The Olive and the Caper: Adventures in Greek Cooking

by Susanna Hoffman

This is the year "It's Greek to me" becomes the happy answer to what's for dinner. My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the upcoming epic Troy, the 2004 Summer Olympics returning to Athens--and now, yet another reason to embrace all things The Olive and the Caper, Susanna Hoffman's 700-plus-page serendipity of recipes and adventure. In Corfu, Ms. Hoffman and a taverna owner cook shrimp fresh from the trap--and for us she offers the boldly-flavored Shrimp with Fennel, Green Olives, Red Onion, and White Wine. She gathers wild greens and herbs with neighbors, inspiring Big Beans with Thyme and Parsley, and Field Greens and Ouzo Pie. She learns the secret to chewy country bread from the baker on Santorini and translates it for American kitchens. Including 325 recipes developed in collaboration with Victoria Wise (her co-author on The Well-Filled Tortilla Cookbook, with over 258,000 copies in print), The Olive and the Caper celebrates all things Chicken Neo-Avgolemeno. Fall-off-the-bone Lamb Shanks seasoned with garlic, thyme, cinnamon and coriander. Siren-like sweets, from world-renowned Baklava to uniquely Greek Rose Petal, Cherry and Grappa, Apricot and Metaxa. In addition, it opens with a sixteen-page full-color section and has dozens of lively essays throughout the book--about the origins of Greek food, about village life, history, language, customs--making this a lively adventure in reading as well as cooking.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference, Travel, History

624 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2004

Reviews

[Kelley]

I attended a July 4th party last year where Susanne Hoffman, the author of this book brought a delicious dip. Several weeks later I went hiking with her, and she shared the recipe as follows:

Spread
8 ounces cream cheese
7 grape leaves in brine from jar, drained
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

For spread:
Blend cream cheese, grape leaves, and lemon juice in mini processor until grape leaves are minced and mixture is blended. Season spread to taste with salt and pepper. Can be made 1 day ahead. Transfer spread to small bowl. Cover and refrigerate. Bring spread to room temperature before using.

She said she is working on a new book...

[Janece]

We have been reading through this jewel and I honestly may have to buy this one! Susanna Hoffman sprinkles bits of Greek history and mythos along her truly lovely black and white photographs of Greek people, food, houses and landscapes. the recipes are fairly easy to follow, even if some of the ingredients (being true to Greek traditions) are unusual for us. She liberally adds depth and spice with her personal stories from her visits to Greece creating overall a book that is nearly as much story book and history book as it is cookbook. I LOVE this book!

[Debby Hammer]

In-depth, all done with excellent research and engaging. I had been to Athens and Crete and hope to go again. Loved the tastes, and hope to replicate the dishes at home.

[Wendy Church]

If I could give six stars to this I would. It’s my most used cookbook. I originally bought it, after a lot of research, for a Greek dinner party we were throwing. Since then I’ve use it regularly. In addition to good, non-fussy recipes, it includes Greek culinary history, and useful tips for things like grape leaves and phyllo dough. It’s worth adding that I almost always look online for recipes, but for Greek food I’ve never found a single recipe online that's better than what's in this book. Some highlights: any of the savory Greek pies, which are easy to augment with whatever you have in the house, and seem to turn out no matter what I put in them. Also the ways the recipes change if you’re using fresh rather than jarred grape leaves: many recipes just assume you’re using jarred, so it’s nice that the author accommodates those of us who are lucky enough to have grape vines growing in the yard.

[Beth]

This cookbook is more than just recipes. It's culture. History. Technique.

Every once in a while, I realize that there's a Greek recipe that's not in this book. Koulourikia, for instance, isn't here. But this title is a staple on my cookbook shelf. It's one of the first 3 cookbooks I take off the shelf before I go shopping.

[Riegs]

I wish there were more pics of the actual dishes.

[Sugarpop]

I have some hit and misses with the recipes. Tonight I made manestra and it went over very well. Some of my consistent repeats are the eggplant salad-country style, moussaka, spanakopita and the walnut cake with coffee syrup. I can honestly say that the moussaka and the walnut cake recipes alone were worth the entire book.

There are a few recipes that are on my Thou Shalt Not Ever Make Again list. That said, I have never eaten those foods before and I have no way of knowing if it is the recipe or my own personal preferences. The eggplant and yogurt spread, taramasalata and sesame soup with olives and basil made that list.

I really like the history and cultural information in this book. I also really liked cooking with Retsina and Metaxa because I had never heard of either before. This has been a fun cookbook to work through.

[RH Walters]

This is a terrific cookbook by a passionate Greek scholar, part time resident and enthusiastic eater. Hoffman includes Greek and personal history to talk about how the water from each town's well was known and discussed as vividly as wine, and how townswomen were convinced she wasn't going to open a brothel on their small island when they saw her impressive knitting. I can't claim to have read all the recipes but it was a revelation for me to know that you can make a phyllo dough pie with fennel, kale and any other greens and call it hortokopia instead of spanikopita. The sheer breadth and overflowingness of this book earns it 5 stars.

[Lindsey Duncan]

The food of a culture is about so much more than ingredients and cooking methods, and this book does a fabulous job of bringing it all to life. Mythology, village life, social rhythms, the history of languages and cross-cultural influence ... you'll find all this and more in these pages. Where Hoffman deviates from traditional choices, she does a great job of explaining the why, giving you a clearer picture of the cuisine in the process. The only reason this book doesn't get a full five stars from me is it spends a lot of pages on very basic recipes, which to me were unnecessary. Your mileage may vary.

[Erika]

Adventures in Greek cooking? Adventures indeed. This book describes the adventures Greeks from back in the day used to have and how and why they formed certain recipes and used them for certain things. A bit of history, science, and cookbook all in one. Also, I'm using this book to have 2 of the best foodstuffs at the 4th of July party so that's a nice kicker as well.

[Patricia]

The night I brought this book home, I sat up reading it until 1:00 a.m. The author's passionate accounts of Greek culture are colorful and interesting and all the recipes I have tried so far are excellent.

[Sue]

I adore this book. Not only is it a marvelous overview of how the Greeks eat, but it's a stunning book about Greece itself, with stunning full page color plates of Greece. The recipes? I've tried a few and liked them.

[Leslie]

This book is half a history of Greece, with emphasis on mythology and lives of the normal person, and half an assortment of recipes. I prepared more than 30 recies from this book. Some variable results (see reviews on cookbooker.com) but the highs were spectacular.

[Kathy Tsoukalas]

This is the best Greek cookbook I've ever had. The recipes are both traditional and modern, and I really love the historical tidbits interspersed throughout the book. Every time I flip through the pages, and then when I eat one of the delicious foods, I am transported back to Greece. <3

[Emily]

A really wonderful introduction to Greek cooking. The chapter on meze alone is worth it! Wonderful dishes, anecdotes, and menus.

[Linda]

Wow! Great recipes with lots of information on Greece, food history, and ingredients.

[Vicki]

While I have refrained from adding all my cookbooks to my "shelf," this one reads like a "book" book. Just beautiful!

[Lynda]

Just plain love this cookbook.