Issue No.
13369
CELEBRITY chef Cat Cora, who is currently cooking up a storm in the United States and introducing millions of Americans to the best of Greek cuisine, was in Athens last week to promote the country’s gastronomy.
Born in Mississippi to a family of Greek restaurateurs, Cora is the first and only female winner of the Iron Chef America - a popular culinary game show competition in the United States. She arrived in Greece to participate in a culinary-tourism workshop organised by Deree, the American College of Greece.
The workshop was held at Deree’s official launch of its new Bachelor of Science in International Tourism and Hospitality Management.
In her keynote speech, Cora stressed the importance of education. “The only way to achieve your goals is through small actions every day and in the end they all add up,” said Cora, born Katerina Karayiozis. (Unlike most celebrities, Cora didn’t change her name. It was changed when her grandfather arrived as an immigrant at the US Ellis Island immigration station.)
In October, the 41-year-old chef who is the author of two cookbooks, opened her first restaurant under a joint initiative with Disney in Orlando, Florida. Her restaurant Kouzzina (Kitchen) features many of Cora’s time-honoured recipes passed down from her ancestors, as well as favourite Greek and Mediterranean dishes. On the menu: the Spiros Greek salad, named after Cora’s Greek father, goat cheese stuffed grape leaves, spinach pie, cinnamon stewed chick and the traditional Greek baklava.
Food and wine
Other speakers at Deree’s three-hour workshop on December 14 included the best-known Greek wine producer, Yiannis Boutaris. He discussed the growing demand for wine tourism in Greece. “In the 1960s, there were only 60 organised wineries in Greece,” said Boutaris. “Today, there are more than 600 wineries scattered around Greece. There is, however, still a lack of a wine culture in Greece.”
Award-winning cookbook author Diana Kochilas (bottom L) spoke about Greece’s culinary tourism opportunities.
“As Greeks, we have hospitality in our DNA,” said Greek-American Kochilas, author of seven books on Greek and Mediterranean cooking in both English and Greek. “But Greece is still the great unknown in the Mediterranean.”
Kochilas, who frequently criss-crosses between New York, Athens and the small Greek island of Ikaria, also expressed her disappointment over the “lack of a government strategy” aimed at promoting Greece as a culinary destination.
Cat Cora’s Goat cheese-stuffed grape leaves
8 large grape leaves
8 ounces goat cheese
1 tbsp mixed, fresh herbs (thyme, basil rosemary, and/or parsley), chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 cups extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cleaned and chilled, fresh arugula
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
8 slices Greek or rustic loaf bread
Cured black and herbed Kalamata olives
Turn the grill on to high flame. Mix the goat cheese, herbs, salt, and pepper, 1 tbsp lemon juice and 3 tbsp of olive oil in a bowl. Put aside. Spread out the eight grape leaves in sets of two overlapping pairs. Scoop about two ounces - a rounded heaping tablespoon - of the goat cheese mixture placing it in the middle of a pair of grape leaves.
Starting with one end, fold each side until the goat cheese is covered, making a rounded packet. Repeat with the remaining leaves. Place stuffed leaves in a shallow dish and cover with extra virgin olive oil until ready to use.
Using tongs, place the packets onto the grill. When marked on one side, about 1 minute, turn over and mark on the other side. Grill until cheese is soft, about 1 minute. When soft remove from grill and place on platter.
Brush slices of bread with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and grill both sides until lightly browned and toasted. Remove from grill.
ATHENS NEWS 30/08/2010, page: 16
