The sun is out today, the sky
is a bright cerulean blue, the smell of Spring is in the air.  Living at the shore,  it makes me think...seafood..As with
all coastal regions Shrimp are common seafood served in many different ways.  For this week's Cooking demo
I did at the Whole Foods of Middletown NJ I chose a Greek shrimp dish. I've have this dish in the Islands of Greece,
surrounded by the Aegean Sea. It's a magical place, the water is multi-colored and clear, the islands are each
very different reflecting the stormy past each one of them has had.  Like I've previously stated with Sicily, these
islands have been conquered and inhabited by various groups who have all left their cultural marks.  This dish,
GARIDES FETA, simply Shrimp with Feta, is made in the islands and on the mainland.  As with so many country
dishes it is made with some ingredients which never change, and others which are left to the discretion of the
home cook.  This dish can be baked or make in a pan on top of the stove.  If prefer the stove top so I can
better manage the cooking of the shrimp.

     This is known as Garides Feta, or Garides me Feta, or Garides me Saltsa, depending on what cookbook or
person you are talking to.  Shrimp with Feta and tomato is a good place to start.  For 6 people, use 1 1/2 lbs.of
120-24 count shrimp.  Start making the sauce, actually more of a saute' first.  Peel and devein the shrimp, buy
wild caught if available...the difference is amazing.  Cover them and place them in the fridge while you are starting
the sauce.  Dice 2 medium onions and saute' in 3 tbs. of olive oil.  Lightly salt and pepper the onions, keep on
a medium saute'.  After 8 minutes, add 1 pt. of grape tomatoes.  Keep on a medium flame.
   Some recipes call for using canned tomatoes for
this.  I prefer the fresh summery flavor.of the fresh. Now add 2 sliced cloves of garlic, 2 tbs of fresh chopped dill and 2 tbs of
fresh chopped parsley, 2 bay leaves. Saute' for about 3 minutes, then add 1/8 cup white wine, or if you can find it,
Retsina...a Greek wine flavored with the resin of a pine tree..Let this cook down for about 8 minutes on a low
simmer.  Now, cook the shrimp, separate it into two batches  so they can sear and not steam.  Heat 2 tbs of
olive oil (buy a Greek olive oil for this dish!) on medium heat and saute' the shrimp until they are pink on both
sides, do not cook all the way through, about 3 minutes per side.
  Remove the first batch to a bowl and cover.  Finish
the second batch.  Add them and the oil from the pan to the sauce. Stir, add the juice of 1/2 a lemon and 1/2 cup of
crumbled Feta cheese. 
before the shrimp and feta go in it will look like this.

 After the addition of the shrimp, lemon and Feta, let it cook
for about 5 minutes, then turn off the heat.  The shrimp should be snappy and plump now. Top with more Feta,dill, parsley,
and a shower of sliced green onions.  Remove the bay leaves.  Serve this over a bed of sauteed spinach that you have
flavored with lemon, garlic, and olive oil.  Orzo is a great side dish to this as well.

     The salty crisp clean air of the Greek Islands should be running through your hair right now.  Bouzouki music, or
as we heard in the clubs on the Island, some Gregorian or Techno music is in the background.  Families and lovers,
tourists and locals, all being joyous and noisy at close wooden tables , as the tide splashes onto the retaining wall,
windmills and Orthodox chapels, all whitewashed surround you.  It's an evening in Mykonos....Opa!