Bakaliarakia Tiganita kai Skordalia me Kappari--Fried Whiting with a Caper Skordalia

I'm lucky to have children who love to eat fish. Even luckier, I believe, that fish in New York is pretty inexpensive and pretty fresh. Family favorites such as Red Snapper (Synagrida) run between $6.99 and $7.99 a pound while Porgies (Tsipoures) and Sardines (Sardela) can be found for $2.99 a pound.

I went to the fish market yesterday intent on buying Barbounia (Red Mullet, which were $6.99 a pound) as we hadn't had these tasty little fish in a long while. But when I got to the store, I quickly snapped up the smaller Bakaliarakia (Whitings) that I know the kids really enjoy. And at just $2.99 a pound, these tasty little fish were definitely a steal.



Almost all Greek tavernas around New York--and there are A LOT of them--feature fried bakaliarakia (whiting) on their menus. They serve these small but meaty fish with some garlicky skordalia and the dish is a favorite among most patrons.

As such, it was only natural that I fry our bakaliarakia yesterday and serve them with some skordalia. It's an easy enough dish without much hullabaloo but there are a few cooking points I'd like to note:

• I find that when frying my fish, double-dipping it (i.e. in egg, then flour, then egg again and finally flour again) creates a much nicer crust.
  
• Season your flour well with your choice of seasonings but also season your fish with salt and pepper before dipping.
  
• When frying anything, heat your oil really well--you will never get a crisp, well-browned crust if your oil is not hot enough the second your fish touches it.
  
• As your fish finishes cooking, place it on paper towels to drain to keep the crust from getting soggy.

I served our bakaliarakia with some skordalia (garlicky mashed potato/bread) that I updated a bit by adding some chopped capers to. The tangy capers provided a great dimension of flavor and went well with the fish.

Note: I like to make my skordalia by simply mashing the ingredients with a fork as opposed to blending everything in a food processor--I just like the chunky texture as opposed to the smooth, sometimes elastic texture this dip gets when blended by the processor.

Bakaliarakia Tiganita--Fried Whiting

2 1/2 pounds small Whiting, cleaned
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon dried Greek oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 eggs, beaten
Oil for frying

Wash the fish well with water; pat dry and season with some salt and pepper. Heat about an inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Combine flour, oregano, paprika, salt and pepper on a large plate. Place the eggs in another plate. Begin dipping the fish in egg, then dredge it in the flour (making sure to shake off the excess), dip it again into the egg then give it one final dredging in the flour. Place it directly into the hot oil and fry just a few minutes on each side until well browned. Remove fish to a dish lined with paper towels and serve warm along with some skordalia, a salad and some crusty bread.

Skordalia me Kappari--Caper Skordalia

2 medium potatoes, washed, peeled and boiled until tender
2 slices of white bread, crusts removed
1 large clove of garlic, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
Olive oil (about 1/4 cup)
2 teaspoons finely chopped capers


Drain potatoes well and place them in a large bowl. Begin mashing the potatoes with a fork and then set aside until somewhat cooled.

wet the bread with some water or milk and squeeze out any excess. Add it to the potatoes along with the garlic, salt, pepper and vinegar and stir and mash the mixture with a fork until well combined. Begin adding some oil in a steady stream stirring constantly. Once you've added enough oil to reach your desired consistency, stir in the chopped capers.

Allow the skordalia to sit for a while, then serve with fried fish, fried eggplant/zucchini slices or some fresh bread.

Duo of Dips --- Roasted Red Pepper and Feta & Lemony Chickpea and Thyme

When entertaining I find the easiest option to include in a spread of appetizers is a tasty dip accompanied by toasted pita triangles, crispy bread rounds or zesty crackers. There are, of course, endless possibilities from melitzanosalata (eggplant dip), to kopanisti (Greek cheese dip), to kafteri (spicy Greek feta dip), to tzatziki (the well-known yogurt/cucumber/garlic dip, although chatty guests and garlic aren't a very good mix), to traditional hummus or two of my favorites, a flavorful roasted red pepper and feta dip and a lemony chickpea and thyme spread.

Whether you roast fresh red bell peppers or invest in a good jar of roasted red peppers, or whether you prep dried chickpeas or use canned chickpeas, these dips are simple and satisfying. Serve alongside plump Kalamata olives and you're good to go (those shiny, tart and meaty olives pictured above come to you directly from my father-in-law's grove in Agrinio, where he grows two types, Kalamata and Agriniou).

Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Dip

2 red bell peppers
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1/2 cup crumbled feta
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

Place whole red peppers on an oiled baking sheet and "roast" under the broiler until the skin is well charred and the peppers tender. Remove from baking sheet, place in a plastic or paper bag and cool. Once cooled, remove peppers from bag, peel skin, remove seeds and cut stem.

Add the peppers to the bowl of a food processor along with the garlic and lemon juice and process until smooth. Stir in the crumbled feta, olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and parsley and pulse the food processor a couple of times. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Lemony Chickpea and Thyme Dip

2 cups chickpeas (if using canned, rinse chickpeas and drain or if using dried, soak chickpeas in water overnight, drain, then simmer about two hours until tender)

2 cloves garlic

1 lemon, juiced

Thyme from about 3 fresh sprigs

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Place first four ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and mix. Add the olive oil a little at a time, processing until the mixture is smooth (adding more olive oil as necessary). Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Grilled Pork Chops with Rosemary and Sage

I spoke a little about my hesitance in using rosemary in a post last week. I am glad to say, however, that I am a true convert now. The Rosemary and Mandarin Muffins I made then were a delightful surprise and as I mentioned in that post, I used the remainder of that fresh rosemary to marinate a few pork chops, which also turned out great.

I must admit I was initially inspired by a recipe I read on Epicurious that called for using fresh rosemary, sage, garlic, fennel seeds, white wine and olive oil on a large pork shoulder roast. The end result sounded divine, so I fiddled with the ingredients to make my meager pork chops--leaving out the fennel seeds, I used rosemary, sage, garlic, coarse sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, white wine and olive oil to make a paste, which I rubbed into the pork chops. Having the leisure to, I let the pork chops marinate overnight and then grilled them on a stovetop grill pan. The trick here, of course, is to heat the grill pan really well, get a good sear on the pork chops and shy away from overcooking (I seared them about 7 minutes per side). The flavors were great and the chops turned out pick-the-bones-and-gnaw-at-them good.

I squeezed a bit of lemon on top just before serving and accompanied these flavorful bone-in pork chops with a creamy orzo with peas (much of the goodness of risotto, with a little less TLC required--and a dish I'll post about a little later).

Pork Chops with Rosemary and Sage

Makes 6 Pork Chops

2 tablespoons fresh sage, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
4 garlic cloves
1 1/2 tablespoons coarse salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dry white wine
1 tablespoon olive oil

6 bone-in pork chops

Place the first seven ingredients in a food processor and pulse until paste-like and well combined. Rub the mixture into both sides of the pork chops and set aside for a few minutes (or if marinating, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight).

Heat a grill pan til very hot and sear pork chops over medium-high heat until just cooked through (about 7 minutes per side). Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over and serve.