The Food and Wine of Greece: More Than 300 Classic and Modern Dishes from the Mainland and Islands

May 22, 2008 | By Doug In Wine | Comments(0)

The Food and Wine of Greece: More Than 300 Classic and Modern Dishes from the Mainland and Islands

Greece and its many islands are rich with traditional and regional culinary dishes that go far beyond the standard fare of moussaka and spinach pie. To gather these special recipes and the culture that surrounds them, Diane Kochilas spent more than fifteen years living and traveling in Greece. From home cooks and professional chefs she coaxed a wonderful array of authentic recipes to augment her own creations, adapting where necessary to make them accessible to modern cooks with modern ingredients.

This tantalizing collection of recipes covers all aspects of Greek cuisine and pays tribute to the history and tradition behind each dish. Each chapter–from olives and bread to appetizers, stews, savory pies, fish, poultry, meat, eggs, grains, vegetables, and sweets–is filled with detail on the ancient, religious and folkloric origins or various dishes. Basic preparations, such as those for phyllo, avgolemono, and grilling of fish and game, are covered, as are regional variations and local specialties, secrets of village home cookes, and guidelines on how to serve the foods in typical Greek fashion. Also included is a helpful guide on where and how to obtain Greek specialty items by mail.

Customer Review: visually not appealing
I spotted it in a local book store and wasn’t that impressed. There’s tons of info and recipes which I’m sure are authentically excellent however what put me off is the poor, dark gray paper pages and lack of bright, high resolution color photos like you find in other cookbooks. I love to see how the dish is supposed to look like so I can know I’m preparing it the right way. Having to use a cookbook that looks more like a dusty, mystery novel is not too helpful nor inspiring.
Customer Review: A great book to own and share
I was raised on the recipes found in this book. Diane makes even the most seemingly complicated recipes manageable. I gave the book out as gifts this holiday season. I highly recommend it.

Filed under: Wine

Grossman’s Guide to Wines, Beers, and Spirits

May 22, 2008 | By Doug In Wine | Comments(0)

Grossman’s Guide to Wines, Beers, and Spirits Turn to Grossman’s Guide to Wines, Beers, and Spirits for quick answers to your questions about any alcoholic beverage and for insights into the history and origins of liquor. Whether you’re looking for technical advice or interesting conversation pieces, this resource is sure to meet all of your needs.
Customer Review: Get up to speed on spirits in 600 pages
There may be more recent books focused on wine or beer, but this is the most comprehensive guide to alcoholic beverages in general. Tired of listening to a couple of colleagues discussing a subject that I knew nothing about, I read this fascinating book, and soon turned the tables: until I showed them evidence, they simply would not believe that Amaretto was made made from apricot pits rather than almonds! Many other products, like Spanish sherry, have interesting details and histories that I had never suspected. About the organization, roughly one-third is devoted to wines (a chapter per country), one-third to other alcoholic beverages, and one-third to technical advice and appendices on menu-planning, storage, vintages, etc. A highly enjoyable and informative book, very nicely balanced.
Customer Review: Grossman’s sets a standard
Meant principally as a textbook, _Grossman’s_ is nevertheless imminently readable for fun. If you feel awkward in some social situations because you can’t comment intelligently on fine drink, this is a good place to start. You’ll come away from the book with a working knowledge of:

* world wine regions

* legal definitions of various liquor types

* liquor, beer and wine production

* principles of marketing and purchasing

* beverage service

* proper glassware

* liquor trivia

Certainly, this book lacks a contemporary voice. With an original copyright date of 1940, some of the text has remained unaltered for 60 years. It misses trends in recent American beer production, and doesn’t give very complete information about emerging wine producers, such as post-Apartheid South Africa. But at its heart, this is a thoroughly objective textbook which has been written and continuously edited specifically to be brand-neutral. This makes it the pre-eminent textbook for use in a general survey course on liquor service, or an invaluable resource for anyone trying to gain a healthy appreciation for alcohol.

Filed under: Wine