Fish fillet with dandelion greens and avgolemono sauce Elia

Saturday, Feb 13, 2010

Gulf News

"Greek cuisine is not known here," said celebrity chef Yiannis Baxevanis. Indeed, there are hardly any Greek restaurants in the UAE. But Elia, his restaurant at the Majestic Hotel in Bur Dubai, is participating in the Taste of Dubai (March 17-20) at Media City for the third year. The award-winning chef said he wants to show that Greek cuisine is not just about moussaka and souvlaki but is developing. "The trend is to present Greek cuisine differently while respecting tradition," Baxevanis said. "I use the roots of Greek cuisine and add modern touches."

In town to oversee the launch of his new menu, he said Greek cuisine is influenced by Europe and the East, by countries in the neighbourhood, such as Bulgaria and Turkey.

What differentiates the 48-year-old chef from others is that he cooks with aromatic herbs, wild mountain greens such as dandelion and medicinal herbs, which were used in ancient times. That's why he is nicknamed the "aroma magician" of Greek cuisine.

Nature's gifts

"The idea is to use herbs that can be found where you live. So I use herbs that you can find in Lebanon, Syria and India," he said. "You have to cook with whatever the land gives you and follow the seasons so you have fresh ingredients."

Baxevanis worked in France for five years and built a reputation upon his return to Greece through his years as gourmet chef at Grecotel Mykonos Blue, Elounda Beach in Crete and Grand Lagonissi Resort. He is a consultant at several top restaurants in Greece and has participated in food presentations in the US, France, Belgium, Germany and Spain.

He has also spent nine years in Crete, where he made Cretan herbs and spices fashionable by using them in his recipes.

Cretan cuisine is famous for its dietary values, as people living there have less heart- and cancer-related problems than in other countries.

"Scientists conducted research and found they ate mostly starchy food and wholewheat grains, little meat and some fish, with olive oil and old herbs," Baxevanis said.

He owns a restaurant in Athens, Giorti, which means "celebration", where his team prepares modern Greek cuisine. His dishes speak for his inspiration and creativity but the chef said it is the products and ingredients that contribute to the success of a dish.

"For instance, olive oil makes our dishes light and healthy but, above all, is part of our tradition," he said.

During Taste of Dubai, Baxevanis hopes to promote Greek cuisine among Dubai residents and tourists alike.

II 1 800g hamour fillet

II 1 onion

II 1 spring onion

II 200g dandelion greens

II 800ml mussel or fish stock

II 1 tomato, diced

II 1 egg yolk

II Juice of 2 lemons

II 1 bunch dill or fennel

II Olive oil, salt and pepper to taste

In a pot, sauté the onion and spring onion lightly in olive oil. Add the dandelion greens and the stock, salt and pepper. Add the diced tomato. Place the fish fillet, seasoned with salt and pepper, in the pot and leave it to simmer in the juices, for seven to eight minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet.

For the avgolemono sauce, in a bain-marie, beat the egg yolk with the lemon juice and gradually add spoonfuls of the juice from the pot. Keep mixing until it thickens. Serve the greens on a plate and place the fish on top of the greens.

Top the fish with the avgolemono sauce and chopped dill or fennel.

Servings: 4

It's nice to walk into a restaurant and feel transported to another part of the world. At Elia, guests are welcomed into a tranquil Mediterranean home-feel atmosphere with olive trees bordering the outdoor terrace, or ouzzerie. Paintings and interpretations of the olive tree, which is where the name Elia derives from, are featured throughout the restaurant.

The furniture is meant to be rustic and simple as in a Greek countryside house. Elia, open since 2007 at the Majestic Hotel in Bur Dubai, is not intended to be chichi or fancy. The cuisine, prepared by a team of four Greek chefs, headed by Yiannis Baxevanis, is worth high accolades. Not only do they create contemporary Greek dishes using traditional seasonal ingredients, they themselves serve you their dishes.

Fresh and delicious

The freshly baked bread you are served as you sit down is delicious. Along with Kalamata olives and olive oil, taste three types of breads: tiganita, or fried bread made from white dough with thyme and topped with Gruyère cheese; tomato bread, filled with sun-dried tomato, feta cheese and egg; and Carob bread.

The menu features hot and cold meze from the sea and the earth, such as charcoal grilled calamari stuffed with tomato and cheese (Dh24), spiced mussels saganaki with Gruyère cheese from Naxos Island (Dh24), fried haloumi cheese on a bed of figs with crushed peppers (Dh22) and leek pie from the Northern Epiros region of Greece with cheese and onion (Dh25).

Simple and scrumptious

Don't miss the seafood — yiouvetsi with shrimps, clams, calamari and mussels with fresh tomato sauce and kritharaki, or Greek pasta (Dh60) and spicy soutzoukakia beef meatballs from Smyrna, with mashed potato (Dh75).

The lamb chops were simple, yet tasty, juicy inside and a bit crunchy on the outside, flavoured with rosemary and oregano. And for beef lovers, the beef fillet souvlaki cooked with tomato, green bell pepper and home-made French fries (Dh45) is a treat.

The desserts are the pleasurable conclusion of a unique culinary experience and among them is galaktobureko, a milk pie with filo pastry (Dh20).

Elia's welcoming setting is paired perfectly with its true celebration of Greek flavours.

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For the galaktobureko

II 1l milk, full-fat

II 2 eggs

II 10g cornflour

II 200g semolina

II 250g white sugar

II 10 pieces filo pastry

II 1 stick vanilla

II Orange zest

For the syrup

II 1 cup sugar

II 1 cup water

For the galaktobureko

Preheat the oven to 175°C. In a casserole bring the milk to the boil with 125g sugar, orange zest and the vanilla. Mix the eggs with 125g sugar and the cornflour in a big bowl. When the milk boils, remove the casserole from heat and add half of the milk to the egg mixture.

Pour the milk-and-egg mixture into the casserole with the remaining milk and add the semolina bit by bit while stirring. Reheat it, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and set aside. Grease a baking dish and layer seven sheets of filo into the dish, brushing each with butter as you place them. Pour the custard into the pan over the filo and cover with the remaining five sheets of filo, brushing each sheet with butter. Bake for 35 minutes.

For the syrup

Mix the sugar and water and boil the mixture for five minutes. Once the galaktobureko is done, top it with the syrup.

Servings: 6

Where

The Majestic Hotel, Bur Dubai

Design

Mediterranean outdoor ambiance

Cuisine

Greek

Seats

90 indoors, 40 outdoor terrace (ouzzerie)

Overview