Greek Way To Great Dinner

If cooking is Greek to you, award-winning chef Michael Psilakis can help change that.

The award-winner was born into a fun-loving Greek family on New York's Long Island, and he's been cooking since he was a kid.

He's found great success with two Manhattan restaurants, Anthos and Kefi.

As The Saturday Early Show's "Chef on a Shoestring," Psilakis made a rustic Greek meal for four, on a budget of only $40.

The menu: Cabbage, Fennel & Olive Salad with Feta Cheese; Braised Lamb Shank with Root Vegetables & Orzo; and Yogurt with Spiced Pears & Walnuts.

Kefi, a casual, rustic Greek eatery, is always packed. His high-end, more esoteric Greek restaurant, Anthos, has been a hit among critics and discerning diners. He's preparing to open a third restaurant with his business partner in the next few weeks; it will include more Italian influences.

FOOD FACTS

Fennel: The base and the stem of this vegetable can be eaten raw or cooked. Fennel is widely available, fall through spring.

Lamb Shank: Though very flavorful, the shank is full of connective tissue and so requires long, slow cooking.

Greek Yogurt: This yogurt is very thick and very creamy. Most of the versions made in Greece use sheep's milk. Greek varieties made with ewe's milk contain about 5 percent milk fat, and cow's milk yogurts contain 9 percent, as opposed to whole-milk yogurts in the United States, which have around 3.5 percent. You can buy this in American supermarkets, or specialty stores.

RECIPES:

Cabbage, Fennel And Olive Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette and Feta Cheese

Serves four

Red Wine Vinaigrette:
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 TB Dijon mustard
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Cup olive oil

Salad:
1 large fennel
Juice of half a lemon
1 green cabbage
1 large sweet onion
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
½ cup pitted green olives
Salt, as needed
Pepper, as needed
1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1. To make red wine vinaigrette, combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk to emulsify. Reserve.

2. Remove fennel tops, pick and reserve. Cut fennel in half, removing the hard base center, discard. Use a mandolin to shave fennel. Squeeze lemon juice on it and reserve

3. Cut cabbage in half and remove heart stalk. Shave with mandolin.

4. Cut onion in half, shave with mandolin

5. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Add dressing and season with salt and pepper.

Braised Lamb Shank with Root Vegetables & Orzo

Serves 4

Olive Oil
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
3 1lb lamb shanks
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 parsnips, roughly chopped
2 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup red wine (optional)
1 sprig of rosemary
1 Tbs. tomato paste

To prepare lamb:

Place a large, heavy-bottomed braising pan on the stove top under medium heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and season lamb shanks with salt & pepper. Brown the lamb shanks on all sides, remove shanks and reserve.
Add chopped vegetables and sweat them. (If using wine, pour in now to deglaze the pan.)

Place shanks back into pan with rosemary, tomato paste, and enough water to cover the shanks. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and braise over low heat for one hour.

After one hour, begin checking the meat. The shanks are done when the meat is falling off the bone.

To prepare Orzo:

Follow instructions on the package. Be sure to boil in salted water, and cook until finished. When done, drain the orzo and toss with a few spoonfuls of the braising liquid.

To serve:

Place orzo on a large serving platter and top with shanks. Spoon root vegetable and braising liquid on top.

Yogurt with Fresh Pears and Toasted Walnuts

Serves 4

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 cup walnuts
2 pears, peeled cored, and diced
2 cups Greek yogurt

1. In a 300 degree oven, toast the walnuts until aromatic, about 5 minutes. Chop coarsely, set aside.

2. Place water, sugar, spice and pear into a sauce pan and boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for approximately 10 minutes, until the pear is tender.

3. Scoop 1/2 cup of yogurt into a bowl and top with pear and sprinkle with some of the cooking liquid. Top with crushed walnuts.

If you can't get good Greek yogurt, you can strain regular yogurt over-night in a cheesecloth or kitchen towel to achieve the same thick, mousse-like texture.