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My Big Fat Greek Baklava...

A Sweet Story About Baklava
And Other Greek Foods and Restaurants I Have Known...

By Naomi K. Shapiro

'Baklava Baklava,' she repeated, as she flagged down a passing motorcyclist, climbed aboard, and motored away... to the sound of our dropping jaws!

We were UW-Madison students from the old Department of Hebrew & Semitic Studies -- traveling to our Junior year in Jerusalem -- nearly four decades ago -- with a stopover in the Port of Piraeus, Greece -- where we didn't know a soul -- and neither did she!

In those days, we traveled by ship, on the S.S. Israel of the old Zim Line.  The world wasn't yet worldly about other countries' foods -- like gyros, falafel, hummus, or even pita bread.   But Pat Novick, from Chicago, was -- and all she had talked about since we began the trip was... baklava!  

After Pat and her new friend putt-putted from sight, Mendel, the ship's bos'n -- who knew where to find the best food in every port -- took the rest of us for souvlaki.  Then we bopped around the port area, shopping, sightseeing, and pondering Pat's fate -- until it was time to leave. 

The crew was about to pull the boarding ramp when Pat showed up, sporting a big grin, a large, white box in her hands, and, of course, a tale to tell of her day's adventures. 

Turned out the young man she flagged down did not speak any English, and she did not speak any Greek.  She told us she kept saying, 'baklava, baklava'  -- and he kept saying, 'mama, mama'.  And then took her home to meet his mother.  After a nice visit, he gave her his photo, took her to buy some baklava, and brought her back to the ship.

The nub of the story is, that once I tasted this marvelous Greek pastry, I was forever 'hooked' -- not only on baklava, but on all Greek food! 

Over the years, I became a Greek-food maven, to the delight of our friends and dinner guests.  My favorite menu includes stuffed grape leaves, filo triangles filled with feta cheese; avgolemono soup; mint meatballs; Greek salad; moussaka; and, of course, baklava (which isn't as hard to make as it looks)! 

I've also made a point of seeking out Greek Restaurants wherever I go  -- and sometimes the locations are surprising.

My latest lucky find was in... Seward, Alaska!

When I got to Seward and saw the sign, Apollo Restaurant, my heart skipped a beat.  I knew I had to eat there.  I ordered dolmas (stuffed grape leaves) and a Greek salad.  When I mentioned my love of Greek food to the owners, a plate of baklava was sent to our table for dessert. 

Now, most restaurant baklava is too soggy for my taste, but the Apollo's was some of the best I've ever had -- crisp and flaky, filled perfectly with pulverized nuts, and delicately infused with sweet syrup.

Three weeks ago, I discovered another wonderful, Greek restaurant, the rwo-year-old Apollo Cafe, on East Brady Street in Milwaukee.  Boasting outstanding decor, and serving authentic moussaka, pastitsio, dolmathes, and spanakorizo, plus Greek fries (oregano and feta cheese); unusual salads, an Apollo beef-lamb burger sandwich; and generous, moderately priced, dinners.  Apollo Cafe has many vegetarian choices, and all dishes are prepared with 100% extra virgin Greek olive oil.   

Other places I've been pleasantly surprised to find Greek Restaurants have included Kenora, Ontario, Canada (population 16,000), which has, would you believe -- two Greek Restaurants!  (The Plaza and Dino's).

In Seattle, my daughter took me to the Cedars Restaurant on Brooklyn, which offers extensive Middle Eastern, Indian, and Continental cuisines, including several marvelous Greek items, such as baklava, of course!

The Green Forest Family Restaurant in Wausau, Wisconsin, has an extensive family-style menu, including gyros; but it's their Greek Salad with generous amounts of feta cheese and kalamata olives that is a real winner.

In Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, the Blue Parrot Restaurant, with its art deco Greek motif and statues, just like the restaurant in 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding', still has many Greek items on its menu.

We also like to stop for a lamb or chicken gyros and Greek salad at Louie's Restaurant in Superior, Wisconsin, whenever we pass that way.

Of course, several places in Madison offer Greek, Lebanese, Afghani, and Mediterranean cuisines that can please anyone's palate for days.  We often stop by Amy's Cafe on W. Gilman St., for a wonderful (and inexpensive) plate of roti chicken with rice pilaf and a Greek salad; and we also like the variety of dishes offered at the Kabul Restaurant on lower State St.

