8/6/2019 Greek Star June 30 2011_Tessa Kiros

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PAGE 8 THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2011

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Food

By Maria a. K araMitsos

CHICAGO—Tessa Kiros, au-

thor of seven cookbooks, includ-

ing “Twelve” and “Falling Cloud-

  berries,” honors her Greek rootswith a new book, entitled “Food

from Many Greek Kitchens.”

Born in London to a Greek-Cy-

 priot father and Finnish mother, she

spent her formative years in South

Africa. She grew up in a large

Greek community. “I was baptized

Greek Orthodox, but raised with

a mixture of traditions from both

sides. We fasted, went to church.

We always had lamb and red eggs

and all of that, but also celebrated

Finnish customs. Food was a big

  part of our lives.” Tessa attended

a Greek high school. “We studied

Greek. There was Greek culture,

Greek plays. We would go to the

Greek Club on Sundays, some-

times to the Cypriot Club too.”

At 18, Tessa began her trav-

els around the globe. Her adven-

tures took her to a Kibbutz in Is-

rael, to Australia, London, even

Mexico. Less than a decade later,

she’d nd her destiny in Italy.

Growing up with a rich culinary

tradition, it’s natural to have an af-

nity for the gastronomic arts. “As

I traveled more, met people, went

to markets, watched grandmothers

and people I stayed with cook, it

really brought it to life for me,” the

author stated. “Cooking tells a lot

about a people: why, where, what

the land gives them, what they cre-

ate with it. It’s also tied to religion.

It really interests me. I love to see

how grandmothers do it and pass it

down - the character in the charac-ter.” She’s had no formal training.

“When I was waitressing in Lon-

don, I was so inuenced by Chef 

Angela Dwyer. She invited me

to work in the kitchen and I did.”

Following her adventures in

other countries, something com-

 pelled her to go to Italy. “I wanted

to study food, learn the language. I

thought I’d stay a few months, but

I’m still here.” Not long after she

arrived in Tuscany, while working

in a restaurant, she met her husband

Giovanni. “He came every day for 

lunch. I spoke no Italian, he spoke

no English. It was really very sweet.

If I hadn’t met him, I wouldn’t have

stayed. I’d have kept moving.” They

have two daughters, ages 13 and 11.

About 10 years ago, Tessa began

to write. “I didn’t plan to write the

rst cookbook. It just happened.”

She began to compile Tuscan reci-

  pes and learn techniques used in

the region. It was originally in-

tended for her own experience, but

then she realized its potential. She

tried unsuccessfully to get it pub-

lished, therefore, she self-published

“Twelve,” which is a 12-month

  journey through Tuscan cuisine,

utilizing seasonal ingredients and

methods passed down through the

generations. Attending a book fair 

in Frankfurt, Germany changed ev-

erything. “I met Murdoch (Books),

who bought it and published it.”

Cooking is a family event, and

the children are involved. “We havean open kitchen. I love this. I’m not

stuck in a room on my own. The

table is in the front, so people can

sit. When I test recipes, people are

involved and they can taste.” They

spend considerable time work-

ing in their vegetable garden. “We

don’t eat junk food. We eat lots of 

vegetables, salads. Whatever’s in

season, that’s what’s in the house.

I always have fresh herbs, good

olive oil, good wine, fresh par-

mesan.” Tessa insists on “fresh

and organic whenever possible.”

There’s much about Italy that

has captivated and inspired her. “I

love the aesthetics. When I arrived

here, I was taken by the buildings,

the lands. There’s constancy to ev-

erything; it’s not a haphazard mix

and match. There’s a harmony here

in everything, including architec-

ture, art, ingredients. They do things

well. You can walk into any bar and

get a decent cappuccino; however,

you can’t go have a great Vietnam-

ese meal,” she shared. Some ingre-

dients are hard to get, which can

limit the cooking of certain other 

ethnic foods, but “this is such a

Celebrating the Foods of Many Greek Kitchens

  beautiful place.”

Tessa derives

inspiration from

many sources.

