This dish comes from one of the most striking areas of Greece and we’re not talking about a Greek island or drop-dead gorgeous beach. I’m speaking of the Vikos Gorge, located in the northwestern province of Epirus.
The first time I passed through this part of Greece was in 1988, on my way to the island of Corfu, on the Ionian coast. I recall roads that hugged steep cliffs, a region lush in green and forests, a dramatic vista of Greek nature. The Vikos Gorge lies in the North Pindos mountains and the area is called Zagori and the some-forty villages are called “Zagorohoria”.
The Vikos gorge attracts Greek and foreign hikers and of partiular focus today are those who have an interest in hunting for wild mushrooms. I recently watched and enjoyed an Australian-produced series called “Feast Greece” and in one episode, the Vikos Gorge and the Zagorohoria were featured.
A cooking segment was also inclueded in the segment which featured this meze of mushrooms. Vassilis Katsoupas returned to his home of Epirus after coming to Canada to study and attain his MBA from York University. Some twenty odd years in Canada were enough for him and at long last, he’s back in the Zagori Gorge, providing educational and culinary treks seeking mild mushrooms.
Vasilli also owns & operates a taverna called “Kanella & Garifalo” (Cinnamon & Clove) and that is where many weary and hungry hikers can stop off to relax, enjoy and dine on a menu made solely from local ingredients.
This dish is inspired by Vassili’s mushroom dish. I used a combo of white button mushrooms, Cremini and King Oysters. This is a sample dish to prepare and the addition of Ouzo (anise-flavoured Greek aperatif) is subtle. If you cannot find Ouzo, anise seeds, Pernod or some Sambuca will do the trick!
Before I get to the recipe, I’m sending this dish out to Mary of the blog, “En Direct D’Athenes”. Mary is a French woman who’s resettled in Athens. Her blog is in French but with the help of online translation services and French school teachings here in Canada, I can read and enjoy Mary’s wonderful dishes.
Mary’s blog proves that food transcends borders and language, the senses we all rely upon to enjoy food being the only language. Please do visit Mary’s blog. She has a Google translator on her site and she would be delighted to hear from you in either French, Greek or English.
Vasilli’s Mushrooms With Ouzo
(one appetizer portion)
About 2 cups of assorted mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. of unsalted butter
4-5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 shot of Ouzo
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup of creme fraiche
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
- In a large skillet or cast-iron pan, add your olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add your mushrooms and toss to coat them well. Season with a little salt and stir occasionally for about 3 minutes (add some more oil if needed).
- Cover, reduce to medium and allow to simmer and release their juices for another 5-7 minutes. Add the Ouzo, stir in and reduce for about a minute.
- Lower the heat to medium-low, add your creme fraiche and and stir in to heat through and coat your mushrooms. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and add the chopped fresh parsley.
- Serve warm as an appeetizer/meze with some toasted homemade bread.
NOTE: Can’t find creme fraiche in your neck of the woods, this recipe has come in handy many times.
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© 2007-2009 Peter Minakis
62 Responses
Beautiful dish and scenery Peter!!! I would love to try some mushrooms that way!
I’m salivating over those mushrooms!
These look unbelievable… I’ve had a lot of creamy mushroom dishes, but never any with creme fraiche.
This is making me hungry! Great flavors going on here.. i remember another time where u had used ouzo..
lovely pics.
Aaah! The ouzo dies the trick perfectly here! Absolutely delicious Peter!
Those mushrooms look amazing as does the view. I can’t quite imagine what they will taste like though. I have never had ouzo before.
What a stunning gorge! This mushroom dish looks so paletable!
Cheers,
Rosa
The place is spectacular, and there are certainly plenty of folks in my house who would devour this appetizer!
These mushrooms look delicious! And thank you for opening my eyes to the diverse beauty that is Greece!
These mushrooms look wonderful and the pictures of the views are spectacular! Wish I could visit there!
mmm..that is one mightly fine dish of fungi you made there. YUMMO
If I had to make a list of my “Last Meal” wishes, this would be on it. Spectacular. Look at those mushrooms, would ya? I’ve got a bottle of Pastis that is nearly full. I’m making this.
LL
P.S. Love the photos of the gorge.
My mouth is watering… this looks amazing! Pass me a fork.
This has to be one of the best recipes I’ve look at in a while. Anything with mushrooms as the main ingredient is always a favorite of mine.
Make mine a meal size portion, please! It looks gorgeous. I love all things mushroom, and the combination of flavors sounds inviting. Off to buy some Ouzo!
damn those mushrooms look good, and that part of greece looks gorgeous.
made your gigantes again tonight, this time with some hot and sweet red peppers added in… love that dish in all its variations!
You continue to be a great ambassador of your heritage.
Beautiful mushroom dish — I love to mix and match, especially with the wonderful variety of wild mushrooms that are available in the markets these days.
yes yes and yes! i loove all kindsof mushrooms!? have you ever had chicken mushrooms?
great photos, delicious recipe
these mushrooms resemble a hearty meat stew
Mushroom Stroganoff….mmmm, wonder what Russia would say about that!!! Delicious!!!
oh i am loving this!! The ouzo is sensational – now i just need a bit of bread!
When i have a variety of mushrooms i am gonna try this recipe, as hubby and i love mushrooms and this looks so delicious.
