Long Beach Grecian Festival by the Sea Cookbook

Kalamata Olives (Marinated)       Marinate: overnight  Prep: 10 min     Serves: 6     Eating Kalamata olives bought at delis or grocery stores are already cured and ready to eat. However, you can spice them up a bit by following the recipe below. If an olive is eaten picked from a tree before curing, it is extremely bitter. More bitter than can be described. However, you can cure your own, hand-picked olives by first soaking them in water that is changed daily for several weeks. After soaking the olives in water, put them in saltwater for a couple of months changing out the saltwater at month end. Don’t forget to make a slice into each olive before placing the olives in the saltwater. Then throw out the saltwater and marinate with recipe below. It took a Greek grandma (yια γιά) months to cure the olives or you can spice up store-bought Kalamata olives in twenty-four hour...

  Picture by Dr. Sina Bacaol Feta Fries (Baked)     Bake: about 60 min Prep: 25 min Serves: 6   Feta Fries are a Long Beach Greek Festival Favorite. Sprinkle a teaspoon of dried oregano on top of the feta for a bit of zing.   6 large russet potatoes 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 lemon, juiced 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup feta, crumbled   Clean, peel and cut potatoes into wedges. Cut potato lengthwise in half, then cut each section lengthwise two more times for a total of 8 pieces. Soak in an ice-water bath with a pinch of salt for at least 10 minutes. Drain potatoes and pat dry. Once dry, place in a bowl and mix thoroughly with olive oil, salt and pepper until well coated. Arrange potatoes in a single layer on a large sheet pan covered with parchment paper . Bake for 30 minutes on each side at 450 0 F. Sprinkle with crumbled fe...

  Artichokes (M arinated) L Marinate: overnight Prep: 10 min Serves: 6   Long Beach California, home of the Grecian Festival by the Sea, and Iria, Greece, where artichoke festivals are held in May, share similar Mediterranean climates. These common climates allow for growing artichokes, which can be spotted in the yards of many Long Beach homes. 2 14-ounce cans artichoke hearts 1 garlic clove, chopped 1 cup olive oil 1 lemon, juiced 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons dried oregano         One 14-ounce can of artichoke hearts usually contains 6 artichoke hearts. Rinse artichokes (or not…your preference) with water to remove salt and drain well. Cut artichokes in half. Mix artichokes with olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, garlic clove, salt and pepper. Marinate overnight.