THE FRUGAL GOURMET IF YOU’RE guests for dinner, a wonderful appetizer can help set the right tone for the entire meal. Here are some delicious first courses from around the world. Try one or two at your next party or family gathering. TZATZIKI (Serves 10-12 as a first course) You will find this dish in every taverna, or eating house, in Greece. It goes back a long way into Greek history, along with the habit of eating all sorts of food hand-dipped into wonderfully thick mixtures such as this one. This Greek appetizer is delicious served as a dip with small wedges of pita bread. 4 cups fresh yogurt, unflavored 1 medium cucumber, peeled and coarsely grated 4 cloves garlic, crushed 2 tablespoons olive oii 2 teaspoon dricd dillweed Salt. and freshly ground black pepper to taste Additional olive oil for garnish Place a piece of cheesecloth in a colander and pour in the yogurt. I always make my own so it will be good and tart. Allow the yogurt to drain for several hours. Use the whey in a soup or in baking. Place the grated cucumber in another colander and allow it to drain for 2 hours. Mix together all ingredients ex- cept the additional olive oil and chill. Place in serving dishes and drizzie additionat olive oi! on top. Serve as a spread for bread or as entertaining Sweetness inquisitive SUE WILSON ANNE GARDINER a dip for sepeteibles. Chis gs gene erally served ast first course. TARAMASALATA (Serves 6-8 as a fitst course) This is a delicious Greek spread for bread or a wonderful dip fora first course. The basis for this minature is a cod roe that is whip- ped with other ingredients until it is lighter than mayonnaise. 4 ounces taramas (Find this ia any Greek or Middle Eastern deli. Ut comes in 8- and 1-ounce jars and keeps well under refrigeration, Do noi buy taramasalata that bas al- ready been mixed. You want to make your own!) 5 slices fresh white bread, crust removed Juice of 2 lemons 1 cup olive oil la yellow onion, coarsely chopped 1 cup mashed potatoes Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until afl is smooth. Serve as a dip with bread and vegetables. TAHINI BEAN DIP (Makes 4 cups) This paste is common throughout the Middle East. This sireek version is a bit different from the Middle Eastern version in that it includes vinegar and cayenne pepper. 2 cans (1542-ounce size) garbanzo beans % cup olive oil 1 tablespoon white-wise vinegar VY cup yellow onion, peeled and coarsely chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped coarsely Pinch of cayenne pepper V2 cup tahini Salt to taste Open both cans of garbanzos and drain the juice from ane. Pour the contents of both cans in- to a food processor and ail other ingredients. Process until very smooth. Serve as a dip for crackers, olives, pita bread, cucumber slices. peeled and SPINACH PIES (Makes 8-10 pies) This is a very famous dish in Greece. Spinach and dill, along with the cheese, make a superb filling for the phyllo bundle. 2 packages frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry . 4 eggs 14 pound feta cheese, crumbled 1 bunch green onions, chopped See Make page 49 lay, Nov. 11, 1992 ~ North Shore News - 47 NEWS photo Mike Waketield GREEK CULTURE has a tradition of eating ali sorts of delicious food hand-dipped in wonderfully thick mixtures such as homous and tzatziki. plays major role in keeping baking fresh NOVEMBER JIS the month to bake festive breads, cakes and cookies that need time to gently age before the holiday season. English fruit cakes and short- bread, German stollen, and ltalian panettone all benefit from several weeks or more to simply sit and mellow, Holiday baking is unique, since not all baking ages well. Cakes, breads and cookies that improve with age are usually high in fat and sugar and often contain can- died or dried fruit. And it’s generally for special occasions that we use richer, more costly ingredients. Rich fruit cakes traditionally served at Christmas and at wed- dings are so tightly packed with fruit, the batter merely holds together morsels of raisins and dates, glace cherries and nuts. Candied and dried fruit contain highly concentrated forms of sugar, And sugar has a tremen- dous ability to attract and hold moisture. So sweetness plays a major role in keeping baking fresh. German febkuchen, the famous cookie spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, usually con- tains honey, which is even more efficient at attracting moisture than table sugar, So it’s no coincidence that these cookies keep well for eight weeks or more. Part of the appeal of yeastbreads that age well is their dried and candied fruit. But fess obvious is the fact that breads like pannetone and stollen also contain liberal amounts of fat. Flour toses moisture less easi- ly when its granules itre cloaked in a thin layer of fat. There’s another factor at work here. Think of how shortbread, rich in) fat, but containing no fruit, mellaws over time. This is due to the work of enzymes which break down the starch in flour to simple sugars. As it ages, baking changes in texture and becomes sweeter dae to these enzymes naturally present in flour. Enzymes work best at) room temperature, so don't store baking to be aged in the refrigerator or freezer. Pack into an airtight con- tainer and keep at room temperature. Baking that stales, rather than ages, however, is best kept frozen. Don't be tempted to store dif- ferent kinds of baking in the same container. Remember that sugar attracts moisture. This means that whichever cookies are sweetest will rob the others of moisture, leaving them disappointinely dry. Rich fruit’ cakes are often wrapped in rum-soaked cheese- cloth. As the cake absorbs this added liquid and the cheesecloth dries, moisture can be replenished with a few more splashes of bran- dy, apple juice or other favorite. Marzipan and glazes also help to keep moisture from: escaping, and fave been known to keep cakes fresh for years. Though it’s mostly to enhance flavor that we fet baking age, it's an added bonus to have baking done ahead of the flurry of the season.