Cooking - Greek Style! Part 1- Dolmades.

Tonight was cooking class at St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church in Orange, CT. St. Barbara had her start in New Haven, you'll remember that I took a bread class in December and posted about the Vasilopita Bread Class. This was the first night of another four weeks of cooking classes offered by the Philoptochos Society. The Philoptochos Society is a ministry of women whose creed is "see a need, fill a need". They've been offering Greek cooking classes to help raise money for their outreach ministries.
Tonight's specialty was Dolmades and Kolokithopita. My first entry is about the Dolmades, chopped meat stuffed cabbage leaves with a Avgolemono (lemon) sauce. The above photo is Maria, our teacher. She's showing us lemons that are from her tree. I guess they are from Greece...since it's the dead of winter here in Connecticut and the sky is grey as grey can be.

Egg whites being whisked to a very frothy mixture. Maria said that her father and mother used to make this together since it was so labor intensive. Indeed it was, we all used the whisks, Maria used a hand mixer, the advantage of being the teacher.

Avgolemono Sauce that we made packed up and ready to be taken home. It will be used with the Dolmades that we also made to bring home.

Boiled cabbage leaves, separated and ready for the meat mixture.

Maria is an amazing cook. Here she is preparing the meat mixture. Maria is from the village of Aigion. She and her family own Yorkside Pizza in New Haven - a landmark in the heart of downtown New Haven on York Street. Yorkside was the very first restaurant that I went to in New Haven many years ago.

Dolmades after it has simmered for 45 minutes...just awaiting the Avgolemono Sauce.

Honestly folks, this is tricky cooking if you're not a regular at cooking! You've got to swirl the Avgolemono Sauce into the Dolmades making sure that the Avgolemono Sauce doesn't curddle because of the egg whites and yolks. She made it look so easy and I think it was but my German and Swiss heritage wanted to know exact amounts and the exact amount of swirls. I'll have to practise this. Who wants to come for dinner?

Dolmades!

Tomorrow's post will continue with the second half of the evening, the making of Kolokitopita, a nice little sweet.