“There’s inspira-

tion everywhere.One thing from

someone - like

the grandmothers

I met in Mexico -

could last forever.

I always feel new

inspiration.” She’s

amassed quite a

collection of cook-

  books and loves

to experiment.

F i r s t - a n d -

foremost a moth-

er and a writer 

second, Tessa

writes whenever 

she can. “When

everyone wakes

up, they have to eat. I try to be

clever in what I make to satisfyeverything at the same time. Some-

how it all works. I involve the

family. When I travel for work,

when I research, we’re together.”

She’s written cookbooks about

Venice and Portugal, plus children

and families. “I really enjoy it. It’s

a great way to use my creativity. It

  brings me out to the world, brings

  people to me. It gets us to travel,

too. Whatever hardship there is, it’s

outweighed by all the positives this

 brings. It’s not always easy to jug-

gle things. You just do your best.”

Her latest book is “Food from

Many Greek Kitchens.” “It just

seemed the right time. “Greece

always has something so special.

The people are incredible. Fromthe moment you step into Greece,

you don’t have to talk; they’re so

helpful. If you can speak Greek,

you’re family. They are so wel-

coming. With everything going on

right now, it’s nice to give back 

something positive to a nation.”There is something extraordi-

nary about the Greek kitchen, the

foods produced there. “It’s in the

context in which they are served.

They are big dishes. It’s the ease

of the people, the sharing. It’s not

fussy. Put it on a plate and get it to

the table. There’s less importance

on owers or stripes on a plate.

It’s about the food and the people.”

Tessa captures the essence of 

Greece and Greek cuisine. The

amazing photography is from

authentic Greek homes and set-

tings, transporting the reader 

there, evoking fond memories; you

might envision your yiayia there.

Thoughtful stories and explana-

tions accompany the recipes and bring traditions to life. You’ll note,

the recipes list few ingredients; the

food and avors are the real stars.

Instructions are easy to follow.

“In Greece, as in Italy,” at meal-

times, families come together and

memories are made. Meals are an

event. There’s a ritual and everyone’s

involved. Everyone understands it.

It’s fun. It always gives me a posi-

tive feeling. It relaxes everyone.

That holiday Greek atmosphere;

there’s a way of including every-

one. Not every country has that.”

Tessa’s next project, in the

early stages, “is possibly Italian.”

Perhaps someday she’ll

  pen a Cypriot cookbook. “It

would be great. I love Cypriot

food - the cleanness, the near Middle Eastern-ness of it, etc.”

We’ll see what she comes up

with, in the middle of raising chil-

dren and enjoying life. Kali Orexi!

By Maria Bappert

A Great Day Trip from the Chi-

cago area: Visit the “Athens on

the Prairie” and the Zaharakos Ice

Cream Parlor and Museum in Co-lumbus, Indiana

My husband and I have gone on

a number of trips with Mid-Amer-

ica Tours, and when we heard of 

one going to the Smoky Mountains

 National Park, Historic Berea, KY,

Dollywood Festival of Nations,

Cumberland Falls State Park and

Churchill Downs Evening Races,

we decided to sign up for it. So

Frank and I joined a group of 30 se-

niors on a ve-day trip to the south

from April 27 to May 1.

Our planned luncheon stop on

our nal day, May 1st, was at the

Zaharakos Ice Cream Parlor and

Museum in Columbus, Indiana.

When I rst heard the name

Zaharakos I knew right away thatit was a Greek place. But nothing

could prepare me for the visionary

as well as the culinary treat that was

in store for us …

As we found out, three broth-

ers rst opened the doors of their 

confectionery on October 20, 1900.

As Greek immigrants, they turned

their backgrounds and skills in

candy making into a thriving busi-

ness. Like typical entrepreneurs,

they were constantly looking for 

ways to improve their business.

They found several new ideas at the

1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, in-

cluding the ice cream cone that was

invented at the fair. This trip west

led to the purchase of the Welte or-

chestrion pipe organ and the Liq-

uid Carbonic soda fountains and back bar. For over 100 years these

spectacular icons have been part of 

the beauty and appeal of Zahara-

kos. The Welte orchestrion is now

the only one known to be on pub-

 Zaharakos Ice Cream Parlor and Museum

lic display in a commercial setting.

