Nicola Kotsoni and Steve Tzolis own New York City's famous three-star Periyali restaurant, where Americans and Greeks alike go to enjoy authentic Greek food. Now, with noted culinary writer Holly Garrison, Steve and Nicola are offering the best of Periyali's celebrated menu, along with traditional Greek favorites no fan of healthy, flavorful Mediterranean cuisine can do without.Olive oil, citrus, wine, zesty herbs, and light tangy cheeses - these are some of the ingredients that come to mind when we think of Greek food. Fresh, delicately prepared seafood, meats seasoned with care and charbroiled on an open grill, and fabulously rich and unusual desserts all figure prominently in Greek cuisine and in The Periyali Cookbook. Here are easy-to-prepare recipes for opening delights such as Rice-Stuffed Grape Leaves, Greek Country Salad, Taramosalata, Roasted Eggplant Salad, Split Yellow Pea Puree, Watermelon with Red Onions and Mint, and Giant White Beans with Garlic Sauce. Then settle down for a main seafood course of Fillet of Snapper Baked with Tomato, Onion, and Garlic; Fish Filled with Fresh Herbs, Currants, and Nuts; or Grilled Lobster with Olive Oil, Lemon, and Herbs. Mouthwatering meat courses include Boneless Leg of Lamb Marinated in Yogurt, Pot-Roasted Chicken and Potatoes with Vinegar Sauce, Nicola's Mother's Meatballs, and of course, the best recipes for Moussaka and Pastitsio available.The Greeks are justly famous for their side dishes, and The Periyali Cookbook offers recipes for Roasted Potatoes with Oregano, Couscous Timbales, and Spinach with Rice in Dill-Flavored Tomato Sauce. And no Greek meal is complete without hearty bread. Periyali's delectable entries for this category include Kalamata Olive Muffins from Crete, Olive and Garlic Bread, and Steve's Sister's Festive Bread. Sweets are the Achilles' heel of the Greeks, and you'll see why after trying your hand at temptations like Rice Pudding, Summer Plum Pudding, Powder Cookies, and everybody's favorite, Baklava.The Periyali Cookbook offers more than just the best Greek recipes around. It's also full of lucid, helpful advice about finding authentic ingredients, how to substitute when you need to, making an authentic cup of Greek coffee, and Greek mealtime traditions and culinary history. Wine lovers will find a complete guide to Greek wines and a list of the wine merchants who distribute Greek wines nationally.The Periyali Cookbook introduces American cooks to the simple pleasures of regional Greek hearthside cooking, much of which is virtually unknown outside of Greek homes. This charming. truly indispensable book provides a touch of the friendly Greek island atmosphere - the final seasoning that makes every Greek meal so special. Read Less