Cliff notes

With The Country Cooking of Greece, Diane Kochilas offers recipes for simple,healthy meals

Diane Kochilas
Photo by © Yiorgos Vitsaras
Shrimp saganaki
Photo courtesy of Yia Yia Mary's
Cheese and herb fritters
Photo courtesy of Yia Yia Mary's
The Country Cooking of Greece features an eggplant, quince and sweet potato stewon the cover.
Diane Kochilas, left, and Georgea Pappas
Courtesy Photo
Meze spread
Photo by © 2010 Vassilis Stenos
Dakos salad with tangerine juice
Photo by © 2010 Vassilis Stenos
Borlotti beans with caramelized whole onions and cumin
Photo by © 2010 Vassilis Stenos

Times are tough in Greece, but that hasn't stopped families and friends from gathering around the table for great food and lively conversation.

"Even in these dire circumstances, they still have to eat, and so does everyone else," says Diane Kochilas, the noted cookbook author who splits her time between Athens, the Greek island of Ikaria and New York. "Greek food has been totally unsullied by anything that has been going on in Greece, thank god for that."

For the past four years, Kochilas has been scouring villages throughout Greece for the best in country cooking. The result is her latest book, The Country Cooking of Greece (Chronicle Books, $50), with 250 recipes from every corner of the small Mediterranean nation.

Recipes range from artichoke flan from the island of Tinos to northern Greek-style braised leeks and celery root with paprika and lemon; from octopus cooked with leeks and sun-dried tomatoes from the seaside towns on the fringes of Macedonia to cheese, potato and zucchini pie from Hania in western Crete.

"Greek food has been totally unsullied by anything that has been going on in Greece, thank god for that."

Kochilas, who has written 18 books on Greek cuisine and is a consultant to popular Greek restaurants Boukiés and Pylos in New York, notes that the cuisine is perfect for our times because it is healthy and simple.

"It's an easy export. The products are very good. They're very healthy. Greek cooks have known that for centuries," she says.

To prove her point, Kochilas recently taught the staff at Yia Yia Mary's how to whip up some appetizers from her new book for the restaurant's patrons. Two summers ago, Pappas Restaurants culinary research and development director Georgea Pappas and her cousin, Eleni, attended a culinary school in Ikaria taught by Kochilas, where they struck up a friendship. The duo have been working to get Kochilas to Houston ever since.

During her Houston trip, Kochilas also attended the Greek Festival, taught a cooking class at Central Market and went shopping for cowboy boots at Cavender's.

Among the mouth-watering appetizers I sampled were a fire-roasted eggplant salad dip with walnuts, a spicy Greek cheese dip with lemon and hot chiles, and a parsley salad with red onions, capers and ciabatta bread crumbs.

"Greece is a small country but has well-entrenched traditions. There's a lot of different food," Kochilas explains. "The roasted eggplant is a dish you find in all parts of Greece, but in different variations. This is a northern Greece rendering of that dish with walnuts and garlic and a little vinegar. In the Aegean, where capers are one of the staples you would find the same idea. I've seen it with roasted peppers and feta cheese."

"Greeks have been so successful in the restaurant industry because we have hospitality in our DNA. It's true. You cannot go anywhere without people offering you something to eat."

Kochilas notes that that one dip can be made in an "amazing" variety of ways. "We could have prepared 20 different kinds," she says. "There is a full palate of flavors waiting to be exposed in the United States."

Among the mezes (or small plates) Kochilas and the staff at Yia Yia Mary's prepared were lightly deep fried cheese and herb fritters, known as kefedtes, beef meatballs flavored with cumin and other spices and braised in red wine tomato sauce, and a head-on shrimp saganaki with tomato, onion, garlic and ouzo.

While most Americans think of saganki as a flamed cheese dish, Kochilas says that anything cooked in a saganaki pan (a small, shallow two-handled skillet) is referred to by that name.

Her latest book, which is part of a series by different authors examining country cooking in various nations, steers away from the traditional Greek dishes of roasted lamb, potatoes and a olive-and-feta salad to simpler, yet more adventuresome fare. "For me, this book is actually about breaking the stereotypes," she said.

The cover photo features a dish made of eggplant, sweet potatoes and quince from the Ionian area in western Greece. "It's a farmer's dish — an end of summer, beginning of fall dish. I see many dishes like this. Greek food is still by and large seasonal," she says.

"To me, this is what country cooking is all about. Greece is still very much an agrarian society. In this crisis, a lot of people went back to their villages. There is always a family house, somewhere in a Greek family, often abandoned or shared by 50 different cousins. But there is always some village to go back to. In the countryside, the traditions are still very much alive. The food mirrors this whole farming tradition."

And a lot of the recipes are vegetable-based, due to the lack of meat. "This is really simple food; there aren't a lot of difficult techniques," Kochilas says.

She found a number of previously unpublished recipes by traveling around to small villages where even if the local women wouldn't always share their recipes, they always shared their food.

"That's how we eat," Kochilas says. "Greeks have been so successful in the restaurant industry because we have hospitality in our DNA. It's true. You cannot go anywhere without people offering you something to eat. There is a lot there waiting to be discovered."

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designed for all occasions

New restaurant's Astrodome-inspired design is 'unlike anything in Houston'

Photo by Leonid Furmansky

Kirkwood's design includes a recreation of the Astrodome's ceiling.

