OVER EASY: Good food from Greece

It’s all things Greek this weekend at St. Michael the Archangel Church in Lecanto. Kudos to members of the church for their hard work over the years in making this one of the largest festivals in Citrus County.

Until a few years ago, the Greek Festival was once a year. But now it’s double the fun with a second event in the spring. On top of that, seafood suppers such as fried fish and calamari are offered at the church on Fridays throughout the year. You can eat in or carry out.

Here is one of my favorite Greek salads:

GREEK COUNTRY SALAD
* 4 radishes
* 1 red onion, cut into rings
* 1 or 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
* 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
* 1 teaspoon sea salt
* 1 clove garlic
* 8 kalamata olives
* 5 anchovy fillets
* 1 tablespoon Greek oregano
* 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
* 1/2 cup olive oil

Cut radishes, onions and tomatoes. Add some salt into a bowl. Crush garlic clove and rub into bowl. Add vegetables, cheese, salt, olives, anchovies and oregano. Sprinkle with lemon juice, salt, pepper and oil. Toss. Add more lemon juice and oil to taste. (I use a large cucumber cut into chunks instead of radishes).

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Great-granddaughter Julia Belle was in town last Saturday. We spent some time visiting Ozello, where the 8-year-old was fascinated with the blue crab farm at Peck’s Old Port Cove. After the crabs shed their shells, they are fried until crispy and brown for the popular soft-shelled crab dinners. No pickin’, just good eatin’.

From there, we drove out County Road 495 to the Register Cracker Farm, where my little namesake had a ball picking a bucket full of strawberries from the hydroponically grown plants.

About 2 p.m. it was time for her to head home with some stories to tell at school about a few hours of fun in “old Florida.”
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February means Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and you might want to recognize the festival with a hearty gumbo:

CHICKEN AND ANDOUILLE GUMBO
* 1 (4- to 5-pound) chicken, cut into serving pieces
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 2 cups chopped onion
* 1 cup chopped bell pepper
* 1/2 cup chopped celery
* 8 to 10 cups chicken broth
* 2 bay leaves
* 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
* 1 pound andouille sausage cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
* 1 cup chopped green onions
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
* Steamed rice

Season chicken generously with salt and cayenne. Set aside.

In a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, combine oil and flour. Cook over medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring constantly, to make a dark brown roux. Add onion, bell pepper and celery. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until very soft. Add broth and stir to blend well.

Add chicken, bay leaves and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 2 to 3 hours, or until chicken is fork-tender. (In authentic Cajun gumbo, the chicken is left on the bone. However, to make the gumbo easier to eat, you may wish to cut the meat from the bone.)

Add sausage and cook for 30 minutes. Add and adjust seasonings to taste. Add green onions and parsley and serve immediately with steamed rice.

Julianne Munn is the food writer for the Citrus County Chronicle. Email her at jmunn2@tampabay.rr.com.