Greek Revival: Cooking for Life

by Patricia Moore-Pastides, Dimitrios Trichopoulos (Foreword by)

Overview

Take eighty-seven ambrosial recipes designed for the needs and appetites of everyday cooks, leaven with delectable anecdotes about the Greek lifestyle, then pepper with revealing scientific insight, and the result is Greek Revival: Cooking for Life—an appetizing introduction to wonderful flavors and health benefits of the traditional Mediterranean diet. Patricia Moore-Pastides, an accomplished cook and public-health professional, presents dozens of easy-to-make and impossible-to-resist recipes that infuse a healthful diet with the enticement of great taste. Greek Revival showcases a pantheon of healthy recipes, accompanied by beautiful color illustrations, helpful preparation techniques, and tips for making the most of familiar ingredients, from colorful fresh fruits and vegetables, to whole grains, beans, and seafood. These natural flavors are enhanced by rich extra-virgin olive oil, so the delectable dishes are savored without guilt. Following Greek tradition, meat is not eliminated from the diet, but rather saved for special occasion, and you will find a variety of succulent and creative meat recipes in Greek Revival as well. Always mindful of time, health, and budget, the author makes wonderful use of natural, minimally processed ingredients readily found in most neighborhood supermarkets. Recipes include dolmades (grape leaves stuffed with cracked wheat and pine nuts), imam baildi (caramelized eggplant), gemista (vegetables stuffed with barley and mint), xifias souvlaki (herbed swordfish kebabs), tavas (oven-roasted onion, tomato and lamb stew), karidopita (spiced walnut cake), and many more. Throughout the book Moore-Pastides shares lively stories of her days living in Greece and Cyprus that exemplify the enduring charm of an Old World lifestyle. Through her tales we see a snapshot of a world lost to fast-paced modern living, and we are introduced to the health benefits of the Mediterranean lifestyle. Her observations are supported with illuminating summaries of current scientific research. Health-conscious readers looking to improve their diets and protect themselves from the perils of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease will find hope in the author's research, presented in a way that is accessible and inspiring. In Greek Revival, Moore-Pastides happily eliminates the frustration and deprivation so often associated with dieting and gives us instead a fresh and exciting approach to a lifestyle wherein food is healthy, simple, and most of all, delicious.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611172089
Publisher:	University of South Carolina Press
Publication date:	09/03/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	248
Sales rank:	117,997
File size:	20 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Patricia Moore-Pastides is the First Lady of the University of South Carolina and an accomplished cook, writer, and public-health professional. Moore-Pastides teaches Mediterranean cooking classes at Columbia's Cooking!, an interactive community cooking program offered by the university's Cancer Prevention and Control Program. A Connecticut native with a Master of Public Health degree from Yale University, she has served as a director and planner for several healthcare and wellness organizations. She and her husband, President Harris Pastides, make their home in the President's House on the Historic Horseshoe at the University of South Carolina. They have two adult children.

What People are Saying About This

Harry Mark Petrakis

My qualifications to comment on this charming memoir and cookbook rest more in my capacities as an eater than as a chef. But I enjoyed the author's stories and her perceptions when, after marrying into a Greek family, she discovers Greece, Greeks, their customs, and their cuisine. Along the way she provides renewed credence to the merits of the renowned Mediterranean diet. As a professional storyteller of Greek ways, I appreciated the tales shared in these pages. And the recipes are a bonus.

Dimitrios Trichopoulos

Patricia Moore-Pastides is a talented writer, a person of sharp intellect and, more important, sensitivity and compulsion to perfection.... Patricia draws a parallel between the revival of classical Greek architecture in the United States at the beginning of the nineteenth century and the current revival of the traditional Greek diet. Culture has many dimensions, and different people rank them in different ways. Patricia's book honors a particular aspect of Greek culture and, just as important, provides a blueprint for cooking for life—a longer, healthier, and more enjoyable life.

Nathalie Dupree

The delectable recipes in Greek Revival are distinctive, flavorful, and representative of their chef's commendable passion for healthy living through time-tested Old World cooking practices. Patricia Moore-Pastides retains the innate taste and texture of Mediterranean cuisine while updating the techniques and diet constraints in innovative ways for today's lifestyle. Like the recipes contained here, this elegantly presented book is a delight to be savored and shared.

Zoe Kosmidou

In Greek Revival Patricia Moore-Pastides celebrates Greek cuisine as a healthy way of living and as an inseparable part of Greek culture for centuries. Her commitment to authenticity and accuracy in the scientific and culinary dimensions of her beautiful book shine through in every recipe and story. She shares with us an insider's view of Greek culture and deserves high praise for her engaging writing, creativity, and deeply felt passion for promoting a more healthy and balanced way of life.

Editorial Reviews

In Greek Revival Patricia Moore-Pastides celebrates Greek cuisine as a healthy way of living and as an inseparable part of Greek culture for centuries. Her commitment to authenticity and accuracy in the scientific and culinary dimensions of her beautiful book shine through in every recipe and story. She shares with us an insider s view of Greek culture and deserves high praise for her engaging writing, creativity, and deeply felt passion for promoting a more healthy and balanced way of life.
Zoe Kosmidou, minister counselor for cultural affairs, Embassy of Greece


Patricia Moore-Pastides is a talented writer, a person of sharp intellect and, more important, sensitivity and compulsion to perfection. . . . Patricia draws a parallel between the revival of classical Greek architecture in the United States at the beginning of the nineteenth century and the current revival of the traditional Greek diet. Culture has many dimensions, and different people rank them in different ways. Patricia s book honors a particular aspect of Greek culture and, just as important, provides a blueprint for cooking for life a longer, healthier, and more enjoyable life.


Dimitrios Trichopoulos, Vincent L. Gregory Professor of Cancer Prevention at the Harvard School of Public Health, from the Foreword


The delectable recipes in Greek Revival are distinctive, flavorful, and representative of their chef's commendable passion for healthy living through time-tested Old World cooking practices. Patricia Moore-Pastides retains the innate taste and texture of Mediterranean cuisine while updating the techniques and diet constraints in innovative ways for today's lifestyle. Like the recipes contained here, this elegantly presented book is a delight to be savored and shared.
Nathalie Dupree, celebrated Charleston chef and author of Nathalie Dupree s Shrimp & Grits Cookbook and Nathalie Dupree s Comfortable Entertaining


My qualifications to comment on this charming memoir and cookbook rest more in my capacities as an eater than as a chef. But I enjoyed the author's stories and her perceptions when, after marrying into a Greek family, she discovers Greece, Greeks, their customs, and their cuisine. Along the way she provides renewed credence to the merits of the renowned Mediterranean diet. As a professional storyteller of Greek ways, I appreciated the tales shared in these pages. And the recipes are a bonus.
Harry Mark Petrakis, Greek American novelist and two-time National Book Award finalist

From the Publisher

In this accessible cookbook for those just starting to cook, Moore-Pastides, who teaches Mediterranean cooking classes for the University of South Carolina's Cancer Prevention and Control Program, shares 87 easy and healthy dishes like Creamy Yogurt with Fruit and Nuts. Grilled Tuna with Spicy Peach Chutney is also simple to make and includes tips for not overcooking the tuna. Desserts consist of Greek Wedding Cookies with Almonds and Spiced Walnut Cake. Highly recommended for novices looking for healthful, inventive recipes. For advanced Greek cooking, libraries should also consider Michael Psilakis's How To Roast a Lamb: New Greek Classic Cooking.

Library Journal