Gourmet Galley for Jan. 26, 2012

A taste of Greece

Evelyn Short liked turning her kitchen over to her house guest, Costas Androulakis, and his two cousins for the afternoon. The cousins, Eftihia “Efi” and Eva Katehaki, of Crete, Greece, were staying with Short’s son and daughter-in-law, Dash and Sherry Short.

Androulakis, who spends part of the year in the United States, and his cousins were born and raised on the island of Crete, in the village of Elia. Between seeing Baton Rouge, touring Acadiana and New Orleans, they wanted to prepare a Greek meal for their hosts.

Androulakis laughingly said, “We had planned a more elaborate menu for today, but touring southwest Louisiana and eating oysters at Shucks! in Abbeville yesterday didn’t leave us time to prepare so we’re cooking a simple soup, pasta and dessert.”

The cousins learned to cook from their mothers. In Crete and Athens, the main meal is still served during the day and it’s followed by “siesta” from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., they said. The tradition of siesta is revered by Cretans when the shops close and people have quiet time. Everything reopens again around 5 p.m. and stays open until 8 or 10 at night.

Natives claim that Crete is a mix of sea, sun, mountains, sage, thyme and oregano. The Shorts, having visited there, remarked about the herbs growing wild everywhere and how the countryside smells of herbs. Besides the herbs, Sherry Short couldn’t get over the local wines sold in the grocery stores “like in milk jugs that are transferred to terra cotta carafes at the table.”

The trinity of Greek cooking, unlike Louisiana’s onion, bell pepper and celery, would probably be olive oil, lemon and oregano, Androulakis said. They use it on and in everything including vegetables, seafood and meat.

Androulakis, who is retired from his career in hotel management, always insisted on having fine restaurants in hotels he managed. He spends the winter in Phoenix, Ariz. In the spring and early summer he is in Crete, but his main home is San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. After leaving Baton Rouge, the three cousins looked forward to having more American food experiences as they headed west to Phoenix.

Before they left Baton Rouge, the three cousins shared their Greek recipes with their hosts.