MAINS FROM THE LAND
Meat • Garlic • Tomato • Onion
Serves 4 to 6
I’m not a fan of what has become of the gyro. Nowadays they’re stuffed with heavily processed ingredients that include a host of binders and fillers, exactly the stuff I advise you to stay away from. Luckily, it’s easy to make your own delicious (and healthy) version. Traditionally, you’d slowly roast a ton of meat on a spit, but roasting the meat in a loaf pan is so much easier. Then all you have to do is heat up a sprouted tortilla so it’s warm and firm before wrapping it into a pita-style gyro. This is a favorite dish of all my Greek friends who love gyro but want the healthy “California” version.
Zucchini • Meat • Lemon Zest • Dill
Serves 4
This classic Greek summer dish is typically made with a light-skinned summer squash known as marrow vegetable, but zucchini or any other summer squash make a perfect substitute. The vegetables are hollowed out and then stuffed with meat and herbs, so select the thickest zucchini or squash you can find. A zesty, creamy avgolemono sauce balances the savory meat stuffing. This dish is all about the sauce, so I make sure to follow the French way and add some extra fat by way of EVOO and an extra egg yolk.
Sweet Onion • Dill • Scallions
Serves 4
My grandmother Stella’s specialty was a fricassee, meat stewed in a rich, egg-based sauce that old wives’ tales claim contributes to better health and immunity. In the winter she would make the stew heavier and more fortified with egg yolks, and in the summer she would make it more like a light broth with extra lemon and romaine lettuce.
Farro • Meat • Basil • Thyme
Serves 3 to 4
Farro is an old-world grain, similar to oats, and can be traced back to the Fertile Crescent. It’s high in protein and fiber, and has a nice, firm texture with great nutty flavor. The first time I had farro that was braised in a Tuscan clay pot I was attending a nutrigenomics conference in Montecatini Terme—the area in Italy known for its therapeutic waters. There are certain flavors you just never forget, and this was one of them—nutty, savory, and rich.
Honey • Lavender • Farro
Serves 3 to 4
This elegantly aromatic sauce is guaranteed to become one of your go-to recipes for white meats and fish, especially chicken, sole, and halibut. This recipe blends the taste of Provence with some hearty Italian farro. To capture the French countryside even more vividly, buy a lavender plant so you can use the fresh leaves to infuse even more flavor into the dish.
Vegetables • Yogurt • Meat • Garlic • Oregano • Cloves
Serves 6 to 8
I can’t think of another dish that embodies the healthy yet flavorful recipes of Wild Mediterranean better than moussaka. It features that sweet spot—a 3:1 ratio of veggies to protein (maybe even 5:1!)—and cooks together in one dish. The dish can be heavy, though, so I took all the goodness of this classic and made it more biome-friendly.
Sweet Potato • Portobello • Chèvre
Serves 2
It’s always worth repeating that the main nutritional idea behind the Wild Mediterranean diet is to work an abundance of vegetables into your meals, ideally in a 3:1 ratio to meat. This recipe is a perfect example of that balance with the combination of root vegetables and portobello mushrooms (in place of a traditional white-flour bun), plus the meat. If you have access to pastured beef, that’s great. If not, you can find quality hormone-free burger patties in the frozen section of the supermarket.
Sage • Broth • Onion
Serves 4 to 6
Simple roasted turkey makes a great foundation for many meals. Keeping the 3:1 ratio in mind, just add three servings of veggies and you have lunch or dinner (or breakfast, if you’re really hungry). And making a homemade version is nutritionally far superior to what you’ll find at the grocery store (less salt, no additives). But roasting a whole bird isn’t always convenient, which is why I love just making the breast. Because turkey breast can be dry, I braise it with herb-infused stock, giving it a turn about halfway through cooking to make sure all those juices permeate the skin, and then one last turn to help the meat get golden brown. Layering the cooking liquid with carrots, celery, and onions plus a mix of fresh herbs—any combination of parsley, sage, oregano, and rosemary—adds extra flavor to the meat. Strain and save the cooking liquid to make gravy or to boost the flavor of your next stock.
Roasted chicken is a versatile foundation for many different meals and every home cook should have a good roast chicken in her repertoire—one that’s golden brown, tender, and most important, moist all the way through. The challenge for roasting a whole bird is making sure the leaner white meat stays juicy while the dark meat cooks through. From experience, I’ve discovered these secrets to getting the most delicious chicken, every time: Stuff your bird with lemons to infuse flavor from the inside out; truss the legs (or tie them together) to help the bird keep its shape and cook evenly; start roasting at 450°F for the first 15 minutes before turning the oven down to 350°F, which will help crisp the skin; and lastly, don’t hold back on flavor! The four herb and spice variations that follow are anything but basic!
Braising is a simple cooking method that creates a ton of flavor with very little effort. It also coaxes a tender texture from the toughest cuts of meat. At its most basic, all it requires is browning meat and some aromatic vegetables, adding liquid (such as water, broth, or wine), and letting it cook low and slow. These recipes can be made using stewing beef, and braise-friendly cuts, such as lamb shanks or bison.