The “double” Liquid Carbonic soda

fountains may be the only ones left

in the United States that have been

in their same location and are stillfunctional. In 2006, the Welte or-

chestrion was sold, and the Zahara-

kos family put the shop up for sale

after the death of Lewis Zaharako.

In 2007, the Welte was re-acquired,

and the extensive restoration be-

gan.

Tony Moravec purchased Zaha-

rakos, and to take care of the neces-

sary restorations, he assembled an

administrative and artistic staff, in-

cluding Lynn Detwiler, Lori Latim-

er, Connie McKee, Jill Anderson,

Ben Cleland, Rhonda Riesenberg

and Debra Stone. They brought to

the planning table particular skills

which dovetailed with the new-old

venture. The team worked hard and

the grand reopening of Zaharakos

took place on June 6 and 7, 2009.Backing up a bit into the inter-

esting history of the iconic Zahara-

kos Ice Cream Parlor and Museum,

the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis

inspired the Zaharako family to in-

vest in the elegant icons that have

made Zaharakos one of the n-

est ice cream parlors in America.

These important and enduring sym-

  bols of the soda fountain era have  been carefully restored to delight

your senses as you linger over sweet

and frothy treats. The small town

where three brothers from Greece

opened their store has been called

the “Athens on the Prairie” for its

world-class architecture (Saturday

Evening Post, 1964) and a “jewel in

the region” as one of the top 20 his-

toric destinations in the world (Na-

tional Geographic Traveler, 2008).

As our bus was leaving Colum-

 bus, we had a special treat in store

for us at 5th and Lindsey Streets:

There is an incredibly beautiful

  bronze or bronze-toned sculpture

of Eos (in Greek mythology, she is

the goddess of dawn, also identied

with the Roman goddess Aurora.)

Eos is perhaps two stories high and  probably the same in width, and

is extremely graceful to behold.

By the way, there are tours of the

unique architecture in Columbus.

This city is well worth visiting. 

Zaharakos, 329 Washington Street, Columbus, IN 47201.Tel.: (812) 378-1900. www.zaharakos.com. 

Tessa Kiros

TARAMOKEFTEDES

TARAMA BALLS

Makes about 24

7 ounces crustless day-old bread

1 large garlic clove, peeled

Salt

2 ounces tarama

red onion, grated on the large holes of a grater

1 teaspoon coarsely chopped mint

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped italian parsley

1 tablespoon lemon juice

freshly ground black pepper

all-purpose flour, for dusting

light olive oil, for frying

1 lemon quartered

For these fried tarama balls, you should use a good dense country bread,not the light airy type. These are best eaten on Clean Monday out on a picnicsomewhere in the hills. If you want, make them in between flying kites. This isa lovely meze with ouzo that can mingle well with many dishes óand great, ofcourse, to precede any fish or seafood dish.

 Tear the bread into pieces, put in a bowl and splash with just enough waterto dampen. Leave for a few minutes, then squeeze it out over the sink until dry.Return the bread to the bowl. Crush the garlic with a pinch of salt into a paste

using the flat of your knife, then add to the bread. Add the tarama, onion andits juice, mint, parsley and lemon juice, and a little pepper. Mix thoroughly withyour hands. It shouldn’t need salt, but taste to see. Shape into balls the size ofa small cherry tomato ( about ¾ ounce ). Leave to rest for 15 minutes or so.

Put some flour on a plate and roll the balls in it to cover them. Add theolive oil to a depth of about ¼ inch in a large nonstick skillet and put overmedium-high heat. Add the balls, in batches if necessary, and fry until nicelygolden all over, shaking the skillet once or twice to make sure nothing is stuck.Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a plate lined with paper towels.Sprinkle with a little salt. Eat warm, with a few drops of lemon juice.

—From Food From Many Greek Kitchens by Tessa Kiros/Andrews McMeelPublishing

Taramokeftedes. See recipe below.