Kiki Angelos
Food Writer
editorial@newsandsentinel.com
I am sure you all have heard about the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” and last weekend I flew to Charlotte, N.C., to my cousin’s daughter’s three day Greek wedding.
Arriving at the airport in Charlotte I found major construction talking place and finding an Uber or taxi to take me to the Hilton Hotel downtown where I was meeting my relatives even difficult. I had relatives coming in from Boston, Florida, Texas, California, Mississippi, Colorado and even Greece and looking forwards to seeing and visiting with all of them. There were so many people invited that my cousin had reserved rooms in four different hotels downtown Charlotte.
This was intended to be a typical BIG GREEK WEDDING with over 435 invited guests attending the wedding ceremony and reception afterwards.
However the first evening (Friday) began with the rehearsal dinner and open bar which lasted till the wee hours of the night.
The wedding was on Saturday at 4 p.m. which gave us all time to recuperate from the night before.
The actual wedding ceremony lasted for over one hour in length which is normal for a Greek wedding. It is unbelievable but the wedding party consisted of 17 bridesmaids and 17 groomsmen which was the largest wedding party I have ever heard of.
My cousin had a personal designer that designed not only the bride’s dress that was hand-made along with the bridesmaids’ dresses and the groomsmen’s and groom’s tuxedos plus the parents’ and grandparents’ gowns. The designer that did all the outfits was flying the next day to Dubai for a wedding and booked for weddings later in Paris. All the flowers were shipped in especially for the event from Hawaii and a Greek and American band provided music for the dancing with the event lasting until 2 a.m. (Needless to say this was a very, very extravagant and plush wedding).
It was wild because the designer asked me who designed my dress and I had to reply “bought in a store.” LOL.
On Sunday there was a special brunch for all the close relatives at my cousin’s home where we all said goodbye and headed home.
The desserts were unbelievable and because I grew up in Greece with my cousin I had made two large pans of Baklava for the wedding and I got my biggest compliment when a lady that flew in for the wedding from Athens, Greece, who is an international dessert specialist and judge that told me that she has tasted baklava all over the world and that mine was the tops. It really thrilled me to hear this and it really was good for my ego. LOL.
Till next week.
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GREEK SALAD
1 head lettuce, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
4 flat anchovies
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons celery, chopped
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 tablespoons imported olive oil
6 ounces imported Feta cheese (Greek)
Salt, pepper and garlic to taste
Rub wooden salad bowl with strong garlic, add lettuce, green pepper, tomato, onion, celery and Feta cheese. Mix vinegar, olive oil and garlic well, then sprinkle in salad, toss gently with two forks. Now line salad bowls with crisp lettuce leaves, that lettuce is above edge of bowl. Fill with Greek salad, bring to a peak in center of bowl. Garnish salad with flat anchovies, Greek Kalamata olives, Indian capers, and parsley. Serves 4.
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BROILED FILLET MIGNON EN CASSEROLE WITH MUSHROOM SAUCE, ESPANOLA AU SHERRY
Broil fillet mignon on charcoal fire or gas broiler until done. Place in casserole.
SAUCE
3 onions
1 red pepper
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms or 8 ounces canned mushrooms
2 green peppers
4 fresh tomatoes or No. 6 can tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1 cup meat stock
1 tablespoon fresh finely chopped parsley
1/4 cup sherry wine
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash of garlic
Melt butter (about 2-3 tablespoons) and saute the onions, red peppers, green peppers and parsley. Add the tomatoes, tomato puree, mushrooms and sherry wine and allow to cook for 15-20 minutes. When vegetables are soft, add the remaining ingredients. Re-cover and allow to stand in a warm place without further cooking. Now cover steak with sauce, let simmer in hot oven for 2 to 3 minutes, garnish and serve.
