Great Escape: Be Greek for the Weekend!

Celebrating their 40th year, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church will have three days of Greek culture for you to immerse yourself into!

From the moment you set foot into the festivities’ grounds, you’ll realize that this is going to be an exciting festival for your taste buds, ears and eyes, (possibly your feet too) starting from the traditional enjoyable music, the savory cooking aromas, to the family oriented entertainment and lively dancing.

Immediately, you’ll want to get into the food line because the tantalizing aromas of the outdoor grilling will hit you hard. Fighting off the temptation to line-up for food will buy you some time to take in all the activities of this well-attended annual Greek festival.

Many of the Greek dishes found at Greek festivals such as this one may include roasted and grilled lamb chops and chicken, dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), souvlaki (hamburgers), baklava (phyllo dough with nuts and honey), and galaktobourikos (phyllo pastry filled with sweet milk custard and sugar syrup. There’s a good selection of wines to pair with your food including Greek wine.

Enjoy your feast while seated under the tent listening to the live band performing traditional Greek tunes and be sure to stay around to enjoy the the Greek dancers – you may find yourself stepping out with other observers to take basic Greek dance lessons.

Once you’ve satisfied your hunger there is an area designated for desserts and beverages. This is where you may enjoy your baklava with Greek coffee, which is similar to Turkish coffee. This is prepared by boiling water with coffee in it over a flame for each individual serving.

You may want to repeat this satisfying and rich experience during the other days of the festival or you can always buy more food to take home with you!

Greek Festival in San Jose Days and Times:

Friday:  5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Saturday:  11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Location: 1260 Davis Street, San Jose. Cost: $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and students. Click here to download flyer for free admission. For information: 408-246-2770.

Contrary to what many of us may think, Greek cooking is very simple and does not use many spices and seasonings. The idea is to use seasonings that enhance the natural flavors of what is being cooked. Here is a recipe for baklava which is a very common Greek dessert and is considered to be the most celebrated of all Greek pastries.

Baklava

Ingredients:
1 pound walnuts or pecans, finely chopped
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 pound phyllo
1 pound butter, clarified, melted and warm
Whole cloves (optional)
Syrup (below)

Combine nuts, sugar and spices. Trim phyllo to pan size. Place 6 phyllo sheets in a buttered 13 x 9-inch baking pan, brushing each sheet generously with butter. Sprinkle a thin layer of nut mixture evenly over the phyllo. Cover with 4 buttered phyllo sheets. Cntinue alternating phyllo, butter and nout mizture until all nuts are used. Top with 8 buttered phyllo sheets. Cut into diamonds or squares. If desired, stud each piece with a whole clove.

Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes, lower oven to 300 degrees and bake 30 minutes longer or until golden brown. Pour warm syrup over hot baklava. Let stand for several hours or overnight. Store in air-tight containers in a cool place; it will keep for several weeks. Freezes well; thaw to room temperature and serve. Serves 24.

Syrup:
3 cups sugar
2 cups water
1 stick cinnamon
Juice of ½ lemon
2 to 3 tablespoons honey (optional)

Combine sugar, water, cinnamon stick and lemon juice and gently boil for 20 minute or until candy thermometer reaches 230 detrees. Remove from heat; if desired, stir in honey.

Credit: Grecian Plate Cookbook, St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church, Matt Barrett’s Travel Guide

If you crave Greek food in the future, visit these restaurants in Mountain View:

•  located at 185 Castro St. Telephone: 650-625-8155.
•  located at 383 Castro St. Telephone: 650-396-7010
•  located at 1414 W El Camino Real. Telephone: 650-988-8895