Making a Greek Culinary Connection

For those of you who may be anywhere near Albany, NY ... here is a wonderfully blissful treat for any day of the week.  American friends, of Italian descent, took me out to dinner to an authentic Greek restaurant a few weeks ago ... oh, my ... I had the Moussaka and it was fabulous,  as was the Tzatziki.  Some of the ingredients were recently brought back from Greece by one of the owners.  This does make a difference in authentic cultural dishes.  The place from whence it came generally has the best earth, climate and farmers for certain ingredients ... which is why the food tends to taste so much better there, than when away from the area.  The authentic Greek yogurt tastes like no other and that made the Tzatziki so amazing, it almost seemed like I was in my favorite restaurants of Cyprus and the other Greek Isles.

If one wishes to bridge the cultural divide, I think food is a magnificent way to do so ... languages aside, the stomach is a fine test of taste for cultural exchanges.  Last week I returned with some friends (from Germany, India and the US) to celebrate Life, Fine Food and Good Friendships.  I selected a dish I had not tried before and was ready to return to the shores where fresh shrimp and fish are the very best.  One of the keys to the fine fare I was smitten by, was that the shrimp had been cooked in a clay pot on top of fresh tomatoes and veggies with a splash of ouzo ... what's not to like?

My Garides Grekolimano ...

For those who might have a clay cook pot and some fresh caught jumbo shrimp the following link will take you to a recipe tat is similar and I suggest you exercise some creative culinary cooking ... followed by a sumptuous feast with fine friends.

Then tell us all about the experiences .. of the cooking, the tasting, and the friendships.  Oh, top with a wine of your choice, or, as in my case,  imported ouzo on the rocks (straight up might be too much competition for the splash of ouzo in the clay pot cooking).

Garides Gekolimano , as sent to me by a friend who was there ... and I did not share even one morsel!