These king oyster mushrooms are something Peter! I have never visited Zagorohoria, but I would really like to go some day. It looks fantastic.
That looks really good. We loving hiking and that gorge looks amazing. We don’t hunt for our own mushrooms but are happy to eat those hunted by others!
MMMMMM….This dish looks as I would make it but now it is more interesting with the Ouzo!! Sometimes, I add medium sherry!!
Hi! Just found you. What a gorgeous blog, all these photos, I love to see places I will probably never see!And the food, these mushrooms look just gorgeous!AND delicious!
Peter, the we will be going on a wild mushroom picking spree soon and now I know what to make with it!
Strikingly beautiful area in Greece that I’d never heard of. Such a fascinating country of geographic contrasts…and, of course, the mushrooms look wonderful.
Peter, thanks for the beautiful tour. I always learn so much when I visit. The mushroom dish is outstanding and who could resist the addition of creme fraiche as well. Wonderful Post!
I loved hiking through this area of Greece. We hiked to a monastery in the Vikos Canyon which will always be a highlight of my trip.It is where I also tried a feta cheese pancake that was my best food memory as well.
Gorgeous pictures Peter. I would love to wander through Vikos. Adding the creme fraiche put thos over the top!
Your pictures are beautiful!! and of course your dish looks so tasty!!!
Peter, you’ll not believe this. Maria, the other girl from our blog, is in Vikos and Zagoroxoria that week. She’ll return on Thursday, bringing photos and recipes (I hope).
Zagoroxoria is one of the most beautiful places in Greece (I’ve been there many times), fantastic scenery indeed!!!
The creamy mushrooms look very very tasty!!!
I always enjoy your photos. But these mushrooms are the absolute best. I mean this dish you can literally put on top of any meal. Cremem fraiche is one of my most fav ways to dress up a meal. Rather kick up.
Terrible! So creamy and so perfect. I easily can imagine the flavors.
It is a pleasure to discover you are a greek cook-“bloggeur”. Here you are in my favorites. “See” you soon!
Oh Peter…I am the biggest mushroom lover and this recipe is drool worthy. They look absolutely fantastic!
The pictures – amazing – the mushrooms even more amazing – together, I can’t imagine anything more seductive.
I love mushrooms, and they look so incredibly delicious in creme freche and ouzo.
Now this is a different flavor to ‘shrooms!
That looks delightfully simple to prepare and sounds like a real treat for any mushroom lover. I wish I could get my hands on an interesting variety of fresh mushrooms–I’d be all over this one! One of these days…
I just am at a loss for words as to how wounderful that sounds. I never thought to cook wiht ouzo… what was I thinking?
The mushrooms are gorgeous!
Nice way to enjoy some mushrooms! Thanks for the recipe for creme fraiche as I have not been able to find any.
I love mushrooms (and YUM by the way), but for once, you killed me with non-food posts. I love the beauty of nature even *more* than food, and the gorge looks spectacular. It’s one of those things, I know from experience in vast spaces, where I bet that the scope of it cannot be properly conveyed in most photos. Awesome.
I don’t know what is enticing me more… the scenery and photos or mushrooms sauteed with cream… Oh my, oh my, oh my… how these do send me!
Bonjour du Tarn en France, je découvre ton blog par Mary d’Athènes. Tes recettes sont si dépaysantes, ça fait du bien de lire d’autres saveurs. Bon blog est superbe. Bonne Journée.
A delicious recipe and beautiful photos. Glad to have found your blog via En-direct-dathenes. I shall try your recipe, using the local southern French aniseed pastis.
Here you are, on my blog, with your great dish I love !
Thanks a lot Peter !
those are some MASSIVE mushroom slices, and they excite me. great dish, as usual. :)
I love this so much, Peter! If we hadn’t already packed all our booze away (we’re moving), I’d make them today!
Ooooh mushrooms plus Ouzo!!
Wow – That does look good, but then everything you cook looks good. I will have to try this!
Send me a plate of this mushroom goodness.
You know, I just happen to have some Ouzo sitting all alone in the cupboard. Poor little Ouzo … I should take it out and have it make friends with the mushrooms sitting in my fridge! Great recipe! Thanks for the heads up regarding Mary’s blog.
can you believe I used to hate mushrooms when I was a kid? I have no idea exactly when the shift occurred, but my perception of them went from utter dislike to a borderline obsession. beautiful dish Peter!
Vikos and Zagorohoria and indeed very beautiful. We visited Varoulko a few years ago and the cuisine is excellent.
I’m really liking how you’re tying your recipes to particular regions with photos. Are they from past trips?
i know how wonderful this would be. very rich… very delicious. lovely idea for a bruschetta type thing.
Thanks for this recipe I wil test it out at the week-end. I had something similar at my nephews restaurant in Yorkshire, UK he had added some Stilton cheese to the sauce which was made with white wine not Ouzo
We come from “around the corner”, from a small village where no one lives any more. But my late yia yia used to make a version of this very similar. She used as much garlic but she added more ouzo or home made tsipouro when ouzo was not available. The cream was made fresh by her as well. Mmmmmmmm
Love all your random delicious tweets because they’re just so delicious. I have some ouzo so i’ll have to get some mushrooms to make this.
we have been making this at least once a week…its that good….we are hooked!