Lastly, what started as a small and intimate sit-down dinner at the Greek Orthodox Church in Madison many years ago, now hosts hundreds at an outdoor picnic/park every year.  About ten years ago,  I was struggling to eat my Greek chicken dinner with a plastic fork and knife, when a Greek woman sitting nearby poked me and told me, in no uncertain terms: 'We Greeks eat with our fingers!'    

So, Pat, wherever you are, I just want you to know that whenever I make, eat, or write about Greek food, from baklava to spanakopita, I always think of you! 

Recipe for Baklava  (Layered pastry with walnuts and honey syrup)

(Looks  complicated, but isn't):

3/4 lb. butter, cut into 1/4-inch bits 
1/2 C. vegetable oil  
40 sheets filo pastry, each about 16 x 12 inches
4 C. walnuts (or pecans) pulverized in a blender or with a nut grinder

Clarify the butter in a heavy saucepan or skillet in the following fashion:  Melt the butter slowly over low heat without letting it brown, skimming off the foam as it rises to the surface.  Remove the pan from the heat, let it rest 2-3 minutes, then spoon off the clear butter and discard the milky solids at the bottom of the pan.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and stir the vegetable oil into the clarified butter; using a pastry brush, coat the bottom and side of a 13 x 9 x 2 and 1/2 inch baking dish with about 1 T. of the mixture.

Fold a sheet of filo in half crosswise, lift it gently and unfold it into the prepared dish.  Press the pastry flat, fold down the excess around the sides and flatten it against the bottom.  Brush the entire surface of the pastry lightly with the butter and oil mixture, and lay another sheet of filo on top, folding it down and buttering it in a similar fashion.  Sprinkle the pastry evenly with about 3 T. walnuts.

Repeat the same procedure, using two sheets of buttered filo and 3 T. walnuts each time to make 19 layers in all.  Spread the remaining 2 sheets of filo on top and brush the baklava with all the remaining butter and oil mixture.

With a small, sharp knife, score the top of the pastry with parallel diagonal lines about 1/2 inch deep and 2 inches apart, then cross them diagonally to form diamond shapes.  Bake in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes.  Reduce the heat to 300 degrees and bake for 45 minutes longer, or until the top is crisp and golden brown.

Meanwhile, make the syrup.

1 and 1/2 C. sugar 
3/4 C. water
1 T. fresh lemon juice  
1 T. honey

Combine sugar, water and lemon juice in a small pan, and, stirring constantly, cook over moderate heat until the sugar dissolves.  Increase heat to high, timing it from the moment the syrup boils; cook briskly, uncovered, for about 5 minutes, or until syrup reaches a temperature of 220 degrees on a candy thermometer.  Remove from heat and stir in honey.  Pour syrup into bowl or pitcher and set aside.

When the baklava is done, remove it from the oven and pour syrup over it.  Cool to room temperature and just before serving, cut the baklava into diamond-shaped pieces.  

Where to find the Greek Restaurants

Apollo Restaurant
229 4th Avenue
Seward, AK 99664
Phone:  907-224-3092

Apollo Cafe
1310 E. Brady Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Phone: 414-272-2233

Cedars Restaurant on Brooklyn
47590 Brooklyn Avenue NE
Seattle, WA 98105
Phone:  (206) 527-5247

Plaza Restaurant
125 Main Street South
Kenora, Ontario
Canada  P9N 1T1
Phone:  807-468-8173

Dino’s Restaurant
206 Second Street South
Kenora, Ontario
Canada   P9N 1G2
Phone:  807-468-3103 

Green Forest Family Restaurant
1702 Grand Avenue
Wausau, WI 54403
Phone:  (715) 848-5629

The Blue Parrot Restaurant
376 Lisgar Street
Thunder Bay, Ontario
Canada  P7B 2M4
Phone:  (807) 345-5345

Louie’s Restaurant
1602 Tower Avenue
Superior, WI 54880
Phone:  715-392-3058

Amy's Cafe
414 W. Gilman St.
Madison, WI 53703
608-255-8172 

Kabul Afghanistan & Mediterranean Restaurant
541 State Street
Madison, WI  53703
Phone:  (608) 256-6322

Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption
11 North 7th Street
Madison, WI  53704
Phone:  (608) 244-1001
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Naomi K. Shapiro is a Wisconsin-based travel, outdoor, and business writer. She can be reached at: cre8vads@cheqnet.net.

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