Legendary Houstonian Mac Haik has managed to fit many lives into his impressive 80 years. Haik, whose empire of car dealerships made him a household name, played no small part in the development of the city’s booming west side. Prior to that, at just 22-years-old, Haik made history with the Houston Oilers as the first person to catch a touchdown pass in the Astrodome.

His latest venture — the glitzy Kirkwood restaurant — pays homage to the Energy Corridor, a storied football career, and the people who helped him along the way.

While the Mac Haik Restaurant Group has focused on franchises such as breakfast concept First Watch, Kirkwood is its debut signature restaurant concept. The restaurant’s kitchen is led by executive chef Stephen Chiang, who guests will see quite a lot of thanks to the copper-clad, open-concept kitchen that includes a custom copper hood.

Located at the base of Energy Tower II at 11720 Katy Freeway, MHRG designed Kirkwood to host a range of experiences. When it opens on Monday, May 11, Kirkwood is intended to become a go-to spot for lunch meetings, a chic spot for group dinners and celebrations, and a cozy place to share a romantic evening near the double-sided, all-seasons fireplace, among other occasions.

It takes a keen eye and majorly-sharp editing skills to create a space that can perform so many different tasks. It’s unusual for a space that highlights a career in sports to read as elegant and refined, but designer Gin Braverman has done just that. Gin Design Group is the firm behind many of the best hospitality designs in Houston — including Eunice, Haii Keii, and ChòpnBlọk — and Kirkwood is no exception.

“We were going for a classic clubhouse vibe with a Vegas layer of glitz — definitely a Vegas ‘wow factor,’” Braverman tells CultureMap. “It’s going to be a draw for everyone. You can rent out the sunroom as well as the private dining room, so that will be a big draw. There is a bar cart going around and table side features. There are so many different experiences to be had in the space. It’s going to hit all the boxes.”

The 242-seat restaurant covers almost 7,000 square feet separated into distinctive spaces: a 154-seat main dining area; 16-seat private Frances Room, named after Haik’s mother; and a 1,900-square-foot sunroom, named the Sunny Room after Haik’s wife, with seating for 72 centered around a curved, double-sided fireplace.

The restaurant’s symbol, a magnolia, is a nod to Haik’s home state of Mississippi. One impressive magnolia sighting belongs to the patinated-copper front doors inlaid with the flowers and accentuated by leather door pulls. Prior to entering, diners pass through a gallery of wall display cases with Mac Haik memorabilia.

In the rotunda, customers are greeted from above by a mirrored glass replica of the ceiling of the Houston Astrodome, created by the artisans at Houston-based design and fabrication firm Rootlab. Broken stone mosaic floor tiles add playful movement and patter to the space. Tactile installations like felt wallcoverings by Phillip Jeffries and velvet draperies keep the space feeling warm and inviting amid all the glass and stone.

The lounge occupies a raised platform with an artisan parquet floor and a burled-wood covered ceiling featuring beautifully-placed copper light fixtures by Tom Dixon, custom sofas, a custom rug, and custom tables.

An inviting, oversized wraparound bar beckons diners to mingle beneath a tiered canopy, composed of burled walnut, which is also carried through to the bar’s facade, bullnose trim, and integrated foot rail. A marble countertop completes the bar, while the stone is repeated in the custom tables. Custom barstools take inspiration from the seats of Mac’s now vintage Porsche.

Illuminated cove lighting anchors the bar space, with a red-tinted mirror installed behind the bar shelving and the liquor lockers on the end caps. The shelving is highlighted by custom LED racetrack lighting. Custom copper and alabaster bar lamps complete the space.

Kirkwood’s booths have been upholstered with alternating leather and teal velvet fabrics with a copper-tinted toe-kick for a bit of glam. Custom arched lighting — crossing above each booth — is comprised of a copper finish structure, alabaster lenses, and copper chain accents.

The central dining and exposition kitchen space is a framed with burled wood-clad banquettes with integrated planters. Broken stone mosaic floor tiles dance beneath the custom large-scale chandelier that features inverted alabaster and copper arches and a wood surround with integrated cove lighting.

The private dining room features rich leather wall panelings, a custom leather buffet table, and a metallic gold plaster ceiling with hand-painted magnolia detailing.

Lastly, the 1,400-square-foot sunroom features a knockout fireplace with an integrated overhead planter. Custom light columns with copper metal mesh flank the fireplace. An impressive glass-and-metal bar canopy attaches to the back bar fireplace.

The restaurant’s art collection further enriches the space, with original works by English artist Paul Dove displayed throughout. In the private dining room, an original painting by Austin-based artist Lucy MacQueen offers a more personal note, interpreting “The Grove” at Haik’s alma mater, Ole Miss. The piece also serves as a quiet tribute to his mother, Frances Jordan, who was recently honored with a memorial wall at the iconic site. Artist Melissa Leandro contributed a vibrantly embroidered interpretation of the magnolia motifs to the back wall of the sunroom.

Overall, Braverman is thrilled with the design of Kirkwood. So, which spot is her favorite?

“The sunroom,” she says. “That circular bar with the column lamps and fireplace with the skylight are unlike anything else in Houston.”