Greek Liquid Gold!
Olive Oil. Fruity, sumptuous, olive oil. Unfiltered, virgin pressed, sunshine kissed!
My good friend Dena is Greek, unmistakably Greek. She looks Greek, she speaks with a Greek accent, she laughs loudly and is full of joy! Dena makes everyone around her smile. She reminds me to be thankful for everything and to love those around me.
And, Dena can cook! Oh my, can Dena cook!
The start to a beautiful breakfast!
Dena lived in Greece most of her life, on her parent’s acreage in Kalamata, yes Kalamata like the olive! Her dad has groves of olive trees from which he harvests the delectable little fruit. He grinds and presses the olives and sends Dena enormous boxes of large square cans of olive oil. This is what Dena uses as the foundation for most of her cooking.
The pressing process from Tastessence.com
On this day, Dena made me breakfast, Greek style. We started with Greek coffee and little cookies made by a woman at her church. Greek coffee is unlike anything American. It’s finely ground and steeped with raw sugar in a little aluminum pot. The coffee has overtones of chocolate and nuts. So delicious!
Greek coffee and cookies.
Next, Dena put a cast iron skillet on the stove on high heat to get it ready for the liquid gold olive oil. She poured in a generous covering and added sliced tomatoes. After a couple of minutes, Dena added slices of salty Feta cheese. The cheese caramelized on the bottom of the pan to form a chewy bite.
Did I mention the oregano? It grows on the hills in Kalamata and is dried in the shade. Dena uses this in most of her cooking as well. It tastes different than most dried oregano, almost peppery and strongly fragrant.
Eggs fresh from Dena’s chickens.
Snow White, Dena’s favorite chicken and champion egg layer!
The eggs came next. Beautiful eggs laid by the chickens in Dena’s back yard, whipped up with a little pink salt and cracked pepper and poured over the tomatoes and cheese. This quickly became a scramble as Dena turned the ingredients over and over, cooking them gently.
Olive oil, Tomatoes, Feta, Oregano and Eggs!
Plated with a bit of bread, olives, more tomatoes and cheese!
Dena and I sat down to a scrumptious breakfast, Greek Style. We ate, laughed, told stories, and loved each other’s company.
Maybe you didn’t grow up in Greece or have a dad who has olive groves but you still can buy good olive oil and make a delicious breakfast! Dena’s advice on where to get the best Greek olive oil? Costco!
Stin iyá su! (Greek for “Cheers and Good Health”)
