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| My vision of heaven... |
I have Laurie Constantino to thank for my new understanding and love of this cuisine. Author of the incredibly helpful and fascinating cookbook "Tastes Like Home: Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska," Laurie agreed to let me pick her brain about the art of cookbook writing, Greek cooking, and making it all work in Alaska.
A foodie and cook as long as she can remember, Laurie has been baking since elementary days. A lawyer by trade, cooking was an escape from the everyday trials and challenges her career threw her way. Since 2001, she's been cooking and writing "and writing about cooking" and states how much happier she is these days. (Congrats on that!)
Her latest passions include photography, redesigning her Web site, and exploring the possibility of teaching cooking classes here in Alaska (sign me up now, please!). She and her husband split their time between Alaska and Greece.
Visit her cooking blog at http://medcookingalaska.blogspot.com/ ...tell her the little blackbird sent you! To order a copy of the book, visit : http://www.transfiguration.ak.
On with the interview...
What’s on the table at your house on an average night?
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| The book |
That’s hard to answer because I’m usually cooking something new. I cook 6 nights out of 7 and most of those nights it’s something I’ve never made before. I'd describe my cooking style as creative improvisation using the freshest, most interesting local ingredients I can find. I'm an ingredient junkie who is obsessive about quality, believing that finished dishes are only as good as the ingredients used to make them. My food is occasionally sophisticated, but rarely fancy or pretentious. I’m most inspired by seasonally appropriate vegetables and freshly caught seafood and, if they’re available, that’s what I most like to cook.
Many of us aspire to create our own cookbook. Can you tell me a little about how yours came about? Was it a long process? How has it been received so far?
It was a long process. I did all the interviews first. Then I tested recipes. Then wrote and rewrote, and was edited and reedited. The book has been well received though not widely distributed. It will be reprinted this fall with wider distribution.
Yours has such a strong, compelling narrative thread going on throughout. Was that always the goal, or did the stories appear as you tracked down recipes and insist on being included, as the best stories usually do? (My personal favorite was Christine Karakitsios Fiflis on pg. 73 Wow. What a lady!)
I had a clear vision before I started doing any work on the book of immigrants’ stories preceeding the recipes. Having been around so many immigrants, I knew their stories would be compelling. Some of the stories I originally planned on being in the book aren’t there, and other stories jumped up and, as you say, insisted on being included. Some were complete surprises, including the Fiflis story. Antonia is a good friend of mine, but I didn’t know anything about her grandmother until I interviewed Antonia for the book. The interviews were the fun part of the book project (as they always are with every writing project).
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| The cook (and author!) |
There’s a rather extensive bibliography included in the book. What was the research like?
As I mentioned, I have a – hmm – robust – personal library. The bibliography lists the books referenced in the text and those I think would be most useful to someone who wanted to know more about Mediterranean cooking.
How do Mediterranean cooks survive long Alaskan winters when they’re accustomed to such fresh, readily available ingredients? Is there hope for us northerners?
Yes there's not only hope, but it’s easy to do. Mediterranean cooks survive following the techniques described in my book! (Also remember, winter does come to the Mediterranean. In fact, the coldest winter I’ve ever spent in my life was in Greece, in an uninsulated house, without central heating, with the wind blowing round the clock. We, like everyone else in the village, ate lots of dried bean dishes that year.
Your book offers practical advice on ingredients and techniques. One that particularly opened my eyes was “salting at various stages of cooking” to bring out different flavors. Is that something that can be practiced outside of Mediterranean cooking?
Some recipes look complex—how should a novice approach Mediterranean cuisine? Choose a recipe at random and have at it, or is there a way to wade into the flavors and techniques of the region?
It’s nice for novices to start with something easy. The first recipe in the book, for Roasted Kalamata Olives, is a good place to start. It’s really easy, is always very popular, and brings together a lot of big Mediterranean flavors. Hummus is another easy recipe that’s reliably good and gives instant satisfaction. Another approach for novice Mediterranean cooks is to take an ingredient, for example salmon or pork or eggplant, that you know you like and then pick one of the recipes using that ingredient. Doing this will help give you confidence the finished dish is one you will enjoy. I’m told the recipes are easy to follow, I certainly tried to make them be as clear as possible.
Recipe time!
I took Laurie's advice and started with the hummus recipe found on pg. 13. It took me a try or two to locate the raw tahini, but eventually, everything came together.
Also, my toddler was napping when I was cooking, and instead of risking the ol' wake up by going to the garage for my food processor, I used my blender. Other than a few other-worldly noises it made trying to saw through the chickpeas, it seemed to work.
I'm particular about my hummus, and tend to favor lighter, smoother versions. Making it yourself puts all the control in your hands, and I've got to say, I doubt you'll be able to convince me to pay $6 for a tiny tub from the supermarket again.
Also, my toddler was napping when I was cooking, and instead of risking the ol' wake up by going to the garage for my food processor, I used my blender. Other than a few other-worldly noises it made trying to saw through the chickpeas, it seemed to work.
I'm particular about my hummus, and tend to favor lighter, smoother versions. Making it yourself puts all the control in your hands, and I've got to say, I doubt you'll be able to convince me to pay $6 for a tiny tub from the supermarket again.
The recipe is featured here with Laurie's permission. And most likely, her blessing, too. She's just that amazingly kind. True story!
Garbanzo Bean and Garlic Dip (from Tastes Like Home: Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska) 2 cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
4-6 cloves garlic, chopped
3 Tbsp. raw tahini (sesame paste)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. salt
1/4-1/2 cup water or olive oil
Place garbanzo beans, chopped garlic, tahini, lemon juice and salt in the bowl of a food processor with 1/4 cup of water or olive oil. Blend until the ingredients have formed a soft creamy paste, adding water or olive oil as necessary to achieve the right consistency. Taste and correct the seasoning for garlic, lemon juice, and salt. To serve, spread on a plate, drizzle olive oil over the hummus, and garnish with black olives.
A million thanks to Laurie for her time and the inspiration. Keep an eye out for her upcoming projects, including (hope hope hope!) cooking classes.
Happy eating...
Thank you Megan! It was a real pleasure talking about cooking with you. I hope we can meet someday soon! In the meantime, I'll continue to enjoy your very interesting blog. Thanks again for your kind words about the book.
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