By David Harbilas

I will admit that I am not a fan of the mace-like family of spices.

They seem more bitter than sweet, a flavor often not friendly to many people’s sense of taste, and they seem better suited to desserts than savory entrees.

Yet the Greeks have a long history of using spices like cinnamon and allspice in sparing amounts with great success.

The one preparation I am sure it would work well with is lamb, especially shoulder chops that have been braised in a sauce like this one. The sweet-gamy flavor of lamb lends itself to those slightly bitter flavors.

Makes about 8 cups of sauce

• 6 cups basic tomato sauce
• 4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
• 1 onion, diced Read the rest of this entry »

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

Sometimes the oddest things are the best things when it comes to the garden.

To prove my point, think of the reaction of the pilgrims when the Indians showed them how to plant corn with a fish.

Or in recent times, using gray water in the garden.

Sometimes it makes one go hmmm…

So here are some not so unusual items that are add to the garden soil and some quite unique items that may make one go hmmm…

• Banana Peels – These lovely kitchen scraps contain a bounty of potassium. This potassium is easily transferred into the soil and up the plant when the peel is placed in the hole before planting.
• Epsom Salt – This old drugstore standby is great for the garden especially where tomatoes are going to be placed. Simply put ½ cup into each hole before planting the tomato. Also, dissolving Epsom salt into water that is going to used on tomatoes is another approach.
• Eggshells – These provide calcium to the soil. Dry out the shells in an oven or in the sun, crush, and add to the hole prior to planting. Another approach is to place the dried, crushed eggshells to the water and let set for at least 24 hours. Then use this water when hydrating the garden. Read the rest of this entry »

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

This is a traditional Greek dish, but few are aware of just how good shoulder chops are.

They’re meant for braising, and tomatoes somehow make them even more savory, cutting through the gaminess that turns off so many.

It’s also a very simple dish to make.

Serves 4

• 4 large lamb shoulder chops
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped Read the rest of this entry »

By David Harbilas

The Greeks love lamb and feta cheese together, and years ago I had a very memorable dish of lamb chops with a roasted red pepper sauce and feta melted onto the lamb.

The flavor combination seemed so natural and yet brand new.

Here, the recipe has been adapted to tomatoes, and rather than melt the cheese on the chops it has been incorporated directly into the sauce as a puree.

Ripe, juicy tomatoes yield the best flavor and consistency, as the juice helps the sauce puree. It can also be used chilled as a dip.

Serves 2

• 4 lamb kidney chops
• 3 large red globe variety tomatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 shallot, diced Read the rest of this entry »

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

Gardening in the good old days was simple.

Gather the plants together that you want to domesticate and plant.

Hope for the best and wait for the results.

This approach worked some years and other years were a way of controlling the population.

Then, man made some connection that aided with the process of domestication. Animal and/or human fertilizer made plants grow better.

Staking plants up helped save more produce and removing plants that just did not look right seemed to save crops. But through this process we, as a modern society, decided that this was not enough. So the birth of Read the rest of this entry »

By David Harbilas

Relishes are an underrated condiment, perhaps because they are little more than a mixture of chopped vegetables.

There are a few ways to improve on a boring relish.

One is to use the freshest ingredients possible, and in this case the ripest, juiciest tomatoes can really make a difference.

Another step is to let the ingredients sit for a period of time to allow their flavors to deepen.

Usually some sort of a liquid or acid like lemon juice helps. Here I opt for orange segments and juice, since they balance out the acid of the tomatoes and the salt of the olives. This sauce goes particularly well with chicken and fish.

Makes about 2 cups of relish

• 3 large, thin-skinned red tomatoes, diced
• ¼ cup green olives, such as manzanilla, pitted and diced Read the rest of this entry »