Behind the Scenes Book Signing/Sampling: OPA! Healthy Greek Cookbook
(Gerry Furth-Sides) A “healthy Greek” cuisine cookbook is an idea of the present; we tried doing a book like this as ordered from the publisher a generation ago with the popular, Greek restaurant owner-chef, Sofi Konstantinidis. Sofi felt that the heavier staples of the classics was what gave them “oomph” as I like to say and somewhat still agree. So after Sofi found this idea did not work for her, and we had just finished a cross-country tour of Greece focused on desserts, a hired nutritionist pared down recipes and change ingredients.
It took a Next Generation cook to update traditional Greek cuisine into a light, healthy mode
Opa! The Healthy Greek Cookbook changes all this. At the same time I know that Sofi and Christina would have a lot to talk about – both would love to have bougatsa for breakfast, as Christina joked about herself. However, no one has come close to Sofi’s similar pastry, galaktoboureko, anywhere. No one seasoned lamb chops in quite the same simple, spectacular way.
The combined effort of Christina Zenos and Theo Stephan is a somewhat Americanized version of appetizing and healthy Greek cuisine by way of 90 simple recipes prepared with easy-to-find ingredients. I found it to be a marvelously comprehensive and inviting book because it is so very enthusiastic, as only a Greek-American can be. Greek cooks I know are, infectiously pleased with themselves, insist that their versions of dishes are best! We almost had a battle on our hands when we had an amateur competition for the Valley Greek Festival one year. You would never hear Christina’s encouraging opinion from a Greek cook:” I love to see how people interpret my recipes. I follow a recipe to the letter first time and then do my variations.” The other notion is that Greeks traditionally reject the idea of a Turkish base to a dish. (for background on this, please see //localfoodeater.com/know-thy-enemy-thine-friend/. At the same time it is fascinating that Turkish cooks are more modest. Would that be because they are predominantly more modest Muslim, and American cooks are much more flexible about incorporating local, different ingredients.
Recipes in Opa! The Healthy Greek Cookbook are written out very clearly with boxes at the top of the page listing with nutritional information, plus prep and cooking time, and how many it serves. Christina’s personal Greek Kitchen Tips of how to stock your pantry and kitchen with the right ingredients and equipment, plus cooking techniques are as informative. And I appreciated the Regional Overview, explaining Greek food from ancient times to modern day.
A cookbook signing, tasting and demo for Opa! Healthy Greek Cookbook
Christina’s dad’s family is from Crete, the largest island, for example, and there is a page devoted to its specialties. As she told us, “My family in Crete still grows their own produce with pride. Rabbits and goats are everywhere,” she added wistfully, “and the potatoes are renowned.” As Christina told us, Greeks are famous for their hospitality, and when a guest arrives, they are first asked to eat something. “Then,” she joked, ” you find out the purpose of their visit.”
I’ve been lucky to know Christina and her now-husband Alex for a decade!
Christina’s secrets of how to prepare easy, healthy Greek cuisine come with growing up in a Greek household here in the United States. In her opinion, the Greek palette is softer than Turkish palette, and uses a variation of spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. “I love my food spicy,” she laughed, “and I always travel with a bottle of hot sauce.” Christina also favors earthenware bowls, which she picks up on her travels from various part of Greece. She finds that Greek cuisine is still very regionalized, with cheese one to the prime examples. And, she joked, “don’t believe that cheese & fish don’t go together.” Lemon zest or garlic can also perk up a dish
Writers and guests of Melissa’s Produce sampled a tasting menu of fresh seasonal dishes from Opa! The Healthy Greek Cookbook prepared by their staff. For example, she uses a medium grater for the zucchini and a small grater on the garlic — which in itself was valuable to me. She strains the zucchini in a cheesecloth. Christina told us that she makes them ahead -including 400 for a Masters of Taste event in the past- and they are perfect to take out and serve when unexpected guests come. They are baked, not fried, to be more healthy.
Christina shares tips for making prep as simple as possible with clear tips in OPA! Healthy Greek Cookbook
A buffet of platters with dishes from the OPA! Healthy Greek Cookbook, and the fresh ingredients to prepare them
A wonderful plate of main dish food (!) surrounded by the more famous Greek mezzes and desserts from OPA! Healthy Greek Cookbook
Moist, tender chicken that was oh-so good out of the fridge the next day. The gorgeous, flavorful fresh tomatoes added a clean taste without a common acidic one these days
Melissa’s just plain gorgeous, flavorful heirloom tomatoes found only at a farmer’s market elsewhere
The famous Greek “mezzes” or small plates with pita for dipping
Impossible to buy frozen for decades, Melissa’s fresh zucchini are the Cadillac of the crop to use
Greek desserts including an olive cake, shortbread cookies and a baklava with three kinds of nuts
OPA! Healthy Greek Cookbook Tasting Menu
- Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Cheese Dip pg. 32
- Avocado Garlic Spread pg. 34
- Zucchini Patties pg. 96
- Arugula Salad with Oranges, Fennel & Pomegranate pg. 53
- Greek Country Salad pg. 55
- Shrimp Santorini pg. 133
- Braised Chicken with Tomato Sauce and Spices pg. 186
- Shortbread Cookies pg. 197
- Zucchini Lemon Olive Oil Cake pg. 200
Gerry Furth-Sides 
Barbara Hansen 
Chef-owner Alain Cohen 
Roberta Deen 
Jose Martinez 
Nivedita Basu 