Greece & the Middle East
The best pistachios in town - sprinkled with rock salt and roasted in lemon juice - are so hard to resist. But nibble a couple while you consider a different kind of feta for your next horiatiki salad. Or decide which flatbread to roll around those grilled lamb sausages you'll sprinkle with dried mountain herbs and smother in thick tzadziki. Don't forget the Egyptian community's recipe for mango mousse with pillowy Persian almond macaroons. Kali orexi! Bil haná wal shifá! Good eating!
You may prefer to view articles alphabetically.
My favorite markets - Yasaman Persian Bakery - 10 Mar 2010
Depending on who's behind the counter, it can be a little daunting shopping at Yasaman. Most of the women who serve are distant and seldom smile. Get over it. You're there for the best walnut macaroons you've ever eaten. read more...
Cerkez Salad - 2 Mar 2010
This chicken and walnut salad, from Mike Isabella, chef of Zaytinya, is not unlike Chicken Satsivi, a dish of cold chicken with walnut sauce from the Republic of Georgia. But then, take a look at the map and see how close Turkey lies to Georgia. read more...
Shiraz Grocery - 2 Mar 2010
The owner of this modest market in Rockville City Center presents himself as Marlboro Man of the Middle East. He's behind the till in a stetson, with flourishing face hair. He's got the sullen attitude of Clint Eastwood in 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly' days down pat. Barely engaging in dialogue, he wants to know if you appreciate that the can of Sahadi Coffee you want to buy is of the powdered kind to brew in a tiny brass pot, not to be dumped in a cafetiere. If you're feeling at one with the cosmos, you might opt to construe this as considerate, not obstructive. read more...
Make your own tahini - 2 Mar 2010
This is a 15-minute exercise. All it takes is a blender, oil - vegetable or olive oil - and more sesame seeds than you'll find in a supermarket spice jar. Head to a Middle East market where they're sold in plastic bags. read more...
Olives - 2 Mar 2010
All olives begin life green. After that, it gets complicated. With so many varieties available, here's a breakdown of the most common to help you avoid the pits... read more...
Mike Isabella - Chef of Zaytinya - 2 Mar 2010
In March 2007, Mike Isabella started at Zaytinya. Just a few months later, the hip downtown mezzethes restaurant won a RAMMY award. read more...
Chicken Shish Taouk - 3 Feb 2010
Abdel Hash Housh, chef of Neyla's recipe for Neyla’s chicken kabobs tastes particularly good coming from the wood smoke of a barbecue but is just as delicious cooked under a really hot broiler. The marinades adapts to other meats and fish. read more...
Abdel Hash Housh - Chef of Neyla - 3 Feb 2010
Twice a week, before coming into his restaurant, Neyla chef Abdel Hash Housh would squeeze in time for classes in English at the Washington Literary Council. read more...
New Year celebrations - something different & where to buy it - 21 Dec 2009
Want to spice up your New Year festivities? Try one of the traditions from another part of the world. read more...
Greek & Middle East markets - 12 Nov 2009
There are probably more specifically Greece-focused markets in Baltimore than in Washington. But Middle East groceries generally stock a wide range of Greek products. read more...
Pistachios - 4 Nov 2009
Yes, you can buy pistachios at the Giant and Safeway loose or in cellophane sacks. But if you head for a Middle Eastern market's supply, you'll be introduced to a whole new dimension in these exceptional nuts - piastachios flavored with lemon, roasted with sea salt, or spiced up with chili. read more...
Lemons - some sharp advice - 9 Sep 2009
Across the Mediterranean and Middle East at the end of summer, lemons scent the warm fall air. So if you've got lemons, what do you do: make lemonade. (You knew that...)
Whether they come from Israel or California, buy them at their best in the early fall and freeze them for winter use in vinaigrettes, tagines, roasted chickens, lemonade and more. read more...
Nosh Notes: Turkish restaurants - 5 Aug 2009
This web site doesn't cover many restaurants. But the following come highly recommended by a number of Turkish eatWashingtonians. They should know. And summertime is the perfect season for this kind of food. read more...
Shrimp baked with tomatoes & feta (Garides youvetsi) - 8 Jul 2009
At Marilena Leavitt's Greek and Italian cooking classes, she teaches traditional dishes that are easily accomplished, such as this main course that works year round and uses easily sourced ingredients. read more...
Tzadziki - 1 Jul 2009
In Greece, luscious thick yogurt is drained, flavored with garlic and sometimes mint, and turned into tzadziki to be served on fingers of toasted pita or cubes of bread, along with glasses of ouzo. Loosened a little with its own whey, tzadziki makes a wonderful dip for fresh vegetables or crackers and a great sauce for grilled meats. read more...
Alternatives to pita bread - 1 Jul 2009
Looking for an alternative to pita? There are plenty. read more...
Feta cheese - 24 Jun 2009
In summer, with real tomatoes arriving in stores, Greek salad comes into its own. Horiatiki salata, country salad, is a compilation of quarters of tomato, thick slices of peeled cucumber and thinner slices of red onion, a handful of black olives and chunks of feta, drizzled with a good green olive oil. (Strictly speaking, the tomatoes provide the acid replacement for vinegar.)
Feta is often overlooked as a cheese. But with its relatively low fat content and range of flavor from mild to forceful, it's worth paying it some attention. True feta cheese, low-fat and healthy, is a far cry from sour, salty and week-old-socks stinking (some would say vomit stenching) plastic-packaged cheese from supermarket dairy aisles. read more...
Yas Café & Market - 28 May 2009
To say Ghodrat Azizi is an enthusiast is an understatement. Catch him on a subject like his love of London and he bubbles over. Which makes a visit to his newly opened market a conversational treat, with a welcome akin to anything you would have been afforded back in Iran where he comes from. read more...
'Violettes' Artichokes - 15 Apr 2009
Artichokes 'Violettes' show up in markets in early spring, along with the fresh fava beans they go with so well. read more...
Greek specialties - 18 Mar 2009
It's not hard to find Greek specialties locally. They're stocked by most Middle East markets. The closest large Greek community is in Baltimore, with its markets and restaurants. But if you want to shop as though you were in Greece, head for International Market & Bakery on a Saturday. read more...
In March 2007, Mike Isabella started at Zaytinya. Just a few months later, the hip downtown mezzethes restaurant won a RAMMY award.
Chew On This: Not sleeping makes you fat
Cakes - to order or make beautiful
Apple Tarte Tatin
My favorite markets - Yasaman Persian Bakery
It may look like a Big Mac but it isn't.
Cerkez Salad
Shiraz Grocery
Make your own tahini
Olives
Mike Isabella - Chef of Zaytinya
Chew On This: Omega-3s. Are they really that magical?
Chew on This: No link between red meat and cancer?
Plaza Market
Veal Cheeks
Browse for
Delicious Recipes
DC Chefs
Cuisine Regions