about an hour. So you can do your laundry, or walk the dog, or make a salad.
A couple of days later, if you have any leftovers, you can shred the meat, then return the meat to the sauce and add your favorite pasta. The resulting dish is a Greek version of beef Stroganoff.
The herbs are very important to the flavor development here, since I'm using water instead of stock, so use fresh herbs if possible.
Braises like this are perfect for meat with tough muscle tissue and tendons (which come from the part of the animal that works hard), a great example of poverty cooking. This less expensive cut of meat develops its own natural and luscious sauce as it cooks. You want a little marbling in the meat, because it melts down as you cook and adds a lot of flavor to the sauce. You can use brisket, shanks, shoulder—all fairly tough meats—but save the filet mignon for the grill or a pan. It takes a little time to cook and become tender, but it's a relatively easy setup, and once you get it onto the stove you don't have to worry about it for about an hour. So you can do your laundry, or walk the dog, or make a salad.
A couple of days later, if you have any leftovers, you can shred the meat, then return the meat to the sauce and add your favorite pasta. The resulting dish is a Greek version of beef Stroganoff.
The herbs are very important to the flavor development here, since I'm using water instead of stock, so use fresh herbs if possible.
Recipes
Tzatsiki
This is the one sauce you must make. It's a classic and very easy to prepare, but be sure you use only a superior quality Greek yogurt or labne spread. I cannot emphasize this strongly enough—it makes all the difference.
Recipes
Chickpea Spread
This is a Greek version of hummus that captures the soul of the Mediterranean. For this recipe, be sure to use premium-quality imported sun-dried tomatoes; they should be plump and soft with red hue.
Recipes
Dried Fig Souvlaki
Recipes
Scallops with Cauliflower, Dried Cherries, and Capers
A salty, buttery mess of delicious things.
Culture
Modern Greek
